Saturday, January 9, 2010

my super exciting life update

So after looking at Jenna’s “for-profit-blog”, I decided that there needs to be an update to ours. How have you girls been???? Naomi, are you still working at the animal shelter? Caton, how’s the teaching going? Kristen, was this your first week of student teaching, how did it go?

Well big news in my life is that I have adopted a kitten, Baily. He is an orange tabby that is about 5 months old. I can’t believe it but I have had him for over a month now! It’s a pretty big eye opener (my family never had cats), but I am definitely learning. Who knew cats chase their tails? And like to spill their water dish all over the place? And are up pestering you all the time at night? Anyway he is really good, and it’s nice company, when it seems like all I do is study. Check out my face book pictures of him, he’s so cute!

My other big to-do recently has been to find a new place to live for next year. Who knew moving in with people you didn’t know would be a bad idea, lol. Oh well! So currently I’m looking at a house in Varna. Ironically, it’s “The Varna House”. You know- the disgusting house that AGR transfers use to live in. But it has been all re-done inside, so it doesn’t look too bad anymore. So get ready for this- I’m gonna live with Jen Cassano- who actually has seemed to become more normal as the semester has progressed. I’m also living with another girl who seems very nice, but has a girlfriend. That will be a new experience for me, lol.

No new news on the guy front. I feel like I’m gonna be single forever! Seeing as though there are like 4 straight, single guys in my class, options are pretty slim. I don’t have a ton of free time not spent in the vet school either, so it’s pretty much decided that I will the crazy lone cat lady, lol. I went out for Sushi tonight with some vet school friends, and the one girl told me that she has an ad on match.com. I don’t know if I have quite come to that yet, but it’s tempting!

I had a nice 2 week Christmas break from school- so I drove to Ohio to see my parents. This was a real nice break, but kinda boring seeing as though I know nobody else there. Luckily lots of shopping and a brand new outlet mall was just built like 10 min from my house. You should all be impressed with me that I drove the 9.5 hours there. I was pretty nervous about it but I did it and lived!! I was actually most scared about having to go to a gas station I didn’t know, lol! Caton, you may have driven close to my house in Ohio. Did you drive on 71 through Ohio?? If so, pretty close to my parent’s house!

~Judy

Monday, September 7, 2009

Lions, Tigers, and Bears...Oh My!

Okay, well, its more like dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, and birds...Oh My. I, too, like Caton am sorry I have fallen off the grid a bit and haven't held up my end of the bargain with keeping in touch. It was much easier when I was unemployed, but I do miss you all tons!

First off, Caton, I am so sorry that things aren't all that great teaching, working, i guess, just isn't all its cracked up to be.

My life, too, has changed tremendously.

Firstly, I have moved to Massachusetts and live with my oldest brother and his obnoxious cat. But actually, it's pretty much just me and the cat because my brother has practically moved in with his girlfriend and is hardly home. (Not that I am complaining ;)

I wake up at 6 oclock every morning so I can leave my apartment by 6:45, where I then sit in traffic for about an hour so I can make it to work by 8. If it wasn't rush hour I could do the trip in 20 minutes...ugh. I go to bed between 10 and 11...some exceptions. If I decide to nap, my nap occurs at 9:00 pm where I then just decide to sleep until morning.

I too am dirt poor, and this job is just barely going to cover paying back my loans, nevermind feeding myself, but at least it is a job, and for that I am thankful.

So, I have been working for about a month now. And I must admit, I really do enjoy my job. But it is 8 intense non-stop hours each day of being on my feet, bending down, heavy lifting, dodging claws, evading teeth, preventing disease spread and so much more. We have 20 dogs and over 120 cats, about 6 birds and about 10 rabbits and rodents. The dogs need to be fed, walked, cleaned, watered, entertained, walked, enriched, trained, fed, walked and watered. The cats need to be fed, cleaned, watered, entertained, enriched, fed, and watered. All this needs to be done along with a million other things, like cleaning of common areas, a million dishes, restocking of foods, kitty litter, dog treats, plus so much more.

I have lost some of my trust and faith in people, since working at this job. I don't think I will ever understand people who can let terrible things happen to their animals, or even worse, those people that do the terrible things. We have one dog rescued from a pit bull fighting ring, another dog (border collie) that has no fur, for her owner allowed scabies to ravage her body, another dog who was so terrified of everything, she can't even manage to walk up one flight of stairs. And a pair of dogs that had cuts on their backs, and because their owner left them unattended in a yard, maggots started eating at their flesh. And that is only the dogs. We've gotten in cats with fur that is so severely matted that they can't walk. Others had collars on so tight that they no longer have fur around their necks, one cat came in with duct tape wrapped around him to use as a sling for his broken scapula. The things humans do to animals is absolutely terrible.

Caton, I wanted to reassure you, that you are not the only one who is brought to tears regularly because of your job. Seeing the cruelty that happens always forms a lump in my throat. I worked so hard with some animals, training and trying to work through their behavioral problems, but their issues stem so deep that i couldn't teach them otherwise and for this reason they couldn't be adopted out and thus were euthanized, bringing tears to my eyes.

Let's face it, working sucks. And no matter how much we try to make the world a better place, something always seems to prevent us from doing so. Caton, I don't want you to think that you are a terrible teacher, because you aren't. You care, and that is what makes the difference between a good teacher and a terrible one. The good news is, I do regain a little bit of my faith lost, everytime I see a deserving animal find a forever home. Because not only does it mean that animal will have a better life, but a new cage opens for another animal in need. And Caton, I'm sure in time, these kids will start to appreciate what you are doing for them a little more, and your faith in yourself, and in others will be restored.

Kristin, how is graduate school going? I'm glad that you are feeling better about the people you live with. And don't let anyone get on your back about your dirty dishes. I reserve that right, (Im sure Caton and Judy do too) :) Is your work difficult? Are you enjoying it? Any men in your life?

Judy, a month into vet school, are you still alive? How is it going? I wish I was back there with you. (However, when I say this, I want to be working there, not taking classes and memorizing a million different scientific names and how everything works). Is your living situation still going well? How about men in your life?

I also have no drama in my life, there isn't even anyone I have had to be stopped from punching. Caton, a little part of me wishes your friend Sarah didn't stop you.

Well, girls, I hope that you are all doing well, and I promise that I will try and be better about writing more often. Oh, has anyone heard from Jodi? When is she getting married anyway?

Miss you lots,
Naomi

I miss you girls so much, it hurts.

Friday, September 4, 2009

I don't wanna work, I just want to bang on the drums all day!

Hi lovelies!!!

I miss you all oodles and oodles. I want to apologize to all of you for not keeping in touch better. I think once I explain my schedule, you'll understand. However, I am making a Labor Day Resolution to just start calling all of you on my 15 minute commute to/from work, which is about all the free time I have. Seriously.

So, let's see, right now I am in planning period (which is my 4th block). Normally, I spend this time creating my lesson/powerpoint for the next day, but since it's Friday, I have plenty of time to procrastinate. :) Not everything about me has changed, haha. But...a lot has changed for instance:

1.) I wake up at 5:30AM every morning and go to sleep at 11PM at night. This is without exceptions.
2.) I take no naps.
3.) I make meals (taco salad, huevos rancheros, pasta salad anyone?)
4.) I am dirt poor. (oh wait, I guess that hasn't changed)
5.) I do not drink (except one day on the weekends when I get a little out of control after two drinks. My lack of tolerance and overtiredness combined make a horrible/powerful combination).
6.) I do not watch TV (with the exception of Top Chef and Project Runway), which as all of you know, is a severe downgrade. I do grade papers during this time, so my attention (regrettably) is divided.
7.) I have no drama in my life (except for student drama which is not nearly as much fun).
8.) I cry hard at least once every three days.

Wow, so that's a little intense, but it really isn't all bad. This is absolutely the most challening thing I have ever done in my life, but it's also the most wonderful. I feel a purpose to my actions and life. My students are a riot, somewhat out of control at times, but I've become the hard-ass new teacher, so I don't really let a lot slide. I've thrown about 6 kids out of my room so far. I don't play around.

Lately, I've been feeling really frustrated. My students quizzes consistenly come back in the 60s-70s range, and they're OK with it as long as they pass. This is infuriating!! I've also been doing checks for understanding throughout my lesson. I'll ask a question, say, about macromoluecles, and wait for a response. Yesterday I asked what are the 4 macromolecules that make up all living things (we've been teaching this for 4 days now). First student response:- "no idea, I wasn't listening." Me: "You haven't been listening for the last 4 days??" "No." "OK- well, I'll tell you the answer." I told the student the answer, asked him to tell me the 4 macromolecules, again. "I don't know." I asked the SAME EXACT QUESTION to four students in a row, each time telling the correct answer and asking them to give me the answer back. Everytime "I don't know." I could have cried. I know I'm a terrible teacher, and I really need to find ways to make my students learn. I think I've been too focused on creating fun activities to do that relate to what we're learning, but aren't actually helping academically.

As you can tell from my rant, I'm very invested in this teaching thing. I think about it ALL THE TIME. I think I need to get more sleep or something, haha. This long-weekend I have so much work to catch up on, grading, organizing, lesson planning, it just never ends.

On a happy note, I almost got in a fight with a guy at a bar last weekend. He spilled a drink all over my roomate, and I was like *teacher mode "Excuse me, you need to apologize." He came back and said, "you are the biggest bitch I have every met." Naturally, I lunged after him swinging. If it weren't for Stacey, I would have punched him directly in the face. She stopped me.

I've become incredibly aggressive and combative, probably a bitch to be around. I still try to find the humor in my classes, and it's getting easier. I have some funny stories I will share later. For now, I have to go to a meeting at 1, so I will stop with my tyrade now.

I love you all and miss you so much!!!

Ms. McKenna :)

Monday, August 24, 2009

I'm feeling very old...yet very young

Hey girls!

I hope you are all doing well! How is the new job Naomi? Judy- how's vet school? I hear other vet students are already swamped. And Caton, how is the teaching- I'm excited to hear about it! [by the way...why doesn't anyone respond to my phone calls?] Anyway, I agree with Judy- I miss you guys even more now that I'm at school. I moved in yesterday- quite an ordeal. I'm the farthest building on the 3rd floor- 2nd story..and no- there is no elevator. I'm glad my mom was able to come with me and help me unload. The apartment is really pretty and my roommates seem nice- they're all sophomores, though. Kelsey is a Hotel student, Justin is an engineer, and Nick is a pre-med. It seems like it will work out- though this is their first time living off campus so they're all gung-ho about buying new things and such. Nick is the only one I think I have to worry about- he kind of reminds me of a strict Mike Bufano (very meticulous)- I think I'm going to have to pay more attention to my dirty pancake bowls and stuff around the house. Today I had my grad student orientation- kind of a waste of time, but I made some new friends so that's always good. They gave us free food and did an orientation speech, telling us how to spend our time when we're not studying. I've then been trying to write a couple essays for student teaching, too, but they're obviously not getting done right now. Anyway- I just wanted to write to you and say hi- I've been thinking about you all-let me know how all of you are doing (you guys should write in the blog more:) Hopefully I'll talk to you soon!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Good Old Cornell

Hey all,

Kristin: Can’t wait to see you!! When do you get back to Cornell??
Caton: How is being a teacher going??
Naomi: Congrats on the job?? How’s it going??

So, now that I am back at Cornell, I miss all of you even more. It’s very strange to be here without you guys. Now for an update on my life:

So I moved in Thursday to my new apartment. It’s pretty nice and big. It was quite an ordeal to get all my stuff and furniture up here. Imagine me with my car packed following my dad with our truck packed, my mattresses standing on ends pulling a trailer of furniture. My roommates are really nice. My bath-roommate is very quiet. Think much quieter than I am, if that is possible. So, as you can imagine, when the 2 of us are alone we kind of awkwardly stare at each other. I think it will get better though. My other roommate is the definition of a jap. I have never been in a store where someone just picks out what they want, w/out even considering price. She also did not know the difference between laundry detergent and fabric softener, so to say the least it should be an interesting year. She is very nice though, but she reminds me of girls from SDT. Her parents took me out to dinner last night, so I guess I can’t complain. We went to the Taste of Thai, a first for me. The food was interesting and I think would take some getting used to, but it wasn’t bad. We went to the farmers market today and I got some amazing peaches and strawberries—so you should all be jealous.

I start orientation tomorrow (ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!). Supposedly tomorrow is stuff on the ropes course, my favorite :(. We’ll see if I can break a leg or kick someone in the face, should be interesting. I officially start classes on Thursday, so then I will no longer have a life. I just got my schedule and have classes from like 8-5 everyday, so should be fun!!


I miss all of you dearly and if anyone would like to visit I have a nice pullout couch in my living room for your use (except Kristin, you can go back to your apartment :-) , unless you really have the desire to stay).

~Judy

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

All quiet on the western front

Hey Girls!

I'm glad to see everything is going well! Congrats on the job search, Naomi! That's awesome! And thanks for the B-day wishes:) Btw... I haven't been able to follow the bachelorette since my parents would destroy the t.v. if I even tried to watch it, but did you hear that Ed had been cheating on her? That's what the tabloids have been saying- I think Juan would have been better.

Well anyway, everything here has been going pretty well- I had a great b-day in NYC- my mom and I went to the Metropolitan- it was amazing. Now I've been preparing for school- I registered for classes and I kinda feel like I'm a new student again- it's annoying, though, because I have to fill out all the new-student forms. I also have to write a self-analysis and area assessment before the 26th for my student teaching- I've been procrastinating like crazy. This weekend is my family graduation party and then I leave next week. I still don't know what the housing is going to be like. I'll be in Gun Hill with my own room- there's actually 2 guys and another girl living with me so I should feel right at home. The funny thing is, though- the girl I'm subleasing from didn't tell her housemates that I'd be replacing her- the one girl was kind of surprised to hear it- it's kinda weird. For a Fernando update- he called me a few more times- one drunken phone call and another couple of calls- I'm slightly dreading running into him this semester. Other than that, not too much excitement- I've still been working with the 4-H office and helping on the farm. I also bumped into my old friend, Ashley, so we've been hanging out a little. Well I hope you guys are having fun and enjoying the last days of summer! Good luck with the job, Naomi, and the teaching, Caton- let me know how everything goes! And I'll see you soon Judy!

-Kristin

Friday, August 7, 2009

Caton...I hate to admit it but...

You were right! I meant to say this in my post yesterday, but I kind of forgot. My mind was going in every direction.

In the Bachelorette, Ed prevailed. This round I give to you. So what is it, a tie?

I guess we have to go best out of three, now we just need the next season.

Hope you are all doing well.