Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match!

It's all about Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo. If you haven't watched this show yet, you've gotta check it out. The show is a snapshot into the day-to-day operations of the Millionaire's Club, a matchmaking business run by snarky, matriarchal CEO Patty (who looks like a genetic hybrid of former WWF wrestler Chyna and Lucy Lawless's Xena). The Millionaire's Club caters to fulfilling the romantic whims of spoiled, ridiculously rich men who are allegedly searching for their soul mates. Patty's job is to "fix" the men's flaws and increase their "datability" through life coaching (a process individually tailored to meet the needs of each client) while simultaneously assembling a bevy of beautiful women to introduce to her millionaires in hopes of forming the perfect pair. The most fascinating part of the show is not just the hopelessly self-indulgent men that Patty takes on as clients, but her uncanny observations and insights into the subtle chemistry of coupling.

It ain't easy, folks

People can say what they want about teachers, but becoming one is not nearly as easy as some claim it is. Granted, requirements vary from state to state, but the process of updating my placement file, writing cover letters, asking for letters of recommendation, and endlessly tweaking my resume is not only completely exhausting, but really goes to show that there is a lot involved in this process. And all of this doesn't even include the fact that I still have to go through the motions of actually applying for jobs, waiting to hear back, interviewing if I'm lucky, and then waiting to hear back again. But luckily I have been in hyper-focused super-ambitious mode lately, so even though the process is exhausting, I'm willing to work hard.

It's a "turdition"

I was working with one of my students today, helping her revise a long research paper that she is working on. She spelled "tradition" t-u-r-d-i-t-i-o-n. Yes, that's right. Turd-ition. I managed to keep a straight face, but all the while was suppressing my laughter.

St. Pat's Day Dash

I'm officially registered! I haven't run a race since the half-marathon, which was way back in May, so I'll probably be a little rusty. This race is 3.75 miles-- a little longer than a traditional 5K, but not nearly as long as the half. One of my New Year's resolutions for '09 is to run a new race, so this will cover that goal. Though I'm really excited for the race, the problem is that I haven't been running much lately. So basically, I'm going to have to cram for this race over the next three weeks. You might not think it's possible to cram for a race, but I read an article about a guy who "crammed" for a marathon (or maybe it was a half-marathon) only a week before the race and ended up doing decent. Granted, I'm pretty sure you can only "cram" for a race when you already have a solid running foundation but just haven't been running a lot lately. Anyway, that is my current plan: cram for the St. Patrick's Day Dash, and see if I can achieve my goal time, which is 37 minutes. I will post my progress on here to hold me more accountable. And then hopefully after the race I will be able to determine how effective cramming really is.

Teaching in the classroom

So I've decided that I do in fact want to be a teacher after all (leave it to me to make this decision in the midst of a seriously crappy economy). Needless to say, I'm in for a challenge. But I'm optimistic. Education is a pretty stable field, so at the very least I should be able to sub next year. Why the change of heart? Well, I guess it's not a complete change of heart, because it's not like I'm moving to another field. Mainly I want to actually use the degree that I paid (am paying) $30,000 for. And there are a few other factors. Like not having benefits, having to pay quarterly taxes, and a growing feeling of restlessness that tutoring just isn't challenging enough. And it's hard working off-hours when all of your friends and boyfriend work regular hours (though I do love being able to sleep in). There are lots of great things about my job now, but basically I want to have my own classroom and work more hours and make more money and have summers off and go on long, extravagant vacations when I'm not teaching and write my book. Is that too much to ask for? I think not.

Ridiculous

This is the degree of cuteness that I am forced
to deal with on a daily basis.

Blog revamping

I've decided my blog needed a new look, so I'm in the process of revamping it. There will be a few new features along the side, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, Marisa's back in the blogosphere, so I will be more consistently posting again.