Rinse, Lather, Repeat...

Directions:

Start your morning by 5:30am (6am at the latest). Be out of the house by6:30 am (7am at the latest). Be in your office by 7:15am. Complete any unfinished homework from last night/plan lesson to teach in an hour. 8:30 am GO to class or TEACH class. Continue until lunchtime (usually between 11am and 1pm - depending on the day). GO back to class or TEACH again. Continue until 5 pm. Grade papers/do homework until 10 pm... 11pm...12:30am (at the latest).

Rinse, Lather, Repeat....

Yep, that's been my week. Only one more day to go. Yipee!

Signs You're an Adult

I remember being a kid and getting so excited when my birthday rolled around. That meant I'd be getting mail. Addressed to me! For some reason, the idea of someone sending me something in the mail was awesome and magical. Now? -sigh- I've become an adult. Sure, I still get a little giddy when something I ordered comes in, like a book from Amazon.com or a movie from Netflix, but essentially I just feel weary because odds are it's either junk mail or bills.

Lately I've noticed that the same feelings have trickled over into email. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy emails from family and friends, but what's with all the junk mail? Luckily there are spam filters and such that automatically send most of the undesirable mail to my junk box, but I still periodically go through this "mailbox" in an effort to make sure I'm not missing anything. Seriously? How can I get 100 junk messages in over a day!

Ridiculous! Or am I just really that popular? Hmmm....I never thought of it that way...

...I wish I may, I wish I might...

It's amazing to me how sometimes the little things carry the most impact. As I've been taking my dog to the park to play fetch, or even just taking her for a walk, I've seen a lot of "fairy wishes" floating around. Let me explain what these are...

Nearly everyone is familiar with the childhood belief that if you make a wish and blow all of a dandelion's seed pods (white fuzzy stuff) off in one breath, than your wish will come true. An additional belief I had as a child is that if you catch a "fairy wish" (which looks a lot like a dandelion seed, but is minus the pod and is fluffy all the way around like a ball -- I don't know where they come from or what they're called) you can make a wish on it and send it back into the air where it travels to a fairy who will grant your wish. Phew! That was a long explanation for a short phrase.

So, as I was saying, I've seen a lot of these "fairy wishes" floating around lately. As they've floated by me or danced just out of my reach I've thought a lot about what my wish would be if I caught one. The ever present "wish for 3 more wishes" or "_____ million/billion dollars" flits through my mind, but then I remind myself that those are shallow and won't bring me any lasting or true happiness.

Walking Sage today I saw another fairy wish, but it was caught in the blades of grass below my foot. I cradled it in my hands so I could make a wish, but couldn't think of anything to wish for. I mean, I could make idle wishes on the wind, but what would be the point. I believe a prayer has purpose and is more effective. So I released my unused fairy wish and hoped the other wishes attached to it were answered.

My prayer? Health for my family, the recognition that whatever happens is for the best, and the ability to accept and understand this.

How Many Dogs Does it Take to Make a Pack?

The definitive answer to your question is: three. Yep, that’s the magical number of normally well-behaved and trained dogs it takes to become an unmanageable pack. Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh, but when it’s three dogs and one human, there is no hope of playing man-to-man or zone defense. It’s a freaking blitz!

So this weekend I watched my sister’s two dogs for her. Those two plus Sage made one harried human. The first night I didn’t sleep well because the dogs would bark at every sound (completely understandable since they’re not use to my house, but I have two roommates!) and wake me up. Needless to say I woke up about four times that night and each time I took them outside in case they needed to go to the bathroom. Hey, I was tired and not thinking clearly. Don’t judge.

You may think this is a rant, but the weekend actually had some good moments. I was never without some animal to snuggle with. Dogs are the most forgiving and affectionate animals – in my experience: if you yell at them they’re quick to forgive and forget and let you pet them; they’re always excited when you get home; they’re the best keepers of secrets; and they give you kisses for no apparent reason. Okay, maybe that last one is a turn-off for some of you, but it’s always nice to know you’re loved.

So I was in a (sometimes suffocating) cocoon of love this weekend, but I have to say it sure is nice to have my one dog back again. The dogs are like family: It’s nice when they visit, but even nicer when they leave!

Let the Freak-Out Begin

September is here, and with it, Patty’s freak-out. Yep, I just referred to myself in the third person. Normally you’d think that because school's already been going for a couple of weeks that I’d be settling into things, but that is not the case. Right now I’m hanging on by the skin of my chinny-chin-chin. If I can just make it through the next few weeks I should be golden…or at least bronze. Yeah, I’ll settle for a bronze medal.
On September 13th I’ll be taking my language translation test for school. It’ll be a 90 minute test where I have to give a sentence-by-sentence translation of a German text into English. Honestly, I haven’t spoken or read any German since May, so pray for me. If I don’t pass it, I still have other opportunities to retake it…but time is running out.

September 17th is the deadline for my Teach For America paperwork. This is an organization that is part of AmeriCorps that trains and sends teachers to work in low income areas (both rural and urban). If I’m accepted into this highly competitive program, for two years I will be teaching somewhere (probably in the south) and they will help me get my teaching certificate as well as pay off some of my student loans. All of that on top of getting a teaching salary. This is my ideal situation, but, like I said, it’s highly competitive. Now if I can just finish my letter of intent and resume’…

And by September 30th? I need to submit my nine page thesis proposal. It’s not the length that is bothering me, because I can write nine pages in my sleep, it’s the research that needs to be done in preparation. I’m still not sure what my three – 20 page chapters are going to be about. My topic is still a rhetorical analysis of the relationship and convergence of religion and cellular telephones, but what aspects I want to analyze is still under debate. I think I need to just write it up and submit it. It’s not like what I propose is carved in stone and I can’t change it. It’s the impetus to start my thesis that I need, and thank heavens for deadlines! Without them I wouldn’t get anything done.

Oh, and by the way, in addition to teaching two sections of English 102, I’ve picked up another job. Sure, why not! Apparently I hate myself … or I can’t say no. Ideally it sounds like it won’t be a huge time suck, but we’ll see. I’m working for the distance learning coordinator for the entire University (one of my past professors who just got the position) and I’ll be reading student homework submissions to grade and give feedback. It’s just a couple of sections, and I’ll be making more money, so here’s hoping I can keep everything in the air and not let a ball drop. At least by the end of September one or two balls will no longer be in the mix. Sigh!

And I think I have it bad? When put into perspective of the medical issues my sister(s) and mom are going through, it’s but a moment and nothing that is life threatening. It’s those moments of clarity and perspective that ultimately keep me from stressing and freaking out. It’s only my education – which I can do-over or get an extension on – it’s not my physical life.

So to those who have it worse off than me? I’ll stop complaining and work on accentuating the positive!