Lesson Learned: Don't really know how to summarize today's lesson. I'll just tell you about my day.

My day was OK. My kids were very good, except for 4th period. But I don't want to dwell on that so I'll just briefly tell you everything else.

I ran with the kids today. This elicited a lot of reactions. Some kids wondered if I was going to be their P.E. teacher for the day; others thought I was ditching a class to be there. Once they understood that I was going to run with them today, some look at me as if I was crazy. How could I like running? But being an adult who is choosing to run is different from being a kid where grown-ups are making you run laps. I noticed that the kids tried to finish their 2 laps (it was a short day) as quickly as possible. I found my pace and stuck with it. I did 5 laps (= 1 mile on this track). Some of the kids were impressed with that. Marcy told me a few were bragging about me running with them. I'm glad they liked it. I would definately do it again. Perhaps not every week, but at least once a month.

Lesson Learned: One must be well-rounded, otherwise one will lose one's mind. I need to work on some Danielle time or school will drive me batty!

I was feeling kinda blah this weekend. I think it was because I was bored. I need to find something to release the tension from work. I also need to give myself permission to sit and do nothing. I feel guilty, like I need to be doing something when I'm watching TV or reading. So I don't enjoy it, it doesn't help me relax, and I feel yucky. And, just like I mix up my exercise routines, I shouldn't be afraid to change up my hobbies: knitting, reading, painting (which I haven't done in ages), exercise, and, yes, this blog. This blog was supposed to be like a journal, a creative release of my day. So, here goes.

Had a good day today. The kids did some practise measuring liquid volume with a graduated cylinder. They mixed colored water and ended up with ROYGBIV. They thought it was so cool! They were very cute. Tomorrow is our short day, where the kids get out at 1:05 ! :-) And it's Wednesday so that means coffee after school! :-) I'm even going to try and run with the kids tomorrow during my prep. I'll let you know how that goes.

Well, I have a student observer from Channel Islands University in my 3rd period class. She is supposed to spend 35 hours in a jr. high classroom, observing the kids and stuff. That should be interesting. At least it isn't a student teacher, where I have to let them take over a class and actually help them learn to be a teacher! The observers aren't in a credential program; it's mainly to see if teaching is what they really want to do. Apparently, Marcy has one right now who is too clueless to be a teacher.

Geez, has it really been that long since I last posted?? And here I was thinking that this has been a lllloooonnnggg week.

I can't remember everything that's happened, so I'll just start with this past week.

On Sunday I participated in the Carpinteria Triathlon. :-) I am very proud of myself!! My goal was to finish and not die during the event and I did! In fact, I far exceeded my expectations. In case you don't know, a triathlon is made up of three events (hence the "tri-"): swimming, biking, and running. I knew I could swim, bike, and jog but wasn't sure about doing them all at once. This event composed of two courses--the Olympic course (super-long for super crazy people), and the Sprint course (relatively short for relatively crazy people like me). I ended up swimming 500m, biking 15km, and jogging 5km. What surprised me the most was the fact that I really did jog the entire jog course! I only stopped for a passing train. And, I did it all in under 2 hours! Go ahead, try to find me. I'm #299 :-)

OK. After my glorious introduction to the triathlon world, it was off to jury duty! At least, that's what I thought. After getting a sub for Monday, I didn't have to check in that day. I ended up taking a personal day (unpaid )-: ) . I had to call in each day after 5. I almost made it but was called in for Thursday. I got a sub for the day and was able to sleep in, as the court system didn't need me until after 12:00. After checking in and getting oriented (ie: watched a video on being a juror) we were all led across the street to the superior court room and the selection process began. I didn't even get called up, but it was interesting to watch.

I think what made my week long was the not knowing. I didn't know if I would be called in the next day so I spent a lot of time setting up my room for a sub and making plans. When I went to work after all, I would do what I had planned although it wasn't what I really wanted to do. I just didn't have time to set up before school. I think that sucked out a lot of my energy. I'm still tired. Tim would say that I'm always tired on the weekend. I guess he's right.

Well, that about sums it up. Checked out the Avocado Festival today with my teacher friends. It was fun. I bought a pair of wrap-around pants that are kind of comfy. Tomorrow I'm going back for a tri-tip sandwich smothered in guacamole. Mmmmm.....guacamole...