Seattle Friday

Hard to believe that one week ago, I was enjoying an entirely different backdrop. OK, maybe not entirely different... Seattle had a lot of similarities with our lovely, metropolitan SF Bay Area.

Anyway, to my dismay, I left my journal at home and was not able to write about each day's experience. Once we landed in OAK Sunday night, I hit the ground running and jumped right into life's daily grind. I did not have time to sit and jot down a few memories from the weekend. Now, a week later, I'll try to piece together the memorable moments:

Friday:

• Wake up at the butt crack of dawn to catch the second flight out OAK to SeaTac.

• Get off the plane and board LINK for a 30-min ride into the city. Seattle's public transportation system and technology on their trains, etc. is awesome. I'm talkin' touch screens, easy-to-figure-out prices and routes, and CHEAP transportation. YES. It's FREE to ride the bus in the downtown area between 6AM - 7PM. (You hear that, SF?! They lower prices during work hours, not raise them! I'm lookin' at you, Bay Bridge!) Their transfer passes are good for a few hours rather than just one hour. And they have all kinds of modes of transportation: bus, light rail, monorail...

My body feels so creaky and achy right now -- partially because i secretly skipped one day of running last week, partially because i walked what feels like all the streets of seattle this weekend, partially because i rushed through an 8-miler yesterday to get it over with, and partially because today is the start of another school week.

coffee time. that should solve everything.

Run, Post

Didn't put up a pic of last Saturday's run because I can't figure out how to do it on google maps this time. Basically, ran from friend's place in Piedmont to Lake Merritt, circled the lake, then ran back to her place (6 mi.). We're plateauing for the next couple of weeks as part of our running plan.

It rained today, but we stuck to our regimen anyway. It was my first rain run and it was GLORIOUS. My hair was matted to my face, my hoodie was soaked all the way through to my shirt, and mud soaked through my shoes. The weather wasn't very cold, so I still broke a sweat and that sweat mixed with the rainwater.

It probably wasn't the best idea to wear a grey shirt, but in the end, I only felt prouder of myself to see how soaked I was.

I hope it rains tomorrow!

Is it Happy Hour Yet?

Shame on me for multi-tasking, but...

As I organize my lesson plan for tomorrow, I shoot an email to a teacher friend from last summer (OK, employer from last summer), turn my head the other way and see that a younger friend is IM-ing me asking for advice about teacher prep programs. I turn my head again to shoot off another email to teacher friends at Mills. I turn the other way to put my young friend in contact with another teacher friend of mine... then the cell phone rings indicating that I've received a text message (from a teacher friend)... I call up the boyfriend because he was supposed to come over for dinner hours ago... turns out he knocked out and has been asleep this whole time. He's tired from a day of teaching, of course.

Anyway. I'm looking forward to Seattle in 1.5 weeks. Not to mention happy hour on Friday.

In response to my goals for today:

1) Met

2) Met

3) Met

4) Halfway met (the other student was absent)

Stretch, stretch, stretch

What I really should be doing at 8:25 in the AM is getting ready for school (God bless 9:10 AM school start times).

As of lately, I've picked up a morning ritual of yoga exercises between breakfast and getting dressed. Physical stretching. Mental cleansing. Sun salutation.

No yoga today, though. I need to do some mental stretching.

My goals for today are:

1) Less teacher talk -- less standing in front of the classroom, less "blah blah blah science blah blah blah please no talking blah blah blah can I get a volunteer" (medium)

2) Fall back into the rhythm that has already been set into place in this classroom and do my best to teach w/in that rhythm. Too much change at once has been like trying to fight against an ocean current. (difficult)

3) Finally pass back out the stack graded papers (easy)

4) Touch base with the 2 students who have fallen behind in this past week (difficult)

2-5-11 Run - West Oakland

Run was suuuper flat. Lots of waiting for traffic lights. Hella folks out by the lake because the weather was so glorious.

Parking Woes

Parking is no joke in Berkeley.

--- 20 min later ---

p.s. i don't normally cry over stupid ridiculous things like this (or at least, I try not to), but it was a tough morning in school today.

sigh.