Friday, May 13, 2011

Feel Good Friday- It's Still Me!


Here we are again--finally!  What was up with blogger being out of service???? I wasn't sure I could do FGF today and that would be a tragedy!  

THEGIRL is still away from her desk, so I will  be hosting for a few more weeks.

If you haven't done Feel Good Friday before, you are supposed to create a post on your own blog where you tell us what made you feel good this week.  It can be any number of things.  I like to pick 5.  They don't have to be anything earthshattering, just things that made you happy or smile or feel successful.

Then you come back and link up and that bottom so we can read all about your fabulous week. 

Ordinarily, I like to tell you what made me happy or feel great.  I'm taking a different approach this week.  This week was not bad, but it was full of things that just made me roll my eyes or left me whispering to myself.  In retrospect, these things were funny, or I can find the funny in them.  So, I am going to tell you about them and feel good that they might make you laugh.  Or at least snicker.

**Stupid Rider, Jumps Are For Jumping**

Don't you dare let this picture of such a docile creature fool you.  This is what Tucker looked like when I arrived yesterday.  It took some serious convincing to get his butt off the ground.

I rode Tucker only once this week because of weather.  We have been having very frustrating lessons lately and she is trying to break some weird habits I have that can't just be undone overnight.  There are some things I do really well, like canter (which is funny because it took me so long to get there) and others that make me soooooo mad when she tells me for the umpteenth time what to do, that she thinks I am not doing but I think I am.

So, at the end of my lesson, when things were going better, this exchange took place:

r-ster:  "just trot right over that rail over there"

me:  "....  you mean that jump?"

r-ster:  "yeah, just trot right over it"

me:  "........." that would be a high trot, but ok.

He managed to duck to the left the first 4 times, so she told me to tap him and make him go over.  So I did.  He still ducked out.  So I reminded him that I was serious.

And he jumped it like it was a 10 foot wall. 

And I fell hard on my butt.

r-ster:  "are you ok, are you ok????  i didn't think he'd jump it like that, it wasn't that high!!!"

me:  "i'm fine, it will hurt tomorrow, WAS HE SUPPOSED TO JUMP???"

r-ster:  "yes, but not like that"

me:  "you said TROT over it, so I didn't realize he'd JUMP!  A little communication issue there!!"

I knew I was sliding off, so I let myself go and then worried he'd trample me so I screamed.  I think that's why she was worried that I was really hurt.  I looked up and he had stopped and was staring at me like "WHAT are you doing down there????"

The good news is that I did not die and I got back up and we walked over it.  After she lowered it.  The bad news is that my butt really hurts today.   I'm like a stiff old man today.   It will be so much fun to teach my spin class this afternoon!

**Pick A Color, Any Color**

I was at the drugstore on Monday and a former student was the cashier.  Every time I go in, she talks to me, usually about her dead mother, and I look at her and marvel at the wreck that she has become.  She was cute, smart, thin in high school.  Then her mother died,  very young, and I think she went off the deep end.  She had to have been involved with drugs to look like this.  Puffy face, her mouth is a mess, she has very slow eyes now, etc.  A total mess.  She appears to have gone through rehab, but she is so different from the girl I knew, that I can't stop staring.

So, it was my turn, after the loony toon in front of me, and I was kind of laughing with her.  I should have just kept my head down and ignored here.  Instead, this was the conversation.  While a line formed behind me.  And I was only buying 2 things.  And really wanted to get out.

her:  "Oh, you got your hair done!"

me:  "No, I just never have it down" trying to hurry the transaction

her:  "Oh, you should get it done.  YOU NEED TO TOUCH UP THE GRAYS."

me, jaw on floor :  "No I don't!  I don't color it, so this is how it is!"  swiping my card, ready to go

her:  "No, I mean, it looks great, but you could just do your roots"

me:  "These are natural, I DON'T COLOR MY HAIR AND DON'T PLAN TO!!"  omg, why am I still standing here????

her:  " You could just go down that aisle and get something really close to your natural color.  Here, feel mine (stroking her own hair) no really, feel it, isn't it smooth.  FEEL IT"

me, feeling her hair:  "ooh that is soft.  What did you do (WHY can't I leave this store???)

And I FINALLY got out of there.  Taking advice from her?????  I should have turned around and asked all of the people in line what their vote was:  listen to a possible drug addict or go with my own plans not to color my hair????

**Everyone's Always Looking For A Free Lunch**

During a team meeting with my principal this week, I tried to remind her that teacher appreciation week was last week and no one did anything for us.  Once upon a time, the PTO would make a lavish lunch, complete with decorating the teacher's room.  I never really ate it, but it was nice.  Our former principal suggested that maybe they could do that for us on the last day of school, instead, since that is a 1/2 day for kids, but a full day for us and it would be nice to have lunch.  They obliged. 

With the change of principals, a lot changed.  We haven't had that last day of school lunch for a long 3 years.  Last year, the very nice woman who is our boss sent out 2 emails telling us that she herself would buy us lunch the last day.  DO NOT BRING YOUR LUNCH, it read.  LUNCH IS ON ME! 

Twice this went out.

The day before the last day of school, she sent us this:  SORRY, CENTRAL OFFICE DID NOT APPROVE MY REQUEST TO BUY YOU LUNCH.  BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH AND I WILL  BUY YOU A CAKE.

Where I come from, LUNCH IS ON ME means that the person is spending HER OWN MONEY on you, not money that is from the school budget and meant to be used on supplies!  One more notch in the frustration belt.

So, at our meeting this week, she told us that the PTO is doing a special breakfast for us on the last Friday of school.  You'll notice I had to have this conversation alone as the rest of the team watched the spar, mute:

me:  "Wait, that's when the 8th grade will be in New York, so that means all of the 8th grade teachers won't get to partake!"

her:  "Well, that's too bad.  They decided to go to New York!!" 

if you have ever chaperoned a trip with 14 year olds, you know that not one minute of that trip is a "privilege" and anyone doing it should have their heads examined!

me:  "Well, it's not like they have a choice.  Do you know that they used to do a fancy lunch--"

her:  "yes, I know all about it, but times are tight"

me:  "and then it was suggested that they do it the last day of school, and they did, but they haven't---"

her:  "I know, and times are tight and this is what they can do"

me:  "But you understand that this means none of the 8th grade teachers and everyone else who is going will get to have this appreciation breakfast."

her:  "They decided to go to New York.   That was their choice (not really!)This is when the PTO can do it!"

me:  "But maybe they don't know about the lunch on the 1/2 day"

her:  "OH you'll get your LUNCH!  You'll get your LUNCH, don't worry if I have to pay for it myself like I do every year"

collective crashing of jaws on table, see above

me:  "I'm saying maybe rather than you paying for lunch as though you ever have you could have the PTO do their breakfast on that half day"

her:  "Oh, you'll get your LUNCH, don't you worry.  And we're helping them by making the food.  I"M HELPING THEM WITH THIS BREAKFAST BECAUSE TIMES ARE TIGHT.  I'M HELPING THEM!!!"

The irony is that I don't even usually eat those lunches because they are crappy wraps from a restaurant that taste like cardboard.  I just want justice for all and if one is to be appreciated, then ALL should be appreciated.

So, I shouldn't worry, I'll get my LUNCH.  And I'll get my BREAKFAST too because I'm not stupid enough to spend 3 days in New York with kids.  

And thank you to the team who allowed me to go to battle over this while they watched.  I will charge admission next time.

So, that's my ridiculous week.  I'm not dead, I'll get my lunch and I should touch up my  grays.  Hope you enjoyed it! 

Now go write about why you're happy and link back up!!

3 comments:

  1. Hey

    I tried to link up

    Bogger is a mess today!

    Have a good weekend and try a bath with epsom salts for that soreness


    heee

    WE are old


    that is all

    ReplyDelete
  2. So glad you did not die. And yes, that pic does make the animal look like a lamb.
    And I just followed you...how have I not been following you all this time? We've known each other for like, what? A year? Holy cow...or should I say Holy Horse! bahahaha! Ok, it sounds funny in my head.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Haha, I really love your blog. I think I'll try one of these next week. And these little tidbits made my day better. Thank you! :)

    ReplyDelete

I love comments almost as much as I love summer. I reply to all comments except those ridiculous anonymous comments offering me dirty deeds and real estate. When you leave your comment, please make sure your own settings will allow me to reply to you. Nothing makes me sadder than replying to your comments and then realizing it’s going to the no-reply@blogger address!