Miscellaneous Missives

This week I practiced my meditation at 10 minute increments. Today when the instructor asked if we had any questions regarding our experience, I felt the need to ask my question (more of a statement). Although I realize I shouldn't have shared this in class a bit too late, I also realize I shouldn't share this in a public format such as this blog. I guess this will be my opportunity to embarrass myself in public, and it certainly won't be the first time. When I meditated this week, I drooled which made me feel uncomfortable. The instructor didn't find it strange, but the people in the class looked appalled and humored at the same time making me realize I should have asked in private. Maybe they don't realize how difficult it is for me to sit still for ten minutes without my mind wandering. According to the instructor, I forgot to swallow as I was concentrating on the meditation. Today's meditation went better in the drooling category, but I found it hard...

I am always interested in my zodiac sign. It really seems to fit me. This description came attached to an e-mail. Since I didn't forward the e-mail, it seems I'll have four years bad luck. Do you think they'll be followed by four years of good luck? Is there even, in the middle, luck? Is there luck? "SCORPIO - The Intense One (Oct 23 - Nov 21)Very energetic. Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive. Hardworking. Great kisser. Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds grudges.. Attractive. Determined. Loves being in long Relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Can be very centered at times. Passionate and Emotional. 4 years of bad luck if you do not forward."

Today I saw a former student in the media center. She asked, "Why are you always smiling?" First I know this isn't true, but if it was true, I would know the reason. I am always smiling because I can predict the future. Last night I started an on-line Scrabble game with colleagues titled "Conferences Canceled." This afternoon the conferences were canceled. How did I know that we would get six inches (shown drifted on my car)? I knew it because my Christmas cactus recently started to bloom. By reading the newly formed flowers, I was able to predict the cancellation of conferences this evening. It's a gift!

A colleague and I were discussing curriculum and our hectic schedules today. Although this week is a bit intense with two nights of conferences, we both shared our plan of attending Ash Wednesday service (different churches, same message). "I have to admit that I enjoy Lent," she stated. With agreement I shared my decision to pray the Rosary during this Lenten season. Enjoyment may not be the word, but I do appreciate the intensity and reverence this season brings. Preparation for the celebration of East is a path of repenting and praying. This year my path will include mediation and praying the Rosary. Because I feel Lent should be a time to discard those feelings that hinder my spiritual growth, I find my path appropriate. My chosen path for Lent will bring its own challenges mainly that of reserving time for reflection. This is fitting since Lent is also a time to remember the challenges of Jesus as he prepared for the crucifixion.

When I watch the news, I typically don't watch ABC. Tonight I did watch ABC since it was on. McCain and Obama were having a discussion . Actually McCain was trying to make Obama seem ignorant. Does the old man forget how this worked for him in the election? Hey old man, give it up!

Yesterday I started a six week mediation course. The meditation is known as Vipassana. This is a description I found : "Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through self-observation. It focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind." The teacher told us that it would be more difficult at home. I'm not sure if I "meditated" following her exact instructions, but for the second day in a row I was able to sit without talking or moving (maybe a little movement) for ten minutes. This can't be a bad thing.

Rise and shine was 6:30 this morning in hopes of watching the sunrise on my walk. Although I missed the sunrise because it was too cloudy, I didn't miss the beauty of the new snowfall. On my way out the Greenway wasn't plowed which was more strenuous than the walk on the way in which was plowed.

I'm not completely sure how I feel about the "auto industry bailout," but I am sure how I feel about Fix news. It's safe to say that Mayer Virg Bernero will not return to the Conservative Mecca know as Fix News. If I lived in East Lansing, I'd vote for him even though it's "not a campaign speech" according to the interviewer.

Typically I do not stay after school on Fridays. It seems sacrilegious. Since student led conferences are next Tuesday and Thursday, I told the students I would stay after school today. First I made it quite clear that I was leaving at 3:15 or earlier. As I was leaving the parking lot on time, a student came running across the lawn towards me waving and taking an assignment out of his binder. He had typed it at the public library across the street and wanted to make sure I received it before I went home. As he approached I stepped out of my car and greeted him. He showed me his assignment which was not done correctly. Standing out in the cold with the snow starting to fall, I took the assignment from him and showed him what needed to be done. While I had his paper out on my car writing directions and corrections, a car pulled up behind me. It was a colleague who was not able to get out because I blocked the exit helping my student with his assignment. I smiled and said, ...

The news is often filled with stories of athletes making poor decisions. This week one story shows a high school student (and his coach) making the correct decision. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin a home team was charged with a technical foul (two foul shots) because they substitute a player who was not on the roster. He was not on the roster because his mother had passed away that day. In fact his coach had been at the hospital with him. Since the coach didn't think he would play, he did not put him on the roster. When the young man showed up to play, the coach put him in the game (hence the technical). The opposing team's (visitor's) coach tried to decline the technical understanding the situation, the the officials informed the team that they must shoot the foul shots. A senior shot the fowl shots and missed both (by a lot) on purpose to the cheers of the crowd. The crowd wasn't cheering because he missed both shots; the crowd was cheering at the gesture of this sen...

Thursday I gave my advisory students Fun Dips as a Valentine's Day present. Since I was gone yesterday, I distributed the sugary treats to those who were absent on Thursday. This prompted one student to ask multiple times if he could have one (another one). I repeated my answer of no, but he was persistent. At one point he even offered to pay one dollar for one. When it was time to leave another student stayed back and commented on the obnoxious students plea for candy saying, "You can't bribe Valentine Love." Of course I had to agree, "No it's not something you can bribe."

I took The Trust Test in my Oprah magazine. It doesn't seem like something an educated person would do, but I admit to doing taking quizzes such as this frequently. My results were not necessarily surprising: "You generally trust yourself with good results, but you have wobbly moments in new situations or when you're interacting with people who impress or intimidate you. When you begin to lose trust in yourself, stop. Breathe. Ground yourself in the awareness that has served you so well, and remember that this same feeling can guide you through even the most unfamiliar circumstances." The results did, however, make sense for me. One thing I do need to do more frequently is "breathe." I also need to "ground myself" more often. If the results were absolute, they would have mentioned my need to pause and think before I speak, but maybe this isn't a trust issue. Today I started to speak several times only to pause and think of a way to ma...

I refrained from posting about the welfare mom in California and her octuplets, but after reading today's news, I must share my birth control and lack of birth control stories. First let's start with a former student (now in 8th grade). It seems her dog was walking around with her (former student not dog's) used condom from the trash can. Although it may seem a bit crazy that an eighth grader is engaged in sex (obviously in and out of her own home), I commend the use of a condom. Maybe the 13 year old boy from England should have sported a condom when he had sex with the 15 year old girl. Now the dad a (of 13 year old) is going to "pimp" his son and sell the story. It also seems that this young lady (ok... lady is a bit facetious) has also had sex with two other boys who claim they could be the "baby's daddy." Then there is a former classmate who recently had a child. Her oldest is 15 or 16 (no clue, I'm going on gossip from others). It wou...

"The chairman of the Republican National Committee has confirmed what Democrats and millions of others frustrated with his party have probably been thinking for a while: the GOP can't be trusted. In a surprisingly frank exchange on Glenn Beck's Fox News program Friday, Michael Steele responded to Beck's anger that the Republican Party had "betrayed" its supporters by allowing "socialism" to occur in America this way: 'I’m not going to soft pedal this with you,' Steele said. 'The reality of it is, you are absolutely right. You have absolutely no reason, none, to trust our word or our actions at this point.'" from: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/RNC_chairman_voters_have_no_reason_0213.html, article by Jeremy Gantz "You have absolutely no reason, none, to trust our word or our actions at this point." Really? I could have told you this! OH, that's right... America did tell you with its vote during the last election. ...

This afternoon I shared my inauguration pictures with a wonderful liberal from Okoboji. As I shared my photos and pictures, I was able to relive some of the emotion of the day. We also talked politics. It was delightful. As we were conversing, she kept mentioning DU. Since she is far more intelligent than myself and spoke as though I should know what she was talking about, I didn't want to ask, "What does DU stand for?" When I left, I called my brother and asked him. It seems DU stands for Democraticunderground.com. DU is now added to my bloglines. One more liberal feed!

Sunday night I watched Coldplay on 60 Minutes and fell in love with Chris Martin again. Most of this week I have been overwhelmed including today, so tonight as I listened to Coldplay, I appreciated the "Lost?" lyrics. Just because I'm losing Doesn't mean I'm lost Doesn't mean I'll stop After a workshop day today, I look forward to a three day weekend before I need to sit through a day of meetings again on Tuesday.

I have been waiting for a 1099(?), from my three days with the state this summer, which has not come. Although I am beginning to think I didn't make enough money to warrant a form, I still wait. This is good because even though I will have a refund coming, I want to make sure I don't have to file an adjustment as I did last year when I forgot the same extra income. Today I realized it may be a good idea to wait because I received the following e-mail from my employer: The purpose of this e-mail is to notify you of a problem that just came to my attention. The W-2 that you recently received from the School District is incorrect. You will be receiving a corrected W-2 in the next few days. The problem is in Box 12 – Code W. The incorrect W-2 did not include the employee contribution to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), only the District contribution. The correct version includes both the employee and the District contributions... What does this mean? I think I'll wait for th...

Today Brett Favre announced his retirement, again! I looked back at my posts from last year. When he retired the first time I was emotional and saddened. This time I could care less. Instead of going out last year with respect and dignity and MONEY, he chose to play for another team. Maybe there's a moral to this story, something about being selfish and how it doesn't quite work.

Several mornings a week I say good morning or hello to a former student who is often waiting in the seventh grade hallway. Sometimes he grunts. Sometimes he ignores me. Sometimes he actually mutters a hi. He never has a civil hello. Since I'm a realist, I'm not looking for an enthusiastic hello, merely an acknowledgment of my greeting and perhaps a nod. Today I was walking down the hallway and I heard an enthusiastic, "Ms. Moeller!" I looked back around the corner to see this student waving at me. Of course I was caught a bit off guard. "J-- are you roaming the halls this morning?" I asked jokingly. "I'm going to class," he replied. We exchanged pleasantries then parted to go to our classes. I guess I received my acknowledgment of my morning greetings.

I love rain, but it feels a bit strange in February. Normally I find rain refreshing. Today it only seems to emphasize the darkness that lies under the white (or used to be) snow. For some reason, the rain seems fitting. This past weekend I heard sad news from several of my friends: a breakup, a family member visiting Rochester, a family member with a broken bone, and the death of a friend. As the raindrops hit my window and become a rivulet, I picture individual prayers coming together. My prayers and the prayers of others form together to be something greater. When I pray for my friends and their loved ones, I know that I am not praying alone.

I'm fairly certain 2003 was the year I watched A-Rod play baseball in Texas as we talked with Jesus, the usher, and saw a double rainbow. The game was uneventful, but I do remember A-Rod playing. It seems this is the year he tested positive for steroids which were not banned by MLB. If steroids weren't banned by baseball and the tests were to remain confidential, why is everyone upset with A-Rod? My guess is he is not the only baseball player that tested positive hence the banning after the testing. IMHO A-Rod is not the person we should be criticizing. Let's criticize the source that leaked and glamorized this confidential information. After all, this seems immoral if not illegal.

I noticed Whole Foods didn't have the Mrs. Meyers Clean Day powdered cleanser on the shelf last week, so I checked at Target today. They didn't have it, but they didn't have a wide variety of "green" cleaners. While at Whole Foods this afternoon, I asked about it. It seems Mrs. Meyers Clean Day has been bought out by SC Johnson. The employee of Whole Foods told me they found out because some of the Mrs. Meyers' employees shop and spread the news. Thinking it was strange that Treehugger didn't make the announcement, I did a little check of my own. After some searching I came across this: "In 2008, SC Johnson acquired The Caldera Company, marketer of Mrs. Meyers Clean Day and Caldera brands." Mrs. Meyers Clean Day® and Caldera® may not be the local company I had imagined.

When I bought my house, everyone told me one of the grand opportunities in owning a house is the tax refund. Perhaps I'm a bit naive, but I was hoping for a larger tax refund than I will be getting. Although my 2008 refund is larger than my 2007 refund, it is not large enough for my plans. Yes, I had plans for this money (a trip to Phoenix, a new laptop, and money for savings)! Currently I'm debating between a new laptop and savings. It looks like Phoenix for spring break won't work. Maybe I should be content that I will get a larger refund that last year, but I'm not!

Today's laser treatment was intense. They numbed the area for the first time before doing the treatment. Whatever they injected into my face to numb the area made me a bit shaky and upset my stomach. To make matters worse, as I was driving home, I noticed blood dripping (literally) down my face. If only I knew if this was making a difference. I wish I had a Magic 8 Ball to shake and find the answer. Oh, I'd probably get "reply hazy, try again".

My pastor has talked about this poem and suggested that we write our own. Where I'm From I am from clothespins, from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride. I am from the dirt under the back porch. (Black, glistening, it tasted like beets.) I am from the forsythia bush the Dutch elm whose long-gone limbs I remember as if they were my own. I'm from fudge and eyeglasses, from Imogene and Alafair. I'm from the know-it-alls and the pass-it-ons, from Perk up! and Pipe down! I'm from He restoreth my soul with a cottonball lamb and ten verses I can say myself. I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch, fried corn and strong coffee. From the finger my grandfather lost to the auger, the eye my father shut to keep his sight. Under my bed was a dress box spilling old pictures, a sift of lost faces to drift beneath my dreams. I am from those moments-- snapped before I budded -- leaf-fall from the family tree. Mine probably needs a littl...

I will admit that I am ready for spring break although that won't happen until April 6th, and I'm not sure that I have enough money to join friends in Phoenix. This week, the two days I've experienced, has been difficult. Yesterday I entered my classroom to realize it was freezing. The custodian came to fix the problem during my rowdiest class. This meant emptying some liquid from the pipes into a bucket which sounded like someone peeing in the back of the room. To make it worse it was followed by an unusual smell which made it even more difficult to pay attention to me as I introduced a new topic. Unfortunately, it is also that time of year when the students are "pushing it." Yesterday and today I sent out four students, more than the entire year. Tomorrow will be more of the same if I have another mouthy girl yell at me in class. If only spring break was at the beginning of March instead of April, my life would be sweeter.

Recently a friend asked me, "What is your favorite dessert." I was perplexed. I love sweets and desserts... to a fault. My recent find, which I like don't love, is called QB's. It's a crispy treat (like Rice Krispie treats) filled with ice cream. BTW- Although the picture says "coming soon," they are available at Whole Foods.

Obviously the Superbowl and its commercials are not keeping me entertained.

There is also a funny laundromat Cheetos' ad.

For Lent I want to pray the Holy Rosary which means I must memorize the prayers. Although my progress is slow, I’m working down the list. The following can be checked off my list: In the Name... Our Father (The Lord’s Prayer) Hail Mary (working on maybe not deserving of a check... really close) Glory Be The following I haven't started: I Believe in God... (Apostle’s Creed) O My Jesus... Hail Holy Queen O God Whose... Announce... Admittedly I have have some memorizing to do, but I feel satisfied with my start.