Ummm . . .. hello?

You ever just have a series of days during which you're in a pissy mood? Hmmm . . . . . . I'm there. All the positive-thinking people are going to tell me that giving will get me out of this mood, but so far what works is loud music and running around a tiny track for half an hour.



Anyway, some recent gives . . . . .



1. Picked up "the biggest, most giant-sized diet Coke possible" for my team teacher before our second set of conferences last Thursday. I was the scout who… Continue

My husband is the band director at our public high school in town. Our school has a history of doing very well with marching band, and my husband is expected by damn near everybody to uphold this sainted tradition. Let's just say that marching season (August - October, for you marching band virgins) is extremely tense in our house. Saturdays in October are when the band goes to competitions to be judged on their street marching and field show. These are extremely tense -- like if the band… Continue

Today we have parent-teacher conferences after school from 4:30 - 8:30 p.m. Essentially, I will work a 13-hour day after working a 14-hour day on Tuesday. Not whining -- just explaining! So my give for today was making a convenience store run and supplying my team teacher with diet Coke and breath mints (wouldn't do to make parents pass out from bad breath, now would it?). Of course, while I was gone she was making copies for her part of next week's plans, which any teacher will tell you is… Continue

I have an issue with fears -- I like to share them publicly. Apparently I believe that sharing a fear dilutes it; sort of like spreading pizza toppings dilutes the topping/cheese/crust ratio on a pizza. (Sorry -- it's 8:28 p.m. and I haven't had supper.) So today after school was my debut performance as a lines judge for a middle school volleyball game. No big deal, right? Ha -- many of my bad memories from junior high and high school include a gymnasium in which I'm being forced to play… Continue

I'm adding a give for today. Since I was the one who was in my room after school, I ended up with everybody else's "10th period" kids. That's a nice way to say detention (usually, not always). One kid had to stay til 4:00 p.m. and gave me a sad story about having to catch the last bus to the after-school program at the police station cause his parents work til 5:30 p.m . and he lives WAY over on my side of town (about 3-4 miles). I'm a sucker -- it's true. I know my kids get picked up by… Continue