Randomness

Today I only saw my supervisor at practicum for a little while...he had a whole bunch of meetings in the morning and then this afternoon he found out that his son had to have his appendix taken out, so he left school...I felt weird going around the school alone trying to make work for myself...

After my supervisor left, I walked from the middle school to take some materials back to the Pupil Services Center. There is this private high school that is in between the middle school and PSC in Chippewa. Some random high school students who were outside for gym class yelled at me to ask me if I was in high school, and I laughed at them and said no. I could hear them talking to each other and they were like, "Oh, she's a teacher..." Ha. I wonder what made them think that I am in high school...I don't know if I should take it as a compliment that I look young or if I should be worried about looking like I have no authority...

My car wouldn't start all yesterday afternoon. It worked for me today, though....I think something happens whenever the inside of the car gets hot to make it not able to turn over. This has happened a couple of times before. I think I'm going to get it checked out next weekend. Hopefully...it'll keep working until then...

Tomorrow night I'm leaving for Lac du Flambeau again. This time I should actually get to work with the kids there...last time, we just had an orientation and really wasted a lot of time...

Things to do before I die

Today, in lieu of working on school stuff, I decided to compile a list of 50 things that I should do before I die. So, if anyone reads this blog and thinks that I should definitely add something to my list, post and let me know what I need to do!
I just thought adding a picture of myself here would make it seem a little more personal...

Okay, so here's the list:
1. Learn how to juggle
2. Be a contestant on Jeopardy!
3. Write a sitcom script
4. Throw a surprise party for someone
5. Coin a phrase
6. Watch the sunrise in Hawaii
7. Learn how to play pool really well
8. See all 50 states (have been to: CA, DE, FL, IL, IN, IA, KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, NE, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SD, VA, WA, WV, WI)
9. Learn a bunch of good jokes (any suggestions?)
10. Learn to drive stick
11. Complete a NY Times Sunday crossword
12. Eat a Philly Cheesesteak in Philly
13. Go wine tasting in California
14. Become a wine connoisseur
15. Write a toast
16. Ride on a gondola in Venice
17. Go to Mexico
18. Go on a trip with my best friends (maybe to Mexico)
19. Make martinis at home while watching a Sex and the City marathon
20. Compile a list of my favorite quotes
21. Bake an awesome batch of homemade brownies
22. White water raft in Colorado
23. Understand and memorize 3 poems that I like
24. Invent a mixed drink
25. Memorize all the U.S. presidents in order (anyone know a song for this?)
26. Have my portrait painted
27. Go to the movies by myself
28. Sit on a jury
29. Spend New Year’s in Times Square
30. Drive across the USA from coast to coast
31. Spend Christmas in a tropical location
32. Scuba dive
33. Be part of the Oprah audience
34. Raise a child
35. Take a cooking class
36. Kiss the Blarney Stone
37. Do an awesome job singing “Baby got back” karaoke-style with Lelani
38. Go watch the Badgers win the Rose Bowl
39. Have a pet dog
40. Go on a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon
41. Learn to play tennis
42. Have a food fight
43. Visit the pyramids in Egypt
44. See the Northern Lights
45. Visit Stonehenge
46. See the bulls run in Pamplona
47. Ski in Colorado
48. Go on a cruise
49. Ride a jet ski
50. Pay off my college loans

Homeward Bound

This weekend I went home. On Friday, I watched my brother's soccer game, met up with Lelani, and went over to Daine's family's house. Daine was back in town for his grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. Daine, if you ever read this thing, let me know how that went...also, let me know what you're saying you're thankful for in your women's health class...
On Saturday, I went to Madison to see this 9/11 memorial my brother helped design. Here's a picture of it. It'll be in the state capitol building for about the next month and then it's getting sent on a tour of high schools in the state.
School's going to make me busier and busier as the semester goes on, I can tell... This week, I'm going to have to start grading stuff for the class I'm TAing. That's a little scary. I'm also leaving this week to do some practicum work at the Lac du Flambeau reservation. I get to be put up in a hotel for that...I'm hoping it'll be kind of fun in a vacation-y sort of way...
Jake bought a plane ticket to come back to Wisconsin for Homecoming weekend in Madison. I'm glad I'm going to be able to see him even before the holidays. My sister also found out that Paul (my brother-in-law) is going to be able to come home from Korea next month. It'll be the first time he's been back in a year and a half. My mom is already bugging me about getting everyone together for a family picture during that weekend Jake is here. I don't know how it'll work with Jake and my schedule that weekend...

First day at practicum

Whew...I am not used to getting up early. I need to start getting used to waking up at 6:30, because after getting up that early for practicum today, I am really drained...

At my first day of practicum in Chippewa, before I even got the tour of the school or got oriented to anything, I ended up going to two different meetings with parents of kids. I got there at 8am (school starts at 8:40) and right away sat in and watched Jim (my supervisor) run a meeting for a kid who just transferred into the middle school. I'm really not oriented to the school at all yet...I got a short tour, but the layout of it is really confusing. I hope I can find my way back to Jim's office when I go back on Thursday.

I got my engagement ring in the mail today (Jake mailed it to me after having it resized out by him). I'm glad it made it all right...

Wow, it's been a long day...having class right after practicum is going to suck. I found out that the prof. is going to give us 6 weeks of class off later in the semester, though, so that we can go out and do field experience...that'll be nice...

I'm really ready for bed right now...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Wake me up when September ends

I start my practicum at the middle school in Chippewa Falls on Tuesday. I don't know what they are going to expect from me right away. Hopefully I'll have time to post what happens to me once school starts.

I'm nervous about the school year. I keep thinking about last school year and how hectic that was...hopefully this year will be better and I won't be as stressed...

Wednesday will be the first day that the class I'm TAing meets. I hope this goes okay...I think Shelly (the other TA) and I are both a little worried about it. The new prof. has a 19-page long syllabus and expects a few weird things out of the class.

I'm going to try to keep my Fridays free of school stuff, if I can...right now, I'm planning on doing practicum on Tuesday and Thursday, working my Special Ed. assistantship and holding my office hour on Wednesday. I'm not sure if I'll be able to work it out, though...I can forsee having to do TA duties or something on Fridays...

I hope that it doesn't take too long to get into a routine. I have a feeling that this next week is going to be a shock to my system...I feel like I've gotten to be really lazy this past summer because I had nothing going on (which was how I was able to have a blog in the first place...). Don't be surprised if I drop this whole blog thing pretty soon after I start school.

First Badger Game of the Season

So the Badgers won their first game today...Jake was so incredibly drunk I couldn't understand him over the phone...

Speaking of the Badgers, I found out that someone thoughtfully designed a Nano-Bucky. Check it out.