Chocolate chip cookies with my tea? Yes please.

I'm gathering from the multitude of phone calls from family members that my somewhat inflammatory last blog might need some clarification.  The best was my mom last night, "Carleen, what in the heck is going on?  I just got off the phone with Nana and I can't believe you didn't call me."  I guess I should have updated on Friday, when things were semi-resolved.  So after calming my mom down about health insurance fears, I explained that my school forced/ coerced (?) CPS to give me substitute status, and my official status as a teacher will begin in a few more days.  So yes, everything (spite the substitute backpay for the past 4 weeks) will be in order eventually.  It was encouraging that the powers that be apparently worked so hard to remedy the (their) mistake, but equally frustrating and unnecessary at the same time. 

Ack.  I continue to be backed up on school work.  Is it just me or are the demands of a teacher in CPS outrageous right now?  The term "meetinged out" has been coined at my school, and other teachers from different schools have intimated the same thing.  Geez. I can't keep up.  Or maybe it is the little baby in me that is taking all my energy.  Today we are 27 weeks along, and my email tracker says this is the beginning of the third trimester!  It feels like an accomplishment, and simultaneously, my baby brain is starting to take over and get concerned that we haven't taken any classes or made a list of things we need or really done anything at all to prepare.  I'm worried because I haven't been dancing much, my yoga practice has fallen to the wayside, and I'm generally feeling not so hot in this body.   Yesterday I "gently" suggested to Nick that he read one of my pregnancy books, and about an hour later he conceded.  We are coming to this baby in different ways, I think that Nick is of the belief that babies happen, and for years our ancestors have had them and raised them and been fine.  (A dresser drawer crib is perfectly legitimate).  I am of the belief that it is happening to me (not to my ancestor), and I want to have some idea of what might happen to me, and how I might best take care of the little one.  I'm not really interested in trial and error. 

Today the pregnancy tracker email thing said that I should have already decided on what classes to take and from the little research I did on the Bradley method, all of those classes are 12 weeks, which if we started next week, would take us right up to 40 weeks.  So that won't work.  I have to figure it out soon, but I can't seem to concentrate on that because of the looming lesson planning, grading, and general re- organization of the apartment that needs to happen. 

On the bright side, my friend Julie Ann is coming over to give me a massage later, and if I'm smart, I'll scoot over to a prenatal yoga class at 5:30 today. 

The Sun is here!

Today is a great day.  Yesterday was a great day.  I foresee great things to come.  And of course, apologies for the absenteeism on the blog, I've been doing this thing called work, that and other things have been taking up a lot of my brain space lately.   Yesterday, after coming home from lunch and dancing with lovely Kristina, I was delighted to finally find none other than HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE cards in the mailbox!  Some of you, my close friends, know about this saga that has been ongoing since January and what an amazing relief to get these plastic pieces of risk management in the mail.  Picture unrelenting pulling of teeth and scratching of nails: that is how these past few months have been, ME convincing THEM that I (we) deserve insurance.  CPS has this inane policy that if your "insurance window"of 30 days from the day of hire has closed, then you become ineligible until the next enrollment period, at the start of the school year.  Well, as you know I was hired as a temporary teacher first, and months later my position became full time.  At the time of hire, I discussed in it's entirety the process of acquiring health insurance, and the friendly CPS officials assured me that if I chose to wait until my temporary position was complete, and that if my position became full time, I would have no problem with joining the CPS benefits plan.   So, not wanting to risk losing our personal insurance policy and then being out in the proverbial no insurance land cold, we kept our personal policy and decided to wait until/if I was hired for a full time position.  This is not even the beginning of the plight to get health insurance, I will spare you the details but suffice it to say that the process involved multiple emails, phone calls, me documenting every interaction and then compiling it all into an written appeal that named each individual that I spoke with and quoted the direct and repeated misinformation that I was given.  I never received a response to my appeal, though I was told that I would receive an email or letter.  After several weeks of calling repeatedly to inquire as to the status, I was told that my appeal had been sent on to the insurance company for approval.  And several weeks after that, yesterday came along, and now we have, in hand, insurance.  All of this for "the privilege" of participation in an incredibly flawed system.  At first I was elated, and now I am mildly put off that in this country, we still have to fight for basic rights like health care.

Today is still a great day, despite my mini rampage on CPS and insurance companies.  I woke up with the sun, and then chose to stay in bed.  I let myself drift in and out of dreams for a full hour.  This is the epitome of luxury.  A sun filled room, letting myself lay still, no alarm, and no plans all day.  It's the beginning of my 2 week spring break.  We've been less than illustrious with our planning, so it remains to be seen if we can snag a cheap flight somewhere, or if we will go on a mini road trip.  Nick is now coaching soccer for a CPS school, and his school is not on Track E, like me, so he only has 1 week of Spring Break (the second week of mine).  Well, that was a circular explanation.  We know for sure that we're going to Cincinnati next weekend for Maggie's (my almost sister-in-law!) bridal shower, but other than that, we are free birds for next week.  I am not sure how I will spend this coming week.  This apartment needs a lot of work.  And, I have a lot of catching up to to in the baking, reading, biking, lake time, friend time and dancing niches in my life.  And, I'm looking forward to the sun.  My face is ready for the freckles.

And one thing I forgot.  On Friday, one of my 4th graders, who is amazing, defiant and autistic told me that I was a great teacher, in his thickly accented, but clear English.  Lately for him, the word "sucks" has been on repeat, but on Friday he was joyful and smiling and happy to participate and do really good work.  Milestone reached! 

Grutz says, "When push comes to shove." or "Wha...? What's a baby monitor doing in my desk?"

Apparently, a supervisor at UI Hospitals and Clinics has not been reading our blog and is therefore dumb, because s/he thought it was a good idea to use a baby monitor to eavesdrop on staff.  Here's a link to the story at the Press-Citizen.  Yikes, someone didn't use their gray matter.... If you subscribe to the bell curve theory, half the population is less than average (yours truly too).  What moron would use a baby monitor?  Just talk with them.  Or "pop in" on the suspected chatty cathys more frequently.  Here's an IQ break down.

                                    Toast (2) Using a monitor (78)       Me(95)                 Carleen(120)(she's 153 on the beauty chart)

On to other news....I believe the dust issue (yes, riveting!) is getting better with the filter.  It's hard to do an analysis scientifically, but the frequency of dusting has be lessened by about one day or so.  What does all this mean?  I am not developing OCD, I guess.  But that doesn't mean I'm not obsessing over some things......

Birds of Prey.  No, not The Doors song.  Real birds of prey.  I've been glued to this cam from the Raptor Resource Project in Iowa.  IT'S NESTING BALD EAGLES!  Seeing the male and female eagles prepping the nest, flying in an out, glimpsing the eggs, so neat!  When I tire of hearing of all the calamities besieging our world on NPR I pop on the eagle cam.  I've lately had this cam on while doing things around the house, just to hear all the birds and the sounds of spring, the audio, rather than the video.  But, when I hear an eagle fly in and squawk or chirp (and you definitely can distinguish bald eagle sounds from a finch or robin) I come racing over from the kitchen or work area to the computer to see what's up.  Some might find it boring, but I find me someone who wouldn't be excited to watch once the chicks are born?  Thanks Mom and Gretchen for passing along this site.

Biking.  Since I'm not working now (though that will end very, very soon.."Hello, SubFinder?") I'm not riding my bike 8+ miles each day.  And since I'm not riding 8+ miles each day I've discovered I, ahem, don't need to wear a belt (cough).  I'm 33 and can't use the excuse that I'm big boned (which I'm not) or just husky and I'll grow out of it, so I've got to get back in the saddle again (get it, saddle? A bike saddle! I'll be here all week...) So I went for a good ol' ride yesterday and here's a shot from the Kinzie bridge of the downtown of Chicago.

A view south, Sears Willis Tower in the distance.  One of the best views of the city IMO.

Cooking.  I've been ever vigilant to not let things go to waste and I've discovered some cookbooks that ideally suit this need by providing recipes that use the same ingredients.  For example, if I'm making seared asparagus with garlic chips and parmesan it will list the other recipes in the book that use asparagus.  I'm digging it.  Last night we had a simple dinner of grilled cheese (three types on marble rye) and homemade tomato soup.  Wonderful.  More wonderful was when I went to eat my soup I found not a spoon in it, but a ladle.  Thanks, Carleen.

"Maybe I'm getting chubby because I eat too much." or "I'm shocked to find a ladle in my soup, garçon!" 

Playing guitar.  I probably spend 2-3 hours a day playing/messing around.  I'll record some stuff and post it.  Sorry though, no teased hair or spandex.  I'm a glitter guy, anyway.

I'm more Bowie, Pop, Reed than......

....Posion.  Although CC has some cred.

Lastly, I've been spending quite a bit of time listening to some great music.  I'm not going to burden you with all the cool, new, hip, rad, killer stuff from SXSW, you can find all you want in the vast interweb, though NPR has a convenient stream, if that's your thing.  Here's what's on rotation now (with videos):

William Elliott Whitmore (Just can't get enough of this guy.  And he's an Iowan, +1) First clip from San Fran and the second is from a UK show, Jools Holland live.  Banjo+tattoos+soulful lyrics=oh yeah!

David Rawlings Machine.  I haven't listen to him in a while and he popped up on random.  Great stuff.  And yeah, that's Gillian Welch.  Boy, that feller can pick! It's a long song, great cover of a great Dylan song, but wow, what a way to end a show.

Well, I'd like to include more music and your smartness-enhancing birthdays for the day, but I've got to take care of some CPS insurance stuff.  Apparently, a stamped, notarized wedding license doesn't fly with HR.  It has to be certified, too?  Wha...... wish me luck.