Below are the 12 most recent journal entries recorded in amm82203's LiveJournal:

Friday, July 1st, 2005
9:01 am	no more pencils . . . Whew, it's been forever since I've updated. Sorry, that's the life of the urban public school teacher. School _finally_ got out last week, so the bliss of summer vacation has begun. It's almost enough to make up for the months of struggle. ;-) I will be returning to my current school in the fall (Go Knights!). That's a nice feeling, knowing where I'll be and who I'll be working with. This will be the first time I'm at the same school two years in a row, what with my husband's job changing. It's hard and crazy and exhausting, but rarely boring, and I love my crazy kids who can barely read. And I don't work in a cubicle, which is nice. And next year, I don't have to teach biology. It'll be all chemistry and physical science, and that means . . no freshmen! Woo-hoo! Let's just hope my health improves some before school starts back. The other news of interest is that I will be in Atlanta from July 13 to July 25. The bad part is that my dad is having pretty major surgery on July 18. So, if you want to see me, you may have to pick me up at Piedmont hospital so we can do lunch or dinner. I hope everyone is well and that I get to see some of you in a few weeks. Either way, I send my love to you and yours. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, April 30th, 2005
7:24 pm	sorry I've been neglecting my journal As Tiffany reminded me today, I haven't updated in a long time. Sorry! Work is very draining. Who knew teaching was so physically demanding? Especially in Oakland, one of our more troubled school districts. It is rewarding sometimes, though, and I do love my students. But it's soooo tiring! Let's see, what has happened lately? I'm singing with a band, and we're almost done with our demo CD so we can try to start getting gigs. If anyone is interested, you can e-mail me and I'll send you an mp3. Woo-hoo! I'm, like, a recording artist now. My union (me included) voted overwhelmingly to reject the district's contract offer (85% to 15%). So, who knows, I may get to go on strike in the fall. Wouldn't that be exciting? They are really trying to screw us over, claiming they can't afford to pay our helth care rpemiums anymore. Whatever. The only decent thing about the compensation package, and they think we're going to be fine with them taking it away. Also in school-related news, a student tried to start a fire outside my room last week. It wasn't aimed at me or anything. But it added soem excitement to the day. In other recent news, a woman got shot outside our apartment building last week, about 10 minutes after I left for work. Keep in mind that we live in Pleasanton, aka Stepford. I don't think they even have homicide detectives out here. So that was scary. Overall, all is well, and Siddharth is doing fine. I miss you guys lots, and I'll try to be better about keeping up on livejournal. I will be in Atlanta around the 18th of July, so I hope to see a lot of you then. So don't go anywhere that week. ;-) (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 6th, 2005
10:37 am	employment I have a job! I accepted a job teaching Chemistry and Biology at Castlemont Leadership Academy in the Oakland Unified School district. I'm not sure when I'll be starting, 'cause it depends on the paperwork and fingerprinting and all. Probably in aobut 2 weeks. Anyway, I will be rejoining the ranks of inner city school teachers. Keep your fingers crossed that I don't get too stressed out or exhausted and end up super sick like last time (thanks, lupus). At least it's a smaller school with smaller class sizes than the one I taught in back in LA. I'm pretty excited when I'm not nervous. I hate starting in a new place! I'll be glad in a month or two when everything is settled down. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004
12:24 pm	home for Christmas We're back in the bay area after our asia travel adventure, and we're geting ready to come to Atlanta for Christmas. Unfortunately, Siddharth will only be there for 2 days, so he won't really be able to see people. I, however, will be there for a week (dec. 24 - Dec. 31), so let me know if you want to get together. Keep in mind that my parents only have 1 car, so transportation for me might be difficult. As in, you may have to drive. Random trip tidbits: -The trip was awesome, just so you know. -Bathrooms in India don't usually have toilet paper. Ladies, carry a roll in your purse if you ever go there. -Going to a developing nation kind of makes you feel guilty and grateful for living in a developed one. -Monkeys are pretty darn cute. Especially mommy monkeys with little baby monkeys. Yes, we have pictures. Just don't get too close, 'cause they might also be, you know, rabid. -Bangalore, India has lots of trees and lots of construction. Kind of like Atlanta, only more, you know, third-worldish. -Laws in India, especially traffic laws, are suggestions. -Japan is really expensive and crowded, but very clean and nice. -Singapore is near the equator. It's 85 and humid in December. Who knew? -The entire surface area of Singapore is covered by shopping malls. It's kind of like Los Angeles on an tropical island. -Nothing makes a white person feel more white than travelling in Asia. Okay, so maybe travelling in Africa would, I'll grant you that. I'll think of more interesting things later. (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 12th, 2004
10:32 am	India report All is well for us in India. We just got back from trip to the forest, where we saw wild elephants, bison, and deer. We also got to ride on an elephant. The tamed work elephants were really kind of depressing. They seemed sad. We also made a trip to Delhi and Agra, where we saw the Taj Majal, old forts, and some really beautiful temples. Pretty cool, huh? We'll hve lots of pictures to share when we get home. Hope all is well with you, as I have no time to read your entries. We'll be back in the states next Sunday, and in Atlanta for Christmas. (Comment on this)
Monday, November 29th, 2004
7:38 pm	live from Singapore Hey, everyone, our overseas adventure has gone well so far. Right now we're in the Singapore airport waiting for our flight to Bangalore, India. The airport has free internet. Yea! Our weekend in Tokyo with my aunt and uncle was awesome. Tokyo is just so bustling and crowded, and it seems to go on forever. We took lots of pictures. We got to eat in this 100 year old traditional Tempura restaurant with a courtyard with a pond and trees. We also went up in Tokyo Tower, which is like the Eiffel Tower, only bigger. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Singaport Airlines served turkey on our flight last Thursday, so we got to celebrate the holiday a little bit, too. More updates later, I hope. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 24th, 2004
1:35 pm	the adventure begins Siddharth and I leave tomorrow for our trip to Japan and India. I'll try to update and let you know what's going on, but I don't know how much internet access I'll have. Have a happy Thanksgiving, everybody, and keep you fingers crossed for safe travel. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 16th, 2004
1:23 pm	good stuff So, Siddharth and I leave for our Overseas Adventure next Thursday. After a weekend in Tokyo with my aunt and uncle, we spend about 17 days in India with Siddharth's family. His parents and sister flew there last Friday. I'm very excited, and a tad nervous. We'll take lots of pictures. Also, I had a job interview with the HR lady in Oakland's school district last week. It went really well, so maybe something will happen there. I wish I could find something closer, though. (Comment on this)
1:14 pm	annoyances A certain phone company who shall remain nameless (starts with a "v" and ends with "erizon") sent a collection agency after us for a $35 DSL bill that occurred after we cancelled service with them when we moved in September. In fact, Verizon owes us $64. But apparently, that $64 has to go through this compex system of pulleys and levers in a process that takes 60 days. I found this out after spending half and hour on hold and talking with 5 different people before reaching someone with some level of knowledge. Sigh. Also, why is it that every time I see a new doctor, they have to start my diagnosis and treatment process all over again? "Well, even though this dosage of your medication is the only dosage that has ever worked well for you and has ever caused your bloodwork to return to normal, I need to change it because it's too high and I could get sued if it makes your eyeballs fall out or something, even though the chance of that happening is 1 in a quadrillion." Okay, so that's not exactly what he said. I'm paraphrasing. I know he only wants me on the optimum dosage of my medicine, but it's such a pain that they always discard what all my past rheumatologists have done. (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 4th, 2004
4:22 pm	sigh Man, this week has been a bummer. Even besides Kerry losing. At least I live in a blue state. I've been volunteering for a local congressional candidate, and he lost, of course, because we had no money and were running against a powerful Republican incumbent in a gerrymandered district. I went by the office this afternoon to do the last of some data entry. I'm not sure what the point of that was. I guess it'll be helpful the next time around. Anyway, it was sad. The candidate came by to pick up boxes of signs and pamphlets and stuff, and the office was all packed up. Bummer. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 27th, 2004
1:14 pm	today's criminal background check So, when you get a job with a school district, you have to get fingerprinted for a criminal background check. Never mind that I had it done earlier this year in another district. Never mind that it took two months and 3 fingerprintings to clear last time because my fingerprints are abnormally faint and un-patterned. At least the lady who rolled my prints today was nice and seemed competent. She tried really hard to get prints they'd accept. She also told me I could "have a life of crime real easy." I told her I'd keep that in mind if the teaching didn't work out. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, October 14th, 2004
3:11 pm	current events So, I finally got a live journal. Not that I have anything terrible interesting to say, but on top of Tiffany and the Feingolds' peer pressure, here I am. Siddharth and I are settled in to our new apartment in Pleasanton, California. We like the town, and Siddharth likes his job. We're starting to make friends. If I could find a church that was liberal enough and intellectual enough to meet our exacting standards, we'd be all set. Those are kind of rare, though, so I'm not holding my breath. My current occupations are looking for a job and volunteering for the Democratic challenger in my new congressional district. If you know any progressives with money to burn trying to unseat a Republican, direct them to http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/. I'm also reading Anna Karenina, which is a lot better than I expected it to be. I recommend it. (4 Comments |Comment on this)