Yes!

Third times the charm! This time at least.  Finally passed that last final for English Pedagogy!  Now all I have to worry about is the last pre DT call(basically an overview of what to expect from DT with a few pointers) and finishing my 60 hour observation(done Wednesday) so I can get that checked off by November 15.
Talked to my boss about DT(where they expect trainee teachers to work for at least three months without pay or another job that does pay) and adjusting my hours so I still have an income for january through march.  Their primary comment was that whoever decided that was crazy, and  when I find out where I'm going for it I should talk to them again so they could work out how to give me enough hours without getting in the way of DT.
Leaves are really on fire right now, and that means there's plenty of raking to do.  And now I have more time to get stuff like that done.  Plus my dad got a hold of fertilizer(fresh from the farm)for the garden that we need to spread out with leaves over the garden.  And deal with the advancing blackberry bushes that are really getting large.
Kind of have a day off today, with nothing to do aside from those around the house things and help my mom find a birthday present for my youngest niece.  Lazy day otherwise....

And Again....

Redid that final and submitted it with help from the course mentor as requested, and still got it back saying 'needs revision'.  Getting a little tired of that phrase.  Set a time to talk to said mentor(teacher told me to this time as well, and this was only the second try!)and never heard from them.  So I tried my best to make the recommended changes to the plan and explanation and then emailed it to the mentor for their input.
On the plus side, I'm over halfway through my PCE hours, only 25 more to go if my math's right.  And had two teachers planning to let me do the 'more than observe' hours thursday and friday this week.  Good thing is I only need those two days with the 2.5 I got last week with a different teacher.  But with no school monday(end of term break) that makes it tricky to get all 60.  Even if I go in before work one day this week(work one morning and the rest evening as usual) for 1.5 hours. Sigh....

We got two batches of apples done over friday and saturday, total of seven 1 quart jars full of juice.  Need to do some sause too, but today is about clearing the garden so we can mulch it.   Have to get the very dead(save the cauliflower, it got another head while I was busy)plants out of there, plus the watering pipes.  Then get the very annoying blackberry vines up on my dad's trellis thing so they're out of the way too.
Leaves are finally turning! Looks awesome, but means raking starts soon.  Not that that's hard, mind.  Just another thing to find time for.

Yuck...

Had a cough for the last two weeks that's gotten worse over the weekend and is finally feeling better today.  Didn't help that I think my allergies kicked in at the same time I think I got a cold.  So I tried the nasal rinse thing and felt stuffed the rest of the day sunday and runny/stuffy nose with coughs so bad it hurt my chest and was starting to hurt my head.  Today though I can breathe through my nose  and the cough's less than it has been.  Still lingering though. Sigh.
Last week was not fun, as both thursday and friday I was on little sleep.  Thursday was an early morning(after a bit of a late night) for PCE stuff, followed by my usual 3 pm to close shift at work.  And I had to shower after so I didn't get to bed until after midnight.  And had to be up just as early friday for the same reason, with the same shift at work to follow(and I didn't sleep well).  So by the end of friday I was sooo tired it wasn't funny.
Then saturday I tried but didn't really get to sleep in.  Sunday we now have 9 am church so no sleeping in there.  Couldn't nap after though.  Had fun at the linger longer(soup, how appropriate) before we went home.  That's when I tried the nasal rinse, which seemed to help the way it usually does for about an hour, then it felt like stuff came back and got stuck for the rest of the day.  Monday woke up to the logjam somewhat clearing but I had more PCE and had to try not to sound horrible while doing that.  Took a long hot shower last night and so woke up better today.  Other than what my coworker's and I like to call 'choking on air' where you just breathe in and suddenly you're coughing.  Partly due to the leftover cold allergy stuff, but also just because.  Work was fine other than fighting off that little issue so I have hope that tomorrow I'll feel even better.  Maybe not normal, but getting there.
School's the PCE thing, though I got in touch with my mentor one last time about that final I've been working on and jsut have one more fix before they say I should be able to submit it without it returning for revision.  Just did not feel like doing that yesterday.
So that's my crazy week.....

Watch Me

Reminds me of a quote from a movie but that's not what I'm going for.  My siblings and I were commenting sunday that we'd had all four seasons in one day due to the weather: sunny, rainy, sleeting, and snowing.  My brother made the comment that there shouldn't be all four in one day to which it seemed came the response: Watch Me.
Started my PCE stuff, which it turns out I have to spend 15 hours doing more than observing as part of it, but exactly what is up to the teacher.  Could be teaching, aiding in teaching, or just helping students during an activity.  But it looks like it will take more than the two weeks I'd planned on given the way things are working out.  Today is late start, next week they have fall break so no school for two days(and I have work one of the other three days) so I have to extend the time in order to get all the hours.
Certainly got frost, so I started picking apples.  Saturday I made a batch of apple juice with my second youngest brother.  Only got two quarts bottled, the rest we drank.  But there's enough apples to do a lot more and sauce too.  Finally got the salsa done on Friday that my mom and I started monday.
Leaves are getting brighter so the morning light is too.  Still waiting for other stuff though.  Passed part two of my last final, but still need part one.
Canadian Thanksgiving!  We celebrated that yesterday, so I get turkey sandwiches for lunch today.

Waiting...

For my praxis scores, my last class final exam scores(these are part of the 'competent' area, so it's not really a grade, just a pass/fail type deal) for the weather to warm up now that it's killed everything in the garden that was kind of already dead or dying with frost, for work to calm down a little, for just a little time to breathe.
Kind of have that last one today, until I have to go to work this afternoon.  Got my new phone mostly set up, still need the screen protector and the case, but I'm waiting on the case until my mom has time to paint the back(my case is clear so this way she can paint on there without it rubbing off or wearing away).  Wanted her to try painting a teddy bear but she's nervous about trying that.
School stuff should be today, but we'll see.  Praxis may not be until next week, have to wait for an email from them.  Just hope I passed because at this rate I won't have time for a retake.
Garden was down to tomatoes that the deer were slowly munching on despite my efforts to keep them away, cauliflower plants that only one of which actually produced something, lettuce that's gone to seed but I need a shovel to get them out, and the onions that almost seem to be thriving in the cold. Figures.
Work's been nuts, given conference weekend, rain, and cold. Just trying to do my best with the new dishes(did I mention that corporate gave us actual plates, bowls, and silverware now?) and the same cleaning schedule.  At least customers are giving tips when they leave a mess for us to clear up.  My manager mentioned that if they were going to leave a mess they may as well leave a tip, so it seems a few people are understanding that we don't have time or people to clear up messes without difficulty.
Had a rather fun sub job yesterday, junior high english teacher who had a weekly article for their students which meant I was more of a supervisor than a teacher.  And they had the smart idea of telling the students that the best class got cookies when they returned from whatever they had to do.  The only downside was they asked me to judge which class behaved the best and all of them were better than any other I'd been in before(subs get all the attitude when the teacher's not there) so I  just narrowed it down to 3 out of 6.  Not that the teacher was surprised, that was the goal.