Wednesday, April 23, 2008

My name is Jessica, and I'm a diet coke-aholic.

So, I've never been someone who sees myself as addicted to caffeine. I don't need coffee in the morning; if I stop at Starbucks it's because it sounds delicious, not because I'm tired. But, I have realized my daily Diet Coke at lunch has become a dependency. I know this because I did not have it for the past two days, and I am about to put my head down on my desk and fall asleep. Which, I believe, is frowned upon when the kids are here. (So is blogging, I'm sure, but they are all on their own laptops working on test prep, so I just have to take a lap every few minutes to check on them.)

Anyway, since I have apparently developed a dependency to caffeine, I am going to avoid it for the next month or so. :( Which will be very difficult, as there is nothing quite like a cold Diet Coke to prepare me for my fourth period class. It's like the legal equivalent of a stiff drink.

I might need to go to a meeting.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

I might need a nap later...

It's funny, I used to do Jr. High ministry at church and take kids on week long camps. I would ride in the car to Palomar or even Oregon, and then spend days sharing a cabin or dorm room with kids. We would hike and go white water rafting, or do a service project and sit in classes all day. I was fine. I loved it, in fact.

I took three students to the National High School Journalism Convention this weekend. I left with them Thursday after school and took them home Saturday night. The convention was in Anaheim, and logically it should have been a breeze compared to camp.

I was SO exhausted last night, I couldn't even handle it. 

Don't get me wrong-the conference was GREAT. I would totally go again and I loved taking the girls. They had a great time, learned a ton about yearbook (as did I), and I definitely bonded with them. There is a certain brand of kid/adult who can get really excited about layout and font choice. We are of that odd group. I have a huge list of ideas for next year and can't wait to start the 2009 yearbook. We also went to Downtown Disney, which is pretty much designed for twelve year old girls. They tried on makeup at Sephora and took hundreds of pictures of themselves (literally). They went swimming at the motel pool. They giggled and jumped on the bed and ran around the room on Friday night. They got to meet some of the minor stars of Gossip Girl, which caused one of them to exclaim, "Ms. Fletcher this is like the best day ever!! You're the best teacher in the word!!!" It was a blast. But good lord, I was DONE. 

I can't figure out the differences. Is it because I had to drive them back and forth? Because I was responsible for their itinerary and fun rather than a camp director? 

Or is it, as I suspect, that I am just getting old?

Friday, April 11, 2008

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse...

"My nickname is the Shanetrain, so I believe the person I'm with should be ready to climb aboard."

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Think Blue

I went to my first Dodger game of the season on Wednesday. It was actually a bust in many accounts-there was a rain delay, so we left early since I had Open House the next day. And then they lost. :( BUT, I love-love-love-love-love walking into Dodger Stadium. 

I love seeing a sea of people in Blue shirts and hats. Everyone seems to be in a good mood-you're at the baseball game! I love the vendors selling overpriced food. I love booing the Giants. I love hearing Vin Scully announce anything. He could be telling us about the dangers of global warming and I would still feel nostalgia for my childhood listening to his voice. I love sitting near the ghetto Dodger fans who yell stuff and have their LA blankets and such. I always end up high-fiving them after a great play. I love choosing which cartoon truck will win the race on the jumbotron and cheering for it as though it were not a pre-determined outcome. And if I win, I love to look victoriously at my friends as though I have outsmarted them. (I'm sure they enjoy that as well.) On the occasions that the Dodgers win, I adore singing "I love LA.....WE LOVE IT!" on the way out of the Stadium (even the weird part about a "big nasty redhead at my side").

And as of late, I love Russell Martin. He's my new boyfriend. So, if anyone would like to introduce me to him, that would be great.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Seriously?

Okay, I am planning on blogging about Dodger Stadium and Open House, but the latter has sucked the energy out of me. However, I would be remiss if I did not immediately post the following quote. Some guy actually used it in his online dating profile. 

"Sometimes you just have to take the straw out and chug life, and if your lucky you'll get some brain freeze."

I can't...what?...no...

There are no words.