Blogger is being a butt today. I'm pretty sure it's blogger because it looks like it's effecting other blogs and not just mine.

Anyway, here's a better late than never Weekend Update. (insert theme music here)

I'm feeling a little blah.

I think I have my Welcome to Spring Cold. It's kind of a tradition. I'm trying to figure out a polite way to part ways with this tradition but so far I'm at a loss.

I finally starting wearing that pedometer* I talked about in my New Year's Resolution post and after averaging approximately 8,500 steps a day I managed to walk less than 5,000 over the entire weekend!

That's right. Takin' it easy. I don't feel bad about it one bit.

I did manage to make a few things....




including this wreath for my friend, B, I still need to put the finishing touches on it, but I like how it turned out. The picture of it kind of sucks, but that's because I took it with my phone and apparently I do not know how to center it.

"There's many a man has more hair than wit."
William Shakespeare

OMG!  OMG!  I can't even wrap my mind around this episode entitled Ab Aeterno which is Spanish for Eternity!  I mean OMG!  OMG!

The episode opens with Ilana telling campfire stories involving Jacob and all the good times they had together like when her face was nearly blown off and he came to visit her and tell her about all the cool candidates she needed to protect.

When Jack asked what they should do now Ilana proudly announce that Ricardo would know what to do.

Richard responded with a speech bubble over his head that said "WTF????"

Richard said "I'll tell you a little campfire story.  We are all dead.  We are all in hell.  I'm done with Jacob and I'm going to start listening to someone else."  He storms out into the jungle.

Jack, who didn't cry at all this episode, sees Hurley talking to himself in Spanish and demands to know what the hell Jacob wants now.  Hurley says "Not every episode revolves around you and your daddy issues.  This doesn't concern you."

Then we flash to many moons ago with Ricardo and his wife Isabella.  She is ill.  He promises to save her.  We all know how well that promise is going to hold out.

He rides on horseback to the doctor's house.  The doctor, like all doctors on LOST, is an ass!!  He won't give him the life saving white powder because his money and his gold cross are worthless.

Ricardo is pissed, they wrestle and, of course, he ends up dead.

He flees with the medicine only to find out he is too late.  Isabella is dead.

Ricardo is arrested for the doctor's murder and because this is the 1800s is scheduled to die tomorrow.  WTF?  He meets an endearing priest who tells him that his sins will never be forgiven.  Not sure what seminary he went to.

The morning of his death he is blindfolded and sold to someone who may or may not have been Charles Widmore.  I couldn't really tell....can anyone help me out?

He is shackled and chained and put on the black ship....Just when you thought things couldn't be worse it starts storming.  The ship crashes into THE statue on the island.  The prisoner chained beside him is insisting the statue is the devil.

Things go from bad to worse when smokey show up and kills everyone!  EVERYONE except Richard.  He thinks this is a good thing until he remains chained an unable to drink or eat anything.  I'm sure at some point he wished the smoke thing woudl come back.

As he approaches death, Isabella shows up and tells him that they are indeed in hell and that he must come with her but alas she can't free him and he sends her off to her re-death.  Odd scene number 5,456,789.

He collapse with grief, sadness and hunger when he is touched by a stranger.  I so thought it was Jacob but alas it was...


OMG!  OMG! OMG!  "Esau" tells Ricardo that he is definitely in hell and that if he ever wants to see his wife again he must kill the devil.  Out comes THE sword and Esau tells Ricardo to go and kill the man who lives in the foot of the statue.  Do not let him speak.

Ricardo says "Sure" and then gets his ass kicked by Jacob who then proceeds to sort of baptise him in the ocean.  Jacob says that Esau is like wine trapped in a bottle.  The island is the cork.  If Esau escapes the island evil will rain, but as long as the cork is there everyone is safe.

Jacob says I brought your boat hear to prove that good is alive and well.  Esau says that all have evil in them.  I say all have good in them.  Ricardo says why not just tell people what to do.  Jacob says they must choose freely.

Jacob offers him a job.  To help those he brings to the island make the right choice.  Ricardo says if I agree what do I get in return.  "Can you bring my wife back?"  No, say Jacob.  "Can you forgive me of all of my sins?"  No, says Jacob.  "Then I never want to die," says Ricardo.  "That I can do," says Jacob and he touches Ricardo's shoulder.

Ricardo returns to the place where he left Esau and hands him a white pebble. 

Esau reminds him that he will never see his wife again and should he change his mind the offer will remain.

Ricardo burries the cross necklace and says goodbye to his beloved Isabella.

Flashforward:  Richard returns to the spot and digs up the cross.  He starts screaming I've changed my mind does the offer still stand?  And he is greeted by...



Hurley...who tells him that his wife sent him and that she has a message for him.  He then begins to speak to Richard in fluent Spanish.  He tells him that it is not his fault that Isabella died.  He tells him that she is there with him.  He tells him that she wants him to close his eyes.  He does and she tells Richard that they have always been together.

I cried like a silly little girl.

Hurley then tells Richard that he must stop the man in black from leaving the island or they will all be in hell.

This episode ends with a flashback.  Jacob and Esau are sitting on a long.  Jacob hands the wine bottle to Esau and says he is disappointed to learn that Esau tried to kill him.  Esau says he just wants to leave and isn't going to stop trying.

He shatters the wine bottle.

This week and last week have been a blur.  I feel like I'm in constant motion both at work and at home.  I can't seem to catch up on anything.  So this week I learned:

• Taking Friday off and traveling to North Carolina and back by Sunday will not make you feel rested.  In fact, you may even feel more tired than you did on Thursday.
• Suggesting that students may be more likely to eat the rolls if they were warmed a little is like suggesting the cafeteria serve Rabbit.  Much resistance will occur.
• The FDA regulates what schools can and cannot serve.  I do not think anyone from the FDA has ever had to eat school lunch.  If they did, they would know that a) french fries aren't vegetables and b) having them 3 times in one week is just plain disgusting.
• If a child gets a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a water and a cup of fruit this somehow meets FDA regulations, but chicken and rice doesn't....it needs more bread.  WTF?
• The part of the state I live in serves something called a "Walk Away Taco".  Are you familiar?  Me, either.  I was surprised to learn that tomorrow I will be offering a bag of Doritos, a cup of cheese, a cup of taco meat, some salsa and maybe some lettuce for lunch.  The idea is to dump all the toppings into your Doritos bag and instant taco.
• We're also serving baked beans....I think they count as the vegetable.  LMAO.  Of course, that's not as funny as Doritos qualifying as bread is it?

And I thought french fries were questionable....

This was the weekend of the big JDRF walk in Greenville, North Carolina.  Just in case you need a geography lesson, NC is pretty damn far away from PA!  Wow....that trip sucks but I'm always glad to get there and sorry to drive home.

Above is my sister and my nephew before the walk.  Our team raised close to $7,000!!!  We had a great turn out and everyone who attended had a wonderful time.



Here is my sister and I in the midst of the walk.  It was 2.5 miles and it was beautiful!  Close to 80 degrees!  We couldn't have asked for a better day.

December 17, 1993.

Just an ordinary day.  Nothing special.

I was home from college.  My sister was a junior in high school.  My parents still lived together.  We were making Christmas cookies.

My dad was getting flour everywhere.  My mom was telling him that she wasn't gonna clean up any of that mess.  Christmas carols were blasting from the living room stereo.  Laverne and Shirley, our crazy cats were sleeping on the couch, oblivious to the world.

It was simple and it was wonderful.  Those cookies were delicious.

My parents marriage started to crumble shortly after that Christmas. 

I don't remember all four of us ever making cookies again.  I wish I would have know it was the last time.  I wish I would have know that within a few months all hell would break loose.

I wish I would have known how lonely my mom felt.

I wish I would have known how truly sad my dad was.

But neither of them ever said anything.

This episode had Sawyer in bed with the enemy...a lot.  Off island Sawyer seems like the same old con-man that we know and love banging a stranger and off to make a "deal" with someone. 

But within the first 10 minutes, we find out that he is a police officer.  Seriously?  This one is a little hard to swallow but I'm kind of glad because I really didn't want him to con Hurley which I thought they were alluding to in the season premiere.



Who's his partner?  Miles "I can talk to dead people" Straume.  This is getting better and better.  Of course, Sawyer still has a lot (and I mean A LOT) of trust issues.  He's still looking for con-man Cooper and is still planning on killing him.

"You killed my father and my mother, prepare to die."

Staume is the most meddlesome partner e-vah.  First he sets him up on a blind date and then he checks his credit.  Whose the date with you ask?  I was sooo hoping for ....




Meanwhile back at the Chateau el la Crazyass Claire, Jin is recovering nicely from his bear trap trip and Sawyer is cooking over open flame.  Flocke and lots of extras come strolling out of the woods like it's just another day at the temple killing everyone.

Claire lunges at Kate and I don't know about you but I was hoping she would cut her but Flocke came to the rescue and he and Kate had a tender moment at the beach when he told her all about he crazy mama.  Seriously, why is it always the mom's fault.

"why are you telling me this?" said Kate.

"Because now Aaron has a crazy mama too."

Sawyer is on a go check out the other other other island misson and finds a plane and a bunch of dead people.

I haven't been playing along with Supah and company lately and I've missed it.  Are you playing along?  If not, why not?

I haven't posted much at all this week.  I've just been a little overwhelmed.  I hope to get back to my regularly scheduled blogging come Monday with a fantastic (rainy) weekend update.

In the meantime, I thought I would post this card that I made for the secretary at our school who was having surgery.

This episode opens in Dr. Linus' history class and we quickly learn that in these flashes Big bad Ben is a pansy and a bit of a pushover.

Off the island:  Ben is in charge of a history club (aka WTF?) and detention.  Often at conflict since no one from history club is ever in detention he can't do both. 

Wheelchair bound Locke who is still substituting there says if you want things to change do something about it.  "Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something."

Ben starts taking Locke seriously.

We also learn that his father is still alive, in ill health and thinks things would have been better if they joined the DHARMA initiative.  But alas, they wouldn't because in this world Ben is a pushover history teacher who can't stand up for himself and in DHARMA land he would have been a cold hearted leader of the pack of other others who killed his own father.

Instead he is fixing his oxygen level.  My brain hurts...does yours.

Just when we thought we could possibly be surprised Alex comes to the door and is sort of crushing on Ben and saying "OMG, like why weren't you at history club."

Personally, I think I threw up in my mouth a little.



Ben apologizes to his seudo daughter who in both worlds he obviously cares about and says he'll give her a private tutoring lesson tomorrow.  I'm hoping that just mean what it means and that I'm not really gonna have to throw up for real.

In the library, Alex reveals that the principal is having sex with the nurse and says that Ben should not reveal this to anyone.  Next scene he is revealing it.  Shocking I know.

He blackmails the principal for his job and that is when Dr. Linus learns that some people do not back down easily. 

Unlike on the island, when he watch Alex die for his own gain,  Sideways Ben is much more likable.  He trades detention duty and the illustrious position of principal for a raving letter of recommendation for dear Alex. 

Her future secured.

Back on the island Miles is quickly becoming my favorite character.


After he, Sun, Ilana, LePenis and Ben bust through the temple wall he gets all voodoo with Jacobs ashes and tells Ilana that "Linus killed him"

And Ben's all like "That's Dr. Linus."

Ilana is pissed and tells Ben that Jacob was like a father to her and that she will now have to avenge his death.

Because there are no other new sets this week, they head back to the beach.

She tethers him to a tree and says "Dig you own grave."

Meanwhile Hurley is trying to convince Jack that they should spend more time in the woods and not heading towards the temple when suddenly Richard is there.

Hurley wants to know why he doesn't ever age.

Richard calls it a gift and women all over the world question their eyeliner.



Richard says "Follow me" and takes them to the old black pirate ship with all the dynamite in it from Season one and that's where we see the chains and we remember how Flocke said, "Good to see you out of those chains, Richard".

I don't know about you but I felt like saying "arrrgh" and "matey" a lot after that.  A pirate who wears eyeliner??

Richard is sad and feels like his life has no purpose and he wants Jack to kill him and Jack says okay.  Richard says he can't kill himself...another gift from Jacob.

But it turns out that Jack apparently can't die at his own hand either because even though he lit the dynamite the fuse went out just short of detonation.  He wants to talk and we wants answers but he doesn't think well unless he's at the beach.

Back at the beach, Ben is busy digging his grave, Miles tells him that Jacob did care and hoped he was wrong about Ben up until the minute he plunged the knife into his chest.  After Miles leaves, Flocke turns up near Ben and says "Come to the dark side."  Ben makes a run for it but Ilana gives chase.  They have a stand off in the woods.

Ben wants her to know why he did what he did.  He felt his life had no purpose...didn't we just hear this speech?  He felt manipulated.  He felt used.  He tells her about Alex and how he let Keamy kill her and how he has never been able to forgive himself for choosing the island over his own daughter.

He tells her that he is going to be with Flocke because Flocke is the only one who will have him.

Ilana says "I will have you."  She turns and lets Ben choose.  I thought he would head to the dark side but alas he returns to the beach just in time for the Here-comes-Hurley-Jack-and-Richard reunion.  Hugs and awkward stares ensure and no one notices the creepy submarine off shore.

Who is on board?  Charles Widmore.

Blurring the lines once again between good and evil.

I love this show!

Have you ever read this book?

Today I felt like I lived this book.  Did you ever just have one of those days.  One of those never ending, hard to find anything good about it days.  I did.  Here's why:

1. Lunch today was ridiculous.  We had taco salad as regular and a soft taco or PB&J as an alternate and just about every teacher got this wrong.  Why do we have so many choices in K-3?
2. Why do kids think it's okay to talk to an adult like we are their peers.  While taking care of staff lunches one of the staff said, "I'm not in a hurry, don't rush." One of the 3rd graders responded with, "I'm in a hurry why don't you rush with my lunch."  Seriously?  I made him go to the end of the line.
3. The 7 p.m. meeting that I was covering for the paper tonight started at 6 p.m. and no one told me.  The other daily paper reporter was apparently informed of the time change.
4. Some of the teachers in my school think it's okay to leave their dirty dishes in the faculty room.
5. My supervisor doesn't think it's a big deal to fetch the dishes.
6. I, on the other hand, am not a dog and I think that if you walk down to the cafeteria to get lunch that you should walk back down with your dirty dishes.
7. It has gotten to the point where certain faculty will stick their encrusted soup bowls into the dirty silverware retainer just so I will bring them down.
8. I have started taken them out and leaving them in their sink.
9. My principal supports me and thinks, as I do, that since we expect better of our own children why would we not expect grown professionals to clean up after themselves.
10. Today I posted a sign that reads:  Please return your trays and other dishes to the cafeteria.

Do you think I am being unreasonable?

Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day.

My baby sister called me yesterday.

She is very passionate about raising money for JDRF
Her son, my nephew C, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes a little over a year ago.  He is nine.

She thinks that 10s of thousands of people read my blog.  She thinks that I am iCarly.

I haven't told her that there are only five of you.

Anyway, her idea is that the five thousands of you could all send her $1.00.  In return she will put your name on our fundraising website and you will feel the love you get from changing the world.  You may also get a thank you note from my nephew.

I told her not to get her hopes up, unfortunately she thinks that I am iCarly.

So if you are so inclined you may mail your $1.00 bill to my sister.  We are walking in the Walk for a Cure on March 20th!

This was our first full week of school in quite a while and I can tell because I'm dog tired today.  The sad thing about this statement is I only work about 27 hours a week. 

This week I learned:

• Kids will take any fruit you sit out if you put a dollop of fat free whipped cream on it.
• They won't eat the fruit, just the whipped cream.
• It is possible to go to school for 125 days and still not know how to just buy milk.
• Principals have to handle a lot of miscellaneous crap and they don't get paid enough.
• I live in a district that will be having a hoedown next week.  Middle G is preforming.
• I do not know what you should wear to a hoedown.
• Dr. Seuss is cause for a week-long celebration.

So this weekend remember to "be who your are and say what you feel, because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter." ~Seuss

Over the weekend, my family and I went to see our high school's presentation of the musical "Footloose."

My six year old son sat beside me fascinated.

He didn't really understand the story.

"Why aren't they allowed to dance?"

"It's the law," I said.

"That's a stupid law," he said.

He danced every time they sang and then asked me if that was against the law.

I said, "No.  It's just against the law in the play."

"That's good 'cause I like to dance," he said.

Two hours later it was over and I asked him if he liked it.

He said, "I liked all them songs but I'm not sure why it took them soooooo long to sing them.  We've been here for like 16 days."

Last night's episode was full of Sayid and any episode featuring him is bound to include a lot of death.  This episode definitely qualified.  In fact, if you hadn't appeared in a least five episode you were pretty much a goner.

We open with Sayid going to visit sweet Nadia only to find her children are calling him uncle.  WTF?  Out walks Omar looking like he's about to kill Sayid and says "Thanks for the flowers."

Sideways world is starting to suck for Sayid.  The love of his life is married to his brother.  UGH.

We learn that Omar is not good with money and some bad people want to kill him.  I don't know about you but I was secretly hoping that those bad people would take him out and Sayid would be left to comfort Nadia...but alas this is LOST and that ain't never gonna happen.

Omar does end up in the hospital and for a brief moment I thought Sayid and Nadia were going to rekindle days of past but instead he explains to her that she is too good for him and he pushed her to be with his brother because he is repenting for his torturous ways.  He doesn't deserve her. 

Heartbreaking, but the line was a little too cheesy for me.  It would have played better at a final rose ceremony.

Omar's cronies pick up Sayid and attempt to cook him breakfast.  Who is the man behind the sunny side up eggs?...Keamy...Martin Keamy. OMG  It appears that no matter what time zone we are in he is an ass.



Keamy is putting the squeeze on Sayid apparently unfamiliar with his background.  In a flash, Sayid says "I not interested in hearing anything else you punks have to say" and kills them all.  ALL. OF. THEM.

After the gun fire dies down we here a muffled cry from the freeze.  Sayid flings open the door and finds Jin.  Bound and gagged and speaking only Korean.

Back on the island, Claire knocks on the door and enters the temple.  Seriously, I thought she needed to use the secret passage way.



Claire is all like "Where's my baby and that odd Chinese guy?"

John Lennon says "We don't have your baby and I'll fetch Dogen."

Dogen comes out and says "We have a no soliciting sign, please leave."

Claire says "He wants to talk to you."

Dogen says "No" and locks Claire up in the dungeon.

Dogen explained Star Wars to Sayid and told him that everyone has a light side and a dark side and he has gone to the dark side.

Sayid said, "You are not my father.  I am a good man."

Dogen said, "Prove it.  Take this knife and kill the first dead person that tries to talk to you."

Say what?  Isn't that like hitting your child for hitting?  Prove you are good by killing?

Sayid said, "Okay."

Outside the temple gate, Kate decides to join the party and learns that Claire is in the dungeon.  "Miles, this is wonderful news.  Now I can tell the crazy beotch that I have her baby.  She will be so happy.  We will hug and fix each others hair and I will tell her how Aaron calls me mommy!"

Miles just rolls his eyes.

Flocke approaches Sayid and Sayid stabs him.  Flocke doesn't flinch and says "You always plunge a knife into someone before you even say hello."

Sayid and the audience were not expecting that.

Flocke tells Sayid that Dogen is an idiot and that he only sent him out there so that Flocke would kill him.  "I've got a good idea why don't you go back and kill Dogen and I will give you everything you've ever wanted."

Sayid says, "All I've ever wanted died in my arms."

Flocke says, "I can change that."

Say what?

So Sayid goes back and tells all those extras including Cindy and those mute children that Jacob is dead and that they are free.  Go to the beach or stay at the temple and die.  Mass panic ensues.

Sayid finds Dogen in the well water room and explains what happened with his rendezvous with Flocke.

They share a tender moment in which Dogen reveals that in a drunken stupor he accidentally killed his son.  That is when Jacob said come to the island and I will make you son better.  He asked if Flocke promised something similar and what Sayid would do.  Stay or go?

Sayid said stay and then in the most surprising moment of the evening grabbed Dogen and drowned him.

Say what?

John Lennon returns to see this and says "Do you know what you have done.  Dogen was the only thing keeping him out."

Sayid then kills Lennon.

Next we see the smoke monster taking out extras left and right.

Luckily, Sun, LePenis and Ilana all arrive at the temple just as this is going down and Ben rushes off to find Sayid.  Miles is running with Kate when Kate decides to save Claire.  Claire finds Kate rather humorous and tells her she would be safer in the dungeon.

After the smoke clears we know this.

Ilana, LePenis, Sun and Miles all went through the secret passage.

Ben's whereabouts are unknown.

Sayid, Claire and Kate appear to be with Flocke and his growing group of extras which may include Cindy and those creepy mute kids, Emma and Zach.  However, I'm not certain about Sayid.

Ben is missing but in the previews for next week.

Sawyer and Jin are also MIA; as is Jack and Hurley.  One can assume that Jack and Hurley are on their way back to the temple and that Jin is still at Claire's "house".  Sawyer is most likely at the beach waiting for Flocke to return.

If you are posting a recap, please leave me a link.