holy shizz!!!!!!!

yeah, I just got my test scores from ny state teacher certification!!!!! I did so well!!!!!

perfect grade is 300, passing is 220. I got:
300
276
288
288
260
291
282
287
300

I's so smart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the update

WOW right?! this is it... my new home in upstate new york!!!! it's not far from albany, but is definitely out in the country - I can't wait for the country life! :D (as long as there's a spa there!) my new roomie is a sweetie, and the property is family owned; what more could I ask??

I'm so busy arranging all the details ... yesterday, I finalized plans to move into this place and gave my resignation to my school district in detroit. me and little maria and bacon and my plants will stay at my aunt's house in rosedale park for the next three weeks (it's a fitting closure, because that's where I stayed when I first came to mi!). I'm 93% packed, the movers are coming sun to put my stuff in storage, and all is well with the world!!!!!

I'm planning to P-A-R-T-Y for my last three weeks in mi, by which I mean that I already have a lunch date with my former yoga teacher, and a dinner date with my massage therapist! wow, I better slow down lols! I may even make it to a club with m and vee. I want to see everybody before I go, so call now; I'm thinking tigers games, caid/mocad, picnics @ cranbrook, and of course bastonie... see u soon detroit ppls, and then see u l8r!

hello kitty car!!!!!!!

ppls, I am so late to the game, I'm sorry. but I have to show you this!

why, oh why, did they make only 1????

go here to see the interior!



now, I have lots of news, but I'm a little busy packing and teaching summer school. I'll post all the latest in a few days.
(what!? my students found this! during free time. BETWEEN INSTRUCTION! I swear I'm not a bad teacher!!!!!)

2 attached?

I was just talking to the infamous M. last night about maybe being too attached to my mother, and now this.....

I was so sad today! and it was the last day of school!!!!!!!!! the best day of the entire year!!!!!!!!!!! wtf??

I thought I was doing okay until we were watching "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (yes, again, long story) (okay, I'm a bad teacher. it's a short story) and then we came to the part when that mr. show guy was yelling at the little, fat chipmunk and I was seriously thinking, "man, I am feeling so bad right now!" I thought I might hurl chunks. that's when it hit me that I was feeling an emotion, ie sadness!!! dude, I'm never sad... I'm tough, I'm bad -- but suddenly, to be reduced to this: crying at a mildly sad part of a children's animated movie that stars 3 talking rodents!!!!!!!! (but that little guy's face!!!)

*cry* I'll miss my little fifth-graders. BOOOOOOHOOOOHOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

there. I've said it.
now, tell anyone I cried and you die.

11 down, 11 to go!

yeaah, boy - thurs is the last day of school!!! but since 5th grade graduation was yesterday, exactly half of my students have head for the hills already :D the ones who are left are doing a combination of light schoolwork, cleaning out my classroom, and watching "Alvin and the Chipmunks." (I don't know if I could stand the original movie, but it's very amusing in Spanish-I recommend it) even with the reduced numbers, they managed to eat 6.5 pizzas yesterday!!

otherwise, I've taken 2 out of my 4 tests to qualify as a teacher in NY (brutal!) and I'm applying to new jobs as they are posted. keep your fingers crossed for me, ppls!

as for all you teachers who need a hint on how to keep their heads on straight at this crazy time of year, two words: champagne and cigarettes - every night.

Master's baby, yeah!

that's right folks, tha lorider's got somemore letters after her name, yo!!! I just dropped off my bound copy of my thesis and it is OVER! I wish I could say I'll never darken the door of an educational institution again, but I fear it's not true :P anyway, in the true academic tradition, I believe I'll go get driz-nunk!

in other news:
I went last Sunday to the Cranbrook Art Museum. It happened to be their graduate students' final show. it was really awesome and fun; I think something for everyone. if you're in the area, check it out!

Tigers yeah! Now I'm free to start going to games. I think I'm going to go to a ridiculous amount this summer - and we just got a set of tickets donated for the entire fourth and fifth grades in my school, so I'm even planning to go to Tigers games WHILE I'M GETTING PAID AT WORK! haHA!

I'm applying for jobs in NY, so pls send out some awesome vibes for me :)

also I have an uncle and grandma home from the hospital & recuperating, so pls send them some awesome vibes, too!

folks, I don't even know what else is going on - probably something....


stay real and drop me a line :)

-Lorider

la lorider's on the road....

hi folks,

I'm driving all around upstate NY, looking for a new home....

that's right, la lorider might have to find a more nature inspired name (haha) because I'm looking to move to a more small town/rural existence.......

send me some good thoughts, & I'll let you know what I found out when I get back ;)

ciao!

thesis-ing

howdy there folks, I'm busy working hard (HAHA) this week on my thesis while I'm on break. in the meantime, please follow this link which explains why everything is the way it is in our society (suber-b, you prob already knew this):


link that explains why ev....

I'll try to stop at 6

I've been tagged by tha super bongo, one of my favorite non-homo-sapien bloggers, to announce to the world 6 quirky things about la lorider. as you may have already guessed, gentle reader, la lorider is just chock-full of quirks. so here goes.....

# 1 quirky thing: I have a scary appetite. I'm not a super-big person, but I can put away some serious food. (lols remember the 7 plates at the Chinese Buffet, BRITEW?) no-one suspects it at first, actually everyone seems to think I'm a nibbling vegetarian (see previous KSA entry). so what a shock it is when people see me nosh! also I get very cranky if I have to skip a meal.

# 2 quirky thing: also I get very cranky if I don't get enough sleep. so basically I have the temperament of a 3-year-old.

# 3 quirky thing: I like to wear camos and Marine Corps t-shirts to yoga class. it kind of freaks ppl out, lols.

# 4 quirky thing: I'm addicted to reading. so be aware that if I'm standing at your desk, I'm reading everything upside-down just as fast as I can. it's not that I'm nosy, I just have to read any and every printed word. I actually found myself reading ESPN magazine the other day!

# 5 quirky thing: I have strangely acute hearing. for example, I can actually hear bats echolocate. it's not great though - I had to ask my downstairs neighbor to take her ceiling fan off the low setting, which was embarrasing. I felt like a stalker...

# 6 quirky thing: everywhere I look, I see... no, not dead people, but like twins. like your double from across the seas? I keep meeting people from far apart who seem so very similar, it's weird. they look similar, talk the same and give out the same 'vibe.' I have two very close friends who could sorta be twins, but they're from opposite sides of the world (and neither one is the 'evil' one). do you believe in this?

anyway, thanks for tagging me, super-bongo! that was super-fun :)

las noticias

hi ever'body -
I feel so lame for not posting more. I guess I'll just catch you up in one big plop.

january was busy and feb looks to be the same. I'm working on my thesis, which is due at the end of april (eeks!) my ma is helping me on it, as she's an awesome researcher, and I really appreciate the help. also, I'm trying to improve my movement of paperwork at work - I really need to get it under control. and then there's just the normal amount of overwhelmed-ness of teaching.

a great thing at school right now is that we're participating in a program with the local art museum (the detroit inst. of arts: www.dia.org ). it's a multi-visit program of 5 mornings, spread out over 5 weeks. we spend about an hour in the museum, looking at just a few pieces of art, and then we head over to the studio and the kids get to make a project each day! the kids love it, and it is so well organized that it is not the horror-show that most field trips are. usually teachers get back to school after a field trip feeling utterly exhausted, but there are a number of docents and volunteers and art teachers the whole way, so that you don't have to monitor all 25 kids at once, every second. plus they let the teachers make art too!

it's so relaxing to just wander around the museum, see and think about art, and then make art. I wish we could do the program all year! anyway, it's reminding me that I want to do more art on my own and also, to go visit MOCAD, which I haven't been to yet.

the only other news is that I got my new celly from the insurance ppls, and they were able to get me the same model(!) even though it's been discontinued. the software has been just slightly updated from mine, but all for the better. so you can call me again, ppls - but I suspect you're just as busy as I am. it's seriously been a friend-black-out since the new year. (and then I missed pancakes with anon & britew! PANCAKES!!! I mean... I was so bummed to miss my friends!)

hope you're all awesome like me!

peace

ps stay tuned for 6 quirky things about the lorider
pps I saw 2 days in paris over the weekend - don't miss it!

SNOW DAY!

dunno if u cn see ths....

(it's a cute celly pic of my bros & me chillin on the couch!)

joyous reunion!!!

last night, I went out in the rainy (and relatively warm) night to post more fliers about Maria. I thought to myself, "wouldn't it be ironic (and just like Maria) if she was waiting on the porch after I got home from putting up more fliers?" so I drove by my house first to check if she was there. of course, she wasn't. but when I got back 15 minutes later and slightly damper, there the little brat was!!!!!

we had a very joyous reunion (like apparently, she LOVES me), but she didn't mention where she had been for two weeks. I think she must have had some shelter, because her coat was in great condition, but she had lost her fat winter-time belly, so I don't think she was being fed. it made me wonder if she got locked inside a garage by accident, because I actually did that to her once at my old place (oops!). on the other hand, after eating a good meal and getting settled on the couch, she let out what was definitely the most rudest fart I have EVERRR smelled, so maybe she was just off being sick somewhere.

she certainly timed her return just right, because after we got settled, several huge downpours fell - the loudest I've ever heard, then there was a crazy windstorm all night, and the temperature fell 40 degrees by morning!

anyhow, I am deffo getting her a collar with an ID tag. (I'm still not putting it past the creepy-cat-stalker-lady that she was involved somehow!) I always thought before that Maria wouldn't like a collar, but now I'm thinking that she'll look so cute in it, especially if the tag is heart-shaped (!), and anyway she's pretty trainable.

so all's well that ends well :)

missing kitty

my little fluffy muffin-tin, maria, went out for a stroll last Tuesday and hasn't been seen since! (*tear*) I'm very worried about her and I've called all the shelters and the po-pos and everything and no-one has any news. it has been cold this week, and I wonder if someone let her in out of kindness, and now is neglecting to let her back out again (guilty-conscience-when-caught-stalking-my-cat-lady from last august, I mean you!)

please, oh ppls of the inter-neck, ask your kitties to send my muffin an esp message to get herself home!

Manicure Day!

last night, I couldn't sleep for hours, so I popped in my favorite dvd (legally blonde) and of course, today I have just *got* to get myself a manicure :) that is perfect timing, however, as today is my last chance to get a full manicure and pedicure before my birthday tomorrow... I just want to be "spiffed up" for the occasion. so that is my birthday present to myself, as well as I would like to find a nice pair of quality and sound-blocking headphones.

of course, I still have to buy a new phone to replace the celly I lost, so I guess I don't need to be in a hurry to spend money - but a birthday is such a good excuse...!


(hmmm, maybe I "need" some new clothes and shoes for my b-day, too!)

my new years resolutions:

1. be awesome.



shouldn't be hard.

X-mas in Vermont

I've been having so much fun on my vacation and right now... it's snowing! I'm not sure why I'm so excited, since I don't want to go out and do snow activities (and now I can't go to the movies), but something about childhood snow days must be tucked away in my neural pathways somewhere, because I'm thrilled.

this picture is from a sledding trip that I didn't go on, and shows the village my parents live in from a hill above town. as you can see, it's up in the mountains and hence, no unnecessary trips down the mountain for movies or whatever during snowfalls.

the weather has actually been really mild up until now, and we've had a museum trip (I didn't go), many sledding expeditions (never went), several food and present-shopping trips (I did go), and a dinner out (I did go). I got a great picture of my dad at the meat counter, getting just the right things, don't know if I'll be able to post it. he made a great traditional Italian 7-fishes dinner on Christmas Eve (but only 3 fishes + minestrone) there were salmon cakes, cod & potatoes/fennel, and shrimp - mmmmm! then the very next day, my step-mother made a turkey dinner with all the fixings, including my two favorites: winter root vegetables and homemade cranberry sauce - mmmmm (and stuffing)!

there were 8 people on Christmas Eve and 9 on Christmas Day. my lil' nephews ages 5 and 9 had tons of presents despite several packages not arriving. older one proceeded to read his book of science facts from cover straight on, after verifying the copyright date (didn't want out-of-date facts). I learned quite a bit about absolute zero, entropy and spontaneous combustion. the littler one managed two face-plants: one in the Christmas tree (no casualties) one while sledding (mountain:1, Ezra: zero). I also introduced the boys to ninja warrior, my fav program when I can get to cable. they loved it, of course, which shows how cool they already are!

my big plans now that the rest of the family's gone is mainly to not finish the two novels I've started... ahhh, vacation! and now, maybe I'll stick my nose outside and at least get a few seconds of snow-experience. hasta la vista, amigos: I hope your x-masses were equally lovely :)

oh noes!!!

tha lorider lost her celly!!!if you needs to reach me, e-mail is best- TTFN

3!....2!....1! caffeine!!!!

christmas vacays are so close I can almost taste them - literally.... I began a tradition a couple of years ago of having a cup of coffee at the airport before I fly, so now I associate it with flying because it's about the only time I indulge anymore.

I used to be able to drink coffee normally (if a double espresso for breakfast is normal) but lately, I get all jittery if I have coffee or coca-cola, and even chocolate after lunchtime keeps me up at night - what an old lady! this especially sucks when I go to visit my dad because there's going to be coffee, really good, strong coffee available every day! hmmmm..... I can tell already that I'm going to have to make a serious choice next week between glorious coffee and sleep! oh, well there are plenty of books at dad's house......

have fun on your vacays, everybody.... don't indulge too much in - erm- caffeine!

the art haps/xmas

hey detroit ppl-
who wants to go check out the revamped DIA? who wants to go see an exhibit about Saarinen at the Cranbrook? I want to do both in the new year, so sign up for my field trip now!! I'll get you some permission slips after Christmas.

speaking of Christmas, I just got tix today to head to Vermont over Christmas! I am so psyched - a whole week! it sounds so relaxing. plus my dad and step-ma, and grandma are all great cooks, so I'm going to stuff myself :D I'll see my little nephews also, my sis and bro-in-law, and hopefully my brother and his g-friend too! fun-fun-fun. I plan to take walks (or at least one walk) in the snow, up a scenic hill with Molly the springer spaniel. (yes anon, I'll be bringing electric hand-warmers and leg-warmers, plus some aromatherapy 'just in case')

I'll see if I can get some great pix of snowy New England to show from my trip!

ps: go to this guy's blog to see a great pic of a cat in a box of assorted beer. and also, he finally started posting about tha nog. garsh, and I thought I had a nog problem!

bumpity-bump!

oops ppls- I've missed you! Happy Halloween and Happy Thanksgiving! I can't believe it's been so long that ppl are actually asking me to post haha! mostly things have been bumpy & I've been busy trying to smooth them out... but it will all be good in the long run :)

my school fi-nal-ly called back a teacher they laid off from our building, so my class size has been reduced to a normal size & we just have to figure out who's teaching what and we'll be fine.....
(also we've begun the after-school tutoring program and I'm working with the kids who were in my class last year - it's great to see them again!)

my gramma's out of the hospital and decided not to do chemo, so she's at home, doing well. I saw her at Thanksgiving and we had a great visit.....

I didn't dress up for Halloween, fell asleep after 1 trick-or-treater, and missed out on Thanksgiving dinner due to travel times.... let's hope Christmas is more successful! lols

congrats to Marie and Fernando on their new jobs!!!! (and congrats to Marie on a month in France - *thbbt!* lucky!!!!)

yikes, one of my brothers now has his official driver's license and the other one has begun driver's ed -- if you live around Ann Arbor - WATCH OUT :D

anybody else got news???