Tuesday, September 25, 2007

I'm not dead in case anyone cares...

No I'm not dead. Just crazy busy. We have a ton to get done on the house and we're moving our big furniture in on Monday. Yikes! I did get the master bath celings and walls primed and painted and we got the livingroom painted. I also helped Noah put the light fixture up and we bought the stuff to work on the shower in the master bath. We bought a medicine cabinet but...it doesn't look right and it's broken so that's getting taken back. Someday. We got the stuff to put our ceiling fan in. Noah broke the existing ceiling fan in the kitchen. Go Noah. I bought my dining room table. Yay me! I also bought a pumpkin and a door mat for the front porch. We are too fun. :) Little things that make me happy. Feeling overwhelmed with the long list of "to dos" before we move in but really excited to be moving in! Yay us!

We bought a house! What?!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Venting

This is me venting about school. You don't have to read it. It's just for me.

I am sick and tired of people who don't do their own job criticize you for the way you do yours. Why is it that two grown women in their 60's sit at a desk all day and gossip while children go zooming by running down the hallways, sneaking around where they don't belong and they don't say a word. But when I say, where are you going or where are you coming from, I'm the bad guy. I'm so mean and the kids never get to have any fun when I'm around. Isn't that our job? To keep kids safe and if kids are running around the building unsupervised doesn't that seem like a scenario where the kids aren't safe?

Also, I show up for my breakfast duty every day at 9 am. It's my duty. I'm paid to be there. Why is it that these same people who can criticize me for not doing my job, don't show up for their duty? I did not ask for someone to patrol the hallway and stairs in the morning but I do think it's a good idea. And after Wednesday's incident, I definitely think it's a good idea. This woman is being paid to be at school from 8:30 to 4 pm. She rolls in about 9:15 or 9:30 every day and rolls out at about 3:30. Her assigned duty is to be in the stairs from 9:15 to 9:30. How hard is that? 15 freakin minutes people. She's not there. I go to my principal and I say, Hey, kids are running and pushing on the stairs. This isn't safe. Kids are also not going to their assigned areas, they are roaming the building making them late for class. Can we please stop this? Principal puts out a memo, please make sure children stay in their assigned classrooms from 9:15 on and reminds this staff person (for the third time might I add) to do her duty. I walk down the hall to ask a question and I get called a snitch. Oh wait, these people who don't do their job don't have the guts to actually talk to me about it. Oh no. They decide to talk to each other like I'm not there and say "There's a snitch in this building. You better watch your back." and then look at me out of the corner of their eyes. Later on, that same person who made that same comment tried to tease me about something. I was like what? Are you kidding? This isn't middle school. You don't put on airs for your friends and then when you're alone with the person you can be nice to them. This is the same person who did that same I'm going to talk about someone like they aren't even there as they walk past me thing earlier calling me immature. Are you kidding? You're the one who is 60 years old and a grandma and you're talking about me behind my back and I'M immature? Please. This is the same woman who last year was telling students that she didn't like me. Students!

In my opinion, whether you like someone at school or your job is not the point. You don't have to like them. We don't all have to hang out together after school and be best friends. But we do have to do our job. Which means that you show up for assigned duties. Which means that you treat other staff members with respect. Which means you don't let the kids notice which staff members you have a problem with. We have to present a united front. The kids pick up on that stuff really quickly. For instance, last year I told a girl she wasn't going to get recess the next day for hitting someone at lunch. Her teacher says, go tell the principal what Mrs. H said b/c I don't think that's fair. Excuse me? First of all, principal for all his faults is not going to take away a punishment that I teacher made. Second of all, you don't do that. It lets the kids think that they can play teachers against each other. It lets them think that one teacher is more important or more whatever than the other.

Basically I really want to leave my school but I can't. I really really need the $17,500 in loan cancellation and in order to get that I have to stay at a school for 5 consecutive years. The cancellation wording isn't exactly like that but from what I have gathered if you jump schools they don't cancel your loans b/c they are trying to build consistancy with the cancellations. And I can't change schools and stretch out my time b/c who knows what the husband will be doing with his life and the longer I have to stay with this district, the longer it takes for him to realize his goals. Plus, I'm not going to let them run me off. If she keeps pushing me she's going to have a confrontation and it's not going to be pretty. She's not going to like the person that comes out. And I better pray I have enough sanity to take her into the principal's office to do it or I'm going to get in trouble for what I say. I really really can't stand these people!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Whew!


So it's been a really long few days.

Wednesday we had our walkthrough with the house. Our friend the electrician found another error so we asked for the money for that. The listing agent agreed to pay us himself, but when we got to closing he wrote the check incorrectly so we're still waiting for our money....

Thursday my mom had a hysterectomy (yeah I probably didn't spell that right). So I went to Dayton to be with my dad while it was happening. That sucked b/c her surgery was only supposed to take an hour and a half, but ended up taking three and a half hours b/c of scars from her c-section. Oops...that's kind of my fault. And she had complications with the anesthesia (again, probably not spelled right) so she was in recovery a really long time too. We finally got to see her around 4:30 (her surgery was at 7:30 am) and then headed back to Columbus. Things with my dad are strange. I think it's a result of being married, but I don't like it and he doesn't seem to want to remedy it. It makes me really sad to think about how close we used to be and the distance between us now.

Friday at 10:00 am we went to the HER office and signed a gagillion papers and we are now homeowners! Yay. I think. Then we went to the house, took some pictures while we looked around and made plans and then went shopping. We went to Home Depot and bought a crap ton of paint etc. to get started on the house. I didn't know it was possible to blow over $1100 that fast. We got the master bedroom primed and painted. I still have to do a little bit of touchups and then paint the trim. We got the office (smallest bedroom) primed and painted. We got a rent a jackhammer to take out some of the concrete patio for the dog gate. Noah and his dad got the gate posts installed so all that's left to do with the gate is to actually attach the swingy parts. (I know...really technical) We also knocked out a doorway between the dining room and kitchen and started drywall mudding it. It just needs another coat or two and it will be done. We took doors off their hinges when they were in really strange spots. We ripped up carpet and took out a kazillion staples. These idiots carpet inside a tiny little 1'x1' closet with 21 staples! 21 staples! And...what else? Oh...took seagrass off the walls and began the laborious process of stipping wallpaper. Oh and new doorknobs and deadbolts for the doors. I think that's enough for Friday night, Sat., and Sun. And I'm taking a break tonight. No worky work tonight. But I know tomorrow night we'll be back over there doing the gate and the wallpaper. There are basically no overhead lights in the house so I can't paint in the evenings. It's too dark so...no touching up paint or painting new rooms until this weekend. The plan for this weekend is to get the bathroom ripped out and purchase all the new parts, purchase my dining room table, and get the living room painted. It's a really big living room/dining room/entry way area, so it's going to take a long time. I think maybe owning a house is more trouble than I imagined! At least it's rewarding b/c it's our house and we are doing it the way that we want and hopefull will be able to sell in 3 to 5 years and make a pretty big profit. OH! And I ordered all my appliances. Yay new appliances. Yay dishwasher!
Oh, and on a side note, this is the first week since school started that I'm actually going to be there for a full week! It's going to be rough...especially on the lack of sleep I've had for worrying about stuff. I told my principal I was taking Oct. 1st off to move and he kind of got mad at me! I will have taken 3 days in the first month of school. Oh well...he'll live! That's what sick days are for.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Half A$$ed

Well....

I talked to the electrician who did the work on the house. The best analogy I can come up with is...You can do your English project just good enough to get by, or you can do it right. This electrician did our electric just good enough to get by. So technically (pending walk through) it will count as remedying the issues, but we're still going to have to have it re-done ourselves. That pisses me off.

School is sucky. The kids drain me, I'm always tired. Today I got really dizzy and almost couldn't drive home. I came home to no cable, no phone, and no internet (I'm a thief and am stealing wireless from someone somewhere...thank you whoever you are). And Time Warner, God love 'em, can get to me until Friday night. Are you kidding?

I'm sorry to anyone who reads this b/c I'm just venting. I'm fussy and cranky. My mom is having surgery Thursday and although I know she's going to be fine, it still worries me. And my silly Aunt is riding to Dayton with me and I really really don't want her to. She annoys the crap out of me. Then Friday I get up bright and early and sign my life away and it makes me worried :( I know we can afford it and I know we're going to be fine but....it still makes me nervous....

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Homeowners?

Well, I don't think we are going to be to be homeowners after all. We requested that the electricals be remedied before closing on Sept. 14th by a certified electrician. We called on Tuesday to see if it was done b/c we wanted the receipts. He told us on Tuesday that it was done. We finally got the receipts today and it turns out the work wasn't done until Thursday. We also requested it be done by a certified electrician, as far as I can tell it wasn't. The receipt lists the guy who did the work at the lead contractor, not a certified electrician. Also, I called an electrician and asked what it would cost to have the work done, and he quoted me over $1,000. This Russian managed to have it done for $285. That tells me that it wasn't done correctly. We are now less than 7 days before closing and it doesn't look like we're going to. I'm waiting for a call back from the electrician who did the work on the house so he can explain to me how he managed it but...I'm not holding my breath. We're going to have to pay for a certified electrican to come to the walk through with us and I'm guessing he's going to confirm what I think, which is that the work wasn't done correctly. This sucks. We both already took the day off, and for me, I can't not take it. I already called in a sub. I really want this house, but I refuse to settle for the work not being done. That was the agreement. If it's not up to code, then we're not taking it. What I'm hoping will happen is that we can offer like $5,000 less and then have the work done ourselves. That way I make sure it's done right. *sigh* i don't think we're going to be homeowners after all...what a waste of money...

Monday, September 3, 2007

September? When did that happen?

It's September. I didn't know August was over and it's September already.

School is back in session. I have possibly the lowest kids I've ever experienced, on three different grade levels, and two of the six are behavior problems. It's going to be a long and trying year...I took on lunch duty to make some extra moola. Don't know what I was thinking! Geesh. I've got to find a book that interests them so I can read while they clean up b/c they are just toooooooo loud.

Everything is going according to plan for the house. We're in business as far as I know. Haven't heard otherwise. Noah and I are picking fun stuff out. I want to buy some of it already tho!

Went to the Cincy area today to shoot some maternity pictures for some friends. She could pop any moment. I was sad tho to see that they were so suburban. I know they are happy but...I don't ever want to be that suburban. It's not for me. I want to have paint on my walls and have nice things and be fun and do interesting things. I don't want to live in a new build community where every house looks the same, you have no yard and you live on a cul-de-sac. I don't want to have stark white walls and every single furnishing in my house came from Target b/c it's trendy. Whew. Hope I didn't offend anyone there...but I'm not that person. I'll never be a stay at home mom. I want to work. I want to travel and acquire antiques and unique items from all over the world.

Am excited for this year to get underway...I know I just said it was going to be a long year, but I think it'll be better than last year and it'll be a good year. I can't wait to be a homeowner and have that responsability, not to mention a garage and a driveway so I don't have to drag groceries in from the side street. I want to wash my car in the driveway and paint and fix up the place. We just realized this week that come Sept. 14th, we will be grownups....scary.