I talked to my principal for about an hour and a half today at school (this is after our after-church chat). We went over files and notes and marks and past plans and all that kind of stuff. We know what things have been like in the last little while (not so good), and I know what they used to be like, too, firsthand (even worse). Last night, I started to come around to the whole idea. After looking things over with my principal, and talking about it, that made it a bit better still. Not great. Not desireable. Just better.

I still don't like the situation at all, but I know there's nothing I can do about it. All I can do is deal with what I've been dealt. Basically, I could eat rotten lemons and bitch about it, or I could try and make some Limoncello out of them. I'm gonna try for the Limoncello. Time to put my trademark unflappable demeanor and easy-going nature to the test again. I'll be damned if I don't come out on top in the end and let a situation ruin my spring.

So, yesterday, I had a pretty good day, out at a meeting. When I got home, I checked my school email account. One message was from my VP, saying one thing, and in an "oh, by the way" manner, "You have a new student. Maybe (the principal) told you about (him/her)?????" No. No, they didn't. My mind started to race.

I phoned the school, and luckily, the VP was still there, sometime around 4 or 4:30 or so. I could already feel the sense of dread. It was like I already knew what was coming. Apparently, a nearby school's principal came with this student to our school to basically deliver him/her. They'd had trouble at their current school, so now we get them (how exactly does that work... especially when they live in another school's zone?). So, I guess my principal knew it was coming but didn't let me know. Thanks for that! Anyway, the VP told me the kid saw my pic in a class pic and was like, "I know him! I had him as a teacher before!" They told me he/she had a "red file" and that they were known as trouble. I pretty much knew right away exactly who it was.

Turns out it is a student I had for one subject in a former school a few years back. This student is at or near the top in terms of most-troubled / worst-behaved I've ever had. I was so glad to be gone from that school, partially because of him/her. Now, into my lovely, little, innocent, trustworthy class, they come in. I'm going to try and be as positive about the next three months as I can... and to try and start fresh... but I know full-well that my students are probably going to suffer, and that these last three+ months are going to suck. Ever since I found out yesterday, my old feelings of dread and tension and nervousness of going to work are starting to return. As unprofessional as it may sound, it literally makes my stomach feel sick.

You know the Shamwow? With Vince? He's got another product he's peddling, called the Slap Chop. In the original commercial for it, he says, "You're gonna love my nuts." Well, today, on Today's BIG Thing, they had a great parody commercial:

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

I think of an old obscure clip of SNL, where Natlie Cole put out a record of her singing duets with all kinds of dead singers. One near the end was Tammy Wynette. Natalie would sing to the tune of "Stand By Your Man", and the b&w "ghost" of Tammy would kick it off (in brackets):
(I am not dead!) "I am not deaaad" (This is how rumours get started!) "This is how rumours get starteeeeed" (Cut it out, bitch!) "Cut it ouuuuuuut biiiiiiiitch!".

So yeah. I'm not dead.

I just find that Facebook (which I am currently disgusted and angered by) sucks all the bloggin' goodness out of me. Videos, pics, wee thoughts... it's all so easy to share! But, since I had a couple people wondering where the ol' blog was (literally, two... No! Three! I remembered another one), I thought I'd throw a catch-up post. Or mustard. Maybe relish?

What's been going on since the last post?

1. I'm currently sick. At the start of March Break. And there's a party tonight. Balls!
2. School closures are still the talk of the day. Our school isn't going to close, but a couple of others are slated to come to us (with, reportedly, a few unsavoury characters). I think, if it allows me to teach fewer things to fewer grades, bring it on. I say that now...
3. Still playing trivia! I am, however, making a foray back into hosting. It may be just a one-nighter, April 8th, at ISE's. If I get a good crowd, and they like me better than the other two competitors (it's a three-host / three-Wednesday thing), I may win the right to do it a few more weeks this year and then all next year. I'm not 100% sure of the commitment, but it is fun... and I do like the extra cash in hand.
4. Still downloading and buying tunes galore... I found someone new that's rocking my socks the past week or so - King Khan & The Shrines:
5. A couple of new sites are eating up my time, too. FailBlog and My(Confined)Space.
6. Also, a couple of Firefox add-ons have been useful/eating up time. Web of Trust is useful. StumbleUpon is useful (and awesome), plus it eats up time.
7. I joined my church's parish council... I'm not sure if I jumped into this one too quickly or not. It's OK... I just don't feel useful yet, after two meetings.
8. Over March Break, I may try to get my ducks in a row in starting my Master's of Education. A bunch of people in the last several years have done one at UPEI, essentially just for the money (nothing wrong with that). It's a (by my estimation) wishy-washy Master's called "Leadership in Education". Sounds like non-specific fluff. I'm going to do mine in Technology. I've settled on an online program with UBC... just gotta get that application in and get accepted! Aside from personal growth and financial benefits, hopefully it'll help me land a Department job should one spring up again (I think a couple will this summer).
9. I'm excited about a couple of musicians that may be coming to Georgetown in the months ahead: Corb Lund and Ashley MacIsaac.
10. We were planning on going to Montreal this summer, which we were both pretty excited about. Seems plans have changed, though. We're getting our energy audit done on Monday (after we already did some significant work in the last few years). Mostly, because we're planning on replacing our furnace & boiler. It's gonna cost about $6,500, (minus 15% and maybe about 15 or 18 hundred because of gov't incentives... making it about $4,000 instead. I know the math doesn't add up here. We had it figured to about $4,000, though, anyway. Trust me.). So, instead of fun travel, we get a much more expensive option of a new furnace and probably tearing up our basement to put up new walls down there and some insulation. Wee. I know it'll be worth it in the end, though... someday.
11. I'm hoping Montreal can hold on to their playoff spot and do half-decently in the playoffs.
12. I saw Matt Mays @ Hunter's last Friday and am going to see Joel Plaskett on April 21st. Yeeha!
13. Still digging listening to Tom Allen (6-10) and Rich Terfry/Buck 65 (3-6) every week day on CBC Radio 2. Best music around.
14. My camera isn't working the way it should. :( I went to the Rocket Richard exhibit in town and took it along, anyway, but a streaky blue line still comes through on the shots. I'm going to have to mail it away for weeks to get fixed. No fun.
    
15. This summer's musical menu (in terms of BIG shows) isn't proving worthwhile yet. The province chose to go with a country fest in Cavendish (it'll make $$, but I don't care for the "music"), and the first FOL I heard about was Theory of a Deadman. Yawn.
16. You'd like Smothered In Hugs. Download some free tunes from their site. They opened for Mays last week. It was the second time I'd seen them, I think, and this was a longer set. They were good! Two of Mearl Crane's kids are in it.

Let's just leave it there... that's a lot of updating! If I think of anything else, I'll put it in a separate post... something to please the masses. All three of you.

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Now playing: Smothered in Hugs - Blank Test
via FoxyTunes