Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Back to the Real World

Hey all:

Well vacation time is over and I'm thrown back into piles of work. Actually I feel like I'm buried in work. I have a lot of prep work to do for all the orientation meetings next week. I still have prep work to do for my courses this fall too. I worked on my DMACC syllabus tonight and updated it to my liking. I was pissed about their lack of preparation each week so there will be pop quizzes some weeks to see if they actually read the corresponding chapter(s). Muahahahaha.

Adventureland was very fun despite my severe sunburn. I realized halfway down the interstate that I neglected to apply or bring sunscreen. I had some on my face due to my moisturizer but that wore off quickly. I really should have wandered to a shop and bought overpriced sunscreen at some point. I was reminded about my overweightness a few times during the day. My ride on The Tornado was horrible thanks to the way I had to fit into the seat. My hip still hurts from being jerked around on that ride of torture. I went on The Inverter for the first time and didn't enjoy it much the first time but it was better the second. I didn't have a funnel cake (usually a tradition) and I'm okay with that. At the time, I didn't want one and I regretted getting a pulled pork sandwich. It wasn't very good and it ruined my appetite for the day. Gavin's willingness to ride several new things impressed me. He really isn't fearful of many amusement park rides anymore....makes me feel like a pansy.

Our department is offering lap swim time on MWF over the noon hour for faculty and staff this semester. (We tried it for the first time in the spring semester.) I am going to pay for the lap swimming and give it a whirl. I'm hoping I can use the pool each MWF. I'm not the greatest swimmer but any type of movement back and forth in the pool will help burn calories.

My 10 year high school reunion is on Saturday. Jon has agreed to go with me. I'm a little nervous because I'm unsure about who will be attending. Many people seem to be on the fence. Sadly I'm sure it will be like high school itself...people will form similar social groups. I want to be social and chummy...and not just stand in a corner and talk to Jon. It would be nice to introduce him to friends from my group.

Okay, that's enough for now. I need to fold some laundry and hit the hay. My mission to be in bed before midnight has failed.

3 comments:

project.100.gone said...

PS Nicole, I finished "Goodnight Irene". It was an easy read and hard to put down. A very nice change of pace from Stephen King and my book for the women's group at church.

LeAnn said...

Yep. August is here and going fast. I don't know if I told you or not, but I got an email from the director that I work with. She gave me a large list of things to do and think about. As soon as I finished reading the email, I felt overwhelmed, because I knew I had all of the play stuff to worry about and then I need to think about my teaching too. My co-worker/colleague said to not worry about school until the teacher workshops start, but all I can think is that I need more time than that. I have too many things to do. I can't just sit back and wait for the deadline.

Adventureland was swell. I don't think I would have worn sunscreen anyway. It always makes me feel greasy and gross. The burn will go away. I felt my overweightness at the park too, especially rides that I sat with Ryan. He's so frickin skinny. I took up 3/4 of the seat and he got the rest. My body definitely felt it the next day too. I'm proud that I didn't overeat at all. I had that pizza and that was it. I drank a lot, but that's due to the heat and screaming on rides. Gavin was a good sport about all rides. Towards the end of the day, I was just out of my mojo.

Swimming is good exercise. My one con with it is that it seems to include more prep time and post time. I mean that it takes time to change into a swimsuit and then when you're done, the drying off and changing is a pain too. It takes more time is all. I'm not patient enough I guess. The reunion should be fun, but ya never know. You had a wide group of friends, so I'm sure you'll find someone or a group to hang with. Last night I went to bed at 12:30 am, so I might have beaten you at staying up. Welcome back to the real world.

project.100.gone said...

I'm so glad that the Smith family had a nice time at Adventureland! Sorry about the burning bit...I hate being sunburned. I am a chicken so amusement parks are pretty much wasted on me but I don't mind going along. Funnel cake sounds good...you'll have to treat yourself if you go to the state fair.

I love the pop quiz idea. It's sneaky and evil and if they do the work they're supposed to then they shouldn't have any issues passing them.

I think the lap swim thing sounds great. I'm a terrible swimmer but for people who can effectively get from one end to the other and back it's really good cardio. It does take a bit more prep work but it's worth it.

Don't fret about your reunion. My class had theirs 2 weeks ago and everybody had a really great time and there was a lot of co-mingling amongst groups (according to the FB page that was created). I'm sure you'll have a nice time catching up with old chums!

Glad you like Ms. Kelly! I really like those books. They catch my interest and are fast reads. She just had a new book out this summer and it was SO good. I can't wait for the next.