#98

Still a bit groggy from my two day camp trip with my students, I’m sitting at my home desk on a day of personal leave trying to catch up with late grad school assignments. Yet all the while the application form for my MetLife retirement plan is distracting me. Till now I’ve never been at a job where I was comfortable enough to even think of setting up a retirement plan much less request an application for one. As I had flipped through it got me thinking; what am I saving my money for? What am I going to do with my retirement? What is the point? Now I personally don’t like money, I hate having it as much as not having it. I’m no big spender, in fact it took me weeks to months to work up the courage to dish out the money on few pricey things I own (guitar, camera, computer, printer, TV). And here I am wondering what is the point to saving up money when I have nothing in mind to save up for, I’m single, I don’t plan on having kids anytime soon, I have a roof over my head where rent isn’t terrible, not having a car isn’t a problem, general bills aren’t a hassle at the moment, and I’m pretty much content.

Then from the back of my mind pops up: JAPAN

The last large trip I took was my backpack adventure around Ireland, I think in the summer of 2005 or 2006. Financially that was funded mostly by a school loan and an unprepared checking account. So now with a Japan trip (which I’ve been thinking about for nearly a year now) slowly formulating in my mind maybe I have something to save for.

The general idea is nearly 2 months backpacking from north to south (within reason) eating. My main points of interest will be the Hokkaido area, Kyoto, the rural areas around Mt. Fuji, and if I make it Okinawa. I might make a quick stop in Tokyo, but I’ve never been interested in cities that much. Sorry to say my Dublin experience wasn’t that great and I don’t want to deal with large crowds again. I prefer the less rural areas to explore and quite literally get lost in. (It happened several times in Ireland and I treasured those experiences).

Hoping to stay in hostels and the occasional onsen, I’m planning on it being a “rough” trip. Most of my money will be geared to food and the occasional gift so not counting the air fair I’m hoping to save up at least 5k, though I doubt I would be spending that much. At least I hope. The trip itself is planned for the summer of 2010, not calculating any other obligations that may come up, so the savings play may be workable.

Well I’ve wasted enough time daydreaming, back to essays for me.

#97 (VICTORY!)

I think I deserve a little victory pose... I finally got through 3 weeks of backlogged work!

Now I need to finish all of my late grad school work. :(

But its one thing at a time. XD

#96

This morning I woke up and immediately went right back into entering grades, all at 5AM. By the time 6AM rolled around I was angry. Not at my kids but at the fact that my kids did not get the chance to apply themselves properly in the last 3 weeks. After testings we had a craft fair, after that we had our Halloween activities, next week the kids have 3 days of excursions, and progress reports are due on NOV 24. Sadly my kids don't have much to show for it, even though I know that they have a lot to share. I was so frustrated.

And you know the saying, "when it rains it pours."

Started my period soon after, found out that my skylight is still leaking (which means I have to fix it as soon as I get home), I still haven't finalized my classes camping trip, and I still have reports to do for both work and grad school.

In a right state of frustration (I even wore my heels to work with the hope I could "curb stomp" something) I stalk towards my classroom. Passing by an opening between the office and the convent I spy the sunrising. In those two seconds my frustration evaporated in a total moment of universal contentment and then I thought to myself "Shit! There went my righteous mood of anger!"


Now I'm mildly irritated and amused. Also I am so ready to give my students their test today!

MWAHAHAHAH!!

#95

So it seemed for a while everyone was doing this. Once I received a similar forward of "100 Things." For the "ADD Generation" I think this is a little easier...

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you're supposed to write a note with 16 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 16 people to be tagged and pass it on!

[On a personal note I'm not going to tag anyone and leave them to find this format amusing and C/P the damn thing themselves. This is more or less a *grin* and *poke* to a friend whom checks in on me time to time and I never get around to being on time to respond. I'm terrible I know.]

1. I have the attention span that is probably the same size of a goldfish's brain. Honestly I will actually break a conversation to point out something that I just so happen to see go by; just cause. So all of you that notice this about me, I can't really apologize... I do really try to pay attention. :D

2. Someday soon I will go on a backpacking trip through Japan from the north to the south sampling all the great food that the country has to offer. (and maybe some anime too... but really... I'm the type of girl where her heart is where her stomach is)

3. I adore songs that make me cry and admit that I am an utter sap with the right circumstances, i.e. something like this...

4. Speaking of songs I believe that music is THE only universal language that transcends.

5. I'm a lot more geeky than I appear to be, sit around a spend sometime talking to me and you will realize.

6. I've very protective of my family and in some aspects my friends as well.

7. I hate centpieds, only cause I stepped on one when I was little barefoot and it bit me.

8. I have a pet peev about cluttered desktops... not you know a literal desk but the desktop of a computer OS. I will literally go about deleting icons that are unused, even if its not my computer. (of course I ask first)

9. I adore Oscar Wilde and love this one quote by him "The well bred contradict other people. The wise contradict themselves."

10. Toward the end of my life whether I'm a nun (a secret passion), a crotchety old woman, or still a wise old teacher... I want to be most remember as a Storyteller.

11. I'm in love with Japanese design...

12. I don't really care if someone mistake's me for a guy, its happened enough. And I don't care if I'm carded till I'm 40. What matters to me that I do not give in and stop being myself. Which is hard because in my profession I'm a role model for 8 hours a day (sometimes it feels like it goes 24-7)and who I am, how I dress, or act can influence one of my students. I just hope to whatever higher being there is, that its positive.

13. I have a secret love for gardening and yard work.

14. I love the game where you make things out of the shapes of clouds. The most recent was a Klingon Battle Cruiser... verified by my co-worker during morning assembly sometime this past week.

15. I openly detest one person in my life.

16. I feel more myself now than I have felt in a long time.