It's A November Thing...

You're probably wondering if I ever actually go to work.  I can understand that.  I've been wondering myself a bit lately...

But that is just the way November works in my world.  There's a lot of stuff that goes on and some of it closes schools.  I don't make the rules.  I just play by them and stay home when I'm told to.  

This week's break in the routine comes to me courtesy of Veteran's Day.  I realize that I just had a day off a week ago for the elections and all, but this one is an actual holiday.  It's marked on the calendar and everything!  I didn't make it up!  

If it makes you feel any better, I set the alarm to go off as usual.  If I've learned nothing over the past two decades in education it is that a day off in the middle of the week is a very tricky thing.  The body thinks that it is the weekend.  It will automatically program itself to sleep in the next day.  Then the children don't get educated and that is a bad thing.  I rolled out of bed at the normal ungodly hour.

That left me with a great deal of holiday ahead.  There was time for a second and third cup of coffee.  I didn't have to eat breakfast in the car like I do on most Tuesdays.  There was plenty of time to venture out and run a couple of errands.  The printer that has been going out of its way to confound me for days now is finally tethered to a cable and submitting to my will.  I even got to see firsthand what the cats do all day when I am out earning a living three or four days a week.

In case you are wondering about that, their activities fall into three categories:

1.  Eating

2.  Napping

3.  Annoying one another

That last one seems to take up much of the morning.  I leave for work pretty early and I guess I just assumed that they went back to bed like any sane being might do.  

No.  

They bicker.  Who knew?  I should also probably note that cavorting, bickering kitties do not make the process of showing a printer who is boss any easier.  In fact, they make most of the morning's activities rather challenging.

They do eventually settle down for the napping portion of the day's schedule, though.  I suppose it might have made more sense for me to try and complete the challenging chores once they'd reached this stage.  I guess I'll have to make a note of that for the next day off.

The Big, Fluffy Kitty retired to the couch.

The Absurdly Gi-normous Kitty performed his world-famous shrimp impression from the recliner.

And Mommy, having exhausted herself with all the early rising, errand running and printer taming, took up the six inches of sofa space allotted to her and finished reading New Moon.  She also performed some poorly thought out (and yet somehow aesthetically pleasing...go figure) stuff to the "dishcloth."

 It is still a "dishcloth."  Trust me.  It's better if we just continue to think of it that way.  

And yes.  Those are paperclips holding the stitches at the underarms.  (because dishcloths can have underarms if I say they can...)  I did that part while I was at school during the first night of Parent/Teacher Conferences.  I was working with what I had.  This required that I be innovative.  The average classroom doesn't have stitch holders or anything.  And the average Sheepie doesn't always remember to bring them along for late night knitting.

Yup.  November is a tough month what with all the breaks in the schedule.  But we make do.  Tomorrow, I will head back to school and try to pick up where I left off.  One of my Teaching Assistants is out following surgery for the remainder of the week and the other will be out on Friday for a training.  Then, as if that wasn't enough, I am being told that I will have to work for five days in a row next week!  That's just crazy!  Who do they think I am?  Super Woman?

I tellya, if the week after that wasn't Thanksgiving Break, I'd be calling my union rep...

SA