*Executioner's Drumroll*

Tomorrow is the second scariest day of the school year. I have to go back to work for the first time since June 5th. That was a 73 day vacation. We don't have any kids at school yet, but it's still a little stressful. I've been revising the same lesson plan over and over, which is not very helpful, but I feel like I'm accomplishing something. I still have two letters of recommendation to write and a book to read - by tomorrow. And I've just now realized that I have no earthly idea where my school keys are. I'm probably not going to sleep tonight.

Reading Lists

I just realized that I've read more books this summer than I've read in the last couple of years. I read:

• You or Someone Like You by Chandler Burr
• Serena by Ron Rash
• The Shack by William Paul Young
  
• White Oleander by Janet Fitch
  
• Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler
  
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
  
• Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwartz
• Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss

All of those books were very good, and recommendable, with the best being The Shack. The latest book I've read was an interesting peek into the world of survivalism, a close cousin of preparedness. The more I read, the more I realized how unprepared I really am. Yes, I have a lot more to put in my kit, but I am unprepared in my skills as well. I have a working knowledge of a handgun and a few rifles. I have a very basic knowledge of survival skills and first aid. Other than that, I'm fairly useless in a "survivalist" situation. I suppose math is important, but there are far more skills that are useful. Unfortunately, I've waited too long to decide what to do this summer, and now it's over. Two more days and I go back to school.

Real Food

After eating a ton of junk food out in Arizona (including mucho burritos) and seeing some pictures of myself out there (no I'm not posting them), I decided that the second I touched down in Baltimore, I'd eat to live, not live to eat. First thing this morning, *B* and I took a good two hours to grocery shop. He's all into my new quest. Day 1 was a success, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't drool over the thought of brownies. I've learned that often I'm mouth-hungry (craving) and not tummy-hungry (well, plain-ole-hungry). And I've also learned that it's much easier for me to ignore hunger pains than cravings.

So for dinner, I made whole grain pasta, squished squash, and got some steamed shrimp at the store. It was SOOO good! The only downside - that was almost 5 hours ago.

Throughout my blog reading, I've learned a lot about Mormons. I can only think of one family I grew up with who were Mormon, and no one really every discussed it. I got a new perspective when I went to Arizona, though it was only through my family's eyes, who are non-denominational at best. The area in which they live has a number of small Mormon towns in the middle of nowhere. One day, I think I'd like to see what it's like to live in those type of communities. Being raised Catholic, the church I'm familiar with has a long history. I think it would be an experience to talk at length with people of a shorter-lived religion.

Tomorrow, I'm going to tackle my 72 hour kit. I got a book from the library today called Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss. I'm excited to start it. I've learned recently to think of PACE when planning. PACE stands for primary, alternate, contingency, and emergency. *B* and I decided that if all else fails, we're going to my grandmother's ranch. While she no longer lives there full time, it is totally off the grid. She lived there for at least more than ten years, so I know it's possible.

I Might As Well Blog

I'm up. It's 1:00 am. And I'm freaking out about school next week. So I figure: I might as well blog.

My mom had this crazy idea a few months ago. As my grandmother is temporarily in between jobs, and we all had some vacation time to use, we decided on a surprise visit. We flew from the East Coast to Phoenix, AZ, where my uncle picked us up and took us to see her in the high country. The visit resulted in something like this:

My grandmother was shocked beyond belief. We stayed for a week and just got home, oh, about an hour and twenty minutes ago. The trip was (mostly) beautiful and a good time was had by all. We got to see "the Rim" which goes across the state of Arizona:


We went to gorgeous Hawley Lake, which is on a reservation:


Notice that there are cattle drinking the water! And because we were in Arizona, the obligatory cactus picture:


While I had a good time, I've learned a few things.

1. My sinuses are accustomed to humidity and do not take kindly to dry air.
2. I get out of breath when higher than 5000 ft above sea level.
3. I missed my blogging and my cat!

We left at 9 am (their time) and got home at 12am (our time). It has been one long day! But as soon as I got home, I checked my school email. Oh boy, have I been neglecting it. I discovered that I have my class lists already for the upcoming year, and I immediately fell sick to my stomach. I am SO not prepared, and I report back to work on MONDAY! I began to scramble, and I attempted to get some work done. But I'm so out of it from the trip that nothing really got done. So this is what I'm going to do.

• Get seating charts made.
• Make full lesson plans through the first week (three Blue days).
• Decide how to handle attendance and parental issues.
• Decide how to "train" my kids.
• Set up project descriptions for the projects I will assign.
• Focus more on Algebra II, as I always come up with good Physics activities.

While it doesn't seem like a lot of work, items three and four are the most difficult of all. Deciding how I stand on things and my expectations, and determining how to convey them to the kids, and sticking to my guns are the most difficult parts of being a teacher.

We got the contract for the house, and the settlement is set for September 18th. This is almost a month away. While I'm trying to be enthusiastic, I am just drained over the first-time-homebuyer thing. I am hopeful that all will go well and we will be able to settle with no problems.

It is Good to Be Home

More on this when jet lag subsides...

Preparedness: Because You Never Know What Can Happen

I've been thinking a lot about preparedness today. I was given 50 rounds of 38 special ammo that had belonged to a neighbor who passed on. The ammo issue is a bother to me. I have far less than I'd prefer to have at this point, and I have no good storage situation. My revolver is not the best thing to carry if there is some form of issue in the future. I'm sure I'll have a hard time reloading if I'm staring down a bear. My dad keeps telling me I need a rifle, but I can't afford it right now.

I've been really lax about my 72 hour kit. I could easily stock up my kit with $100. I keep getting cash in small denominations for my car kit, but I keep spending it before I'm able to put it away. I'm stalled at the types of clothes to pack and the needs for a first aid kit. I threw in some Advil, Benedryl, and Dramamine that I picked up the other day from CVS. But I have no band-aids, gauze, Tylenol, or anything else. I really need to step it up and get some N95 masks considering we're so close to Washington DC.

*B* and I have discussed getting shelving from Ikea. We really love the Gorm system:
It would be good storage for our three month food supply. So our three month supply comes with a wine rack, what of it? :o) It would be a luxury, but a rather inexpensive one considering it's $30 a section. One day... maybe soon??

That. Was. Amazing!

It has been an amazing 24 hours in the food world. For dinner, aside from too much pizza, I had AMAZING cantaloupe. It was the best cantaloupe I've ever had in my entire life. We went to the farmer's market with a friend of mine the other day, and got a ton of fresh, local, organic produce. I've heard arguments for and against organic produce, but when it's as cheap as it was, I figure it doesn't hurt to cut down on chemicals.

Last night, in honor of Michelle's birthday, we got manicures and went restaurant hopping downtown. It was the first time I've had a manicure in over two years. We considered pedicures, but the boys were waiting for us. Given that it was SO inexpensive ($15 for a full on manicure), I will definitely visit that place when I'm ready to give up on my students. I would get a pedicure next time though.

After getting our nails done, we met the boys at The Brewer's Art. Upstairs, the place is really fancy, very classy. Downstairs, it's dungeon-like, with original brick arches, black and red walls, and little lighting. But above all, they had the best salad I've ever had. It had grilled peaches, spiced pecans, chevre cheese, butter lettuce, and Maker's Mark vinaigrette. And above all, it was around $7 for that gorgeous meal. Then we went to Midtown Yacht Club (not a yacht club) and had an ENORMOUS plate of nachos. Finally, we walked TWO miles to get to a really fancy restaurant called Roy's right on the harbor. I had a mai tai (SO much sugar) and chocolate souffle. Oh so delicious. I wish I had pictures.