I didn't sign up for this

Yesterday evening I bought my first pregnancy test.

Before you jump to conclusions about my morality and "scanky hoe" factor let's rewind to yesterday afternoon, approx 2pm. It was seventh period and I was pacing up and down each aisle of desks helping the students with their assignment. I am pretty sure that i said, "The number of neutrons is the mass number minus the atomic number" at least 325 times this week, but i digress. As i was helping one student, we will call her Felicia she said, "Miss, can I talk to you about something?" So, after class she came behind my desk with me and tears immediately began to fill her eyes as she told me that her period was four days late. I asked her if she had talked to the counselors or her mom yet. She doesn't live at home and I "am the only adult she trusts." She then asked me if I would get her a pregnancy test and of course I said yes.

So, last night after FHE I told Julian that i needed to go and take care of something for a student. When I told him what was going on he said, okay then, let's go.... so julian and I stood in front of a row of pregnancy test trying to figure out which one to buy, decided that the digital one would be best and picked up some tampons on the way to the self check out (for me of course, seems a little ironic in retrospect.)

Things I learned:

*i am insanely grateful for the choices that i have made and that i will never have to wait those agonizing three minutes

*i am grateful that i can be there for at least one of my students

*i love julian ray cavazos...big time! and for that, here is a picture of us at the ward trunk-o-treat with ava (she was a mouse) julian was himself....i mean a nerd

We're tryin' it again

Time after time i have read articles in magazines and online telling me to stop washing my hair everyday and i just can't manage to bring myself to do it for more than a week(washing every other day.) I am not really sure why i have such i hard time with it, but i suspect is has to do with the fact that in middle school my mother had to tell me to shower on a regular basis and i once i moved passed that phase i never even wanted to toe the line. However, recently my hair has gotten very dry for some unknown reason. I straighten it no more often and i haven't taken to chemical treatments or blow drying. Of course this problem led me to the internet and google has once again told me to stop washing my hair. So, here i am on the first day of not washing and i want to freak out, and yes i showered and rinsed my hair like they suggest-it is still gross.

Here is to a new adventure, we'll see how long i can do it for. i think i am going to go buy some dry shampoo right now.

Teaching Treasures

I am 2 class periods away from being a teacher for three full weeks (plus some change.) WHOA!!! I am not sure it is exactly what i expected, but i SWEAR i wasn't like most of these kids in high school. Of course, I do teach 6 classes of regular chemistry not the preAP or AP kids which i think would more closely represent my own experience. I have a few classes that i really like and of course i have a few that i have major problems with. I won't go into the bad details...

Today we are doing a lab with dry ice and it has been a bit crazy. During first period we couldn't get the experiment to work (put dry ice in a pipette and clamp the opening shut, as the ice sublimes the pressure increases and we get to the triple point and then POW, if you don't let go the pipette bursts.) then for second period i shanghaied some huge pipettes from the AP teacher...that worked of course, but they blew up all my pipettes even when i told them to release the pressure before it popped. well, the last two periods we seemed to have managed to get it to work with the small ones. It is kind of neat to see the kids get excited when they see the liquid CO2 and then POW-water flies in their face and they are soaking wet. So, that has been fun. If it weren't for the kids who always goof around i think we would do a lab every week.

In my second period class i have this boy who hits on me everyday. "Ms Haines, will you go to homecoming with me?" "You're hot! do you have a boyfriend? oh, well you will change your mind when you hear me play the guitar." Well, today we had a little extra time at the end of class so i let him play his guitar. He sang to me as he played, "Ms Haines.......Chemistry.....She is so beautiful...." It is so hard not to laugh my face off when he does things like that.

The first few weeks were hard, because i really had to be strict with the kids to get them to behave, but i think they are getting into the routine and we are starting to have a little fun...it is definitely getting better and less stressful.

ps i also have a colleague admirer too...he brought me cookies the other day. Don't worry though, J-Fizz is still my man:)

Ode to Pumpkins

I haven't posted kitty pictures in a really long time. They all are of phineas because he is much more photogenic than reuben. I think it is because he has the white patches of fur to set off the grey, whereas reuben is just a solid indistinguishable grey form (but very very cute.) To make up for the lack of reuby-booby pictures let me just tell you how adorable he is. every morning as soon as my alarm goes off he starts crying for me "meow, meow, meow" and doesn't stop until i say to him "come here, dear." At this point he jumps on the bed and rubs his face against mine. What a wonderful way to wake up.

I call this one "yoga phinny." I left my mat out and when i came back in the room phineas was in child's pose on the mat.

In case you couldn't tell Reuben is on the left and phineas is the one with his eyes closed. They love to cuddle and look out the window.

"Phin in a Bin" Honestly, what is with cat's obsession with confined spaces? I recently found Phineas in the highest cabinet in the kitchen...with the door closed. I don't even know how he got up there, let alone in there.

I was painting my chairs and Phineas watched me the entire time...until he fell asleep.

Ava (age 2) said to me, "I like yours kitties." "Thanks, I like your kitty too." "NO!" Why can't I like your kitty?" "Because she's fat."

Go Fightin' Sandcrabs!!!!

Five months later and it finally happened. I am soon to be an employed member of society again. I got a teaching position at Calhoun High School, home of the sandcrabs, teaching five chemistry classes. I will likely start work on Tuesday after I fill out all of that paperwork business. I am so excited, a little nervous, but mostly excited. And just think-I might get to chaperon prom...

Now i need some teacher clothes.

ps those of you who know my password to things like this, feel free to change my layout, i am getting sick of it and i want something more interesting

"Tender"

So, here are the pictures of Julian and I in Houston:

I look a little stoned in this one. Please keep in mind it was seventeen hundred degrees...celcius

At least my mommy loves me.

Houston, we have a problem

Once again my primary motivation for posting is the fact that i am slipping in allison's blog roll:

Yesterday, Julian and I drove up to Houston to the NASA space center. Umm, it is out of this world (forgive the pun.) Although it seems to be more geared toward children than adults, it was still pretty amazing. There were rocket engines, space station modules, and even a shuttle landing simulation (Julian crashed the shuttle.) I think the coolest part was the gigantic warehouse that holds parts of the Apollo rockets. Since you can get right up next to it you can really see how big those things are and the vast amount of engineering that goes into them...quite impressive really. All in all, it was a fantastic day and when i got home my kitties were very happy to see me.

ps Julian and I finally took a picture together. It is one of those "hold the camera out and smile in a way that makes my mommy proud" pictures, but still... I will post it later