Fadedwords

My neck and shoulders are killing me, and I’m still recovering from the weekend.  Here are some bullets:

• I got my new cell phone today.  It’s awesome.  If you feel like you don’t have the number and should, please let me know.
• My friend Kate sent me a copy of the newest/last Harry Potter in the mail as a belated birthday gift.  I got it yesterday at 6pm when I got home and I’m on chapter 15 now.  Please don’t tell me anything if you’ve finished it or are further along than I am.  I don’t want to know.  Thanks Kate for the awesome gift.
• Patricia (Jake’s Mom) has purchased me a Scrapbooks Etc. Magazine subscription as a belated birthday gift.  This is beyond awesome.
• I went to my new school today.  My office is amazing; there’s so much room and so many resources to use.  I’m really, really looking forward to working here.  I was also told that I will get a mentor this year, just like all the new teachers.  This is incredibly wonderful; it will be a person I can go to with questions or concerns.  I didn’t get this at the last job, even though I wanted one.
• Hopefully the paycheck will be deposited into my bank account tomorrow, and the checks I sent out Friday will not bounce.
• I’m considering getting a second job on the weekends, at least for a few months.  I have a ton of medical bills rolling in from the surgery, even with insurance.  I feel like I need to have more coming in, and without knowing for sure what my exact paycheck is going to look like (there’s a proposed salary increase being voted on here in the state, so it could be more than was listed when I signed), I feel like I need to prepare to do something to subsidize my income.

The weekend was very good.  I’m glad I was down in Plymouth with my friends, as they really helped me get through things with minimal effort.  I laughed a lot and really enjoyed myself.  Now it’s just a matter of catching up on sleep

I got to Plymouth yesterday and stopped at the bank to check my balance, just to be sure I’d have enough to go to the movies with Courtney and Paul. I did the check, and nearly vomited when I saw the balance. It was $0.54. I was expecting about $200. I went into the bank and they said that this sometimes happens when people hold checks longer than you think and then don’t go through until later. I got a printout of all my transactions and nothing was missing from my checkbook (that I noticed), but my former landlord didn’t cash my last rent check until about two weeks after he received it. So I’m pretty sure that’s what happened.

I was ready to have Jake come get me; I had nowhere near enough gas to make it home. I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford to do any of the things we had planned on doing this weekend. Jake was wonderful through the whole situation, as I texted him and told him what was going on, and IMed him while I was at the school in tears about it. He just told me I didn’t need to worry, that it would get itself worked out. I went to lunch with Sandy and Jay, who refused to let me not go to lunch simply because I couldn’t pay. While at the restaurant I text messaged ‘Phil’ and told him what was going on and he said, “Don’t worry about gas money. We will make sure you have enough to get home.” So I decided to stay last night.

When I got to Courtney’s apartment I told her what had happened and her immediate response was, “What do you need to help?” I told her just gas money, and she said that was no problem. I said that we’d not be able to go see Harry Potter because I obviously couldn’t afford it. She said that I had nothing to worry about, and she’d treat me to the movie.

I wasn’t going to drink last night because I didn’t buy any of the beer. None of my friends thought that was a good idea, and they made sure that I had a very fun night. They helped me forget about my upsetting financial situation and allowed me to just relax for the evening.

My former job will be depositing my paycheck in the bank on Tuesday, just so I have money in there for the two checks that I just sent out to pay my credit card and my car insurance. So this will be solved on Tuesday. It’s still incredibly upsetting. I feel irresponsible, although I know I don’t need to feel so badly about myself because of this.

All-in-all, this situation had the potential to ruin my weekend. Thanks to my amazing friends it has turned into a wonderful weekend full of laughs and happy memories.

This past week has been incredibly busy for me, preparing for my meetings with my new job and getting myself organized to go to Plymouth this weekend.  The meeting was yesterday at central office, and it went really well.  I confirmed that I will be paid on the m-4 salary scale, which means my 3 years of ‘applicable experience’ from New York will again be credited to me.  There was some concern that this district would choose not to credit me with those, which would’ve put me in a very bad place financially.  Thankfully I don’t have to worry.  I also found out what the supplement was, and when we get it (November and May).  It’s pretty substantial, and it’ll be a nice surprise when they come.  I met some very nice new teachers, and the staff at the office seems genuinely nice.  After the meeting was over I also received a call from my new principal.  She called me to come in Monday to order supplies.  I actually said, “I get to order supplies?” Last year I didn’t get to order anything, and this year my former boss said I could order “one or two things”.  The new principal said, “Yes you get $150 to spend on things you think you’ll need.” *cue falling out of chair* I was shocked and pleased.  I’ll go in on Monday at around 9am, look through some supplies and hopefully get a tour.  I’m not sure when my official start date is yet, but that will get worked out.

Today I’m leaving by 9am to go visit my friends down in Plymouth… as well as clean out my office at the middle school.  That will be a bittersweet task, as I know there is so much there from the kids I loved working with so much.  I will miss the students terribly, but I know this is the best possible move.  After the office is cleaned out and the computer is put back in pristine condition, I’m going to lunch with Sandy and Jay.  Then it’s off to Courtney and Paul’s for a weekend of debauchery.  I’m looking forward to that.  It’s always a fun time when I get together with that crew.  Hopefully this weekend I can make it home without having to be taken to the emergency room immediately afterwards!  I’ll be staying in Plymouth until Sunday apparently, as there is a big party tomorrow night and ‘Phil’ has told me I have to stay.

I will miss my friends in Plymouth a lot.  Closing this chapter of my life feels good, in the sense that I know I won’t have to go back and work at that school and put up with all the nonsense that really stressed and upset me.  It’s also sad, because I made some very good friends there that I truly value and will miss.  I know that I will keep in touch, and I will visit as often as possible.  I already have plans to go to a concert with Court, Paul, and Phil in the middle of August (Rascal Flatts eeeep!).  I know that going in to this new job I won’t have Courtney down the hall to go vent to.  I won’t have Jay’s office to hide in when my principal is on my case.

It’s a bittersweet weekend for me.  Moving on from a job that made me miserable… and officially moving away from friends that got me through one of the worst years (professionally) of my life.

I made this recipe tonight, and it is really tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup season dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine melted

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 400
• Mix cheese, breadcrumbs and seasoning in shallow dish
• Dip chicken in butter and coat with cheese mixture.  Place in greased baking pan
• Bake 20 minutes or until baked through

I served it with rice, as Jake and I both like rice.  You could add steamed veggies (which I will use next time) or pasta.  It’s very, very tasty.

   I made this right after July 4th, and then again over the weekend for the BBQ we had.  It went over extremely well.  It is a great, quick alternative to the traditional cheesecake.

Ingredients:

• 2 Packages of Cream Cheese (8oz each)
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 2 cups of Cool Whip
• 1 6oz graham cracker pie crust
• 2 cups of strawberries (halved)**
• 1/3 cup blueberries**

Preparation:

• Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Gently stir in whipped topping.
• Spoon into crust.
• Refrigerate 3 hours or until set.  Arrange strawberries and blueberries in rows on top of cheesecake to resemble the American Flag

**The second time I made this, I substituted raspberries and blackberries for the strawberries and blueberries.  It was fantastic