o tannenbaum

o tannenbaum
that i cut down
your branches wear a wilted frown
o tannenbaum
that i cut down
you're evergreen's gone everbrown

o christmas tree
o christmas tree
the holidays come fatally
o christmas tree
o christmas tree
you lost the hindu lottery

your fate was in your dna
you should have lived another day
the oak and maple in the field
feel sorry that you have been killed.

the squirrels and birds that called you home
can't rest their head on styrofoam
they're crowded in the lucky boughs
too ugly for the jones' house

you're dressed up like an evening gown
your evergreen's gone everbrown
you're used just once
to give presents
and then they throw you in the dump

abc

on wednesday my little ones and i went to the firestation. it's just down the road, so we walked there, and it was the first snowy day of the season. it was ever the more fun. we learned all about firefighters and what they do and wear and all that firefighter stuff. three adult family members tagged along to keep the little ones in line, a mom, a dad, and an auntie. the auntie brought gum to bribe the kids into compiance with field trip rules, and i was glad she was at least concerned about the behavior and stuff.

so when we got back i uploaded my pictures on the class computer and we watched a slide show of the trip and discussed the various things we saw & learned. then "auntie" passed out gum and everyone started a-chewin.

to continue learning & discussing, we sat on the carpet and i wrote sentences about what we learned, and the kids impressed me with what they could remember and by telling me to put periods at the end of my sentences.

soon it was lunchtime, so we bundled up and went down to the lunchroom, where i realized that some of the kids had gum in their mouths still. there was no garbage can nearby, and i could not let them go into lunch with mouths full of gum, so my only course of action was to hold out my palm and collect the wads one by one. the last girl to put abc gum into the pile in my palm asked disappointedly, "can you save it?"



i laughed all the way to lunch, and almost forgot to wash my hands before eating. just kidding.

meoooowwww....where's the beef?

visitors to my apartment tell me i have fat cats. i have finally taken it to heart and bought weight control 'iams.'

i've always known when my cats run out of food in their feeder, they stand at the door to the room with the feeder and stare at me, and meow and stuff. so i go in there and they lead the way.

well now snuffy, who is not really fat, the other one is the fat one, continues to sit in the door and whine for food, despite the fact that there is plenty of diet cat food in there.

it's probably like a person eating celery at ever meal. what can i do? they both have to eat the same food... i guess i could have special mealtimes for snuffy where he gets to pig out on whatever while oscar is locked up in the bedroom. that seems cruel.

petsmart

i spent about 70 dollars at the pet store on friday night. most of it was for our class frogs. the tank i have them in smells really bad because i read that frogs shouldn't have a water filter, just plants to keep the water clean. well, the plants weren't doing the trick, and seriously, even growing up on the farm i'd be hard-pressed to remember a smell as bad as when the frog tank was opened. and i cleaned it regularly, too. it just smelled! so i went to petsmart and pleaded for knowledge, and they said that what i read was wrong or something... so i got a water filter, an air pump with a porous air stone, and waste-break-down stuff.

i also got two kitty pads, these electrostatically charged cushy pads that the cats are supposed to be attracted to... they have been laying on them a lot. snuffy slept on it last night instead of sleeping on my bed. crazy.

hmmmm

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.5
Mind:	7.5
Body:	8
Spirit:	9.1
Friends/Family:	9
Love:	2.1
Finance:	8.1
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1 year

how's it goin?

i wanna talk about something that makes me feel good around this time of year. four years ago, i was having the worst time... not the worst time i've ever had, but it was up there. and of course, nowhere near as bad as some people have had... but anyway, i was down. i was working as a substitute teacher after losing my job as a fifth grade teacher. subbing was okay, but obviously not ideal. it was good enough money, but no benefits. i was also pulling down half a work week at barnes and noble. it was just not what i wanted to be doing, and i felt bad because i wasn't doing what i had gone to school to learn to do.

over the summer i had applied for several jobs and didn't get any of them. one particular job interview burned me, because i thought i had done well, and the principal said she would call me 'with good news or bad news' so i wouldn't be waiting around. she said she knew 'what it's like to wait for news' like that. she never called. i ran into her at the dist. administration building, and approached her. i wanted to say lotsa things, but i just re-introduced myself as though nothing had ever happened. she ended up telling me that she had given the job i wanted to a sp. ed. teacher who had been bugging her for a reg. ed. position.

so that sucked. but anyway, i subbed through september, october and november. i checked the postings for jobs that came up, and noticed one that came up where i had applied before... i went to remind the principal of myself as a possible applicant. when i pulled into the parking lot, she was getting out of her car (score... i wouldn't have to go in and wait for her to not be busy)... i walked over to her car and, well within a week i was hired.

it was soon to be thanksgiving break. i met the first grade teacher i would be taking over for. i met the other teachers i would be working with. it was, after months of chaos, some regularity. i would start this new job on dec. 2, and after months of scrambling around, i would be earning my checks at one building teaching first grade.

i remember feeling extra 'secure' while working some long nights during december, knowing where i would be working the next day, knowing with whom i would be working, and hearing the cold wind blow outside and knowing i was safe. i can't forget the people who looked out for me and helped me get on my feet as a first grade teacher, because they are still there, still helping me daily. now i feel a lot more confident, and i love my job and the kids in my class.

so now when it turns cold in mid-late fall, i still think about when i used to really appreciate the warmth of a new job and people looking out for me, and it helps me re-appreciate my job and the people looking out for me.