So, this is going to have to last you through the weekend. I have a HUGE paper to write for grad school and about 10 sets of papers to grade. And I’d like to maybe read my Bible and write in my journal for more than 75 seconds.

I found this blog just clicking through links on the side of other blogs I read. I have no idea what ASBO Jesus stands for, so in case it is irreverent, dirty, crude, rude, or socially unacceptable- consider this my pre-apology.

I don’t like all his drawings, but most are really interesting to me. He can say in 2 sentences what I say in 2 paragraphs. This is no shock – I know I use too many words.

Interesting, huh?

If you get bored, check out my blogroll over here to the right. Trust me, you can waste HOURS clicking away. And whether you plan to or not, you may just learn something.

Have a great weekend. Go Dawgs!!

And please don’t lose, Falcons. Please. I’m begging you at this point.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I went to hear a speaker (Alfie Kohn) tonight for a graduate class at KSU. This man is known as a pretty controversial speaker among the education world. He doesn’t believe in grades or standards or test scores. He believes that education should be more organic and natural and “take your time and let the kids create the answers”, no competition, no smiley faces or frowny faces, etc.

I figured since Brad got all PO’d for his profession, or his finances at least, I would go ahead and let loose a bit about tonight. Now of course, for any of you educators out there this will not surprise you, but I have to “reflect” on this experience for a grade. But you, my dear bloggites, receive the ungraded (dare I say “unedited”?) version.

In many ways, I totally agree with Mr. Kohn. In fact, I think he has great ideas. I hate testing. I hate preparing for MONTHS (LITERALLY) for the GCRCT that stresses the kids out and is really only meant to judge our SCHOOL -not the child. I agree- testing is crappy. Grades aren’t always the best reflection of what a kid knows. It would be a much better learning experience if the children fully decorated the room, if my lesson plans were only driven by what my children specifically wanted to learn, and if they got to pick their own spelling words. I want nothing more than my children to fully grasp content and leave my classroom full of concrete ideas and abstract concepts that they discovered on their own, with my gentle prodding and nodding. I want my classroom to be student-led not teacher-focused. All that good stuff.

In the same vain, I am also a fan of unicorns, pots of gold at the end of rainbows, and I’ll be darned if I don’t give every golden toned container a little rub hoping a genie comes out and gives me three wishes.

I listened to this man for 2 hours and left deflated. Please don’t stand in front of me for two hours and tell me that I am not doing my job in a way that makes a difference in the long run to these children. Don’t tell me because I give them 20 spelling words each week that I am not giving them the education they deserve. You’re telling me the only way to do my job well is to do it COMPLETELY against what I am told to do by the people who hired me.

Where is the line between “here is what I want to do because I know it would be the very best for the children” and “here is what I have to do because this is what my boss and the state of Georgia tells me to do”? I work daily to try to dance between the two, float back and forth, make their educations meaningful and yet still have something to put on the report card.

And in the end, sometimes I have to pass out a worksheet because I’m just so tired. Sue me.

What people don’t factor in is the emails from parents that we have to answer, the children who are sick and need a note to the clinic, the committees, the lack of restroom breaks or really any personal time to think, the paperwork, the data we have to collect, the field trip forms we have to send home for the third time, lesson plans, 14 minute lunches, the parents who won’t call us back, the amount of questions I answer daily, gradebooks, websites, the meetings, the kids themselves. Oh, yeah, and did I mention that every kid in every subgroup has to get all the standards in their little brains before April?

And these aren’t your typical PBS kids who love learning all the time. (Where do those kids go to school, by the way?) My kids have REAL problems and sometimes when they come to school, school doesn’t matter. Grandfather in the hospital. Lice. No dinner. Unclean. Pregnant unwed moms. A bad sunburn (poor kid- red as a clown’s nose). Parents who can’t read. Friendship issues. Organizational disasters. No money to go on a field trip. Hurt in any and every 9 year old form walks in my room every day. (So does joy in any and every 9 year old form, don’t you worry about that. We’re a hilarious bunch.) It’s just that their lives are bigger than my classroom and at some point, that has to be factored in to the equation of learning. That’s part of my job now too, in 2007. Don’t just teach them, Downs. Raise them. Heal them. Hug them. Protect them. Rejoice with them. Cry with them. And make sure they can pass the test.

This is NOT me complaining. I chose this job and God chose me for it. (Probably not in that order, I understand.) I’m just saying that I want to hear a speaker that challenges me to be a better teacher- not someone who tells me how flawed and wrong our system is.

As I’ve mulled things over tonight, I’ve come to this: I love my students. I just do. And I think that counts for a lot. I don’t work ridiculously long hours- it’s my job. It is NOT my life. But I put in enough time that I do right by Cherokee County, my school, my principal, and I do right by my kids. I could always improve. I WANT to improve. There are things from tonight that I will try to implement. I am NOT against change or trying to better our educational system. In fact, I’m so for it. I just believe there is a bigger picture here.

You want a cause to fight for? You want to go against the system for the betterment of our children? You want to rally the educational troops to make changes that have far-reaching effects?

Let me talk openly about Jesus in my classroom.

#1- Shane and Shane’s latest CD titled Pages. It’s amazing. Don’t even get me started on their lyrics. Genius. Those men are insanely talented and I adore them. Got to see them live on Sunday and about jumped out of my chair when they sang my favorite song on this album (today) : “Vision of You”. Shane + Shane + Mac Powell = can I sit on the row in front of you in Heaven? Thanks.

#2- David Crowder Band’s CD that came out today titled “Remedy”. Here’s the thing about his CDs. Unlike Passion CDs that have lots of different worship songs that we love, DCB offers worship songs that flow together; so if Passion CDs are your favorite TV shows, DCB is your favorite movie. Does that analogy make sense? I could go deeper with it, but I think you’ve got it. All that to say, it’s an experience with God, not just a CD of songs about God. Here’s DCB’s blog. Nice, huh? [dorky blog comment for my blogmies: I'd be interested to know why David Crowder chooses to have a xanga in the age of blogger and wordpress. Strange, huh?]

#3- “Cannons”- my man Phil Wickham’s CD. Now, I know it doesn’t come out until next Tuesday (Oct. 2), but I’m going ahead and giving you the heads up to save a few bucks this week in the budget to put towards PDub. It’s that good. I’ve listened to some, got a free one offline, etc. It rules. Here’s Phil’s blog, if you want to read up. I tend to have a higher love for folks if they blog well, and I think he does.

[I would give you a link to each CD specifically, but if you're anything like me, you like iTunes, and I don't know how to link iTunes. Sorry, yo. Not to mention none of these fellas are giving a girl a cut of the profit, so I really shouldn't advertise this much for free. But sue me. I love great music about Jesus. Gah.]

If you’re feeling especially rad, and you’re not busy on Friday, November 16, get a ticket or two and join Heather, Tatum, KTB, Jeanne, my cousin Jake, and I seeing Phil and David in concert at the Tabernacle. Let me know if we all want to get some din-din and carpool to the show. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. And don’t stress, I’m sure I’ll remind you as it gets closer. I’m pretty pumped. You may not want to stand with me at the show- ask Marie Claire, I make a fool of myself in the presence of Phil Wickham.

That’s bloggers + homies. Just so you know.

See, here in the metro area (ok, let’s be honest, here at RiverStone Church), we have a little blogosphere of our own. And tonight was the first installment of what I hope is many more to come- Blog2Face. Actually sitting down and having real life conversations with people that we FEEL like we really know, but probably don’t.

At least, I think that’s what happened. I was unable to attend due to tonsils (or lack thereof). So, this post is the typed version of a homage, or “pouring one out”, as we say on the streets, for my blogger friends from RiverStone.

Check them out:

- Brad: the strong, not-so-silent type. Wife and two kids. All cuter than he is. Spiritual example to many. Plays drums like a rock star. Probably my favorite Brad on the planet.

- Bill: Again, cute family. Smart writer. Good friend of many that I respect, though we have had minimal face time. (Hence Blog2Face). Soon to be good real life friend though, I’m sure.

- Heather: Don’t resist the urge to crush on her, fellas. I know you want to. Smart. Sophisticated. Professional. Ghetto.

- Tatum: The sister. Actually more humorous in the last 2 weeks than the first 26 years I’ve known her. Probably the meds.

- Matt: FUNNY. One of my favs. Really knows how to put a wheel on a burrito. And I mean that sincerely.

- KTB: Rare blogger, but don’t judge. She’s quite the lady. Organization and kindness. Those are her code names at the CIA.

- Sean: Cool older brother type. Artsy. Smart. Deep thinker. Loves the Lord and his family.

- Jesse: Fellow class of 98er. Good guy. Fun to be around. Makes great jokes. Believes in blog quality over blog quantity and I respect that.

There are others, but since they, along with myself, were not in attendance, I can not, with good conscience, pour one out for them. But next time we meet, and we WILL meet again, I will be there, so will Caroline, Aunt Jennie B, hopefully McDooj, and really anyone who feels the pull.

And this is my penance for missing Blog2Face. Put up an embarrassing picture.

So my most recent struggle, as I’ve mentioned, has been sleeping. And through some research last night I discovered that the main cause of the excruciating pain has been sleeping with my mouth open. So, in hopes of tonight being my first full night of sleep since September 13th :

Pam Downs to the rescue.

Save your applause ….. and laughter …. for the morning. I’ve got to get some sleep.

Here’s the best tip I can give you- have your children’s tonsils taken out right after they are born. I’m talking, when they take the baby off the scale and start to clean it (him/her) off, mention to the doctor that now might be a nice time to take out the tonsils. Because let’s be honest, babies are already freaking out about breathing air and swimming in the atmosphere instead of liquid- let’s go ahead and cut these puppies out and save them the grief. They will NEVER know the difference. Trust me- I used to be a baby and I don’t remember any of it.

I’m starting a national campaign- NTFB. No Tonsils For Babies. It’s gonna catch on like wildfire. Like scabs in the back of your throat- growing and growing but never leaving. Excellent.

I woke up last night about 3:3oam screaming crying. Pacing in pain. Gripping my throat. Unable to breathe. It was rad. I haven’t woken my Mom up in the middle of the night since I puked in high school, but last night I went old-school and woke her up. It was horrible. Worst night yet. Again, I salute the creator of medical narcotics.

Today, a friend of my mom’s called and has a house guest. Said house guest is about my age and had her tonsils out a month ago. She told me a lot of interesting things that her doctor said that MINE DIDN’T. Hmmm.… the perfect place to insert “Had you told me that yesterday, things might have been different”. We made some changes today, thanks to tonsil-less house guest, and scabs are already exiting at a quicker pace.

It’s been decided that I’m not going back to school until Thursday. I figure until I can sleep through the night without drugs, I can’t really be in control of my students’ futures. It’s just not right.

Finally, here is a list of things I have not done in 10 days (since pre-surgery):

1) Eaten a meal. No kidding. I’ve lived off of soup and gatorade. Mom forced me to eat 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes today. (A sentence I’m sure made my grandmother Kath roll over in her grave- none of her offspring are allowed to dislike mashed potatoes.)

2) Worn my contacts.

3) Drank Diet Coke. And I’m gonna try to stick to this one (we’ll see- the true test? Laredo’s.)

4) Worn shoes. Weird, but true.

5) Gone outside.

There are a few more, but some things are too impolite for a Southern lady to talk about, even for me.

Seriously, I’m sure that this will be awesome when I don’t have strep anymore. I’m not whining- just telling you the facts and trying to bring a smile to your face at the cost of my pain.

And I end tonight with this-
How bout them dawgs? It’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog.

As if y’all wanted another Tonsillectomy 07 update.

But I mean, really, what else do I have to write about? The travel between my bed, the bathroom, and the sofa? The amount of television I have managed to squeeze in to 7 days? The fact that I psychotically attempted to boycott my meds tonight ….. until the pain got to be too much? Yes, I know I’m tough. You don’t have to remind me.

As previously mentioned, Thursday was supposed to Scab Exit Day. Apparently, they like where they are at and they are refusing to budge. Not cool.

And when the doctor says “days 5-9 will probably be the worst”, that sounds a lot shorter than it feels. So I say on Day 7.

On the upside, I have never enjoyed being at my parents’ house more. Tatum made me laugh so hard tonight that I almost bust a scab. That’s rare. There has always been this part of me that cried when I left home- when I went back to college after Thanksgiving, or even just a weekend at home. I was always so sad to leave, even though I loved Athens. I thought that would change when I moved back to town. But now that I live in Marietta, sometimes I still cry just when I leave after eating dinner here. I think it’s because the older all of us have gotten, the better we’ve gotten at being family and friends and sisters and daughters and parents (and comedians, apparently). And it makes it one of the best places to be. It will be sad to leave ….. whenever those scabs leave.

But part of me wants to stay here; I know it’s mainly because I haven’t fixed a one thing for myself and my sweet mom has practically been my servant.

Next month, the adenoids are coming out, folks! Get ready Mama!!

(TOTALLY kidding)

AND…. Mom and I have a new favorite show. A kinder, gentler, more educational version of What Not To Wear. It’s on the Bravo Network. It’s called Tim Gunn’s Guide To Style. Check it out next time you lay on a couch for …. oh I don’t know …. 150 hours, give or take.

I salute you.

Who is the funniest Accountant in the South?

I think THIS GUY is.

Maybe I’m partial. But what this daughter knows, the world will know on October 25th at the 2007 Funniest Accountant in the South competition at the Roxy. Yeah, Daddy!!

Yes, I fully understand that this surgery was somewhat elective. I did not require this surgery to survive, but it was highly suggested by a medical professional in order to live life to the best of my ability. On the other hand, it was not cosmetic, by any means, so it’s somewhere in between.

Anyways, I say all that to say this- I was laying in bed last night, unable to sleep thanks to the throbbing throat, and I started trying to think of things. Remember, I like lists. So I decided to think of things that I am grateful for. Pain will make you really appreciate the good things in life. Or at least help one to put in perspective that which is not so good.

Those of you who have been around the blo-ock (blog block- tough to combine) know that I usually save the grateful list until Thanksgiving, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Ok, on to today’s list.

I’m very thankful for:

1) My parents. They have gone above and beyond to help me feel comfortable. I imagined last night what it would be like to not have a family to take care of you post-surgery and well, it made me nauseous.

2) Living in the same city as my family. I’ve tried living 100 miles from them and it just didn’t work out in the long run. And I’m glad.

3) My job. Because not too many jobs get a week off in fall.

4) My insurance plan. There are a lot of people on earth who suffer through pain MUCH worse than this and are unable to financially take care of the pain. As much as I can complain about my job, they have set us up with a good program. I’m completely uneducated on health insurance, so I have nothing political to say now; I’m just saying that my plan worked for me.

5) My friends. So many people have sent such quality prizes over, such as jello, movies, stool softener- you know, all the components of a big party. Plus many emails, text messages, and blog comments wishing my quick recovery. And I realized again how lucky I am to have such loving friends.

6) A bed. I know, shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But at 3am, when you’re doing the best you can to ignore pain, the fact that you have a comfortable bed is worthy of thanks. This whole thing would be much worse if I wasn’t able to sleep in a bed.

7) Frosties from Wendy’s. They’re just good. Chocolate and vanilla.

Magic wand- the kitchen version. It has turned many a chunky items into smooth Annie-acceptable meals.

9) My voice. Somewhat alieny, but mostly the same. The good doctor said that my vocal cords were a little swollen but nothing worth removing for a biopsy. So the concern about my voice seems to be unnecessary. In fact, the only reason the alien situation exists is because it hurts to talk so I keep my jaw clinched most of the time.

10) Seasons of my fav TV shows on DVD. Whoever came up with that idea- genius. Tonight I begin one of Haley’s staple shows, Alias.

Umm….well, I wish I could list some more, but that’s all I’ve got now. Today has been the most painful, though my uvula is normal sized so I can breathe again. Mom talked to the doctor today and the worst day is supposedly still to come- Thursday. Joy. There’s nothing like thinking it’s the worst then finding out you are 3 days from the worst. Fantastic. Just keep praying, please.

Ah…. another warm cup of chicken broth. Thank you, Mama.

Until next time…… be grateful.

It’s worse without. Starting right now, I’m not going to correct my typing at all so you can see the drugs at work.

The worst part of this entire event is that my uvula, the dangly thing in the back of yout rhroat, is swollen so much that i feel like i’m choaking. Wish I would have known that was coming.

I’m watcing the British office. It’s funny/dirty. I like the American one better.

I have had 2 bowls of ice cream, 1 jello, and tea and water. In 48 ours. I wish there was somethign specific I wante dto fast for, because I wold definiltey get it.

The typing is getting worsy. You’re probably laughing harder. I’m going to go lay down again. I’ll take some photos of my throat for you soon. You’ll love it. So sick.