Friday, January 30, 2009

January 30 TGS

1. I drove to work this morning and did not get stuck once on a side street.

2. I got to work early!

3. Beautiful sunset alert!

4. Lost, plus pizza, plus blueberry beer equals a good night.

5. My kids were awesome today.

6. A reader contacted me and said many, many complimentary things in her introductory email. It's hard for me to accept compliments without feeling bashful and goofy, so reading them is much easier. Thanks, RA! I will be really freaked out if you are the former owner of my house....same last name!

7. Matt is ordering pizza with mushrooms and black olives.

8. My coworker made chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting for the January birthdays at work. Someone else brought 7-layer dip, and if you think 9 am is too early for dip, you don't know me very well.

9. I traded my birthday slippers for ones that fit better, all without a receipt.

10. Matt got me the coat I coveted at Target :)

January 29 TGS

Hmmm....as I have said before, I secretly love the bad kids. The Student Who Breaks My Heart Because He Has No Coat gave me a story he wrote while in in-school suspension. It's all one paragraph, but starts off about a boy whose Communication Arts teacher, Mrs. Rabbitt, inspires him because she says she loves reading his stories. The boy then wants to write a 2 page story for her to read.
His (TSWBMYBHHNC) writing is godawful, but damn, if he doesn't come up with some wacky ideas for stories. He is so proud of all of his writing, and I gave him a fancy folder to keep them in, in a secret place in my classroom.
That made me super happy. It seems he is reaching out to us, trying to avoid the gangster lifestyle he is destined for. We just don't want him to bring a gun to school like his brother did, so he gets lots of hugs and compliments.
Yay for being an inspiration!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Good Birthday Stuff

Today's Good Stuff came early. The sky today is the prettiest shade of blue I've seen in a long while. After 2 days of snow/sleet/freezing rain and Monday's general gloomy sky, it was nice to see the sun. Plus, it made the snow melt faster off my car.
So, I'm celebrating my 36th birthday with a Snow Day from school. Yes, I capitalize it because it is an important event. I'm a little bummed that I won't get to lord Birthday over my students and celebrate with my coworkers, so I'm trying to get myself started on a sewing project.

Also, the next little kid who comes to my door with a shovel, perfect manners and big brown eyes peeking out from a fur-lined hood is going to get $10 to shovel my across-the-street-neighbor's walk. I don't know where these kids come from, but I do love their entrepreneurial spirit! The older boys in our neighborhood finally rolled around at noon yesterday looking for shoveling work. Typical 16-year-olds.

Maybe I can do a list of Things I've Learned In My Life.

1. Name-brand plastic wrap is infinitely better than store-brand.

2. Always listen to your inner voice.

3. They're more afraid of you than you are of them. This still does not help me with spiders, although I managed to not obsessively vacuum out my snow boots which had been sitting in the basement for a few months.

4. Solar dryers all the way.

5. It is important to develop a good relationship with siblings, secretaries and custodians, especially if you want a custodian to "find" another key for you or if you need an alibi for your parents.

6. Older people have all the answers.

7. Teaching has also broken my heart many, many times, not just from deaths but from knowing about the hellish home lives of some of my students and knowing I can't take them home with me to protect them. Yet, I still do it.

8. Never come home with an empty gas tank, thinking "Oh, I'll just stop for gas before work in the morning." That will be a bad, bad morning. I haven't learned this the hard way; it's just a smart rule.

9. Don't bother eating store-bought tomatoes in the winter. They will also break your heart.

10. When traveling, wear as many items of clothing as you can so your suitcase isn't too heavy.

11. Life is often unfair (the Duggars, for example, or the lady who just had 8 freakin' kids) but it is also often amusing and good.

12. Hard work and a positive attitude makes you live longer. If you don't believe me, you can go visit my grandma (89) and grandpop (96 or 97) and see what they have to say. Grandpop can still speak Polish.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The Good Stuff 2

Aside from the last-night phone call telling me I had today off, not much to report on today. I attempted some sewing, but have no interest in it. What is wrong with me? If we end up having to adopt, I am going to have to make some damn potholders/money!

Here's something good.
In winter, I have tons of these little guys at my feeder:
This, my friends, is the dark-eyed junco. The yellow-eyed junco lives in New Mexico and Arizona because it's smarter and more in touch with the Earth Mother. They are just the cutest little guys, with their white tummies and the chicken-like way they scratch through the snow for seed. How do their legs stay warm?

A few months ago, I found a horrifying sight in the yard. A sparrow had gotten its greedy head stuck inside a feed hole of one of my bird feeders. It was flapping frantically and was too panicky to figure out how to unstick its head. I gently held its little body and took off the top of the feeder to figure out what to do. With a lot of gentle twisting and poking and praying that I wouldn't tear its head off, I freed the bird, who flew into the bushes, gathered its wits and flew off.

Their bodies weigh nothing and you never realize how thin their legs are until you've got a really stupid one in your hand. So, how do their legs not freeze solid?

Monday, January 26, 2009

Snow by Thelma Harrington Bell


Last year, the librarian at my school did a purge of all the books that hadn't been checked out since she was born in 1984. Therefore, I am now in possession of a million ancient school books with luscious graphics and colors. Some were given to Tiny Montgomery, but some I hoarded like My Precious.
Here's my favorite book, simply titled "Snow". It was first published in 1954, but the copy I have was printed in 1969. Aqua, black and grey? Yes, please.
I love the little bird house and the cozy human house in this picture.
And if I was totally crazy, I'd get that snowflake pattern in the above picture tattooed across my shoulders.

The Good Stuff

I am, with her approval, borrowing a great idea Tiny Montgomery had a few weeks ago. Each day, I will let my 4 readers know about something good, great, or wonderful that I experienced. I'll call it The Good Stuff, which is what I also call the tube of Gold Bond Ultimate Lotion I keep at school. Even my kids call it The Good Stuff. "Mrs. Rabbitt, can I have some of The Good Stuff?"
Here's why I'm doing this:
1. I teach 7th grade in a low-income district. I am bombarded daily with petty bullshit, especially by girls who are always antagonizing and being snarky to one another. It's never been this bad before. I am so freakin' sick of hearing what soandso said to soandso on the bus and then some slutty 8th grade boy is always bothering them and blahblahblah is two-faced and so on.

2. This world is pretty sucky, and we need more goodness.

3. I'm tired of hearing people talk about how stupid or terrible everyone else is.

4. My mother trained my brother and I to notice the small beautiful things in nature. It's hard to pass this onto to low-income, bitchy 7th graders, but I try.

5. My NYE resolution was to stay un-snarky and not to complain about things/people I can't control. It went well until I went back to school, but I put up a good fight. I have only had 2 or 3 incidents when I was given a "Get Out of NYE Resolution Free Card".

Here's my first nice thing, seen at 6:50 am today.
So, it snowed, beautifully, yesterday. The sky this morning was that typical pinkish city sky, covered in thick clouds. As I discovered the snow on my car was brushable and not an issue, I heard crows cawing. The noise got louder and louder, and I finally looked up. Above me was a murder of at least 50 crows, flying east. It was so peaceful and solitary and I felt like the only person in the city watching these black dots flap overhead. Ah... a haiku moment...

Also, my coworkers and I had a good chuckle during team meeting this morning. Other teachers brought in bagels and coffee, so I had a nice snack in the library during my free time.

My 6th hour class read silently during DEAR so I rewarded them with wasabi and soy sauce flavored almonds. Most of them had never had wasabi, and it was fun to watch them experience it! For the record, the only girl who didn't like it usually makes a big show out of everything, so her opinion is invalid.

Happy Lunar New Year to my Asian and Asian-phile friends, both 15 months old and above :)
I am an ox, so hopefully good things will happen. See if this description doesn't just scream ALLISON!


Oops...according to Wikipedia, I'm a Rat. But, according to my Chinese friend, I was born on the cusp, so could have attributes of both.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

New Bags!




I am in the middle of adding new market bags to my Etsy shop. Remember, they are pretty much one-of-a-kind, and so fabulous that they won't last long. I hope.

Tonight we may be going to the Meet Our Alderwoman Candidate party at Grbic's. She's my neighbor, so I already know her, but there are raffles and such. Plus, free door prizes!

I've been sickish all this week, but dragged myself to school anyway. By Friday, I could not get myself psyched for a day full of boring meetings, and even though I wouldn't have had classes, I still called in sick. Then, I stayed in bed until 10 am. TEN AM! That's when I know I'm sick!
My doctor called in a Z-pac for me, which is 30 doses of the antibiotic azithromycin in 6 convenient pills. It basically kills ALL the bacteria in my body, good ones too. So, let's hope I make it through the weekend without getting the vomiting, diarrhea, or yeast infections that are possible side effects. My life is awesome, huh?

And as far as the previous post goes, we got nothing. But, the ball doctor said it could take a year or so for everything to heal from the variocele surgery.
At least my house is clean for now!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Cross Your Fingers!


For my 2 readers, please keep your fingers crossed that a certain husband's certain test goes well tomorrow and will give me the certainty that I can certainly get pregnant someday!
Go, little soldiers, go toward the light :)

All prayers, invocations, positive vibrations and creative visualizations will be welcome, as I do not want to have to use the Craigslist Sperm Donor guy/peetree dish hater...

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Like he'd want to be paid

Is this guy for real?

Stud service - $100 (ST Louis)


Reply to: sale-989017308@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2009-01-11, 4:58PM CST


I am willing to impregnate any female for a fee, no testubes or peetree dishes, the real thing. $100






  • Location: ST Louis
  • it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Green With Indie Craft Show..

The next big Craft Mafia event will be the Green With Indie Craft Show. We're looking for relatively eco-friendly or local to St. Louis vendors and info booths. Come join us at the Webster University Gym on March 21 and 22 to get your life a little greener!

In preparation for this, I have 26 market bags sitting behind me, awaiting pins and more sewing....