I am pleasantly dunk and trying to blog on my iPhone. We shall see how this goes.
I found out Saturday that I got into Columbia College Chicago! They are giving me close to a full ride, so minimal student loans. And I'm going to be working as a nanny for my godchildren and teaching puppetry while going to school. Cue me putting back on my Bohemia hat! I'm so done with desk jobs. No more. Give me a room where I have to be "present" to work, please! I am done with checking out from work and eking out a life. I want to live! I can ride my bike to nanny, Damnit! Amazing.
In two years I'll have a masters, a teaching license and certificates in elementary Ed, special Ed, and theatre k-9. Working with kids, creating curriculum... Ahhhhhhh! It's for me. I am that artsy fartsy teacher.
I gave my three weeks notice at work. I feel damn good. They have offered to take me back part time anytime I want if I need extra cash. Thy are all supportive, which is cool. They recognize that it's a step up and a huge opportunity. Which I did t expect to happen, but it's nice.
Since I found out and since I quit.... I just... I haven't felt this happy in a long time. This feels really right. Ryan took me out for champagne on Saturday and my husband took me to Sola for a celebratory dinner on sunday. Yesterday holly took me for lunch and Tonight our good friends Emily and Janet took us out for martinis. A week of celebration!
Tomorrow we go to Ryan and yolanda's house to babysit. This week feels like a blur. Dan and I both feel hopeful for the future. I think i needed to go back to the creative side of things to get the rest of me going again.
I want to be more social. I am normally, but I feel like work has killed that. Other than the baby hole we have mostly been hibernating since january. But now we have plans in advance for fun outings. We even have made weekly Corner Bar plans with Emily and Janet. North center yo.
Okay. I hope this makes sense when I read it tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Haha!
Passed all five exams! Test taking genius, say I! This means I will find out about AUSL within the next two weeks.... And if I do get it I'll be playing nanny April-June!!!!! Feeling good!
Fortune
Heavy Things on my mind...
- Michigan. Specifically, Detroit's school cuts, collective bargaining, and the ability for the Governor to declare a "financial emergency" in any city and then strip that city of it's elected officials.
- Wisconsin. Probably don't need to expand on this one.
- My cousin Andy, his wife Sharon, and their newborn baby Quinn, who are on the Misawa airbase in Japan. Right after the earthquake they reported in as being okay, but since then the tsunami's have hit and we don't know for sure where they are. I know in my gut they are probably fine, he's a top gun fighter pilot after all, but mostly I'm scared for their baby.
- My Mom. Anniversaries are rough.
- I get my test results back at 5pm tonight. Here's hoping that I pass all five exams and don't have to retake anything in April.
- I have my big interview tomorrow. My lesson plan is prepped and I've been reading it aloud to myself at work all day. I feel pretty confident about it and it would be amazing to know whether or not I "get it" by the end of March.
- Being a god parent. Since the babies came home, we've been pretty consistently going over to help every week. It feels really amazing to be able to be so involved in their early days. I keep thinking about when we first met them in November and how much they've changed and it brings tears to my eyes. And I've been having a lot of fun changing diapers (really!), changing clothes, swaddling, comforting crying babies, and learning how to give bottles. And really, watching Dan do all of those things is also an amazing experience. We have fallen in love with our godchildren and they've really inspired us to start thinking concretely and not just whimsically about having children. I think we're both ready.. Eek!
- Seeing HAIR on Saturday night. Let the sun shine in!!!
- My brother's wedding in June and the bridal shower in April.
- Making time to cuddle every night before bed, and setting our alarm a little early so we can cuddle before we get up every morning. :)
I guess that's about it. Which is actually quite a lot.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Oh Joy! Rapture! I have a brain.
Minneapolis was unexpectedly epic. The Ness Nest (as I am now calling it) is beautiful, calming, and already feels like a home away from home. It was so nice to spend quality time with Brian and to meet his new (extremely wonderful)BF.
We spent our day antiquing and at the Art Institute. We met the new friend at his work after hours (the Minnesota Opera) and he gave us a VIP tour. It included a trip up onto the roof at sunset and an impromptu performance of our favorite showtunes on the piano.
The Megabus trip home was awful. Truly just a bad experience. There was a white out style blizzard, the double decker bus shook under the influence of the wind, and at one point the highway had to close. We spent a good three extra hours winding down terrifying Wisconsin backroads, driving past cars flipped over in ditches. I don't blame the Megabus, but I doubt I'll be using them again. There were several points where I sat and prayed that they would pull over and tell us we had to get a hotel room for the night because the weather was too bad to drive.
Other news: I found out I made the "first cut" for AUSL. I have a second interview on March 12th that includes a 5 minute lesson plan and writing a critical essay response. I've got lots of prepping to do... eek! I've decided to do a five minute lesson plan on the American Flag for a 3rd grade classroom. Right now it's going well. I have lots of facts, now I just need to tie them all together for optimal fun.
If I don't make AUSL, then I am hoping that Columbia College comes through. If it does, I'll likely begin nannying for a certain pair godchildren to earn some part time money and take classes at night. And in the case of going the CC route, I'd also be teaching puppetry this summer for Pulaski. Which is about the best way I can imagine to spend a summer. It's nice that I feel pumped about either option. Both will provide me with very different experiences. Columbia College will be harder financially, since I'll be paying for school. AUSL will be harder in that it's a five year commitment. But I feel good about both options and I think I'd be happy going either way.
I also randomly had a job interview for a position I applied for in January. It's an Education Manager position at a large regional theatre in Ohio. The pay is a little higer than my salary now, which would be great. I'm still waiting to hear back about whether I make the second round of interviews, in which case we'd start thinking a bit more concretely about potentially moving back to Ohio. The job is amazing. I'd be creating my own education theatre programs and expanding on the ones they already have in place. We could also afford a house and we'd likely start working on making a little family if we go this route. We're trying to not get too pumped about it, because it might not come through. Their HR lady said they had several interviews to complete and that most of them were with people from NYC. So we'll see. I think I could compete with Ohio applicants, but NYC people might just have been credentials than I do. But it's an interesting option.
We spent some time with the godchildren this week. I changed some diapers and we both each had a night of rocking babies to sleep. It's a pretty incredible experience and I feel really lucky that we are able to be involved. I think it has made us both a bit baby crazy, but that's okay.
I think that's about it in the way of news. My bridesmaid dress came in for Mitch's wedding and it's absolutely gorgeous. Ali's dress is also amazing and the resort they've chosen at Lake Geneva is incredible. It's going to be a great weekend with family. I can't believe it's just 3 months away.
We spent our day antiquing and at the Art Institute. We met the new friend at his work after hours (the Minnesota Opera) and he gave us a VIP tour. It included a trip up onto the roof at sunset and an impromptu performance of our favorite showtunes on the piano.
The Megabus trip home was awful. Truly just a bad experience. There was a white out style blizzard, the double decker bus shook under the influence of the wind, and at one point the highway had to close. We spent a good three extra hours winding down terrifying Wisconsin backroads, driving past cars flipped over in ditches. I don't blame the Megabus, but I doubt I'll be using them again. There were several points where I sat and prayed that they would pull over and tell us we had to get a hotel room for the night because the weather was too bad to drive.
Other news: I found out I made the "first cut" for AUSL. I have a second interview on March 12th that includes a 5 minute lesson plan and writing a critical essay response. I've got lots of prepping to do... eek! I've decided to do a five minute lesson plan on the American Flag for a 3rd grade classroom. Right now it's going well. I have lots of facts, now I just need to tie them all together for optimal fun.
If I don't make AUSL, then I am hoping that Columbia College comes through. If it does, I'll likely begin nannying for a certain pair godchildren to earn some part time money and take classes at night. And in the case of going the CC route, I'd also be teaching puppetry this summer for Pulaski. Which is about the best way I can imagine to spend a summer. It's nice that I feel pumped about either option. Both will provide me with very different experiences. Columbia College will be harder financially, since I'll be paying for school. AUSL will be harder in that it's a five year commitment. But I feel good about both options and I think I'd be happy going either way.
I also randomly had a job interview for a position I applied for in January. It's an Education Manager position at a large regional theatre in Ohio. The pay is a little higer than my salary now, which would be great. I'm still waiting to hear back about whether I make the second round of interviews, in which case we'd start thinking a bit more concretely about potentially moving back to Ohio. The job is amazing. I'd be creating my own education theatre programs and expanding on the ones they already have in place. We could also afford a house and we'd likely start working on making a little family if we go this route. We're trying to not get too pumped about it, because it might not come through. Their HR lady said they had several interviews to complete and that most of them were with people from NYC. So we'll see. I think I could compete with Ohio applicants, but NYC people might just have been credentials than I do. But it's an interesting option.
We spent some time with the godchildren this week. I changed some diapers and we both each had a night of rocking babies to sleep. It's a pretty incredible experience and I feel really lucky that we are able to be involved. I think it has made us both a bit baby crazy, but that's okay.
I think that's about it in the way of news. My bridesmaid dress came in for Mitch's wedding and it's absolutely gorgeous. Ali's dress is also amazing and the resort they've chosen at Lake Geneva is incredible. It's going to be a great weekend with family. I can't believe it's just 3 months away.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Whirlwind
I'm still a bit winded from what I can only describe as a killer weekend. I'm still attempting to get my head back on straight. It doesn't help that I have a math test tonight that I am unprepared for AND that I am wearing high heel shoes in the first time since... well, forever. But they are also the cutest of all shoes (and surprising comfortable despite the 3 inch heel), so we move on.
When I got home from work on Friday Dan had prepared an early Valentine's Day meal (steak, mashed potatoes and green beans). He also surprised me with an electric neck massager, because I get a lot of tension in my neck when I'm stressed. We watched new episodes of our favorite sitcoms and went to bed early, as he was driving me to the test site the next morning.
Saturday was full of test taking. It was a long, painful, and tiring event. I had thought ahead and took some excedrin before the first test and right before the second test. I also wore stick on heat pads on my back and shoulders (I am apparently an elderly woman). I think I did well, but with standardized tests you can never really know for sure. I feel relatively positive about the Writing Subsection and the Language Arts Subsection of the first test. The Math section is anybody's guess. I was more prepared because of my math class, but there were still some math areas where I wasn't confident. And surprisingly, the Reading section gave me more difficulty than I expected. They actually told us that this would happen, but it still surprised me. The problem is that there are usually two "correct" answers, but one is BETTER than the other. So I did a lot of vacillating between what I "thought" was right and what the test "thought" was right. We'll see.
The second test of the day (content area) covered Math, Science, Reading Comprehension, Social Studies, Health, Music, Art, Dance and Drama. For this test the math was actually the easiest portion. The toughest questions were about the subject matter in terms of teaching pedagogy. I haven't taken classes in teaching theory, so I had to do a bit of guess work. Normally you take this test halfway through your second year of graduate school, so there's that. Anyway, I think this one could go either way.
I finished the second test 2.5 hours early, so I was suddenly done and without a ride. I called Ryan to let him know I'd finished up and then headed to a pub across the street from the school, where I managed to drink four glasses of wine before he picked me up. We had some fun searching for Huck Finn's Donuts and then had a nice post test talk on the drive back to Chicago. When I got home Dan was waiting with a bouquet of roses and a pint of mint chocolate chip. That man, he knows me.
I spent Sunday in a daze, running about Chicago looking for a nice pair of shoes and tights for the interview. We also briefly stopped by to say hello to the babies and walked a bit in Lincoln Square. It seemed that everyone was outside, what with the weather in the low 50's. We enjoyed a bit of overdue vitamin D.
This morning was the interview. It was very different from what I was expecting. They asked me to spend the first ten minutes briefly summarizing my background. The other fifty minutes was a very intense decision making session where they asked me what I would do in various situations. I think I did well. I answered honestly and I think I made some points that they weren't expecting. I was able to cover my experiences at Shakes, Columbia College and Northwestern, which I think makes me look pretty fancy. And I also talked about my experiences with Blackbird and Open Books, which seemed to impress them a great deal.
And now... more waiting. I get the test results mid-March and they said I'll hear back about whether I have a second interview sometime in the next four weeks. All this waiting makes a girl pretty nervous.
This week will likely bring more whirlwinds. I'm trying to ride it out and to not let myself get down or stressed out. Pushing through seems to be the current motto.
When I got home from work on Friday Dan had prepared an early Valentine's Day meal (steak, mashed potatoes and green beans). He also surprised me with an electric neck massager, because I get a lot of tension in my neck when I'm stressed. We watched new episodes of our favorite sitcoms and went to bed early, as he was driving me to the test site the next morning.
Saturday was full of test taking. It was a long, painful, and tiring event. I had thought ahead and took some excedrin before the first test and right before the second test. I also wore stick on heat pads on my back and shoulders (I am apparently an elderly woman). I think I did well, but with standardized tests you can never really know for sure. I feel relatively positive about the Writing Subsection and the Language Arts Subsection of the first test. The Math section is anybody's guess. I was more prepared because of my math class, but there were still some math areas where I wasn't confident. And surprisingly, the Reading section gave me more difficulty than I expected. They actually told us that this would happen, but it still surprised me. The problem is that there are usually two "correct" answers, but one is BETTER than the other. So I did a lot of vacillating between what I "thought" was right and what the test "thought" was right. We'll see.
The second test of the day (content area) covered Math, Science, Reading Comprehension, Social Studies, Health, Music, Art, Dance and Drama. For this test the math was actually the easiest portion. The toughest questions were about the subject matter in terms of teaching pedagogy. I haven't taken classes in teaching theory, so I had to do a bit of guess work. Normally you take this test halfway through your second year of graduate school, so there's that. Anyway, I think this one could go either way.
I finished the second test 2.5 hours early, so I was suddenly done and without a ride. I called Ryan to let him know I'd finished up and then headed to a pub across the street from the school, where I managed to drink four glasses of wine before he picked me up. We had some fun searching for Huck Finn's Donuts and then had a nice post test talk on the drive back to Chicago. When I got home Dan was waiting with a bouquet of roses and a pint of mint chocolate chip. That man, he knows me.
I spent Sunday in a daze, running about Chicago looking for a nice pair of shoes and tights for the interview. We also briefly stopped by to say hello to the babies and walked a bit in Lincoln Square. It seemed that everyone was outside, what with the weather in the low 50's. We enjoyed a bit of overdue vitamin D.
This morning was the interview. It was very different from what I was expecting. They asked me to spend the first ten minutes briefly summarizing my background. The other fifty minutes was a very intense decision making session where they asked me what I would do in various situations. I think I did well. I answered honestly and I think I made some points that they weren't expecting. I was able to cover my experiences at Shakes, Columbia College and Northwestern, which I think makes me look pretty fancy. And I also talked about my experiences with Blackbird and Open Books, which seemed to impress them a great deal.
And now... more waiting. I get the test results mid-March and they said I'll hear back about whether I have a second interview sometime in the next four weeks. All this waiting makes a girl pretty nervous.
This week will likely bring more whirlwinds. I'm trying to ride it out and to not let myself get down or stressed out. Pushing through seems to be the current motto.
Friday, February 11, 2011
So it goes...
I have two five hour tests tomorrow. Think lovely thoughts for me! I've known I'd be taking the tests for a little over seven weeks. To prepare I signed up for a math course (meets twice a week for two hours at a time) and I've attended two test workshops (3 hour sessions each). As far as plain old studying for the test... well, I did that a lot for the first two weeks, and this week. But those four weeks in the middle - well, they were spent on math class, math class homework and workshops. I feel like I probably should have prepared more than I did, but it's too late now. I do feel like I have a good grasp of the majority of the subjects. It's just math and science that have been weighing me down.
I have my first interview (of hopefully two) for AUSL coming up soon. This is one of the four things I've been waiting on, so very exciting!!!
I have my first interview (of hopefully two) for AUSL coming up soon. This is one of the four things I've been waiting on, so very exciting!!!
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