Archive for 01/11/2009

Counting Down

26/11/2009 Joh family, learn, relationships, work

Yep, it’s less than a week until my birthday. I have revived my childhood habit of counting down the days. Well I’ve been doing it most of my life to be honest but I’ve just not been putting it out there (never had the internet then!). I know most people are counting down to Christmas, but those of us with birthdays in December will put off doing that until after our birthday if they are anything like me! I have refused to put up our Christmas tree until after my birthday, and then when my daughter came along on the 10th of December I wanted to wait until after that as well, so as not to mix up the celebrations. Darin’s is on the 27th, so that leaves a very slender gap for Christmas festivities, but hey, birthdays are important too!

I’ve been thinking about what being 43 has meant to me. Massive change is what comes to mind. Unexpected outcomes is another way I could describe this year. I expected I would be heading off to the UK to travel the world when Tom left home, yet before he moved on, I was creating for myself a reason to stay. It has all turned out differently than I thought. There have been changes to my home life, personal life and work life. I am happy with the changes and as unexpected as they all were, I couldn’t have planned them better than if I had a magic wand.

Much of what has occurred in my life this year I have kept to myself. Today I was talking to students about keeping their private life private. I hope I set an example of doing that because to be honest, I am concerned about the lack of privacy young people are demonstrating today. I read a lot of things online that aren’t considered thought. I love the internet and the opportunities to share things of value, but I worry about the lack of thought that appears to go into some electronic communications. I don’t blame the tools, I want to educate young people about the potential consequences.

I’ve learnt a lot this year about what is important to me. Parenting has been my primary role for nearly 20 years. When Tom left home this year things changed. Letting go is not all bad. It’s amazing how each year you look back and although it seems to have flown by at some level (although this year hasn’t had that feel to be honest), you still have seen a lot of change in your world.

Popularity: 10% [?]

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Next Year

21/11/2009 Joh learn, work

I am going to the senior campus of our school next year. I have known about it for a little while now and have been thinking about it. I am nervous for sure. I have reassured countless year 9s over the years about going to the ‘big’ school. This year I can actually share their anticipation. It is a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

I have loved working where I am. The community has been a solid part of my life. The people I work with are like a family to me. I see them every day. They have shared my joys and pains over these years. I have friends and helpful people surrounding me. Rhonda is there. I know who I can rely on. I know where all the resources are, I know the shortcuts. I have been teaching pretty much the same subjects for the past 8 years. I’ve had leadership positions in both curriculum and pastoral care roles, so I have explored what I can I guess. It’s very comfortable. It’s probably been too easy the past couple of years and I have perhaps become a bit complacent. I have felt my frustrations compounding and feel I have trapped myself in a bit of a negative spiral at times. I intend for this to be a fresh start to my thinking about work.

I look forward to learning more. There is a cool new library where I am going. There are some people I admire from a distance and it will be an opportunity to learn more from them. I know plenty of the people there, just not as well as I know those who are here. I look forward to teaching new levels in my favourite subjects. I have taught many of the students who will be there and I look forward to reconnecting with them. I expect this will give me a new lease on my professional life…. and I am due for it.

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Warm Weather

19/11/2009 Joh health, holidays

I love it. I enjoy waking up and not feeling like I can’t face the outside of my bed because it is too cold. I love the brightness of a clear blue sky. I love swimming in cool water on a warm day. I love a cold drink after a hot day. I love wearing light clothes. I feel energised by the warmth. I feel happy and alive. I feel blessed thaqt I have places to swim and the energy to swim in them. I am lucky I have air conditioning if I need it.

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New Moon in Scorpio – Tuesday 17th November 2009

16/11/2009 Joh astrology, family, relationships

The moon is new in the early am of tomorrow. Lynda Hill’s Sabian Symbols: An X-Ray Diagnosis  explains all the things going on in the skies and the energy surrounding it. I’m hoping for that understanding and deeper insight. I just looked over my last months new moon goals… they can stay in place, I have made some progress, yet don’t feel ready to say mission accomplished.

There have been many twists to my day today. Tom left for Melbourne to catch an early flight back to Hamilton Island. Even though logically I know this is all good, my heart breaks every time. Darin and I went for a walk after I’d stopped crying. It was good to be out in the wind. It refreshed me.

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Happy Days

14/11/2009 Joh family, friends, gratitude, home

My son came home for the weekend last night. He just gave me a hug and said “I love waking up here”. I can’t express how good that feels to me. I miss him so much that I can’t think about it anymore when he is away. When he is here it is a joy. He looks fabulously healthy and makes me laugh with the tales of his adventures.

I wasn’t expecting him until today. His friends piled into the house shortly after he entered last night.  We all talked about how much we love him and I feel incredibly proud of him and the fun he brings to others. I know that were he to live here all the time, we probably wouldn’t be so endeared to one another. Having the house full of music, laughter, gossip and exotic beverages is a pleasure only enjoyed in small doses for me. I feel blessed though with the amount of it I get. I didn’t stay up all night though like last time. I really need to take care of myself at this time of the year so I can get through the rest of the term.

Popularity: 12% [?]

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Struggle

11/11/2009 Joh health, work

I’ve been sick for a couple of days. Friday night I had a heavy chest and it had degenerated until Sunday night I was out of breath. It’s been hot and I love the warm weather. I have not been impressed with being sick at all. I went back to work today. It was busy. I know it’s just going to get busier. I am determined to get well. I want to finish the year well.

I got a bit more organised today. I talked to my classes about the absences. I have been on camp, my year 9 classes have all been on camp this term, we’ve had long weekends, excursions, I’ve been sick and there are lots of interuptions coming up with the end of the year looming. I booked all the rooms, laptops and equipment I need until the end of the year. I wrote all the dates in my diary that I had hanging out in my inbox. I recalled that I once kept my inbox clear and set an intention to clear it again and handle things quicker. I got plenty done, but was pretty exhausted by the time I got home.

Darin cooked a great dinner. I feel better that I got a bit organised today. There are only two days of the week to go. I have relaxed and I’m about to slip into bed.

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Saturday and Coco Chanel

08/11/2009 Joh learn, relationships

“How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone. ” Coco Chanel

I watched a DVD about Coco Chanel yesterday. It was beautiful. She was really a feminist in that she freed women from restrictive clothing. She also was driven to live independently and follow her own passions. I had no idea. I have to admit I’ve never been especially interested in fashion designers. I have thought it to be a bit superficial. I enjoyed the film, which was for the most part a love story.

Darin has started a new job as a chef and was working so I had a day to indulge myself. I love hearing about what he has cooked.

I have a bit of a chest infection so I just quietly pottered around the house yesterday. I love this beautiful sunshine. Today we are heading for the sea.

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Pomegranate and Mosaic

04/11/2009 Joh blogging

I had a browse through my wordpress stats the other day. I was surprised to find the most common search terms people used to find my blog were ‘pomegranate’ and ‘mosaic’. I used to be constantly looking at my stats. I had a couple of different places to go to measure and weigh up what people were reading, where they were from and all the things you can find out about your blog once you get into it.

These days I can’t find the time or the enthusiasm for it. I still check how many visitors I get regularly, at least as often as I blog.

I guess in the beginning I was learning as much as I could because I was hoping to use it at school. I had a vision of blogs replacing student workbooks. They would never get lost or left at home. They would be able to tag each entry and retrieve information on subjects with ease. They might put a bit more care and thought into their work, since it was to be published.  They would be able to have discussions with others through comments. Parents would be able to look up online and see what their young person was doing very clearly. They could check their stats and get real feedback about their work. I thought it was the perfect system. It hasn’t been nearly so simple to achieve in reality for lots of reasons.

Popularity: 8% [?]

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Full Moon in Taurus – Tuesday 3rd November

02/11/2009 Joh astrology, family

It’s full early tomorrow morning, yet looking close enough to be full as I type tonight. I have celebrated this with food today having a delicious chinese meal tonight. I have also soaked in the bath and spent time in nature, as well as shopping today. I think these are quite typical activities of a Taurean influence.

It’s now less than two weeks until I see my favourite Taurean in the world. I am looking forward to it. This extra long weekend is just what I needed right now. It’s been great to unwind.

This is Mystic Medusa’s caution about the other influences occuring now.

Popularity: 8% [?]

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Beach is Back

01/11/2009 Joh family, relationships, travel

I dipped in the sea yesterday. We went to Inverloch with the kids. The water was cold, but I couldn’t resist. The carpark at the surf beach was full so we went to the beach near the town. The girls swam with me. Dad and son dug a big hole and buried himself.

Then we headed for some food and as always the Italian place had delicious pizza and pasta. I like the woman who takes my order. She’s has such a beautiful, warm and open face. I feel I can ask for anything and it will be no problem. The food is consistently delicious.

I texted Tom, as sitting in front of the place reminded me of last year with him and his friends. We had some great feasts there in our bathers last year. Lots of laughs too. He called me back. We exchanged news, this has been a busy week for it. He sounds well and as though he is enjoying his life. It’s not long until he comes back for another weekend and I must say I am looking forward to it.

We then headed back to play in the waves as the crowd was disappearing. It was a fun and full day. I was glad Darin was driving home because the sun, swimming and the belly full of pasta made for a drowsy drive home. Instead of loud music all the way home, we played ‘I Spy’ and then ‘sleeping tigers’.

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