It’s that time again! I am never very good at sticking to my resolutions, but I am always compelled to make them anyway. Something about starting a new year makes me want to dust off the cobwebs in my life and make some changes. (Self-reflection is always a good thing.)

1. Get my ass in shape - so cliche, but I’m never happy with this. In fact, you’re looking a little flabby around the middle, too. Hee hee…

2. Find a new job. I have been working to lead the change needed… it’s not going to happen. I’ve finally come to terms with this, and I’m ready to move on. Ideally, I’d like to find a job closer to where my friends live, so that I can move, too!

3. Put my laundry away! I have a terrible habit of just folding it up and putting it back in the basket. Then I spend the week digging through the basket to find what I need. I even have two baskets now… one for clean and one for dirty. That’s so sad! How hard can it possibly be to walk 12 feet to put my socks in the drawer?

4. Spend a little less time on the computer. OMG it hurt to type that! Baby steps… (I said a LITTLE less time).

5. Be more patient with annoying people.

6. Spend less time worrying and making myself nuts over things. I tend to over-analyze, and I think I miss out on a lot as a result. I’m striving to follow my heart more than my head.

Whew… I better stop there. I think I’m asking a lot of myself… but I can dream, can’t I?

Regardless of the resolutions (and whether or not I can actually stick to them), I’m determined to make 2008 a fantastic year to make up for the last couple of years. I owe it to me. =)

ONE MORE DAY LEFT!!!!!  Woooooooooot!

I miss my kitty… my house… my bed… my computer… my friends… my CJ… my Starbuck’s… my Target… my music… my freedom… my sanity…

Seeing the family is nice… but 9 days + 5 adults + 2 kids + 2 bedrooms + 2 bathrooms = ABSOLUTE CHAOS.

I look forward to catching up with everything and everyone when I return!  Happy New Year to all (and be SAFE if you’re going out)!

There are some things you can only learn through life experience. In my journeys this week, I have learned several valuable lessons.

1. Beware: Minty/shimmery lipgloss poses a threat to national security. I mean, I always knew it could cause a little trouble… but I had no idea how serious these powers were. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that placing said lipgloss in a quart-sized baggie will magically eliminate all danger! Whew!

2. Be smart: Never travel anywhere in the winter.

3. Be selfish: Become one of those tools who carries all of their baggage on the airplane. I’ve always loathed these people. They completely slow the boarding process. They clunk you in the head, they knock you in the shins, and they hog all the overhead bins. I now see the need to never let the baggage people get their hands on actual baggage.

4. Be nice: Even in the most frustrating situations, a kind person can make all the difference. With all of our trouble, we met a lot of passengers and employees who were nice, funny, and laid back. The kindness of others really helped to make a stressful situation more tolerable.

5. Be careful: There is no code for “pink” on the lost baggage report form. They will try to label it as “red”, but that’s not going to help anyone find your pink bag in a ginormous pile of luggage.

6. Be resourceful: Even with having access to only my mom’s old lady make-up and hair products, I still managed to look cute. Well, cute enough for the deep woods of Vermont.

Let’s hope the trip home has a lot fewer lessons for me!

OK… we made it to my parents’ house alive.  I have a HUGE snark about the trip out here, but I will hold my tongue (and fingers) until my luggage actually arrives.  I hate to put more bad karma out there at the moment. 

Until then… let’s just enjoy the view of my p’s backyard (not very sunny today, but still pretty)…

I have a new obsession in Second Life… a hat! I found it thanks to the always stylish Carissa Crimson. (Thank you, thank you, thank you, CC!)  I really don’t want to take it off… ever!  Perhaps if I pay homage to it here, I’ll be able to move on.

Sidda said it was so cute that she wanted to take a bite out of it. (Don’t even think about it, Sid!)

We’ve all heard the saying that you can tell a lot about a woman by what’s in her purse. As I cleaned out my purse yesterday, I couldn’t help but giggle over some of the things I found in there. I thought I’d make a list of what can be found in my purse (pre-clean out), and what I think it all says.

A fairly slim wallet containing:
1 credit card, 1 atm card, driver’s license, a few store discount cards, insurance card, etc.
$12
checkbook (no register… I’ve come to terms with the fact that I will never keep up with recording checks I write)
random wallet-size photos of kids (a note to parents out there… your FRIENDS do not want wallet-size photos of your kids)
*Clearly I like to keep my spending under control, I’m too lazy to balance a checkbook, and I as much as I don’t want pics of other people’s kids, I can’t bring myself to throw them away.

3 lipglosses (1 for day, 1 for night, and 1 minty shimmery one that I LOVE)
*I’m always ready for any occasion.

Tide to Go pen
*I spill.

Sharpie marker (you have no idea how many times this has come in handy)
*I mail a lot of packages.

4 #2 pencils (still in there from when I took my certification tests over a month ago)
*I’m a procrastinator.

Keys
*I like being able to get in my car and house.

Cell phone (LG Cherry Chocolate… hasn’t been charged in a couple of weeks)
*I like having a cute phone, but could care less if anyone wants to call me.

A small Hello Kitty notebook and pen
*I write everything down (and can’t resist girly pink things)!

Orbitz Bubblemint gum
*I like fresh breath, but love to blow bubbles, too.

A pill container stuffed with Extra Strength Excedrin and Sudafed
*I’ve got major sinus issues.

A bunch of random store receipts
*I have an addiction to Target.

That’s my life in a nutshell… errr… in a purse…

In fall of 2006, one of my best friends was diagnosed with cervical cancer. It was hard to get over the shock of the news, since she was only 32. With her tenacious spirit, the love of her family and friends, her wicked sense of humor, and a radical hysterectomy in December, she managed to power through and (a year later) is cancer-free!

Most young women would be sad to hear that they will never have children, but she was relieved to hear she wouldn’t be contributing to the brat population at Target. Most young women would be depressed about experiencing menopause, but she laughs her way through the hot flashes. She recently sent me this link www.tamponcrafts.com to show all the things she can make with her unneeded tampons. (My personal favorite is the wig.) LOL This girl is amazing!

Although we have celebrated her health all year, we’ve really been focusing on it with this anniversary. We’re capping off the celebration with a full-blown party at our favorite “snaggle bar” (don’t ask) this weekend. (K, get your drinking shoes on! xoxo)

One last thought or two:
Ladies… don’t put off your check-ups. Guys… love the ladies that are in your life.

WHO would send their 8 year-old on the BUS with two packages of CUPCAKES?!?! No, seriously, who?

I had a student show up with her birthday cupcakes this morning. *Most* parents would deliver the cupcakes. *Most* parents would send something travel-friendly if they couldn’t deliver the treats. Cookies, candy, fruit treats, beef jerky, assorted gourmet cheeses… any of these would be fine. But this child’s family decided to throw common sense out the window today (well maybe this happened years ago, not today) and send cupcakes on the bus. Sigh…

Now imagine what these things look like. They’ve all fallen out of their compartment to one side (since she carried them sideways in a grocery bag the whole way). The hot pink frosting has slid off each one and formed one giant frosting ball in the middle. The poor girl was so bummed when she saw what they looked like!

That’s when I have to go into cheerleader/counselor mode. “I’m sorry you’re sad, but they’ll still taste really good and they’ll be more fun to eat this way!” “Look how excited everyone is!” “I’m sorry your cupcakes are all jacked up!” “I’m sorry your mom is a moron!” LOL OK maybe not those last couple, but I was definitely thinking them.

I’m not complaining (too much). I’ve had worse birthday treat surprises in the past. I can’t tell you how many cakes have arrived with nothing to serve them with or on. Or all the homemade treats (which we aren’t allowed to serve). That’s really rough to tell a student that he can’t pass out his cookies because we’re afraid of how dirty his house is. LOL

But my ALL TIME FAVORITE birthday treat sent in by a parent is… (drum roll please)
RAW GROUND BEEF AND HAMBURGER BUNS! (cymbal crash)

Yes, that’s right. Mommy wanted me to fry up some burgers for the class. ROFL Come on… you CAN’T make this stuff up.

So all you parents out there… PLEASE send low maintenance treats to school! And for you teachers… I’m sending a little extra blessing out to you on those dreaded birthdays.

Faster than a speeding bullet… able to achieve multiple layers of sarcasm in a single bound… it’s a bird, it’s a plane… it’s Uber Trix!

So… off the bat, someone (Shep) wondered (harassed) why I’m blogging as Trix if this blog is about ME (my name isn’t really Trixie, it’s a nickname of mine… but that’s a whole other story).

Think of Clark Kent and Superman. Although the same person, each persona must exist in order for their respective jobs to get done. In fact, their survival depends on it.

OK, so my life isn’t in peril here. But as I mentioned in my “About Trix” section, I aim for this to be an uncensored outlet for myself. If my students (yes, I’m a teacher), their parents, my colleagues, etc. were to be able to find this blog, then I would have to be VERY careful what I say and how I say it. *cough cough* Boring.

My entire life is centered around this duality. There’s the professional… who aims to be a good role model. Then there’s the real me… who swears like a sailor and behaves accordingly. It’s hard to balance it out, but they are both an important part of me.

So… think of Trix as my Clark Kent. (Or am I her Clark Kent??)

I’ve become musically obsessed with deep house.

For those of you who aren’t in the know, like I was 8 months ago, deep house is not your typical techno type house music. It’s house music with soul, jazz, and funk fused together. It’s sexy. It’s stylish. It’s cool music for grown-ups. It’s best served on vinyl with a delicious dj mixing his heart out… creating that perfect vibe.

This is the home of deep house, if you want to hear for yourself…
www.dogglounge.com