I copied all of Mary's pics and so I have a lot more. I decided every once in a while I'd throw one in. Here's me on one of my many 31st birthday celebrations. It was the last one and we were bowling.
I have been reading the above book, a few pages a night. I'm maybe half way through. It's a lot to take in. BUT it has helped me tremendously. Just with the thought process or being in the NOW. At work, if I remember, I can just stop and re-evaluate - what in this moment is bad, or what in this moment do I really need to deal with. I am so much calmer on those days. Of course, my students are professionals in the annoying department and so somedays, they win. But I hate it when they win, so I make sure I win for the rest of the week. We usually run about 4-1 (Ms. Steen) - I never sweep them, remember I said these guys are professionals.
I love this time of year when there is so much to do ont he weekends and it usually it nice enough to be outside.
This weekend, although it was cold, I spent outside. On Friday I went to the Royals game. They actually brought it about the 8th inning and ended up spanking the Blue Jays. Besides the win, it was buck night and so we got $1 hotdogs, peanuts and sodas! Plus, while we were all standing in line for our tickets, a girl came up and gave me two free tickets!! SCORE! So I got into the game for free.
Saturday was the annual Beer Fest in Parkville, MO. It was awesome and the weather even warmed up a little for it. The Java Porter by Blind Tiger is still my all time favorite. I really could drink that beer on the way to work and not even feel bad about it - it really tastes like coffee. There was a lot of new breweries there, some from as far as Nebraska. Lots of people this year as well! Plus some good bands played, one of my KC favs It's Over! really rocked some Beatles tunes. Fantastic day.
Sunday, I rested and did yard work. I didn't want to go anywhere or talk to anyone - and I didn't, it was nice! I'm finding that I do want to stay at home more, just to enjoy my house.
Hope everyone had a good weekend.
I don't think anything is wrong with me...but I have been getting 7+ hours of sleep everyday and I am always feeling so exhausted. It's incredibly hard to get up in the morning. I don't get why I am always tired. I am going to start working out again, and see if that makes any difference. I probably also need to cut out the naps. I've never in my life slept this much. I'm usually a 5-6 hour girl.
Happy Thursday!
Check out April 21st for my newest blog - I started it on that day, and when I published it today - it published on the 21st. It's called "brotherly love"
My weekend started on Thursday by going down to Columbia (MO). I got to see good friends for dinner (Alicia and fam). It was awesome. I always love seeing my friend's kid (s). It's so interesting to see the different personalities of the two friends in their kid. Jason and Alicia are great parents and you can see that in their son, they are also fun parents and you can see that too.
After dinner with them I headed over to the Blue Fugue and met up with my brother who's 'band' was playing that night. The 'band' which is festively named STEEN! I will have pics of my bro playing bass...at some point and I will put them up on here. I think the actual performance will be up on youtube or something later on in May. They were surprisingly good. See the 'band' was actually something of a joke - just some guys that got together to play for the law school talent show. They won first place. One of the guys is the leader/president/whatev of a group in the law school that needed to do one last benefit or something this year. So they decided to headline Steen! and have a benefit called, Rock for Dogs. So they got some people together, charged $5 at the door and made around $800 for the local humane shelter.
Here's a pic of us at the after party. We were all really tired - it wasn't much of a party per se. 
I got to have breakfast at Ernie's with the bro and then headed back to KC. It was a rainy day so I just laid around all day. I had bought Mary the movie JUNO for her birthday - so like any best friend, I opened it up and watched it. Then Friday night I went to see my fav KC band - ACB's. They only played an hour set, but it was awesome.
On Saturday, I went to EarthFest in Shawnee Mission Park. Maggie got to go. She had quite the time. I have a choke coller on her because she doesn't really listen or know how to control herself being on a chain. So when we first went in there, she was very excited and choked herself quite often. Everyone would look around to see what the noise was. I was worried they would think of me as a bad dog mom...but one lady was like, 'oh that dog just sneezed'. Anyway - it was a fun day, I will definitely make a point to go next year.
Sunday was Mary's birthday and we went up to spend the day in Lawrence, KS. We also saw Spoon (the band that did the song Underdog). It was their last stop and it was a good show! Overall a good 31st birthday for Mary.
Anyway - that was last weekend! Good times!
If not now, then when?
An intriguing thought. The book I'm reading, "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle is a whole new way to think. I buy into it - if you focus just on the Now, you cannot worry about the past or the future. You cannot have problems, just situations to work though. I get it. I really do. And it helps, when I'm getting perturbed, I just think "What, at this moment, is lacking?" I remind myself that really, all that exists is right now, this moment. And magically - I am calmed and good. I've been trying more of this and living in the Now rather than the yesterday or tomorrow. But did E. Tolle really think this through - what about the consequences that happen in the morrow for the decisions you make in the Now? I bet he would say that you just deal with them when they become the Now. For instance, if a person goes out and becomes intoxicated - the Now is fantastic, but the consequences that will happen in the morrow are horrible. I'm sure he writes this thinking people actually make good choices.... and I'm sure it's all in the book I just haven't covered it yet.
"A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds."
Francis Bacon
That is my quote of the day from Bethany - I thought I would share.
I'm having salad for lunch today - it has carrots and turkey in it with some calorie full Ranch dressing. Splendid. I am eating it with a spoon, because I forget to buy forks everytime I am out. I spent all last week eating salad with a spoon - one would think I'd remember, but no. Some of you are well aware that teachers don't get much of a lunch break. If I am lucky I have 15 minutes. If I have to heat something up - much less time. See, when our 30 minute allotted lunch time starts I have to line up my students and get them downstairs to the cafeteria. Then I have to make sure they are in their assigned seats. In the cafeteria and on the way back no less than 3 people stop me to chat (usually about work - everyone knows I'm pretty business oriented). Then once I get up to my classroom I have to assemble anything (my salad or sandwich usually) then I have about 15 minutes until I go to pick up my kids.
Just a little about my day to day life.
If you think about just this moment and no other moments past or future - then you have absolutely no worries, because all you are thinking about is this moment.
rhetorical: Can this type of thinking actually even be practiced in our world? Maybe so, and thus the reason for fast food. ;)
There was some really great TV on last night. I am so happy for the return (of the end) of Scrubs!
Here are some other grateful thoughts:
-I am grateful for my bestest, Mary.
-I am grateful for my paycheck from the salon
I am looking forward to:
-being the biggest loser here at work (we're doing it again, I lost 3 pounds this week)
-going to Columbia next week
-Mary's birthday weekend
-reading my new books
cleaning house
I used to clean my house from top to bottom every week. With out fail, it would get done. Along with my laundry. After I had the parvo, I guess I got chronic fatigue syndrome (at least that's what they call it, I think it could be depression or laziness). Anyway, I haven't been able to clean the house too often or get much accomplished (in any aspect of life). My house has been so messy lately that my friends have said things about it (nothing really mean, of course). I don't really care that they say stuff, but I care that I know it's messy and used to be clean all the time and I'm not doing much about it. Naps are way more important than cleaning the house or doing laundry. But last night, I came home (no nap) and cleaned the house. It looks much better. I have plans to try and clean out the rest of it this weekend. It makes me feel better to have it cleaned, but I think currently it's just hard for me to get into that mode of "this needs to be done". Most of the time it's more like "this needed to be done a week ago yesterday", maybe I'll get out of it and start being more productive now that I remember the feeling of being productive or accomplishing something that I know needs to be done.
I am a real sucker for stupid jokes. So here's today's stupid teacher joke:
Q: How do bees get to school?
A: They take the buzz!
I love it!
I've been thinking for a while, and decided yesterday after watching Oprah, that I needed to make two new book purchases; The Power of Now and A New Earth. Both books written by spiritualist Eckhart Tolle. Oprah has really skyrocketed the books, like she does with all of them. She's even doing Monday night talks via podcast with Eckhart. The whole world can join in - it's like a class, I know everyone has heard about it.
Anyway, I decided to buy these books because I'm in need of change, like a life change, and that is what everyone says these books do for them. In the first 22 pages, I can seriously say that this is what I've been looking for - even though I didn't know it. 
Think about my past blogs and read this excerpt - some of you will get it, some may not.
"Not to be able to stop thinking is a dreadful affliction."
"The compulsive thinker,...,lives in a state of apparent separateness, in an insanely complex world of continuous problems and conflict, a world that reflects the ever-increasing fragmentation of the mind."
Here's a passage I highlighted because it gave me an inner hope:
"Enlightenment is not only the end of suffering and of continuous conflict within and without, but also the end of the dreadful enslavement to incessant thinking."
When I first heard about the books and what was going on on Oprah, I thought this guy has just taken centuries old pschyological theory and put it into some book that Oprah bought into. But, even though I have only read 22 pages, he has already named many theorist as well as religions for the old school theory.
If you want to come on this journey with me, please do - the books are at Target for $11.20 and I will be posting on here some thoughts and discussion I have from the book.
I crave warm weather and long for the weekends (even though I have to work). Last year when I went to the Royals home opener it was beautiful short sleeve flip flop weather. They had the Royals home opener for this season yesterday (i didn't get to go) a lot of people wore winter jackets and brought rain gear. The Royals won against the Yankees!! It might be a hopeful year. I'd like to see some winning action at the K.
My brother is bringing back Steen! the band next week to headline a show in Columbia. It's for the humane society or something. Anyhow...I'm driving down Thursday after work to see it. Let me know if you want to meet up or join me on a road trip. I will be staying over Thursday night and coming back on Friday. (A - I thought maybe we could meet up during that time...let me know).
I love blogging at work like I have nothing else to do. Or maybe I just like the overwhelming feeling of it all. Regardless, here I have sat and really have nothing to say that is entertaining, educational, or therapeutic in any way.
So here are some things I'm grateful for:
1. My daily quotes from Bethany.
2. My new magnetic bracelet from my supervisor. It's supposed to cure some of my physical ailments that are a side affect of the parvo.
3. Thursday night TV is back!
4. I get to go vote today and make the bars in KC non-smoking.
5. That I can sit here and write my blog during work instead of doing actual work. (If I only had that set up George had - I'd nap at my desk too.)
This is what I need, story to follow: 
I pulled up to my house on Saturday around 6:30pm (after work). I noticed something weird in the backyard. Out of place. And in my low pond. I crept up toward the fence and realized that it was a HUGE Crane (or bird). I tried to take a picture with my phone. It didn't come out well - so I don't have one to put up on here. But yesterday I went to the Waldo pets store, which also specializes in outdoor ponds and the guy laughed at me and said I needed a Huron Decoy. I asked if I could just use a pink flamingo, but he said another guy came in a while back and had put up a pink flamingo and came home to the Crane humping the pink flamingo. So, I guess a Huron will do. I don't need any cranes in my backyard, eating fish or humping anything. It was huge. I truly have not ever seen a bird that big up close before.
I also found out that Maizey (my cat) is a mouser. She totally caught and killed a mouse and left it on the living room floor for me to see.
Quite a weekend. Other than those things, not much noteworthiness. I went to First Fridays which is in the Crossroads District, art and such - you just walk around the city and go into art galleries, theres some street art and shows. It's cool. Mary had never been and I was happy to show her. It's really cool - and if anyone visits me, they should come during a first friday. You can take kids and all.
Have a great week. Scrubs comes back this week on Thursday! I am excited for that.
That is the time I was in bed last night. Of course, I didn't fall asleep then, but I was full-on in bed. I didn't find anything wrong with it either. I'm sure none of my readers do either - you all are probably jealous. :D
So, are the allergies out, or what? Mine are kicking my butt. I got a new pill to try - Zyrtec. But I haven't tried it. Maybe Sunday when I don't have to do anything. Allergy pills are so weird, I get very tired and out of sorts - I feel like Mr. Mackey on Southpark during the episode where his head is a balloon and he's holding it by the string. This isn't that exact picture but a pic. of him.
Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday! TGIF!
I bought a new bedspread and sheets today! They are beautiful. The bedspread is a quilt, one side is yellow and the other green (both soft colors). Then I bought some green sheets. All of it was WAY on sale. I got a really good deal, and a new bedroom. Very exciting!
This ones for you, Stacey.
Today we have started MAP testing. It's the biggest test of the year - the one GW says is supposed to tell whether we're doing our jobs or not. I feel sorry for the kids, there is so much pressure to do well. I am usually given a group that has many needs as far as testing. This year, I got a great, independent, smart, fantastic group. They are really going to be a great group to have every morning.
