The last few days around here have been hot and humid.  TO humidity is like nothing I've experienced elsewhere (maybe it's the lethal combination of humidity and smog) -- it is disgusting.  Sweat pours forth from your body and it is hard to breathe -- all you can do is try and get used to it and that leaves you feeling lethargic.   Thank god for AC -- though my brothers are convinced mine doesn't make our place cold enough.  In this heat, I took them through Kensington market, down Queen Street West (so they could embrace their inner nerd at Silver Snail) and to a couple of big malls (Yorkdale and Vaughn Mills).  Over my 2 years here, I am still unsure that I jive with Toronto -- it is too big and too ugly -- still, the shopping here is FANTASTIC.  There is nothing you cannot find here and that makes it at least sort of awesome in my book.

Today we venture out to Ottawa to partake in the big Canada Day festivities on Parliament Hill.  Watch for us on TV!! I believe the CBC will be broadcasting the events!!!  We will be decked out in the red and white... Tim and Joey are apparently going to dress like GuyTerrifico... something about wearing underwear over their pants and Canadian Flags as capes??? I'm scared so the rest of the country should be as well! 

Have a great and safe long weekend and have a Happy...

I'm not sure why I was surprised, but Medieval Times was so incredibly lame.  From the minute we walked into the 'castle',  we all knew we were in for a long night.  It consisted of a medieval feast  (you had to eat with your hands -- no cutlery) and a medieval tournament (jousting, sword-play, etc) -- add to that a super lame storyline whereby you had a knight to cheer for (ours was the blue knight).  The knights were vying for the affection of Princess Esmeralda.  Yea, lame!

Highlights include: the cheesy blue crowns we were forced to wear and Neil's super-sarcastic cheering.  I felt ripped off as I didn't receive a flower from the blue knight (a kissed flower, no less) -- not!!  Our knight  ended up winning the hand of the princess!  Again, I am struggling to find something positive to write here....

I thought the jousting and sword-fighting would be a lot better.  In the end, we were at the medieval version of the WWE -- where the acting was barely passable.

Overall, the food was good, the entertainment was bad and the cost astronomical!! We will never again speak of this lapse in judgment made when deciding to partake in a Medieval Times tournament.

Last night I went to my second viewing of the always fantastic, Evil Dead: The Musical.  Tim and I went last year and had a bloody good time (har har).  This time N and my little brother Joey came along for the some bloody good fun!!   If you are ever somewhere where this is playing, you should check it out.  I HIGHLY recommend it!  Splurge for the splatter zone.  This time we were 4th row centre but alas, not close enough to get splattered.  There will likely be a third viewing in my future as I feel I must at least once sit in the splatter zone!!  You can check out the soundtrack to the show at their myspace page.

Here we are last night outside of the Diesel Playhouse:

Are you all watching, How do you Solve a Problem like Maria???????   Well, you should be!!! Andrew Lloyd Webber is bringing his version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's, The Sound of Music,  to Toronto, courtesy of Mirvish Entertainment, and I could not be more excited!! I am the biggest nerd and have always loved The Sound of Music.  I agonized when a certain G. Stefani messed with the goat herder - utter blasphemy!! I even tormented N while on vacation in Austria and forced him to accompany me on a bus tour of the sites of SOM while in Salzburg!!

Just outside Hellbrun Palace... in front of the famous gazebo... "I am 16 going on 17".... 

N has been PVRing, How do you Solve a Problem Like Maria,  for me and I've just started watching (first 2 episodes) and there is no way I am not going to the show here in TO.  It will be awesome!  I know he'll think so too ;)

Make sure you vote!

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!

School actually ends on Thursday but one of the perks of supply teaching is its flexibility.  If I want a day off, I take one.  Don't worry -- it's not something I get to take advantage of too often as I have to maintain my glamourous lifestyle - haha.   My brothers are currently in the air right now, on their way to invade my home with their smells and good humour - at least I hope... (Grouchy Tim better have stayed in Regina... something about working on a never finished deck has made him an ornery soul).  Their arrival prompted me to take the next 2.5 days off and thus I am calling the year done early.  I have much planned... but I won't give our plans away... I promise to blog more frequently now that I'm done working until September.

I actually thought that I'd be much more excited about having a couple months off. I was waiting for the weight to lift off my shoulders... but on the way out of the school today I went to say goodbye to a few fellow staff members and we got to talking about the hiring process, school politics and other NON-joyful topics and I left feeling rather down.  You see, I had a FANTASTIC year.  I met loads of colleagues, was welcomed into the fold of a wonderful school... I really thought that I was nearing the end of my "supply" days.  Then May rolled around and there was a load of staff restructuring... 14 teachers alone at my favourite school were losing their jobs and back on the hunt for a job (with priority naturally).  They've all since been placed.  Then there were at least 5 LTO's (Long Term Occasional positions -- like a temp contract, for example, covering a mat leave) -- none of these people have jobs for September.  The problem seems to be low enrolment numbers for next year???  I'm still looking.  I have been told that there will be a rash of hiring at the last minute (end of August, beginning of September).  It's just hard to not be jaded in my situation.  I was talking today to a girl who is a total eager beaver.  She is devastated that she will possibly be back on the supply list next year after an LTO... I just laughed inwardly.   Same thing happened after my LTO 3 years ago.  An LTO helps but is not a guaranteed step to a permanent position.  I'm not sure those exist unless you know the right people.   In my district, they stress knowing the right buzz words (which I didn't last year having come from BC and different buzz words).... It's a silly system they use to determine your suitability in the classroom.  You can be dumb as nails but if you can memorize what "balanced literacy" is and how it would look in your classroom you half way to nailing your interview.  Problem is, most interviews you get are "filled positions" -- you see, there are quotas for the number of interviews required per job. Still, filled interviews are good practice.   Last year at this time I'd had 4 interviews -- all with positive feedback, and with the warning that I needed to learn the Ontario lingo (read: buzz words) for things.  This year I have had zero. None. Nada.  I'd feel bad if i weren't alone but I know that I'm not and therein lies the problem.  If only I had chosen something where there was demand.  Oh well, I happen to enjoy my job most days and that's what counts.  If I am supplying again next year, at least I have a school administration that likes me and will keep me working steadily.