My Adventures and Travels

My beloved Rockies played their first game since the World Series today. And you know what the (tank top-clad, warm looking) sportscaster said? "The streak continues. The Rockies have now won 22 out of 23 non-World Series games." Way to be optimistic, and gloss over the fact that after that amazing streak, our guys got swept at the series. Ah, baseball season! Now, all I need is for the games to be TELEVISED, so I have something to watch while I recuperate from this dang cold! (Bad third graders, bad!)

Spring training for my beloved Rockies starts in just 3 days! In about a month, I will be heading down to watch some games. I will also get to visit my uncle in Albuquerque and grandma in Phoenix. Toni doesn't think he'll be able to get off work, but I do have a coworker going down at the same time with her family, so hopefully we'll get to hang out! Here is a pic from the last spring training I went to, 2 years ago. Ahh, 72 degrees? Palm trees? Outdoor swimming pools, and the possibility of getting a sunburn that doesn't involve ski goggles? Bring it on!

The big news for the week is that I accepted the position I mentioned last week! I spent the last 2 days in an English Language Learners leadership conference for the district (which I started in June, before my position became available). This time, it was much more relevant, and I became more and more excited about my upcoming change. I also scrawled pages of questions I have for the director, a list of things to discuss with my principal, which I ultimately need to discuss with the whole staff. Wow! This is a lot to think about! The hardest part of the day (well, other than getting to school in the snow after walking the dog in the snow) was getting to the principal to let her know before she heard through the grapevine! People all over the place were congratulating me before I even got a chance to tell her I'd take the job! Also, I was out the last 2 days and she was out at a meeting all morning. Finally, I found her after school and confirmed the good news. Hooray!

The excitement just doesn't stop this election year! Obama won the primaries in Nebraska, Louisiana, Washington State, Maine, and let's not forget the delegate-rich U.S. Virgin Islands! =) He has a lot of momentum coming into the Potomac Primary states tomorrow...could it be another super Tuesday? Woohoo! Tuesday update: another sweep for Virginia, D.C., and Maryland! Obama now has the most delegates. There is still a way to go, but so far, so good!

Okay, it was a pretty short hike. But, I went up (I'm guessing 800 vertical feet), and had a view, so in my mind, it qualifies as a hike instead of a mere walk. It's in the 50s today (sorry, relatives in Chicago) so I decided I had to get out of the house and enjoy it! Green Mountain, which we all call Brown Mountain, is visible from my house and not far away. Although we got some snow last week, about 6 inches, most of it had melted, making it a muddy mess! However, it was a beautiful day, and only a few minutes before I took off my sweater and wore a T-SHIRT! Hello, vitamin D! A couple walking the other way teased me for being overly eager for spring...not just a t-shirt, but a Rockies t-shirt! Views to the north of Golden and mountains beyond. Views to the east of Downtown Denver.

No, this one isn't about politics. Yesterday, my principal offered me a new job. As she knows, I got my masters in teaching English as a second language, and I'm interested in a related job. She just found out that next year, the district will be adding an ESL program (consisting of 1 whole person) to my school. And she is interested in that person being me. So, will I take it? I'm thinking about it. Cons: My first ESL job being just me...no experienced people to go to (at least in the building) with questions. The unknown. Feeling like a first-year teacher again. Does my need for a change in scenery involve more than a different room in the same building? Pros: I want, and need, to get out of the classroom for awhile. Now I won't have to go through the application process in another school or district. I already know everyone in the building. If I figure out what I'm doing, it could be kind of cool to set up the whole program. Obviously, a lot to think about this w...

I have never caucused before. Since I wasn't sure about the rules, I didn't take any pictures (tempted though I was). Anyway, here's the rundown: My caucus, and many others, were in a nearby middle school. There were a LOT of people there! We divided up into rooms based on our caucuses. When we got started a lady read all of the rules and we took a straw poll. 16 Clinton, 2 Undecided, and 32 Obama supporters-wow! I was surprised it wasn't closer. Then a few people stood up and spoke. 2 young females and 1 82-year old man all spoke very eloquently for why they are voting for Obama (doesn't take PAC money, strengths of health care plan, against the war from the beginning, and unites people). Then some of the Clinton supporters spoke about why they're voting for her (I'm obviously biased on this issue, but they seemed very angry. Things got a little heated for a few minutes.) Then, 1 undecided person chose Obama, and 1 stayed undecided and they did all the dele...

A few of the things getting my attention lately... 1. First and foremost, POLITICS! Your Super Bowl might have been yesterday, but mine is tomorrow....super Tuesday! 2. It keeps snowing. It is that time of year where I get really annoyed at the poor weather-people every time they come on tv! And unlike the relatives in IL, no snow days here, so far. :( 3. Food....something about that snow makes me want to cook warm comfort food! Tonight was cube steak stroganoff, and it sure hit the spot! 4. Fencing, still. Checked out many books on fencing and have been reading over the weekend. Tonight I had a great lesson and FINALLY beat the guy I've been fencing there for 5 weeks-yea!! About this "balance" business...well, clearly, all work and no play makes a dull girl, right? Here is one part of my life I have really been neglecting while at home....dreaded school work, for the dreaded upcoming report cards....I just CAN'T make myself do it after working all day! But I diligent...

But not less painful. The "safer than golf" thing is a statistic from a fencin g website, which, I believe, has something to do with lightening strikes. However, this week, I got kinda beat up! This was through a canvas jacket and shirt... my excuse for not parrying better is that I got home at 1am the previous morning from skiing! I told Toni, he won't want to be seen with me during summer because he'll get dirty looks for all my bruises. And he's such a nice guy. :)