so things just keep getting better

I just found out that next week, I get to accompany the seniors on an overnight rock climbing trip.

And by "seniors" I mean 17-year-olds, not senior citizens. Although I'm not sure which would make for a more interesting trip...

now accepting

So there's a man standing on a particular corner that I pass on my way to work every day with a sign that says "Now accepting Visa/MC/American Express." Clever, and not a little bit sad.

But on a brighter note, my school gave me a computer and classes finally start on Tuesday.

soapbox

Okay, guys. News flash. The fact that marketers slap the name "Einstein" on their product does not make their movies educational. Just a hunch, but I think if he were alive, he might be insulted. And I'm pretty sure that staring at a television screen is not highly educational.

Unless educational is defined as "modeling after our education system." Because staring blankly in front of them is what children do in school every freaking day.

I'm not really sure who decides what goes on in schools, but I'm pretty sure they've never met a child.

So did you know...

That live explosives from WWII training can still be found along some hiking trails in West Virginia? And that if you should find any of these live explosives, you should not touch them, but rather contact a park ranger immediately?

Well, I do.

I also know that there are aggressive bears along some hiking trails in West Virginia, one of which attacked a family in their tent, a man who was innocently hiking and minding his own personal business, and a few other people, all in the course of a couple of days. That is one busy bear.

So we found a different trail. The end.

more love

So there are so many really great things about DC that you don't figure out until you move here. I think I've already done more in the past 2 weeks than I did the entire time I was in Georgia. Such as checking out Alexandria and learning all about its history, checking out Pentagon City, learning about the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and backpacking in West Virginia.

DC loves teachers!

I get discounts at Ann Taylor, the gym, and free checking at banks that otherwise would not offer free checking. I love this city!

some hilights

So my new school is pretty darn cool, for many reasons. Like the fact that my department head has been bragging to everyone she talks to about how awesome she thought my job interview went.

Or the fact that I have an average of 13 kids in my classes. Ahhh.....

And then we have a few famous students (or rather students with famous parents.) Like the owners of a rather large candy company that makes little bits of chocolate with hard candy shells. Or the kid whose parents founded a program that brings recent college grads into inner-city schools to teach. Or the owners of a major hotel chain. Am I intimidated? Yup. But I'll never tell them that.

i start my new job tomorrow!

Wish me luck.

Even though all I have to do tomorrow is get an email account and a tour of the school and my first paycheck. (And sign up for a retirment account, since they match my contribution. I love this school!) Oh, yeah. And I have to let them take me out to a fancy dinner. So I'm pretty sure I like this new job already.

here's something weird

So after I packed up my apartment, I walked down to Wal-Mart, because my fridge was empty and my car had a U-haul attached to it, which makes it a whole lot of zero fun to drive.

So the point is, I walked to Wal-Mart for some food. And saw one of my old college professors. Not so strange unless you consider the fact that I went to college on the other side of the country. But there he was, my very first engineering professor EVER. So strange.

moving is a delight

especially when you're moving somewhere fun. I have accomplished so much since I left Houston last week. Such as:

• Selling my car. Have I mentioned how much I love craigslist?
• Packing everything I own into a small uhaul trailer.
• Scoping out all the good malls in the DC area. There are too many to count, really
• realized that hiring movers is SO worth the cost. I am not touching another box until it is sitting safely in my bedroom.
• Found 3 routes to my new school, which is even prettier than I had remembered

moving

Tomorrow, I am headed back to Georgia for the very last time.

And Wednesday, I am headed to DC for pretty much forever.

and that is the end of my story.

thanks, mom!

Want to hear a really great story? I thought so.

After eight years of living in different countries, my mom decided it might be kind of fun to live with her husband. Pretty neat idea, if you ask me. So now my mother is pretending to love living (with her husband) in Mexico, where she spends her days hiding from the maid, wishing she had chocolate chip cookies, and trying to learn Spanish.

So, as it turns out, there was no need to take a car to Mexico, and since my mother is apparently emotionally attached to this car, she didn't want it to "leave the family", despite the $15K she could have sold it for. So that's where I come in. Is sentimentality really worth $15,000? Sure, why not. And that is why my mom is the best. And that is why my dad is still rolling his eyes.