Highs and Lows...

...this week was full of them.

Work was hard. I was sick all day Thursday, but still had to work (a low). We went on a fieldtrip to the Children's Museum on Friday. Although it was fun, the kids acted like they had never been out in public (another low). Plus, I also had to work from 8-5 on Saturday (a big low).

The Astros lost the World Series (a major low).

While on my way to the Texans game, I was involved in a six car accident on I-10 this morning (another major low). I'm ok, but my car's not. It's drivable but will need some major work (big low).

*sigh*

But thankfully, life is comprised of great lows AND highs.

My principal got in trouble with HISD for not paying us for those four hurricane days last month (did I even tell y'all about that?). I'm not one to let people bother me and I especially don't like to judge, but that woman is the epitome of evil. Seriously. And I think HISD is finally starting to realize that she may be a liability. So we should be getting our money soon.

The Texans FINALLY won their first game of the season. (And I'm only slightly bitter that I missed the game because of an idiotic driver.)

On Friday night I was in the same building as Craig Biggio and joined in with everyone cheering and screaming and chanting his name. It was awesome!!!

A short time after we cheered for Biggio, The Edge was playing his guitar just eight feet away from me. Not only that, he made eye contact and smiled and winked at me!!!!!!! That's right folks, I was on the floor, leaning against the railing that surrounded the stage at the U2 concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*happy sigh*

Just give me some time, and I'll have some spin-off posts up. Boy do I have stories to tell!

Mini-review

I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the dollar theater this past weekend, but I think I saw it with the wrong crowd. Many of the scenes were hilarious, but the people around me weren't laughing. "What's the matter?? This is FUNNY!!!" I wanted to shout.

Maybe it depends on what your taste in movies is. This Charlie movie, a Tim Burton/Danny Elfman/Johnny Depp collaboration, is a remake of the 1971 version of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (both films based on Roald Dahl's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). I wouldn't do either movie justice by comparing them to each other, but I must say the world would be missing out on a LOT if either movie didn't exist. :D

The new Charlie film I think is based a lot more closely on the book than its older counterpart. So it's a bit more off the wall, and naturally if Tim Burton has anything to do with it, it's a bit darker, super artsy-fartsy, and VERY imaginative. (Sort of like Mars Attacks! meets Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.) I like the contemporary touches they added to the movie, like Violet Beauregard being a karate expert/overly competitive type. Veruca Salt was almost sweeter than her 1971 counterpart. Augustus Gloop was much more of a slob in this one. In all, they were a bit exaggerated. Satire -- I dig it. :D

A while back, I read a review saying that Johnny Depp's portrayal of Willy Wonka REALLY reminded you of Michael Jackson and was quite creepy. I totally agree!! Depp's Wonka is quite sissy-like, to be frank, but his chalky skin and antisocial life totally make sense if you think about it -- the dude just stays in his factory making candy all day and doesn't really know how to act around people. And this guy (unlike Gene Wilder's portrayal in 1971) is desperately in need of psychological counseling.

OK, great movie quote, from the scene where Mr. Wonka escorts the children into The Chocolate Room of his factory, where everything is edible (basically made out of candy): "Everything in this room is eatable. Even me. And that's called cannibalism, which is frowned upon in most cultures." HILARIOUS!!! (One of the parts where the theater TOTALLY missed out on a good laugh!!!)

You know how you're watching movies or cartoons and suddenly a chorus bursts into song?? There's this smart-alecky question in the back of your mind, going How do they know exactly what to sing and where the heck is that music coming from??? This movie picks up on that!! Augustus Gloop meets his downfall, the Oompa-Loompas start singing their song, and one of the children asks Mr. Wonka, "Hey, that looks very rehearsed! How did they know what would happen to Augustus??" And Mr. Wonka gets this trying-to-stay-discreet look on this face. Totally cheeky!!!

A note to fans of The NeverEnding Story: If I'm not mistaken, that actor who plays the dude who rides the racing snail plays the Oompa-Loompa in this new Charlie movie. (I'm pretty sure it's just the same actor, multiplied a zillion times via movie animation.) Cool!

In all, this movie ROCKS!!! The whole time, I kept thinking to myself, I WANT THE DVD!!! Well beyond worth the 50-cent matinee price I paid for it. :D I would definitely recommend it to anyone. But if you usually don't like Burton/Elfman/Depp movies, you may not go for it -- they remain true to their wackily brilliant form.

I WANT THE DVD!!! :D

You know you've worked too long at your night job when...

The idea of going to bed at 1:30 AM seems awfully early.

People ask you to speak up because you're in the habit of trying not to wake anybody up with any noise.

The highlight of your evening is watching Judge Judy episodes that you set your VCR to tape earlier. With the Closed Captions on.

World Series, Parts I & II

It's strange to not be watching a baseball game tonight.

Naturally, I'm bummed that the Astros won neither game this past weekend. IMHO, they played rather well, considering the environment and weather conditions. It was sad to see Clemens walk off the mound Saturday night after such a short time. It was especially sad that his relief pitcher wasn't up to par. Pettitte did an amazing job starting last night. The grandslam that Lidge let happen was devastating, though. So frustrating that it was practically handed to them (that ball totally hit the bat NOT the batter!!!). Although the 'Stros played well, there were some major mistakes, so hopefully they'll be able to pull it together and win the games here in town.

Saturday night I watched the game with my brother and friend Jason at a local sport's bar. I out drank both of them. Don't know if I should brag about that. I must have a wooden leg, 'cause I didn't even really get a buzz. I could have ordered another drink, but I didn't want to look like a lush.

Last night I ate a couple of hotdogs from James Coney Island and watched the game from the comfort of my own home. That's probably what I'll do for the rest of the series. I'm just praying that we win a game or two or four. GO ASTROS!!!

HURRAH!!!

YAY! -- The Astros just won the National League Championship!!!! How exciting!!!!!

Our whole family has been waiting for this for the past 44 years. Seriously. We all grew up watching the 'Stros with my grandpa, and I'm so happy that he finally gets to watch them play in the World Series.

Watching the live news coverage is awesome! Especially seeing the interviews with the handful of Astros fans up in St. Louis. There's one group of women up there who are all dressed in Astros jerseys with fake beehives and '60s style sun glasses. They're calling themselves "The Killer Bees" and have a poster that says, "We're Teaching the Birds About the Bees!" We all thought it was very clever.

As much as I would love to stay up and continue watching news coverage, my bed beacons . . . 5 a.m. comes way too early . . .

Safely Home

We got back to Houston yesterday afternoon, but I've been stranded without a computer all day yesterday and today.

The trip was fun. I'm tired and it's WAY past my bedtime, so I won't be writing that follow-up email tonight. But I wanted to post the 'quote of the weekend,' said by a 90 year-old World War II veteran called "Bud." We asked him how he was doing and he promptly replied, "Still kicking, though not as high as I used to!" He embellished by giving a small kick through the legs of his walker. So cute!!!

Heartache is . . .

. . . the Astros being one out away from going to the World Series for the first time EVER, only to have the Cardinals get a homerun with two men on base.

*sigh*

At least there are two more games . . .

Road Trip!

I am currently enjoying my school's Fall Break Holiday. It was WONDERFUL being able to sleep in today! I slept 'til 10:30 -- that's five extra hours of sleep!!! *sigh* I sure do miss those lazy days . . .

But tomorrow will be another early morning. We picked up a rental tonight so that Mom and I can head over to my grandparents' house in the wee small hours of the morning. From there we're heading to The Woodlands to pick up my uncle and we'll all embark on an EIGHT HOUR drive to Snyder, TX for my grandpa's World War II company's final reunion. I've never been, so I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and hearing all the war stories. They used to have these reunions every year but the viejitosare dying off. Very sad. They had their final reunion two years ago, but those who are still around decided to get together for one final hurrah.

It was just a few weeks ago I went on an eight hour road trip to escape a coming hurricane. But this time around our van is equipped with a DVD player. Nice. And I'll be the youngest passenger, so we don't have to worry about changing poopy diapers two hours into the trip.

I'll let y'all know how it all turns out!

Surviving

I truly dig the reality TV show Survivor, and am glad to have a working VCR so I can catch Survivor Guatemala when it comes on Thursday nights. (If you're not familiar with the show, read up on http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor11/.)

I have to admit, though, that when I watch the show I sort of do this mental double-take and just laugh... You see, there's an eery life parallel. I'm increasingly convinced that the game of Survivor is actually a lot like my job, or for that matter, the American workplace. Allow me to elaborate.

1) You're a bunch of random people stuck in this foreign place, forced to halfway learn the culture and maneuver through the hostile environment without killing each other.

2) There's usually at least one person around who's bossy (whether or not they're the designated boss) and succeeds in stirring up people's anger with each new power-hungry command.

3) Speaking of stirring up, there's usually at least one troublemaker who just idles about, putting bugs in people's ears that usually add up to somebody's demise... if not the troublemaker's themselves.

4) Those who lay low and remain under the radar usually end up going the furthest, I think. Especially if they play dumb at just the right moments.

5) He who speaks his mind haphazardly usually ends up on the chopping block unless everyone else agrees with him.

6) Those who are deprived of sufficient nutrients (i.e., lunch) end up cranky and showing their true colors. Often to their demise.

7) Those who are rewarded are often looked on with some jealousy and, if it goes to their heads, their actions often lead to their termination.

8) Everyone is periodically thrown together for a stressful, time-sensitive challenge that's momentarily exciting but then seems sort of childish and a bit dumb later on. Those who fail during the challenge are often terminated.

Sigh. If only a million-dollar prize were waiting for you the end of the American workday. Or at least a chance to watch yourself on TV.

Aggie Hurricane Preparation

Aqui Estoy

Made it to Waco in 8.5 hours....will update more tomorrow....keep praying....

Hurricane Prep

Hurricane Rita Shopping List:
(just the basics, cause the pay check hasn't been deposited yet.)
-water
-batteries
-flashlight (can't find any since we moved)
-canned food
-motor oil (stuck w/ Dad's car this week, and it has a slight leak)

But what I really bought when I made it to HEB two hours ago:
-Diet Coke
-wine (they were out of water, so I thought, 'What the heck!')
-ice cream (I had a craving)
-cereal (There's a whole half-gallon of milk in the fridge, and it's up to me to drink it all. Besides, it's a good hurricane food)
-candy corn (I actually need it for work tomorrow)

And that about tops off the items bought during my hurricane emergency shopping trip. Sad, I know.

I nixed the canned food 'cause I remembered that we had a few cans of tuna in the pantry . . . I think . . .

I nixed the batteries and flashlight because there were TONS of people in the store and I didn't feel like hunting through the store. I have plenty of lighters, matches, and candles . . . somewhere . . .

I nixed the water because there was no water and I didn't feel like waiting in line to get water off the 8:30 HEB supply truck (a truck which nearly ran me over as I was leaving the store! Seriously! It freaked me out!) Besides, I have tons of bottles around I can fill w/ our fridge's filtered water.

Talked to Mom this evening and she told me to fill the bathtub w/ water. I think she's crazy, but I may have to do it just to appease her. She says if we lose water power then we have to use the water in the tub to flush the toilet. Whatever.

It's obvious that people in the area are starting to worry/panic about this hurricane. I feel kind of whatever about it. It was strange going to the store and seeing shelves completely empty. They were so empty, I had no clue what items they contained just hours earlier.

I'm still planning to head to Waco. That is if I don't have to work. But I have a feeling HISD will cancel classes Thursday and Friday; many area school districts are closing tomorrow through Friday. So, if HISD closes, I'm hoping our school will close (since it's an HISD charter school they don't HAVE to close, and the fact that they get their money based on how many days they're open doesn't help).

So that's the 4-1-1. I'll keep ya posted.

Update, 10:30p.m.: My Uncle Mark (Blo, to you Thinklingers) just called and invited me to stay w/ them. I may just do that. I want to go to Waco 'cause I won't be able to go until October and I'd like to see my nephews, niece, and old friends. But, it would be nice just to chill at Mark's house. I wouldn't have to worry about fighting traffic, spending a hundred dollars on gas (seriously), and packing to leave town. We'll see. Ok, now it's past my bed time. Good night!

Jaw-dropping

(I thought of titling this post "I Stand Amazed," but I thought Nah, no need to plagiarize one of my favorite Dennis Jernigan songs... :D)

This evening, I was actually visited by a church. Finally. After months of filling out visitor's cards and getting nothing more than direct mailouts, I got real contact from live people.

OK, so it was from ladies who were old enough to be my parents, and they tried to witness to me, but hey, it was a start. :D They were from a large Baptist church here in town that I visited Sunday night, and I wasn't really comfortable in their worship service because the atmosphere seemed sort of stiff. But hopefully I was wrong. I decided that I would give them a chance if they actually called me.

So I'm giving them a chance. I emphasized that I would like to look into their singles ministry.

Well, that was my excitement for the evening. :D I was really beginning to wonder about a serious apathy problem in the church at large... Just as long as I can sit in a pew on Sundays without being ignored, I'll be happy.

Wow. What a weird goal...

Pending Hurricane

According to the Houston Chronicle:

. . . Rita . . . is a tropical storm now but is expected to strengthen into a hurricane this afternoon. By the time it hits the Gulf Coast on Saturday morning, it is likely to be a Category 3 hurricane.
"It could hit anywhere in the window of Brownsville and New Orleans,” said Lance Wood, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "The Houston area is in the center of that window."

Well that's just great! The week I'm home alone a hurricane is projected to hit our area. It's a good thing I get paid tomorrow. I can go out and buy some bottled water and flashlights and batteries and whatever else you need when a hurricane hits. Or, I could just skip out on work Friday and head north to Waco. I like that plan better. I'm suppose to work Saturday, but I'm thinking if a hurricane is coming we might not have to go in. But you never know with my school!

I'll keep ya'll posted.

Wal-Mart boycott update

At first, I was just ticked off at their lousy customer service. But I think I've actually managed to successfully go a little over 3 months straight boycotting Wal-Mart. (See the blog entry dated June 7).

Again, not that it's a horrible store. I understand they're very involved in local communities. It's just that * I * personally can't stand shopping there. And I'm here to testify that yes, there IS life without Wal-Mart. :D

I've been frequenting Target quite often. They have some nifty deals. And in my neck of the woods, what's really convenient is that it's located in a shopping center next to HEB, so sometimes their deals are competitive to HEB.

So between Target and HEB, and also Dollar General, and not to mention eBay (for online bargains), I am one happy consumer who can lead a perfectly normal life without having to ever set foot inside Wal-Mart. (That is, except for the occasional social call.)

I still use my Sam's card, though. And I may visit Walmart.com to purchase some music downloads someday. We'll see.

Quote of the day

From an email I just received from one of my friends in England; an email that contained more than one expletive, btw.

Ps I love God how bout you?? Reading the message has made me feel better about Jesus. He was a bad ass.

Bias in the media

In the past, I've heard lots of complaints (mainly from Christians) about the media being biased. Meaning the ideas they communicate tend to be a bit skewed, reporting information that makes some people or situations look bad. Or just overall improperly balanced.

If you had to categorize me (and I hate being categorized :>), you'd probably end up putting me in the conservative-religious-right category. But I try to keep a healthy open mind whenever it seems appropriate. So usually it didn't seem fair to me to issue a blanket judgment saying that the media were biased. Even whenever a public figure in the conservative-religious-right category was presented in an unflattering light. Journalism is supposed to be objective, right? Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding.

But now that I work at a newspaper, I've just about completely changed my mind about the whole thing.

I'm here to testify first-hand that the media ARE biased -- thoroughly and totally biased!!! Not necessarily because of any agendas, but because of another enemy that gets less attention than it should: the DEADLINE.

I am thoroughly and totally convinced that deadlines can successfully suck any type of objectivity out of journalism. It takes a lot of time and careful, thoughtful planning to convey information objectively! (Just ask anyone who's ever worked as a manager anywhere.) But if you've got deadlines breathing down your neck, the clock is ticking and you've got no choice but to go with your gut reaction most of the time. If you're personally biased about something, I really think it will come out in your work sooner or later.

We're shorthanded at work right now. Part of my job is to write headlines. I've been so busy that I can barely even REMEMBER at the moment what was included in those headlines... And tomorrow those hastily written headlines are going to tell the entire town what is going on in the world. To me, that is a somewhat scary thought. Especially now, when there's SO much going on in the world.

And yet...

Somehow I'm comforted in the fact that it's just a newspaper. I don't intend any disrespect for the publication, but really... After the paper gets read tomorrow, our dog is gonna go on it.

Just a fact of life. :D

A Deeper Impact

Even though I've watched the news coverage over the past 12 days, I'm still blown away by pictures like this.


Or this



A few days ago, HISD began enrolling evacuees into their schools. I thought I would like to have one in my class, but figured it wouldn't happen since I have a full class and we're a slightly obscure charter school. So needless to say, I was surprised when Ms. Williams, our school's middle school's assistant principal, arrived at our campus yesterday and brought her three-year-old nephew to me. He and 15 other family members are New Orleans evacuees staying with Ms. Williams and her husband. My heart immediately melted when I met little Justin. He is the sweetest thing! And I can only imagine what he has witnessed over the past two weeks.

I don't know the whole story, but I do know that when the hurricane hit they had evacuated to the Convention Center. Soon they were told to move to the Superdome, but after they arrived there they were sent back to the Convention Center. I remember hearing the stories on Fox News about the people arriving and waiting in line to get into the Superdome Monday night and Tuesday morning. But then the Superdome was evacuated shortly after they arrived. I also remember seeing the first report about the people at the Convention Center on CNN. I was horrified - people waiting days for help to arrive, suffering through the heat outside because it was too dangerous to stay inside. I vividly remember seeing video footage of families huddled together, suffering together, protecting each other. And now I have little Justin in my class. Little Justin, whose 9-month pregnant mother* carried him through waist deep water from the devastation of the Superdome

to the devastation of the Convention Center.


I can imagine Justin sitting with his mother, waiting for help to come...much like this woman and her child...



Justin and his whole family made it to Houston safe and sound last Thursday. They were somehow transported to Houston in a van, with only the clothes on their back and an extra change of clothes, and are being taken care of by Ms. Williams and her husband. But there are NINETEEN of them. The Williams can only do so much.

There are THOUSANDS of stories like this one, I know. And even though I heard the stories and saw the pictures, meeting little Justin has impacted me deeper than anything else.

I've been praying and asking God to help me be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who are suffering. I never expected Him to answer my prayer in this way, but I am honored to have this opportunity.

Let me know if you're also interested in supporting, praying for, and loving this family.





*Justin's mother went into labor and delivered a healthy baby boy, Joseph Williams Jr., Friday morning, the day after they all arrived in Houston.

All the above photos from foxnews.com photo essays

More thoughts on Katrina

Wow, it's neat how the body of Christ works. :) Here's a link to a Last Days Ministries site where Melody Green (widow of Keith Green) listed prayer points for the hurricane just before landfall. Also, if you'd like to donate for hurricane relief via LDM, follow the link to their home page.

This isn't the first prophetic-type stuff I've heard about Katrina (God showing people His perspective on events before they happened). He definitely knew this was coming (nothing new under the sun), I'm sure His heart is broken over the hurting people, & I'm sure He's got great plans for restoration & showing His glory.

Crazy Life

I know I've been quiet the past few weeks/month. It hasn't been intentional, believe me. Life has been CRAZY!

Never ever would I have thought I would be waking up at 5am. 5AM, PEOPLE!!!! Sleeping in for me (during the week) is waking up at 5:30; over-sleeping is waking up at 5:45. ?!?! Mind-boggling, I know. But such is my life.

This year of teaching has been the hardest thing I've ever done. I know that's a cliche, but it's true! I feel the pressure even more because my certification depends on how this year goes. Talk about stress. (sarcasm)It gets better(/sarcasm):

My school (which I'll call EEA) is an HISD charter school and the way it's run is ridiculous. For starters, I didn't have all the furniture I needed when school started - no bookshelves for my room, no teacher's desk, not even a chair for each child in class. They hadn't delivered our tables for the lunch room, so we had to eat in the classroom the first two weeks. Since the floors weren't properly cleaned, we got ants. So you can imagine what it was like for me, trying to get 22 3-year-olds to eat their lunch, even though half of them didn't have chairs. Then they would much rather look at all the ants than eat.

That leads to another rant - I have no teacher's aide! Like I said, there are 22 3-year-olds and ME. PLUS, the children arrive at our main campus in southwest Houston and then we're all bussed downtown to our school (something I didn't find out until after I signed the contract). Since there are no aides, we have to go to the first campus and ride the buses w/ the kids, leaving our cars behind. Since we ride to school w/ the kids we have no time to prep our room before or after school. That makes for some very creative mornings. The no aide thing also means we don't get breaks or a planning period. Thankfully the kids still nap, so that's our time to prep, eat and use the bathroom. At this point, once the kids fall alseep (usually around 1) we let them sleep until the buses arrive so we can leave (around 2:45). And that's what we'll keep doing until they say we can't.

There are 7 teachers and classes of 3-year-olds at our location. We have two administrators at the school as well. So nine staff total. The good thing is I get along well with my coworkers. The two I'm closest to are very strong Christians as well, so that's encouraging to have. What's also good is we're away from the main campus and all the crap that happens there. Our campus supervisor is laid back and tries to help us when she can. Of course we need TONS more help, but that's something we can probably only dream about. I'm not expecting things to change anytime soon.

I'll end my rant by explaining that all but three of my kids are Spanish speakers. So I try my best to communicate in my Spanglish, but there's still a lot that doesn't get translated. Not being able to communicate w/ some of the parents is the most frustrating.

But I'm getting used to my situation. I know I can't change it, so I'm going to try to make the best of it. That whole be faithful in the little thing. It's hard. *sigh*

My kids are still getting used to me and I'm getting used to them, but things are tons better. We're still working on staying in line, though. Especially when we arrive at the school in the afternoon. It's hard because a lot of parents are there already, waiting 'til 4 so they can get their children. So they stand around the corner and watch us get off and walk in. It's so frustrating because the kids want to turn and look at them rather than pay attention to where we're going so they can stay w/ the class. So half my kids are trying to walk into the building and the other half are outside waving at parents. Oh so frustrating. I don't blame the kids (they're only 3!); it's the parents that frustrate me sometimes.

Ok, no more griping. Sorry.

As you can so obviously read, life is CRAZY now. I need all the prayer I can get!