Wednesday, June 15, 2011

WNBP: Soldiering On

Back when I first started teaching, we would sometimes joke about school years that lasted longer than others.  "At this rate," we'd say, "we'll be going until July!"  Then we'd laugh and laugh because that was such a silly thing to even consider.

This year, when you factor in the extra student time, the snow days and the mandatory trainings, I will literally be going to school until July.  This is just my little reminder that you shouldn't joke about stuff that isn't really funny unless you enjoy a firm and painful smackdown.

I am just going to stop thinking about it and do the Wednesday Night Bullet Post.  I honestly can't think of anything else to do at this point.

*Last night was cold.  Crazy, not summery at all cold!


*How do I know this?


*Well, first of all...I was cold.


*And I was wearing wool socks to bed.  


*And I had the electric blanket on.


*And the Absurdly Gi-normous Kitty was snuggled up to me in bed instead of keeping to his own side.


*And sometime around midnight a gigantic, furry cannon ball landed on the bed, causing both of us to panic and make garbled choking sounds.


*It wasn't a cannon ball.  It was actually the Very Complicated Kitty coming in for a landing and demanding snuggle space.


*He never sleeps in the bed but, last night, he was there for the duration.  He is a whole lotta feline.


*I woke up contorted around cats and with far less bed space than I think I deserve.


*It is warmer today so I'm assuming I will be back to the One Cat Sleeping Program again.


*My Other Favorite Librarian had to come to the room today to deliver an overdue slip.


*Not for a kid.  For the Cheerful Teaching Assistant.


*At that moment, I revealed my inner Library Nerd before I could stop myself.


*I do not have overdue library books.  My books come back in a timely fashion or with a heartfelt apology should they be late.  The library is for all of us and we are darned lucky to have it.  We should regard it as a privilege, not some sort of God-given right!!!


*The school librarian loves me.


*But even she acknowledges that I'm a little bit geeky.


*Speaking of books, I'm still powering through the Kitty Norville series with great gusto.


*Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand (Kitty Norville, Book 5)...done!


*Kitty Raises Hell (Kitty Norville, Book 6)...done!


*Kitty's House of Horrors (Kitty Norville, Book 7)...not done.  But close.


*These are quick reads and the character seems to be getting a bit better developed as I go along.  


*Plus they are great time killers while I wait out some of the books the publishers keep promising they will deliver.


*Kitty Goes to War (Kitty Norville, Book 8) is up next.


*Unless I get sidetracked by Dark War: A Matt Richter Novel (Matt Richter Novels).


*Good old fashioned dark humor and might be a nice distraction from the werewolf drama for a while.


*Can't help but think of summer reading at this point, but I hate to let myself start dreaming about that.


*Still have a ways to go.


*Best line of the week thus far comes to you courtesy of Mr. Assistant Principal.  One can assume he is as done with his staff as we are with the school year.  I don't think this little slice of my day requires any further explanation:

"I am hanging up now."

*I don't blame him.  I'd hang up on me, too, if I were the boss of me.  I'd probably never even take my call in the first place.


*Second best line of the day, also courtesy of Mr. Assistant Principal:

"I am TOO paying attention!  I am looking right AT you!"

*He was not looking right at me.  He was looking right through me to Mr. Principal who he wanted to join him in signing promotion certificates so he could finally leave the school and not have to pretend to pay attention to needy teachers such as myself.


*I do not think I was wrong to point that out but others may have differing opinions.


*This is a very long school year...


We are all just doing what we have to do to get by, I guess.  Apparently, I've chosen to do this by becoming the Commander In Chief Of The Righteous Library Brigade and annoying the man who could get me fired with just a few well-chosen words.  I'm not sure how this is working as a coping strategy, but I can't really think of anything else.  It will have to do.

And rest assured, I will never joke about going to school until August...

SA

6 comments:

sheep#100 said...

It got really cold here over the weekend and into yesterday, too! Today was much more seasonally appropriate: mid 80s.

Number guy says you have great job security: they wouldn't be able to secure a replacement for you... at any price!

Anonymous said...

My husband sleeps in a queen-size bed. I sleep in a twin bed right next to it. Guess in which bed the two cats and the dog prefer to spend the night?

Donna Lee said...

Our school administration used to remind us that we were under contract until June 30 and they could keep us until that day if they chose. They wisely chose not to do that.

It's only a few more days. You can do it. Then 8 weeks of peace and quiet (or what passes for peace and quiet when you have two enoumous kitties)

Elaine said...

Have you read Open Window; Truth From the Shadows by Courtney Harvey? Debut novel, teen paranormal stuff (and a bunch of teen angst) but well done.

Anonymous said...

I must recommend "Hounded" and "Hexed" (and soon "Hammered") by Kevin Hearne. Werewolves, vampires, witches, thousand-year-old druid. Running, jumping, saving the world .... Funny as all get-out, too.

Gwyndolyn O'Shaughnessy (rav)

Julia G said...

Hang in there! We only have one more (half) day to go for the middle school, and two (half) days for the high school (because they got an extra day off this spring when the pipes burst in a hallway ceiling - yes, it's been that kind of year). Both days should be a picnic - literally. Hope yours are a picnic too!