I never could have hacked it at Woodstock

Yesterday, Brian and I went to "Rock the Bells," an all day hip hop music festival. Gates opened at 11am and music started at noon, but we didn't show until about 3pm. From 3pm until 11pm we sat, walked, danced, ate and people-watched. In those 8 hours we saw: Rakim; Ghostface & Raekwon; De La Soul; Method Man and Redman; The Pharcyde; Mos Def; Nas; and Tribe Called Quest. Plus some short bits by Wale and Jay Electronica, who had both performed earlier in the day. It was an amazing show and I was so grateful to be there, but as Brian said, "it is a show to endure."

So anxious

T-minus two days until we leave for our whirlwind trip to the Midwest! I have been working so hard not to think about this trip that now that it is almost here I am nearly bursting with excitement. Today I set aside my outfits for the trip and tomorrow I'll get a pedicure and we'll pack. And then we leave! Can't wait to be home. Can't wait to relax with my family. Can't wait to see my friends. Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait!

Not nearly as fun as you'd think

I have now been on vacation for two full days and some hours and it is really not as fun as one might think. I spent Monday cleaning the house, doing laundry and making dinner. Tuesday I slept a lot, laid by the pool for an hour, watched tv, ran some errands and made blueberry cobbler. So far this morning, I have gone for a walk, watched tv, done my stretches and had breakfast. Now I'm waiting for the pool to open so I can spend some time there before a shower, lunch and an appointment to get my hair dyed. Brian has softball tonight which means I have loads of alone time and I am already bored out of my mind. I needed this break, no doubt about it, but I wish I had more teacher friends that I could hang out with in the summertime.

Welcome to vacation!

The 2007-2008 school year finally ended today and there were four things that made it a great end to a less than stellar year.

1. I co-chaperoned a trip to the University of Maryland for the 28 boys at orientation this week. It was hot and a lot of walking, so there was plenty of whining, but the boys also had a lot of fun and were legitimately excited about seeing the campus. Awesome. And a good reminder of why it is we do what we do for kids every day.
   
2. When I got home early from work, Brian was also home early (waiting for the cable man to come fix our internet). Not that we did anything more than watch some tennis and some cooking shows before we left for the night, but it's somehow more fun when you have unexpected time together.
   
3. I met my good friends Emily and Colleen for a three hour "happy hour" tonight which involved some beer, some pizza and a lot of conversation.
   
4. When leaving the bar, we walked past the new restaurant opening on Penn. It is being opened by Spike, one of the contestants on Top Chef: Chicago. He was clearly inside doing prep work and when he saw us peering through the windows, he came out and invited us in for a tour. It looks like a good space and they will serve burgers, fries, milkshakes and beer. Didn't need to say a lot more to convince Colleen, Emily and I. Plus...we got to meet him! And chat with him about food! In his restaurant! With no one else around! Pretty cool.
   

Yes, I'm a geek. It's fine. Bring on four weeks of rest, relaxation and travel!

And the "Slightly inappropriate question" award goes to...

K. for asking me how I got such big calf muscles in the middle of a class discussion on types of government. Ian nearly choked on his water while I simply moved us along. It is, after all, a question I get asked at least once a year.

Midweek review

Sorry that the last post was so cranky. It was just one of those mornings where too many dark clouds gather over your head at the same time and I had to vent to someone.

Orientation week is more than halfway finished and I'm in a much better place these days. The co-teaching thing has found its rhythm and the boys I'm working with this week are, as always, completely lovable. Today I was wearing a mostly blue dress and one of my students (who rarely initiates conversation) said, "Your eyes! They're beautiful!" Flattery gets you everywhere with me, it seems. Anyway, it's hard to square the image of these children with the image of the crazies I said good-bye to just a few weeks ago. Still, here we are. And it will be just the same next year.

Just not feelin' it

Summer orientation starts in 30 minutes and I'm in a foul mood. Here's why:

1. I got here at 7:30am to prepare. Turns out this year we're starting at 9am instead of 8am. No one to be mad at about that except myself. Read carefully, eh?
2. Since I had a bunch of extra time, I decided to make copies. Only all of the printers are out of ink so that's challenging. Okay, so I can at least copy the already-printed sheets. Nope. All the copiers got programmed with new codes that none of us know. Awesome. Good planning, everyone.
3. I have to co-teach. I like the person I am working with, but I really dislike co-teaching. I want to be responsible for my own classroom, I don't want to have to share and I want the materials to look the way I made them. For example, he printed out the homework assignments before we left last week, which is good and nice, but he didn't fix the margins so that it prints on one page and stuff like that gets to me. Also, he wants to spend the first 10 minutes of class going over social skills and expectations, but with 45 minute classes, I really just want to get to work. VERY different styles in the same room should be fun.

I really need to get over myself. I'm just so cranky and over it and nothing's even started yet. ::sigh:: Happy Monday, all.