I'm Back!

Hello!

I know it's been a while. I've been working a lot the last couple of months, and haven't had much time to blog. I probably could have created some posts, but they would have likely been stress-induced whiny gripe-fests, and it's best that I've spared you all that. (Sadly my family and friends haven't been spared - but they still love me!)

In addition to teaching like crazy, I've also been helping to direct a kids' play at my church. This weekend we put on two performances, and they were awesome! In practices we were really worried about how things would turn out. Trying to get 30 kids, many of whom are under the age of 7, to sit still was a big challenge. But throw an audience in front of them and a spotlight and even the squirmiest of the bunch stood still and followed directions. They looked well-prepared, sang their hearts out and performed their parts awesomely. I'm so proud of them!

I hope to keep this blog up better in the future. Next post: Reasons Why I Weep for the Future.

Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?

I've been gone a while, I know. And my name isn't Carmen. But I loved that game, and the show. Even though I'm not very good at geography.

It's been busy. Went to Newfoundland in August for a wedding. It was a pretty awesome trip. I got to hang out with my family, see some whales and dolphins, and a bunch of ice bergs. And there was some free ice cream too. Gotta love free ice cream!

So, we kicked of the school year 3 weeks ago and it's been a crazy busy life since. Some days I have to remind myself to stop and have a meal, because I'm so busy I sometimes forget! I have some pretty awesome students this year, and have quite the variety in my classes. I've been having a great time decorating my class, teaching, and getting to know my students. They probably think I'm crazy, but that's ok. It  helps the time pass quickly.

Thinking of posting some of the joys of teaching one of these days. Some stuff that happens in my classroom is hilarious! We shall see about that one though.

On the Positive Side of things...

I can be pretty pessimistic sometimes, but lately I've made more effort to think positively. Like today. I'm laid off for the summer and submitted an EI claim. With my last report I had to call in to clarify some information.

FYI - calling the EI reporting service is VERY annoying. You call, hit 0 to speak with an operator and some recording tells you there are too many calls and to try again later. You are disconnected and have to call back. You may call back and get a busy signal. Eventually, you will call and be put on hold for a long time.

The fun part about being on hold is that every minute the cheesy hold music is interrupted so a recording can tell you that you are still on hold and to keep waiting as an available representative will get to you ASAP. The best part is every time you hear the pause in the music, you excitedly hope you have finally gotten someone only to have all hope dashed as you realize it's that stupid recording again.

Finally, you reach someone. This is where things get better for me. The person I spoke to cleared up the issue with my report, was kind, answered my questions and even looked up information about the status of my application when she didn't have to. This was awesome. While the waiting was not so much fun, I was very impressed by the service I got. So that's my not-so-pessimistic outlook for today. :)

It's not them, it's you

One thing I've noticed is how cyclic problems can be for some people. They can change homes, friends, schools, workplaces, etc. yet encounter the same difficulties over and over. I know this because their griping makes its way onto my Facebook newsfeed. If you find you're always dealing with the same problems, here's some perspective to consider:

It's you. The problem likely lies with you, in some way. If no matter who is in your life at the time, you encounter the same problems, then you are the constant factor in the situation so you are what needs to change. Either you need to be more careful about the friends you choose, you  need to change your environment or attitude, or you need to handle situations differently.

My advice: change something, or quit griping.

It may seem harsh, but this is advice I'm giving myself. It's tough, as griping often seems easier than actually DOING something about a situation, but in the long run it's for the best.

Short Thought - Life

I find when I get together with friends, we spend time talking about what's happened recently. This is normal, of course, but sometimes I find I don't have much material to choose from. For example, when I get together with a few different friends at different times, I have to share the same stories with each of them because I don't have enough material. I realize I spend a lot of time talking about things, but not a lot of time doing things.  My goal is to spend less time talking about my life, and more time living it.

Short Thought - Friendships

If you try to surround yourself only by people that are exactly like you, how will you ever change or grow as a person? When someone disagrees with me, I find I am forced to rethink my position. In the end, I am either stronger in my conviction or realize I am wrong and make a necessary change. This is what has helped me grow as a person, and has helped me become more compassionate towards people.

Basically, surround yourself with people whom you share common ground with, but those who may differ from you in some ways. They will understand you and challenge you to try new things all at the same time.

Tamara's Tips: Killing Bugs

It's summer. If not able to enjoy the warm weather (on a beach, or poolside perhaps), people tend to hang out indoors in a comfortable air conditioned environment. Apparently bugs are wise to our wise, and do their best to join us in our comfort. Hence, the fun (dread) I endure each summer as I battle the army of insect invaders trying to escape the heat.

When encountering a bug, many would think just squish it with a tissue or whack it with a shoe, and the job is done. I personally am not a fan of this approach. Some bugs are just too crunchy to squish with tissue, and that crunch creeps me out. And whether it is with tissue or a shoe, squishing a bug leaves bug guts behind. Gross.

Here are some of my solutions for ridding your home of insect invaders:

1) Spiders

I don't really like spiders, but I have found they tend to stay out of my way and have little interest in messing with me. The downside to allowing spiders to live is while they are efficient at killing bugs, they're not always good at disposing of the bodies. Yuck.

2) Household Spray Cleaners

Sometimes the spiders get lazy. Like this morning, when a spider just sat there at watched as this bug waltzed around my home. I had to take matters into my own hands. Keep the enemy at arms length. And clean up while you do it! Usually I grab the nearest spray cleaner, and spray the bug until it dies. Some bugs take longer to kick the bucket than others. Just be diligent. Once the target has been eliminated, dispose the body by burial at sea (flush that sucker down the toilet). I have found that hand sanitizer is also effective, and the fact that it's a gel makes it difficult for the bug to escape your attack. The downside is that you have to get closer to the bug.

3) Trap and flush

If you are brave enough to deal with a live bug, get it to crawl onto a tissue and then quickly flush it down the toilet. This is good for slower moving bugs. Anything fast may crawl onto your skin. Don't use this method on fast bugs.

4) Get married

A spouse that is not afraid to kill bugs is the best thing anyone could ask for. I have been blessed in this way. I wouldn't say bug killing was a deal breaker, but it is important to me.