Hush hush...this is scary.

As you may know there are few things I like more than messed up song lyrics...typically I prefer them to be out of the mouths of others, but that is just my competitive nature.

Today my mind was blown in math class.  No, not with fractions--although they blow my mind in so many other ways..but, when a classmate started singing me a song.

You have to understand my math group.  We are the loudest table, mostly because of me and another guy.  He is super math smart and can't help but shout out the answers, and I am not as blessed in the math department but still can't keep my mouth shut...shocking.

One of our other group members was, I think encouraging me to perhaps pipe down when she said don't make me sing the song to you...and she sang:

'hush, hush.  Keep it down now, voices carry'  I did not know this song..but, I knew the tune!

I looked at her in shock 'Is that what she says???'  (the group is 'Til Tuesday' I think)

'Yeah'

I thought the lyrics were 'ohh, hush.  We go downtown, this is scary'.

My version totally makes sense, it is clearly not a great downtown area, so you want to keep your voice down and just get where you are going..and damn it, it's scary!  Then I interpret that it really has something to do with love and that being scary....yeah.  That isn't what it means at all, 'cause those aren't the words.

I will tell you something else that is scary.  The fact that being in school makes me understand why college kids are always in their pajamas.  Why change?  I'm just doing homework...I thought maybe I would be excited to get dressed and go to class--while I do not where pajamas to class I am over getting dressed up.  For years I have been getting dressed in skirts, dresses, dress pants, heels, full makeup--all of it for work.  I missed that when I was unemployed.  However...now, I do homework, work out, teach dance...Why would I put on regular clothes...I took it to a new low today when I went to get coffee and wore my slippers as shoes..What?? All the other kids are doing it.  Did I mention I was still in my pajamas?  Granted, my pajamas were yoga pants a tank top and a hoodie...no one knew, unless they saw the sheet mark still on my face.

I'm starting to look like a commercial for anti-depressants.  

Spring sprang...and other surprising moments.

Mondays are a long day for me.  I get up somewhere in the six o'clock hour and observe a first grade class for the day.  I then find an internet connection for a couple of hours and do some homework before I go teach dance from 6-9.  I then have a 45 minute drive home.
This morning I declined MFC's offer of coffee.   I have some other illness from somewhere that has made me lose my voice and given me a super hot cough.  Honestly, this has been the sickest winter ever.  By 'sickest' I do not mean most awesome.
I realized on my way to the elementary school that I was super early...I rethought my coffee needs and decided to go to a target that has a Starbucks in it.  I was even too early for Target.  I sat in my car for fifteen minutes listening to my favorite morning show.  I was already contemplating how on earth I was going to make it through the day feeling half awake.  When the door opened I sprang from my car, anticipating my steaming hot cup o' Joe.  I was half running to the door.
When I walked in, something did not look right...There was no coffee made and no one behind the counter.  I heard two Target managers discuss how they put 'Susan' at Starbucks because she was a superstar.  Then I saw Susan.  She was dressed not in a Starbucks uniform, but in a Target uniform.  Not a good sign.
She looked alarmed as I approached her, and she looked at her watch.
I asked if they were open and she said 'Yes!  We are! I don't know if I can make what you want, but I can try! What can I get for you?'
This was definitely not a good sign.  Long story short, she thought she could make my coffee, and went to grab the things she needed and she couldn't find anything.  After a couple minutes of scurrying I was finally able to stop her and tell her not to worry, I would just take a cup of hot water. ( I had a tea bag in my purse).  I tried to mask my enormous disappointment at the lack of coffee as she apologized, gave me a coupon for a free drink and told me that whomever could have made my java delight had called out sick.  I thanked her, smiled and told her good luck and sulked back to my car.  I made my tea in the cup holder and cursed the sick guy.  Doesn't he KNOW???  I NEED MY COFFEE.  I thought it couldn't be worse.
I got back on the highway thinking about how I could have stayed in bed an extra 45 minutes when it happened.  Three robin's flew across the highway in front of my car at lightening speed...Well, two were at lightening speed...one was more the speed of sound.  I heard the tell tale thud of road kill. I screamed 'OH MY GOD!!! I KILLED A BIRD!!!!!! OHHH!!! NOOO!!!'.  I couldn't believe it.  No coffee and I killed a bird.  It could not get worse.
I went through my classroom observation hacking all over the kids.  I wasn't sure who had more germs today...me or them.  At 2:30 I walked to my car.  That's when I saw it.
The bird I had hit was still with me.  It had become one with my car.  I started yelling OH MY GOD!!!! It was then as I was causing a scene alone in an elementary school parking lot that I saw a mother and a child walking to their car.  I felt the need to explain that we were all looking at the poor bird I hit that morning.  Here I am driving around town with a bird glued to the hood of my car.  Awesome.  Did I mention yesterday was the first day of spring and it was snowing?  Yeah.  That too.
I made it to my dad's to make some soup and do some homework...and ask him to 'de-bird' me.
I'm pretty sure that if I was superstitious this would be a bad omen. Thank goodness I'm not..superstitious...knock on wood.

Are you sure your Irish?

Last year I told you about my super awesome St. Paddy's day outfit in 5th or 6th grade.  Fortunately, there are no pictures of this nightmare that I thought was so awesome however there is a full description here.

Besides remembering my poor fashion choices what is my biggest nightmare?  4 words.  Corned. Beef. And. Cabbage.  To me this is one big pot of awful.  I am not a fan of boiled dinners all around, I don't know what it is...no..I do. It's the sogginess of the veggies, and the fact that everything tastes the same. Like carrots.  I enjoy carrots, but I like my carrots to taste like carrots and my potato to taste like potato, and my meat to taste like meat...not meat carrots.
Cooked cabbage?  Well, that is one big salty fart.  Raw cabbage, yum.  Cooked cabbage salty farts.

So naturally, I am dating someone who hosts St. Patrick's day dinner every year and corned beef and cabbage is 'the thing'.  I've been getting horrified looks for months when I confess that this is my  #1 hated meal (followed closely by pot roast).  I get the 'this could be a deal breaker look'.  So, I have promised I would try it.  Who knows, I may like it this year!  I didn't know I liked brussell sprouts until I met his family and have had 3 separate brussell sprout revelations--seriously YUMMY stuff.  I could change my tune...but, I'll pack a sandwich just in case.  I got the Irish skin and freckles, but the Irish taste buds...not so much.

They say it's your birthday!

Last year I tried to write about all the things that shaped me to 30.  I think I wrote one story.  Then 30 happened and I changed my life in every way imaginable!
Truth be told, I was not excited to turn 30 last year.  I was having my first birthday melt down. This is not what 30 looked like when I was a kid...On the upside it looks a whole lot younger than when I was 5, 10, 15....20.  But, I wasn't where I thought I should be.
Everyone said 31 is worse because it isn't the novelty of turning 30, you are actually IN your 30's.  I'm just gonna say I dig it.  My life doesn't look like what I thought, but I'm thinking this is way more fun.  I feel like I am finding myself and challenging myself more and more everyday!
I love my birthday--I don't love it for gifts and stuff--however, I LOVE cards.  Love them.  I love the feeling that today is my own personal holiday that doesn't involve the stress of other holidays.  I liked the surprise this morning when the guy at the gym said 'Happy Birthday!' because when I flashed my card it must have popped up on his computer.  I love that my roomie left me a little birthday note this morning...I love that two of my crazy friends called me at in the 7:00 hour to be the first to wish me happy birthday.  Call me an attention whore.  I've been called worse I'm sure, behind my back of course! But, as my dad says--'it beats the alternative.'
Another nice touch.  The Facebook birthday--there is nothing like people you haven't seen in 15 years wishing you a happy birthday--some people I'm sure we wouldn't recognize each other if we walked into each other on the street.  (I'm always looking at my phone or at the ground...no.. i'm not, but it would explain why I walk into people.)  It's like a little online birthday party goin' on for you ALL darn day!
The one exception my friend Jen pointed out is if your birthday falls on a Sunday....then you will have a VERY disappointing facebook birthday..because people aren't avoiding their work meeting, errands, report or other important tasks to write on your 'wall'.  We all know that is really why anyone cares to wish you a happy birthday on good ole' FB!
Anyways.  Today has so far been spent on some things I enjoy most in life: Coffee from Starbucks, a run at the gym, a lazy trip to Target.  Oh, I am a simple person.  Some homework has to find it's way into my afternoon...but, then MFC is coming to make me dinner...I think.  He has changed his mind 85 times in the last 72 hours.  Perhaps he is sensing I like a little surprise in my life.  However, all he really needs to know is that this year his presence is the best present.  Add to that my amazing friends and family and I have more blessings to count..mostly because I suck at math.
I stopped to take my 3rd phone call from my friend Matt.  He distracted me long enough to clean my toilet, take out the trash, and sort recycling.  Not acceptable birthday activities...Thanks Matt.
Anyways, in the next year the goals are as follows:
1.  Laugh, love and dance.  A lot.  Maybe more than necessary, but, not necessarily in that order.
2.  Try new foods.  Who knew I like brussel sprouts now?  Not me!
3.  Show up.  To life.
4.  Do some things that scare me.  Considering driving through the tunnels on 93 scare me, this is not going to be hard.
5.  Stop apologizing for unnecessary things, but still be quick to  apologize when necessary.
6.  Wear more color.
7.  Be kind to myself.  I'm probably the only one who notices that extra 5-10 lbs.
8.  At this time next year be about 8 weeks away from having my Master's degree and my teachers license.  If for any reason this has to be postponed, I will not beat myself up.  However, let's shoot for the first option.
9. Breathe.

Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.

I for some reason was obsessed for a period in I think middle school with that Fleetwood Mac song...
However, it seems to be my blog theme as my last post was not, in fact, my 'last' public post.  This might  be...  My problem is I discovered that when I go private I can only have 100 readers...this kinda cramps my style...there are more than 100 people who read this (who knew??)!
After an email from one reader sayin' they were 'Jonesin' for some decaf--trust me you CAN jones for the decaf, I realized that on this eve of my spring break I am jonesin' to write.  I'm jonesin to write about anything that does not involve school work!  I love being back in school, but let me tell you when I looked at the rest of my semester and all there is left to do all I could say is 'how WILL this all get done??'.
Anyways.  Enough of that.  What is new and what is on my mind?
Driving in the Cambridge area.  Since the extreme snow fall this winter for a while we were stuck with snowbanks well above our heads.  My town has maintained a 24 hour parking ban for the last month even though the snow has gone down.  Driving in my area is already a bit like playing an intense video game.  Most of the time you are dodging:

1.  Pedestrians.  Not just any pedestrians.  Well...some are just your regular run of the mill pedestrians, but mostly they are multi-color leg-warmer wearing, crazy haired, pachouli scented pedestrians.  They are lovely and very zen...or stoned.  However, they definitely don't look before crossing the street.

2.  Bike riders.  I know I have to share the road, and I LOVE that this area is filled with active people, but some cyclists do not know proper etiquette and I am trying to get to class doing 15 miles an hour because he won't move to the right.  Everyone who knows me knows that I always do at least 20 mph on side roads...35 on the highway ;-)

3.  The 'T' Bus.  SAVE YOURSELF.  The buses do not care about you.  They don't need you, they don't need anyone.  T buses do not have to look before pulling out.  If they hit you they can go.  They are the 'T'.  Seriously.  If you have driven next to one, you know what I am talking about.

All of these things are an biggest lose obstacle course within itself.  However, today was recycling week.  People decided that even though their snow bank has melted low enough to leave their bins on top of it for the collectors, that it was a better idea to place them in the street.  No.  They did not blow there.  They were PLACED in the road.  So while I try to dodge the cars parked on the right, rainbow bright on my left, and billy bike rider in front of me I am also driving down the street with a recycle bin full of pasta boxes under my car.  Sweet.

In other news I decided today that enough is enough.  I am wearing some hibernation weight.  Nothing crazy just an extra layer of warmth for the winter.  It's March.  Time for it to go.  Why I have this extra layer when I work out 4-5 days a week and teach dance 2 days a week I'm not quite sure...However, it doesn't matter.  After trying on my bathing suit the other day (I couldn't start that paper without knowing how my bathing suit looks right??) and lapsing into a deep depression, I started a diet.  The next day I started again.  For the past month I have started a diet every morning and by lunch time said eh....
This morning enough was enough.  So..if you see me and I look cranky...I am.  I want a snack.