Category Archives: the coffeepot’s on

>We bicker like family.

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>Our staff meetings are loud. Passionate, enthusiastic, fast paced, argumentative. People interrupt each other, speak forcefully, gesture with their clipboards and coffee and pens and knitting needles (knitting needles? I thought knitting was supposed be calming?!). No one wants to give in; each and every one of us wants what we need and what we want. Bend an inch? No, thank you. Putting together a testing schedule, accommodating requests, making class lists, establishing services for special groups, balancing budgets, determining goals or mission statements, and getting enough supplies… all take cooperation and compromise. Somehow, we get it done, and we do what’s best for the children we serve.

Lunch periods are rushed. I usually spend my 40 minute lunch break making copies, setting up math materials, cleaning up science labs, and returning phone calls and emails. That is, if I’m not fielding concerns from one or two of the many teachers in my team or listening to colleagues rant because they know I’m a safe sounding board.

But when push comes to shove, I cannot imagine a more caring, spontaneous, and supportive group of coworkers.

I walked in last Friday morning exhausted, lugging my heavy schoolbag, my purse, my lunch bag, and a special treat for surviving a challenging week: a cup of hazelnut coffee from Jo to Go. I walked down a few stairs to put my lunch in the lounge refrigerator, back up those same three stairs and tripped. Hard. Down on my knees, rammed my right wrist on the floor, and lost the entire cup of coffee. As I watched that precious liquid coursing across the floor, I felt ridiculously close to tears.

Immediately, before I even stood, I was surrounded by five people sporting rags and paper towels, helping me stand, asking if I was okay, wiping up the coffee, moving my bag and purse so they didn’t get damaged, and generally taking over to make sure all was well with the world again.

And then the physical education teacher brought me a fresh cup of coffee from her own personal stash in the office off the gym.

Again, even as I laughed at my klutziness, despaired of my bruised knees and ego, I had a sense of gratitude and a feeling of being very, very lucky.

If I had to have a bad day, I’m glad I work here.

Happy Love Thursday, everybody.

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>Passive vs. Active

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>A passive chore is something that “does itself” while I’m doing something else. I like those chores the best!

Passive chores:
crock pot cooking – cooks supper while I’m teaching school all day
laundry – washes and dries while I’m correcting papers at the kitchen table
cleaning the oven – well, it’s passive if you have a self-cleaning oven.
running the dishwasher – and then comes the tedious chore of emptying it
composting – and it takes a long, long time. But oh, so satisfying!
watering garden – hook up the sprinkler, let it run!
Making coffee – but that’s not really a chore.

Active chores that feel passive:
weeding the garden – I let my mind wander while I weed. I like to think I solve the worlds problems while pulling up clover and dandelions.
harvesting veggies – it takes so little time, but it’s so satisfying.
baking (especially bread in bread machine) – and the house smells so good!
making soup stock – letting the bones and scraps simmer while I blog or load the dishwasher, eventually yields as an end result a tasty soup or stew.

Today, Labor Day, I’ll be laboring in my classroom getting ready for school to start. That’s a very active chore, so maybe I can arrange for something passive to go on at home while I’m working there. Crockpot supper? I’m there!

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>Football Season already?

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>You might live in Green Bay Packers country if your local sporting goods store has an entire section marked “Cheese.”


I bought the coaster. It looks so good with my Vince Lombardi mug!

Is that Super Bowl I or the Ice Bowl? I’ll let you decide.

In my part of the country, football season and Back to School go together. Click over to MidCentury Modern Moms for Back to School Week. Don’t look for adorable kindergarteners there; we’re dealing with teens, college kids, IEPs, ACTs, SATs, GPAs, and more!

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>The To Do list and the Ta Da! list

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>I once worked for a principal who replaced her inbox and outbox with “to do” and “ta-da!” The title of “ta-da!” increases the feeling of accomplishment in a major way, so I adopted the phrases myself.

A standard to-do list gives readers a little insight into the blogger’s life. A to-do list with commentary could be a wee bit more interesting. So here goes: to-do, eventually to become Ta-Da!

My to-do list, as noted while waiting for my hearing exam this morning (one of the items on the list):

Audiologist appointment for basic maintenance and updated hearing tests. Results: very little change, hearing aids reprogrammed to reflect those changes, consider replacing these in 1 – 2 years.
Stop for coffee on the way home. Including positive self-care (i.e. fun) in the to-do list makes it more likely to get done. Consider the coffee from a local shop both a personal treat and an investment in our downtown. The parking meter only cost a dime, coffee and muffin under $5; how many cities can claim that kind of bargain?
Strip beds.
Wash and dry sheets. Should this be two items, since I need to go downstairs twice in order to get it done? No, three times! The third trip down the basement brings up the clean sheets for folding.
Fold and put away sheets.
Re-dress beds with fresh, clean sheets. Well, really, if I stripped them in the first place, am I not dressing them now?
Clean the rabbits’ litter boxes. Another multi step chore, this requires emptying said boxes, hosing them out, letting them air dry, and then refilling them with clean litter, all the while hoping the bunnies don’t feel the need to use them while the boxes are outside. If I’m lucky, they’ll nap through the whole process and never know the difference.
Laundromat. Start with Amigo’s sleeping bag from camp, add a few other pillows and blankets, and I have a load worthy of the Big Washers at the Laundromat. But do I have enough quarters? If not, add a trip to the credit union to the list on the to-do side.
Water plants. Yesterday’s storms passed north of us (again), so I need to water the deck plants and probably the vegetable garden, too.
Garbage. Empty wastebaskets, take garbage outside, take garbage can to the curb tonight to be picked up tomorrow.
Homework. Yes, homework. I have one assignment left (out of four) for the graduate class I’m taking. When that’s done, I’ll print everything and send it in. That will feel so good! This will be a major Ta-Dah!! on the list.

If there is more time and if I have additional energy, the bushes in the front yard are overdue for trimming, the clover is taking over the lettuce’s space (if only clover were a cash crop!), and there’s always more de-cluttering to do.

Here goes — I just reheated the coffee (see above, treat + investment), so off to the races! Charge!

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>A grad’s future in this (*&^%$) economy

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>Does she have enough credits to graduate? She declared a minor rather late, so it might take her a summer session or an additional semester. Not a problem; my degree took 4+ years.
Will she need interview clothes? Somehow, attending an interview in Old Navy jeans and Converse All-Star sneakers doesn’t seem professional.
What constitutes interview attire these days in her field? In any field?
What kind of portfolio will she prepare? She’s a journalist and photographer.
Does she need a web page? Does she need to revise her Facebook page in case her employer sees it?
How long can she survive without her own set of wheels? I keep hoping she holds off as long as possible. Once she starts paying insurance and repairs and gas, well, it’s an awful lot of money.
Will she keep her summer job at least one more year? I hope so. Today’s economy is so weak, it’s not a good time to jump into a new career.
Has she started creating a resume? It takes a lot of tweaking to make one look just right.

I keep having random thoughts about her impending leap out of college and into real life. When Husband and I leapt out of our graduation robes and into our wedding clothes, the economy was a lot like today’s recession/depression. Jobs were hard to find, and starting a career was even harder. We defined a “good job” as “one with a paycheck.” La Petite has shown some entrepreneurial skills in the past, including one rockin’ lemonade stand en route to Lambeau Field when she was only 7. I saw a small store building near our neighborhood go up for sale and immediately thought “Photo studio?” It’s okay, I didn’t buy it.
Maybe I could start a coffeehouse in the storefront until she needs it…

cross posted at MidCentury Modern Moms

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>Change is good.

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>Change can be exciting! Getting a new design was both fun and scary. What if I lost control over changes? What if I didn’t like it? What if it ended up looking good, but wasn’t user-friendly?

All is well. It’s an exciting step up after two years of blogging on an average template that anyone on Blogger could have.

The hardest part of the process was choosing a background. The background takes up a small amount of space, but it’s crucial to the mood and spirit of the blog. It has to reflect the writer, but not detract from the writing. Colors, style, and the rest enter into a decision.

In the process I realized that I really need to learn HTML. If I knew even a little HTML, I’d be more helpful in making layout and set-up decisions. Husband uses Microsoft Frontpage for his web site; a little knowledge of that software would be handy, too. Perhaps that would lead to more success with Technorati tags, too. There’s so much I don’t know; so many fascinating and useful tools!

I took off to visit my injured brother for a few days just when the new template was about to launch. This would have been fine if (and that’s a big IF) I’d been able to get online. As it was, his home internet wireless is weak, and his dial-up is quite slow. I could receive email but not answer it, and that made it tough to communicate with Margalit while she was putting together the finishing touches. My solution was (you guessed it) a trip to Starbucks. Their new orange mango banana smoothie is delicious.

Now that it’s up and running, I’m thrilled. Yippee! Compost Happens gets a makeover! And I don’t even have to weed or water it!

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>Mug shot — how complex can it be?

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>

I set up my new mug on the picnic table outside the rental cottage with the beach in the background. I wanted to show the little lobster inside the mug as well as the one on the front, so I propped it with a few of the seashells and stones we’d found.

Then Husband got into the act. He insisted on including every little piece we’d found on the beach and arranging it “tastefully” around the mug.

Here it is: Still life with Souvenir Coffee Mug.

And the back view, too.

(It says Nova Scotia on the back.)

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>coffee du jour — a vacation diary in caffeine doses

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>Day One:
Hit the road, Jack. Made a big serving of instant cappuccino for my travel mug and installed it in the cup-holder. Double-checked that the coffee filters were packed in the foodstuffs box. Drove and rode many, many miles over four states.

Day Two:
On the road again! Small cup of hotel-made coffee at breakfast, not bad. Filled travel mug with Maxwell House brewed in the in-room coffeemaker. Again, not bad. Satisfying.
Refilled at the first gas stop. Weather too hot to enjoy hot coffee. Photographed Amigo in front of two football stadiums, one baseball field, and one arena. Three states today.

Day Three:
On the road again, just can’t wait to get…okay, enough already. Filled travel mug (again) from in-room machine after a small cup of basic brew from the hotel breakfast.
Took morning break at Dunkin’ Donuts, picked up mid-morning snack of Munchkins and iced hazelnut coffee. Mmm, now this is good. Staff were friendly, too, welcoming these obvious out-of towners to their little corner store.

Day Four:
One cup in-room brew before leaving for ferry.
On ferry: They serve Starbucks! W00T! Had some with breakfast and another small cup later on with popcorn. Don’t laugh — I can’t be the only person who likes popcorn and coffee together, can I? No, don’t answer that. I managed not to spill either while watching a whale breech not far from the ship. Wow!

Day five:
Made a pot of my own in cottage kitchen. The sound and smell of brewing coffee; ah, how relaxing. Note to self: a souvenir coffee mug would be appropriate. Must keep eyes (and wallet) open for the perfect item.

Day six:
Played tourist. Tim Hortons’ house blend for breakfast: hit the spot. Later on in Shelburne, picked up a cuppa from a cute little cafe called BeanDocks. Chose the blend “Jamaican Me Crazy” because Amigo was at his stubborn-teen worst. I felt much better after only half a cup. The barrista/ gift shop owner was really nice, too. Maybe the fact that I also bought a couple of souvenirs helped. But mmm, the power of a good cup of coffee. Can’t underestimate it.

Day seven:
Made a pot of my own again in cottage kitchen. Foggy outside, everything’s damp; there’s something comforting about the home-away-from-home feeling of brewing coffee warming up the place. Still haven’t found just the right souvenir mug.

Day eight:
Bought a cup of a fair trade blend at the Lunenberg Farmers’ Market; liked it enough to buy a small bag of the beans. This is a souvenir that will keep on giving long after I get home. And speaking of souvenirs: Husband ducked into a gift shop on Bluenose Lane and found a white mug decorated with a lobster. It’s a keeper!

Day nine:
Cup plus refills over breakfast at the local diner, flavored with wonderful local tales from the man at the booth beside ours. We learned when the lobster season runs, how large a swordfish can be, how the town’s population is shrinking, and why three-story houses on the coast often have staircases in their attics. No, it’s not because of flooding. What a delightful encounter!

Day ten:
Cuppa in the cottage kitchen: the last. Starbucks on the ferry. Foggy day — if there are whales around no one would know it. Hot coffee helps cut through the damp feeling.

Day eleven:
Dunkin’ Donuts, down the street from the hotel in downtown Portland. Got Amigo a coolatta, and a box of munchkins for the family. On the road again, just can’t wait to get on the road again….

Day twelve:
Hit the road, Jack…no coffee in hotel room? What kind of establishment is this? Oh, yeah, they have some in the lobby. No wonder their rates are so low.

Day thirteen:
Show me the way to go home! Home to my own coffeemaker, my own grinder (can’t wait to make the Lunenberg coffee), my own mugs. Aaah.

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>Pennywise on the road

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>This isn’t the old “$5 a Day” kind of trip. We’re getting a few deals by booking ahead and traveling in the off-season, and that helps quite a bit.
But we had no idea that gas prices would skyrocket the way they have. Gas is always more expensive in summer’s traveling season and near holidays, but wow. To be pennywise and hopefully not pound foolish, we looked for a few ways to cut the cost of traveling and make up for the $$$ we’ll pour into the gas tank on my minivan.
Snacks: we’re bringing a cooler and a small batch of road snacks. That way we’ll pay regular grocery prices (and even save a few cents with coupons) instead of gas/convenience store mark-ups. I will make coffee in the hotel rooms to fill my travel mug whenever possible instead of (gulp) going to Starbucks.
Tolls: Husband looked into getting an I-Pass. The I-Pass works in several of the states we’ll cross, and we can set one up as we enter Illinois. The I-Pass will get us a discounted toll rate and let us drive in the faster lanes so we don’t have to stop at each toll. (Amigo calls it an “I-Pass Gas.” Grrrr…teen boys!)
Packing: We do need one more suitcase. Luckily for me, my Kohls card had a major % off last weekend, so I used it on this expense. Now the laptop case — I didn’t see a decent one. I hope to find one at a discount store before we go.
When we reach the cottage, we’ll buy food for the week. However, I am packing a box of basics so we don’t get socked at the tiny market in Vacationland. We lived in a Wisconsin Vacationland town early in our life together; we have a good idea how these things work. Buy the specialties and perishables on-site; bring the cereal, coffee, and salt and pepper along.
We already have our passports, our bike rack, and more. I think we’ll be ready. I sure hope so!

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>Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!

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>Ah, mornings. My collegiate-type daughter doesn’t like to do anything that has an A.M. after the numbers. My teen is more of a morning person, but he’s still, well, a teen. He’ll do mornings, but grudgingly.

On a school day, Amigo’s alarm goes off at 6:00. He drags his mind out of sleep mode, drags himself to the dresser for clothes, and slinks downstairs to have breakfast. By this time I’ve already been out of bed with some semblance of coherence since 5:30, showered, dressed, and more while waiting for him. We sleepwalk through breakfast, brushing teeth, morning medicines, and then watch a little morning news and weather before going outside to wait for the bus.

It all runs fairly smoothly unless he oversleeps. Let’s not even suggest the possibility.

Lately we’ve had an additional body in the house. La Petite is home from school and working, which means we have three drivers and only two vehicles. Most mornings now Husband wakes up an hour earlier than his usual, drives me to school, and then takes care of himself and gets to work. La Petite takes her break to run me home in time to meet Amigo’s school bus.

One morning I requested that Husband drive me through Jo to Go, my favorite school day caffeine source, and the barrista simply looked into the car at me and asked, “The usual?” Husband shot me a half-smirk, half eye-roll, and shook his head. Heck, my morning usual is a 16 oz. hazelnut with no cream or sugar. Nothing fancy or expensive, really! It’s a locally owned place, too, so I’m supporting the local economy. The service is fast enough that I waste a minimum of gas, and….well, I can rationalize anything if I try hard enough. Even on a wild and woolly workday morning.

Fortunately, this routine only lasts until school is out and that flexibility that is a teacher’s summer begins. Then I become the chauffeur, taking La Petite to work and Amigo to appointments. And on most summer days, I make my own coffee.

This post is based on a topic recommended by Parent Bloggers Network and Kraft Bagel-fuls. Please feed your children breakfast before school; trust me, they learn better and test better if they’re not hungry.

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