Last week was parent conference week at school. We had two normal days, then all the rest were minimum days. The kids left at 12:30, but the teachers were doing conferences from 1 on. Most nights I didn't get to leave until 6, which is actually better than last time we did these (then it was 7-7:30). Anyway, the conferences went well, all in all. I only had one negative one, and it was with one of my favorite students. There was a big mistake on his final grade, and so I'll have to go back and change it. However, his mom reamed me about it and now I'm afraid that I'll have lost his trust and support. I suppose I'll find out later today. Other than that, I had lots of parents who are going to kick their kids' butts and make my job a bit easier for the next couple of weeks. Hopefully.

Other than that, I'm finally getting back into the gym. I went to a long advanced yoga class on Saturday morning, and it was awesome. I had forgotten how much I loved yoga, how good I am at it, and how good it makes my body feel afterward. I was so inspired that I took a long, long walk along College Ave. immediately after. During the week, I am always so exhausted and drained that going to the gym seems the most torturous prospect ever. However, exercise actually gives me energy and makes me feel isnpired. I got a little taste of that on Saturday, and now I want more. They say that it takes a person 14-15 times to form a habit, so that would mean two weeks of going to the gym before it felt like a normal routine for me. Let's hope I can stick with it!

Yesterday I hung out with my friend B from work for most of the day. She came in to school for a bit, so I met her there and did a bunch of work in my classroom. I feel much better now, going into a Monday being prepared. We spent a couple of hours there, then we met up at Fresh Choice in San Leandro. I love salad bars that have decent salad. She needed to go to the pet store after that (she has a million animals), so I went along. I went into the cat adoption section, which made me feel guilty about having not been to the Humane Society for months. It also made me want to get a cat. I was trying to figure out ways to make it work in my living situation, but it would never pan out. I decided that I did want to get an animal, though, so I bought a hamster.

Hamsters aren't the same as bigger animals, but they are fun to watch. He is a Panda Hamster, which means that he's black and white and has a little bear bootie. I've named him Fineas, but I'll probably call him Fin. I bought him a pink castle with two levels, a turret, and a giant wheel. Everyone was like "you can't get a pink cage; he's a boy!" I always respond: "where do you think we live? He's a typical Bay Area hamster." He's pretty skittish, so I haven't tried to hold him yet. Hopefully we'll end up bonding. He loves his wheel to death, but took it off last night because I couldn't sleep with the noise. I put it back on this morning, though, so hopefully he forgives me. I hope that I don't end up killing him, as I'm not the most nurturing of people. I'll just have to work extra-hard at it, I guess.

Anyway, I spent most of the evening at B's house. She invites me over on Sundays so I can do laundry. That's nice, as we usually fix dinner and watch TV or movies and talk while I'm waiting for my clothes to finish. For a while there, she and I were hanging out all the time: gym nights twice a week, going to movies on the weekends, laundry on Sundays....We got out of the routine during Winter break, but it's nice to be back at it.

My step-mom has left my dad and moved to Portland. She's living with a friend of hers. I'm not shocked that it's happened (they've been on the rocks for years), but it's still disconcerting. I haven't called my dad to check up on him, as I know that he'll be wallowing. When he's down in the dumps, he has a talent for sucking everyone else down with him. Right now, I just can't handle that. I keep waiting to call him when I'm mentally prepared, but I never quite am. I guess I just need to do it. He's always had a strong woman in his life to take care of him, and now he's run out of options. I'm the only one left, I guess. He knows, however, that I won't step into the role of caretaker. It's just not me. My philosophy is always "buck up and move on." I'm sure he doesn't see things that way, but oh well. I'm not very sympathetic, am I?

I suppose I had better go take my shower now. Until next time...

Anne