(giving)thanks

Peppermint tea, space heaters, chocolate, books, family, experimental theatre (the good kind), miniature schnauzers, faith, English-foreign language dictionaries, time with Teresa, candlelight, the Bible, emails from Stephanie, pumpkins, democracy, ballet flats, My Utmost for His Highest, modern art, the color green, mix tapes (old school), pumpkin pie, soccer, the Peace Corps, hazelnut lattes, bikinis, thank-you notes, freedom (of speech, press, religion, expression, sexuality, etc), "Grey's", wine, World AIDS Day, the colors of fall, fleece, raspberries, incredible friends, encourage-o-grams, snow globes, running shoes, picture frames, email, literacy, scarves, running, a good beer with good friends, creation, high school football, UNAIDS, Jesus, crossword puzzles, memories (New York, London, high school, and beyond), pineapple, and the fact that this list keeps growing.

What are you thankful for?

i turn my camera on

Today, I went to the doctor.

I haven't been to the doctor in a long time. Mostly because I don't really like doctors and don't like taking medicine and, in general, feel that I take good enough care of myself that I don't really need someone poking and prodding at me all the time.

I can't even remember the last time I went to the doctor for just a routine checkup (not to have my shoulder pried open or to have my infected ear looked at or to get shots for travelling), so Mom said it was time to go. Besides, she had just gone to a new doctor and really liked her and thought that I would like her too.

And I did. I just didn't really like all of the things that this doctor's visit amounted to, including but not limited to:

-a full phyiscal
-a breast exam
-a pelvic exam
-a pap smear (fun!)
-a tetnus booster
-a whooping cough immunization
-a blood test
-a urine sample
-and an examination of all my moles to make sure I don't have skin cancer. If you've seen me in a bathing suit, you know how extensive that was.

And, surprise!, I'm healthy. What a shocker. I have a normal blood pressure, a healthy BMI, a regular-sized uterus and overies, and excellent reflexes and circulation.

What I don't have, incidentally, is my certificate of clearance from the California Comission on Teacher Credentialing because the School of Education mixed up my file with someone else's file (there's a Megan Janelle Garcia out there, apparently) and while I probably won't be kicked out of the program for this, I might not be allowed back into the classroom until after Christmas.

So, you know, just a normal day back at home in the Bay Area. At least Iget to see Teresa.

find an old-fashioned girl

Hooray, my unit's over and I'm going home on Sunday! I'm so looking forward to spending almost an entire week and a half in sweatpants and fuzzy slippers and watching lots of junk TV.

i think ill stay in bed

I'm going out this Friday. This is a big deal because I haven't gone out since, like, August but I'm in desperate need of a good time with good friends and since Nick and Joe have promised to be there, it's on (feel free to join us, of course). It's been an unnaturally long three weeks of solo teaching and I'm aggravated and discouraged by a lot of things, but I've been listening to some pretty good music lately and tomorrow's lesson looks like it might break the mold (just a little. Enough to get my kids interested but not enough to get the district angry) and, sweet Jesus, Bethany is back in the USA and I get to go home on Sunday and stay there for a whole week.

This post brought to you courtesy of the beginnings of a migraine, Rufus Wainwright, Caramel Apple Cake from the Nugget, and the letter zed (because, let's be honest, don't I always wish I was in London?).

have you ever been alone in a crowded room

My heart is breaking. Breaking! I just got an email from one of the boys on my team:

Hey Meghan,

Soccer was awesome with u and Dave and steve

=P

Cya soon hopefully!

--Ricky--

P.S. I hope ur not my English teacher

just kidding =P

Why are seventh grade boys so adorable? I just want to keep every single one of them.

So we ended up taking 4th place. We lost the consolation game in a freaking shootout, which totally bites, but the boys had a great attitude about it. Our team party was super fun - I got lots of adorable gifts (a team picture signed by all the boys, a shirt with our team logo on it signed by all the boys, and a girly, sequined soccer pillow signed, of course, by all the boys) and one incredible gift - a $100 gift card to Border's from the parents! They said they've never had such a fun season and have never seen their kids enjoy themselves so much. Yay us!

I'm glad to have my Tuesday and Thursday evenings (and Saturday mornings) back, but I'm going to miss those kids (and their parents) so much.

In other news, I love that Amazon.com snows.

PS - My name is not spelled with an H. Why do people insist on doing that?

when the night feels my song

Despite the rainy weather yesterday, Davis AYSO chose not to postpone our tournament, so I spent several soggy hours on the soccer field, nose running, lineup disintegrating, and umbrella turning inside out. In the end, we won both of our games, beating an undefeated team, and moving on to the semifinals. Two more games this afternoon and then the standard team pizza party where, I just realized, I'm going to be expected to give a speech of some sort. Awesome

I spent the rest of the afternoon curled in a blanket on the couch, alternating between reading Jodi Picoult's new novel The Tenth Circle and watching miscellaneous crap on television (my roommate is gone for the weekend, so I took full advantage of an empty apartment). After some Top Chef and a Six Feet Under marathon, I found myself listening to the third (fourth?) season of Laguna Beach as I really started getting into my book. There were several episodes rerunning, namely Spring Break (in Cabo, of course) and Prom and it made me realize that no matter how much I may lament that I'm almost 23 and a real adult now and have to go to grad school and pay my own bills and (on some level) am kind of sad that I'm not "dating" anymore... I'm really glad that having those responsibilities that that "title" means I'm not in high school anymore because, holy cow, high school stinks.

This spring, when I graduate from grad school in the Mondavi Center (for the credential degree, at least), it will be five years since I graduated from high school in the Flint Center. Five years! I never thought I'd get out of there, and now look where I am. Crazy.




My senior portrait.

would you still be in love baby?

I don't mention him nearly enough, but I have a fabulous boyfriend. Like, this kid is incredible for not only loving me to the extent that he does (and putting up with my schedule and not getting mad when I fall asleep in the middle of important conversations), but for just being an all around great guy too.

Yesterday we had a belated 9-month celebration (also because Daniel claims we haven't gone out "in years!") and saw The Prestige (which we happened to really like despite some mediocre reviews) and then went into Sacramento for dinner. The plan was to eat at Zocalo, but the wait was almost an hour, so I pointed across the street and we decided to eat at Paesano's instead. An excellent choice.

I was going to write more about the evening, but I think I'll end with this instead:

"Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you that you love, well, that's just fabulous." -Sex in the City

hmmm edited for photo goodness:

if that's all we can take

Wow, today sucked.

First, it's Wednesday which means staff meeting/collaborative planning at Norwood from 8:45-10:45am. I used to not have to attend this, which meant Wednesday was a sleep-in day (or get-to-the-gym-really-early day), but then some teacher was like "why aren't the student teachers coming to collaborative planning?" so now I have to go and all I do is sit for two hours in a freezing room while they argue about curriculum and API scores and my coffee gets cold and my stomach starts to grumble. Awesome.

So then I walk into my classroom and review my agenda and remember I have to give not one, not two, but three tests today. Three tests on material I know my kids don't know. This isn't my fault, mind you. It's material they should know but don't because they've been to lazy to learn it and today was accountability day. So after 45 hellish minutes of painful testing, I had to lecture my students about discipline and responsibility for their actions and how if they don't start giving 100% in my class, they aren't going to make it through high school, etc etc. It was not fun. And then I gave them like an hour of English homework and told them that if they ever tell their resource teachers that they don't have any English homework again, they'll be doing English homework until their hair turns gray.

Then I came home and started my period. Too much information, I'm sure, but it's just been that kind of day.

I watched last night's Veronica Mars, hit the gym, then headed over to UCC for band practice at 6. We didn't start practicing until 6:45 because the guys were screwing around with their guitars and couldn't get anything to work. This is why vocalists hate band practice. Alex is on his honeymoon, which meant everything was left up to the staff and then half the staff didn't show up. Fabulous.

But then we split into guys'/girls' discussion groups and the ladies talked about Esther and we had a really fabulous discussion about taking risks and crisis of faith and it just reminded me how incredible my life is and surely tomorrow will be better.

The End.