Saturday, February 26, 2011

Ice Storm!

There is nothing more entertaining than trying to get a solid 3/8ths inch of ice off of a car. My Toyota was totally encased in ice---when I opened the trunk, a huge slab fell off.


Let's just say that I have no plans to go to work, optional teacher workday or not. If my car is still covered in ice, who knows about the roads. A half hour drive on these roads is nothing to shrug off.


Is it just me, or is it crazy to deem roads too icy for kids to be out on, but just fine for teachers? Are our lives less valuable? I guess they figure that we are able to judge just how challenging the roads are, and can decide for ourselves whether or not to make it in to work. However, if you don't show up, you have to use personal leave time. Luckily, as AmeriCorps, my only requirement is to get 1700 hours in 10 and a half months. I can take off a day for a crazy ice storm, without wondering if I can make rent or pay for doctor bills that month without working for the day.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Dumpster Diving

My roommate's dad is a professional dumpster diver. He makes about $1,000 a week scavenging useful items that have been thrown away and taking them to the scrapyard or reselling them.



As a result of her family background, my roommates and I have begun dumpster diving. First it was for a bookshelf, which had been thrown out because the back was coming off. A couple of nails could easily fix that problem.



Next we scavenged an artificial tree for Christmas. The stand was missing one leg, so it had been thrown out. We propped it in a corner and decorated it. Given our budget, there was no way we could have afforded a tree that we would only use once before moving. This allowed us to add a little festive touch to our apartment.



Today we found a gorgeous lamp with five individual lights, which can be twisted to point any direction. The only discernible flaw is a little chipped paint on two of the lights. Not only was this totally functional lamp thrown out, but so were the three energy efficient light bulbs in it.

I love dumpster diving!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sunday's Successes

Today I:
  1. Made enough homemade pizza for my roommates and I to have supper tonight, lunch tomorrow, and some leftovers. I used Betty Crocker's Stir and Roll Pizza Crust recipe, and random ingredients from the fridge. It was super tasty, but I should have had the oven a little lower (maybe 375), and checked it at 15 minutes. It was a little crispy, but still tasted wonderful!
  2. Made a batch of homemade Chex Mix to take to work for a snack, and to my EDU 119 class tomorrow night. It will be another day of not getting home until 8 or later, but I have my three roommates in the same class, so it's fun.
  3. Took a long overdue nap. I've been working over fifty hours a week for the past three weeks, with very few breaks. It felt so good to relax and get caught up on sleep!
  4. Researched an article for my EDU 119 class.

What did you do today?