Eggs in One Basket

Well, I did something stupid. Actually, I did two things. The first one was to put my eggs all in one basket in a situation that was too good to be true but totally trustworthy. The second one is too stupid to mention and now the eggs have all broken and I have to live at home in my parents rec room. What a loser.

Gagomaster PLUS

For the last two days, my gag reflex has been set to high. My mom asked me if I wanted eggs and I could barely contain myself. I gagged. I retched. Then, later that day, I found a soft apple in the fruit basket and meant to bug my mom about her shoddy house-keeping but I called her and then started gagging. I was retching and gagging and begging her to TAKE IT AWAY. The gagging and retching continued even after she did so. Today, while my cousin was over, it was suggested that I eat raw bacon to gain weight. My cousin tried to talk about other pleasant subjects to help me quit gagging. In fact, I started myself off again by writing about it. I haven't yet vomited, but I am sure it is coming. I wonder what tomorrow will bring. Stay tuned to find out about how the Gagomaster PLUS fairs.

The Blackout

Well I said I would give you a run-down of the power outage at the reserve, so here it is (I had an suspicion that something was going to happen as my clock started to run around a 1/2 slower each day):

Around 4:20 pm Sunday, Dec. 5: Power goes out. I walk from the school over to my bosses. I know he has a wood stove and since it is -23, I also know it is going to get cold fast. At this point I think the power will probably go back on soon, because it usually does. I just don't want to sit in the dark in the school or at my house.

Around 8:00 pm: Phone calls have told us power is gone. My boss goes and picks up my roommate, drops her off at the other teacher's house and turns all the water taps on at my house and the school. I pick up my bedding and prepare to sleep on the couch.

Around 8:00 am Monday, Dec. 6: Power still not on. My boss starts calling around. The Band is sending up electricians on the plane that day but there is no way we will have power before they electrician got there.

Around 2:00 pm: Power comes back on for an hour, then goes back off again. Continues to do this for some time. It is realizes that, at around -20, the whole village cannot receive power or it will continue to blow our back-up generator, the one the whole village is running on. The main generator had been sent out for re-building. Why they didn't decide to re-build the generator in the summer when the pull on it was less is beyond me but typical of how things operate there. It is decided that everyone has to turn everything off, except for their furnaces, because heat was the most important thing at the moment. Fridges had to be unplugged. Everything that drew power had to be shut-off. Power still won't stay one. At some point, that night or the next day, they decided they would run power in 3 hour shifts, so that the north end would receive power for 3 hours and then the south end would receive power for 3 hours, to keep houses somewhat heated and people from becoming popsicles. My roommate decides she is going to stick it out at home, alternatively madly watching TV and drugging herself to sleep when it is freezing. We are also told to conserve water, as the pumps for our water are run by electricity and they have had to shut them off. We only have the water that is in the tower.

Tuesday: Other teacher sends child on play date and does laundry all day because of extreme lack of civic awareness and princess syndrome. Boiler's at school malfunction. Roommate gives her notice to boss that she is quitting over Christmas.

Wednesday: More sleeping on boss's couch and returning to my house to get new underwear and feed my cats. More listening to my roommate grype about how we should be flown out of here because of conditions like this because we aren't from here (with rascist overtones which were not well received by me). Roommate tells Dev our hot water tank is broken and she can't live in conditions like this (right after I had a short, but hot, shower).

Thursday: Boiler guys arrive to fix up the school's boilers. Temperature rises to around -10.

Friday: Received word that the real generator will be up on Monday. Meanwhile, parts have arrived to extend the abilities of the back-up generator. These parts fail miserably and the whole village is down again. Then, they can't get the north side up again. Everyone living on the north side has to flip off their main breakers. I go home to start to pack. Carpentar comes to trailer to survey damage and see what he needs for repairs because of the constant break-ins. Roommate starts harping on him about hot water tank and everything that needs repairs. He tells her he has a list and will only do things on the list the band has given him. I don't really pay attention and try to stay out of his way. I place packed boxes in the corner of the living room. My roommate has a fit and tells me I can't place them there, which eventually leads her to say she is going to throw my stuff out in the snow. I finally lose it at her and yell at her.

Saturday: Roommate apologizes to me (which I barely acknowledge) and starts to clean the house, something which she has not done since September. Other teacher freaks out because she opens mail from last week saying she has to be in court in PG on Wednesday to deal with custody issues. Gets an additional 2 days off to attend to that.

Sunday: More sitting around boss's house. I spend some time at the school packing my stuff up.

Monday: Boss leaves to go to conference in Vancouver. Main generator arrives. Both other teachers leave. Psycho roommate cries at the air strip and one person hugs her, but says if she knew that she threatened to throw my stuff in the snow she wouldn't have. She also makes some accusations against boss. With some false starts, we have power.

Tuesday: I go to school to find water cascading out under the kitchen doors into the daycare and down the hallway. I close school for the morning.

Wednesday: School and power! Only a slight water leak from a closet in the hallway.

Apparently, they are still having issues with the power going on and off even though they are back on their main generator.

Keanu Reeves

So my cousin is dating this new guy. Yeah. He is the brother of Carrie Ann Moss! Oh yeah. Who everyone knows starred with Keanu Reeves in Matrix and the two after that. Oh yeah! AND she is inviting him to our family Christmas dinner so basically I am having Christmas dinner with Keanu Reeves this year. Beat that.

Just thinking ...

My mom is doing a lot more Christmas baking this year than normal, most likely because we are having out of town guests coming to visit. She needed some help today as their was some overlapping that she couldn't handle and it was my job to PUT THE CHERRIES ON THE TRAY OF SHORTBREAD IN STRAIGHT LINES. It had to be straight. No other way would work even though they would be cut into individual squares and no one would be the wiser if one fluorescently red cherry wasn't exactly in line with the cherry on the square next to it. I was thinking about how much easier it would be if we had that mastercraft laser leveler that the Canadian Tire family who has everything has. I bet they never thought up that usage.

Dumb Thing to Do #1

Today, while in the school's kitchen, I thought, "I wonder if that freezer with meat in it was affected by the power outage." So I went over, opened the door, and took a big sniff. Then I slammed the door, and gagged for about 5 minutes. There was a good period of time when I didn't think I was going to be able to contain my lunch. The best part was the lingering odour, so if I even thought I was going to start gagging and could take a breath in, I would get another smell and start gagging again. Yep. Boy am I a smart one.

Gravity works twice as hard on my zipper

You know, for the past week, every pair of pants I put on has the zipper always falling down. Every time I look down, zipper down! Every pair of pants has never had this problem before and it is really odd that it is happening on every pair of pants I wear, everyday. Different styles too.

No Power

We had no power for 22 hours. It was -25. Now, we get power for a few hours each day, but our generator can't supply everyone with power, so we get to take turns. Lots of people, myself included, do not have a wood stove, and would freeze with no power. For the past week I have been sleeping on my boss's couch (he has a wood stove). It is now -7, but still no power. Oh, and severe water rationing. It is weird what even out here you take for granted. I am leaving for home soon and will post more about how it is out here with no power for so far a week then.

It is DARN hot

Well, yesterday the temperature went above freezing and all the compacted snow melted and turned into ice. This means every where someone drove or there was a path or even a footprint, was ice. I never noticed that the road I walk home on has a slight incline, because, as stated, the incline is so slight. But last night I found walking home up the slight incline on sheer ice with the wind in my face was just about more difficult than I could manage. I slithered home. I walked in ditches. I crept. It took me about 3 times as long as it normally does, but I made it and I did not fall down.
Last night I couldn't sleep. If you know me at all you know that I am plagued by insomnia. I was just receovering from the 1.5 weeks of being unable to sleep in the middle of the month and now this. It comes in predictable cycles. Two nights ago was a tossy turny night. Last night was a couldn't fall asleep and then woke up at 4 am after tossing and turning and getting crap sleep before that. Tonight will be a total lack of sleep. Oh yes. Thank you gods of sleep for pulling me down just when I have so much to do.
I had a dream last night. I was in Nepal with my ex and we were living near a mountain. We were happy and he was approaching the mountain to do something with someone but then was crushed by an avalanche. I was devastated and cried inconsolably. But then, I won America's Next Top Model and was hounding and pleading with Tyra Banks to tell me how to deal with ingrown hairs on my legs and this was more important now than the death.

What's in a Calendar?

I am of mixed feelings about teaching calendar. It is so repetitive and boring (to me) and the little students (pre-kindergartens, kindergartens and grade ones) take so long to do it. All these grades do calendar, or at least all that I have seen. But I wonder about the value, especially when 'research' shows if you do it later on in their lives, like when they are 7, they get it in about a week, instead of maybe a whole year.
Last year though, when I came into this class. Nobody knew anything about a calendar. Not how many days were in a week, not the days of the week, not the months, not even what the hell it was and what you would use it for. These were students ranging in grades from pre-kindergarten to 3 and aged from 4 to 10. And NOBODY knew a darn thing about a friggin calendar. Seeing this as being important (can you meet me for a job interview on Wednesday? yeah sure, uh ...) I immediately set about to remedy that. Well, the way I know how are 'baby' but I made them sing songs and learn the calendar. After doing the calendar everyday from anywhere to 20 to 40 minutes, by February they had finally gotten it. By february. Yes, I am not joking. I am not even talking about the kindergarteners and grade ones. Only the grade 2 and 3's got it by this time. I don't know who did the research showing that it takes 7 year olds only a week to learn the calendar system, but they didn't try it out on these kids. Yes, put these kids, average kids that they are, in your research so that WE CAN TEACH CALENDAR EVERY YEAR ALL YEAR LONG UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL, or something like that.

I did it

I told my class and parents. I cried and so did they. Parents are aghast but I did it. And I feel a whole lot lighter now.
All there is left to do is sort out a million details, pack, and get out.
Thanks again.

Today I am Scared

Yesterday I handed in my notice, with conditions. They couldn't meet my conditions and gave me substandard conditions. Today I refused those conditions. I am scared. I guess the beast you know is sometimes better than the one you don't. I know I have some financial stability. I know I have some prospects for a job (or jobs). I know I can get a job for next September. I know I want out of here to see my friends and be around people more. I know I will miss these kids and have to tell them today. I know I have a whole lot of packing to do. I know I like stability more than instability. I am getting a headache already from this.