Miscellaneous Missives

Forget the "out like a lion" thing. Today is more of a chameleon. On the way home I was going to stop at Yum! and get a container of their marvelous mac and cheese. Since the hail was pinging off my car, I decided to drive into my garage instead of a parking lot. At this point I realized I had to prepare my own meal. This may not seem like a problem to most people, but I have little food in the house and really, really, really wanted mac and cheese from Yum! As I began boiling water for pasta I noticed the hail was gone and a hint of sun was shining in my window taunting me. Maybe I'll sit around and watch to see what changes the chameleon has in store for the remainder of the evening.

I recently heard a song with the following lyrics: "Ooh child things are gonna get easier; Ooh child things'll get brighter." Already I believe this to be true since Spring Break will start Friday morning as I fly to Phoenix. This is a much needed vacation since I have had something going on 21 of the 31 days in March. This does not count after school meetings. Often I overextend myself, but March has been insane. Not only do I look forward to the sun and relaxing with friends in Phoenix, but I also look forward to returning to spring. Spring, not merely the day on the calendar... sun, green grass, flowers and trees blooming... spring. Things'll get easier once spring arrives.

I was trying to decide if I thought this was offensive. It's an e-mail I received this morning. Perhaps it's a bit offensive, but it is funny! It was the first day of a school in USA and a new Indian student named Chandrasekhar Subramanian entered the fourth grade. The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American History. Who said 'Give me Liberty or give me Death'?" She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Chandrasekhar, who had his hand up: 'Patrick Henry, 1775' he said. 'Very good!' Who said 'Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth?' Again, no response except from Chandrasekhar. 'Abraham Lincoln, 1863' said Chandrasekhar. The teacher snapped at the class, 'Class, you should be ashamed. Chandrasekhar, who is new to our country, knows more about its history than you do.' She heard a loud whisper: 'Fuck the Indians,' 'Who said that?' she dema...

Today I realized that's it's not a magical life after all. Two events helped form my conclusion. First early this morning I tried on all seven of my swimsuits to see if I would need to purchase one for my Phoenix trip. Although I do not need to buy a new suit, it was not a magical event. In reality I knew that I would be flabby in my suits. I wasn't really expecting a toned body since the gym hasn't been part of my routine since July. The second event was when I brought the grill up from the garage to put on the deck. It seems all the yuck at the bottom of the grill didn't evaporate in the garage merely because it wasn't being used. Both events were not shocking to me, but I would love to live a magical life.

Spring is a disappointment. If April showers bring May flowers, what the hell do April snow flurries bring? Tonight my appointment and meeting were both canceled, so I actually have a free night. I think this is one free night between now and spring break. Instead of being productive and completing tasks around the house, I am geeking on my computer and feeling sorry for myself since it did not get above freezing today. Although my energy is mainly focused on feeling sorry for myself, I took the time to check the forecast for my short (four day) spring break destination. If I shared it, it would take away from the intensity of my feeling sorry for myself. Sharing my disappointment is my only option.

Although I admittedly spend too much time on Facebook playing Scrabble and chatting with friends, I am overwhelmed with too many things. I am going to Phoenix April 3rd and tried to explain to a friend I'm meeting there that I was concerned that I wouldn't find time to tan before I left which would mean less sun time in Phoenix. It's really hard to explain how a fifteen minute tanning appointment doesn't fit the chaos. At least my new tanning place doesn't schedule appointments, so one can walk in. They also keep my lotion and goggles, so I can "pop in" at any time. To this convenience I've also saved some time by reciting the rosary prayers as I am tanning. Multi-tasking seems to be the only way to survive when "every minute counts." Did I mention I'm posting and chatting with a friend online?

My introduction today included asking the students, "What's the difference between prose and poetry?" I asked students to write their ideas in their composition notebook. "If you don't know the answer, guess. Write something," I instructed. Most students had a good idea about poetry but were confused about prose. My favorite answer of the day made me chuckle. "Prose can hit homeruns." Ahh, nice! Of course I took the time to explain that the pros he was talking about was pro, short for professional.