Still Here - I think.......

My goodness!  It has really been more than a MONTH since I last posted anything???  Shame on me!

But in my defense, I’ve been a “little” busy. 

Let’s see.  Rod update – he is currently doing his laundry in a truck stop in Ohio, waiting to pick up his next load at 2:00 this afternoon.

Jim is in Texas (love the new Google Latitude – I can keep track of my guys!) heading to California.

Kyle is at work with his newly painted truck.  (Painted it himself in the barn – looks pretty good for a first attempt using spray paint… his poor finger nearly fell off after 16 cans of paint!)

I’m sitting at my office, opening envelopes and planning out my weekend.

In the last couple of weeks I’ve made a quick trip to Jacksonville, taught a couple of classes in Ft. Lauderdale, a class in Miami, and a class in Boynton Beach.  This past weekend was the definition of TOTAL insanity!  I drove down to Boynton Beach (2 hours) and taught from 5-10 pm.  Then up early Saturday morning to drive down another 30+ minutes to Ft. Lauderdale arriving at 7:50.  As I was getting out of my truck, the school director called to see if I was “on my way”.  He got a call from someone saying there were a zillion students but no instructor.  (School doesn’t actually start until 9:00 but there was a registration mix-up and it said 8:00…)  There were lots of cars, but no people!  Went to the front door, the class is held at University of Phoenix (looks good on my resume…) and there were at least 20 people in the lobby.  Except the school is LOCKED.  So I herded everybody back out.  (The janitor let them in on his way out…) 

We are only contracted for a room that holds 25 students and I had a roster with 24 pre-registered students in my hand, so once everybody got outside, I called roll and anybody pre-registered got a book.  That was their ticket into the classroom.  (There were 12 registered folks, everybody else was a “walk-in”) 

The security guard showed up just as I finished calling roll and let us in early.  She also graciously set us up in a room that would hold more than the 25 we were supposed to have.  (based on the number of people already there…) 

Once we got to the room and got everybody seated and signed in and books handed out, I did a head count.  51.  Wait.  What?????  51 students?????  Are you KIDDING ME?????  Now, I had plenty of books and plenty of seats (actually, we used every chair in the room, including MINE) but I only had 35 exams.  So how to decide who tests and who doesn’t…  (Passing my test means the company pays for your state exam up front – otherwise you pay and we reimburse you – so you’re getting a free license either way, but this is easier…)  Anyhow – I figured I’d come up with an answer as the morning went on, so just jumped in and started teaching.

About 11:45 (the exam is supposed to start at 12) the back door opened and the director of the school walked in.  His jaw HIT THE FLOOR and he mouthed “who ARE all these PEOPLE???”  It was the highlight of my day!  LOL  I explained to him my problem and we were agonizing over what to do when he said, Surely there is a Kinko’s around here somewhere!  Grabbed one of my exams and headed out to make copies.  Came back with an extra 25, so problem solved!  Yippeeeeee! 


 

Next problem.  (ok, challenge… you aren’t supposed to say problem…)  How on earth are you supposed to grade 51 tests between 12:30 and 2:00 (when they kick us out) when they don’t even FINISH the test until 1:45?  Solution – have them all hand them in and I’ll grade them and email their results.  (threatened them with death or at least a cell phone call in the middle of the night if I couldn’t read their email addresses…)

Next challenge.  Class lets out at 2:00 and I have to jump back in the truck, snatch a sandwich somewhere and head back to Boynton to teach the next session of my regular school at 3:50 until 8:40.  When exactly am I going to grade these tests?????  (Dan, the director can’t come to my rescue, since he has to spend the rest of the weekend finding a new, better location for the class.  The university thing isn’t really working out…)  Solution – I’ll just grab a salad after school, head to my hotel and do it there. 

Which is what I did.  Taught until 8:40, hit the Chili’s next to my hotel for a salad and a couple of bottles of water, and then up to my hotel room.  Started grading at 10:00.  Finished grading and emailed each of 48 people (3 left before the exam) their results, breakdown, and “what to do next” instructions.  Last email was sent at 2:20 (a.m. in case you were confused).

Next challenge.  I have to be back at school in Boynton at 7:30 to teach another 10 hour session.  And I can’t drag myself out of bed.  LOL  Solution – do a quick set of HoeDowns (T-Tapp) a GREAT little move for getting the blood and brain moving and then teach it to my students and do a set at every 10 minute break throughout the day.  Also spray B12 throughout the day.  (I keep a spray bottle of B vitamin spray in my purse for times just like this… sadly I have LOTS of times like this!  LOL)  (I also keep a bottle on my desk at work, and another on my bedside table at the house…)

Next challenge.  Staying awake long enough to drive from Boynton to the house – arriving at 8:30.  Solution - marry a wonderful man who talks to me on the phone the whole way, keeping me laughing and singing and arriving safely at my front door.  LOVE YOU BABE!

Of course, then Monday morning I had to compile all the paperwork from both classes and get it all faxed and over-nighted to the home office.  The emails from HQ started around 10.  What do you MEAN we had 51 students in a class that only holds 25?  How many people did you turn away?  How are we going to contact them?  NO NO NO, I let them all in, taught and tested them all.  Which resulted in an emergency conference call scheduled for 1:00.  I’m sitting at my desk TRYING to get something done when Rush Limbaugh comes on the radio and I think, wow, it’s noon already?  WHAT?  It’s NOON?  I’m supposed to be at the Meet and Eat with my VT sisters at noon.  Sheesh.  Jump in the truck and dash to Tropical Smoothie to meet 2 of my ladies.  Nice lunch, but had to dash out early to make it for the conference call.  Which ended up lasting until 2:30!  Followed by about 200 more emails back and forth.  Not to mention phone calls between me and Dan the Director.  And then Emily the trainer.  And then Cindee the QUEEN OF THE ENTIRE PROGRAM.  I finally called it a day at 5:45.

I’m waiting to hear what this weekend is going to look like.  I’m scheduled to teach my 4-day school starting Friday here in Melbourne.  But I’m also scheduled to teach an 8-2 review class in Miami on Saturday.  LOL  Should be interesting.  I’m REALLY hoping the Melbourne school gets cancelled – but no news on that front so far.

I’ll keep you posted… 

Update:  Just cancelled the Melbourne school.  Whew!  I get to have a Sunday off...  That will be nice.