I am at Word Camp Dallas, Right Now!

WordCamp Dallas

I am so amazed, I am sitting in Frisco City Hall listening to great speakers telling me how to improve this blog. I just listened to the guy that helped jumped this whole thing off, Matt Mullenweg, talk about the new improvements that are on the way for later in 2008. I have wanted to increase my readership, but I’ve been neglectful of my little blog. I really like reading other people’s but I have yet to get a real handle on my own.

I bought a book by Lorelle from Lorelle on WordPress. How cool is that I have her on my blog role and now I have gotten to meet her in person and even purchase some of her wisdom. I aspire to be like several of these men and women that I am sitting next to today. I suspect that my excitement for my own blog will increase and I already have some ideas for my next posts.

I can only multi task so many things at a time so I am going back to listening to John P, doing my homework and wondering what’s for lunch.  

Now What?

It has been quite a while since I have written a post. I usually become quite tight lipped and apparently stiff fingered when I am really stressed. So, here is what recently happened on the job front. I received a pretty good preliminary evaluation. However, there were a couple of items that I wanted to know more about so that I could get them up to par. I saw the principal who gave me the evaluation and just tapped on her door and asked if I could speak with her briefly. She was friendly, in a hurry but she agreed to give me a few minutes of her time. Those few minutes have honestly changed the rest of my life. As we were talking she asked about my education and my other certifications. She indicated, no that’s not right; she showed me where in the coming school year my job would no longer exist. God is with me; I can’t believe that I didn’t just freak right there. We talked several minutes and I told her that the particular position she wanted to put me in would mean $2,000-$3,000 cut in my salary. She saidshe understood but she was just looking out for me to make sure I had a job. I thanked her profusely; I told her I might be willing to go back to school to get another certification. If I do that I can retain my same pay but I would be working in a content area of which I have no interest. We concluded our conversation and she left to go to her meeting.I haven’t said much to anybody since I talked to her. I think I am in shock but I am glad I know early. From what I have been told our school district is prepared for this sort of thing and they have promised to work with those of us who are displaced to get us to another campus where our subject area may be needed. Of course, I realize that this means they will guarantee me a job; but not necessarily the same type I have now.When I took this job; I went back to school for my fourth teaching certification. Even though I indicated I would go back and get another one; that has left a bad taste in my mouth. I am looking at classes that will allow me to do something outside of the classroom. I just need to get some hours fast and be identified by my district as someone who can be placed in this position. I must say all of this has me a little overwhelmed. It seems that I am definitely at a crossroad.So do I allow the district to place me, hopefully in my same type of job or do I push past that on into the territory of trying to get a new job?One thing I can definitely say is that it is time for a change. I knew that but my complacency would have kept me in the place that I know and not looking beyond. The closer I get to my next birthday the faster life’s experiences seem to be coming at me. I heard someone say, “Nothing just happens.” I believe that. There is a reason, something I being prepared for…All I can say is that when I get there I am going to be really good.So if you ever been in this place of “Now What” leave a message and let me know how you made through to the other side.

How do you know when it’s time to leave?

How do you know when it’s time to leave a job you have been working for a while. Is it when it is no longer exciting? So then , I gues you would then have to set about deciding what your definition of exciting is…Maybe you leave when you have taken one TUMS too many in the same hour of the same day? I know you can’t leave a job every time you get upset; because if you did some of us would never work again.

I can say I have a rather strong work ethic. I do believe in working outside of the home; if possible. I try to believe in saving some money; still working on that. I certainly believe that I should try to give my job my best each day. Especially since I am dealing with other people’s kids; I feel obligated to come in and try to help each one of them reach some level of success. However, when do you stop looking at the warm fuzzy feelings that you get from working with your friends and watching kids be kids? When do you say to yourself that this is no longer about how much you like the people you work beside and realize that all this tongue wagging amounts to is procrastination? How do you distinguish the place where you should be from the place of complacency?

 I have been thinking about this subject on off for the last couple years but not so much as I have been today. A person can only handle so many insults and innuendos before they reach their last straw. So, am I looking at the last straw or am I just having a bad emotional day; today? I guess, I’ll know more when I make it to work tomorrow. There is one thing I have no questions about. I have to keep this job until I find the next one.

Have you ever felt like it was time to leave your current job but you didn’t know where to go to next? Have you ever thought that it was time to embark on a new career area but you couldn’t decide which one? Have you ever been so afraid of making a wrong choice until you just didn’t make any decisions at all? Isn’t making no decision the same thing as making a negative decision any way.

In case you can’t tell, I am a little troubled today. If you know how I feel or can answer any  of these questions; please feel free to comment.

Let’s Decide; Who is the Best James Bond?

It is definitely holiday time in TV Land. How do I know, because there is nothing on TV. So I turned to “Spike TV” and there was a series of James Bond, 007 movies on. I really like those movies, even with the campy humor, steamy sexual encounters, and over the top special effects; I like these movies. So, the typical nerd that I am, I grabbed my mom’s laptop, and googled James Bond. I came up with the “trusty” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,  website and an entire history of the James Bond character including the names of all the men who have played this illustrious fictional man. So here they are:

  • Sean Connery (1962–1967; 1971)
  • George Lazenby (1969)
  • Roger Moore (1973–1985)
  • Timothy Dalton (1987–1989)
  • Pierce Brosnan (1995–2002)
  • Daniel Craig (2006–present)

    • I was looking at this list and although I had no urge to see the last entry starring Daniel Craig; I have seen the other five men in their various outings. The idea of a blond Bond is just not as appealing to me. I may rent the DVDand check him out after writing this. My own personal favorite is the original, Sean Connery. Still a sexy man of way past 50. There will never be another James Bond quite like him. Of course, if you read the article; you will find out that the Sean Connery we see today needed a little bit of polish before he became the Bond we know and love. My next favorite is definitely Pierce Bronson. I loved him in Remington Steele. His character in that show displayed some of the same campy humor and cutesy sexual innuendos that are definitely the hallmark of a Bond man. If I had to pick a third, it would be Roger Moore. There is not a whole lot that I know about him; but he is acceptable. Who is the best Bond in your opinion? Leave me a comment and let everyone know… See ya next time.

    You Know You Are Addicted To A TV Show When???

    You absolutely know you are addicted to a TV show when:

    • You don’t even answer the phone for close relatives until the show is over. 
    • You can only type in your blog during the commercials.
    • You can’t wait to comment in another person’s blog about the show. 
    • You set up a mirror on the desk next to you because that is the only way you can work and see your TV at the time.
    • You are not just talking but yelling to the characters on the screen.
    • You find yourself shedding tears with the characters on the screen.
    • You are clapping at the end of a show like it is a movie.
    • You write in your blog about what addiction to your favorite TV show looks like…

     Anyone else addicted to a TV show?  What does your addiction look like?

    What the heck is a Meme ?

    Ok,  I was tagged a few days ago for a meme and I have to admit that I was pretty embarrased because I had never heard of a meme. I did some researching and found myself lost in the world of great blogs; so much so that I forgot to get back and follow thru with the meme. Shortly after; my laptop started malfunctioning and now I am back to the desktop which is also malfunctioning but not as bad as the laptop. I know I need to take both to have them fixed because I can’t imagine not having any access to the internet from home. So, (drum roll, please) here goes my first attempt at a meme.I was tagged for a meme by Beth from Life on Avenue Z. As requested, I will write seven things about myself and post the following rules:

    1.  
      1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
      2. Share 7 facts about yourself.
      3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
      4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
      Well, here’s my list…
      1. I love handbags and shoes. I think they are great because they usually fit, no matter how much weight you gain or lose.
      2. I look for large, bold, unique sterling silver pieces of jewelry. It’s nice to get compliments on rare finds and I think they look really nice on me, too.
      3. I am good presenter/trainer but outside of a teaching setting, I am quite shy. I’ll keep, my thoughts about that one to myself.
      4. I have decided that I want my next boyfriend to be a cross between Vin Diesel, Michael Ealy, Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis. Now, all I have to do is leave my apartment… Watch for a post on this later.
      5. I really, really dislike ironing. I would rather put clothes in the dryer or spritz them down with Downy dewrinkle. It’s not that I don’t have enough time, I just really dislike ironing.
      6. I consider my home decor style to be a bit bohemian with a classic edge. However, you can only see that when I clean up and when is the last time I really cleaned up?…Well that’s a different story.
      7. One of the main reasons I started blogging is because I wanted to meet new people and become a better writer. So, meet me already and check out my writing.
      Here is the Tagging part…
      Simple Kind of Life
      Her Broken Toy
      Laura 1318
      Dreams of Border Collies
      Christy’s Coffee Break
      Brain Foggles
      Charming But Single

    Black Friday

    I think I am finally rested from Black Fridayand now I am just exhausted from work, you know, like normal. I was at home with my mom and we really do enjoy our early mornings after Thanksgiving together. Since, I am trying to seriously start recovering and maintaining my finances; my first thought was I will not go get a payday loan to shop. Yes, I am guilty of having done that before. My next thought, I will not just buy things because they are incredibly cheap or just because I am delirious at 4am. I was fairly proud of my results for this year. I kept the buying to a minimum. I made some choices that won’t have me running back to the store to return them and get my money back. I still bought one item that was really cheap at Wal-mart; but it was something I have had my eye for a while and it was less than $50; so that wasn’t too bad. So, now I am back to the land of reality. I need to get back to taking my lunch to work; go to bed before midnight; stop procrastinating and startsaving some money for a couple of summer trips I’ll be going on in 2008. That’s quite a tall order; so for now, I just went to Church’s and got the greasy chicken special complete with 2 extra biscuits. Perhaps, I’ll get the rest of my life back on track tomorrow. One thing I did remember over the Thanksgiving break is that I am thankful for the life I have and the family that is in it. That thought alone lifts my spirits and makes a lot of my other problems seem small. Finally an idea that works!

    Live Free, Die Hard

    My family eats lunch together on Thanksgiving and Christmas. When we are done eating everyone moves to the den to watch the latest DVD. Action and comedy are usually on the menu. This time we watched Live Free, Die Hard. This movie ROCKS! It has plenty action albeit a few unrealistic results. So, this was another successful addition to the DVD collection. I can’t wait for Christmas break. When there is nothing on tv; I’ll be reaching for my DVD’s and this is probaly one of the first ones I’ll put in.