Random Thoughts from the end of May!

Okay, so I'm lagging behind again on my blog - but the end of the year is BUSY. So I'm going to highlight some key issues/comments/news from the end of May and hopefully in June I'll do a better job of blogging!!

1. Dad - earlier in May my Dad went into the hospital with a blood and bone infection. He spent 9 days in the hospital and it was an awful experience. Do not go to Trinity Medical Center in Carrollton - the staff was awful, the service was awful, the food was awful, and my Dad's medical care was awful. He's been home since May 18th and he is doing a LOT better. It's hard to see the roles reverse and you start to have to worry and take care of your parents. I don't like it one bit!!
2. On May 18th, I had some skin cancer removed from my leg. It wasn't bad, they got it the first cut, then I was able to go spend time with my Dad while he waited to get discharged from the hospital. I had to go to the School Board meeting that night, and I rear ended a receptionist from another school. Lovely, huh?
3. You saw from an earlier post how much I love Rent, right? Well, my speech path Mindy's cousin Toby was touring with the company. She had heard me gush about my love for Rent and got her cousin on getting the entire cast to sign a Playbill. Her cousin left the Playbill in the hotel when they left Dallas - damn!! But Mindy is persistent, the tour went to Austin and she had already planned to go there to see him again. This time, she got a Playbill signed by the whole cast (except Adam Pascal, jerk!) and she framed it in a shadowbox for me! It's hanging in my office and I love it!! Thank you, Mindy, for a very unique and special gift!!
4. On May 20, our school district participated in the Special Olympics - we've hosted it for the past several years and it's an exciting time. My campus has 12 students participate in Special Olympics, so it's very important to me and my staff. I had the honor of running the last leg of the torch with a student and one my teachers. We had the last leg, we took it to our superintendent, Mr. Murray, who then went to light it. It was an awesome experience. Our 4th graders came to cheer our kids on and they did such a great job! It was an amazing day!!
5. TAKS scores came in and we look like we will be exemplary! We have one group that didn't meet the standard, but we meet it through TPM (too long to explain). I think this is quite an accomplishment for a first year campus, especially with all the trials we've been through this year. I'm so proud of my students and teachers for their hard work!

You know you can't always go back to the way it was......

Yesterday, was Mother's Day. Sarah and I took Mom out to a nice lunch at Cafe R&D in the Park Cities - yummy lunch!! Afterwards, we drop Mom off and Sarah and I decide to cruise Lake Highlands, our childhood stomping ground. It started with wanting to see the house we spent most of our childhood in and the changes they've done - then we went by Merriman Park Elementary (where I went for 4th-6th grades). Next thing I know we are heading back to "good ole days".......

We start off at Mr. Pittman's house - where many Lake Highlands kiddos took swimming lessons. I remember him and his mean wife pulling us back by our ankles if we didn't do a good job of swimming.

We headed over to our first house we lived in and we passed the infamous "White Rock Skate Center." Many nights were spent here skating. I remember doing the Limbo, ordering a "suicide" at the snack bar (bonus points if you can remember what a suicide is), and skating with my Luv-It jeans with the comb in my back pocket. I was some hot stuff. For 1982.

Look, I think this is the original signage - but the prices have gone up. It's still a value for parents. ;)

After we leave there, we drive past the house we lived in on Longmont. We cruise by Lake Highlands Elementary (where I spent kinder and 1st grade) and then to St. Patrick's (home of CCD and Vacation Bible School). We went in the church and it seemed so small - I remember when it first opened, I thought it was HUGE. I guess to a kid it was.

Our next stop is LHHS (Sarah went there, I didn't) - but it looks different. Then we drive to the Audelia Road Branch Library. I love this library. Or should I say, I LOVED this library. First of all, there is playground out front. People are too lazy to head over to Northlake to play? I mean, you go to the library to play on the playground? What about reading?? Well, the playground made more sense when I went inside. It looks nothing like a library. It looked like a Starbucks. No moldy old book library smell. No card catalog. I HATED it!! The only thing that looked the same was the one corner of tables where the windows overlooked Church Road. I spent a lot of time "studying" at those tables (and I use that term LOOSELY) in high school.

(Ed.'s note: It has to say "Library" otherwise you'd have no idea where the hell you are.)

We leave the library and head over to Moss Haven (where I spent 2nd and 3rd grade) and then to Forest Meadow (aka Forest Ghetto, Home of the Chargers). It looks the same, windowless, but now they have this gate where kids can be held hostage between the main building and the gym/band hall. Does anyone remember on the last day of 8th grade when there was the big fight after school?

After FMJH, it's time to leave Lake Highlands. It's sad, 20 years has definitely changed the neighborhood. But the memories are just as vivid in 2009 as they were in 1984. I can honestly say Lake Highlands was a great place to grow up!!

Maude Update

Many of you are enjoying my adventures with Maude the Basset Hound. She is so sweet and loving, but she can be a stubborn bitch when she wants to be. Examples:

• The morning I'm running late, she runs out of the house and chases rabbits and I'm chasing her.
• The day she tries to eat a lab puppy thinking it's a rabbit.
• The time she peed on the floor because I shut the bathroom door and she didn't like it.

I was convinced that perhaps I'm not a dog person, my poor assistant principal and friend Misty (who calls herself a dog whisperer) keeps telling me to give it time and patience. Well, she was right. I've had Maude almost 2 months and I honestly can't imagine life without her. I love her so much, I can't wait to get home to see her!!
Now.... she's expensive..... more than I thought...... Examples:

• Puppy nanny - $15 visit, at least 2 visits a week if I'm working late
• Puppy spa - $45 a visit, once a month, Maude goes to get a bath, dip, teeth brush, nails done, and furminator (she sheds like a mo-fo!!)
• Puppy training - $75/lesson, we've had 2, we'll have at least 2 more to deal with her leash training and aggression with other dogs

Speaking of puppy training, I hired the same lady that my sister and mom have used with their dogs. She comes and we start with the choke collar. Maude doesn't respond. It takes 35 times to get her to sit. We have to use the pinch collar - she yelps every time I use it. I feel bad, but she's stubborn. After Karen left, I was really worried that I was the worst dog owner and I had a crazy dog..... I cried.....

After a couple of weeks, Karen came back and I'm pretty sure that Maude and I floored her with our dazzling abilities. She learned three things this lesson and did great on them! We are hoping to move from pinch collar to choke collar at her next lesson. I'll keep you posted - say a prayer for Maude (and me!!)!!

Dallas Summer Musicals Return - Kicking it Off with Rent!!

After a seven month break, my Dallas Summer Musicals season begins!! Actually, Rent is in addition to my season - my season begins on June 2nd with "Happy Days - The Musical."

I LOVE Rent!! It's the only show I've seen on Broadway and I just thought it was amazing. I loved the movie when it came out and now own it. But I was most excited to see that Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp were going to be in this tour - since they were the original Roger and Mark!! Woo hoo!!

I head downtown after getting a late start. The free parking is almost full and a long walk. Since I'm alone, I'm not really comfortable with that, so I pay $15 to valet. I am literally right by the front door. They put me in the VIP Valet, so I was in the first row of cars, facing out, so when the show was over I could run out, jump in my car, and go. They even gave me my keys back so I wouldn't have to wait for them to retrieve my car. What a deal!!

I get inside and get settled. I'm sitting in my usual season ticket seat and I've got a couple of older ladies next to me. The place is PACKED - it is Opening Night after all!!

It's about 7:55 and it's almost time. A younger lady is going down the aisle, her foot gives out, and she busts ass. Serious ass. While her friend that is with her never gets off of her cell phone. Luckily, since her friend is so busy, one of the ushers brings her an icepack and offers help. The good news is that Grace (my name for her) didn't spill a drop of her Crown and Coke. Amen!! There is a God! Grace and her friend left at intermission and we never saw them again!!

The show was 2 1/2 hours of song and great memories. At the beginning of the second act, when they sing "525, 600 minutes" - I just got all choked up! If you haven't had the chance to see Rent, you should go!! It was an incredible night!!

Now I'm just counting down to June 2nd - I can't wait to be reunited with Roland, Sylvia, and the Sarcastic Commentary Gay Couple!!

Swine Flu - can't decide what to think just yet......

This swine flu has me fit to be tied. I can't make up my mind if I'm mad, jealous, or just plan irritated by it.

It's the flu. You can treat it with drugs. The flu is contagious. None of this is new information - then why the hysteria???

Mad: Entire school districts are getting shut down. Why? Kids may have it. So keep the sick kids home, clean the school, and keep running school. Are we going to react to every contagious illness like this?

What really makes me mad is that schools are not having to make up days. Then TEA says that if a school isn't able to take TAKS, the state will work with the school regarding their accountability rating. Well, what about my school? We stayed in school and took TAKS. Are you going to be flexible with my accountability rating?

Jealous: Two of my neighboring school districts are shut down for the week. Hell, I'd like a week off - this time of year is brutal. Teachers are cranky, kids are unruly, parents are impatient, a week off would be lovely. Especially a week off that doesn't have to be made up. It's not fair - I work and my friends in other districts don't work and we both get paid.

Irritated: I'm sick of the new coverage. I'm sick of the complaining. Jeez, get the sick people some meds and let life continue on.

So what are your feelings about the swine flu?