Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Uh-Oh!

I have a problem here.  Things have taken a rather ugly turn and I fear that I shall not come out of it well.  

No, no.  It's not what you think.  Sure, getting a phone call from the school secretary last night telling me that there would be no sub in my classroom tomorrow whilst I sit at home and wait for the Hot Water Heater Inspector Guy was a bit of a shock.  But there really wasn't much I could do about it.  And the Cheerful Teaching Assistant is pretty resourceful when push comes to shove.  Of course, I was a bit put out by the fact that I'd made any number of arrangements before I left to ensure that the classroom would be well-covered in my absence and that it all had fallen apart without my knowledge or input.  But it's not like I could flake out on something so important as my hot water heater inspection.  They were all just going to have to make do.

And it isn't that there was a problem with the hot water heater inspection either.  That, in fact, went quite well.  Apparently I passed with flying colors.  The Hot Water Heater Inspector Guy was quite impressed with the craftsmanship of my hot water heater and its overall hotness.  Or, as he put it:  It ain't one 'o them cheapies like you git down t' the Home Depot or nuthin'. "  It is a fairly new piece of hot water heating technology and chosen by Daddy Sheep for my hot water heating needs.  As I had taken the initiative to replace it myself rather than wait for some inspector to come around and tell me that I had to, I'd no doubts about my ability to pass this inspection.  But a girl still likes to hear it when her hot water heater is something which can turn heads.  

The heat and humidity made the knitting pretty much impossible.  But that wasn't really the problem either.  Heat and humidity happen sometimes.  I simply put on the fans, wore some cute little sandals and sipped can after can of nice, cold Mountain Dew all day.  It was really rather nice to not be at school in this kind of weather.  I relaxed with a little TV and a book...most delightful.

We are getting a little closer to the problem.  It is right around the corner now...

But it's not that I blew off the dieting for today and that I have opted to take the week off from workouts.  I do that every so often.  It is good for a body to take a rest from the routine every now and again.  It helps with the motivation if you can remember that it is just a short break.  I'll get back on track next week.  

Boy, we sure are in range now.  The problem is staring us all right in the face.  I guess I can no longer avoid it...

My brain, my body, my sense of time and space, my whole entire being is telling me lies.  Great big, huge gi-normous lies.  And tomorrow, those lies will smack me hard in the face.  They will do so at a very early hour.  

Today, my internal clocks all said, "summer vacation."  Being able to rise a bit later this morning, a day spent lolling about in the steamy heat, the nap I took after the Hot Water Heater Inspector Guy shook my hand in thanks for all my hot water heater diligence as he was taking his leave...all were indications that I was on summer vacation.  

This is a lie.  A big one.  I have 14.5 school days left.  14.5 days through which I must toil.  14.5 days with children who no longer wish to be in my presence, much less hear my words of wisdom.  14.5 days with a Cheerful Teaching Assistant who was left all alone today and is probably going to mess with my salads when I am not looking as a way of saying, "thanks for that, Ms. Sheep."  14.5 days.  It is not summer vacation.  But my mind is soooo already there now.

And that is going to be something of a problem...

SA

17 comments:

sheep#100 said...

Ah, I do see the problem.

I don't see a solution, but I do see the problem.

Oh, wait, I see the solution now: no, I don't. I was just hoping for some inspiration to get you through the next 14.5 school days... :o(

Brandie said...

That is a big problem to have.

Hopefully the next 14.5 days will fly by and then summer vacation will be here soon enough.

Or just come to Chicago ... we've had maybe 2 days where the weather was actually summerish. Right now, I'm not even sure if it is 50 degrees. This weather is making me feel like winter is right around the corner. Blech.

Knitting Linguist said...

Oh yes. That is a problem. A big, stinkin' 14.5 day long problem. I have the same problem every single semester. If you find a solution, do please let me know?

Mel said...

Well, look at it this way. At least it's not a 15 day problem or, heaven forfend, a 30 day problem. I trust that you have the fortitude to make it through, soldier on and whatnot.

Anonymous said...

Of course it's not Summer vacation yet, if it were, there would have been a Sheep at Chicks with Sticks tonight.

I'm thinking maybe you need to bring something different for lunch for a few days, perhaps something in a tamper resistant container, just until the CTA forgets what you have done to her.

Kath said...

I could be wrong, but I don't think Cheerful Teaching Assistant is going to be so cheerful tomorrow! You may want to try bringing her whatever the Cheerful Teaching Assistant considers a "Greenie".

And I envy your hot water tank. I (or should I say we?) have the el cheapo Home Depot kind. "We" because it's shared with the apartment downstairs. Yes, two apartments, one hot water heater. Big fun.

catsmum said...

but just consider - if you were HERE it would be seven MONTHS until summer holidays [ which is aussie for vacation ]
we doo have school hols well before that just not those all-important summer ones.

The Kelly Green Rogue said...

oooh I am SO jealous of your summer vacation, even if it is 14.5 days away.

Cursing Mama said...

You are not alone in your problems, my son has been thinking it's summer break for more than a month. His mother, by the way, is not amused by the surprising lack of homework being turned in. Lucky me, we have only 5.5 days remaining of yelling about homework.

Anonymous said...

14.5 days is totally doable. You will survive. Think of the months off. That will get you through...

Anne P said...

Uh oh - Short-timer's disease. 14.5 days worth of incubation, and then you should be cured!

Donna Lee said...

It was a taste of summer yesterday. The first hot and humid day. We weren't sure what to do with ourselves (well, except for the sitting still part). And Congrats on your hot water heating acuity! Those kind of skills cannot be over valued.

Alwen said...

I'm pretty sure it can't be summer, not with the frost on the windshield this morning an' all.

But my son claims he has 8 days of school left. How can that be?

The calendar and the weather are disagreeing on me!

Yarnhog said...

That could be a problem.

It may not be summer vacation yet, but you couldn't tell from what my kids are doing at school. One is going to a water park, one is going to the Wild Animal Park. Neither has any homework anymore, and I'm beginning to suspect all the PE is just an excuse for the teachers to hide out in the lounge and sip Mountain Dew. (Just kidding. I love my kids' teachers and school. But the learning seems to be a bit thin on the ground this time of year.)

sophanne said...

Oh yes, Oh yes, Oh yes. You will get no argument or jealousy of your summer vacation from me. I'm with ya sistah. (except instead of 14.5, I have only 7.5) Sometimes right about now I pretend that I have an entire 9 weeks left just to make it seem to move a little quicker.

Teach them to knit- I brought my wheel to school today and talked about spinning- I was SO MUCH more relaxed with fiber in my hands and at least they were learning something. I have to steer clear of the mountain dew- they would be learning stuff really really really fast then.

Your ppost made me laugh on my planning period.

Mia said...

But at least you can enjoy nice hot baths while you count!

Sometimes a hot bubble bath and nice glas of somethin' does wonders :)

Lorraine said...

I am so with you on the "Isn't it summer yet?" situation. I keep trying to let the kids do half of their school work so it will seem more like summer and the ol' DH (aka The Principal) keeps reeling them back to full time school. Gah!