Thursday Thoughts: A little depressing

In 2 weeks, I hand back my her classroom. Sure, it's only 3 months, but that's a lifetime in my head.

I've also worked at the school since September 2011, when I came back to California. It helped me get back on my feet, it helped me recovery, and I regained my love of teaching. I lost it when I lost myself for awhile.

I won't be going back as an aide. How could I? I wouldn't get enough hours or pay. Instead, I'm continuing to substitute teach there and anywhere in the district, day to day for less pay. Already though, I was working just as much as a regular teacher and getting HALF the pay!

Additionally, I started applying to sub in other districts. I'm also applying for "real" jobs.

What else will I be doing?

• Taking classes again. One a month since I can't student teach till April anyways.
• Go on vacation. Asheville here I come!
• Taking more trips. Not that I don't do that now.
• Watch "Breaking Bad" or "Walking Dead" finally.
• Read books.

Besides not having the same place to go everyday, I won't see my students as much anymore. I've seen them at least 3xs/week for 2 1/2 years.

There will be a party. There will be some crying on my end.

It's not fair. I was the standout student in college yet I'm the one who hasn't found a job yet. Granted, I struggled with my own issues and didn't want to move to the middle of nowhere for work. Instead, I put my foot in the door in a ritzy district and have moved up, even getting interviews for jobs I wasn't quite qualified for.

But if I've learned anything, I've learned to work in and manage classrooms with students with mild/moderate disabilities or as some say, the naughty kids.

I've worked with college prep students, preschoolers with disabilities, and high school students with challenges. I've worked at an urban and a rural high school and now a suburban, upper-middle class high school.

Yes, the going is slow but it's going. This is the time that I start to think:

 

...because even though I'd love to sub all year (like my co-worker), I'll be open to other opportunities.

High Five: 50/50 + survey

HIGH FIVE for getting called back for a second interview with the principal. This means I have a 50/50 shot?! The interview is on Wednesday at 10 A.M. Remind me!

HIGH FIVE for a self-prescribed workout.

Jill Coleman's "How to Lean Out Your Legs" was meant for me! I took her tips and headed the gym yesterday to do a LiveFit-esque workout.

• Sprints - 1 min on, 30 sec off (5 rounds)
• Leg extension - 70# x 15 (3 sets)
• Wide stance barbell squat - 55# x 10 (3 sets)
• Squat press - 250# x 10 (4 sets)
• Seated calf raise - 210# x 10 (3 sets)
• Leg curl - 50# x 10 (2 sets)
• Leg press - 210# x 10 (3 sets)
• Deadlift - 75# x 10 (3 sets)
• Stair climber - 5 minutes

HIGH FIVE for Thirsty Thursday! After a dull day at work, I met up with my friend Sara for drinks in Long Beach. First stop, Rock Bottom Brewery. I ordered the beer flight.

The White Ale was my favorite. The stout tasted like straight up coffee.

Nope, we weren't done. We went to Congregation Ale House as well where we "shared" a Black Market Brewing hefeweizen.

I headed home, texted or messaged a bunch of friends for no reason, and was lulled to bed by the sounds of Pandora.

HIGH FIVE for waking up early the next day. I headed to yoga and boy was it tough today! We worked into side crow and I can get my top leg straight!

Like this but I probably don't look as put together

Today's my day off so I'm taking a midday luxury nap & I'm hoping going to study after I finish this fun survey. :)

A. Attached or Single?

Single.

B. Best friend(s)?

Yancey, forever and ever even if we're near and don't talk sometimes.

C. Cake or Pie?

Best cake I've ever tasted from MILK in Los Angeles.

So cake it is. Unless it's pumpkin pie, but I mostly like the filling. Unless the crust is unconventional pie crust.

D. Day of choice?

Thursday and Saturdays. Thursdays because it's almost the end of the week and sometimes Fridays are a disappointment. Saturdays are always a good time.

E. Essential item?

Q-Tips, the paper kind. Plastic bends so easily! I can't recall how many times I've regretted forgetting them.

F. Favorite color?

Retro pistachio (KitchenAid mixer color), the exact orange in this picture, and ice blue

G. Gummy bears or worms? 

Bears, but right now, these are my favorite:

H. Hometown?

Huntington Beach, CA, but I lived on the interior.

I. Favorite indulgence?

Traveling

 and getting a mani-pedi.

J. January of July?

My birthday is in July and even though it's hot and sometimes dull (yes, I said it), I meet new friends and go hiking.

K. Kids?

None at this time. Right now, I don't foresee myself having kids because I could never give enough [time] to my kids and to my students at the same time.

L. Life isn't complete without...

My students. That's the first thing I could think of... and my phone!

M. Marriage date?

Maybe one day. I'm more partial to this than having kids at least.

N. Number of brothers/sisters?

None.

O. Oranges or Apples?

Apples! I'm pretty sad it's not apple picking season right now!

What's your favorite? Fujis, Honey Crips, and Pink Ladies are my favorite

P. Phobias

Heights combined with water.

Q. Quotes

Everyday.

 
R. Reasons to smile

#1: Possibility of getting a teaching job!

 Hanging out with old friends and new friends

S. Season of choice

T. Tag 5 people

U. Unknown fact about me

I can't swim.

V. Vegetable

Sweet potatoes

Grilled corn

W. Worst habit

Picking at my nails.

X. X-ray or Ultrasound?

Neither sound good. I did get an ultrasound once to see if there was anything wrong with my belly.

Y. Your favorite cereal?

No joke.

Z. Zodiac sign 

Okay, fine. This is true too.

Take this survey or answer any part in the comments!

Toughin' it out

Interview #1 was bright and early yesterday. After a shaky start, which wasn't too bad because the questions were straight-forward, I started to be more verbal. 20 minutes is such a short time! It'll be harder to fit everything in tomorrow when my interviewers know less about me.

Now I sit and wait. The principal does a second interview, but she's actually on vacation so that may slow the process.

Should I have revealed to the world via social media that I have these interviews? I'll be embarrassed if I get neither. At the same time, I couldn't hold it in and I got a lot of support from friends and co-workers. They sent me interview questions, texts, and my mom even bought me a new dress for the interviews.

I'm not actually worried about being embarrassed as I am about not getting either position. I have a knack/niche for teaching and the school who gets me would be lucky. It's common knowledge.

After some thought, I considered that yesterday could have been a courtesy interview, but the one today is not and that they are actually more interested. I can literally walk to my interview and it would take me less than 5 minutes.

If all was equal, I would stay with my current school - I love the students and I love the staff... and my students would totally be devastated. I've been in this situation before though and I adjusted completely fine. No matter where I end up, I will love it and I will excel.

Onto less serious things...

I didn't forget about the squat challenge.

Work and homework kept me busy all day... until now.

My little cousin entertained me though.

And took silly pictures of me.

I'm fierce. Hah.

Selfie. Not looking so bad. Maybe one day it'll be closer up. 

Easy-to-digest foods are doing wonders on my tummy: smoothies/shakes, a sandwich with protein, Quest bars, and protein pancakes. I've pretty much cut out meat except chicken because it's so hard to digest.

So yeah, can I be Paleo without the beef? Those heavy meals really did a number on me.

I occupied myself with work, school work, "MasterChef," and a workout this morning.

Howard is hot, but Lynn deserved to stay.

 

 Cardio: step with weights makes for a good sweat session.

How long did it take you to hear back from an interview?

How do you deal with tough situations, or the waiting game?

Catching Up on Saturday

I woke up and drove around all morning in search of a place to workout. I wanted hot yoga but didn't want to pay $15. My shoulders aren't happy with all the yoga anyways. My CrossFit box is at a competition and my Saturday morning boot camp class is no longer on the schedule at the gym.

So I drove home and ate lunch because I got hungry. I'm tired too.

I did pick up my mail.

Back to the drawing board. I used to plan out my weeks to detail and while this would solve the problem, I wasn't being "intuitive." You've heard that word everywhere!

Plan B: narrow down options/write down options.

So I'm back at home, catching up on the social world: Pinterest.

 

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Now homework. Oops forgot about that.

WIAW: A Test on Eating Out

I ate out a lot this weekend. This is not typical. If I do go out, I'll pick somewhere like Greenleaf Chopshop to ensure the quality and healthiness of the food. When I'm thrown a curve ball, I make good choices that don't make me feel guilty. That's a big deal.

I'm also happy to break away from my "orthorexia," if you believe in it or not. Meg just wrote a couple of posts on eating intuitively, which I'm on the fence about because I typically don't eat enough. However, after my weekend of eating, I find that I do eat enough now. Yay.

On Friday, I went to Slater's 50/50, my favorite burger joint. I went with the turkey burger with veggies sans bun. Of course, I ordered a beer but was pretty disappointed by it.

On Saturday, my family went to The Cheesecake Factory for Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. I navigated the award-winning "worst food" restaurant by ordering a skinny mojito and ahi capraccio, essentially thiny sliced ahi tuna with avocado pesto drizzled on top.

I had some time on Monday to roam around. I ended up sleeping in, going to PiYo, and roaming around Fashion Island. I ate a single Caribbean chocolate French macaron from 'lette and a panko-crusted grilled fish taco from Bear Flag Fish Company. They're touted as one of the best in the country - I just don't like corn tortillas.

 

Today, and it's just Tuesday, I ate small to prep for dinner at Rockin Crepes with my cousin and his friends. No pictures unfortunately. I chose the ZZ Top: chicken, tomatoes, sweet onions, Swiss, and hot sauce. I got a drink because they actually had Fox Barrel blackberry pear cider on tap.

I was just thinking about it over the weekend!

Okay, so Meal Plan Monday Tuesday/What's For Dinner is a couple days late but it was a holiday weekend! I started this post and never finished but wanted to share some foods I found on Pinterest. :)
 
Did you know how hard it is to buy ripe bananas??! I went to several stores and all of them had green bananas! So I bought a bunch of bananas and am waiting patiently so I can make some banana-y meals.

Breakfasts 

This makes 4 meals!

Source: ohsheglows.com via Julie on Pinterest

Just a thought

Source: cookincanuck.com via Julie on Pinterest

More possible. It's my usual oatmeal protein pancake with some lemon Chobani and poppy seeds.

Source: nutbutterrunner.tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

I've made this before and wouldn't mind reintroducing it. Does require more work.

Source: sprint2thetable.com via Julie on Pinterest

Lunches/Dinners 
I still haven't made these.

Source: nutbutterrunner.tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: howsweeteats.com via Julie on Pinterest

Snacks
Fiber One Honey Squares

Source: girlgonecountry.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: carrotsncake.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: toneitup.com via Julie on Pinterest

I got a bag of sunflower seeds in my NatureBox but don't eat them plain.

Source: choosingraw.com via Julie on Pinterest

What are your favorite foods to eat when you go out?