Tuesday, November 11, 2008

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

17 comments:

Teri S. said...

Wow...two consecutive Tuesdays off! I'm very jealous. My company does not recognize all federal holidays, so I was obliged to come to work. And sit in meetings all day. Without knitting. The dishcloth looks wonderful. Inquiring minds want to know though...is that an adult-sized dishcloth or a child-sized dishcloth?

Anonymous said...

The paperclips made me laugh. Very smart.

sheep#100 said...

Number Guy was off today. We learned of this fact late yesterday. It was good. But you stopped by earlier to see that.

We liked the Nordic motifs on the dishcloth. Very pretty. And the cleverness of the paperclips to hold the stitches while you knitted on that portion of the ::wink, wink:: dishcloth - impressive.

Oh, and another thing. One of the local private high schools used to have a rather interesting view of dealing with the concept of the 180 day school year. Sort of went like this:

"The basketball team won last night at the semi-finbals. We'll have a half-day tomorrow."

Or,

"The wrestling team made it to the state championships. We'll have a three day weekend."

A co-worker's son went there. When he had a full five day school week, he whimpered. Loudly.

Just sayin'

Anonymous said...

WOW....I know what you mean. I will have to go to work again on Monday. I don't know if they even remember who I am.....after being gone for 2 1/2 weeks.

Just so that you know the weather in FL has been really, really bad. Wake up open the curtains and there is SUNSHINE. Go to bed, wake up, oh and look....SUNSHINE AGAIN. I can't stand it. I think the truck has forgotten it's way home. lol

See ya soon.
love your favorite sister-in-law
Linda

Kath said...

Although to a non-cat owner it will sound ridiculous, since I am home almost every day I have learned to tailor my daily routine to the cats. Housecleaning & other such chores in the morning while everyone is still feeling frisky, serious study time in the afternoon while felines nap sweetly. Weird but it works!

Jeanne said...

One of the reasons a University teaching position seems so appealing to me, after watching my Dad do it for 20-odd years, is that they seem to get a lot of days off, and they get "vacations" in between semesters. Teaching below that level adds new days off, like every holiday under the sun plus summers.

After four years of trying to be a graphic designer, it made the thought of 20+ years of 5 days per week, 50 weeks per year, with a week or so off for vacation and the concept of "holidays? What holidays?" seem unbearable. I was glad to be let go.

Now if I can only get financial aid once again...

You are quite the dishcloth knitter, my friend! Very cute.

Anonymous said...

All the days off are the only thing that makes November bearable!

The AGK does a great impression of a jumbo shrimp :)

Mia said...

Hey Sheepie.. nice dishcloth!!

Donna Lee said...

That was my favorite part of teaching, November! When I was in hight school, we used to get the Jewish holidays in September off (Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur). It felt like we were hardly in school until January rolled around and then it was torture to go five whole days week after week.

Beth said...

Yes, November sounds like a tough month. :) I thought maybe you would nap when the kitties did.

Anne P said...

How do people without kitty helpers get anything at all done at home?!?

Anonymous said...

Lovely dishcloth with underarms.
November is only tolerated because of the many holidays and the leftover Halloween candy.

Anonymous said...

I have to say, that is one of the prettiest dishcloths I have seen in a while!

Lazuli said...

I completely forgot about yesterday's holiday... until I walked into the post office and saw it was dark in there and said, "Oh!." Only then did I remember the DH saying something that morning about a federal holiday (which didn't give either of us a day off). I hope you enjoyed your day!

Cursing Mama said...

We are not so blessed with the days off in the Widget Factory - I tried to make a case for tomorrow to be a paid holiday but wasn't able to convince those who sign the payroll checks. Maybe next year.

debsnm said...

I've been so obsessed with the whole Twilight saga that everything except the knitting has been suffering. And even that has suffered some. So, tell! How did you like the books? Are you completely obsessed? Waiting anxiously for the movie? Absorbing all things Twilight?? I'm dying to know!

Annie said...

That dishcloth is soooo cute!