Pay Cut

One of the things about my new position that I thought about going into it was a pay cut - the middle school is a great place to work and comes with opportunities for a lot more money. There is the after school program at most middle schools that are low income, and often teachers are given the opportunity to tutor after school. I was making an extra $2,400 a year tutoring. That's lost now, and well, it was a nice amount to put toward trips. That was my trip fund.

At the middle school we were in constant need of subs - I was often told I was going to sub on my prep period, which drove me crazy, but it did provide a nice check with it. $45 per hour. Yeah, I can do that. I was making about $100 per month doing that. At most high schools there is also opportunities to do that, but at my school where I teach all periods, and all teachers there teach all class periods, that is not an option.

My school had a wacko schedule, and there were several addendum's to the contract for it. While I disliked it, what it did provide for was a lot of extra income - we had 20 instructional minutes added at the beginning of the day that gave us about $250 a month more in our check due to a low income grant we got for adding instructional minutes. Also, we had a lot more meetings than a regular school, and well, those meetings drove me insane, but an extra $20 here, $40 here, it adds up.

At the high school there is not a lot of opportunity for extra money. I am taking a pay cut - but I guess it is at the expense of my mental wellbeing.

I am already maxed out on the salary scale and so there is no room for advancement/more money.

Damn, I feel poor again.

$350 a month less is quite a bit.



Oh, and it also doesn't help that we had 3 planning days at the end of the year I was unable to attend due to prior vacation being planned prior to these dates being announced. I went online and put it in the sub system, but was told by payroll after receiving a letter, they are taking $995 out of my check for July because I did not do the leave request properly. GAH. GOTTA FIGHT THAT.

Aurora Borealis

As we hang in Alaska, I am disappointed I'm not able to see this right now. It is definitely on my bucket list.

Books/Plays

Hey guys!

I'm looking for some new reads - I like biographies, like plays, but haven't found anything tickling my fancy lately.

Hilary's new book isn't well rated on amazon, so I have strayed away. Robin Robert's book was pure inspiration and had me bawling as I read along.

Now I was wondering if anyone had some good reads - as far as plays, I like Ibsen (A Doll's House), Tennessee Williams (Glass Menagerie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Streetcar Named Desire), Death of a Salesman.

So... given my preferences... any ideas?

KOLA 99.9 Variety

Ok... so KOLA has expanded their playlist to 70s-90s, and deemed it classic hits. Well, there's a lot they are missing, so here it goes.

They play a few Mariah Carey songs, the occasional BSB song, Smash Mouth, and No Doubt song.

They really should expand their playlist. I feel that one of the biggest issues is a lot of stations repeat songs to adnauseum (see KFROG). I get tired of that same thing. I have a lot of songs, as I know many do, on their iPods with more variety. We even have those really embarrassing songs (Two Princes - Spindoctors or Hootie and the Blowfish). A few of those songs here and there aren't bad.

KOLA could benefit by adding in more variety

90s Songs
- No Doubt - Spiderwebs
- Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart (file under embarrassing)
- I Love You Always Forever - Donna Lewis
- Celine Dion (My Heart Will Go On, It's All Coming Back to Me Now)
- The Cranberries (Dreams or Linger)
- Christina Aguleria (What A Girl Wants)
- TLC (Waterfalls)
- MC Hammer (Cant' Touch This)
- Enya
- Sting (Desert Rose, Fields of Gold, If I Ever Lose My Faith In You)

80s Songs
Abba (Dancing Queen, Mama Mia)
America (You Can Do Magic)
Deneice Williams - Let's Hear it For the Boy
Duran Duran - Girls on Film, Rio,
Dwight Yoakam - Guitars Cadillacs (embarrassing)
Juice Newton - Queen of Hearts
Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes
Depeche Mode - Can't Just Get Enough
Annie Lenox (No More I Love Yous, Walking on Broken Glass)
Your Love - The Outfield
Promises in the Dark, Shadows of the Night - Pat Benatar
Pet Shop Boys (West End Town, Being Boring)
The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Kathy Mattea - Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses

70s Songs
Van Morrison - Domino
Crosby Stills and Nash
Frankie Valli
Bee Gees (How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, I Started a Joke)
Cher - Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves
Sonny and Cher
John Denver - Country Roads, etc.



60s Songs with a  Folk/California sound
- The Beatles
- The Beach Boys
- The Supremes
- Bobbie Gentry
- Buffalo Springfield - For What Its Worth
- Marvin Gaye
- Jan and Dean (and others who have the California sound)
- The Troggs - Wild Thing, Love Is All Around
- The Mamas and Papas
- Simon and Garfunkel - Sound of Silence, etc.
- Paul Simon - Loves Me Like a Rock
- Peter Paul and Mary


Shout out to WJLT Evansville, which I often listen to since they have quite a few 60s in their classic playlist.

What is wrong with KFROG 95.1

I'm sick and tired of KFROG. I cannot listen to it. 

I despise the Frogmen in the Morning, Scott and Tommy. I dislike everything that comes out of their mouths. 

And I was in the car at various points today, and here's what I heard:

9:05 - Blake Shelton - Doin' What She Likes

10:06 - Blake Shelton - Doin' What She Likes

11:15 - Blake Shelton - HoneyBee

11:35 - Keith Urban - Cop Car

12:15 - Blake Shelton - Doin' What She Likes

12:30 - Keith Urban - Cop Car

This was just as I was flipping the radio and landed on the frog I heard this. Can you say repetitive? 

And their throwback Thursday hits they're playing? Yeah, 1 song every few hours from a few years ago to the 90s. What a lack of variety. 

Parting with books

Some people have that emotional attachment to books - my parents and sister consider books sacred. Tons of bookshelves in their house, love books, buy them constantly. Me? Well, I guess I have a part of that still in me. I always felt that there might be something in my education books that I would find useful, and for the most part I haven't returned to any of the books, so today I decided to sell some of my books on amazon. I had 5 textbooks from my graduate program that fetched me $89 - nice down payment for some new sunglasses... or shoes.

Also took a bunch of $3- and less gift cards I had, and traded them in online for amazon gift cards. While it would be nice to get the full value out of them, they were places I simply didn't shop like the movie theater, Mimi's Cafe, IHOP. So they were places I had gift cards to, went, and still had a little bit left over, and since I didn't pay for them I didn't feel that huge of a loss. $11 there.

What's good this week - new and old music

Here's what I am playing on my iPhone this week.