Last night I went to see a production of Jekyll & Hyde starring some of my theater pals. I was in a production of it 2 years ago with some of the same people, and it was SO AWESOME to see them again. In my head I sang along with the lyrics, and just had a great evening. :)

After the show, I was chatting with some of them, and thought about how incredibly lucky I am to have such a diverse group of friends. I have friends from my Junior League activities, friends from my theater interest, friends from high school and college, friends from meetup and social sites. I haven't fully appreciated how different and interesting they are.

I got home around 11:30, watched the rest of "Ghost Ship" which is not a horror movie :P, then watched "Smallville", enjoyed the rest of a delicious calzone, and went to bed.

This morning I checked my phone (which had been muted b/c of the play), and found a missed call, voicemail and text--all from Soccer Player.
He texted around 12:30, asking where I was, and what was I up to, then called around 1:15, left a voicemail asking if I was there. (Huh?)

He had gone to two Halloween parties last night, starting around 7:30, so I figure 5 hours of drinking influenced the calling and texting.

He may show up at Dude's Halloween party tonight. Yes, for those that remember Dude from last year, we're still friends, and he's throwing another kick ass Halloween party, which I am defiintely not missing.

Vacation? What was I thinking?

What I hope to accomplish in the next week:

Car

* Clean out my car
* Wash and detail my car
* Get the oil changed and tires rotated before Savannah-tripping

Home

* Clean up my condo altogether
* Re-organize my kitchen
* Hang artwork
* Clean out my closets
* Organize my files and papers
* Clean out my books
* Get my taxes in order
* Balance my accounts

School job

* Make lesson plans for the next 9 weeks
* Get all associating paperwork ready for said lesson plans
* * Begin report cards for end of 2nd quarter Already done!!
* Grade papers, put in packets to give back to kids

Grad school

* Buy books for classes Check!!!
* Get syllabi folder ready
* Begin internship projects

I've done a lot today though.

Finished today

* Had my nails done
* Finished Christmas cards
* Mailed off packages
* Flirted with cute Brian at the post office while mailing packages
* Had my brows done
* Picked up a Christmas gift for my friend
* Bought my mom donuts
* Heard Springsteen's "Santa Claus is coming to Town" 3 times
* Ate a yummy ham sandwich for lunch

On Hand for Tonight

* Making peppermint bark
* Beginning to clean (maybe)
* Rehearsal
* Attending Christmas party at Dude's house
* Dropping off Christmas present at friend's house
* A lot of fun at said Christmas party
</ol>

Better get crackin'...

Jobby-job: Teaching kindergarten is getting better. The kids are responding better to me. The 2 major behavior problems have settled down into adequate behavior problems. Having me there every day, seeing that I'm not leaving the classroom after 2-3 weeks, is probably a stabilizing effect. The staff is getting friendlier. My room is getting more organized; I'm slowly making it "mine." This past week we read the story "Stone Soup" for reading; to connect it, I did our science lessons about "plants we eat" and studied vegetables that grow under the ground. Then on Friday, I brought in my crockpot and we made "stone soup." The kids ate it up (figuratively and literally).

Grad School: I have one more semester to go! I'm finishing up a final project (due tomorrow by midnight) and am procrastinating by updating this instead.

Social Life: This part of my life has been hopping, due to the introduction of Dude, Wendy, and assorted coterie. Last night a group of us went to watch "Gremlins" in Central Park. Fun open-air movie with everyone lounging on blankets with picnic baskets and wine bottles. Hilarity was inevitable. Having been up since 5 a.m. prepping for "Stone Soup" I fell asleep for a bit on Quibbler's leg. When I woke up, his hat was covering my face. Then we went back to Dude's house for a bit of Rock Band, and they proceeded on to a game called "Bang." I tried to stick around for it, but I was whipped, so went on home. They're planning a big Christmas party in 2 weeks, and I've been drafted to help with food. I'm going to Savannah for New Year's with them as well. Looking forward to it.

Family: Immediate family is good. In the last year, we lost my Nana in April, and my grandfather in November. Thanksgiving was hard, but we made it through. I spent part of it at my aunt's; it was...family time. I left there mid-afternoon, and went to Dude's, where a huge assortment of singletons, couples and extended family members gathered. I had a ball...till 3:30 the next morning. That's how the holidays should be!

Health: It's awesome. I haven't felt, or looked, better in years.

The only thing that really really needs my attention is my condo. It is really messy thanks to Christmas decorating, mucho teacher crap everywhere, and ebay stuff that has not been ebayed yet.

OK, I lied. The OTHER thing that really really needs my attention is my final project. I have to create a wikispace with my article on how morning new shows in elementary schools combine technology and creativity with the students. Blah.

I haven't had a public photo entry in a loooong time.

Here are some shots of recent times:

( Rock Band at Dude's HouseCollapse )