Funny Things

Things I have seen recently on the CTA that freakin' kill me:

On Halloween, there was a guy dressed up as the Dick in the Box guy. As my train pulled away, he opened that box. Everyone else in my train car screamed, but I thought it was hilarious. That guy wins the "Total Tool" award from me. (Get it? I'm funny.)

I saw a 70-year-old dude today carrying an old school metal Masters of the Universe lunchbox.

I saw the most gorgeous sunset today. At 4:45, but whatever.

This morning, a woman got on with a huge donut, but then tried to do her makeup and realized she didn't have enough hands for all of that. I kept waiting to see her rub the donut on her face, but if she did, she saved it for after I got off.

Two sloppy drunk teachers last Friday...oh wait, that was me and my friend.

SOTD: Something Beautiful by needtobreathe. I just like it.

This I Believe: Healthcare

Ok kids, I didn't mean to make this political right away, but here it is: I believe that healthcare should be a right and not a privilege. That said, I have no idea of the logistics it takes to get that done and paid for, but let me tell you why I'm thinking about it today:

I have ear infections in both ears. My right ear is infected in both the outer and middle ear. (I told my dad that and he said, "GEEZ, you're a mess!") The entire right side of my face is swollen. This started yesterday, but I didn't hit up the doctor last night because I had promised Skylar a night out and my friend Al that I'd come see his band play at a bar near my house. This was not one of my brighter ideas, for the record- I couldn't hear out of my right ear and I was miserable. The beer I had wasn't really worth it. So this morning, I got up and went down to cheer for the runners (Go Chicago Marathoners!) then hit up the clinic that's open on Sundays. I got to go to the dr. and get antibiotics for about $20. I saved over $100 because I was born to a family that was able to send me to college, and I happened to find a job that hasn't yet been hit by the recession. If I was out of work, where would I find the money for an EAR INFECTION?

Despite what I'm constantly telling you, I'm not that special. I'm just lucky. But they tell me I'll be feeling better in 24 hours. That is great news.

An ear infection is minor on the scale of things that can go wrong with these crazy bodies we live in. How can anyone deny someone else the right to do what they need to do to feel better? I really don't get it.

Soapbox over. I hope this is coherent. I'm going to bed pretty soon...yeah, it's 5:30.

SOTD: Sick of Myself by Matthew Sweet. Note to those in charge: I'd like a new immune system, please.

Whupped, but with a plan

You guys? I'm getting my ass kicked by a bunch of 3-5 year olds. Thank god this is not my first year- I don't think I'd want to teach anymore.

I've been struggling to come up with good blog writing lately and failing pretty miserably because I am so worn out at the end of the day. It's not just the physically tired part, it's also emotional. What else can I do?

But that's not my point. My point is this: I borrowed a book from my sister called "This I Believe" and it's all short essays on people's personal important beliefs. So at least once a week, I'm going to try to write about something I believe and why because I need something like that right now. Some of them are probably going to be silly (I already have a good idea on my belief in cheese and I'm sure at some point there will be a drunk one about my belief in wine) and some will be what I need to work out in my brain. If I fail to do this, call me on it. If anyone wants to write one and be a guest blogger, let me know. Check out the book- some are better than others, but it's good stuff no matter what.

I need to go to bed now- after one cute kid story for me to think about as I fall asleep. I was out on Monday because I was coming back from visiting my sister. On Wed, one of the dads told me, "Just so you know, my son was really sad you weren't here on Monday. It was all he could talk about on Monday night- he was really hoping you'd be back on Tuesday so he wouldn't have to miss you anymore." For every rotten moment, there's one of those. And that kid is freakin' ADORABLE.

SOTD: I and Love and You by the Avett Brothers. I thought this song was called "Brooklyn Brooklyn" until the other day. I just dig it, even if it's not the best thing to listen to when I'm a bit down. Are you aware the shape I'm in? Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in.

Let's Go Ride!

That subject line used to be my brother-in-law's tagline on every text he sent. He's toned it down a bit now, but it works for today.

I just got back from Colorado- I went to go meet Jaden, who is awesome. But while I was there, I took advantage of it being Colorado and did what I'm pretty sure is only my 3rd ever mountain biking attempt. (Possibly 4th, but I'm pretty sure only 3.) This is the proof. Above, you'll see just how pretty it really is. It just looks like that! Also, they let cows graze there, and you can see that I'm actually headed straight for a cowpie. But that's not the important part. (I did not hit it. I can steer.)

That's me going over a big rock. I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture, but it's a scary one. I went back and did it again because it was cool.

I like mountain biking. I need to get some mountains in Chicago.

Also, I totally have some impressive bruising and injuries. How did I do that? Getting on the bike. I am soooooo coordinated. You wish you could move like me.

SOTD: She's Got You High by Mumm-ra. I hadn't noticed how high we were until we took that first picture, I just knew that going up was hard. Plus, this song is on the happy list.

No WAY!!!!!!!

My friend Matt just won an Emmy!!!!!!

I've been sick and doing nothing but lying on the couch feeling gross all weekend, and I just spent like 20 minutes jumping up and down on my couch screaming because HOLY CRAP! My friend just won an Emmy and he did a GREAT job on his speech, and I could not be any more excited than I am right now.

And now I'm back where I've started- and never really left. I'm sitting home alone watching tv.

BUT SERIOUSLY! HOW COOL IS THAT?!

I hate everyone.

Long story short, I'm having a rough week at school. Rotten kids, a power struggle with other teachers, and I'm already coming down with my first cold of the year, and school's been going on for 8 days now. Rotten germ-infested kids.

The main point of this is telling you that even though I rode my bike to school, I was upset enough that I went to the gym and worked out in hopes of settling down a bit. I was still a bit cranky when I was cruising home in rush hour, getting cut off my jerkfaces on Vespas and irresponsible cyclists listening to their iPods.

What finally made me feel better? Singing today's SOTD in my head the whole way. Never doubt the power of a great song.

SOTD: I Hate Everyone by Get Set Go. Whoa-ho-oh-oh-oh-oh!!!!! All the people on the street- I HATE YOU ALL!

Less to say...

I'm finding that I don't have much to say here lately, but a few things you might find interesting:

I took syphilis to school for the kids to use as a loaner for rest time in case they need something to cuddle. I cut his tag off so that no one would see it and know what it is, and I just call him a worm. But every time I see it, I giggle and think about how many germs there are at school.

I went to German fest, then Irish fest yesterday. I'm on a dessert and drinking ban for the month of September, and I totally blew it. Chicago is hard. But at least I represented for my dad's side of the fam. All I needed to do was swing through Chinatown and eat some Hawaiian food and I would have been good to go.

School is fun. It's nice being in the 2nd year and feeling that much more confident about what I'm doing, and knowing for sure what is going to work. It's also fun to see how big my old kids are and get to know new kids.

SOTD: Tell Her This by Del Amitri. I was making myself a mix today of songs that make me happy and I found this in my iTunes, and I'd sort of forgotten about it. It's not really a happy song, so it didn't make the mix, but it is a good song.

PS- Taylor Swift just got dicked over by Kanye West. That's messed up, MTV. Messed up.