Achoo!!!

Last Thursday my nose kept running and I kept sneezing. Each day it's gotten a little worse. I originally thought it was allergies (although I've never had them before to compare too).

Well, it's now Tuesday and I have been getting worse each day. Although I'm not going through a Kleenex box day like I was... i just have all this pressure. Nothing seems to be working. I guess if I'm not getting better tomorrow I'll suck it up and pay the price to go to the Doctor.

Not a ball-busting career gal afterall!

I started feeling around Monday and Tuesday that I did not get the position I applied for at work. And it was not much of a surprise to me when I got called into the office on Wednesday and told that I did not get the job. D asked me if I am interested in the same positions on the cert floor and told me how knowledgeable I am. Also how I need to reinvest myself in the company first (i.e work 40 hours a week which I would totally be willing to do for the right job). Pretty much her response was just a bunch of corporate bs. The whole "lets try to put a nice spin on it to not piss people off". This seriously makes me want to quit this week.

But, I still need something called - - money, money, mmoooney.

There where two job openings. For one of the positions I love the person that got the job. I just met her yesterday and she seems amazing. I am excited to work with her. The guy that got the position I wanted to have.... well, I was happy for him until we had our team meeting yesterday. Where he just acted, like an idiot.

First of all he didn't want to introduce himself (we had to go around and say who we are and what we do on the team for our new boss).

And then when someone called him on it for not going after everyone had finished, he said very weakly, "I'm ___ and I guess I'm the new team lead".

What the hell, you guess you are?

That really irritated me.

I get the whole, okay maybe your nervous even though he has been on our team forever but to have ZERO self-confidence and to say it like you don't really care about it. I just thought it was very insulting. So, my days at the company are going to be coming to an end. Since there "in my opinion" is no future for me here and I'm so fricken bored with what i do. Guess I won't be a ball-busting career gal after all.
I'm not really pissed about not getting the position. Just really kind of bummed. I am ready for a "REAL" job. This in-between stuff is not for me.

On to better news. I find out about my test results on Monday. I really am thinking I passed this time and that makes me a very happy girl. And the plan will still be to try and find a teaching job in Houston. I'm not going to lie. The thought of moving is making me really nervous. I know it will be so good for me. I keep reminding myself that. It's time to grow up and do things on my own. Things r a changing around here by the week.

And the best news yet. Tomorrow night is the Britney Spears concert!!!! I can hardly wait. ;-)

We've been a shopping!

What does Angela do when she gets 4 days off from work?

She shops and updates her blog (I was so sick of bright pink and daisy's)!

I really think it's best that I go to work every day, all this free time has been very bad! I've been a little out of control. :-(

On Thursday my sister Kim and I planned on going shopping and it was going to be a quick trip, like under an hour type thing. I think we shopped for 4 hours. We got some amazing stuff. I almost have a whole new super cute and fun wardrobe. She found some great stuff for me and I helped her find some cute stuff too.

Today, I went to the Library District with my mom and sister to get some stuff I "reserved", so awesome! Afterwards we went to Sweet Tomatoes for an early dinner.

I asked if we could stop at the mall to see if a shirt I had gotten was in a bigger size. I love the shirt but don't really want to cram my big body into it. Not so cute. We headed to the mall. The only shirt they had left was the size I needed! I'm super happy about it. It's a cute hot pink shirt and it will be perfect for the Britney Spears concert I'm going to on Friday!!!! Yes, I'm 30 and super excited to see Britney. Only 6 more days!!!

Anyways, so we are at the mall and I kind of jokingly told my mom that she needs to let Kim and I help her pick out some clothes. I know I shouldn't say stuff like that. But, isn't letting her dress horrible worse? I am not even joking when I say that my mom doesn't know what to wear or looks good on her. She loves the "mom" jeans and a short shirt. Not cute!

At first she told us she was not trying anything on. We talked her into that.

Then she was not going to buy anything. Talked to her into that as well.

It was so strange seeing her in some of the things that we picked out for her. Not because they looked bad on her. BUT because we have never seen patterns or these kinds of styles on mom before. Long story short we went to two malls and she got a bunch of cute tops and bottoms. I seriously am wishing some of her new things could end up in my closet. I am so excited that she got some cute new stuff.

Anticipation

My interview for the supervisor position was this past Tuesday. I got asked the usually questions like...

Why do you want this position?
What makes you a good candidate for the job?
When are you getting married and having kids?

LOL, okay in all fairness to "D", I have known her for years. Almost 10 to be exact.

We also talked about how at our office there is a 48-50 year old women who is pregnant and it looks fricken weird. Imagine a lady with grey curly grandma hair that has a big old prego belly. I'm not going to lie it kind of grosses me out. I think it's okay for men to have kids at that age but not women. I don't get it.

Anyways, I haven't heard anything about the position I applied for yet. Everyone is being told on Monday. Only I wont be there. I am subbing on Monday and Tuesday. I won't be back at work until Wednesday. I am dying to know. I am tempted to go in on Monday after I'm done subbing. All I know is that if I do not get it I am going to be pretty pissed off - I've been with the company for 10 years. 10 years! I am so ready to do something new...

Big Day

I have an interview today at 2 with my bosses boss, we will call her D.

Not only have I lost my mind my dad is getting a little crazy about this potential promotion.
I even have evidence:

• Tell them that your working on your masters in education but it's just a backup plan in case you move.
• Tell them that being a teacher is your second choice.

Okay it's kind of cute that he's into the idea. But seriously i have known D for about 10 years and I have worked under her for awhile. She is the one that approves that I work so few hours so I can reach my dreams of being a teacher.

Good luck to me. I am either going to be doing a new job or applying out of state in a few weeks.

I think I lost my mind

I sent an e-mail to my bosses boss (she is the one that lets me work 10 hours a week) today asking her if she would allow me to apply for my bosses position. This position already closed so it might be too late. If I got it I would have to commit a few more years there. Am i completely nuts??!?

It would also mean that I would wait until I'm done with my Masters until I start teaching. And that would be awhile since I only ended up doing one class this semester.

Last 5 months in a nutshell

Warning this is my longest post ever! :)

I graduated from college this past fall with an undergrad degree in Elementary Education. During this time I also had landed my “dream” opportunity. The job I had been hoping to get - a permanent subbing job for the spring semester. It’s a great opportunity because you are assigned to a specific school and you go there every day. Even on days when you do not sub. You help out wherever they need you to. You’re hired by the district so you’re an employee and receive.

This does not apply to regular subs as they are more like independent contractors.

Instead of looking for a teaching job for the fall as a permanent sub you apply as an internal transfer. Essentially you have priority over people outside the district.

I was assigned to a school in a very ghetto area of Chandler. This was the first school I had been to where everything was locked up and safety was an issue.

And this is just Chandler not inner-city Phoenix. I cannot even imagine what Phoenix was like. I have been at schools that have been culturally diverse there was a good mix of different nationalities in the classrooms. This school was almost all strictly one nationality and I was in the minority.

I never really have been the minority before. I did feel like I stuck out. I actually didn’t feel like my skin color stuck out - just my very processed blonde hair.

I went around to different rooms and I loved “seeing” the English Language Learners process (ELL) and how ELL students learned. Up to this point I had only read and learned about ELL students in my college classes. It was truly an amazing experience to see if first hand.

I subbed in various grades some where outside of the ages I want to teach (I want to teach in grades in my preference order 3, 2, and 4). Maybe as I get experience I will be able to expand to other grades.

One day I was even a P.E. teacher. It was actually pretty fun and I had so much free time because all of the breaks. When you are a teacher in Chandler you get a 30 min prep time when the kids are at specials and by the time you take the kids to lunch and pick them up about a 35 min lunch. The PE teacher had a 50 min morning break and hour and 15 min lunch and then was done 15 minutes before school ended. I think I picked the wrong field in teaching. ;-)

My dream job lasted two weeks. I received a call when I was helping out in somebody’s classroom.

HR: “Hi Angela! Did you find out if you passed the tests? They posted the grades a few days ago”.
ME: “Yes, I didn’t pass. I signed up last month to take Saturdays test. I am getting my sub certificate tomorrow”
HR: “Oh, that’s too bad. I am sorry to hear that. You know that getting your teaching certificate is part of the criteria to be a permanent sub. Don’t feel bad you are not the only one in this position. The good news is that you can be a regular sub! Would you like to tell the principle or would you like me to?”
Me: “I’ll tell him”.

Maybe I should have had her tell him. But I wanted to be an adult so I went and told him. I gathered up all of my courage and went down to his office. Of course I started crying. I tried so hard not to. I always cry when something is boring me and I have to talk about it.

This was the first time I had heard about having to have my “teaching” certificate. At the orientation in December they asked who didn’t have one. Those of who didn’t have one raised our hands and told them how the state delayed the test results. They delayed the test scores for one of the tests. So, instead of receiving the scores in a month we didn’t receive the scores for almost 4 months.

There went my dream opportunity. It is what it is. I can’t be mad about it. What does being mad about it do? Nothing, I can’t change anything.

If anything it was nice to now have extra time. Since I no longer was report to a school every day. Instead I started getting to sleep in.

With the economy the way that it is there is a surplus of substitute teachers and it’s a total schmooze fest to get a job. I don’t like to sub that much to be networking and getting my name out there. Someone told me there was something like 300 subs for an average of 90 jobs or something like that.

Lisa, my teacher for student teacher has given my name to a few teachers. I do get a few jobs that way. Lisa always asks me first if I want to sub for my old class. It’s fun to sub for my students. I still can’t get over that I get paid to teach them – weird concept after being with them for 4 months for free. They are a goofy group.

The last time I was there one of the boys. I will call him Herman came up to me and said that someone called him a ‘rotten cupcake’ in the boy’s bathroom. I am going to be a horrible teacher because I totally laughed. I can usually control myself when they get called a girl chasing cootie or whatever odd names like that. But a “rotten cupcake” that’s funny. After I laughed I just said, “Herman you know you are not a rotten cupcake.” --See bad teacher in the making right hear folks.

It’s also nice seeing them because they think I’m amazing. I seriously have my own fan group. I even got told last time that I looked like Ashley Tisdale – I wish I was young, skinny, and hot. Maybe I would not choose to be that young but younger would be better!

Since I have graduated when I go to the school I student taught at I will hear my name being called from across campus, it’s cute and sometimes a little embarrassing. I seriously have my own fan club. I am also bombarded by hugs. I will have one boy who will sneak up behind me and hug me. Or sometimes will get 10 of them hugging me. That is always a little bit weird but still sweet. I always leave feeling as happy as a clam after seeing them.

I am subbing for Lisa 3 times at the end of this month. I cannot wait to see my old kiddos.

When I was first offered the permanent sub job I was seriously thinking of quitting my old job. I started working their over 10 years ago. I love my hourly rate and well I’m not going to lie its pretty awesome. Plus they are so flexible with my schedule. But I am bored out of my mind and ready for change. They would allow me to work 10 hours a week at hours of my choice when I was doing the perm sub job. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it but didn’t know if I wanted to give up the money. I decided to work both jobs until I couldn’t handle it anymore. I am so relieved that I decided not to quit.

So, since January 5th I have been working 10 hours a week at my old job. My work schedule Monday-Friday 3:30-5:30 (to accommodate days I was subbing).

Starting this week I decided to start working more hours. I was going to work 30 hours a week so I could start accruing sick and vacation time (since I’ve been here so long I get 6 weeks total a year). Last minute I chickened out and decided I was not ready to commit to the 30 hours a week. With the sub jobs I have at the end of the month I was worried about how I would make up the hours the hours.

I think I found a happy medium. I will be working 20 hours a week starting next week (I can stay more if I want to make more money). I need more money my car needs to go into the shop and it always seems to cost about $900 bucks, that I don’t have. So a working I will be.

I just won’t get the sick and vacation time. But, I’m okay with that. It just would have been a nice perk. I am really glad that I didn’t agree to 30 hours at the beginning of the week. I had told them I would just work 30 hours this week and I am already so tired and miss all my extra time.

The economy in Arizona is a little turbulent for a little while. I wasn’t really worried about it affecting me. After all, my old job is always hiring and then there is always a need for teachers or that’s what I had been told. Over the last few weeks there have been lots of items in the news about school budget cuts. And now a lot of teachers are getting pink slips. Now I’ll be applying for fewer jobs and more applicants who have a year or two of experience that I don’t have.

A few weeks I wasn’t really worried since I have my old job and I can work here until things are better in Arizona. But after working 30 hours this week I have come to realize that I need to get out of here and become a teacher. I have been doing the same thing for the past 5 years. I don’t really want to go to another area within the company. It has really made me realize that I need to get serious about finding a teacher job. Plus I really am meant to be a teacher.

I’m not even going to start applying for jobs until I have my certificate. I find out on April 27 if I passed the test this time. I am nervous but I feel like I should pass this time.

I was talking to my friend Stella who lives in Texas earlier this week. I asked her about the teaching field over there to see if it was similar to things here.

They are actually hiring and not having the problems that we are here. I remember looking up the pay scales a few years ago there and the pay was a lot more there. When I looked the other day it was actually a lot more than I remember it being.

Here first year teachers with their undergrad degree start out at 31,000-35,600 depending on the district. Over there the different districts that I have looked start out at 42,000-44,500. That is a HUGE difference. Rent prices are just a little bit higher here. I think only because stuff as dropped a lot the past year. I am going to apply in a few weeks (if I passed my test). Right now I have 0 teaching experience. What’s the worse that can happen? I move to Houston hate it and move back to Arizona back with a year or two or teaching experience?

I am a little excited and nervous about the prospects of going out into the big bad world all on my own. Probably something I should have done years ago but I was never 100% ready.

I am little obsessed with the idea of moving to Houston I keep looking at rentals, school sites, state website, and figuring out different budgets.

I was born in Texas and do have family there. Although I think it’s a bit of a drive to see them. And then I have Stella who I have known since before we had boobs. So, I wouldn’t be completely alone in a new place. She would be busy with her family but it would be so nice to have a familiar face, especially hers! Oh how I miss her.

I have never moved far away from home. I might be ready for the challenge. If this is what I’m doing I have lots of work to do over the next 3.5 months. The first thing is figuring out getting my finger print clearance card. That’s a long drive for a finger print.

Happy Easter!

Twilight + Charmed =

Right after book 3 of the Twilight series came out my friend got me hooked. In addition my sister and I are currently captivated in watching all of the seasons of the TV series Charmed (I am almost about to start season six). Luckily the Library District has all the episodes that we can borrow for free.

I love the Library District! I just joined at the end of last year. Prior to last year I had not set foot in a Library in at least a decade. My have things changed. Who knew all the cool things they have and the best part is that it’s all FREE. I love requesting items online! Then just stopping by to pick up my requests and when I get there all I have to do is grab my stuff from the requests and then I can proceed to go check myself out (at the computer not in the bathroom mirror). ;-)

Requesting online is the best. There is no writing down any book numbers or searching high and low trying to find a certain item. They do it for you. I probably take advantage of it a little too much. Even if it’s at my location and it’s on the shelf - - I add to my requested items (I don’t go and find it myself). Which probably makes me lazy - Thank you library staff for getting my books for me, you’re awesome!!! On top of books I am usually checking out CD, DVD, self help, and cookbooks, and recent releases.

What do you get when you mix the Twilight books with the TV show Charmed? Answer: Vampires and Witches and my latest book obsession….White Witch, Black Curse.

Relationships

Relationships are hard and mine is in turmoil for the past month. I don’t even know what we are. Last week I was going to end things but I couldn’t do it without crying so I said nothing. We have been talking a little small talk here and there since then. Last week I totally felt ready to face the world as an almost single girl – I was thinking of myself as single just not “official”. I told or was asked by a few people and I just told them that I think my relationship with Kevin was ending.. One of my friends replied back with that I shouldn’t settle. Huh? Tell me how you really feel about it. Oh well. Not their life.

Over the weekend Kevin invited me to go to a bbq. I declined; I don’t think that it would be the best place to see each other. He told me he missed me and now I miss him too. I don’t know what to do. He is miserable and has to work out these issues on his own. All he does is work. And he doesn’t even like his job. Actually right now he hates his job. But his job is his number one priority. That just doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t understand how work is #1 when it is so hated. What does that say about our relationship? Maybe all we need it time. I don’t know if I can go back to how things where before the whole work got out of control.

At what point to I draw the line because I have nothing left to give. I do know that sorry isn’t good enough anymore. Sorry doesn’t mean anything if it’s only said. What I do know is that I won’t be spending the night at his place or hanging out over there. If we are to see each other it will be in a date type setting or when I go over there to get all my stuff. :-(

Cupcakes

I've been looking a lot things related to cupcakes lately. I decided to try my first batch last night.
It seemed easy enough to whip up some looking like...

And then after making those I thought I could tackle something very fancy like...

Well, it is a lot harder than it looks. I have hardly baked anything my entire life. It is way harder than it looks. Here was my first attempt at cute cupcakes.

I did a light orange, purple, and turquoise. Pretty good for my first attempts with coloring. Although frosting cupcakes is a lot more work than I thought. The cupcakes are a little higher than I had wanted. But they all came out in almost the same shape and size.

I was going to do the frosting with the light orange all over and then do a purple flower with teal leafs. See the orange cupcake below? That purple blob was my attempt at a flower. :-D

This is going to be a lot more work and a ton of practice!!!! On a happy note these cupcakes where better than any cake I've ever made. :-)