It's almost that time of the year again . . . . .

You know it's back to school time when . . . . . . . . . .

1) The Staples commercial is being broadcasted over and over again - you know the one. Parents are dancing in the isles because their kids are going back to school. "It's the most wonderful time of the year . . . . ."

2) The ads in the Sunday Boston Globe contain back to school sale flyers.

3) Your to-do list for the summer is still sitting there unfinished. Maybe I overplanned? Again?

4) Even Ellie the Cat is sick of looking at me and having me around the house.

5) I'm bored! Yes, you heard me. I'm bored! I guess I'm ready to go back to the crazy work schedule again.

I don't go back to school until the end of August. I told myself that I would take the month of July off to rest and relax and focus on ME. I've been trying to get stuff done around the condo that I normally don't have time to complete during the school year.

So, starting tomorrow, August 1st, I will start doing some school work every day. I really need to get myself organized and focused.

Do you think I'll overplan? Again? :-)

Sick of Heat and Humidity!

Make it go away!

No more humidity or heat!

Sick of it!

Dreading getting my electric bill - the A/C has been running every day. I turn it off at night to save money.

OK, I'm done venting. Thanks for listening!

Pics from Newport trip

Newport, Rhode Island is such a beautiful place to visit. You have the mansions, miles and miles of scenic coastline with amazing walking paths, cobblestone streets with quaint shops, and you could even charter a yacht for the day.

I really wanted to do a tour of the Newport Mansions. Most of the mansions are located on Bellevue Avenue in Newport. After much discussion, we decided on a tour of The Breakers. The Breakers was the summer "cottage" of the Cornelius Vanderbilt family. The photo to the left is the back of The Breakers. You are not allowed to take pictures inside the house so all I was able to get was photos from the outside. I just couldn't get over how this 70 room house was a summer cottage! The Breakers overlooks Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean so the view is one of the most spectacular views you'll see on your trip here. Today, the mansion is a museum - no one lives in it. The Breakers was bought by The Preservation Society of Newport County in 1972 from the Vanderbilt family.

Carla wanted to check out the casino so we headed here. She went in with $20 and left with $35. I'm not much of a gambler but I enjoyed watching Carla play the slots!

We then decided to go back and shower and change and get ready for a night out on the town and some dinner.

We ate here for dinner. Yummy! I had seafood alfredo and Carla had lobster quesadilla.

We walked around a bit - we were going to stop in here for a drink but I was really tired! They had a live band and it looked like fun but it had been a long day.

The next day, we got up early to do the Cliff Walk. The walk was so beautiful! It was very warm and sunny so I got a little sunburned! Here are a few of the pictures from the walk.

Carla had an appointment to get a tattoo at Noon at this place so we had to get back to downtown Newport. Carla wanted to get her Mom and Dad's name on her wrist - sorta like a bracelet. Her parents died when she was young so I thought it was a nice way to memorialize them. It came out great! I couldn't take a picture because it needs to be covered up with a bandage for a while.

Afterwards, we ate lunch here. I had a very yummy Thai Chicken Wrap with Irish Peanut Sauce and Carla had the Shrimp Wrap.

It was a fun trip but Carla had to head back to Maine. Newport is only 2 hours away from where I live so I would love to go back for another visit! Anyone up for it???

Fun time in Newport, Rhode Island!

Well, I spent a few days in the land of the rich! My friend Carla and I decided to do a road trip down to Newport.

I just got back from Newport, Rhode Island. What an amazing place!

I got a little sunburned from walking around. I did put sunscreen on myself but the sun found my lovely pale- glow- in- the- dark- skin attractive. The joy of not being able to tan.

I'll post pics soon!

I'm a little tired tonight so I'll write more tomorrow - just wanted to say hi!

Working Girl!

OK, the title of this post has the potential to be X-rated. It's not - I promise!

I had a very busy weekend at my part-time job. I was scheduled to work on Friday and Saturday. The owner called me in early on Friday - she had an appointment so she had to leave early and asked me to cover part of her shift. Weekends tend to be extremely busy in downtown Newburyport. And, the rude tourists are out of control. One of the gals that I alternate with on Sundays called in sick so I had to open the store and work until 3:00.

So, I was a busy working gal! And, my patience dealing with rude tourists has officially reached capacity!

A special sorry goes out to my friend Annette. I was supposed to meet her for lunch at Sunday and had to cancel at the last minute. Sorry A -

Friday's List of Happies

I haven't done this in awhile because to be perfectly honest, there wasn't really a lot to be happy about.

So, here is my happy/grateful list:

1) For Ellie the Cat - can I just say how much this cat cracks me up? Her personality brightens my day and for that, I adore my little baby girl!

2) The support of my friends. With all the ups and downs that life can bring, my friends definitely brighten my day!

3) A new job. I'm feeling both excited and scared at the same time about starting my new teaching position at Salem High School. I know I'll be fine but I can't help feel this up and down going around feeling in my stomach.

4) The summer. A break from all the craziness that ended at the end of the school year. A time to ponder and relax. A time to reflect about why I'm a teacher. A time to stay up late and sleep in! :-)

5) The love of my family. As much as I piss them off, they still love me! I hope! :-)

What is your list of happies?

Anti- Bush Anyone????

My sister just emailed me this link.

Check it out!

It cooled down! Yeah!

Thank God!

The weather has officially cooled down a bit here in New England.

I wonder if I'm getting old or too sensitive about the weather. When I grew up in Illinois, the summers were always hot, humid and gross.

What's happened to me?

I just can't deal with the heat and humidity anymore -

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous - went for a walk along the waterfront in Newburyport.

Here's hoping for more days like that -

On a side note: I've been reading up on my pre-colonial US History. I'm going to be teaching a US History class this year that begins with pre-colonial and ends at Reconstruction. Pre-colonial is my weakness in US History. I've always taught the Civil War to the Present in US History.

It's good for me to be challenged, right?

Hanging out by the pool!

Yesterday, I got invited by one of my friends (Pat) to hang out by her inground pool for the day -let me tell ya, it was such a hot day so it was so worth it! Pat also invited our friend Jane too! Let me tell ya, it's so relaxing to hang out in a pool with great company.

The temps reached 100 degrees! Ughy!

I got to her place around 1:00 and didn't leave until 7:00 than evening. The water felt great!

The heat finally let up today, thank goodness! I'm must be getting old because I can't deal with heat and humidity.

Also, last night, I spoke with one of my Timberlane babies - Kerri Ann! It's great to hear from her! When I was at Timberlane, I sorta adopted her as my child. She's had some bumps in the road the past year but she's bouncing back and I'm so very proud of her!

Good times with good friends!

Last night I met up with Janet and Lauren at the Cheesecake Factory in Burlington, MA. Yummy food! I had the Chinese Chicken Salad - I highly recommend it!

Thank you ladies for a fun night! And, let's hope that we survive all of our dysfunctional relationships in our lives! :-)

Weekend Summary

Well, so far I'm surviving this heat wave. It's tough to move, talk, and even breathe in this crazy humid weather. We still have a few more days of the hot and humid stuff before it finally cools down.

Friday: I worked at Pawsitively Best Friends during the day. Pam, the owner of the store, is working on the new web site. It's still under construction but eventually she will have products that you can purchase online and newsletters and other cool stuff. The store was pretty busy - mostly demanding and rude tourists. I decided to stay at home for the night and watch DVD's. I went to my public library and checked out a few movies. I felt like relaxing for the night.

Saturday: I hung out with my friend and former roommate Chris for the day. We decided to go to the beach. We ate lobsters for an early dinner. Yummy! Afterwards, we drove up to Portsmouth, NH. We walked around the downtown area - it's so beautiful. We ended up at Prescott Park. This place is so gorgeous. It's an outdoor theatre right on the water. They have beautiful gardens with quaint little pathways around the area. The musical that is being performed is Oliver! We didn't stay for the musical - they had these barber shop groups perform called the Yankee Clipper Chorus (male) & Sounds of the Seacoast (female). We stayed for about an hour listening to the music. It started to rain so we left. I really want to go back at some point this summer and check out the musical.

Sunday: I worked at Paws for the day. In the evening, I met up with my friend Aileen. We went to the Screening Room in Newburyport to see this. It's a Robert Altman film. I thought it was hysterical! Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Kline, and Meryl Streep are just a few of the big names that perform in the film. The Screening Room is known to play independent and foreign films.

So, overall, it was a busy yet relaxing and fun weekend.

What did you do this weekend?

Heat Wave in New England!

The humidity here is around 70 - ughy! Icky! Disgusting! Makes me feel like I'm back in IL!

I'm supposed to meet my former roommate, Chris, today. The plan is to go to the beach and eat lobster for dinner! This is the joy of only living 10 minutes away from the beach and ocean.

Yummy! LOBSTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope that the beach isn't that crowded - huh! It's the height of tourist season M-Dawg - what the hell are you thinking???? Yes, the beach will be crowded with annoying tourists!

Stay cool everyone - it's going to be hot and humid until at least Tuesday of next week. Ughy!

Happy Belated B-Day Joann!

Happy Birthday Joann!

This photo was taken back in April when Joann and Lea came out here for a visit (Plum Island, Newburyport, MA).

Thank Jo for your friendship and support - we've been through so much all these years! Lots of ups and downs in our relationships with men. I guess I need to thank your cousin Joe for bringing us together as friends. Although my relationship with Joe didn't last, our friendship did last. For that, I will always be grateful.

I hope you enjoyed your special day - you deserve so much happiness!

Love Ya Kiddo! :-)

Saw the new Pirates movie last night -

Last night, Carla and saw this at The Loop in Methuen, MA.

I liked it. There were a few scenes that scared the *&%$ out me. Overall, I thought it was a good movie.

They even set up the ending for the third movie.

Of course, looking at Johnny Depp on the big screen is always an added bonus!

Summer is in full swing in New England

OK, here in New England, a lot of us were bitching that we were sick of the rain and the colder weather. Sick of this unseasonable crap! Where's the sun? Where's the heat?

Well, it's official! Summer is here. Humidity and all!

I'm very fortunate that my condo is in the lower level. Sorta like the basement. So, it stays reasonable cool most of the time. However, every once in a while, I have to turn on my A/C.

Lots of reasons to be happy for summer. One: no correcting or grading papers for at least two months. Don't get me wrong, I adore my job but the correcting gets to be rather tedious at times. Second: I can sleep in on some days. Well, I am working a part-time job - I'm not totally being a lazy bum this summer. Third: I'm starting to get excited about my new teaching new job. Ok, not summer related but I had to share the fact that I'm excited about something in a long time!

Oh -Mom and Mandy came out for a visit - they were here from June 30th to July 4th. I felt bad for them because they had a horrible experience flying out here. Long story but let me offer this advice: Avoid LaGuardia Airport! I took them to Hull, MA on Saturday. It is so beautiful down there but they agreed it could get quite lonely and isolating down there after a while. We ate lunch at this place. Yummy seafood! As we drove back north, we stopped at a few shopping places. My sister loves to shop! :-) We stopped here. We didn't find any good deals. On Sunday, I drove them up to the Tilton Outlets in NH. We ate lunch at the Tilton Diner. This place is so cool - it's an old diner that serves cheap but great food! Mom enjoyed it because they play music from the 1950's and 1960's. On Monday, we met Carla up in Portland, Maine. I love hanging out in Old Port. They have these amazing shops and restaurants. We ate lunch here. The restaurant was converted from a car ferry. The restaurant is right on the water and we ate outside. I had a yummy lobster roll - so did Mandy! Her first! We had a fun but busy visit. I forgot to take my camera so no pics. I felt bad for them because their flight left at 6:00 am out of Boston on July 4th. Going back to Chicago - no problems or delays this time. They had a non-stop flight going back.

So, this has been my excitement. I've also been working at Pawsitively Best Friends.

What have you been doing this summer?

Where will M-Dawg be teaching at in the fall?

Drum role please??????

Salem High School in Salem, MA. Home of the Witches!

This journey has been an up and down battle on so many levels for me. Thank you to all my family and friends who stuck by me and supported me during this crazy time. I know it wasn't easy to be near me or to listen to me cry, rant and rave, or just vent. I do appreciate everyone just being there for me.

Teaching at Salem will allow me to stay in Amesbury. At least for now.

I will be teaching (4) World Studies (Middle Ages to the Present in World History) and (1) US History (Early Colonial to Reconstruction). I'll have one honors class in World Studies and US History. It's been a long time since I've taught an honors class. The rest of the courses are college prep. Teaching World Studies, I'll be working on a freshman team. The team consists of a Math, English, and Science teacher. We will have common planning time to work on interdisciplinary units. The team approach also allows for joint parents meetings when necessary.

I pick up my teaching materials on Monday -