Friday, November 4

This will have to be quick.  It's 9 pm, and I'm leaving for Manuel Antonio around 5 am for the weekend.  I'm not packed, but the cell phone is charging.  Need to:

Charge the camera
pack the clothes
pack the snacks
empty the dryer
fold the clothes
play with the cat
ignore the cat
avoid the cat (as she attacks)
wash the last dishes
pack the cell phone
update the ipod
SLEEP!

Okay, time to get all those things done.

PS.  I don't like field trips I don't get to go on.  Kids get nutty when they come back to school.  Nutty kids are not good kids.   Just sayin'.
PPS.  Still making the decisions.  Ah, stress.  You're so not good to me.

Thursday, November 3

It was an exciting day.  I got to school with about 8 minutes to gather all the supplies for the cooking class, gather the students, find the keys to the room, and figure out if we actually had all the utensils and such we'd need.  Any day that starts with that sort of energy is bound to be busy.

I started my day in the foods room, and ended it there, doing inventory and throwing out things that had expired over four years ago.  There was one thing of food colouring from 1998.  Yikes.  I wasn't prepared for this level of work when I offered to teach this class.  I thought I'd be going in to a fully stocked kitchen, and all I'd have to do is submit my food/supply order the week before.  Now I find myself washing everything in the room, doing inventory and hoping the cockroaches stay hidden.  The class itself is good, minus one whiner who likes to argue with me, but hey.  He'll learn.

I used my new messenger bag today.  Works like a charm.  I think I'll be taking it to Manuel Antonio this weekend, and again to Puerto Viejo in three weeks.  All this traveling; it's more than I did all year last year.  Perhaps I feel I need to do these things now, just in case.  Maybe.

Wednesday, November 2

Happy Birthday CBC!  75 years and going strong!

It was a surprisingly long day.  The kids went home at noon, leaving the staff to stick around for meetings and development.  I stuck it out, got a bit of writing done, and then spent a lovely evening shopping with Lorrie.  I didn't find any shoes, though not for a lack of trying on our part, but I did purchase a new messenger bag in Totto.  It has a slot for my laptop, and looks/feels a lot more maneuverable than my backpack.  At least now I'll look like a university student instead of a high school one!

Plans are in the making for a trip to Manuel Antonio this weekend.  I love the place, so I'm hoping the weather stays fine and that we get the B&B booked.  Yay for travel buddies!

Tuesday, November 1

The longest part of my week is over.  Mondays are full, and Tuesdays are just a bit shorter.  I take a couple of kids to the pool after school, a so-called "Swimming Club" in which I don't actually swim, and then their father is kind enough to drive me to Plaza del Sol, where they turn off the main drag.  It's usually convenient; I do a bit of shopping at the Automercado, catch a bus to Mall San Pedro, and a taxi home for less than $2.  Only catch?  Each time I've gotten to Mall San Pedro recently, it's been raining cats and dogs, and the taxis are gone.  I walked home this evening; I don't think my runners will be dry in time to wear to school tomorrow!

I'm looking forward to the rest of the week.  We're starting holiday prep in all of my classes (I had a parent ask me if I thought there was still enough time!)  and there's a chance that Jess and I might head to Manuel Antonio this weekend.  I don't know what I'll do when she leaves; we've had fun traveling together.  I've figured out how to send money to my bank in Canada without having to go to either the bank or Western Union, and I get to shop/chill with Lorrie tomorrow after the half day.

On a different note, I have a decision to make.  Please, if you're the praying sort, pray that I'll see the guidance I've been asking for.  Sometimes I can be pretty dense, and I'd rather see the point before it's rammed home.  I'm measuring it all, day by day.  Sigh.  I know there's a plan.  Too bad we weren't all born with a map tattooed on the bottom of our feet or something.  Then again, life could get pretty boring if we all knew where we'd end up.  Ah, free choice.  If not for an apple...

Monday, October 31

My dad likes to watch the Weather Network.  Not long after I left for university, he and Mom installed a satellite dish, and with that came the WN.  When I say he likes to watch it, I mean it's always on; either that or the Business News Network.  Yup, really exciting in the Graas household.  Anyway...

My dad likes to watch the Weather Network and give me updates on where I live.  He's figured out how to get the interactive menu to show him  San Jose, which he likes to pronounce exactly how it's spelled, "San Joe's".  Yesterday, it was supposed to rain, and today the channel was calling for heavy rain.  I'm not a meteorologist, but I'm pretty sure I could have predicted that.  Welcome to Costa Rica in the winter, after all.

Best part?  The meteorologists were WRONG!  Yes, it did rain on Sunday, but it was nothing compared to what we have been receiving, and today it didn't rain until after dark!  It was a highlight of a really long day spent teaching and nursing a sore throat.

And don't get me wrong.  I love the fact that my dad cares enough to look up my weather.  I love how he knows how to say San Jose, but makes a joke out of it every time.  I'm proud that he was brave enough to come visit without knowing the customs or the language.  I might roll my eyes, and groan at his corny jokes, but he's a pretty awesome guy.

Just sayin'.

Sunday, October 30

Today has been mildly productive.  I've done some laundry, cooked the chicken I had in the fridge, and currently have a concoction of sorts in the slow cooker.  It has carrots, chicken, peppers, potatoes, pineapple with barbeque sauce mixed with sour cream.  I have no idea what this will taste like, but I hope it works for lunch for at least a couple of days.  We'll find out!

Tomorrow promises to be the busiest day of the week.  I have a full day of classes, not a single block free, and then rehearsal followed by tutoring.  All I've wanted to do this weekend is sleep; hopefully that urge passes by tomorrow.

Cassie is STILL a big suck.  She's currently watching me from the arm chair next to the computer desk, lounging on her back, paws in the air.  She has spent the past two nights sleeping in between my knees and meowing at me whenever I move too much.  I guess we both need to get back on a regular schedule.

Saturday, October 29

Today was market day.  The market in Guadelupe is within walking distance (in my opinion) of my home, so when I need to stock up on vegetables and fruit, I head there on Saturday mornings.  I like thinking that I'm supporting local growers and such.  I honestly don't know if all of them grow their own stuff, or if some of it is bought from the supermarket by case lot, but most seems to be plucked from the ground no more than a day ago.  Carrots, onions (red and yellow), baby potatoes, peppers, apples...I now have plenty to cook and prepare with.    I still get my meat at the supermarket, though it's offered at the feria.  I just haven't been brave enough to chance that.

I also took Cassie to the vet this morning.  She wasn't ill, far from it.  She's almost a year old, so it was time for inoculations and another rabies shot.  I wasn't popular after that, but she likes me more than the vet!  I'm okay with not being popular, especially when I know what I'm doing it the best thing for her.  Funny how that works with people, too.  

Oh, and it was a different vet today.  A young man doing an internship saw Cassie.  He spoke pretty good English, and looked pretty good too!  Cassie may not be impressed, but I was!