break the silence

Hello, blog. It's been a minute!

This week got a bit busy, what with filling in at work for the vacationing Star and doing a bit of cat sitting. But all good. I am going to rant here for a bit about the two high school tutees I have because they BOTH stood me up this week... sort of.

Monday afternoon was the Alison Moyet look-alike. Ten minutes into our scheduled appointment, the mom texted me that they weren't coming - a last minute "unworkable" thing had come up. I appreciated the text, and yes, she paid the late cancellation fee.

Then yesterday morning, high schooler #2: "Omigosh, I totally forgot!" when I texted to let her know which study room we had at the library. She dragged herself in about 20 mins. late.

I get it. They're young. They're busy - theater, tennis, schoolwork, blah blah. But sheesh, THEY called me! I even agreed to meet each of them outside my usual tuting hours to accommodate the busy schedules. 

*EXHALE* Okay, rant over. And I'll add that the college tutees I have this semester are all delightful, so it balances. We still have no word on the replacement - if there even is to be one - for our recently exited tutor boss. She did mention, before she left, that much of the process of matching students with tutors will become automated, so maybe her job was being phased out, hence her jumping ship for supposedly greener pastures.

One of my students is leaving next week to witness the full solar eclipse in Texas. She conveniently has a sister in San Antonio. Not gonna lie, I've got a bit of FOMO around seeing this coming full eclipse after [witnessing the last one] in the U.S. in 2017. Really, a stunning phenomenon to see.

But alas, not this time.

As consolation, maybe Magnum and I will do the next best thing. A brand new [Buc ee's] gas station (for lack of a better term) has opened just down the road from us.  74,000 square feet, 116 gas pumps...

It calls for a field trip, and I'm not even close to needing gas. 

locking down

Wednesday, I was working with a tutee when a lockdown drill anouncement came from the PA. My student, another student who happened to be nearby, and I were shuttled into a smallish "interior, no windows, no lights" office. I learned it was one of the spaces Disabilities Services uses to evaluate and work with accommodated students.

As such we had a variety of options for seating: a modified chair that incorporated a big exercise ball, another with a fidget seat kind of thing, a beanbag that reminded me of the 70s, and a regular 4-legged chair. 

The whole drill lasted maybe 10 minutes tops. But sitting there in the dark with those two - me on the boring regular chair, my student in the beanbag, the other student on the exercise ball - it turned into sort of a therapy session.

My student, S, had made known to me, at the start of our session, that he'd "lost his motivation" a couple of weeks ago after I asked him how his spring break (last week) was. He did have a rather defeated demeanor about him. In the dark lockdown drill room, he continued to spill about his anxieties and frustrations about keeping up with everything. 

He's a super nice and hardworking student, so naturally, I felt bad for him. I'm just his math tutor, so I can mostly hope to alleviate his math stress. 

The other student with us was a girl I know from the testing center because she takes her tests with us. It was nice having her there, because she could commiserate with S on the college/ young adult  anxiety bits and offer some strategies that work for her. 

I found myself in a sort of impromptu facilitator mode. I have no formal training, I'm just there to do math stuff.

At the same time, though, I was happy that S felt comfortable being so honest.

On a related note, my tutor boss is leaving the college for greener pastures. She's taken a similar position at another community college nearby. In fact, ever since our change in leadership a couple years ago, a lot of our staff has jumped to that other ship. 

She assures us that her replacement will be announced soon, and today is her last day at the helm with us. 

Personally, I have no plans to join the exodus. I've perused the job openings at the other college out of nosiness, and they do pay better. But it would make for a not-so-nice commute for me, and my current commute is the bomb.

lead a snot into temptation

Did a bit more decluttering this weekend - I swear it never ends. Who knew I was such a packrat?!

This time I went through my art toys a second time and got rid of things I haven't used in *forever*. My art hobby is quite inexpensive. Pencils, pens, sketchbooks, etc. are so darn cheap.  It's easy to bring stuff home and let it sit. I swear they all get together at night and multiply.

Last weekend, Magnum and I were out for a walk and I wanted to walk passed a cute little art supply store I'd heard of but had never been to. So we walked on by and I caught a glimpse. Magnum noted that the store was open, did I want to go in?

NOPE! I'd end up bringing home something I don't need - like going to the animal shelter!

I drew this anime character on Friday during Snowday 2. I've never really drawn anime before, but I'd read that the creator of Dragonball books, show, and whatever else, died last week. 

I don't know the plot or characters of Dragonball, but I've seen them in the periphery - the weird hair, the baggy pants...

Anyways, good snowday fun.

We got a decent amount of heavy, wet snow, but not nearly as much as areas south of us. Ours was just a "normal" spring snow - about 7 inches - while I see friends to the south buried under 2+ feet. No thanks.

That bit of anime fun got me to declutter the stuff packed into my little art supply case after I discovered the cute graphic pencil I used to draw the weird-haired dude.

Now I'm just down to my faves, including the pencil. In celebration, I drew another anime weird-haired character

In the meantime, Magnum completed our 2023 tax return. I swear he has all the fun.

pow, right in the...

College is closed, having us a snow day, although there's not a whole lot of snow out there at the moment. Tomorrow is already a "remote operations" day, which in my case means simply another day of no testing center.

I do have a couple of tutees to zoom with later, so not a total day of langor. It IS Pi Day, afterall. I've showered. 

And we have a few signs of spring already. I snapped this pic a few days ago along the creek path.

So, yesterday morning I was at the gym and doing some of my PT exercises. Now, I'd gone to the PT originally because of a fritzed foot, and the foot feels fine now. But the issue exposed hip weakness as the likely cause.

I say weakness, and "Dr. J" countered with opportunites

"I'm a tutor, I play those same word games", I made known. 

Dr. J is a super nice guy and knowledgeable physician, quick to establish rapport. I've learned lots from him and am glad of my decision to give PT a try.

One area we've been working is my TFL muscle, which I'd never known of before. If one is wearing a pair of girl jeans with teeny girl pockets, and puts the finger tips in the teeny pocket, their fingers are on or very close to the TFL. 

I had dry needling in the TFL at my last appointment, and Dr. J was very keen on how that might be an emotionally/mentally sensitive area for him to be accessing - getting my reassurance, letting me tuck the drape into my elastic waist band, etc. - before him going in. 

Seriously, I had no qualms. He's a doctor, plus I knew from other dry needling sessions on other areas that this would be helpful, and it was.

So yesterday, I was at the gym, working on my opportunities, and I guess I stood up weird or something and felt a little *tweak* right near the pubic bone, right in the cooch.

It was at that point I wished I had a female PT. Although I'm sure the structure of whatever I'd tweaked is present in both men and women, how to phrase it if I asked Dr. J about it?

"... right in the vag/ cooch/ cha cha/ girly bits/ etc..."

Thankfully, it improved as the day wore on, and I've no more sensation of "it". But this is the main reason I typically prefer a female doctor. My PCP is female, and I have an annual checkup coming up shortly.

We'll probably talk briefly of "sensitive" topics - like allergies and stuff - before moving on to her updating me on her kids.

looking from a window above

Happy Saturday, it's been a busy week. Let's see, I...

• was installed as chapter Prez at PEO
• met with all the tutees
• worked an extra shift to fill in for a coworker
• had another dry needling sesh with the PT

All in all, a good week, and I'm ready for the weekend - only to lose an hour of it.

One of my tutees is a high school kid who is the spitting image of Alison Moyet from her Yaz days - complete with eye makeup and hairstyle. 

Seriously, it's uncanny, to the point I almost asked them (preferred pronoun) if they purposely modeled themselves after her. Good times, those '80s!

But I haven't asked. "Alison" is quite intelligent. Wants to go to Yale. We shall see.

I've got one more PT session scheduled in a couple of weeks, and that's meant to be the end of it. It's been a good experience, and it's up to me to keep up with the exercises. The dry needling's been interesting, and I'm glad I decided to give it a try.

In other health news, a couple of articles crossed my radar this week. One article touting several benefits of beer almost has me jumping off the wagon I decided to jump on last year. The article mentions that some of the benefits come from studies of non-alcoholic beer, but I never really understood the point of such a thing.

Another piece of info was from a youtuber saying that menopausal women should get a good amount of calories from fat. From that, I did dig a bit deeper and found that

"...fats can help your body absorb nutrients it needs and may reduce the frequency and severity of menopause symptoms"

Something to do with estrogen. And there's the qualifier "healthy fats" like avocados (which I can't stand 🤢) . So... no cheesecake then?

Anyway, eat, drink, and be merry. For tonight, we lose an hour.

hanging around

Ready for the chocolate shortage? Got a strategy? Our stash of dark chocolate Hershey kisses may soon become a product for only the rich and famous. Eat them or sell on the black market... hmmm...

So my decluttering continues. Just when I think I've gotten so minimal, I find other junk. I just chucked some dry erase markers - emphasis on DRY. During my last sweep of my office/ studio/ cat bathroom, I found a nice pad of bristol paper that I bought years ago.

Bristol paper is stronger and stiffer than "regular" drawing paper. I think it's actually sheets of paper that are pressed together to make it thicker and stronger and smoother. Anyway, it's very fun to play with.

Also, I worked yesterday, so this is kind of a short weekend for me. While at work, one of our testers was the cute emo kid who has been taking his HiSET (High School Equivalency Test - very similar to the more well-known GED) modules with us. 

He's actually quite intelligent and has been eating through his modules like nobody's business. This was probably his 3rd or 4th visit with us, and I got his station all set up. I turned around to check his pockets, socks, and sleeves, and he was standing there with his big cargo pants already all rolled up, with pockets turned out, all *I know the drill*

Then he went in and aced another module, came out and put away his scratch paper and pencils like he owns the place. 

I'm gonna miss that kid when he's done. Today, while going through markers and things, I found a sharpie that works and did a quick sketch of "Miles".

And the decluttering doesn't end with the physical stuff. I opened my Pinterest account - OH the crap it contained. 

Still deleting

what a feeling

 Congratulations, we made it to March, even with an extra February day.

It seemed like a good day for cheesy puns?

I had today off of work and got a few things checked off the to-do list. I typically have Fridays off, but this was the last one for a while. Coworker Star is leaving on a longish vacation, visiting family around the world, and I'll be covering her Fridays for the next few weeks. 

Around here, our March came in like a lamb, so should we be bracing for how it will end? We had sunny skies and temperatures in the 60's. I ran some errands and took my puttster car for a wash.

Ain't she pretty? Now for sure, we'll have a blizzard

She's 24 years old. Not too shabby for an old lady, I guess. 

She does spend most of her time sitting around in the garage, however.

And just between you and me, she is pretty  crap for driving in snow...

Speaking of old ladies, this week, I decided I should "not skip leg day" at the gym. I don't usually do much lower body strengthening, figuring bicycling and running had me covered. WELL, through my recent physical therapy Journey, the weaknesses have been revealed. 

And now I'm SO sore, youse guys.