TRAVELER'S PROCRASTINATION:

A term I use to describe myself in my present state. Lani, Jessica, and I leave for Amsterdam/Egypt in two days. Am I ready? No. Have I done anything to prepare? Not really. What am I doing right now? Sitting in Kaysville, blogging and organizing items in my parents house in preparation for their arrival. What should I be doing? Anything pertinent to my trip. I have a procrastinator's soul, I can't help it. Boo.

LAST DAY:PART II

Today marks the end of my 2nd year as a teacher. What a strange year it has been. I can't really talk about it because a) I don't want to and b) its just too emotional. Let me just leave the year on this note: I have a strange job. The people I see everyday get ripped away from me for three months. Then some of them (9th graders) get ripped away forever. The people that I grow to love can't stay forever. And that's not just students, its teachers too. Today was my last day with Cam. I am actually sitting here in the dark at my desk, probably the only teacher left at OJH right now, crying. I can't believe it has ended. I will never have this back again. I love you Cam! I still have Kath and Allison but it won't be the same without all of us. Good thing for me though, I will only really miss a handful of students. I just wasn't as close to my 9th graders this year as I was last year. Adios year 2. Hola summer travel!

OUTSIDE IN MAY

I didn't have harsh feelings towards Utah when it decided to snow on May 24. I think it adds to the unique character of our state. I do however not appreciate my lack of preparation when it came to getting dressed this morning before looking outside. What did I wear today? A sun dress and flip flops. When I left the house it was early, 6:30am. It wasn't snowing yet, just raining so I thought it would get better. 10 minutes into my drive it turned to snow. To top the morning off, the opening song of the announcements at OJH was "Oh the Weather Outside Is Frightful." Clever of those 9th graders to choose that song but it stung a little because I was so cold and wet. Still love how unpredictable the weather can be here I guess.

p.s. records were broken all across the state for cold temperatures and precipitation

TEACHING DREAM COME TRUE

I have been teaching 2 class periods of 9th grade English the last few weeks. Am I an English teacher? NO. Am I BS-ing my way through? YES. Do you know what I have been studying and creating lesson plans for??? William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. Why did I agree to do this? Oh well, today is my last day. Whew! The lesson plan for today only took 40 minutes out of the class period so guess what we did the remaining time? Played HEADS UP, 7 UP. I taught the dumb play and we finished it today so of course a celebration was in order.

I haven't played this game since Mr. Merrill's 7th grade science class at KJH. I think we played it about once a week in his class. The students loved it but I totally loved it more. And I didn't feel bad about playing this game because its not my curriculum or subject time wasted. I have wanted to do heads up, 7 up for a long time. Its kind of like a teacher's dream to do it at least once. "See guys, dreams really do come true."

And to top it all off, Leslie is currently en route to Provo for a visit!!!

ps. major props to those who know what my quote is from. And no, its not Romeo & Juliet

WHY WOULD YOU EVER WANT THAT IN YOUR FACE

A trip to a public restroom made me think: why would you ever want to turn air in the direction of your face on an automatic hand dryer? Is this supposed to be a bonus feature? I had never actually pushed it down and had the hot, gross, bathroom air steam into my face until last night when curiosity got the best of me. It was not fun. I will never do it again. Why do these exist? Frankly, I would rather just further harm the environment and have paper towel. I judge establishments on whether they have "towel dry" or "automatic dry" facilities.

FURTHER NOTICE

I made a list of items that had been blacklisted in 2008 until further notice. It needs to be updated because some of the items have been un-blacklisted. Here is the original list from September 2008:

Pier 49 Pizza
Taylorsville
Spaghetti Factory
Kiwanis Park
Page, Arizona
People who wear bright orange shirts
Thai Kitchen
Lagoon
Ute Fans
6th East in Provo
Wii
Arby's
Driving to Disneyland
Macey's
Leatherby's
Corvettes
8th North Orem Sonic
B4 (one of my 7th grade classes)


The following items are hereby removed from the blacklist:
Lagoon
Kiwanis Park
Wii
Macey's
8th North Orem Sonic
B4 (replacement class for this year would be B3 - again 7th graders)

FOOD IN PUBLIC

I hate eating food in public. I am precise on the foods that I like and when I have to eat meals in front of others I hate it. Really, truly, really, honestly, really hate it. Ordering at a restaurant presents difficulties because I can't usually order straight from the menu. I alter the dish in some obscure way that the waiter looks at me like I am crazy. Making new friends is a pain because I have to introduce them to my eating habits. And when I am in a social situation among acquaintances, strangers, friends, family, or dates it makes me sick to my stomach. I literally want to die because I know someone is going to comment on my taste and say:

• why aren't you eating
• what do you eat
• why are you taking the cheese off
• you don't like that
• how do you survive
• you are so picky

This kind of stuff bothers me. I wish people could just understand that I am normal. I like the things I like. The things I don't like shouldn't bother you. At least I have opinions in life and stick to them - unless in the dreaded situation of being a guest somewhere and I'm forced to eat whatever the people have prepared or I will look like a douche. Why does it make me seem like a brat just because I am not interested in eating pulled BBQ pork or whatever gross thing you have concocted? WHY? Three times in my adult life I have had absolutely no choice in social eating situations. 1.I was with a boyfriend's family and I was scared. 2. I was with a family friend that always teased me growing up and I was scared. 3. Was last week with my parentals in some members' house and I was scared. I seriously doubt any of you really get the extreme anxiety I go through just to enjoy the food I like.

OREGON SHOPPING

I just bought these shoes. I am happy about the price. I am happy about how adorable they are. I am happy about how comfortable (relatively speaking) they are. What I am not happy about is that I should have purchased them when my mom was buying in Oregon!! What was I thinking?? Mom and I went to DSW in Oregon which translation: no sales tax. And mom was willing to buy them for me!!!!! Major mistake. I got home and had to order them online with $4 tax and $8 shipping. It will be okay because these shoes weren't that expensive at $49.o0 off the original price! All that matters is that I bought cute shoes that reduce cankle appearance and I love them.

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?

Ashley today

Ashley at 17

When you are 37 years old and someone mistakes you to be 26: that's a compliment.

When you are 24 years old and everyone mistakes you to be 17: that's NOT a compliment.

At least 2-3 times a week someone comments about my age or asks me how old I am. They believe I am in high school. They believe I am in junior high (yes, many times that one has happened). They believe I am too young to use a credit card. They believe I need parental signatures when signing up for things. This isn't cute. It just isn't. And I think the worst part of all of it is when I correct people on their poor assumptions they just say, "Well take that as a compliment. When you are 30 you're gonna love it." Well I am not 30. Believing that I am a teenager at this point in my life is not a good feeling. So don't tell me that your judgment of my age is anything but a major put down.

Here are just a few of the thousand+ examples I have of mistaken age identity:

• When I was a sophomore in college I went to visit my dad at his office in Salt Lake. While taking the elevator up to see him one of his partners in the law firm asked me what year I was in school. I told him I was a sophomore. His reply was, "Go Darts!" Ehh, no. That would be Go Cougars! Actual age: 20. Presumed age: 15.
  
  
• During the last semester of my senior year at BYU I interviewed for teaching positions. Some crazy teacher in one of the junior high schools that I went to stopped me in the hallway and asked me what I was doing out in the middle of class. Actual Age: 22 Presumed age: 14.
  
  
• One morning Allison, Cameo, and I went to ask a teacher down the hall a question about his document camera. He wasn't in the room so we just took his out and discussed the pro's and con's about buying them for our department. Well the student teacher walked up and assumed we were all students and told us to, "put that down and do not play with the teacher's equipment." Actual Age: 23. Presumed age: 15.
  
  
• Cameo and I took a group of students to Washington, D.C. The best part of the journey there was the fact that we had exit row seats on the plane. Okay, so that was only fantastic until the flight attendant came to inform us that we couldn't sit there because you had to be over 15 to sit in an exit row. Ashley's actual age: 23, Cameo's actual age: 25. Presumed age: 14.
  
  
• Then yesterday my dad took me to a museum in The Dalles, Oregon. We walked up to the counter and he told the woman at the counter we wanted to see the museum. She said, "okay, just one ticket then?" What? Didn't she see there were two of us? She told us all this week kids under 18 get into the museum for free. I had to do the awkward age correction and inform her that was not case for me. Actual age: 24. Presumed age: 17.