Tech Conference

This week Ian and I are attending the Florida Educational Technology Conference--one of the biggest of its kind.  Our schools send us every year!  Thank goodness we have in common our love for Technology!!  We went to a couple of sessions this morning/early afternoon, and learned quite a lot!!  Not only are there mini-classes but there is a huge showroom where everyone who is anyone in educational technology has a booth.  We are hoping to take a lot of information back to our schools and maybe win something awesome in the process!!  At the end of the day there was a big opening session with special speaker Phillipe Cousteau--The grandson of Jacques Cousteau.  Can't wait to go back tomorrow!

As promised....

Here are new pictures of Maia, now that she's not sickly looking anymore :)  You're welcome, mom!!  Notice in the first one, her crossed arms!!  You can definitely see the Siamese in her, she looks cross-eyed a lot!!

SUCH A MODEL!!

One more thing!

I absolutely refuse to turn the heat on.

Last night WIMPY Ian turned the heat on because it was supposed to be in the 30's. I'm sure you can imagine my disgust when he told me he set it to come on when the temp was under 74. SEVENTY FOUR!!! Seriously. Anyway tonight he is DJing and not here to tamper with the thermostat so I am sitting here in my long pants, sweatshirt, AND fleece blanket. I sleep better in the cold anyway! Weather.com says our current temp is 45 but feels like 39. Lovin' it!

Ian's 4 jobs.

Have you ever had 4 jobs?

Well neither have I but Ian does right now!!!!  If only all of us could be so talented.....

1.  He is a school teacher.  All day.
2.  He teaches classes at the community college.  Right now it's blogging.....next will be photography!
3.  He is the manager of the tutoring program at school.....And boy does he have to manage!
4.  He DJ's.  At a restaurant/bar every Friday night and gets paid a ridiculous amount of money per hour.  :)

Just thought I would sing his praises since he won't.  ERR wait maybe he would, hehe.

Back to the grind of things!

Well, thanks to so many of our friends that have told us over the holidays "whoa, you guys get off how long?!"  Ya, we know, it is a long break, and we love it, but its not a "paid vacation" or anything like that.  We work only 196 days a year, I sometimes wish that we could work a full 12-months with some "paid vacation."

Anyways, we have no students today, it is a work day.  Thank goodness really, I did not do much over the holidays regarding school, nor did Laura except for one day that we worked on a new computer lab for her school.  I have been working on lesson plans, display boards (anyone like to help?) and the after school tutoring program that I am coordinating, starting on Thursday.

Tonight I get to begin teaching my first of two classes at the Community College , so now officially I guess you can call me "Professor Belanger!"  Ha  Tonight's class is called Introduction to Blogging.  Should not be a difficult class for the teacher or the students.  I taught it to 2nd-7th graders over the summer...  The next class will be in February, it is called Digital Photography I, in that class I plan to go over not only how to use the camera that they have, but how to make/share online photo albums.  I think that most of the people that plan to take this class are seniors, or what we call snow-birds in our community.

Today is also the first day that Malik and Maia have stayed home for a significant amount of time, alone.  I doubt that Maik will have eaten her, or done much else than Malik sleeping on the back of the couch, and Maia sleeping in between the sliding-glass-door & curtains enjoying some sun.

Ian, out!

Malik to the rescue!

Today Laura was at work, I was left alone at home to watch another episode of Mythbusters -- I've been told I  am going to get Mythbuster burnout, to that, I think NOT!!

Anyways...

I was making Mac N Cheese for lunch.  I always sneak a few boxes into the the grocery cart, they are perfect when its just me.  2:04 seconds left on the clock, I noticed that Malik had been running around, so I figured that I best take him out so I could have uninterrupted meal!  I did.

The kitten must have some sort of anxiety disorder because when we take him out the entire neighborhood can her her "meow-ing."  Smart-thinking Ian decided that it would be good to bypass the anoyingness of trying to keep her in, and I snuck us into the garage, to which somehow was open.

I began fixing my lunch, and almost sat down when I noticed that it was quiet.  Now mind you, the animals are starting to get along much better, but during the day they love a good game of run-around-the-house-and-annoy-Ian.  So I looked around and saw a line of light coming from the doorway, which we have no window there, so I knew I was in for it--both animals had escaped through the "Ian did not shut the door completely" door!

As I completely opened the door, an amazing sight was seen--in fact, I wish that I had a video camera because I could have captured what I am about to tell you, sold it to America's Funniest Pets, or something like that, and been a $1,000-aire!  Sweet.

So Malik was barking, and nudging at Maia to get back in the house.  With no help from me, both animals got in the house, and are safe.  I was also saved from the wrath of Laura, who would have cut both my legs off.  :)

Moral:  Watch the pets carefully, especially when you are trying to trick them.