Burn Notice: Shock Wave

So, I usually wouldn't create an entire post about Burn Notice, but this last episode has me going crazy. If you're not a Burn Notice fan, enjoy the post, even though you may not understand it all. If you haven't seen the episode "Shock Wave" DON'T READ ANY FURTHER UNTIL YOU HAVE!

Welcome to the first, (and probably last!)

A little background on where the show is:

Last season (5), Burn Notice brought in the greatest villian yet....and that's saying a lot for this show.  He is the last man standing in the organization that not only burned Michael, but he's the last man left since Michael and his friends destroyed the organization piece by piece.  Oh, did I forget to mention that he's out to rebuild the network using any means necessary?  Yeah, bad, bad news.

His name is Anson Fullerton.  Long story short, he posed as a good guy needing help from Michael, framed Fiona for a murder she didn't commit and used his evidence as leverage to blackmail Michael.  End of season 5 Fiona turned herself in to authorities to get Michael out from under Anson's thumb.  She has been in jail and Michael has been doing all he can to find Anson and free Fiona. 

Basically that brings us to this episode.  I could go on and on, but you can read more about it here.  Just scroll down to the season synopsis.

K, so the creators of Burn Notice did something stupid in my opionion:  they told the audience that someone important would be killed during the promo for the episode Shock Wave. 



After watching this clip, I knew that it wasn't Jesse, Michael, or Pearce.  I also know there's NO WAY they would kill off Sam or Fiona.  So, I figured it was one of two people:  Rebecca, the dirty CIA agent that Anson was also blackmailing, or Nate, Michael's younger brother.

My suspicion was confirmed the moment I started watching the episode:  Michael is finally close to catching Anson, and the CIA won't let Sam, Michael's best friend and former Navy Seal, go with them.  Instead, they let Nate, a CIVILIAN, go with them.  What?!?  I have a hard time believing that any branch of government would let a civilian, like myself, with no training whatsoever, go on a mission to capture a murdering sociopath.  Guess I could be wrong.

The episode continued with Michael and Nate fighting.  Michael has always protected his brother.  When they were young, he protected him from their abusive father.  As an adult, when Nate would get into trouble, Michael would help bail him out.  This fighting continued to set the stage for what was going to happen.  The moment Michael ordered Nate out of the hotel room they were hiding out in, I knew Nate's time was over.  It was just a matter of how it was going to happen.  Was Anson going to find him?  What would he do to Nate? 

Suddenly, Michael calls Nate and asks him to "keep eyes" on Anson.  Apparently he's in the casino that Nate is at, and Michael needs time to get there.  Knowing Nate's character, I knew he was going to butt in...and he did.  Nate managed to sucker punch Anson (the BEST moment of the show, something that all Burn Notice fans have personally wanted to do for a year!), and it looked like Michael was finally going to get the man who had caused so much pain, destroyed so many lives, including Michael's.  However, this is television.  Does anything ever happen the way it should?

Roll the clip:



It's obvious who the real target was....Anson.  Nate was "collateral damage".  Nate's character had gone about as far as he could go.  Last season they tried to give him more of a storyline by having him get married and have a baby, but it felt like more of a "jump the shark" moment since we only saw his wife once, she was odd, and I believe we only saw the baby once. When he returned this season, he was getting a divorce and had fallen back into gambling again. No character growth usually = death of an expendable character. I knew Nate was going to die, but I still cried. Yeah, I'm that kind of dork!

So here's where I have issues with some of the events of this episode:

- Nate would NEVER have been allowed to go on that mission....period.  Sam would've been allowed to go.

- They made it SOOOO obvious who was going to die.  From fighting with Michael to all the dumb things he did on the mission (like ordering pizza, risking being seen by Anson), and then having Nate "keep eyes" on Anson, they practically painted a sign on Nate's face saying, "I'm going to be killed".

- Fiona had been working with the CIA to get out of jail.  I was under the impression that catching Anson meant she would be released.  He was killed.....maybe since he can't do any more harm they decided to completely believe the fact that Fiona had been framed?

- That was a massive hole blown through the wall when Nate and Anson died.  What in the world did that come from?

And my biggest issue with the episode:

MICHAEL DIDN'T GET TO TAKE ANSON DOWN!!!  We've waited a year to watch this awesome villian get what was coming to him, and instead of satisfaction, we now have to wait to find out who killed him!!!  Major disappointment. 

The Long and Winding Road

Yes, a Beatles reference.  Get ready, there will probably be more of them.

I've been trying to write this post for over a month, and I am still struggling with it today.  I don't know why, it's just hard.  I wasn't sure if I should just "Let it Be", but I need to get this off my chest.

So, the last few weeks of school were ridiculous.  Between ALL THE DATA the school requires (ya know, since they're a data driven school), the constant unorganization from the administration, and complete chaos going on around me, I was looking forward to summer so much.  My first year of teaching was almost under my belt, and I was so excited to once again start exercising and continue loosing weight.

School was out on Thursday, June 7th.  We had to come back on Friday, the 8th for our grade level district meetings.  We were going to plan out the next year.  Usually there are 7 people in our meeting.  Two for each 3rd grade class, and our Team Leader.  However, that day, there was an extra person in the room.  A lady who had been a Teacher in Training, hoping to acquire a job for the upcoming year.  I thought it was odd that she was there, but went with it.

The next Monday we had to go back to school for our contract resigning/evaluations.  They are an "at will" employer, so you resign each year.  Administration had set the times for us, and when I saw it the week earlier, I found it fishy that I was the last person to have my evaluation.  To be honest, I had this nagging feeling that wouldn't go away.

But let me go back for a moment.  A lady that works there, we'll call her S, decided she didn't like me, and to this day I have no idea why.  Unfortunately, S is the LAST PERSON you want not liking you.  Word is that administration doesn't like her, and has been trying to fire her.  I don't understand why that is something they're TRYING to do.  If it's an "at will" employer they should be able to can her if they like.  However, they keep her because they like how she disciplines the students who cause problems.  She puts the fear of God into them, and I'm not kidding.  She scares me, and I personally don't like how she disciplines, but I never vocalized this.  She's "Mean Mrs. Mustard" to the Beatles "Mean Mr. Mustard"!

One of our after school responsibilities is to teach an extended day class.  I was given those who needed help with their reading fluency.  Probably the most difficult class to do after school because you have to help one student at a time and keep the others reading.

I struggled with this in the beginning of the year, and I went to Administration and asked for tips on how to do it successfully.  No one ever came in to demonstrate and I finally figured out a way that worked for the class and never heard that I was doing anything wrong.

There are also cameras EVERYWHERE at that school.  The only places they can't be found are in the bathrooms....and I'm not kidding.  And Administration will watch each classroom at random to make sure the teacher is doing what they should be doing.  Well, since a teacher can't be 100% AT ALL TIMES, it's inevitable that Admin will catch you at about 80-90%, which happened to me in November.  I was called in and asked the watch the video and discover what I could have done better.  I was devistated, but I watched the video at home, and they were right....it was bad.  After talking again with Admin, I NEVER HEARD ABOUT THIS AGAIN.  We have Academic Coaches that randomly come in during Reading and Math groups to evaluate us, and my evaluations were always great.

So now we're back to Monday.  You can probably guess where this is going, but the story gets better and better.  It was time for my evaluation/resigning when I saw S walk into the office with Admin.  The moment I sat down, I knew exactly what was happening, and I couldn't believe it. 

 
SAY WHAT?  I couldn't speak.  I was simply trying not to cry.  I was told that after having several demonstrations on how to improve teaching reading fluency (which is an absolute LIE...no one ever came in to demonstrate), I hadn't improved in that area.  I was also told that my attitude was a problem.  This was brand new to me.  After the discussion in November, no one said another word about it; leaving me to believe I was doing great.  I didn't say a word back to them, I just got up and left.

I had to go talk to the nice lady in HR and turn over my Macintosh (which was the saddest part about being fired...not re-hired, whatever!)  She took my key, and then I realized that I still had personal stuff in what was my room.  She had to follow me to the room, and I suddenly felt like a criminal the way I was being followed around.  I left a lot of teaching stuff there, and later told the other 3rd grade teacher to get her butt in there and take it all for herself! 

I left and broke down into tears.  WHAT IN THE WORLD HAD JUST HAPPENED?  I felt like I was on Survivor and had just been blindsided during a Tribal Council meeting!  Was Jeff Probst (host of Survivor) going to show up and officially take away my fire?

I went to lunch since I didn't feel like going home, and the word began to spread.  I wasn't the only stunned person.  And then I started to get mad....very mad.  Admin knew weeks ago that they weren't going to re-hire me.  Why didn't they talk to me sooner?  I could've been looking for work WEEKS ago while there were still teaching jobs open for the next year.

S SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN THAT MEETING....PERIOD.  I think she was there because she didn't like me and in case I decided to ask questions or get upset she would probably have butt in.  S is not an official part of administration.  Her presence there was to intimidate me, which it ALWAYS has.

I just keep thinking about what I did that made them feel that I wasn't the right fit for their school.  Like I mentioned earlier, all of my academic coach reviews had been fantastic, no one from Admin ever came to talk to me, nothing.  And this school is so big on wanting their teachers and students to succeed.  What a bunch of garbage.  They failed with me BIG TIME.  I wasn't given the opportunity to know that my job was in jeopardy, so how could I have fixed anything?  It also now made sense why there was an extra person at our district meeting; the new lady was going to take my place.  How nice of them.

And if being fired wasn't bad enough, salt was then poured on the wound.  I had called the HR department back to ask about my final check and insurance (yep, I'm no longer insured) when I was asked if I would like the Director (who wasn't the person to officially fire me) to write me a letter of recommendation.  Huh?  Sure, why not.

Then I got the letter.  Here are parts of it:

"I am delighted to write a letter of recommendation for Wendy Toale.  We have been pleased with her job performance and consider her a capable teacher and contributor to our school.........
"Wendy is an excellent classroom manager as well.  her students understand the clear expectations she outlines, and they rise to meet them.  Positive reinforcement is also used in her classroom, and its effect is that her classroom is one where learning is always taking place....
"I consider her an excellent candidate for employment."

Is your jaw hitting the floor the way mine still does when I read this?  It's a great letter, but if you liked me so much, WHY DID YOU JUST FIRE ME?!?  Is it just me, or does this seem like a very hypocritical letter?

This has really shaken me up.  I have lost all confidence in what I spent the past 12 years of my life working so hard to accomplish.  And I've even began doubting if I really want to do this.  Somedays I feel like the guy on the left, other days the guy on the right.

I know that everything happens for a reason, but come on!  The more I thought about it the more I realized that it's OK that I don't work there anymore.  This charter school is a lot of talk, and not a lot of action.  The biggest bummer is that Brandon was going to attend Kindergarten there in the fall, and I wouldn't have to pay daycare anymore because it's full day Kindergarten there.  Well, now we'll have to pay some sort of daycare again.  Oh well.

Needless to say, my summer has sucked.  I have no motivation to exercise and loose weight, and now I'm once again on the hunt for a job.  I'm considering just subbing again.  A LOT LESS STRESS, and work.  I won't have insurance, or get paid through the summer, but I can leave the crap at the school at the end of the day.

I'm also considering writing the Director a nicely written letter about how they could've handled the situation better.  I don't mind being fired....it's the way I was fired that chops my hide and makes me want to throw up.

Oh well, what do the Beatles say:   Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da, life goes on!


I get by with a little help from my friends!


I WILL SURVIVE....HEY, HEY!

Not a Beatles song, but still fun!

Tests, Needles, & Scooters: It's Been a Long Week!

So, it's been a busy week for Brandon.  Monday he went to school with me for his Kindergarten Assessment tests.  He tested into a "fast track" reading program, which means he's farther ahead than most Kindergarten students.  He also tested into a math class that some of my 3rd graders were in!!  That was very exciting news to hear.

I discovered that to register him for Kindergarten, I needed to get him up to date with his shots.  I knew that he was a little behind, but was devastated to discover he was going to need FIVE shots.  Yikes, this wasn't going to be fun.  The last time he had shots was when he was an infant.  Sure, they scream, but they don't fight back very hard.

Yea, WHATEVER.  For the record, I don't think this picture is real.  I believe it is COMPLETELY staged.  No one is THIS happy when they are about to be poked with a long needle!

We were lucky enough to have two doctors "tag team" him, and two of the shots were combined into one, so he was only receiving four sticks with a needle.  He was doing great mentally until the doctors came back with the needles.  It was over then.  Thankfully my mom was with me.  Brandon sat at the edge of the "patient's bed" (what is that thing called?),  I held down his arms, mom held his chest up, the male nurse kept his legs down, while both he and the female nurse each poked him twice in each leg.  It was a little like this, only it was a five year old and required four people in the room!

Anyway, after that trauma we were looking forward to the birthday party for my niece on Saturday.  It was a fantastic water party, so Brandon was able to get very wet.

After the party Brandon was playing outside with some boys that were my nephews age....about 9 & 10.  They were using the water guns that had been used during the party.  One boy, we'll call him Bob, (just because) was getting another boy, we'll call Rob, wet, even though Rob was asking Bob to stop shooting him.  Bob just wouldn't stop.

All the adults were in the house when suddenly we hear Brandon scream, and run inside.  My mom got to him first.  Apparently Rob, tired of Bob getting him wet, became VERY upset, and to prove a point about how tired he was, he picked up the scooter he was riding on, and swung it around.   Yeah, he swung it straight into the left side of Brandon's head!!!  Needless to say, he had quite a gash on his head, and we were off to Urgent Care to have it taken care of.

When my mom told me that he was probably going to have staples put in, I became very nervous.  I've had stitches before, but never staples.   I didn't know how this process worked, and I kept thinking of this:

You know, the tool that is handy to have around whenever there is a psychopath in your house?  You just push this into their head and they usually die.....right?  It always works in the movies!

Anyway, I was very concerned.

Well, it wasn't that big a deal.  He was given gel that numbed the area, and then the doctor came back into the room with this:

I didn't watch the process, and luckily Brandon was nice and still for the doctor....well, more still than he was for the shots!  As dumb as this sounds, I was expecting to hear the sound of a stapler when they were put into his head!

So this:

Plus this:

Equals four staples to the left side of his head.

He took it like a champ, and we went back to my sister's house where he continued to play!  If this is what having a boy is going to be like, I'd better toughen up and prepare!

On a side note, I got my hair cut yesterday.  I chopped it all off.  I don't take pictures very often, so here you go.  I'm still loosing weight, and I'm thrilled that school is out, I can really get going again!

Liberty Hill To The Rescue

This has been a CRAZY week! 

A few weeks ago we began looking for a new place to live.  We knew we wanted to live in a townhouse, and get out of apartment living.  After living in this HORRIBLE complex for over a year, we're tired of hearing every footstep, toilet flush, shower, party, barking dog, and creek made by our horrible neighbors.  (and no, I'm not exaggerating at all.  As I write this, our neighbors are upstairs in their apartment and I know exactly where they are because we can hear their footsteps!)

We also want Brandon to be able to run and jump around like a 5 year old should be able to, without our neighbors complaining.  Oh, and being able to exercise WHENEVER I WANT TO without said neighbors knocking on my door to whine would be fantastic!  A townhouse would give us this, along with the feel of a house, without the big payment.

It all came together yesterday.  We wanted to stay in Sandy, but we found a townhouse community in Draper, the next city south.  The last time all the "chips" fell into place like this was when we moved to Utah.  The complex had a five month waiting list that was just lifted this week.  The exact townhouse I wanted was available, it's a smoke and pet free community, and to make it even sweeter, it's an end unit and the model home is next door, so WE WON'T HAVE ANY NEIGHBORS AT ALL!   

Welcome to our new townhouse!  I will have a kitchen pantry, (which I don't have now), an island with cabinets inside, (don't have one of those), a coat closet (also something I don't have now), IN UNIT, BRAND NEW LAUNDRY (which means we can sell ours and don't have to move it!), a linen closet (another thing I don't have now!), huge closets, AND A GARAGE!  (yep, I don't have that now either!)  I've never been big on cleaning bathrooms, but now that we'll have 2.5 of them, I'll have to get over it.

It's in a much higher elevation than where we live now, so it's much colder.  And it has a country feel to it, (which Nick loves) even with the other townhouses around it.  The video walkthrough is the model next door to us, and is the same layout as our new place.  We move the beginning of March, and I begin packing tomorrow!

Weight Loss Challenge 2; Week 3, 4, 5

The first two weeks of my "new" challenge were wonderful.  I was motivated, excited, eating healthy.  I came home from work the second Friday, and after I exercised I instantly became very sick.  High fever, throat swollen, I couldn't talk, chills that lasted for hours;  yep, I caught Strep Throat.  For five days I was MISERABLE.  I couldn't talk, swallow, sleep, or eat unless it was something that was soft or made of ice.  To try and keep myself from putting weight on, I looked for healthier food.  Instead of buying ice cream bars, I found some really good Dreyer's fruit bars that had no sugar, were low on calories, and are simply divine!

Surprisingly, I lost almost three pounds during that 5 day stretch.  Week three was a bust in regards to exercising.  I simply wasn't healthy enough and I knew if I pushed it I would later regret it.

Well, that week off from exercising DID NOT HELP MY CAUSE.  Week four was a COMPLETE AND TOTAL BUST!  My motivation was gone, I wasn't eating healthy, I was worried.  I gained the three pounds back very quickly and decided to simply act like I'd never lost that weight to begin with!

At the end of week four I had still met my goal for the month of January.  I'm shooting for 5 pounds a month, and I'd lost six.  I was still bummed though because after being sick the idea of exercising wasn't appealing AT ALL.

Going into week 5 I knew I needed to do something drastic.  I was trying to find a way to get my motivation back.  I remembered a DVD I used all summer long, The Firm.  Before week 5 I'd been doing a 20 minute aerobics routine to work my way into using The Firm again.  I decided it was time to jump in with both feet.  I'm using the "express" 35 minute workout during the week, which combines circuit training with aerobics and burns A LOT more calories.

I started the DVD on Tuesday, and have lost 3.6 pounds this week!!!  My motivation has returned, and I am so excited about this.  I'm almost back at the weight I was when my first challenge ended.  I have 1.6 pounds until I'm back at that weight and then the skies the limit!!  I have about 30 pounds that I still really want to loose.  I'm finding that exercising right after I get home from work each night is best for me.  I get dinner ready, put it in the oven and exercise while it's cooking.

After I run all my Saturday errands, and clean the house, I'm going to do the entire "Firm" DVD, which is 55 minutes long.  Saturday is the only day I truly have time for it, and I'm actually excited to do it again.  My body doesn't feel like it's going to fall apart like it did earlier in the week when I first started 'The Firm", and it's to the point where my muscles are remembering again that I used to do this all the time!

Here's to week six;  I think it's going to be great!