Back from Vegas

Well, I had a wonderful trip out to Vegas. Mom's 50th was a lot of fun. Although, I had to give Stac grief when she called me before 9 am (even though it was almost 11 at home). We didn't even get to the hotel until 12:30 and then we dropped our stuff off and went downstairs to play a little bit and have a drink before going to bed. When we were heading upstairs, I commented to Sonny that I hoped it wasn't like 4 am our time...then I checked my phone and it was 1:55, 5 minutes from 4 am our time. And I still had to pump before bed, so I was still a little sleepy when Stac called.

Saturday was Mom's birthday and so we spent the day around our casinos while we waited for the guys who had gone golfing. So we took Mom to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch at MGM Grand. I know, I know, we have one of those here, but we have never gone there with Mom. Then we ventured over to New York New York for a while until Dad and Mark came back (along with the Canadian relatives) and then around 4-ish, we headed downtown, because that's where Mom wanted to go for her birthday and because we had dinner reservations downtown.

We ate dinner at this really nice restaurant. They split us up into two parties of eight, but side by side. Mom was on the end of her table and I was on the end of ours. Then Mic was across from me and Natalie was across from Mom. At our table was Sonny and I, Mic and Mark, Gigi and Nils, Justin, and Bonnie (Joanie's Mum). At Mom's table were her and Dad, Perry and Natalie, Jeff and Tracy, and Preston and Joanie (all of Nils' sons, and their wives (kinda like step-siblings to mom if they hadn't married so late in life)). Sonny and my bill came to over $100. And ours was the cheapest bill at the two tables.

After that, we went to outside to wait for 9 pm for the first Freemont Street Experience of the night. It was a tribute to the Doors. I personally hate The Doors, but it was still fun to watch. Dad, Sonny and I met up again at 10 and 11 to see the tributes to Queen and Kiss, respectively.

Oh yeah. I forgot that two different cab drivers told us that Krispie Kreme doesn't even hold a candle to Dunkin Donuts. So Sonny and I conducted a taste test. I do not agree with the cab drivers. I am still a Krispie Kreme fan. Thank you downtown for helping me with my 'research'.

Sunday, we attempted to start the day together by having all the relatives meet up at Mandalay Bay for Brunch before heading to the Belagio and the new City Center. Neither of those were things that I wanted to do, but I rode along to the Belagio but when Nils wanted to sit for a little bit and play, I knew it was time to leave because a)I don't like that casino (I remember not liking it from when we stayed there) and b)I knew it would take forever to get everyone out of there. So Sonny and I left and went over to Paris and Bally's to play. Then we took the tram back to MGM to hoof it over to M&M World to buy shirts for the boys. Then we walked them back to our room, I pumped and then Dad called to say that they were finished at the City Center and that they were coming to our hotel to take a cab with us down to Circus Circus and Slots'a'Fun. We didn't end up staying long because no one was really having a great time. So we probably were down there a couple hours before heading back.

We took a cab back to Excalibur because that was the only one of my faves that we hadn't yet been to. We had fun playing there. My dad played the same machine the entire time and cashed out over $400. He was pretty happy about that. I thought that was pretty cool. Although I don't think I would have the patience to sit at one machine all night.

After we left there, we played at our hotel a little while longer before heading to bed around 12:00 or so. We got back to the room around 2 or so and then I pumped and got ready for bed and was in bed by 3...probably the earliest night.

On Monday, we had to get up and get ready to head for home. We probably got to play for a half hour or so by the time we checked our bags with the bell hop and grabbed some lunch. We didn't even play at the airport because we went over and hung with Mic and Mark until their flight and then it was only an hour until ours. On the flight back, we watched The Blind Side. That was a good movie. And I would never have gotten a chance to watch it at home.

All in all it was a fun trip. I always hate to leave Vegas. I'm always sad that we didn't get to stay longer. But it's okay. I know we have plans to go back in August before the new school year starts.

Oh, and if you are one of the people that I typically send postcards to, I apologize. I did get around to purchasing them, but I never got around to filling them out, or mailing them. So I might just save them for next trip. That way I can make sure I have postage and can drop them in the mailbox so they have a Vegas postmark instead of MN one.

VEGAS!!

Less than 24 hours until I will be in Vegas! I am totally excited! Now, if only, I wasn't still up at 1 am working on IEPs before the trip.

Luck o' the Irish

So today we had some Irish Jig dancers perform at school. They were pretty good. Of course, I wouldn't really be able to tell if they were really bad.

Anyway, while they were performing, I was wondering if casinos are busier on St. Patrick's Day because people think it will be lucky. Then I started to giggle because all the casinos around here are on Reservations. And I thought that didn't really make much sense.

But then I realized that Gigi and Nils are already in Vegas for the weekend. They flew there today. I guess all the Canadian relatives (that are going to the birthday party) departed on St. Patty's Day. I wonder if there is any connection to my first thought, or if it was just when flights were available.

Seven Years ago today

If you don't remember what you were doing seven years ago today, good for you.

I do.

At least, I remember what the evening was like.

And though today has been a busy day and I haven't spent much time really thinking about it, it's been there, just floating in the back of my mind. And I thought I couldn't let the anniversary go by without some kind of mention, but I can't really think of what to say.

Perhaps the only thing to say is this: It's the seven year anniversary and I still remember. There is still a lot of sadness, in me, about it. But it is what it is.

Flying under the radar

My ex-fiance used to tell me that I have no idea what it is like to fly all day. He told me that I had no idea the toll it took on him every day. He told me that flying makes a person tired.

While all of this may have been true, I used to roll my eyes at these comments. But now, years later, I think I finally understand.

You see, I work in an environment that is hostile, for lack of a better way to describe it. And I spend the better part of every day trying to fly under the radar. I don't think that the actual job demands are any different in this job than any other I have ever worked, I just think that the flying under the radar is what makes me so tired every day.

Why do I exert this energy in this way? Case in point: Today, I heard the principal yell, "Get in my office! Now!" It was after school hours so I didn't know who would be getting into trouble. Turns out it was a staff member. He didn't agree with a policy that was recently implemented (and I don't agree with it either) regarding the micromanagement of the Educational Assistants. During her yelling at this staff member, someone had walked by her office and heard her tell him, "I always win!"

All I can say is, an administrator who says something like that, isn't an administrator. At least not one that deserves any respect. But, it also shows why I try to fly under the radar. If you don't get noticed, you won't get yelled at over nothing.

The illusion of multi-tasking

Here's something I learned in my class, about the brain, on Saturday: The Corpus Collosum (the bundle of nerves that connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain) is looser in women than in men. This is what gives women the illusion that we are able to multi-task. The example the lady gave was one of preparing dinner as a man vs. a woman.

If a man was preparing dinner and the phone rang, he would stop preparing the meal, answer the phone, take care of the call and return to dinner.

Meanwhile, if a woman was preparing a meal and the phone rang, she would answer it. But, she would tuck it between her ear and shoulder, continuing stirring, snap her fingers to get the kids to quit arguing, start emptying the dishwasher, and let the dog out, all while on the phone.

Most of us laughed at this example. But it's so true. So, I just had to share.

Just keep treading

Does anybody ever really get to the point where they think, "Okay, I got this covered."? I mean, at work, it's like I try to get through one project only to jump into the next, and there isn't really ever a reprieve. It feels like that at home too. My husband would probably claim, and my best friend would probably agree, that it's because I keep a planner. He says that every time I cross something out, I add two more things. I don't know if that's true, but sometimes it feels true.

Wednesday is only half-way through the week

So who knew that once I finished a big project at work that I would be less angry with my supervisor? Maybe it's the fact that some time has passed. Maybe it's the fact that I got the report done. Or maybe it's the fact that today I got clearance that I have been waiting on for almost a month to change my schedule. Whichever it is, I don't care, but I am glad to be breathing a little easier tonight.

But, that being said, I am tired. I'm glad that tomorrow is Thursday, but the week is truly only half over. I have class on Saturday this week. It's a workshop called "Save My License Saturday". I wonder who takes these classes? I mean, I wonder if it's a bunch of speech paths or if other educators take these classes too? It doesn't really matter either way, but I am just curious.

Lukin, Parker, and work

1. Big news in our house: We now officially have a potty-trained three-year-old. This has been going on for about two weeks now, but I forget what I want to say when I get on here, so I just remembered. Yay Lukin!

2. Apparently, although I have yet to see it, Parker can now sit up on his own. I came home to see that written on the calendar for Monday, March 1st. That's pretty exciting too! But I need to see it to confirm. :)

3. Right now I am back to hating work. There was an incident over the weekend (yes over the weekend) where my supervisor came in and was rearranging and apparently felt it was okay to go through my personal materials. I am not happy with her and have not spoken to her since Monday. And honestly, I feel like it is one 'last straw' after another. I've had about as much as I can take. But, after a phone call tomorrow, that will all change (hopefully) as of March 16th. I will elaborate more when it's time to do so.