Just call him Dr. Vest

In my other blog, I posted about John's fall at the lake and his injured shoulder.  He wasn't any better by the time we got home, so I reiterated that he better have it scanned on Monday.  About 2:00 Monday, I called him at work to see if he'd found anything out, and of course, he had not even had it scanned.  He did say they were extremely busy and that he didn't have time to get it done, and he promised me he would have it done Tuesday. 

When he got home Tuesday, he said he did get it scanned and that Dr. Turner would read the MRI on Wednesday.  I started once to call him yesterday to see what the verdict was, but I decided I'd wait until I got home.  When he came in, he had a folded up piece of paper in his hands.  He put his keys and wallet on the TV before handing it to me.  I unfolded it and read the radiologist's report.  Naturally, the report used all of the "big" words that I didn't quite understand, but I did understand "full thickness tear of (insert big word here) tendon" and "partial tear and relocation of (insert big words here) tendon."  So yeah, for the second spring in a row, it looks like we'll be scheduling a surgery.  Hopefully, this will only take one day instead of the two days it took for both wrists last year. 

He said that Dr. Turner had called and left a message for Dr. Hartzog (I googled him...Dr. Heartthrob would be more accurate!!!  VERY easy on the eyes!!!!!)  According to Dr.Turner, this guy is "the best." When I googled him, I learned that he graduated from Birmingham-Southern summa cum laude and was first in his class.  His resume looks extremely impressive, so I feel good. 

Maybe John will have an appointment for a consult soon, and then he can get the surgery scheduled fairly quickly.  As Jessi said, he has a baby to hold in about 11 weeks!  She sent him a message and told him not to use this to try to get out of babysitting.  Like that would ever happen.  LOL  Pop Pop loves his boys!!

Guess that's it for now.  Have a GREAT day!

Spring break coming to an end

Today is the last "official" day of spring break.  **sigh**  With the exception of a couple pieces of sad news (Lance's Gran passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, and my dear friend Karen's mom passed away on Monday), it's been a good week.  You can check my other blog for updates and pictures if you want to.

It will be back to the real world on Monday, BUT there are only 6 more Mondays to go.  I think I can I think I can I think I can.  No, I KNOW I can!  The next five weeks will be crazy busy, so that should make them go by quickly.  The last week will be spent doing exam reviews and giving semester exams.  Teachers have a make up PD day on the Tuesday after Memorial Day, and then I'll be leaving on June 1 for the 3rd Annual Vest Girls' Beach Trip.  Woo Hoo!!!

I plan on enjoying the day tomorrow, but I have procrastinated and HAVE to grade note cards.  Today was a perfect grading day because it was stormy, but we rode to Falkville to visit with Billie, and then we made a couple of stops to browse, so it was about 3 before we got home.  I was sleepy and tried to nap, but that never happened.  I didn't go anything tonight either.  Oh well!  :)

Guess that's it for now.  Have a GREAT Saturday!

I see it!!! I see the light!!!!

The light at the end of the tunnel just keeps getting brighter and brighter.  This time tomorrow about 70 teachers will be laughing with joy because spring break will have begun. 

My seniors have note cards and outlines due tomorrow.  To quote my friend Misty's son when he was about 6, "What the hell was I thinking?"  (That's a story for another day.)  I should have given them an incentive to turn their cards and outlines in TODAY (like an extra 15 points on top of their overall preliminary research grade.)  Those who turned them in wouldn't have to worry about them tomorrow and just maaayyyybbbeeee would catch spring fever and not feel like coming to school.  LOL

I did have several ask me today what they needed to do if they weren't going to be at school tomorrow.  I told them they could bring their stuff by and drop it off or they could send it by someone, but I had to have it.  About six or so did turn theirs in today because they aren't planning on being at school.

We're heading to the lake Sunday.  The original plan (skip this if I've already blogged about it...) was for us to load everything up in the truck this afternoon, and then John would drive it to work tomorrow.  When he got off, he could just head straight to the lake.  I would come home and get them pups when I got off and then head up.  He was going to come home Sunday, and then go back up Tuesday night.  Monday is payroll, and I don't think his employees (or his wife!) would be very happy if they didn't get paid.  He decided he would go ahead and take the whole week of and just go Sunday morning to do payroll.  At first I was going to go on up tomorrow, but after thinking about it, I decided I'd just wait and go with him Sunday, mainly because it would be more dark than not by the time I got there tomorrow.  It isn't that I would mind going in after dark (I've done it before), I would just rather not.

So, Jessi and I are going to do pedicures on Saturday!  Yea!!!  I need one SO badly, and she said she had told Lance she was sure she did, but she can't see her toes.  LOL  She is really showing!  For her to be just under 27 weeks, she is "huge"...HER word, not mine.  I think she looks beautiful.  After we do pedis, we're gonna do a little shopping.  I need a good vacuum to leave at the lake, and she said she needs some new maternity clothes.  I'm sure we'll do a little eating in there, too.  :)

I guess that's about it for now.  I meant to blog earlier this week, but I haven't even wanted to get the computer out once I've gotten home.  Since we've started research, I've been doing more of the teaching.  Getting back into the swing of teaching hasn't been as hard as I thought, but it has worn me out.  It's hard to believe that in 20 calendar days, Ashley will be gone!  This semester has flown by! 

Have a GREAT day!

A John Story

After work yesterday, I had to go to Wal-Mart to get some large envelopes and baggies for my students to put their research materials in.  (Yep, paid for out of my own pocket because after I ordered Grade Master forms with my teacher allocation money, I have a whopping $1.33 left over.  Not a whole heck of a lot I can get with that.)  Anyway, it was after 4:30 before I got home.  John had gotten the grass cut and was about to do the trimming.  After he did that, I heard him crank up the push mower so he could do the part of the yard that is fenced.

While he was doing that, I sorted laundry and started a load and then sat down to watch the news and read the paper.  The picture on the TV began to do weird stuff, but I figured John had just bumped into the satellite dish.  A few minutes later, the satellite signal was completely lost.  I still didn't think anything about it and figured I'd just tell him when he came in.

A few minutes later, his cell phone rang.  I saw that it was Mark, so I took it out to John.  I waited while they talked, and then I told him about the satellite signal being lost.  Like me, he figured he'd done something when he was mowing.  So he went out to check, and I came back inside.

Weeeeeeelllllllllllllll, John actually DID do something, but it wasn't as simple as bumping the satellite. 

Before I tell you what he did, let me explain our satellite experiences.  When we first bought the house, we had cable, but it was horrible.  Every time it rained in Roanoke (where the company was based) we would lose service.  After a while, that got old, so we decided to go the satellite route.  I don't remember why, but we went with Dish first.  At the time, neither Dish nor Direct had local programming for our area, so we had to have an antenna to pick up the Birmingham and Montgomery channels.  A couple of years later, our reception with Dish was more sporadic than our cable reception had been.  We tried everything, but nothing ever worked.

John, the grump that he can be at times, got fed up and cancelled the Dish service and signed up with Direct TV.  When the installer came, we learned WHY our Dish reception had been so horrible.  That installer had spliced the cable and didn't water proof it, so over time, dirt got into the splice.  Every time it would rain, water would get in too, and there went our signal.

Another few years go by, and for whatever reason, John got fed up with Direct, so we went BACK to Direct.  By this time, Dish offered local channels out of Montgomery, anyway.  The installer came and informed me that no, we wouldn't be able to get local channels because a tree was in the way.  Of course, they cannot tell you to cut the tree.  He said he would call the expert and have him come check it out.  So, the expert came out a couple days later, and said, YES, we COULD get the local channels but the satellite needed to be mounted higher that normal so that the angle would be above the roof line.  He showed me exactly where the pole needed to be so I could show the installer.

The installer returned a couple of days later and again was insistent that it would not work, even after I showed him where the expert said the pole needed to be and told him that the expert said it needed to be mounted higher.  He said he would call the expert himself to find out.  He did, and the next thing I know, he is installing the satellite dish in the same spot I had just shown him, and when he was finished, the satellite was about 3 feet higher than they usually install them.  And we have rarely had any problems.

Until yesterday.

When John came back in, his first words were "Those idiots ran the new line to the old pole."  I was confused because I didn't know which idiots he was talking about.  Turns out that when the last Dish installer came (the one who said it wouldn't work), he connected the new Dish cable to the old Direct cable.  The cable ran from the new dish to the old pole and from the old pole to the house.  For probably five or six years now, John has been cutting grass and dealing with the cable being in his way, but yesterday, he decided to do something about it.  He cut it, therefore cutting our satellite reception.  (My reply to him when he said they were idiots was that maybe he should have checked for himself to see where the cable went.)  He was quite ill.  (I was sort of ill because I figured it would mean that I would have to miss the basketball game last night.) 

We went to eat, and then he tried to fix it.  It didn't work, but he tried, so I couldn't be mad.  I was having an allergy attack, so I wouldn't have been able to stay awake for the game anyway.

When I got home today, I asked him if he got the cable fixed.  He said he did.  I asked what he had to do.  His reply:  "I called Dish."  LOL  He called them and explained what happened, and they sent someone out to fix it the right way.  So now he can cut grass without having to worry about the cable being in his way.

I love this crazy man o' mine!

Have a GREAT day!

Yea!

The AHSGE results came back today.  Well, hard copies haven't, but Christy (our counselor who is over testing at the high school) got the results online.  Of the ten students I had for the language remediation class last semester, eight of them passed!!!  I am so excited for them!  I am extremely disappointed for the two who did not, though.  The sad thing about them is that they are seniors, and this was their last chance to take the exam.  However, they both have IEPs, and even though they have been working toward a high school diploma with a technical endorsement, they will still be able to participate in graduation ceremonies.  I'm not sure if they will have the requirements to receive the Alabama Occupational Diploma or if they will receive a certificate of attendance.  I hope they have what it takes to get the AOD.

Of the four students I have this term for the language remediation class, all but one passed the language portion, and she was so close!  I'm not sure if they will stay in my class for a study hall or if they will find another class.  Or who knows...maybe they'll even get to leave school the last block of the day.  (I guess that would depend on the number of credits they have.)  I really hope that they don't stay in my class so I can work uninterrupted with the one student who didn't pass.  Actually, I have an assistant that block, and she didn't pass, either, so I would be working with both of them.  The others are great kids, but think back to when you were a 17 year old high school junior.  If you didn't have something to keep you busy, you sat and talked, right?  I know I did.  :)

Any of the juniors who didn't pass a section will have an opportunity to take the exam again in the summer, and then they will have three chances their senior year.  Some of the ones I had still have other sections to pass, mostly social studies.  The crazy thing about the social studies is that the majority of the test comes from the second part of American history, which they don't take until their junior year.  Some had been in American History 2 for only about 8 weeks when they had to take the AHSGE, so they hadn't covered much of the material.  This year, our social studies department made some changes.  Now American History 1 is taught in the 9th grade, and American History 2 is taught in the 10th grade.  Juniors will take world history (except this year and next year...all of this year's juniors and sophomores already had world history), and seniors will continue to take government and economics.  Doesn't that just make more sense all the way around?  Hopefully, we will see improvement on the scores for social studies for sophomores.

We're one day closer to spring break.  Everybody is so tired and ready to get to April 11th.  Teachers who have children in the elementary schools have said that their kids are exhausted.  They are having to test for one more week without having had a break since Christmas.  I'll be surprised if we don't see a change for the worst in their test scores.  And then that will affect our AYP.  Then we'll have to listen to how we didn't do as well as we needed to.  **sigh**

Guess that's it for now.  :)  Have a GREAT day tomorrow!  I sure hope mine is better.  Other than the good news about my kiddos, today has been about the crappiest of crappy Mondays.