News!

New house. Pictures sometime soon. It is in the vicinity and very lovely! We will be relocating some of our possessions this weekend, living partly there and partly here. 

In other news, I have started taking a belly dance class on Tuesday evenings, and we had a brief mouse problem downstairs, but we have killed one mouse and are warding off others with terrible little buzzing thingies that you plug into the wall. They keep away the pests ... including the humans. I also was accepted recently to be a freelance writer and so may be pursuing this as an alternate means of income. Time to get those creative juices flowing. 

I don't believe I have mentioned it on here, but I have been teaching an after-school English book club for a 1st grade class at school three times a week. Being a lead teacher, even for an after school activity has been eye-opening. I also have a duty as an occasional substitute for one of the 1st grade classes once a month. Like pre-stage fright, I get incredibly worried before subbing or teaching and then am fine when I actually arrive on stage with the lights in my eyes. I don't think i could ever have a job as a full blown classroom teacher as I would have a heart attack worrying about it all the time. I much prefer my small groups and 1 on 1 duties. I find them rewarding, challenging, intellectually stimulating. 

Been keeping busy on the weekends, especially with the goal in mind of getting out of the house to be a little social. Friday night there was a work get-together, Saturday night we went to a neighborhood three-block party called Grove Fest which included two music stages, varied vendor stands, roller derby, interactive muraling and food/beverage stands. All in all, pretty fun, especially since we kept running into people that we knew from here and there. I'm glad my network is expanding and strengthening a bit. Sunday we walked down to a neighborhood art fair and enjoyed looking at the beautiful woodwork, sculpture, paintings. I have been keeping up wiith my yoga habit - attending Saturday and Sunday mornings. Today we did a long chant of the word "satnam" meaning truth while engaging and releasing our core muscles. I forget the name of this particular type of yoga but it includes much more chanting, breathing exercises and repetitive movements. It's fun to expand my yoga repetoire, even though Sunday practices have been kicking my ass. 

For the next week I am going to try to put into effect a new work schedule which will emphasize working more one on one with specific high-risk kids, and hopefully will make work less stressful and tiring. Last week I had to do much more classroom management and dealing with behavior than is really in my job description. I have a personal goal as well to take a break or a lunch every day, since I rarely take either, and then stay late to work or to teach after-school book club. Last week  frequently fell asleep on the couch around 8:30, but next week will be healthier. 

I am still loving working at what I am coming to call, "my school." Though I never imagined working in education, I'm quite content with where I am professionally. Benefits include being able to bike to work (about 4 miles), being able to use/continue learning French, friendly and diverse co-workers, being able to stand up and move around during the day, learning how to  interact with urban youth and leanring about educating in general, as well as being able to be part of this school while it is so young (only three years old). I have a lot of leeway to take on as much responsibility as I like. I have also started teaching an English Book Club and Math Club afterschool on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, which gives me the opportunity to try out being a lead teacher and provides a little extra income. 

Today on the homestead I worked on my bike a bit, a cute red Panasonic, which hopefully will make it travel a bit faster and smoother. I took some rust off the spokes, adjusted the brakes and tightened bolts.  I think this week I am going to try to buy new tires, since my current ones are literally rotting away - as well as having no treads - they are so old. 

This month I started attending free yoga sessions in the park on Saturday and Sundays. It is lovely to take a half hour walk with just a book and a yoga mat to have a workout in the beautiful fall weather, and then a calm walk back home. J and I have some neighborhood friends who host vegan potlucks once in a while, and we attended one this weekend. The food is quite delicious, but what we have discovered is that since it is a Meetup group, many people who attend are really enamoured with being vegan and it is all they can talk about. But in any case it is good to get out and mingle a bit. 

 Things are great. I am employed! I got a job at the immersion schools here, where I will work with 1st graders who are learning french. I ride my bike to the school where I am fast getting to know my co-workers. My first week, which was only training, was fun and went well - I was getting a grip of my duties and colleagues. I am really quite thrilled and delighted with my first job in the world outside student-hood. 
This morning J and I walked through the park to the farmer's market where we bought some beautiful peppers and heirrloom tomatoes. We went downtown to get the fingerprints taken care of and then went out to a delicious lunch at an English pub where we had spicy beer! It was called Aradia Spicy Chili Black Ale. Yum yum. 

I fixed the garbage disposal yesterday!  First I broke it. The water wouldn't drain, but the blades were going, so I plugged the other side of the sink, put some vinegar and baking soda down to fizz away the blockage, and plunged like crazy. Worked like a charm!

 I stopped using commerical shampoo a little over a month ago. So far the experiment has gone well and I see no reason to return to the shackels of shampoo. I am using a mixture of a tablespoon baking soda mixed with one cup water plus a few drops of Dr. Bronner's soap. The idea is that instead of stripping off natural oils and recoating the hair with fake oils, to just clean it and let the natural oils do their thing. My hair feels cleaner, is shiny, fuller and is soft. 

 

 



More pics here.

 

We have little radish sprouts coming up in here. We also planted beets, mustard, peppers (because we don't have enough already...) beans and some others that I can't remember. Meanwhile, back in the bed of doom (we have a bin where things grow veryyyy slowly) my pea plants are taking off! It's right next to the chainlink fence so hopefully they will realize and start climbing up it soon. 

I went on a short run in the park yesterday and this morning biked to the gym for my morning swim. Otherwise, I am just chilling out and try to further the employement saga everyday. Today I have already turned in one application and am working on another (while sitting in the garden listening to the windchime and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.