Garden Explosion

So, after a week of ignoring my garden due to SL Comic Con, I finally had time Monday afternoon to go out and pick a few things. . . . .

This is what came up and there are still a lot more on the plants (of the tomatoes anyway).

 7 cucumbers, 6 zucchinis, about 2 pounds of small golden and cherry tomatoes, and that huge bowl of roma/san marzano/celebrity tomatoes. I can't believe what my garden is starting to produce. . . .now? That school is in session and I can't snack on the yumminess all day? Yessh.

But I am feeling rather domestic lately. Could be because my parents gifted us a freezer. Yep, I now have a freezer! Never thought I'd have one. Makes me kind of glad that I have some of this produce that I can freeze for soups and stirfrys later this winter. I already have 12 bags of red and green peppers, 20 bags of tomato puree, 20 bags of quartered tomatoes, 5 apricot jams, and there are still peaches, strawberries and raspberries to do this week and get in there. Kind of nice to know that if I want a stir-fry that evening, I can raid my freezer. . . . . .

I survivied Salt Lake Comic Con----sort of

So, for the past few months I've been working behind the scenes with Salt Lake Comic Con and our booth. During the summer it wasn't that big of a problem because I didn't have anything else to focus on and so I got a ton done rather quickly. But there were snags. The people at SLCC wouldn't get back with us that easily. It took email after email after email to actually get an answer, and then the information still wasn't correct day of. There was disorganization all around (both with the organizers and with the volunteers) but at least we had our space.

THURSDAY

Photo by Jakob

This was our little booth space. It actually turned out rather nice. I wasn't able to go to set-up, but Jakob and Adam were there and they did a nice job. We ended up getting 2 more droids to fill in the back area. There were shelving units with fun stuff displayed. I think everyone had a great time looking at everything we had displayed. We did get a lot of questions about "is this for sale?". We had forgotten to make "Not For Sale" signs, so we ended up answering that question a lot.

Photo by Brooke Barnes

They all ended up doing a TV spot that afternoon. Jakob was at the Convention Center and Adam volunteered to go to the studio to do the spot there. Little did he know that he would end up mic'd and on air. They had arrested the General Manager earlier that day and then on air they arrested the Weatherman. It was all in good fun to promote our Jail and Bail.

Photo by Brooke Barnes

Thursday was a rush day for me. I had to teach then book it up to the convention center. I think the photo above is right after I had arrived. Dart and I are discussing something that was going to happen later that evening. . .

 We inducted Bryan Young as a Honorary Member of Rebel Legion during the Mayhew/Prouse panel. He was shocked and surprised, even though he did know it was coming; he just didn't know when.

 We did have the pleasure of meeting Chunga during that panel. He was in awe of the costumes and what we did. When I asked if he wouldn't mind getting a picture, he was thrilled that we would ask him.

FRIDAY
Again, Jakob and Adam made their way up in the morning and I had to go teach. Next year, I swear that I am going to try and get a couple days off so I can actually enjoy it and not be in that much of a rush. I was "pushed" into putting on a costume and working the booth that way. I really would have just liked to stay in normal clothing and go that way, but Jakob said it wasn't really a Con unless you dressed up, so there it was.

SATURDAY
Saturday was a NIGHTMARE!!! Remember how I said there was poor planning all around? Well, they continued selling tickets without having an accurate count of how many tickets they could sell and, well,  as you can tell by the two pictures below. . . it was CROWDED! At one point they actually had to shut down the building and have a 1-in-1-out policy. Lets just say that I didn't leave the building all day. 

Photo by Roger Taylor

Photo by Roger Taylor

We were able to take a couple of fun photos in the morning though. We had planned it to avoid the crowds later (and we are thankful that we did that!). Nic Bradbury was our photographer and I think they turned out rather nice.

Photo by Nic Bradbury

Photo by Nic Bradbury

 Of course you need to have the "kiss a wookie" moment.  =)

Photo by Ed Eliason

 Jakob has been bugging me for years to make this costume and wear it. So I got over my fear (which took 3 of my friends in the bathroom with me while I was changing to make sure I didn't chicken out) and I got in the Slave Leia. Probably never again. But I did it. Well, perhaps again when I am back in shape; only for Cons though and in a protective environment. . .like our Jail*n*Bail cage. I was happy to have Dart there as Chewie for me. He would actually make the people stand in front of him and I situated myself behind it there. That way we didn't run into any issues.

Photo by Nic Bradbury

 One of the BIGGEST highlights was the opportunity to meet and chat with the WETA staff!! Yes, the guy who designed all the swords and weaponry for the movies was there. Jakob was in geek heaven! Right before the picture we took above, Jakob had jokingly said "I'll let you hold my lightsaber if I can hold Orcrist." and they said "Sure, why not?" I wish I would have gotten the look on Jakob's face when they said yes. It was a stunned-wait-what? kind of look, followed by the little-kid-at-christmas walk, then a huge smile!

See? Told you he was happy.

Photo by Adam Argyle

David from WETA also stopped by our booth to check it all out and it was so cool that he was interested in the costumes and props that we had made. You would think that a professional prop maker would seem bored by what we could do, but he was fascinated with the droids and all the other items we had on display.

Photo by Adam Argyle

 After the Con finished and we put down our booth and got everything out, we decided to see if WETA would like any help putting their stuff down. To our surprise, they said yes, so we got to play with other items again and pack and help them get out. They say that it is about 10-12 hours to actually set-up and take-down each, and apparently we helped them with the little nit-picky things that tend to take the longest. Yes, I did end up taking some of that tape with me as a souvenir. 

OVERALL
Stress and lots of panic ensued during the event. It was tiring and I caught a pretty nasty head-cold which I hear a few people who went to the Con are battling. My shins, legs, and feet are still pretty sore. My back isn't any better. But I am happy that it is done and that it was a success. I'm just hoping that they learn from their mistakes and correct them for next year. And I will never do a Con again without a VENDER's pass. That thing got me in and around everything. It was gold!!

Photo by Nic Bradbury

And I had to get the photo with the TARDIS. If it's around, of course you have to!

The brutally honest--founded in full frustration--post

If you know me at all, I really don't let a lot of emotions to the surface. . .unless they are embarrassment and pure rage. Yeah, some people, all they see is either of those. They think I am the happiest person or a melancholy person, other than pure rage. Apparently I can snap into one of those at the snap of a finger.

Lately, it's been happening more and more.

Frustration has abound for me this past month. Not only was it the start of the school year again and I had to go back to a job that I tolerate (not because I want to be there), but because of all the other things that were going on at the same time that had found their way onto my plate.

School
School started--for me--the third week in August. That is a late start, but nothing too bad. That Wednesday and Thursday were all day meetings that I somewhat glazed through. I brought a book and didn't think much of them. I usually don't. They drive me nuts. Being a "newer" teacher, I know what they are talking about because I learned it during my program. Why don't they ever put out an outline of what they are going to cover and make those teachers who aren't "up-to-date" go to them? Or put out a test, if you pass it, you don't need to go to the meetings. If you don't pass, you're going to the meetings. Did I get paid for them? Nope. Just a waste of my time while I could have been doing other things.

Then came that Friday. I actually got back into my classroom and found one of the tech guys from the district sitting there with an, well, lets just say it was an interesting look on his face. He told me that the district was going to upgrade my OS for the computers. I replied, oh? To which he said one of the most evil words ever. . . .Vista. Yep, that operating software that even Microsoft abandoned after a few months. The district was going to put that on my computers, thinking it was an Upgrade. Now, half the programs that we use don't work, the computers rarely work, the students have to wait maybe 2 or 3 minutes before they are actually able to use the computers and then hope that they can actually print and save something before the system decides it wants to freeze or completely stop working. Yes, the computers are about 5 or 6 years old so they were running XP, which works wonderfully for what we need. Stable; a workhorse. Now I have to deal with this crap daily that just doesn't work.

We're 3 weeks into class and I'm about ready to take a shotgun to these computers! Frustration every single day.

Students are no different. They aren't reading the directions, then they complain when they don't get a good grade on things. I have signs up all over the classroom stating what they need to do when they are done, yet that classic question keeps getting asked. All I've started doing is point to the thing and they keep looking at me! Really? I'm not going to do your thinking for you. Yes, you may have been spoon fed everything up to this point, but I'm not spoonfeeding you anymore. You need to buck up and actually think for yourself!!!!

Comic Con
Salt Lake is hosting it's first Comic Con style event this week. This Thursday-Saturday. I've know about it and have been working on it since May. One of the groups I work with is having a booth so I have been trying to organize that because no one else will. Jakob has stepped in to help, but it hasn't made things that much easier. This is the first time that I think some of those people on the "board" are organizing something on this scale. First it was at a smaller venue, then they decided to invite more "celebrities" and had to move it to a bigger venue; which changed how we were going to be able to do things. Adaptation is not what I wanted to be doing right now. So I'm constantly stressed. I can't get off work to be up there during the days, so I have to rely on the others to do what is needed---which is not one of my strong points. Yes, I am a bit of a "control freak". But it's because I have to be otherwise things don't get done. It isn't easy for me to let go because in the past when I've let go, things haven't gotten done and I'm the one that gets blamed.

We are also having issues with the "sister" group to ours. They seem to not realize that when we work together, things are easier. They seem to be making a big deal over things that aren't that big of a deal, and they are being snobbish with other details. I haven't been keeping anyone in my group in the dark about anything, and they have been keeping everything in their group a big fat secret. I even heard it said that they don't want the "rebels to find out this information then they want to do it too/be invited" blah blah blah. If that's the way that you want to play, go right ahead. We've been fine so far, what makes you think that it'll be any different if you actually let people know what is going on.

I will be so happy once this Saturday is over and done with.

Sleepy Hollow
Jakob is in a production of Sleepy Hollow this October. It is the same company that did Christmas Carol last year that he was in. While he as been enjoying the rehearsals and everything else, I haven't. There are 2 casts this year and Jakob just happens to be in both. It is very annoying. He has a "double" but his double isn't doing much. I understand that Jakob wants to do as much as he possibly can to get more money, but when he leaves at 5:30am to go to work, and then has rehearsal up in Northern Utah and doesn't get home until 11pm, that isn't fair to both him or me.Yes, I'm being selfish because I would like a little bit of time to be with my husband, but that hasn't happened in a long time.

Varsity Club
With everything else that is on my plate, I still need to help my mom out with Varsity Club before the football games. Jakob won't be available for most of it because of rehearsal or a show, so we are left to do it on our own. I'm really not all into football (I usually bring a book or something else to entertain me during the games when there isn't anything going on--or I nap), but I understand why my mom does this--no one else will and it needs to be done in order to do fundraising. It is just a bunch of problems and complaints. I don't want to deal with it because I am at the point that if anyone says anything to the contrary of what I'm thinking, I snap.

My Weight
Yes, I'm completely and utterly self-conscious about my weight. I have never weighed as much as I do now. I have never looked the way that I do now. . . .and it is killing me slowly. Nothing fits and I refuse to buy new clothes. I don't want other people to see me like this so I don't go to the gym, I don't go out unless I absolutely have to, and I wear such baggy clothing (because those are the only things that fit) because I don't want people to look at me. Others who have seen me don't notice anything, but I do. I hate the way I look. I really do. If I could just crawl into a whole and work from a dark room where no one else sees me, that would suit me just fine.

Life in General
I hate my job, but I can't leave it because it pays the bills and there is no where else for me to go.
I hate being an adult and having to keep up the appearance of smiling and happy all the time.
I hate not being able to dance when I get like this.

Yes, I'm on a Mad Madam Mim turn at the moment, but I just can't stand it anymore!!! I am snappy, I want to punch something/someone, scream, yell, cry.

Yeah, I'm a happy camper at the moment.  :/