Mama Ball Says

So far, so good. At least I think. Went to see our beloved doc, Jimmy B, today for the annual physical. Apparently there is something weird with my EKG, so he wants me to go see a heart doc and get it checked out. The guy he recommended is actually moving offices in the next two weeks, so he said an appointment in the next month or so would be good. Obviously I am not going to drop dead or anything, but I didn't really understand 100% of what he was telling me ... something about my heart is not in the right place and has moved toward the left side of my chest and I have some kind of block? Anyway, Jimmy wants me to have a stress EKG (guess that means I have to get on the treadmill and sweat with all those damn wires attached -- should be more fun than a goddamn barrel of monkeys). On the good side, he gave me prescrips for my seasonal allergy meds and asthma meds, so that will get me through the fall. The plan is to get me onto the lower dose of ADs by Nov, and then off them sometime Jan or Feb, depending on how the holidays and other nonsense go. I told him I really don't have time tto screw around -- I have all my fellas to take care of, and my two kids. He just smiles at me. Jimmy's nurse fussed at me because I forgot to fast and therefore couldn't do the blood work for cholesterol because I had treated myself to breakfast at the deli (egg, cheese and bacon sandwich and coffee). Well, shit a brick, Nancy, I never get to have a decent breakfast anymore, and a half hour in the morning with no kids and off work seemed like the perfect time to do just that. So now I have to go back for the flaming bloodwork -- she's there Friday at 8:30, so I'm aiming for that. We'll see -- it'll probably be like the goddamn mammogram which I keep missing for one reason or another. I think Leslie D.'s going to string me up if I miss another year doing that.
iWeb seems like it will be a piece of cake to teach to the 8th grade, so we'll have to fill up the time with other shit. Of course, that's if we can figure out how to upload to the .mac accounts and m,ove all the kids' folders from hither to yon and back. We'll see. Training today with Gary Webster was awesome as usual -- he gives the best, clearest instruction in using software and hardware, and he has handouts that are equally idiot-proof. Very, very nice. My biggest worry for tomorrow is what the hell do I do with the bloody budget for next year!!! Haven't done that before, and the form I got from Ro yesterday doesn't help much. I really, really don't want to fuck this up. Have to go talk to Ro and Ralph tomorrow about all this hoohah, and I have to talk to Gina about which computers are going to bite the dust next year. I don't know how much help C is going to be. We also have to send in the next book order soon as it has several things we really need on it, and if she doesn't look at the damn thing soon I am just going to send it anyway and to hell with the bitch and moan session that will follow. The next big issue will be weeding the fiction section, as I can tell that's not going to happen unless I get after it... and that will be next week's project. Have to talk to Fran about division of responsibilities .. and what happens if things don't get done. I don't want to do everything myself, and I shouldn't have to.
The other irritating thing I have to do is figure out how to write my annual improvement/staff development plan, or whatever weird acronym they've given it this year. Have to do it online this year, and has to be done relatively soon I think. Another "next week" project. I did get my confirmation that I'm off to CECA on the 23rd, which will be lots of fun. We get ipods for going this year, so that's nice.
Decided to take Jake and trot off to DC this weekend. The National book festival is this weekend, and there are going to be lots of fun things going on down at the mall. Kelly and co. are busy with family reunion, so I'm just going to get a room at the capitol hyatt and not worry about it. It's 3 blocks from the mall, so we'll be good. Hopefully Jake will think it's really fun!

Mama Ball Says

Things are definitely getting better. We are almost done with the web training (only a few stragglers left), everything went well with Eeyore's husband's surgery, and other than having to revise the handouts at least five times, it wasn't horrible... just exhausting. Our next battle is figuring out the curriculum, as we now have WHAT we're supposed to do, but nothing firm on how we're supposed to teach it. Then we have the budget (eeeeuuuuwwww) for next year which has to get done next week. We had our first media staff meeting, and it went pretty well. D is a little out of control sometimes ... haven't figured out how to rein her in yet. Everyone else is doing fine so far.
On the good side, I went over to Kristine's to see the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy with a group of girls from EMS, and we had such fun! I was glad to see they included Joanna, our new ss teacher, who is such fun.
Home is pretty good at the moment. Mal is hanging in there. Steve was in Florida last weekend, and the kids and I ended up staying over at Mal's on Saturday night. He was lonely and didnn't want us to leave and go home ... so we stayed, and he and I stayed up until midnight talking. The nights must be difficult -- nothing to keep you busy. The next family disaster is coming in the next few weeks, I think. Who knows what this will bring.

Mama Ball Says

Things are getting better, albeit slowly. Jake's first few days at kindergarten were hard for him, mostly because he didn't know anyone, and then his teacher had to be out for two days to get her daughter off to college. This week was much better, though, as he started saying he was finally having fun and managed to figure out how to get his lunch eaten quickly enough! He also started going to the YWCA two afternons a week, and he loves it there. They have a wonderful staff, and he loves the activities (chess and gymnastics right now). Two of his favorite buddies from preschool are also there, along with a lovely little girl from his kindergarten class, and that helps a lot.
Work is overwhelming at the moment. We started off with a completely changed curriculum (and no idea exactly what it was as we didn't get the documentation for a week), a crash course in website management using the new system (happened yesterday), and we have to get the entire faculty trained to use it and post homework by the 25th. And we have to actually start updating the website also. Add to this C's husband is having some kind of surgery which will keep him in the hospital for basically all of next week, so she will be out at least 2 days, possibly more, plus I am sure more once he arrives home to recuperate. It looks to me like training the faculty will be 90% on my shoulders, if not completely. I am going to be exhausted. I feel like I should be scheduling my nervous breakdown. It'll be a doozy.