Friday, November 30, 2007

Holla at a Homie

Sometimes, I think my kids get a little too comfortable with me.

(I have one that constantly passes gas. It's so gross and makes all the other kids upset b/c then he blames his neighbors!)

I have this one kid (the "Holla atcha later!" kid) that I was really hoping would test out -- just for his sake. Unfortunately, he didn't...meaning I get him for another year. I don't mind b/c he is great comedy relief. (He also perplexes me; it's like he has dysnomia or something...but I'm not sure if I really believe in kids having dysnomia/anomia). Anywho, the kid swears we're like homies and stuff.

Today, he was talking about how he gets on MySpace. I played dumb and asked, "What's that?" For a hot moment, I started panicking, wondering if he's found my page (which is set to private) b/c he was talking as if he found my page. I asked him if he knew what my first name was, and he quickly looked around. Phew, he didn't know (nor was I wearing my badge). Dude, the day my kids ask me to add them is the day I need to start tying my jean hems with my shoelaces (what is up with that ridiculous fad? And WTH is it called so I can talk more trash about it?).

At the end of the session, the kid asked me for a ride home, since it was pouring. WHAT?! "No, I cannot give you a ride home!" "C'mon!" "No!" "WHY?" "Do you want to stay until 5?" "Oh, never mind." Crazy kid!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Pre-Thanksgiving Feast

Today was a busy day of delicious eating. It's like I was ramping up for tomorrow. :)

First things first -- it is nice to have the day before Thanksgiving off! I remember the days when I'd work half a day on the Wednesday before, and even that half a day was a half a day too much. I woke up early to go to Costco to pick up a ham, Parisian Salads, and chocolate cake for tmrw (although the chocolate cake is traveling with his parents to his father's side for dessert). BF forced me to get a car wash, too, since his parents were coming into town and Elsa would be transporting us. I didn't mind so much b/c for whatever ridiculous reason, Elsa is the target of many sea gull business ventures...if you catch my drift.

Shortly after, bro and I met up with Dad at Zip Fusion for a delicious lunch. It was nice to have a peaceful lunch with them. I tried the Honey Roll, a new addition to their menu. It was soOOoOoo good (anything with seafood on the inside and tempura on the outside is worth trying).

Afterwards, bro and I stopped by the Cheesecake Factory to pick-up lunch for FBIL. I also got a Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake and tropical iced tea. The cheesecake was incredibly delicious for a sweet-toothed coffee junkie like me.

Next stop was the dry cleaner's to pick up BFs stuff. I got his suit dry-cleaned in anticipation/hopes of him being my wedding date for this weekend. Last night, he finally committed to going with me. I was getting a little bit worried (and desperate). I think I convinced him to go when I said, "Maybe I can ask [gay friend] to go..." (to which he asked, "Why don't you ask [BGF] or [BSILF]?"). It's just that he's been ridiculously busy and even though he told his clients that he's out of commission this week, it looks like he won't be.

I bum-rushed home just to veg out a little bit before we met his parents in Culver City. They hit so much traffic so we ended up sitting in the hotel lobby for over an hour. I couldn't believe how sleepy I was; I was practically falling asleep. We checked them in and then came back home to rest and primp.

Our last stop was dinner at Charthouse. It was delicious! Sometimes, I take BF's dad's lead and order what he gets b/c he usually orders really delicious entrees. Tonight, he chose a promotional/seasonal item that was absolutely amazing. BF got his usual...and later said that he should've ordered what we had. His mom ended the dinner wisely by ordering the signature lava cake. :) When we were dropping them off, we stopped by Rite-Aid and his dad surprised me with a box of Ferrero Rochers. Yummers!

They'll be stopping by tmrw morning for some coffee and to pick-up a few things so I'm off to bed. Gotta rejuvenate myself for the real big day of eating. :D

Happy Thanksgiving, homies!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Proud SLP

I've had an awesome week with my kiddos. Although I didn't see everyone I was supposed to (due to meetings and Veteran's Day holiday), I was soOoOOO proud of many of the ones I did see. The huge difference was seeing some 1:1 or just with one other student.

This week, one of the Study Skills lesson topics was on coffee (how it's grown, the different types, history, etc.). The first time I did this lesson, I wasn't prepared to discuss all the vocabulary in it. I also happened to be seeing one kid 1:1 (whom reminds me of a chipmunk, b/c he is so cute -- round cheeks with bigger front teeth). I don't usually see him individually, but the circumstance presented itself. I was so amazed with how the session went! It made me realize even more how 1) students really can benefit from individual sessions but unfortunately, that is impossible for every child; 2) sometimes my job is really about helping these kids make that connection between word knowledge and world knowledge. One of my favorite parts about working with these kids is when I help them make that connection and their eyes get all big and that proverbial light bulb goes off above their head (sometimes, I get the accompanying exclamation, "Oh!! (I get it!)"

Yesterday, I had VTW see the groups while I chimed in here and there. It's actually quite interesting to see how different our styles are. She has observed me for 2 days out of 3-4 weeks, and I felt comfortable about her seeing all the groups (especially since she saw them all last Friday due to my incident). I laid out my lesson plan for her step by step, including all the vocab I wanted them to discuss, definitions, and examples. I kind of felt bad for my kids b/c she has a different presence so she makes everything sound like a test (even though I always assure my kids that in our sessions, they are never being graded nor tested, but I sure as heck look for improvement to get them out of here. I say that so that they are not afraid to participate and ask questions.). After reading about why grinding coffee a little bit at a time is better, she asked, "What does 'grind' mean?" One of our crazier kids said, "Oh! I know!" We should've expected what came next, but I sure didn't. "It's like the dance!" DUDE! AH! I was grossed out! Haha!

On the other hand, I was pleased that at least he participated b/c on the outside, him and his bro act like they're too cool for this and don't care, but when it comes down to it, they try harder than the rest of the group. They are some of my favorites as well (although I shouldn't really have favorites). Really, it's not hard to impress me and become my favorite. It's simple: 1) don't touch nor steal my stuff, especially after I've asked you to sit down and you don't listen; 2) ask questions and participate with a decent effort; 3) don't come in with a funky attitude and disrespect everyone.

Perhaps I should replace my class rules with those qualifications.

Anywho, we had another group and both of us were dreading calling in one particular kid (he has the ultimate funky attitude). For whatever reason, he didn't show up, and we had an AWESOME session between two kiddos. One is my 1x/month consult kid with a lisp, whom I had honestly just about given up on for several reasons (K3, see the forum), and my other kiddo is a smarty-pants who makes other people feel dumb but she is slowly letting down her guard. First, it was nice to see that the girl was actually having fun, more relaxed, smiling, and not making the other kid feel dumb (also b/c he was equally as smart as her). What really made my day was seeing the consult kid. I seriously almost teared up b/c my lisper whom I had just about given up on, has been working soOOoOoOOO hard since the last time we met! There was such a noticeable difference! I couldn't believe my ears! (And he was so cute b/c when he came in, he said, "I've been working really hard on my 's'.") I am still glowing off of it. :) Okay, I doubt I did much to help him (except keep drilling into him why he needs to step up to the challenge), but something made the difference. His previous 2 SLPs had said in all sincerity, dismiss him due to lack of motivation and progress after more than 5 years of working on his 's,' and I seriously almost did. And then he shows up making significant progress since the last time. It's beautiful.

As my bro said, "What a great way to end the work week!"

Friday, November 16, 2007

Friends Forever

Remember back to elementary school when you'd sign yearbooks, "FF"? I wonder how many I've written "FF" but didn't remain in contact with...and those whom I have never promised FF but really do remain FF. (That sounds like the penultimate paragraph to a Friendship forward.)

Tonight, an old friend IM'd me. We go waaaay back. Like to JH. Actually, let me rewind. Last night, I was IM'g another old friend (going waaaay back to the summer fresh out of HS). I was telling him how crazy JH kids are nowadays, which prompted me to reflect on how I was in JH. I thought about 97, my 2nd "boyfriend." I thought long and hard about whether we really did anything -- like even hold hands. I couldn't remember anything scandalous (by 1990 standards)...which is probably why 97 and I laugh about us even calling each other BF/GF. It was truly a pure and innocent crush.

Well, years come and go and as I've always been, I don't keep in touch (very well) with people.

Tonight, 97 IM'd me, after several years of no contact, and we got to chatting about the past, present, and future. For the record, he corrected that we did do something in JH. He said, "Yah, we hugged ONCE." And it was on the day we "broke up." LOL

After a short session of IMing, he proposed that I call him up (since I didn't sound so promising about every meeting up with him...call me asocial!). Dude, I felt like I was in JH again. I was all nervous, moreso b/c we hadn't spoken in years (and I just don't like talking on the phone!). On the other hand, I know myself. I may not like answering the phone or picking up the phone to call someone, but once I am in a telephone conversation with a friend, I so enjoy it.

So, 97 and I talked for about an hour, just catching up. I truly feel like we are FF, despite not keeping in constant touch. I've always felt that my best friends are those with whom I can just pick up where we last left off. And that's how it is with 97. It was great talking to him and catching up.

After giving him a brief synopsis of my life since we last chatted, he said one thing that really captured the essence of my life at this very moment -- I have stability in my life.

And it's a wonderful thing.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

My 5 cents

Everyday at work, I crack up over the same thing -- I have kids that are not even on my caseload, stopping by or yelling across the hall, "Hi Miss Ling!" (few students really say my name right; the majority don't even try to remember my name; I've gotten tired of trying to teach them). Some know who I am b/c I call their friends or classmates in. Some stop by to ask why they don't get called in. The best is when my own students stop by to ask when is the next time I'm going to call them in (I was floored today when one kid that I least expected to do that, did. I totally think I bore him in our 1:1 sessions; I feel sorry for my 1:1s -- they get me all to themselves...and I work them hard and don't play games). The SDC kids are always begging me to call them in (pretty much to get them out of class though). In a way, it's all flattering.

Today during my lunch period, a kid who is not on my caseload stopped by. Background info: last week, I made the "mistake" of letting him stay during a tx session; I was a sucker for my SDC girls so when they begged to let this boy stay, I figured, what the hey -- any kid could always benefit from more language stimulation. Well, boy was I wrong. This kid, whom I will call CTE, was such a nerd! He knew all the answers with his extensive vocabulary. The funny thing is that I have never had such a serious session with this group (they are usually soooo rowdy but I guess they were shy with the newcomer). And two of my girls were vying for his attention (one was Barrettes Girl who comes to school in frickin midriffs!). So Barrettes Girl started getting all jealous that Jay-Z (another girl who told the psych that I am her friend) was getting all of CTE's attention. (At one point, Barrettes Girl yelled across the table, "You only like him b/c of his eyes!" It was totally random, funny, and catty.)

Anywho, so today, CTE stopped by during lunch period. He lingered around and chatted up a storm with me, asking me the typical curious questions (what do you do in here? Why do you see certain students?). Actually, it was a very fascinating conversation. He told me how he's a vegetarian and other relative background info on that change in lifestyle. We got onto the subject of family (it stemmed off of our discussion about food -- which was a rather detailed discussion about our favorite kinds of pizza from different places). Then he poured his heart/sentiments out about his family situation. It was really crazy...moreso b/c I am still constantly surprised at how candid kids are with me about their thoughts and situations. It makes me want to talk, advise, and console them like I would to a friend. I don't really though b/c I often feel obligated to say cliches (unless I really feel strong about something).

So CTE told me about his home situation and how he came to the decision of living with his dad, which was really mature I might add. He poured his heart out over his mom's situation and what he hopes to do in the future to help her out. As if I wasn't impressed enough with this kid, he spoke about how he wants to make enough money to help his mother out of her situation and not spend his hard-earned money on drugs b/c he sees how people waste their money and life on drugs. He's going to stay drug-free because he knows that he has to be clean to be a professional athlete (I wasn't about to corrupt his dream and tell him how twisted that whole lifestyle could be).

Sidebar: I was so shocked when he told me Barrettes Girl is the sister of one of my favorite students! They must be half or step-siblings though (different last names). I was astounded b/c her brother is such a sweetheat; he is soOoOoOOoo polite and considerate, and he works really hard (kids totally get brownie points when they try/work really hard). Barrettes Girl bullies other kids, makes false sexual harassment allegations, and does other crazy things (like wear midriffs to school). I would never have guessed in "many centuries"** that they were related!

CTE stayed until the end of his lunch period. When he left, I was floored. It mystifies and fascinates me how random kids like to just come in and chat with me. It's like I'm a pseudo-psychiatrist off-hours (or during lunch periods).

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The funny thing is that Jay-Z (who is very sweet but needs a lot of attention) saw me after school and hounded me, "you know that boy from last time?" "M-hm." "I saw him in your room during lunch. What were you guys doing?" The was the first of like 10 questions: What did you guys talk about? What did he ask you? What did you say? I must have still had my pseudo-psychiatrist hat on b/c I totally gave vague answers to protect confidentiality. Ha! Well, I was honest with a few things (like how he asked what we did in therapy). She wouldn't let up, but since she had to go back to her after school program before she got in trouble, she ended with, "Okay, well, we'll talk more tomorrow." WTH? I walked away laughing at how nonchalant and mature she sounded with the promise to get back to me tomorrow to dish more about her boy.

...Who really does have nice eyes.

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**I asked one of my kids today what he thought "centuries" meant. He responded, "a million years!" I was cracking up. He totally got me, though, when he asked what A.D. meant (as in A.D. vs. B.C.). I couldn't remember for the life of me what the PC way of saying/explaining "B.C." was. So I told him the un-PC definition but gave him the disclaimer (e.g., religious people who believe in Jesus Christ might say B.C. b/c...).

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Semantics and Other Blabberings

The majority of my kiddos have goals in the area of semantics (vocabulary), but I am still constantly amazed at how much (or little) they know. Today, I continued with identifying the main idea/topic. After asking a bunch of Wh-questions, I threw out, "Who can tell me what 'hollow' means?"

I really think my kid was just messing with me (b/c they'll do that) but in any event, he said: Oh! I know! You mean like, HOLLA!!!! Like you holla at someone!
Me (LOL): No! What you're saying is 'holler' -- spelled 'h-o-l-l-e-r' and colloquially -- or in conversation -- 'holla' as in h-o-l-l-a. I am asking what 'hollow' h-o-l-l-o-w means...

So I explained to them what hollow means and the crazy kid redeemed himself by saying, "Oh, like when you carve a pumpkin and you take out all the guts and it's hollow inside?"
Me, proud that he understood my definition, exclaimed, "Exactly! Great example [Kid]!"

We continued on for a few more minutes. After I signed their call slips, I said, "Okay, gentleman, I'll see you next time!"
Kid: Alright! Holla atcha later!

I was LMAO! Which reminds me, last time my other kid said to me, "Peace!" and flashed the deuces at me. Which also reminds me that my kids actually let me call them by the nicknames that their friends call them by. I offer to call them by their "real" name, but they just shrug and say I can call them by their nicknames. I feel so special sometimes. :)

Anywho, there's more. The real adventure came at the end of the day. I got to participate in my first fire drill. Thankfully, I didn't have any kiddos; otherwise, I would have had no idea where I was supposed to line up. I found the SDC class, who was teacher-less (long story), so the kiddos clung to me and we all moved over to where they were supposed to be. I cashed in on another "teachable moment" and explained to one kiddo what a fire drill was/meant and the purpose of it. All the while, I stole glances at the next line over b/c FFB was in that line. I felt sorry for him, though, b/c he is soooOOOOoOOo anxious when it comes to fire drills.

Okay, last story: today at the SPED meeting, the psych asked all the teachers if FFB looks at their feet. One said no but another said, "Yes! Just recently, he was standing right next to me and stared straight down at my feet...and said, 'Miss [Teacher with open-toed heels], you have webbed feet!'" LOL

Kids...{shake head!}

Monday, November 12, 2007

(School) Holiday

It is so nice to have a long weekend (working in the public school rules!). Today, I ran some fun errands. On my way back from Target, I "honked for the writers" in front of Sony Studios in Culver City (thinking about K3's latest entry re: the strike and how it ultimately may affect her hubby).

I also went to the mall to look for a bridal shower gift, but you know how that usually turns out -- I left the mall with 2 items for me and 0 for bride-to-be. First, I stopped by Bare Escentuals to play around with more make-up (but didn't buy anything), and then I picked up a free pair of panties from Victoria's Secret (woohoo! I love free panties! Well, new ones of course.). I also hand-selected a pound of See's candies. Yummers. I'm waiting for BF to come home so that we can indulge in it together. Come to think of it, I doubt he'll want any when he gets home. Oh well, his loss is my gain!

Anywho, I thought I'd blog about my adventures of the evening (can "blog" be used as a verb?). I've been a technological disaster tonight. I actually went to the gym for a brief walk (after months of non-gyming), but then my iPod froze for the first time. I am completely worthless at the gym without my music. After attempting weights, I left with my frozen iPod. Thankfully, resetting it worked just now! Phew!!

The other tech disaster has to do with my laptop, which I probably live by more than my nano! It's been acting up lately, but for the first time, when I re-booted, I got a black screen with the message: Operating System not found. I completely went into panic mood. Thankfully, it's up and running, and I just backed everything onto my flash drive.

I'm afraid to touch anything else...

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Alarmed

Yesterday was quite an adventurous day. My day started off with a run to the new Starbucks down the street. I was really excited to see that the holiday season has officially begun. They have brought back my favorite coffee, the Christmas Blend! I left with my alternative-splurging-order in one hand and half a short Christmas Blend in the other (a generous sample from the enthusiastic barista that even spelled my name right).

I got to school in no time, quickly getting into the groove of things. As I prepped for the morning, I started cramping up (sorry, TMI). By the time my VTW showed up, I wanted to curl up into a ball (a.k.a. the fetal position), but instead, I popped an aspirin (which I rarely do under these circumstances) and off we went to see the 320s.

The pain got progressively worse with a side order of nausea. I noticed that I was yawning a lot...not from being tired, though. I should've taken that as a hint (as in gasping for air as a precursor to what lay ahead). To add insult to injury, the 320 I was working with whacked me upside the head about 3x. That was about all I could handle. I briefly ended the session, and we headed back to my room.

We were about 5 yards away, when I felt REALLY gnarly. Uh-oh, I think I knew what I was in for. When we got back to my room, I said in my calmest tone, "I hope you don't mind if I look crazy and lay down on the [disgusting!!!!] floor, but if I don't, I'm going to faint." I was already starting to black out.

For the next half hour, I laid on the DISGUSTING floor, curled up, profusely apologizing and trying not to scare the poor girl any more than she already was. As I lay on the floor, I called my bro with my cell, "Um, can you pick me up? I'm laying on the floor, about to faint."

My poor bro, who has dealt with my dramatic spells, dropped everything and rushed over to pick me up. I was still on the floor when he came. I was so embarrassed, not wanting to make it a big deal, but of course he topped the drama by getting me a wheelchair to transport me to his car. That alarmed the whole main office so that was even more embarrassing. When I asked my VTW to call my administrator up to see what she should do since I was leaving for the day, my administrator asked, "Should we call an ambulance?" I practically yelled from the floor, "O, no, please don't! I'm okay! Really!" I really did not want to draw any more attention to this (even though I am blogging about it now).

My bro dropped me off at home to BF (who had just woken up from working an all-nighter) to rest. I ate and slept for the rest of the day.

Today, my bro brought me to pick up my car. When we got there, we went to my room so that I could pick up a few things. We walked in, but as soon as we hit the light switch, the alarm went off. Of course it would go off! Why would I not think that the school is alarmed? I started panicking, wondering what we should do!

We ended up leaving the scene of the crime to go down the street for a yummy dinner at El Pollo Inka. After that, I came home and spent the night with Lil F (cleaning her tank) and waited for BF to come home so I could tell him all about my adventurous day with my bro.

I really feel awful that my bro worries so much about me. I've fainted on him or with him more times than I can count. Poor guy. BF's been "lucky" in that he has only dealt with it 1x...and I was in a casino with his parents. Not exactly a place where I could quickly lay down on the floor.

Not to worry, people; I'm going to see the doctor as soon as I find a new PCP!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Out of My Element

Today was a funky day. I was totally beating myself up over ridiculous things.

First, when I was getting ready for work, I tried to "fix" my BE blush. I gingerly picked up the sifter with the loose powder...and then dropped about $15 worth of precious minerals all over the sink, freshly vacuumed bath rug and carpet, my pants, and purse! The only good thing is that it didn't fall on my turtle; I had just let her loose to walk around. I was so annoyed at how clumsy I was!

After, I drove to school in a sleepy daze. When I got to work, I wasn't in the mood to deal with Foot Fetish Boy. After two disturbing dreams about him, I've been completely creeped out by this 14 y/o. So ridiculous of me, I know. Anywho, so I usually leave my door wide open, but today, I left it open about 8 inches to send the message of "I'm busy but if you (as in adults) absolutely need to come in, fine." I had my back towards the door b/c I was (finally) posting up class rules on the bulletin board. The first person who 'snuck' in was the custodian. I was laughing out of relief b/c I thought he was FFB and was glad he wasn't. The second person who 'snuck' in was a teacher that I get all awkward around (she has asked me for advice on her quieter students and when I give her advice, she smugly responds on how she's tried it all. It was nice of her to stop by to invite me to a crafts fair where she will be selling jewelry that she makes!).

Then FFB snuck in. I was completely freaking out b/c not only did he peek in to see if anyone else was in here, but then he walked past my kidney table that bisects my room, squeezed through the 12 inch opening b/t the kidney table and my desk, and entered my tiny 6' x 5' sanctuary. Talk about claustrophobic moment for me; I felt so violated!

"Hello Miss [Speech Lady]. Oh, [grunt, mumble] so, why are you wearing those shoes?"
"Because I'm wearing these pants." (As a grown-up, I still give lame non-responses. One advantage to being an SLP is that people think that I am always speaking sensibly.)
Then I just about lost my composure. Chanel totally took over the conversation: "[FFB], it is inappropriate for you to look, comment, or ask about my shoes. AND when my door is closed like that, that means I'm busy. If you want to say hello, that's fine but you cannot come in just to see what shoes I'm wearing!"
"Okay Miss [Speech Lady]. See you later."
What? That's it?

I was all out of my element for the next half hour. I got a quick 10-minute therapy session from my neuropsych-SLP buddy who said, I absolutely have to set boundaries pronto.

So I called him in a few periods later to finish Tri-testing. Beforehand, I had changed to my New Balances again. When he came in, he asked, "You changed already?" I asked flatly, "Changed from what?" as if I had no clue what he was asking about. "Um, never mind." Then he did his usual manipulative thing of reaching down to his backpack but really trying to sneak a glance at my feet again. "YOUR EYES NEED TO BE UP HERE [FFB]."

After testing, Chanel took over the conversation: "Do you remember what we talked about this morning?"
He looked away and said, "yes..."
"LOOK [FFB], until you stop looking, asking, and commenting about my feet or shoes, you are NOT allowed to come in here to say hello. The ONLY time you are allowed here is when it is your designated therapy time. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
My heart was racing unbelievably fast. I couldn't believe I was saying all that, including the 'check for comprehension.'
"Yes."
Oh, but there's more: "And when you are here, I expect you to be looking up here at me, not down there. I will be watching where your eyes look even in therapy."
"Okay Miss [Speech Lady]. So, I'll see you on Friday then. So, when does this period end? Should I go back to class now?"

I was like, WTH? All of this didn't even phase him! It was so bizarre. I guess I expected more of a response since he completely loses it when other adults confront him.

Anywho, for the rest of the day, I was even more clumsy than usual and still feeling out of my element. When I got home, BF said, "Whatever you do, do NOT touch anything."

I think I should just call it a day...a big day for Chanel. At least I can laugh about all of this tomorrow...and in 10 years!

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Last night, BF had a super, superstar client over and she saw the autism books on our shelf. She asked, "Does somebody you know have autism?"
"Nah, my girl's a speech-language pathologist who works with kids with autism."
"That's a great field to be in. It must be really hard working with those kids though."
"Yeah, it's hard, but she likes it. I like it, too, because she comes home and tells me these hilarious stories about her kids. Like she has this one kid who has a foot fetish..."

Imagine them laughing at my expense. Well, I laugh at myself everyday anyways!

Monday, November 05, 2007

Transitioning

Today, I bum-rushed out of work to meet BSILF! We met up at Sbux to briefly catch up over delicious lattes. BSILF also gave me a pair of gorgeous earrings for my birthday! They are soOOoOOOOOo cool and unique! I knew they'd be a great gift because all jewelry that I have received from friends and family are essentials to my appearance. I don't buy jewelry for myself because I never find anything; however, for some mysterious reason, others find the perfect pieces for me. BSILF gave me a pair of earrings from Dopamine Jewelry that showcases the chemical elements of a substance under a microscope. That substance, caffeine, has been with me through thick and thin. :D Thanks BSILF!

BSILF and I then rushed to our alma mater to guest speak at the NSSLHA meeting. We were both equally thrilled at this opportunity to come back to speak. For me, it was a wonderful experience for many nerdy reasons. I mean, these people actually wanted to hear from me as a recent graduate transitioning into a professional (or lack of transition?). Secondly, I remember how much I appreciated and admired ALL of the guest speakers we invited, when we were officers. Dude, we even had ASHA's president at that time speak! Not that I'm at that caliber, but just to not be a student any more was a statement. ;) Lastly, it was rewarding to go back to share my thoughts and experiences thus far, as a pay-it-forward type of thank you to the professors who have helped me get where I am today.

The people asked some really good questions, ones that I wasn't necessarily prepared for but had self-reflected on for some time. One person asked what we considered a "good" day. For me, a good day is when 1) my kiddos don't ditch (although I didn't say this) and 2) my kiddos are motivated and actually participate. It really does get me excited when my students try. That's really the biggest thing that I ask from them.

Do we have typical days? Definitely not, and that's one thing that I love about this job. My schedule usually changes from day to day; the 'inconsistencies' keep me going though. I love the flexibility and control I have over my schedule, too. Not to mention the 320s REALLY take me on a whirlwind on any given day. There's a high level of satisfaction and excitement because the days vary so much.

One thing's for sure -- I am sooOoOOoOOOoOoo glad to be done with school. Working in a school is such a different story. :)

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Infield Par-Tay at Oak Tree

Today, we went to Oak Tree at Santa Anita Race Track! Since Bro's company was a sponsor for California Cup XVIII at Oak Tree, we got to be his exclusive $80 guests (and scored Illuminated Glass California Cups).

I started the morning pretty anxious. Yesterday afternoon, Gramma asked if I could pick her up (up until that point, I didn't know they were going). When I got home, I told BF that my family would be at the event...but he better still go b/c my bro invited him and each ticket costs $80 (Total Classic Liang Guilt Trip laid on the poor guy). He didn't seem phased, which was a good thing; instead, he said, 'of course I'll still go.'

Then this morning, my Bro dropped another bomb -- FBIL wasn't going any more. So Bro said, give BF a heads up b/c if he doesn't want to go any more, then Lynnburger will need a ride from someone else. I said with a Total Bro Liang Directive, "FBIL isn't going any more, so can you pick Lynn up from her house?" "Oh, okay."

20 minutes later, BF asked, "You couldn't tell me earlier that your family was going too?" "I just found out yesterday afternoon." "Okay." I couldn't believe how well he was taking everything. :)

Shortly after, I met Genius Aunty down the street to pick up Gramma, and we headed to Oak Tree. There, we met up with Daddy, his roomie, Cousin Yees, Bro, Janet, Parker, and Nancinator. I was giddy seeing how big the gala was. Bro said there would be a seafood buffet, but it was more than that! There were jumbo shrimps and grilled veggies (my fave!), sushi, the most delicious corn beef that any of us had ever tasted, other carved meats, ice-cream bars galore, a loooooong glamorous dessert table (Bro and I picked chocolate sea shells off of coral candied art), and many other ethnic foods. Not to mention, open bar! (Although I had about 3 oz. of lite beer and then just drank soda and water.) We felt like celebrities!

We got there during the 2nd race and sat with Tita Dina and her best friend and husband. Tita Dina, her best friend, and BF bet on a couple horses throughout the day. BF won a whopping $2 while Tita Dina won $4! :) BF and I also tried the Pick 6 million dollar win. I found him under a screen, and I asked if he had picked his 6. He looked all bummed and said, "I only have a dollar left." So I grabbed his picks, sprinted to find my bro to borrow a dollar, bro glanced up and said, "Mei, hurry! We only have a minute left!" Ran to the windows (lady said, "you better hurry and give me your picks! There's less than a minute left!") and then I got our Pick 6. Dude, we were out of the win by the first race (our pick for the 1st race out of the 6 didn't come in first). Still, it was fun. :) (Lamely, I later remembered that I had $16 in my cosmetic bag.)

Shortly after, people started leaving. Gramma and Dad were about to take off so I grabbed BF and said, you need to say hello now! So he said hello to Gramma and my Aunt's family. (Yay BF for having the courage!)

After most of our group left, Bro and I left with Tita Dina and Co. On our way back, Bro and I took a detour to Downtown for happy hour. My bro missed out on "Santa Anita's widely acclaimed buffet" b/c he was busy hosting.

We ended up at the Daily Grill (amongst a bunch of USC kids). We ate, chatted, and relaxed. He philosophized about nature and life while I spoke about my crazy kiddos. It was really nice to end the day chillaxing with my bro. We talk almost everyday, yet it's still nice, rare, and different to go out with him for a meal.

Then we went home to our BFs. :) The end.

Cousin Gnat and I...or as the "John Travolta" impersonator called us, "Lucy Liu and her partner."