the rainbow came first, then the rain...

it's gay pride time!!!

this is year two of me volunteering for Heritage of Pride. i got up the usual time and made it to NYC by 8:00 am. i thought i was late, but the truck with our supplies wasn't there yet. friends from last year were there. greg and ronald were present. our task is to make six rainbow balloon arches. they're very pretty, but quite tough to make. i was the speedy glue girl this morning. my job was to squirt a drop of glue into the balloon before they get inflated to hold the helium in. then the balloons are handed to the "tie-ers" who secure each pair of balloons to the fishing line.


this year i was promoted as balloon guide and made the newbies hold the balloons during the first part of the march. my job was to yell when we are about to go through a traffic light or trees or what not.

it was scorching hot most of the morning and i'm pretty much baked again.

but oh bo by george! the heavens opened and decided to give us all a shower. meanwhile, the balloon brigade had to march about 8 more blocks to "park" the rainbow arches. it was wet t-shirt contest. greg beat me to it because he was wearing two ginormous size 40 FF cup helium filled chi-chis. mine are 100% organic and made in the philippines, bwa-ha. as were muttering expletives under our breaths under the rain, people kept cheering us on.

wow, feeling artista.

next year we are celebrating 20 years of the parade. they said we will make 20 arches instead of six.

bring it on...

a special shout out to my friends, professors, brods and sisses gay and straight alike. mabuhey!!!

happy pride everyone!

from your fag hag in jersey

jane

i heart my nj frens

i just got home from a fairly busy day today, and the title of this post tells it all.

i hung out with bespren and bespren's other bespren kim. their kids, jonah and hollie were with them. kim wants a girl's night out soon. charly suggested we go to a tranny resto in the city. kim wants to go dancing. me? i dunno, but it sounds like fun.

after lunch i went back with charly to their place to hang out. played with jonah for a bit. jonah is so adorable. he talks a lot now. i love how he calls me "daffin, daffin."

i went for a two hour walk with cleo, a fairly new friend i met at the middle school. she is very sweet, smart and funny. i had a lot of fun talking and walking with her. in a couple of weeks cleo will be my partner in crime when we attempt to bust some moves in belly dancing class. tee-hee.

i found out that i left my wallet at charly's place so i went back to their house. i hung out with matt, charly's husband and like a brother in law to me. i told him my desire to play paintball fight this summer and he is excited about it. me and slim have seen a brochure for a famous skirmish place in PA so we thought it would be fun to go and play. i've always wanted to do paintball fight. i hope we go. i hope we go. i hope we go. i hope we go. i hope we go. i hope we go.


i went home feeling very pleased and blessed at having so many friends to share time with. and charly has made an observation that i am an antisocial butterfly of some sort. she's right because i don't really appear to be little miss sunshine. in fact i have low tolerance with a lot of people, but it seems that i make new friends wherever i go. it is indeed a blessing to have friends like mine.

happy happy joy joy.

the icing on the cake is a missed call from slim from my house phone.

aw shucks, i sound like a freakin' lovesick teenager.

bah.

home again, naturally

my little trip down the shore was cut a day early. i got bored there being by myself waiting for Z to finish work. i can get a bit bratty sometimes when it gets to me that not everybody share the same teacher sched as i do. i also think we just had our first little spat. bratty pinay vs. serious czech. but all is good. i miss slim already.

i left 5:45 am yesterday thinking that i'll be home by 8:30 at the latest. 65 miles into the trip i got stuck in the parkway due to a major accident that left me paralyzed with hundreds of other motorists. this delayed me for 1 1/2 hours. what a nightmare for me and and my overactive bladder.

thank goodness for my cell phone and funny friends who kept me company.

the rest of the morning i slept of killer cramps.

i woke up in between to watch a bit of tv (yey! i got cable back!!!)

went to visit my friend cleo to do some walking/talking.

i look around my apartment and assess the chaos here. i turn my head towards the window and take a deep sigh. chaos my eye, i'll get around to it when i want to. this is one of the things i like about living alone.

This is more like it....

one whole week without work. a monday without having to worry about school. and a few days of the sun and the beach.

as a mountain girl,i was never really attracted to the beach. well, i think viewing orca the killer whale at age four might have something more to do with it than anything, but i never really got any desire to hang out by the beach when i was in my teens or twenties.

i never really took an interest in the beach until this year when my girlfriends and i had a weekend beach getaway.

the ironic thing is, i have found a new interest in beaches now that i am living here in the states.

hayluvit.

i'm spending a few days "downdashore" with Z, me messing up with his work schedule to squeeze some date time. yesterday we took a long leisurely stroll at the boardwalk after lunch to burn all the ribs and chicken we ate, bwehe.

today, i think, we will see the dolphins. if not, we shall visit a local vineyard or a nearby farm to pick strawberries.

and tomorow, i was promised a ride a with jack, so yey for that.

friday night with the foleys

i met up with good friend and college sis Sandy after two years. i had no idea she was so close to me and that her plans of studying her pushed through. not that i doubted that she would have a hard getting into NYU anyway. it was a sweet reunion punctuated by her signature "aww, ay punyeta!" many of my gurgling laughter.

Smart,talented, funny and very very hard core sincere person,Sandy is one of those girlfriends who always gives you a dose of happiness and contentment without even trying. it's always a pleasant experience hanging out with her.

I visited their very neat, organized and relaxing home in the upper west side. she insisted i used their bathroom because she labored the entire morning to clean it up for my benefit. tee-hee. i remarked at how well-kept their apartment looked and Eric said when he got home and noticed that Sandy cleaned up, it seemed like his mom was paying them a visit. i told Sandy her work of love just put my apartment to shame. my home looks like our org house in catalan compound circa mid 90s.


We had dinner at their fave thai resto. dinner was delish! thanks guys. After dinner Sandy and i grabbed a cup of joe and proceeded to the campus of Columbia University.

Wowness.

Columbia U's campus was breathtaking. Sandy and I luaghed hysterically when I noted that it seemed like we were in UPLB humanities steps all over again. We chose a spot on the grass and we concurred that it was our version of hanging out at baker field. what made it even complete was the occasional rounds of the campus security, to which i said to Sandy, "uy, pigoy!"

And so, in a couple of hours, we tried the cram two years worth of catching up, mostly on my stories because Sandy insisted on that first. I'll get her next time.

on a bit of a sad note, the Foleys are off to a European adventure in the next two years. Sigh. And i only caught up with them now.

Sad as i may, i know Sandy and I will always keep in touch.

After coffee, I took a cab back to the bus terminal and went home.

Meeting up with the foleys was a great heartwarming experience. it always makes me feel happy to see my friends find love, joy and contentment with another person. sandy and eric are perfect for each other. and no, i did not get paid for writing this.

so sandy, if you are reading this, when's our next date?

the day after

music : cruise control by mariah carey


and so it goes, i spent my first two days being 32 and it was ... oh well A-okay. i went to work as usual yesterday. most of the kids didn't show up in class, a few said their greetings. a few scored some candy. we saw some of the last few scenes of "freedom writers."

did some paperwork then headed home. Z made it to my place 10 minutes after. we had lunch at bennie's, my fave middle eastern resto in our neighborhood. shawarma time! got back home, dressed up for church and got in the bus to the city.

the service was excellent. a guest pastor, pastor gary wilkerson graced the occassion. he was very funny. i felt very fulfilled mass. 'm glad they had a tuesday service and even more glad that my birthday fell on a tuesday this year.

then it was home again.

today we had brunch with charly. i was excited and nervous because this is the first real meeting between ze bespren and ze boypren. of course i wanted moonshine to meet Z and tell me what she thinks of him and give me some sort of analysis. i was nervous because Z is a bit shy and moonshine can also be a bit shy sometimes.

but brunch was perfect. charly seemed comfortable talking with Z and Z was his usual smiling , eye-rolling self. i left the two a couple of times for my requisite pee breaks and everytime i came back they were both talking.

to the park we went after brunch to take jack for a spin. well, technically for my biking lessons.

success, ladies and gents! i was able to pedal jack around. i was properly geared thanks to my safety-conscious instructor who insisted that i wear a helmet even though i looked like the green goblin's sidekick or a praying mantis (richard's observation). biking teacher also wanted me to wear knee pads. good thing my local target didn't sell those, tee-hee. anyway, i am still a bit panicky around other cyclists and it seemed that i have an abnormal predisposition to crash into oncoming cyclists so i am supposed to take a couple more lessons before i can take jack on the streets.

wish me luck on conquering my fear of speed and panic attacks in the company of other cyclists.


post brunch review (three hours later via phone) the moonshine likes czech boy and gives him the thumbs up. and jane is very very happy.

sa letrang N (today is brought to you by the letter N)

that's it folks. In the exciting game of BINGO my age can no longer be included within the limits and bounds of the letter I.

i am officially within the number family of the letter N.

gaahhh.

today i turned 32.

bow.


and today for the first time in 11 years, i am going to work because i want to say a proper farewell to my kids. thank goodness for half days.

i do not know what today and the rest of being 32 will bring. but whatever they may be, i know God's got my back. always did.

i would like to post a shout out to my MD friends lubs, nikki, ron and vince for celebrating with me last year. i am so thankful for your company and for your love.

bahama mamas. thanks for an unforgettable cruise.

my jersey/texas family charly, karen, christina and richard it is a blessing to ba a part of your lives.

thanks to all my family and friends who have been there.. always.

a simple lunch, a simple mass and a quiet dinner are what i hope for today.

and tomorrow.... i ride the bike.

yipee ya yey.

(hopefully) new adventures

the other night, i went out with my librarian friend lynn to finally catch up on things. we had a cup of coffee at the newly opened neighborhood bakery. i ordered and tasted my first ever red velvet cake.

i didn't like it.

give me mernel's chocolate cake anytime.

or cappucino's tiramisu.

i found out that lynn takes belly dancing classes at the community high school. i was interested of course.

never mind that my arms and legs are not friends. the only time these two work in harmony is when i played basketball in high school and college.

never mind that i really can't dance. amy has a term for what we do. we chair dance. never mind that my body is not pliable nor graceful at all.

so anyway, i went to lynn's class to inquire for a possible spot in the summer session which starts in july 10. it's a one hour once a week class for six weeks. i'm excited. i did warm my gorgeous teacher that i can't dance. she laughed and told me she'll have me grooving in no time.

i asked my good friend cleo to join me, she's as excited as i am...


my next adventure involves a new younger guy.

jack.

jack is my new 24" magna mountain bike.


i don't want to take a picture of him yet because as usual, my apartment's a mess. but he's actually colored lilac. Z and I bought jack at his local target store. jack has been gathering dust in my living room because Z made me promise to wait for him so i can have my lessons again. he's scared i might hurt myself. awww, sweet right? the bad girl in me wants to take jack out for a ride, but the idea of a scraped knee or a mild concussion has stopped me enough. soft.


the plan is to get me on the bike so i can ride to summer camp as much as i can. wow, pretty tall order considering my camp is on the hill. good luck.

i'll tell you how the biking lessons go.

i'll be a year older in two days.

man.

just another day in the edd box

it is an understatement to say that it is a tough job to teach special ed kids. most of special ed kids are seen as trouble makers. it takes a lot of will and heart to begin and finish each school day with one's sanity intact.

there had been days when i was this close to tears; tears of frustration at how unkind my kids can be to each other. their unkindness towards me, i have learned to understand, but sometimes i have my weak moments.

part of being a special ed teacher is attending team meetings to discuss each student's educational plans and recommendations for the next school year. this morning, i attended one such meeting and the student is one of my first period boys, who we will call speedy.

unfortunately, the reports from the psychologist and other teachers were not very rosy. speedy still needs to work harder on his work and study habits.speedy has ADHD. he is a few years behind in terms of reading and comprehension skills. and as much as i recognize his excellent effort in class, i do not think it will be for his best interest to join a mainstream class next year.

i sat beside speedy as we listened to various reports and test results. i saw his jaw tensed. his eyes were a bit teary, i know from anger. i knew it hurt him to hear these reports, but he has to know and he needs to address them, with our help of course. for a moment there, i wanted to hold his hand and tell him he's going to be okay. i felt sad for him. in a way i felt i also failed him.


as sad as i was, i felt so blessed to be a teacher to these kids. some teachers and students misunderstand them most of the time, sometimes even i do not understand them. one thing i know though, i have a job to do here in high school special ed english. and even though my kids drive me crazy, there are days when all the bad things that happen in class can disappear from my mind.


here's a new "hallmark" moment ...

after that meeting, i had a class. freshman english. B1 and B2 are always late. always. for a class of 5 kids, missing 2 by the final bell is very noticeable. in short, i've had it with these two. of course they made a scene. B1, who i know likes me as a teacher suddenly turned nasty to me. exasperated as i was, i tried not to make a scene in the hallway as i told them to get out of the classroom and go with me to the dean's office. a couple of my sophomores, comedy, grumpy and flappy, who of course were hanging out in the hallways, came to my rescue and told off B1 and B2.

comedy : yo, why you talkin' to my teacher like that yo?!
grumpy : you guys better start treatin' her right before we @*&$ you up!
comedy : stop doing that!
flappy : why are you guys always giving her a hard time?

(slightly embarrassed to be told off by their older "brothers" in the edd box, B1 and B2 lumbered out of the classroom, muttering in resignation)

and these three are the same three who sometimes claim they hate me or they hate my class.

sigh.

it's getting hot in hurrr

this is day two of half day school days for us here in northeastern
jersey. schools have opted to have abbreviated school days because
of the extreme heat. it makes me kinda giggle a couple of times
thinking maybe we're preserving what little brain cells we have left
before they melt.

meanwhile, clothes in my high school seem to get shorter, tighter, and
tinier to the point of covering nothing,much to the delight of my
boys. the hallways in my floor literally become catwalks of some sort
as the boys position themselves against the walls as they look at the
mostly skimpily clad girls sashay their way to homeroom, the girls'
restroom or lockers. they even have a point system for the girls.

the little prude in me just shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders.
what do you do? the kids of today...

but it is funny to note that even though my my boys are just like any
normal testosteroni teens, who oggle at girls who wear clothes that
leave very little to their wild imagination, they tell
me that they would not want their girlfriends to dress like hookers.
they want their girls to look decent. ha...

anyway,

here i am complaining about the sweltering heat and the AC not running
cold enough. shame shame shame on me tropical island gal. i'm
thinking of running a cold bath complete with ice cubes,coconut
scented bubbles.. and instead of the rubber ducky, maybe two or three of my action figures. ahhh the works.

jenny lewis and popelka

i meant to post last night, but i was so exhausted from gym, i almost fell asleep talking to Z. here is a mish mash of the happenings past and not so distant past.

so on sunday, amy crossed the hudson to visit ma hood. i took the day off and we basically just vegged out the morning into afternoon. we went back to the city to catch rilo kiley in concert at level 5. too bad like cinderella, i had to be home at a certain time before my nj transit bus turns into a gigantic pumpkin. i enjoyed half and hour of live rilo kiley though. jenny lewis is such a rockstar. we love her.

three wishes for cinderella

speaking of cinderella, i rented a czech cinderella film. it's an old movie, released in 1973. instead of a fairy godmother. popelka had the help of her pet owl rosie, and three magical hazelnuts to give her a fabulous hunting outfit, a gorgeous attire w/ the satin shoes for the ball and wedding dress. what i love about this version is popelka is a kick ass cinderella. she's some sort of tomboy who intrigued the prince because she was such an excellent marksman and a graceful equestrian.she's not this blushing, bumbling, giggly girl who was so stupid as to leave her shoe by the palace steps. if that was me... que horror! i will not leave my shoe alone... nevah!

welcome june!

i just came back from my morning workout at curves. i am nursing a cup of coffee as i wait for amy to wake up.

yesterday, we went to costco to pick up a few things for her to take home. i got my supply of soymilk, carrot juice and this naked green concoction that's supposed to be very good for you.

after costco i drove to white castle to introduce their soft square burgers to amy's palate. we were giggling as we pulled into the parking lot. harold and kumar? nah, it's jane and pilar go to white castle.

we head back to the apartment and went to a nearby county park to just sit in the grass, reminiscent of baker field, but not quite. talk. talk. talk.

dinner was garlic rice with sisig from tocino grill.

another talk marathon.

tonight we will see rilo kiley in the city.

weeeeeee.

(oh, i took a mental health day today, tee-hee)

another sunday morning

background music : middle of my life by sun 60

it has been a quiet weekend. mostly boring, but the calm and idleness is well-deserved given tomorrow will be the start of another school week.

our high school students are becoming more and more restless. more fights. more kids being sent to detention. less work from them, ladidadida.

yesterday afternoon i watched the film coach carter. it's one of those inspiring films. i got a bit teary eyed at one point. somehow the players on that basketball team reminded me of some of my students in our school basketball team. if only i can inspire and change them coach carter style.


chocnut and s both called me while i was at target yesterday. i feel comforted that given the latest news about work, they both encouraged me to move forward and give this teaching position for another year.

there must be reason why they want me to stay.

and as always, i look up to the sky and say "i don't know why, but i know You got my back on this."


it's june already. like my kids i am countind down the days 'til school is officially over.

tomorrow, my brother JP will celebrate his 31st birthday.

and pretty soon, i'll be 32.

maaaan.