30 Things Series - My Thoughts on Age & Numbers 3, 4

I haven't posted a 30 Things blog in a while. This is mostly because I've been so dang busy with other things (end of the school year, making travel plans, wedding stuff, house stuff, running, whatever). It's also maybe because I've been thinking about getting old, myself.

Seriously, don't laugh. Peter Pan Syndrome Miss Lindsey has those days, too!

I remember when I was 22, on my way to Disney World for an internship, when I discovered my first wrinkles on my forehead. I blogged about them then, horrified. Life was going to be over after Disney, I may as well buy a dozen cats, start drinking martinis and sign up for regular Botox shots. Then, I got to Disney and forgot how old I was. While I can't visit Disney every time I start to feel old, I can recapture the wonder of being young.

Age is nothing more than a number. In many ways, I'm more mature now than I was 10 years ago. I'm many other ways, I'm still the same kid at heart. It's important to find what makes you happy. Bring yourself back to whatever that is, whether it be in person or in memory, and hold onto whatever it is. Take a walk, see something new, read a book, learn something, make things, set unreasonable goals, or simply hang out with kids and see the world through their eyes. It'll keep you young, always, no matter what your number may be.

Now, to get caught up with 30 Things. I feel like 3 and 4 can be lumped together in one post. Here goes:

3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or the man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.

4. A purse, a suitcase, and an umbrella you're not ashamed to be seen carrying.

I own several suits which fit me. I've amassed this collection throughout my 20s, making sure to choose stylish, yet classic looks so I can wear them for many years. Some weren't expensive, found at Marshalls or on Ebay for a steal. Sure, you may not think you have an excuse to own a suit, but just wait until you need one last minute. You'll wish you had some in stock. Buy something you can use the pieces of during your regular work week, like a black skirt suit, and wear the skirt or jacket with other items from your closet.

On the other side of the coin, you need to own a little black dress. Nothing too slinky or short. Just something that hangs just right on whatever your frame may be. If black isn't your color, find something in a solid, reasonable color. You can never go wrong with a great, simple dress. They can be dressed up or down for whatever the occasion may be.

Though, truly, I'm the kind of girl to show up to meet the man of her dreams while wearing jeans, tennies and whatever random shirt looked good at the time. He ought to love me like that if he is the man of my dreams, right? ;)

As far as the purse, suitcase and umbrella go, I wouldn't say they are staples a woman must have before 30, but are good ideas. There's no reason to be carrying around purses a teenager might carry, toting a SpiderMan umbrella and a beat up, 5th generation thrift store suitcase.

The Christmas before I left for Houston, my aunt Barbara bought me a black umbrella which folded up small enough to fit in most purses. I still have it and prefer it. I suggest something like this. Though, I also have a bundle of Disney World umbrellas, since I never seemed to have one when I needed one in Florida, which I find acceptable.

My fantastic suitcases I stole from my mother. I'll be honest. They're great and a result of me traveling to El Paso with a tiny bag, necessitating a larger, or second bag, for the return trip. (Thanks, Mom!). While shopping at your parents house seems like a good idea, Marshalls or Burlington Coat Factory are really great for finding decent luggage at reasonable prices.

The Sword of Awesomeness

While the best word to describe my teaching methods may be "episodic", sometimes I still don't understand some of the things I do in the classroom.  I'm nothing if not visually interesting for one reason or another.  Sometimes, it involves wearing a chipmunk costume.

Others, it involves flailing my arms for no apparent reason.  Which brings me to the story of the Sword of Awesomeness.

As I was creating a spur of the moment, full-blown story for my students, one of the important items in the story became the Sword of Awesomeness.

Each time the item came up in the story, I would raise my arms in a rounded victory V sort of way.  I didn't even realize I was doing it until the students started doing the same each time I mentioned the Sword of Awesomeness.

As entertaining as it was, I didn't think much about the whole thing again until today, weeks later, when one of my students was sharing his 11 page (yes, he's a 6th grader!) imaginative story with the class.  At one point, he describes his characters battling through a hoard of zombies in order to retrieve the Sword of Awesomeness.

As he said it, he turned his attention from his paper, set it in his lap, grinned and raised his arms in the special salute.  I couldn't have been more proud.  Not only had he remembered the random thing I did and included it in his story, he also remembered the lesson and applied everything when he wrote his amazing story.  I was truly impressed.

Belated Two Things Tuesday

My evening was very busy yesterday, so I did not get around to posting this on the right day. But, seriously, who cares when I post these things anyhow?



Two Things:

1. I hate UTEP - I cannot overstate this. While, yes, I had a handful of fantastic professors during my time in college, the whole experience is severely soured by my dealings with the administration.

Without delving much into past events, let's just jump to today, rather, last night, when I received an email stating that there had been a grade change initiated by one of my instructors, changing it to a score which implies I never finished the course.

Ahem, I GRADUATED 3 YEARS AGO! I wasn't even aware they could change grades after a degree had been awarded, especially so long ago. Without a grade in the course, I would be lacking enough credits for my degree, possibly rendering my degree invalid. You can imagine my fury last night after reading the email. I was literally shaking. I thought I was done with UTEP.

It became my mission today to short things out. It's a good thing I don't live in the same city anymore. Instead I started calling this morning, trying to get ahold of anyone who knew anything or could do anything. That became a chore in of itself. It took me 9 phone calls to the operator and transfers to the Registration and Records office before I bypassed the operator and just called directly repeatedly. Each time, no answer, transfer to voicemail, voicemail was full. The operators had tried transferring me to two real people instead of the main number. The same thing happened, no answer, transfer to voicemail, voicemail full. After 6 more phone calls to the Records office, I finally got someone. She was kind enough to giggle at the situation and remark that I shouldn't have graduated. I reiterated how important it was to get things sorted today and she promised someone would call me back. I was less than hopeful. After some extra help from a few fantastic people, I did receive a call back. Everything would be sorted out ASAP. Apparently, no one signed some sort of paperwork and the system caught it in an audit. Whatever. It's done.

2. Getting Organized - I bought Dan a shelving unit for his pint glasses. They used to be stacked in groups of 2 or 3 on top of the game cabinet. Nightmares of a cat jumping up on top of the game cabinet out of curiosity drove me to my purchase. It looks much better and makes me feel better, too.