My First Week of Thirty

1. The package arrived. At my house. (!?) With a phone call.
2. It was filled with wonderful things. (My sister has been reading my blog!)
3. Including grown-up stockings.
4. And the movie 13 Going On 30, which I enjoyed.
   
5. I bought really nice shoes!
6. I got carded at dinner on Wednesday.
7. My students reported that all their parents said I was still a baby.
8. My coworker pointed out the long white hair on my head.
9. I've been tired.
10. But tonight I'm all dressed up and off to karaoke.
    

Dear FedEx

In case I ever might have thought about using your service, I have now decided that yours is the last delivery company I would ever choose.

My recent delivery issues are finally blogworthy.

My sister moved far far away last year. So for my thirtieth birthday, she had to ship her gift to me.

My birthday was Sunday so she paid extra to get guaranteed delivery for Saturday.

The package didn't come.

On Sunday, I used the tracking number to check my package. It was listed as incorrect address.

So I called FedEx.

I confirmed the address (it was correct) and my phone number. I let him know my apartment number (which is actually just a floor number because I live in a three-family home).

I told the guy on the phone that I thought the driver might have had trouble finding my house. He insisted that they were just missing an apartment number.

Me: Well, my house is hard to find and I'm afraid you'll try to deliver it again and have the same problem.

Him: Oh no, we just need an apartment number.

Me: Well, do I need to sign for the package?

Him: No.

Me: Well then the apartment number shouldn't have been an issue because my name is listed right when you walk in the door. Could you please write down directions? I don't think the apartment number is the problem.

I finally get him to write down directions.

Him: (dismissively) Is there anything else you want me to tell the driver?

Me: No thanks.

They tell me they'll deliver it Tuesday. My sister confirms that she gave them my apartment number. I'm quite aware that they just didn't want to admit the mistake and have to refund her money. Tuesday comes and goes. I check the website: Incorrect address. I call again. This time, I've spoken to my sister and we've decided I will just have it delivered to my school.

The man is apologetic, but still not helpful.

He reads the directions I gave. They are perfect. A delivery guy should be able to follow them, but clearly they couldn't.

I tell him I want to have it delivered to my work so that I will actually get the package I was supposed to get Saturday.

Him: You can't change the address. Only the shipper can......And you should call back during daytime hours so we can contact your local facility and figure out the problem.

Me: I have one more question. You have my phone number and you've asked me to confirm it. Why don't the drivers call when they can't find the house?

Him: Well, they may not have access to a phone.

Me: Oh. (thinking, so why bother getting my phone number then? No one has called me. I've had to do all the calling.)

I'm a little baffled. You can't find me so I try to make your job easier, but I'm not allowed. A part of me wants to call back and pretend to be my sister. But I'm annoyed so I just email her with my work address.

She calls me tonight.

Her: "Did you get it?"

I'm thinking she didn't get my email.

She did. And she called FedEx and they said they'd deliver it to my work today.

I work at a school. On a main road. I didn't get it.

I check the website: Unable to locate recipient.

I call again.

The woman at the call center claims they didn't try to deliver it today. The website says they did. I'm trying not to laugh. It has become quite the ordeal. My sister and I are kind of thinking of it as our second job.

I decide to believe the call center woman and find out tomorrow.

Happy Birthday To Me

Let the Celebrations Begin!

Tomorrow I turn thirty.

Yesterday we had a pep rally for MCAS. At the end, the vice principal asked to see me in his office. He was very serious. Grades closed last week and report cards are going out. I've had a few run-ins with kids this week. I assumed the worst.

He led me into the cafeteria where the entire eighth grade and one seventh grade class were waiting for me. They sang and I tried not to cry and there was cake and balloons.

My homeroom presented me with a decoupaged box that each of them had cut something out for and one girl had put together. They all signed the bottom and they gathered around to hug me and wish me a happy birthday.

When school ended, I was taken to a local restaurant where all my favorite colleagues were gathered for drinks and dinner. My beau arrived all dressed up and bearing three dozen roses wrapped up with a cute smooshy ladybug. He also brought a singing candle and I was spoiled all night.

I should tell you that we had a nasty snow and sleet storm yesterday. The good news was that we ended up having the little restaurant mostly to ourselves.

I guess the snow messed up the real plans for my birthday though. On Fridays, we have play rehearsal so I was supposed to stay for that. The original plan was that my beau would come to the school at the end of rehearsal along with the entire eighth grade and two former teachers and the celebrating would be then. After that, he was supposed to bring me to the restaurant where I would be surprised with my colleagues (a bunch ended up skipping out due to the absolutely awful weather, though there were still ten of us there). I couldn't believe that all those kids were planning to come. My colleague and friend said the kids had been really excited about it and that all of them were planning to come, including the ones I don't teach (I only teach half of the eighth grade). She said the things the kids said leading up to it were amazing. In the cafeteria, one girl I've had problems with smiled at me and said they did it because they loved me.

I can't believe the thought and love that went into it. I can't believe the number of people who stayed out to celebrate (we spent a good five hours at the restaurant) in such bad weather (definitely the worst storm we've had all year). I can't believe how much fun I had and how good it felt to be surrounded by such good people.

And imagine, that was only Friday.

American Idol

I've confessed my affection before, so I thought I'd weigh in on what I think of the top twelve (now eleven).

I sort of feel bad for Brandon. He was terrible this week, but he hasn't been consistently terrible. I'm already tired of Boy Band Chris and after being surprisingly good a few weeks ago, the bald daddy has been letting me down. Bald daddy has a really great and strong voice, but I can't get behind him. Chris Sligh really did ruin a beautiful song. I like that he tried to make it fresh. It was a pretty cool new melody, but not for such a sweet and beautiful song. I liked Blake's. A little monotonous maybe, but I really enjoyed it. He's grown on me. Sanjaya looked comfortable on stage for the first time in a while and I was actually surprised by how negative the judges were. His voice always does get overpowered, but he has a nice voice and it was his best performance since Hollywood

Haley did pull out that presence Simon mentioned, but the whole performance was terrible. I wasn't so excited about Lakisha. She can really sing, but all I could think about during her performance was "Do they really think they're going to turn her into a modern pop star?" There's nothing hip about her. Melinda has the same vocal strength, but she really makes every song sound fresh and exciting. I really like Stephanie- she's talented and contemporary. Jordin is good, probably more marketable than some of the others. Gina is a big giant wannabe. I like her enough. Her voice is decent (though I thought her rendition of Love Child was awkward, oversung, and lacked real emotion. Oh, and I couldn't understand the words).

So that's where I stand today. Melinda is my favorite. She has been since auditions. Chris Sligh, another of my audition faves, has been disappointing me. Blake is my top male right now. I could see my middle schoolers swooning over him.

Your thougts?

Go Me!

I'm currently taking an online course as part of my Master's Program. I was very worried about the pace and workload. I've gotten very used to only worrying about school once a month.

Well, I may never want to take another in-person course again (except that I don't have a choice). I'm loving it.

Plus, for the second time in this class, I'm done with all my homework days before it's all due!

Anyone who knows me knows what a procrastinator I am. I'm trying to change that as part of a larger effort to remove unnecessary stress from my life.

So far, so good.

What Kind of Reader

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Literate Good Citizen
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

By the way, you should all join Shelfari.

I'm there.

Better Late Than Never to the Oscar Party

I'm finally finishing up my Tivo'd Oscars. I thought they were terrific this year. Ellen did a wonderful job hosting. I laughed more than I usually do during the Oscars.

I thought Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson sounded amazing during the Dreamgirls medley.

The little girl from Little Miss Sunshine is adorable. She has an incredible smile and seems amazingly sweet.

I was particularly moved by some of the speeches given by all the other awards. The Pan's Labyrinth guy was especially moving.

I loved the amazingly international feel. I loved most of the extras.

And did you know that Forrest Whitaker is an operatic tenor?

Things to Look Forward To

1. Visiting my daughter in one week.

2. Turning 30 in two weeks.

3. Going to see Man of La Mancha in four weeks (thanks big sister!).

A Sunday Thought

Personally, I think having ice cream after breakfast is completely acceptable. At the very least, it makes for a great start to the day.

Fiction vs. Nonfiction

When I was younger, the closest I came to nonfiction was reading presidential trivia books. I don't recall being exposed to any nonfiction in school or at home.

In college, I really discovered non-fiction. I loved it. I loved being able to read a ton of books on a topic to learn more. I loved the way it stretched my mind and gave me ideas.

These days, I read mostly nonfiction. Plenty of it is still light reading, but for awhile I thought I'd lost interest in fiction. I think I've read one fictional book all year- one of those dime a dozen crime thrillers that I love.

I have a bunch of readers in my homeroom and I watch what they read. In the fall, a trilogy was going around the whole school. All of the kids were reading it. The first one was called Uglies. I assumed it was about cliques and teenage stuff.

Still, I kept seeing kids reading it and thought maybe I should read it just to get a glimpse into what kids are reading these days. I hadn't seen a book so popular since all the kids at the residential program I worked at were reading The Lost Boy.

A few weeks ago, yet another kid showed up in one of my classes with one of those books. As I walked around helping kids with their math, I picked the book up to read the back. It wasn't a fluff book at all. It was about a futuristic world- the same idea as The Giver, one of my absolute favorite YA books. And this was part of a trilogy as well.

I ordered all three soon after, hoping they'd arrive during my vacation. They got here this past Monday. I finished the third one last night. I couldn't put them down.

As I read, I realized why I had stopped reading much fiction. With nonfiction, you can take breaks- get other things done, digest what you read- and then come back to it.

But a good novel is another story. You just have to know how it ends.

These books were good novels. I loved the ending.

But I'm not allowing myself to pick up another one anytime soon.