Gobbled up

Thanksgiving came and went. I ate a lot of turkey and tried "corn stuff" for the first time. It was pretty good, basically a softer version of cornbread. Thanksgiving is always good, but as of last year, Thanksgiving weekend became even more special to me. It was the grand opening of the A Christmas Story House and Museum. Last year on the same weekend was the fundraiser for the house, and this past Saturday was the culminating event. It was awesome.

Ryan and I left Lorain around 8:00AM. Dropped off my car in Berea, then cruised on over to Tremont. Instead of obeying guidelines and parking downtown or in Clark Field, we drove right on up to the house and parked a couple of blocks down from it. There weren't many people there yet, but as soon as we got our tickets and took a spot in line, the first Lolly Trolly dumped a load of visitors.

Brian Jones and Steve crazy Polish last name explained that they're be letting people inside in groups of 30 or so. Fortunately, we were about the 20th people in line, if that. In the pic, you can see where we stood. We waited outside for over an hour before the ceremony actually began. FedEx Man delivered an official Red Ryder Leg Lamp up to the porch, Brian Jones ripped the straw stuffing out of the crate after prying it open with a crowbar, and he placed it inside of the front window of the house. After that, we waited in line to get in longer than we should have, thanks to bastard line jumpers. Instead of letting it ruin my day, I remained happy. How could I be truly upset on such a special occasion?

We were inside of the house by about 10:20 to enjoy all of its glory. The pics are all awesome. Immediately upon walking in, the living room sits to the left. We went there to take pictures with the Leg Lamp in the window. We had this wild guy behind us in line and he asked for Ryan to take a picture of him and email it, since he didn't have a camera of his own. Finally, we escaped him and were able to go upstairs. The bathroom was pretty funny to see, but the boys' bedroom still needed a little work. All that was in there was the bed frame, but it was still cool to look out the windows for the view of beautiful, industrial Cleveland.

We went back downstairs and paused to take pictures on the landing where Ralphie stood shamefully in his pink bunny pajamas from Aunt Clara. Then it was into the kitchen, where I realized that the cupboard under the sink had working doors. I asked the volunteer in there if I could curl up underneath the sink for a photo op and he allowed it. Apparently, we set a trend and afterwards there was a line of people waiting to do the same thing.

Before leaving the house, we took another picture in front of the lamp and as we stood trying to force ourselves out, a gentleman stopped us and asked if we would answer a few questions on camera. We agreed, he interviewed us, and then asked us to sign release forms. As Ryan was signing his he realized what we had just done--apparently, we may or may not appear on Turner Classic Movies on December 15th and 17th. I'd say we're both rather pumped about that.

We headed to the backyard where Ryan took lots of pictures of the shed and the view over the fence. Afterwards, we hit the museum, which was a giant gift shop with some things that Randy and Grover Dill donated: Randy's snowsuit, his Black Bart costume and zeppelin, as well as lots of behind-the-scenes photos. It was awesome.

We went and had "Chinese turkey" at a restaurant in Chinatown that had collaborated with the foundation, then headed to Tower City where we admired the thug life and waited for the meet and greet. It wasn't as cool as last year, since the actors were not able to be as chatty. But we got photos with everyone and I got another autograph. Can't wait until my collection is complete, and I'm really looking forward to next year!

And now...pics:

Wild dude

"I'll be right out, ma! Gee whiz!"

"He looks like a deranged Easter bunny!"

"Daddy's gonne kill Ralphie!"

"Those icicles have been known to kill people."

"He had yellow eyes, so help me, God, yellow eyes!" Scut and his toadie, Grover Dill.

That's about as good as it gets for now. I'm worn out. Can't wait to go back to the house soon.

Feiern wir!

Thanksgiving is one day away. I'm going to be leaving for Sandusky sometime this afternoon. Just waiting on some laundry to be finished and then I've gotta jump into the shower. Tonight I should be having a drink with Sol, but that depends on the driving situation. I'm willing to drive all the way to Lorain to do it if I have to, but apparently there is a bar in Sandusky that she likes. So if RD will DD, we'll be enjoying beverages in Sandusky. I'm looking forward to it.

I went to the mall twice yesterday and I actually bought something the second time.* I found a pair of jeans at Gadzooks (it makes be shiver to think I was in there) for $8.99, and they are actually decently cute and normal. I was trying to find some new tops, because everything I have screams "American Eagle!!!!!!" and I'm trying to expand my fashion boundaries. Unfortunately, I didn't find any tops that I liked. Oh well.

*If you've ever gone shopping with me, you may have noticed that I have trouble actually BUYING things. I'm very picky about what I buy, so I often find a bunch of things I like, then end up finding reasons to not buy them--usually, I think I won't actually wear it so it's not worth the investment. I wouldn't call it me being cheap. Practical is better. Get over it.

Monday is going to be a big day for me. I will supposedly find out if I'm in this teaching gig for the rest of the quarter/year or if I'm finished. I'm really holding out for it. I feel that I have connected with a lot of the students and as far the others, I think they'll open up to me more if they know I'll be there for an extended period of time. Say a prayer for Frau C.

This weekend should be pleasant. Drinks tonight, lots of food and family tomorrow, possibly drinks tomorrow night and/or Friday, then A Christmas Story House Museum Grand Opening on Saturday. You might say I'm mildly excited. Or ecstatic.

Week in review

Tomkat bought a house in Ottawa Hills, which is no more than five minutes from where I live. On Stern, Tina Fey ripped Paris Hilton a new one. The Bobcats clinched the MAC East Title. That all happened during my first week as a teacher.

The first week wasn't too shabby, and I'm pretty happy with how things went. It's a peculiar situation, but I think I'm doing well with the kids considering the circumstances. I had my first true disciplinarian test on Friday afternoon during the second to last class of the day. It really bothered me, but I got through it. I'm with a bunch of German 1 and 2 students who have pretty much no idea how to speak any German, some German 3 kids who are too rowdy, and German 4 students who sort of have a grasp on what they should be doing. Tomorrow will be a fresh start I think, since I'm sure most of the students will forget everything they learned this past week. They have been without structure for so long that they don't understand how to deal with it now. I'll get through it.

On a side note, I have way more respect for most of my teachers than I ever did in the past. I always thought teachers were very important and admirable, but it is a LOT of work. I figured I'd go to school around 7:00AM, teach all day, then be home around 3:00 or 4:00PM. Nope. I have six classes, so I teach all day long, grade papers for about 30 minutes to an hour after school, then lesson plan for about 2 or more hours. Teachers put in LONG DAYS.

The big news of the week for me was that OU won the MAC East. Jon and I watched the win at Ralphie's, and there was actually an older couple there also watching the game. It was fantastic to watch and I'm really pumped about going to Detroit for the Championship. Go Bobcats!

Mom came out to Toledo yesterday. We watched some of "the game" at my brother's house and here, then we went to the mall and went out to dinner. I was once again in bed before 11, and I'm pretty sure I was also asleep before then. I'm an old woman now.

Can't really wait for Tuesday to be over. I'm excited to go home and see my family and some friends. Oh, and the big trip to the Christmas Story House/Museum is this Saturday. I got the day off at Barnes & Noble to make sure I could go. What has two thumbs and is really excited? This gal.

Why Ohio State irritates me

Most of my friends know that I am not an Ohio State fan. Some even consider it blaspheme because I am from Ohio, but do not back the football powerhouse from Columbus. I used to dislike OSU for pretty arbitrary reasons. Actually, my reasons now are still sorta arbitrary, but I think they are a lot better than the old reasons.

I remember the first time I realized that I could not stand Ohio State. It was some sort of academic or sports banquet in high school. One of the administrators, Mr. Fergason, was introducing a student who would be attending Ohio State then following year. It was the way that he read the name, "THE! Ohio State University." Now, I know that the school's full name is The Ohio State University, but I have news for Ohio State kids. EVERY, or at least almost EVERY, university and college uses the proper article "The" in its title. For example, my degree reads "The Ohio University." Anyhow, it was at that point that I realized that Ohio State people are rather arrogant just because they have a great football program and usually have a good basketball program. Hell, at the time OSU's undergrad academics were, for lack of better words, shit (just ask THE Princeton Review).

Going to Ohio, my disdain for Ohio State morphed. The next thing that got to me was the fact that Ohio State kids always seemed to be confused, and still are. Apparently they haven't realized that at their football games, they are always cheering for Ohio University. See, Ohio University is "Ohio." Ohio State University is OSU. Even Vernon Alden mentioned it in the last edition of Ohio Today, and Vernon is a pimp. So the next time you get ready to respond to that "O-H," remember that you're actually rooting on Frank Solich's and Tim O'Shea's boys as well as those Sweet 16 volleyball ladies 70 miles southeast of Columbus.

I can't diss Ohio State football anymore than I diss any other football team just because I don't like football. However, I think a lot of the Ohio State fans need a slap in the face to come back to reality. I understand that this is a potential national championship and undefeated year for the Buckeyes and it's great that they have such a dedicated fan base. However, the fans who get pumped that OSU sneaks past crappy MAC teams IN Columbus need to take it down just a few notches. Beating Texas in Austin, now that is worthy of being totally pumped. But BG and NIU? Give me a break.

I guess that sometimes when I think about it, it isn't even the Ohio State kids and alums who annoy me. It's the people who aren't affiliated with Ohio State other than being from the state of Ohio. Oh, and the people who wear OSU garb IN ATHENS on OHIO'S homecoming. Yeesh.

/rant

You can call me Miss C

Finally! Sylvania Northview High School was looking for a substitute German teacher and Maumee told them about me, so now I have a teaching job starting on Monday. For a week, I'll be teaching four levels of German to high school kids. It might turn into something long-term, so please pray for me that I land a real position with Northview. I'm so pumped about this that I was crying tears of joy, and I think the waterworks might begin again in a minute here. I should stop talking about it.

Anyhow, Sara is here. I'm picking her up at BG after I get off of work tonight. Hopefully it won't be like last night when I was there until shortly after 7PM. We can't get too wild tonight, since I have to be at the bookstore tomorrow morning at 7AM. It'll still be fun. We'll watch Grey's together.

I need to figure out how I'm gonna break things off at the pet hospital. I think I'll wait until tomorrow to tell my boss. I'm sure that I'll be getting dirty looks from everyone there, but I just can't pass up this opportunity. Even if it lasts only a week, I'm sure it will be such a valuable experience to actually be teaching. Okay, I said I had to stop talking about it. This time I really will.

Election 2006 - my thoughts

I am one among many lazy Americans. I did not vote yesterday. I'm still only registered to vote in Athens. I wasn't old enough to vote in Lorain when I still lived there, and I only actually voted in Athens in 2004. Shoot me. I went to the main branch of the library last week for the sole purpose of registering to vote here in Toledo, but I didn't even do it. That said, I still have an opinion about some things.

I'm pretty glad that Issue 5 passed, because I'm not a fan of the smell of cigarette smoke and, obviously, its effects on my body. I do feel bad for a few of my friends, but I consider this payback for all of the selfish smokers. You owe it to me after 22 years of dealing with you almost everywhere I go. I do wonder what will happen to places like the Cat's Den. A lot of its clientele consists of smokers, so who knows what's going to happen there. I imagine there will be a way around the smoking ban, like purchasing some expensive license or something.

Although it doesn't directly affect me, I'm very intrigued by what is to follow with the increase of the state minimum wage. I really only deal with small businesses in Athens and back in Lorain (can I get a hell yeah for Yala's?). I think that the latter will deal with it well--the people who frequent small business in Lorain are too dedicated to let the inevitable raise in the cost of goods deter them. In Athens, I think it's a different story. Alison mentioned Brenen's to me, and how things might change there. The prices will go up and all of the snooty professors and townies (not all are snooty, I'm just refering to those who are) will bitch to no end. In the end it's probably lose-lose--must pay employees more, prices go up, customers boycott, can't make money to pay employees, poopoo everywhere. Who knows.

In other news, I borrowed In Cold Blood from Barnes & Noble. I'm only about 70 pages in, but I really like it so far. This whole reading for fun thing really is, well, fun, and I can't believe I've been missing out on it for so long. While I'm reading, as long as its good, I feel totally unattached to everything else. I don't think about work or money or the computer. It's very relaxing, although it gets me very excited at times. I have a couple other titles in mind to borrow once I'm finished with this one. Then come Thanksgiving, I'll be able to crack open In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, which is a book I've been trying to find for quite a while. I was under the impression for a while that it was out of print because I couldn't find it anywhere--instead, a lot of bookstores carry a book called A Christmas Story, also by Jean Sheperd, which, I'm fairly certain, is based off of the movie and is not actually the same text as the book that inspired the movie. Long story short: I like to read now. A lot.

I'm in the middle of cooking dinner right now. I'm making a casserole and mashed potatoes. Should be delicious.

House guest

I know you're probably disappointed that I haven't blogged in several days. Don't fret, because I'm back. I've just been unusually busy the past few days. I suppose that's what life is like once you get a real job. I'm working Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the pet hospital and various days from week to week at the bookstore. It's weird to be gone all day, then come home and be too tired to even sit at the computer. Jon and I have been zonking out around 10:00PM for the most part.

I'm beginning to enjoy the new job more (knock on wood) now that I've been given some independence. I learn a little more about it everyday, and they are finally ordering my scrubs sometime this week allegedly. I've been left to close alone twice now, and I'm getting the hang of that whole retarded procedure. The money is the major perk. Now I can finally start chipping in regularly around here AND still have a little extra to spend on myself and save. Just in time for those loans that I'm gonna have to start paying off next month. Yippy-skippy!

It was a pretty fun weekend, for spending the whole thing in Toledo. Jason came in Friday night so that he and Jon could go watch OU at EMU on Saturday. When he got in Friday night, we went out to Ralphie's for dinner and had a few beers while watching the Cavs. Since we're all old now, we went to bed pretty early. I had to work at the bookstore at 7:00 Saturday morning and Jon and Jason left for Michigan while I was still working. I got about an hour and a half off, then I had to leave to be at the pet hospital at 1:00PM. Got home by 6ish, then slaved in the kitchen for a couple of hours making lasagna. It was the first time I ever made it and I'd say it was a success. I also drank quite a bit of wine while cooking and eating. I could make that a habit. We went to bed really early again, then I had to put up with them while football was on all afternoon.

When Jason left, Jon and I departed for Sandusky to have dinner with my parents. It took us two hours to get there because of traffic. Apparently the geniuses at ODOT decided it would be a great idea to cut 75 South down to one lane as opposed to three in order for them to do construction, so that was backed up all the way onto 475. It was a mess and Jon decided to take a different route out of town, but it wasn't nearly as simple as one might think it would be. We just ended up taking 2 all the way. Dinner was good, we watched the Browns lose, then it was back to Toledo where we were again greeted by terrible construction traffic. 75 North was also cut down to one lane, but it was a lot easier for us to get around that. Now we're safe at home with Charlie again.

I have the day off until 5:00PM tomorrow when I have to be at the bookstore, so I'll probably spend some time at the mall. I went there today and didn't want to leave Bath & Body Works because they have all of their Christmas decor and products out AND they are already playing nothing but Christmas music. It was so awesome and I can't wait until the entire mall is that way. I really hate to be around tons of people because it increases the likelihood that I'll have to deal with idiots, but I love shopping or just being at the mall around Christmas. The sights, smells (cinnamon, not B.O.) and music all make me so happy.

That about wraps it up. I'm going to try to stay awake a little longer, but chances are that I won't because it's already 10:00PM.