Bobby told me this story the other day and after I finished my laughing convulsions, I told him it was too bad that he didn't have a blog, because his story was so very blog-worthy. Then I did some more thinking and came up with the idea of a guest blogger, so....here you go:
The other day I went to go visit a client that I had never met at a nursing home. When I arrived the staff told me that my client was a lady in her nineties who had a reputation for being cantankerous. At this point I figured that my boyish charm could get the best of any old lady…this was not the case.
The nurse showed me to my client’s room and then left us to talk. When I introduced myself as her attorney my client immediately started yelling that she didn’t hire an attorney and did not need me. I politely explained that I had been appointed as her attorney and she was more or less stuck with me. My client than proceeded to tell me that there was no way I could be an attorney because I was too young. I could see how to someone in their nineties could see how someone in their late twenties could be too young to do much, so, once again, I politely explained to her that I was her attorney and I was here to help. As you can imagine she did not respond too well to this either.
At this point I figured I may as well proceed and talk to her about why I was there. I started off by trying to just chat with her to figure out how senile she really was. I asked her about her house and she immediately responded by saying”you are just trying to figure out if I know where I live”. That is exactly what I was doing but I wasn’t going to let her know that so I responded that I was trying to get to know her. This apparently set something off with her because she then grabbed an unopened can of Sprite off of her table and hurled it at me. Thank God she was old because her aim was about 3 feet to my right. However, when the Sprite hit the wall it exploded and got all over me! I never thought as a lawyer I would have an old lady hurl things at me…apparently I was wrong.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
...and i learned to like shallots (a lot)
Israeli couscous with parsley and shallots
serves 4
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Israeli (pearl) couscous (I found it in the bulk section at Central Market)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 shallots (about 1/2 pound total), halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
In a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook couscous until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, and transfer to a bowl.
Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add shallots; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add to bowl with couscous. Add parsley and lemon juice, and toss. Season with salt and pepper.
*I enjoyed this with some lime broccoli and sesame shrimp...I cooked Asian, go figure. :)
serves 4
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Israeli (pearl) couscous (I found it in the bulk section at Central Market)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 shallots (about 1/2 pound total), halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
In a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook couscous until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, and transfer to a bowl.
Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add shallots; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add to bowl with couscous. Add parsley and lemon juice, and toss. Season with salt and pepper.
*I enjoyed this with some lime broccoli and sesame shrimp...I cooked Asian, go figure. :)
Monday, October 19, 2009
yes...still here
Thank goodness for cell phones...otherwise some of you folks might think I had been kidnapped or fallen victim to the swine flu. Neither is true, luckily. Just trying to keep my head above water with the new job and all the scary unknown that it comes with.
I do better with lists, plus seeing as how I have so little time on my computer, I thought I'd run down the last month or so with bullet points. We all know I'm no good at storytelling, anyway.
~As stated above, my new counseling job is kicking my booty. One adjustment is that my time isn't my own anymore...there is always something that comes up that I have to do while in the middle of something else. I'm learning to navigate the ropes semi-on my own because there really is no one to guide you when you're the only counselor in a sea of 730+ small people. I love, love, love doing my guidance lessons! I am getting to know so many of the kiddo's personalities and I'm seeing the growth that happens from grade level to grade level.
~Haven't contracted the swine flu...however, I am in the midst of recovery from a seriously awful sinus infection. I thought my forehead was going to break out of my head while on a flight just last Monday...wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy...if I had an enemy, which I don't. :)
~I was on a plane coming back from visiting Ryan-from-the-train in Seattle. We've been friends for almost a good 10 years now. It was a gorgeous trip and it was really good to see him and catch up and shop at all the fun stores! We saw a lot of gorgeous scenery...stuff I don't get to see EVER here in the Lone Star State. Here are some of the pictures from my trip:
~Here are the sweet flowers my sweet Bobby left when I wasn't feeling well (thought I was dying) last week. I came home from work and saw them on the table and of course went into worst-case scenario mode for about 10 seconds before I realized there was no stranger lurking in my apartment trying to lure me with flowers. Turns out Bobby stopped by and dropped them off...which is a much sweeter story than a murderer hiding in my shower. (Do you like my candy corn placemats??)
~And finally, I got to go to this AWESOME concert a few weeks ago!! Taylor put on an amazing show and never stopped moving for the full 2 hours. She walked through the crowd twice, had all kinds of cool set changes, and finished the show by singing with the two opening acts. What a personable lady! I want to go when she comes back in March!!!
I do better with lists, plus seeing as how I have so little time on my computer, I thought I'd run down the last month or so with bullet points. We all know I'm no good at storytelling, anyway.
~As stated above, my new counseling job is kicking my booty. One adjustment is that my time isn't my own anymore...there is always something that comes up that I have to do while in the middle of something else. I'm learning to navigate the ropes semi-on my own because there really is no one to guide you when you're the only counselor in a sea of 730+ small people. I love, love, love doing my guidance lessons! I am getting to know so many of the kiddo's personalities and I'm seeing the growth that happens from grade level to grade level.
~Haven't contracted the swine flu...however, I am in the midst of recovery from a seriously awful sinus infection. I thought my forehead was going to break out of my head while on a flight just last Monday...wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy...if I had an enemy, which I don't. :)
~I was on a plane coming back from visiting Ryan-from-the-train in Seattle. We've been friends for almost a good 10 years now. It was a gorgeous trip and it was really good to see him and catch up and shop at all the fun stores! We saw a lot of gorgeous scenery...stuff I don't get to see EVER here in the Lone Star State. Here are some of the pictures from my trip:
~Here are the sweet flowers my sweet Bobby left when I wasn't feeling well (thought I was dying) last week. I came home from work and saw them on the table and of course went into worst-case scenario mode for about 10 seconds before I realized there was no stranger lurking in my apartment trying to lure me with flowers. Turns out Bobby stopped by and dropped them off...which is a much sweeter story than a murderer hiding in my shower. (Do you like my candy corn placemats??)
~And finally, I got to go to this AWESOME concert a few weeks ago!! Taylor put on an amazing show and never stopped moving for the full 2 hours. She walked through the crowd twice, had all kinds of cool set changes, and finished the show by singing with the two opening acts. What a personable lady! I want to go when she comes back in March!!!
Monday, September 14, 2009
did i speak too soon?
Remember how just days ago I showed you pictures of my shiny and organized office?
Remember how I said there is never a dull moment in my new job?
Well, to quote one of my favorite movies, The Little Rascals, "the clouds opened up and God said 'I hate you Alfalfa'!" Although, perhaps that should say Mary instead of Alfalfa.
I walked into the school today and was greeted by one of our secretaries who curled her face up and said "I just sprayed about half a can of Lysol in your office to make the smell go away." Um....come again???
Turns out, the roof and ceiling of Blue Haze Elementary, along with the clouds, opened up this weekend. Score. I'm really, really trying hard to choose my attitude and for that attitude to be a positive one. However, when the overhead lights start crackling due to water contact, there is nasty brown water dripping from the hole in the ceiling all the live-long day, the planner which is your Bible gets ruined, all the paperwork on your desk, including the sole copy of a child's psych. discharge papers are also ruined, and the library books you had laying out for lessons get destroyed, it gets tough. Oh, and did I mention the smell?
The only positive highlight so far is that all my documentation and paperwork for TCU happens to be kept in a hard plastic folder that I just happened to choose because it was purple. God bless plastic.
Remember how I said there is never a dull moment in my new job?
Well, to quote one of my favorite movies, The Little Rascals, "the clouds opened up and God said 'I hate you Alfalfa'!" Although, perhaps that should say Mary instead of Alfalfa.
I walked into the school today and was greeted by one of our secretaries who curled her face up and said "I just sprayed about half a can of Lysol in your office to make the smell go away." Um....come again???
Turns out, the roof and ceiling of Blue Haze Elementary, along with the clouds, opened up this weekend. Score. I'm really, really trying hard to choose my attitude and for that attitude to be a positive one. However, when the overhead lights start crackling due to water contact, there is nasty brown water dripping from the hole in the ceiling all the live-long day, the planner which is your Bible gets ruined, all the paperwork on your desk, including the sole copy of a child's psych. discharge papers are also ruined, and the library books you had laying out for lessons get destroyed, it gets tough. Oh, and did I mention the smell?
The only positive highlight so far is that all my documentation and paperwork for TCU happens to be kept in a hard plastic folder that I just happened to choose because it was purple. God bless plastic.Thursday, September 10, 2009
I might need (just a little) counseling
Ah, yes, I am now 13 days into my new job as counselor to 700+ kiddos. It is...to sum up in a brief phrase...never a dull moment. The days begin and end before I can even realize what's gone on the middle. I am loving getting to meet all the kids. I was asked again and again at staff development if I missed being in the classroom. My answer was always a solid "no." I loved teaching for 5 years, don't get me wrong, but I was/am very excited about a new role and routine. I really didn't think I missed it until I read a book to a class during my first guidance lesson last week. I'm really glad that I will have 1-2 lessons a day. I'll still get to read to kids, teach them, and have the heart and soul conversations I so grew to love. I loved just talking to my kids about life "stuff" way more than I loved teaching them to do subtraction with regrouping. I still get to see all my previous loves and am meeting new little loves everyday. Yay! Here are some highlights/interesting things/tidbits/learning moments from the past couple of weeks:-I now truly recognize the developmental differences between grade levels. I'm teaching lessons on trustworthiness (for what seems like the rest of my life, but really only 3 more weeks) and the "get it" factor is dramatically different between 3rd and 4th grades.
-Choose a book I really like, because by the time I've read it 6-7 times (6-7 classes per grade level), I want to throw it out the window.
-Contrary to some beliefs, I do not sit in the dark. I refuse to use the overhead bright lights in my office, so instead I have about 4 lamps on at all times. It's much more calm and relaxing.
-Pre-K kids are my new favorite. I spent the mornings with them the first week and quickly bonded with them. I miss them daily now that I'm busier and can't get down to see them as often.
-I have only cried once so far. And not really even at school, but on my way home.
-I listened to a frequent office visitor sing "When Good Girls Go Bad" from his desk in the little room where kids go when they can't quite get it together enough to stay in the classroom.
-Said child also randomly makes dinosaur/monster/not-sure-what shrieking noises, too. (Is it wrong that I actually really like him??)
-I nicknamed a TINY girl "Polly Pocket."
-I have conducted two meetings with parents who want their kids in either speech or special education...um, do they know I have NO idea what I'm doing??
-I didn't realize how much time I spent talking, laughing, and bonding with my 2nd grade team of teachers...that was probably the hardest adjustment so far...and may or may not have contributed to my tears.
-My knee got kissed during a kinder friendship lesson. Ok, creepy.
-I get lots and lots of hugs, which always make me smile.
-I walked back into my office this afternoon to find a kiddo laying on a blanket on my floor.
-I have learned to appreciate all the behind the scenes work my amazing principal and VP's do.
-I get to greet kids every morning and help them out of their cars. Your day can't help but start out great doing that...even if I almost got taken down by a boy who DID not want out of his car and subsequently pulled me in when I tried to get ahold of his arms.
Like I said, never a dull moment!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
i heart ny
Ok, so I haven't blogged about my trip for a couple of reasons:
a-I'm not a good story teller...in my next life, I want to be able to sing and to tell stories
b-Uploading pictures on here is one of the most annoying things known to man, so I put a few and then a link to mine and Emily's pics from the trip
c-I have been super busy trying to be lazy for my last few days of summer
Emily and I headed out to NYC about 2 weeks ago. After sitting on the plane at DFW, on the runway, on a plane which could not withstand the Texas heat and therefore kept shutting down (no a/c!!) on the runway while waiting for an hour and a half, we finally took flight and landed at LaGuardia and met up with our Texan-turned-New Yorker friend, Alyson, from TCU. We spent a full day shopping in the city, went on an all day wine tour, and then headed to the Jersey shore to see yet another friend from college, SarahMac.
Can I tell you the highlights, in bullet-form, por favor?
-I LOVED Chelsea Market. If I lived close by in NYC, I would be there all the time. Specialty food stores, bakeries with the cutest cookies and cupcakes, a really neat kitchen store, and wine store...seriously, what else do you need in life?!
-I enjoyed my first visit to a true NYC apartment...Alyson and her roommate, Sara, really know how to utilize their space. Their apartment was precious! And right in the middle of Manhattan, which I learned was pretty great. They were great hostesses and Alyson even left a giant Empire State Building chocolate on our pillows....she skipped right over the tiny one-bite-and-you're-done chocolates. :) She's my kind of gal.
-The guys, at least at the little bar down the block from Alyson's, were beautiful. Almost too pretty.
-We wine-toured it up all day Saturday. I rode on a limo bus for what was hopefully the first and last time. It sounds really cool, I know...but let me tell you...the combination of 8 a.m., mimosas, sitting sideways, 2 hour drive each way, listening to a 35+ old woman whose tongue was pierced ramble, 3 vineyards, and bottles of vino split at each vineyard do not make for a fun ride. The weather was gorgeous, however, and there was live music at the last 2 vineyards. It was a great day!!
-We headed to New Jersey on Sunday morning to go see our long last friend SarahMac. Her name is really just Sarah but her last name starts with Mc, so she has been SarahMac to us since our days of sorority chants and singing...thank the Lord that's over! Her family has an unbelievably amazing house right across from the beach and we stayed there for 2 nights (I even got my kitty fill thanks to the stray cat they started feeding last summer who has since had a family of his own; complete with 3 tiny kitties that I tried endlessly to befriend). We spent the next few days sunning, laughing a lot, and splashing in the ocean. I got taken down by one doozie of a wave and now my sunglasses are swimming amongst the fishes...it was a small price to pay for such enjoyment.
The trip was so relaxing (minus the transportation: both air and bus) and SO much fun. I am already anxious to go back to NYC and see the many things I didn't get to this time. There's also something to be said for friends you've not seen in 4 years whom you can just pick right back up with again like you saw them a week ago.
Here are a few of my favorite pics:
A cool, random collage of painted tiles for 9/11.
Alyson's sweet WELOME home sign...guess what grammar nazi noticed the cute mistake...
SarahMac's family's BEAUTIFUL house in NJ!
Happy hour at the beach.
Night lights of NYC.
More beach fun.
Inside one of the wine cellars...I don't usually have a drink in hand at 10 a.m.
Pool time in NJ.
a-I'm not a good story teller...in my next life, I want to be able to sing and to tell stories
b-Uploading pictures on here is one of the most annoying things known to man, so I put a few and then a link to mine and Emily's pics from the trip
c-I have been super busy trying to be lazy for my last few days of summer
Emily and I headed out to NYC about 2 weeks ago. After sitting on the plane at DFW, on the runway, on a plane which could not withstand the Texas heat and therefore kept shutting down (no a/c!!) on the runway while waiting for an hour and a half, we finally took flight and landed at LaGuardia and met up with our Texan-turned-New Yorker friend, Alyson, from TCU. We spent a full day shopping in the city, went on an all day wine tour, and then headed to the Jersey shore to see yet another friend from college, SarahMac.
Can I tell you the highlights, in bullet-form, por favor?
-I LOVED Chelsea Market. If I lived close by in NYC, I would be there all the time. Specialty food stores, bakeries with the cutest cookies and cupcakes, a really neat kitchen store, and wine store...seriously, what else do you need in life?!
-I enjoyed my first visit to a true NYC apartment...Alyson and her roommate, Sara, really know how to utilize their space. Their apartment was precious! And right in the middle of Manhattan, which I learned was pretty great. They were great hostesses and Alyson even left a giant Empire State Building chocolate on our pillows....she skipped right over the tiny one-bite-and-you're-done chocolates. :) She's my kind of gal.
-The guys, at least at the little bar down the block from Alyson's, were beautiful. Almost too pretty.
-We wine-toured it up all day Saturday. I rode on a limo bus for what was hopefully the first and last time. It sounds really cool, I know...but let me tell you...the combination of 8 a.m., mimosas, sitting sideways, 2 hour drive each way, listening to a 35+ old woman whose tongue was pierced ramble, 3 vineyards, and bottles of vino split at each vineyard do not make for a fun ride. The weather was gorgeous, however, and there was live music at the last 2 vineyards. It was a great day!!
-We headed to New Jersey on Sunday morning to go see our long last friend SarahMac. Her name is really just Sarah but her last name starts with Mc, so she has been SarahMac to us since our days of sorority chants and singing...thank the Lord that's over! Her family has an unbelievably amazing house right across from the beach and we stayed there for 2 nights (I even got my kitty fill thanks to the stray cat they started feeding last summer who has since had a family of his own; complete with 3 tiny kitties that I tried endlessly to befriend). We spent the next few days sunning, laughing a lot, and splashing in the ocean. I got taken down by one doozie of a wave and now my sunglasses are swimming amongst the fishes...it was a small price to pay for such enjoyment.
The trip was so relaxing (minus the transportation: both air and bus) and SO much fun. I am already anxious to go back to NYC and see the many things I didn't get to this time. There's also something to be said for friends you've not seen in 4 years whom you can just pick right back up with again like you saw them a week ago.
Here are a few of my favorite pics:
A cool, random collage of painted tiles for 9/11.
Alyson's sweet WELOME home sign...guess what grammar nazi noticed the cute mistake...
SarahMac's family's BEAUTIFUL house in NJ!
Happy hour at the beach.
Night lights of NYC.
More beach fun.
Inside one of the wine cellars...I don't usually have a drink in hand at 10 a.m.
Pool time in NJ.And here are the links to pictures if you want to see more:
(Warning: Emily likes the camera...she's like a performing monkey)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
pre bon voyage
I'm not actually leaving until Thursday, but am currently doing any and all that I can to avoid thinking about packing. (my quart-size liquids bag is all ready to go, however!) Suddenly, I do not like any of the clothes in my closet, nor can I decide on a single item to pack. And let's face it, NYC peeps might be a little more up to speed on fashion than those of us living in FW, so I might be figuring out how I can blend in with my basics. I want to pack lightly. 2 reasons: 1) the sweet friend we're staying with lives on the 4th floor of her building. The building has no elevator. 2) I want to have room for all the goodies I find shopping! Therefore, I must decide very carefully on my outfits/clothes so that I don't take a lot of extra/what if I decide I want to wear this instead/I want options items.
Did I seriously just write a whole paragraph about packing?! Clearly I am stalling big time.
Packing is on my mind, though, because I'm going to be at my principal's house (gasp) all day tomorrow and I don't want to go into crazy packing mode tomorrow night because that is exactly what leads to overpacking of the suitcase I want to carry on. DFW baggage claim is THE worst. Always carry on if flying into that aeropuerto.
Maybe if I like you enough I'll bring you back a sweet magnet or shot glass that says this:
And maybe if I had darker, wavy hair, I could look like this in a few days:
And lastly, maybe if I had a super cool camera, I could take pictures like this while out and about in the city:
But alas, I do not have dark or wavy hair, or a really cool camera, but I do like those of you who read my words, so maybe the magnets can happen. I will share my pictures, taken with a normal camera, when I return. :)
Did I seriously just write a whole paragraph about packing?! Clearly I am stalling big time.
Packing is on my mind, though, because I'm going to be at my principal's house (gasp) all day tomorrow and I don't want to go into crazy packing mode tomorrow night because that is exactly what leads to overpacking of the suitcase I want to carry on. DFW baggage claim is THE worst. Always carry on if flying into that aeropuerto.
Maybe if I like you enough I'll bring you back a sweet magnet or shot glass that says this:
And maybe if I had darker, wavy hair, I could look like this in a few days:
And lastly, maybe if I had a super cool camera, I could take pictures like this while out and about in the city:
But alas, I do not have dark or wavy hair, or a really cool camera, but I do like those of you who read my words, so maybe the magnets can happen. I will share my pictures, taken with a normal camera, when I return. :)
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