Interesting thing I noticed on the planes...
The pilots all gave geography lessons. A couple of them rambled on for 10 minutes, telling us every mountain range, river and major city we would be going past. Of course we were flying above an impenetrable blanket of clouds so we couldn't see any of it. I have never noticed the pilots being so concerned about my geographic education before.

What a whirlwind trip that was! Our time was blocked out in hours rather than days. By day three my brain was toast. That reminds me...I really need to call Todd and apologize for the snippy-ness of me on Sunday afternoon. So here's a brief run-down of the less than restful vacation...

5-21-03
Woke up early. Called teaching partner to make sure she had everything she needed for the next week. I have a habit of bringing things home with me. Packed, cleaned and generally prepared for trip. Headed to P-I-L's house where we napped, went to dinner (Mmmm...Chevy's), and lounged in the spa. Stayed up later than I should have.

5-22-03
Up at 5:30 am. Arrived at airport 2 hours early like a good girl only to have several people cut in front of us in line because they were late for their flights. I am going to start showing up 30 minutes before take-off. Showed ID and boarding pass to 3 people within a 5 minute/20 foot span. Flew from SAN to ORD to MSP via first class. (Hooray for in-laws, frequent flier miles and full flights!) Aahh, the leg room and cheesy omelets. Landed at 5:30 pm and hung around airport inhaling cigarette smoke (yuck) and waiting for ride. Stopped for dinner on the way home, finally arrived at mom's and stumbled to bed at about 11:30 pm.

5-23-03
Woke early. Spend entire day with Mom, running errands. Stopped by high school and introduced old teachers to new hubby using first names all around. : ) Helped plant flowers at Grandma's house. Made a run to the Dairy Queen (only fast food joint in town). Visited with close friends, shopped for groceries and gossiped with mom. Busy, social day. Stayed up late talking with Mom.

5-24-03
BIRTHDAY!! Get up at a decent hour and head to Duluth. Visit with Dad and his sigoth all day - see his current house, his future house, and the Matrix Reloaded (again). Yummy shish kabobs for dinner followed by cake and fruit salad. I got to wear a tiara with my name on it. Don't head home until after 10 pm even though it's an hour drive. Up late.

5-25-03
Help mom get ready for graduation party. Get to graduation early so we can get enough seats together. End up sitting with Dad and sigoth on one side and Mom and sigoth on other side. Wierd. The valedictorian speeches were funny. The grown-up speaker was a long and boring. Brother managed to graduate dispite his best efforts not to. Head to grad party where popping balloons nearly give my sleep deprived body a heart attack. Getting snippy at this point. Father comes to take us to Brainerd area for dinner with him, stepmom, and grandparents. Wonderful food, great company, but I was in no shape to truly enjoy it. Open some lovely little gifts and head to bed around midnight.

5-26-03
Up at 7:30 am. Exhausted to the point of feeling sick to my stomache. Managed to enjoy yummy breakfast and visit with uncle and family anyway. Dropped off at Grandma's house where I use all my remaining strength to make small talk. Finally get back to Mom's where hubby and I crash for a nap. After that I help Mom in garden and with cooking. We have a fabu meal of Chicken Paprikash. Too tired to stay up late.

5-27-03
Berry crepes for breakfast. Mom and brother drive us to airport. Fly from MSP to ORD to SAN via first class. This includes a wonderful meal consisting of 4 courses. Amazing. Nap on plane. Drive home. So tired by the time I arrive home that I can't actually fall asleep. Read until about 11:30 pm and then sink into unconsciousness. Cat, desperate for attention, wakes us several times throughout night.

There it is. The whole trip in a nutshell. It was tiring, but I was very happy to see all my family. I can't wait for my trip in July.

okay...after deleting 200 spams and downloading 2 critical updates from MS, I am officially back. i have so much to tell you! of course, i wrote none of it down so chances are that i won't remember a single thing. we'll see what happens.

Okay. I am heading north. I don't expect that I will be posting much in the next week. Please be patient with me!! See you soon.

When I wake up, and my knees sound like they are filled with cellophane, I feel like 25 is very old.

I hate packing. I just know that I am going to forget something. I always do.

Interesting comment on the world today...

We are getting ready for a trip. Last night our outlets were filled with various technological devices that had to be charged up - laptop, GBA, cell phone, etc. We are truly in the digital age.

Watching America's Next Top Model. I am a glutton for punishment, what can I say?

The first thing they made them do was model swimsuits on the top of a very tall building in New York. In the wind. Just after the snow flurries stopped. No, wait. The FIRST thing they made them do was get a bikini wax. Then they went out in the freezing cold with nothing on. Good lord.

I do have one question. Why don't models get goose bumps? When I get cold I look like a plucked chicken. Why didn't they?? Just asking.

!@%!@$# Blogger. I hate having to re-type things.

Disregard this post. I am simply venting. Move along, please.

Most of the time I am content to be the one to sacrifice for others. I will bend over backwards to assure a loved one is protected, while leaving myself at risk. Everyone know that I am the one to can be trusted to be on time, to finish up the chores, to make the phone call, to save the day. I give it all to make sure that life is as good as possible for others. It is what I do. And like I said, most of the time, I am down with that. Makes me feel good.

However, every once in a while, a line is crossed. Twice in my life now I have been forced to give up something that is very important to me. It is a little thing that most people wouldn't think twice about. But to me, it's important. And I have lost it because of the poor choices and selfish behaviors of someone I love. Again.

It is times like this that I am reminded how easy it is to shift me to the back burner. I don't have to be looked after because I can take care of myself. I don't need to be supported because I am strong. I am the quiet kid in the back of the room who is ignored because the troublemakers in the front take so much of the teacher's attention. At least, that is what THEY think. They're wrong.

Oh well. I'll suck it up. I'll be fine. I always am. Because I can take care of myself. Right?

No, I really don't want to talk about it.

One of my students painted this picture. I love it. I think I am going to frame it.

I don't know if it's my computer (which has been making funny noises lately) or Blogger (which has always been a little...wierd) but it takes me FOREVER to load webpages (not all, just most) all of a sudden and I have had it up to about HERE (holding hand at about nose level). Bleh. Interesting how I was able to sneak in 4 sets of parentheses, though.

Hooray for chore days. I know that sounds sick, but it feels so good to walk through my house and see the vacuumed floors, the washed dishes, the cleared off table, the folded laundry...I can sleep better when my house is clean.

Speaking of sleep - what the hell is wrong with me? For at least a month now my sleep patterns have been trashed. For years I have gone to bed at about 10 pm and gotten up at about 7 am pretty regularly. On my days off I sometimes sleep in, but usually only until about 8 or 9 am. When I go to bed I usually fall asleep within minutes. This works for me. It keeps me from being tired. I like that. However, for several weeks it has taken me hours to fall asleep. I lie there in bed and for some reason my brain just won't shut off. It spins around and around in a million different directions, keeping me awake into the early hours of the morning. Last night, I was still awake at 2 am. Ugh.

I have found a way to put those hours to good use, though. I have designed a great little shelf system that I am going to build for my future classroom (someday when they decide to stop jerking me around and actually tell me where I will be). I have put together the perfect daily planner. I have thought about how to assign and check homework, how to maintain weekly contact with parents, how to develop classroom rules, and what jobs to assign to the children. Lots of good things, now if I could just get a classroom to use them in. : )

And to end this aimless, little post I would like to comment that it is difficult to follow movies on the Sci-Fi channel while doing other things. Especially on days like today. In honor of the Matrix Reloaded they were having a movie marathon. All the movies were about computer generated realities and artificial intelligence. A couple of them were actually pretty decent (compared to most movies on the Sci_Fi channel), but they are all conveluted enough that if you aren't paying attention you will quickly get lost.

Okay. That's it. I work tomorrow so I should probably get myself ready. Have a nice night, y'all.

Good lord. It is pretty amazing how many blogs there are out there. Even more amazing is how horrifying most of them are. Finding something worth reading is a daunting task.

You know those pictures where they tell you to look real close and then something pops out at you and scares you half to death? This isn't one of those pictures. I promise.

This weeks This or That questions...

1. Packrat or minimalist? Packrat living with a minimalist.
2. Computer: desktop or laptop? Desktop. Our laptop is a piece of junk.
3. Seashore or mountains? Seashore with mountains in the distance.
4. Carpeting or bare floors? Thick, wonderful carpet.
5. Drinking water: bottled or tap? Why is everyone so interested in the kind of water I drink??
6. Shopping websites: eBay or Amazon? Half.com
7. Cute little kitties or big scary tigers? Cute, little kitties that think they are big, scary tigers.
8. Front door or back door? Front door.
9. Lots of jewelry, or little/none? Wedding ring, engagement ring, and sometimes earrings or a necklace.
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: At the last minute, you obtain tickets to an event you're dying to attend. However, you have to work that day! Do you ask the boss for the time off, or just call in sick?
Since I have to call a sub no matter what, I would just call in sick. Of course, there are a limited number of times I can do that.

Here's the Friday Five...

1. What drinking water do you prefer -- tap, bottle, purifier, etc.?
We re-fill bottles with tap water that is run through the purifier in our fridge.
2. What are your favorite flavor of chips?
Plain, old corn chips dipped in sour cream and salsa.
3. Of all the things you can cook, what dish do you like the most?
I can't even begin to choose. First, we cook too many different things. Second, my taste is constantly changing. Third, I have a tummy ache, so all food sounds yucky.
4. How do you have your eggs?
Scrambled and cooked completely.
5. Who was the last person who cooked you a meal? How did it turn out?
Mikey. Fabulously, of course!

I knew it was coming, but I still missed it...

My blog turned 1 year old on Wednesday, May 14. Let's take a peek at my auspicious beginnings, shall we?

Tuesday, May 14, 2002

I think this is going to be cool. Not that I have anything even remotely interesting to say but it is worth a shot, isn't it? Everyone has one of these fancy websites and it is about time that I have one too! Here and now, I promise myself to write here as often as I can and to use this page to stretch my thinking muscles a little. Hooray!!
- Soleil, 5:14 PM

This is my first post. Is this even going to work at all? I really wonder.
- Soleil, 5:12 PM



Yeah, well I like to think it's improved some since then.

I have tried to maintain a journal many times in my life, but it never worked out. I would start out all gung-ho about it, gradually losing interest over the course of the first month or two. I thought that might happen with the blog, too. Instead, I got more and more attached to it. I rely on it more and more every day to vent the little frustrations that pop up. Before the blog, these frustrations would build until I had a major melt-down. Now, I let it all out on an nearly daily basis. I can feel the difference. I like it.

Perhaps I will peruse my archives and present you with a few of my better posts. Of course, *I* am the one judging what's to be labelled "better", so be warned. Or perhaps I will forget to do it at all, so don't hold your breath. : )

Saw Matrix Reloaded today. All I will say is that I liked it, I'm glad I rewatched the first one before going and you should bring your brain when you see it. 'Nough said. Already looking forward to Matrix Revolutions in November.

One good things about the recent chaos in my life - I woke up this morning with an idea for a children's story in my head. Let's see if I can get it out before it disintegrates.

Oh the drama!!! Life in the blogoshere is just too much like a soap opera. No wonder the only person I regularly converse with is someone I have known in real life for a very long time.