Testing from long island

I feel bad, taking a picture of my new phone with my old one, it makes me feel guilty, because this phone got me through alot, I drop it at least 4 times a day…lose it about 6 times, once or twice it was flung from a treadmill…I’ll be safer this time I swear! I’ll exercise using this phone not the new one haha.

So, why the switch? I’m not just a lemming jumping off a bridge, intact I would have gotten a replacement of this phone if I could have, but 8gb would not last me a week, ice already nearly filled this phone up, downgrading would be an issue.

But I was willing to let this upgrade pass me by, except, I had one of my….issues. While running the phone fell and chipped a bit of the body, right at the headphone opening and then some of the metal inside the port loosened and came out. It still works, but I use my headphone port daily, and I’m worried about it breaking more.

So I’ll have to start using my phone as a phone, and less as an ipod, boo. But actually this new phone will be more suited to that purpose…it even looks more like a phone and less like a suped up iPod.

I haven’t switched over yet, I’ll do so after my vacation, as I am used to this phone and don’t want to risk dunking a new iPhone into Loch Ness.

With this new phone, I am looking forward to more battery time (I’m at 10% on this one, it will be shutting down any min, I need to type faster!!!) and more space.

I like that this phone fits better in my hand, the dropping of my old phone is due to my child size fingers not being able to grip, but with this new phone my fingers can actually wrap around to the front, plus this stainless steel and glass like casing seem very hard for me to destroy…I hope.

I will miss my white body phone, but as I had it covered by a case all this time you could only tell it was the white phone from looking at the back, so the lack of a white iPhone won’t kill me.

I can’t esoteric until they start rolling out decent cases of this baby, I’m especially excited about what Seidio comes out with, this case I have now feels almost feathery so I hope they make the iPhone 4 one with a similar material….also, I really hope they make this rose color again. Who would I be without a pinkish purple cell phone? ( which is funny because I only like pink tech things, like cell phones and digital cameras, other than that I am not a fan of the color pink)

Right now my travel posts are tagged as travel, and the category is also TRAVEL. I should probably come up with a snazzy theme or title for such posts…the best I can think of is MELISCELLANEOUS TRAVELS, I’m very creative as I’m sure you can tell.

So I’m getting my packing started for my trip….and by packing I mean, shopping nonstop and putting the store bags in my closet and not looking at them for another 2 weeks. Going on a real vacation is expensive, and I’m not even talking about hotels and airfare. I don’t leave the house generally (unless someone is taking me out for ice cream…which we should do right now, if anyone is interested) so I am not prepared to go out of the Country.

Growing up, our vacations were visiting historical battlefields, President’s houses (Dolly Madison=Ice Cream, it all comes back to the Ice Cream) and theme parks (Disney twice, Bush Gardens once, and Knobles more than I can count.) The vacation I’ve done the most is New Jersey, a whole state away, so when I tell you I have no freakin’ idea what I am doing to get ready for this real trip you must understand, I REALLY REALLY mean it.

Instead of actively packing, I have spent hours of my life on Amazon.com buying travel purses, and wallets you wear around your neck, and UK adapters, and learning how to set up my phone so I can still use twitter while abroad (otherwise I would probably die from withdrawal.) I’ve purchased headphones, walking sandals, PJs, an insane amount of dresses, and clothing in general (since I lack “vacation wear” I’ve either in a skirt or gym shorts, I don’t have much inbetween clothing.) Do I have any essentials packed, like tooth brushes or shampoo or sunblock…no…but I do have abour 5,000 sundresses from Old Navy (okay, I like, it’s 6 and they can’t all come on the trip.)

Today I decided that none of my shoes were good for traveling, other than my clarks sandals, so I wandered into DSW to add to my collection of shoes that look like they belong to a 12 year old (I’m not kidding, my students’ are often wearing similar shoes to me…I like to pretend it’s because the kids are just ultra-stylish, but it’s really because my signature style is “12 year old”.)

After taking to @bitchylibrarian on twitter (who beats me with her shoe addiction, I may have as many shoes, but hers are prettier by far) I decided to try and find a pair of heels for the trip. We are going to be going out on the town (er…the city) a few nights, including a West End Show (my vote is for Les Miz, it has a JONAS BROTHER IN IT, my students’ would think me the coolest person ever) and Lauren told me heels are a must. I don’t get along well with heels, being a COMPLETE klutz. I walk into a wall at least 3 times a day, I trip over nothing, I have strange bruises that appear out of no where….and….when no one is looking, I walk around on the heels of my shoes, or tap dance around the kitchen. This is why I find ballet flats to be ideal, plus it makes for fun conversation at work, since at least twice a day a student remarks on how short I am.
I live in my rocket dog ballet flats (I have black, and a cute green pair that I call my “little old lady shoe.”) My black pair are mostly dead, so I thought, hey, if I do to DSW and can’t find anything at least I can get a new pair of knock around black ballet flats.

According to Lauren, she is taking 4 pairs of shoes on this trip.

1.) Sandals (okay, I have those, tan Clarks good for walking)

2.) Mary Janes (I guess a closed shoe is a good idea, what with the rain and al)

3. Sneakers (I own insane amounts of Sneakers)

4. Heels (uhhh…my wedges have the heels flipping off, my pumps look like they are for work or Easter Sunday, and my other two heels are very winter)

So off I went, into DSW, which for me IS LIKE DISNEYLAND. I always leave that place with four bags of shoes. I attempted to be daring, and not go straight toward the rounded wedges that I usually wear. I tried on POINTY things, I really did. But I have this issue, I can’t buy shoes if I think they make my foot look bigger than it is…and I’m only a 6.5 or a 7, so it’s not like I wear large sizes, it’s just I have this phobia of appearing to have large feet. I won’t buy shoes if they are bulky due to this. I watch What not to Wear, I know I SHOULD be wearing pointy toe shoes to elongate short legs, but I just can’t. I feel like a witch. I think the shoes are so cute on the other teachers who wear them, but I can’t get past my own mental block of owning them.

Instead I tried sexy heels, but me, falling over as I try to walk ,makes them less sexy I think.

I wandered quickly to the back of the room and straight to the ballet flats section, because I just can not help myself. As much as I wanted to buy these pink and black satin shoes, MADE BY THE FANCY DESIGNER DR. SCHOLLs. But, I thought I should just save that look for my bedroom slippers.

I then got in trouble with @bitchylibrarian for considering Nike Mary Janes. I suppose Nike isn’t exactly High Fashion, haha, oops! I guess this is the type of shoe that would get me judged….actually i think these scream LIBRARIAN AT ALA to me. I’m not sure what I wore to ALA….bet they were ballet flats that looked like bedroom slippers though knowing me…

I went back into heel world, and came upon these cute peep toe sling backs (that I can adjust to fit me, my major shopping issue today was many of the 6.5’s were too small and the 7’s too big) Sure these are rounded, sure they have a bow, but they are HEELS, SHINY SHINY HEELS, so I think I met my goal there. They make my feet look small, they make me taller and they look cute with the random pink skirt I decided to wear with my black tank top today….no, I wasn’t wearing a headband or barretts, what can’t a 28 year old wear a short pink skirt?

So, I bought the heels and 1. leather guess ballet with tiny heel for work 2. new “old lady shoes” to replace my black ballet flats I wear as my around the house shoes 3. ballet flats with a sneaker sole for walking around on the trip with my black capris.

So…basically…the same style shoe (black, round toed) three times in casual, slightly dressy but not really, and sporty.) I own so many shoes, but I’m starting to think they all might be black round toed low shoes.  Am I boring? Oh wait, yes I am, I already knew that! I think next time I need to get out of my comfort zone and buy….oh, I don’t know, an ACTUAL COLOR, or find where I misplaced my red peep-toe Steve Madden shoes that i haven’t seen since I lived in Binghamton.
I hope you enjoyed today’s shoe porn. I had fun shopping with Bitchylibrarian and Kelsie’s help. I love that I can snap pictures and send them over twitter to get opinions.  I’ll keep you updated on what else I get in preparation for my trip…because I really am dull, and this is all I have going for me :P

I got this package in the mail today…my information for my UK trip!!! I’m getting ready so that I have access to my phone (through wireless and skype, not data plan, I’m not THAT insane.)

I’m planning to use my wordpress ap to update the blog with my travels, so expect pictures! And expect short choppy posts, like this one, because blogging via phone isn’t something I really enjoy, my fingers aren’t big fans.

I did review several books at goodreads but one of my reviews vanished so I have to hunt around but I should get some posts up before I go (July 19-30th). I’ve been reading like mad lately to try and get it in before my trip.

I’m taking “Don’t Judge a Girl by her Cover” as my vacation book, as it seems to take place in part in London, but it keeps tempting me to read it earlier…it’s all cute, and pink, and filled with teenage spies and I really want to read it ASAP.

I am so tired, and not even EXERCISE tired, just sleepy. But I did force myself up at 6:32 (I have no idea why it has to be 6:32, I always set my alarm for that, even in HS, I think I just like the extra 2 mins of sleep) and did Day 3 of the shred.

Interesting. Day 1 the cardio killed me, now I am a cardio master (meaning I can do it without it making me cry) yesterday the strength part sucked the most (because my legs were so tight and sore that bending hurt) and today it was all about not wanting to the abs because OW…so that least I’m spreading the suck around. I will fully admit, I didn’t go full force into the video this morning, I did everything but I am not dripping with OMG I WANT TO DIE sweat. I’d like to prtend this is because I am a shred pro, but really I just didn’t work as hard as the first two days :/

Yesterday I was still feeling the leg tightness during work (bending to get books was very painful haha) so my run was like trying to lift legs. I think I will repeat week 3 of c25k next week. I took a week off last week then tried to jump right back into week three while starting the shred, so I’m very ehhh right now.

I then did a body test on the wii, that told me I was overweight and 46 years old. Thanks, wii, THAT HELPED.

The wii also wants me to DROP 38 LBS!!! The wii, my friends IS INSANE.

I’m sorry, I will never be 112lbs, I don’t believe I ever was. I went straight from however much short skinny kids weight to poof 140lbs.  I don’t remember any inbetween. I was skinny then I was fat, it was pretty impressive, and involved eating ice cream and ritz crackers after school everyday for a year or so.

My actual, more do-able goal is 12 pounds. I think for my age  and build, 138 seems like a fine number. I nearly KILLED myself for that 130-132 mark last time, but I was 20, and taking gym classes for credit, on top of the regular gym, and doing unhealthy things with my eating. Now I’m nearing 28.

My goal is 10lbs by my trip, the entire 12 would be awesome, but as I am running now, and this usually makes me gain a few before losing (muscle in my legs) I don’t really think 1lb a week is going to happen. On the plush side my weight is down from 152 last time I checked to 149.9, and NO I WILL NOT ROUND UP. LOL

I have a short memory. I felt fine yesterday at work and thought hey maybe I’ll do that tape another time, or do my run a day early tonight….and then I remembered that I tend to overdo things and hurt myself due purely for stupidity, so I layed off the exercise last night…and layed into a Nutty Buddy (which Mr. Eden tells me is impossibe since they stopped making them in 1998, but it was Nutty Buddy-like) which was bad, but I did eat breakfast, lunch, dinner…and the nutty buddy, so I’m m0ving up in the eating world.

My issue with food, I can go days without eating, the less I eat the more I feel like NOT eating at all, but when I start to eat normally it like turns a switch in me and I turn into a food blackhole. Yesterday for example, I ate soup for lunch and as little thing of the mandrine oranges and I was still hunry so I ate anothe rmandrine orange container and another, I was inhaling mandrine oranges, then when I got home it was only 4, too early for dinner….so I looked in the fridge for a snack. I found strawberries, I opened the freezer to find my cool whip Free, but saw the Nestle Drumstick first and ate that. Followed by my dinner of chicken, veggies and noodles in garlic sause. I was an eating MACHINE, and it was only 6pm.

I’[m glad I didn’t do any extra exercise though, as I thought today would be easier with the 30 day shred, but…it wasn’t. I was able to do the cardio without screaming profanities at the screen this time, but everything else was harder because my upper legs were so sore…basically I felt like I do the day after I do lots and lots of hula hooping on my wii.

But two days down with this video, and no more ice cream or candy in the house, so it’s progress. I have no idea what I am cooking for dinner though, which is usually when I fall apart because I don’t plan well.

Usually Summer vacation for me, means Summer classes, but for the last few years this isn’t the case. All through undergrad I took Summer classes so that I didn’t have to take 18 credits a semester otherwise, 15 was fine for me. In Grad school I even spent the Summer at Albany taking two education classes I would need before getting my K-12 certificate. Then the trend stopped, a class I signed up for during my first summer as a teacher was dropped, so I took it that fall…and since then, I’ve been free! Free to take my classes during the school year while working…joy. My own fault, I don’t need a second Masters Degree, I just want to learn more about web 2.0, and this Discovery School/Wilkes Online Courses in Instructional Media were too perfect to not sign up for. I mean Kathy Schrock teaches one of the classes! Now one of mine…and that might mean NOTHING to you actually, but it’s pretty darn cool.

So how do I spent my new, class-less Summers? Sleeping mostly. Exactly.

2 years ago I went on mini vacations, Vermont to visit Vanya and Long Beach Island, New York City trips. Last year I had one vacation, to visit my BF in NJ, but there was a death in the family. This year, THIS YEAR, oh THIS YEAR!!! I have plans though. Artuso is dragging me to Europe. I mean it, drag. I’m not a good traveler. I hate planes and cars and buses, MOSTLY buses. I get air sick, motion sick, car stick, and just plain STRESSED OUT. Good Luck to Artuso. Lucky she has been my friend for 10 years now, so she’s probably used to it to some extent.

I want to go to Europe. I just don’t want to GO to Europe. I want to just snap my fingers and be there without any planning or actual traveling. Is that too hard to ask?

I was all gung -ho (where does that word come from?) about looking good for this trip, but my great planss that started at Christmas fell apart. I stopped doing the Wii, I did re-start my running, only to stop and restart again, and I gained 4lbs, which seems like nothing, but I had dropped a whole tens place LOL I was in the 140’s sure it was 148….but that is ther 140s, IT COUNTS.

I have the ability to dro weight, I lost 30lbs in college, but aqs Vanya very kindly reminded me, I looked like death. I was only eating rice krispies and mandrine oranges and I was exrcising 4 times a day. I was skinny for me, but I was dizzy, and pale (paler than usual, can you imagine??) I look better round, but right now I’m….too round.

So I decided to kick it up a notch. It’s wither this or I buy nutisystem for 8 weeks and starve myself on cardboard tasting food, which is still sadly an option. I restarted my running. I’m on week 3 of C25k (though I took last week off, but sure why) and today I started my wake up at 6:32 and exercise campaign.

Last time I tried this I lasted one day, one day of Yoga. I’m a sad sad person. Today I decided that I really hate myself and began the 30 day Shred (which, IF I CAN COMPLETE IT, will probably become the 6 week shred) Anything that has JUMPING JACKS in the WARM UP section is EVIL. I thought if I blogged about my attempts I might be more likely to pretend i’d be letting people down besides myself and follow through. Last yeart with the c25K program I was about to start week 6 when I fell apart, so I know I have…some ability to be athletic….some ability to be ALMOST athletic…or athletic for a chubby girl.

So I’m going to TRY to do a full week off the Shred Video, and report my feelings afterwards in this blog, and also keep up with my c25k, and try t eat three meals a day…which, strangely enough, will be my hardesr challenge. I did just have mandrine oranges, and I plan to eat MORE than just those, and there are NO rice krispies in the apartment!

My thoughts from Level 1, Day 1: Gillian Micheals is the devil. I’m not sure if I was crying, or sweating into my eyes (ewww) I think both. I fail at Cardio. I need better sneakers, and the girl doing the easy modifications has the scariest stomach I have ever seen, when she does her ab work I see her entire ribcage, and it is chilling…and yet I can’t look away.

More Coming? But for now, I have work at 9am, so I should probably get ready. I think they would fire me if I wore a nightgown to work.

I recieved two books in the mail this week, and more the week before. Yesterday I came home to find a copy of “Magic Under Glass” with it’s new cover. I won this from Bloggestia, and Maw Books Blog It was mailed to me straight from Bloomsbury publishers, and I am very excited it to read it next. Today I found a wet envelope with a copy of “Where is Catkin?” in it from PeachTree Publishing. I am pretty sure that was also via Bloggestia. Not sure how I ended up with two books, but I plan to read and review both.

I often feel bad because my reading preference is YA, but it doesn’t translate into work, as I am an elementary librarian. I end up passing my YA books on to the high school often. Anything middle reader, or fantasy based YA might end up in my collection (Shannon Hale books for example) for my 5th graders, but in general, what I read for fun is not what I buy for the library. Catkin is something that will be used for my program, plus, I am ordering soon, so if I like it I’ll be ordering some for the program. I’m a sucker for anything about cats.

I did get more books in the mail lately, via Amazon. They weren’t think week, but they were recently enough that I haven’t gotten to talk about them here, or read them. They are also pictured above.

  The Line (started)

Can’t judge a girl by her cover (can’t wait, I’m a sucker for spy books and movies)

Hex Hall (About 100 pages to go, I am so into this one, review coming)

Before I Fall (accidently ordered two of these, and two Hex Halls)

Dead tossed Waves (WOO!!!)

I’m finally back to reading, after just finishing “Beautiful Creatures.” I have one week left of my Instructional Media class, and then, finally, I will be free to read non-stop like a fool  (a totally awesome fool) until classes start in the fall again.

Oh April. You should be a time of joy, the weather finally broke…in fact it was the the 8o’s the other day (though it snowed last night so maybe I am speaking too soon), I ate candy for the first time since Feb (and may have gained 10lbs on Gertrude Hawk Jelly Beans in one week) and it is National Library Week coming up. All of these things should make me calm, and relaxed.

But, here is my list of why I am stressed

-Using Media/Tech class I am taking is great, but the professors are really picky about things so I have to spent much more time on this class than my others so far

-I am being kicked out of the library for National Lib Week due to the PSSAs

-The PSSA’s in general are stressful. I was helping with the testing and I feel so bad for my students, I had one break down in frustrated tears in my room

Hmm, that may be it, it felt like more things, I guess I don’t have an excuse for what I am going to say.

I am broken. I have read 5 books ALL YEAR. This is not like me at all, usually I read 5 a month at least. I used to read 5 a week. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, I keep misplacing the book I am reading (most recently Beautiful Creatures, yes I misplaced something THAT big) right when I was nearing the climax, or I just put something down and more on to something else and never finish. I always finish books, even if I hate them, the only book I did not finish due to hatred was “The House of Seven Gables” Sorry Nathaniel. So why am I putting down books I AM excited to read and forgetting to finish. And why am I ordering awesome books that I was soooo exited to order, and letting them sit there on my shelf doing nothing?

The Readathon is going on today, I didn’t sign up, but I am still embarassed that in 4 months I have read 5 books, when these people are reading that and more in one day!

I did do my cheerleading job though for the cheerathon part of the readathon!

I went around for 2 hours straight commenting on blogs with THIS:

The reading will stop
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow
your book count will be higher
Just keep thinking about tomorrow
all the great books you will have to talk about
with your blogger friends
If you get blurred or sore, or sleepy
Just stick up your chin
and grin
and say
My TO BE READ PILE, Tomorrow
will be smaller than it was before
and your spirits will soar
because then TOMORROW, TOMORROW You can go shopping TOMORROW at Amazon and BUY SOME MORE!

I never claimed to have any pride.

:)

BOOK REVIEWS OR SOMETHING COMING SOON, or I will explode in anger. I spend too much money on books not to read them…and more importantly I WANT to read them!

you have probably heard my awesomely sucky story of finding a mouse in my apartment and the three hours it took me to catch it in a tupperwear container and flip it out the door last week. I thought this was the end of my mouse issues. When I came home this weekend from visiting my parents I found a dead mouse under my coffee table. I took me several hours to notice it, uh oops. So I thought AHHH IT GOT BACK IN, AHHHH SADIE GOT IT and I thought THAT was the end of my mouse issues. Until about 4 hour later, while watching the Oscars last night where I noticed Sadie stalking my kitchen stove area. She lunged and walked out of my kitchen with a mouse in her mouth…which she carried into the back room, and promptly let go to play with it.

This caused me to stay up until 1 AM blocking all my doors with cloths and shoving Sadie into the mouse room. She failed at getting the mouse as far as I could see. Today I locked Sadie in the backroom the entire day I was at work. I locked myself out of the apartment and my car so I ended up walking to school, getting picked up by my principal when I got on district property, worked the bookfair, came home (my parents met me to get into the apartment) where I opened the door and found Sadie’s latest kill.

I made my mother dispose of the mouse.
So third mouse.

I know I live in a basement apartment with an empty field behind it, and a door with all wholes underneath it. I also know I have a cat that kills mice but I WANT THEM OUT. AHHHHHHHH.