8 Things Friday

1. I am up too stinking early! I have a doctor appointment at 8am, which means to get there (cleeeeeeeear across town) I need to leave in about ten minutes. Sigh. So I'll write on this for a while, then come back to it later this morning.

2. I woke up from a sort of good dream. Matt and I got to go to Hawaii, but only if I got the whole house really clean, first. Also, he wasn't Real Life Matt, he was acting like a too-controling, mean husband in a book I was reading. So that wasn't cool. But: Hawaii! Unfortunately the alarm went off right as we arrived on the island.

3. Why are people lazy? I know I can't talk--look at my house--but seriously! About simple little things. I "win" the contest at work every two weeks about who can sell the most in protection plans because I'm one of about three people (from eight or nine) who updates my totals on the board every day. If the totals aren't on the board, it doesn't count. So every two weeks, I get a $10 gift card to somewhere--the movie theater, Starbucks, a fast food place--by drawing options from a hat. But it's SO EASY! I know the people I work with could get past their goal, too! (You have to have a certain amount to be counted at all.) I understand, maybe, that the part-timers who only work 10 hours a week don't feel like it matters if they put their total up since they can't compete with the full-timer (me) or the other part-timers who work almost full-time hours. But come on! It's such an easy $10!

4. Mmmmmm coffeeeee.... My most recent $10 gift card was to Starbucks. On the way back from my appointment this morning, I stopped by and got my usual. I used to work there, so I know how to "work the system," i.e. get the best stuff for cheap. I like flavored iced lattes (espresso and milk), but don't want to pay $3+ for one. Instead, I get an iced Americano (ice, water, and espresso shots) but I don't get any water so I can cover the ice and shots with milk from the little crafes. That way it's LIKE getting an iced latte, but not paying for the milk! So I order a Tall Iced Americano (two shots) in a Grande cup (more room for ice and milk) with two pumps of whatever flavor I fancy (Toffee Nut, lately). Half the time they don't even charge me for the flavor since I only get two pumps. (More is too sweet.) It's either $2.05 without flavor or $2.35 with. Ta-da! Now you know how to cheat, too!

5. Sorry I haven't been posting pictures lately. I know blogs can get boring with just text, text, and more text. (Although I have posted some silly videos...) I just don't have much worth taking pictures of. I've finished a few baby hats, so I suppose I could show those off. But I haven't been doing any other crafting, nor have I gone shopping for anything besides groceries. Ooh, I did get a red wrap dress at Gap for FIVE DOLLARS a few days ago! Maybe I'll post that.

6. I didn't do any more than a body test (weight, BMI, general balance) on the Wii Fit for over a week, but yesterday I did the full body test (the usual plus two specific balance tests) and worked out for 15 minutes. I need to get back up to 30 minutes a day, seriously. Although I'm very proud of us for still eating somewhat healthily. (Is that a word?) Three meals a day, and very few snacks unless it was fruit or something like Wheat Thins. We haven't had candy or cookies in the house for more than a month, except for the cookies I made last week, and I sent some of those away with Ann. Go us! And when it gets warmer out, I want to start taking walks again.

7. I'm (apparently) really fond of parentheticals today!

8. For entry into the teaching program, I have to take and pass the PRAXIS 1 test, which I'm taking next Thursday morning. It's in three sections: Reading, Writing, and Math. I always do excellent on reading, and I do well on writing, but, as will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, I do just decent on math. (Or sometimes slightly less than decent.) Luckily, there's a really good study book I can use. Unluckily, there's only one available to check out at the college library, and it won't be back before I need to take the test. Luckily, there's one on hold, which means it can be used IN the library for two hours at a time. Not only does it help you with strategies to take the test quickly and efficiently, it "reminds" you of all the general math skills you'll need to pass. (And reading and writing skills, but I don't really need to review those.)

I couldn't remember how to do long division until I looked at the "reminder" in the book. *Sigh* So very sad. But I've had a calculator to do all that stuff since I learned how in about third grade! Anyway, I know how to now. In truth, I DID know how to do all the stuff that was reviewed in Section 1, I just had to go over it and remember it, get it to the front of my brain, instead of shoved in the back of the bottommost drawer like it's been for the past, oh, ten years. So I relearned how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions and decimals. I remembered how to do ratios, and how to read simple graphs. I took lots of notes, too!

I photocopied the Section 1 practice test and will take that tonight (and time it). Then tomorrow, when I'm off work, I'll go back to the library for another two-hour study session and work on Section 2 (of 4 total). Sections 3 and 4 will both have to be Wednesday, which is my next day off.

All I have to do is pass, I keep telling myself that. Not ace it, not know how every single thing works. Just pass. I also keep reminding myself that it's only 40 questions long. That's not bad at all. I can deal with 40 questions. (And if the worse comes to worst, I can retake JUST the math section of the test to get a better score, instead of doing all three over again.)

P.S. Danielle: One of the profs in the panel last week actually mentioned They Say, I Say, but said she didn't use it in class anymore. Can't remember why. It does sound interesting to at least look through, though. I'll bet the lecture from its authors was interesting.

P.P.S. Sarah: I do indeed have a knitting club. (Well, I don't have it, but I go to it and sort of came up with the idea to have it weekly.) As you've probably seen on my FB, it's every Wednesday night at 7pm at Trader's Coffee on 7th and Patterson. Stop by if you'd like, bring friends, kids, whatever! If you (or they) don't knit, bring something else crafty.