Parking Confessions

I just have to say that I don't always follow the signs for parking.

I never park in handicap spots - that's illegal and wrong. I don't take the family with small children spots at the mall either.

However, I will park in the 15 minute coffee spots at Vons - even though there's no way I'm going to the Starbucks inside. At Trader Joe's, I park in the spots marked with an E even though I know that they mean them for employees. Since they don't have signs up telling people that they are for employee use, I figure it could very well be for people like me whose name starts with an E.

And I know this one might ruffle some feathers...but I used to park in the expecting mom spots at Babies R Us. Now I don't park there, but that's really only because I don't go there anymore. But seriously, what were they going to do - tell me I'm not pregnant and tow my car because I parked in a spot for expecting moms and didn't have a giant belly to prove it?

Some parking spaces just have suggestions on them. That's how I prefer to view it.

And since I titled this "Parking Confessions," let me just confess that anytime I back up, I freak out and panic a little bit. I think it all stems from a few years ago when I accidentally backed into a parked car at church.

I have a back up camera.

I thought I was using it.

To be fair, the car was gray and blended into the pavement rather well. Either way, I didn't realize it until I pulled forward and saw the car move. It was not one of my finer moments.

Now I check a lot.

I overly check when I'm backing out.

I ask Micah not to talk to me if it's a crowded parking lot (i.e. Trader Joe's - why do we only have one in town?) I need to focus on backing up.

Mirror, back up camera, mirror, camera, mirror,

On the next car I get (which will be a very long time from now) I want a warning buzzer instead of a camera.

Captcha

I know these little number and letter combinations are really great at cutting down spam, but I have to be honest. I get a little nervous when having to do them. 

Instead of captcha, the word is more like "caught ya" to me.

"Caught ya" trying to post something on a friend's blog.

"Caught ya" trying to buy something. 

Seriously, it reminds me of the Scantron tests we'd take in school. 

Did I bubble the circle enough? 

Was my mark dark enough? 

Do I have any stray pencil marks? 

Is it true that if I put lip gloss over my answers they will all be marked right?

Oh, wait I was supposed to be taking a math test, not freaking out about the Scantron.

The same questions and feelings come up every time I'm asked to fill out one of those captcha things on the computer. 

Do I put a space between the number and letter portion?

Is that a lowercase r or an n?

How did I get it wrong? I was SO sure!

I have to type my comment again?

And eventually, I just give up. 

I know the purpose is to stop spam, but I'm only human. 

My Favorite Things

One of the Christmas things I have to go to this year wants me to bring a $10 wrapped gift. It's supposed to be one of my favorite things.

Have you really ever thought about your favorite things that are $10 or under?

Here are a few of my favorite things (under $10):

Maranatha No Stir Creamy Peanut Butter: This is my dessert most nights. I love the creamy texture and the flavor is fabulous. Not so fabulous? The price. Because I am cheap, I usually buy the Costco peanut butter. At least it only has 2 ingredients.

Sweet potatoes: I like them fried, mashed, baked, or boiled. I really don't care how I get my fix, just that I do.

Persimmons: The short fat ones are so yummy. They taste like candy - nature's candy.

Maple Pumpkin Tea Latttes: I make them myself at home and they ROCK.

Maple Syrup: Yeah, like on Elf. I love maple syrup. Not the Aunt Jemima stuff that has corn syrup in it. I want the real stuff. Costco again saves the day. They have a cheaper jug of pure maple syrup than most stores. I use it in cooking and to sweeten hot tea.

Hair clips: I love cute things that I can stick in my hair to make it look polished at work. The world doesn't need to know that I haven't washed or brushed my hair in 3 days. The hair clips can help.

Thermos Tumbler: This thing is a bear to reconstruct after washing, but it keeps drinks HOT and doesn't leak (if you put it together right).

Apparently most of my favorite things relate to food. Looks like I'm giving a tumbler or hair accessories for this Christmas party.

What are some of your favorite things (under $10)?

Hello, Blog

What, I still have a blog? Yeah, it seems like I've completely forgotten about it.

I haven't forgotten, just more didn't have anything good to say.

Well, that's not totally true. I often have fun and witty comments (witty sounds like a word my Mom would say). I simply have gotten into a habit of sharing those on facebook. (I swear that facebook is not supposed to be capitalized because it's not on their logo, but then the red line tells me it should be, but then I get frustrated when I do capitalize it and I can't win.)

I'm not even sure I'd have a lot of good to say now.

If you know us, you probably know this year hasn't been the greatest. In fact, when I think of our Christmas card for the year (jury's still out on whether or not we will do one) all I wonder is, "Do they make cards with crap on them?"

Turns out they do.

People would probably be offended at that card.

They are very, very gross. (So gross that I'm not going to show you a picture, but you can Google it yourself.)

But that's what I feel like this year has been like.

Just a bunch of garbage. One load after another...
(They do make Christmas cards with garbage trucks on them...)

Thankfully, I found Lamentations 3 the other day. It's where I'm reading in my Bible and because the truth was so important, I haven't moved on from it yet. I'll probably be reading Lamentations 3 for a long time.

Because I need a constant reminder, this is what will be on my entry chalkboard all season:

Big Bowl of Randomness

I spent an hour Friday putting music on my flash drive, so I could use it in my classroom. When I got to work, the only song that worked was Hamster Dance.

This year is Martin Luther King's last chance. If the poster of him falls off the back wall again, it's going in the trash.

I took so many classes this summer that now I'm stressed out trying to apply what I've learned. It probably would have been an easier last few days if I was okay with being a mediocre teacher.

I finally got a Vitamix. Making hummus was so easy yesterday. The downside is I used their recipe, which has way to much lemon if you ask me - and way too much liquid from the chickpeas. Next time, I'm going back to how I used to make it.

I'm in love with peanut butter and cashews. Not together, but independently.

Tomorrow, I'm going to start using the Class Cards app with my students. They might hate it and revolt. Or they might realize that the actually do have pay attention and do something in my class.

I think that there is a 60% chance my phone will get stolen. I have to remember to be vigilant at all times and never trust that my students won't steal from me. Possibly, I will have to resort to wearing it around my neck like a nerd.

I get that it's a cultural thing to use two last names, but honestly, for the sake of the kid, could they just pick one? I have a girl on my roster who's listed as "Margar." I'm guessing her name is Margarita, but I've been surprised before.

Speaking of that, I feel like I'm getting super good at knowing names. For instance, years ago I would have pronounced "Kamal" as Camel (and really gotten angry that anyone would do that to a kid). Now I'm smart enough to realize that it's probably pronounced "Kuh Mal."

Those are probably all the facebook posts I would have made in the last few days. Had I actually had a minute to sit and write them.

Running

"Let's just runaway."

I say this often.

I'm only about 10% serious.

But the 10% is strong.

I'd like to take little family away and just live here:

(No offense to family and friends reading this, we really would miss you and you are part of the reason we stay.)

How could anything go wrong in a place like that? I picture a simple life without any of the current realities that seem to weigh me down. (I know that's probably not true...)

Bosses would be kind and understanding. Mortgages would not lie on the ocean floor. I wouldn't have to work unless I wanted to. We would have chickens and fresh eggs each morning. The island life would heal all of my physical problems. (Like on LOST...) Life would be simple, sweet.

Peaceful.

Breezy.

Beautiful.

Happy.

Things I Should Be Doing Right Now....

Instead of looking at blogs and writing this pathetic post, I should be:

• Cleaning my kitchen. Cooking all your meals at home makes too many dishes. Every single day.
• Cleaning my house. Living at home makes too much of a mess. Also every single day.
• Organizing the kitchen cupboards. Now that I'm cooking all my meals at home, I need frequently used kitchen stuff to be where it's easily accessible.
• Writing two papers on two books. I'm going back to school. Despite my masters degree, I'm still not at the top of the pay scale. I'm determined to remedy that situation in two years. Same job, but much more money. I'll be taking 12 units this summer. I'm already done with 2 and could be done with 4 if I wrote the papers for them.
• Figuring out how I'm going to cook the fish for tonight's dinner.
• Fixing the look of my pathetic blog. I'm so not happy with it - to the point I think about quitting it altogether.
• Grading research papers. Ug. Seriously. Bad. That could either be a testament to my teaching or a testamint to my student's inability to follow directions - especially ones that are typed out or ask for help. Yes, I know I said testamint - it's a shout out to Christian breath fresheners.