WNBP: Incoming

Even if I didn't  have access to multiple forms of regularly updated information via television, newspapers and the internet, I'd still know there was a storm a-coming.  No, I'm not psychic, nor do I have sophisticated radar equipment hidden away in a closet secretly monitoring the airwaves for hints of precipitation.

What I do have, however, is a sinus cavity that has developed an intense dislike of pressure change and a classroom full of students so attuned to nature that the slightest disturbance in the force is enough to set off giddy outbursts and the sudden need to debate who was looking at whom and why I should punish him for that.

Did I also mention that it is the week before school vacation?  And that school is closed on Friday so teachers can make up the workshop day we missed due to inclement weather back in January? Or that kids who are anticipating two extra days of vacation are not remotely interested in learning stuff?  Oh, and you should also factor in that the school's Civil Rights Team is sponsoring Be Yourself Week so everyone was observing Wild 'n Wacky Hat 'n Hair Wednesday.  It's been a long day...

It is, however, the tail end of that day and, as it also happens to be a Wednesday. I suppose it might be a good time to update the blogosphere with the latest and greatest bullet points detailing the life and times of Good Ol' Sheepie.

*Tomorrow is Thursday.  That is the day when grades 6-12 begin school two hours later in order to accommodate staff development needs without closing school for a month.

*Grades K-5 don't have weekly late start days.  They have monthly early release days.  Tomorrow is one of those.

*The incoming storm, which is predicted to either be a regular sort of storm for this area or Armageddon depending upon its track and who you listen to, is scheduled to land sometime late in the morning.

*It's the kind of storm that is generally managed through a half day of school.  That is the sensible course of action as the kids get home before things go to heck in a hand basket and we don't have to make the day up.

*The last time our superintendent attempted to do this on a day when we had varying start/end times for all the schools doing staff development was a disaster.  Over half the school employees ended up at work two hours too early with nothing to do because they can't legally make us work if school isn't officially open.  

*Kids were dropped off at varying times, none of which had anything to do with our actual schedule that day because parents didn't know it was a partial snow day.

*Like I said...disaster.

*Today, we got the email at 2:00.  Mr. Superintendent wasn't even going to bother trying.  School is cancelled for tomorrow.  You could almost hear the frustrated sigh in that email.

*It probably sounded a lot like the one Mr. Principal issued as he attempted to conduct a staff meeting at 2:30 this afternoon amidst the giddy chatter, sharing of snow day plans and waving of wacky hats.

*That was the shortest staff meeting I've ever been to.

*It was the one we were having to make up for the one we missed last week due to a snow day which is kind of ironic when you think about it...

*There's a cute little discount store chain that just decided to hawk their wares in my town, but I don't think many people have figured out it's there yet.  Mostly, I think the Family Dollar Store is biding its time until the summer folk show up to purchase cheap flip flops and sunscreen.

*But they do happen to have a full (ish)grocery section and it's the kind of place where a girl can get frozen pizza, chocolate and yoga pants all within a three aisle radius.

*Hint:  Frozen pizza, chocolate and yoga pants = my version of preparedness.

*It's my Storm Prep secret.  I can stock up on supplies without fighting the mobs of people frantically grabbing up loaves of bread at the supermarket.

*They also have cat food.  The kind that the cats don't normally get to eat and which they love simply because the vet says they should be eating more wholesome fare.

*Not that it matters...

*My recent plan for combating the Absurdly Gi-normous Kitty's aggressive attempts to get any foodstuffs I might be preparing was to allow him sink access.

*If it's in the sink, it's his.  All I have to do is put a sauce covered spoon in there and I'm all set.  He spends ten minutes chasing it around the drain licking up every drop and I get to ladle the rest onto my plate in peace.

*The first flaw I discovered in this plan was pasta.  Pasta is kind of a loophole.  It's in the sink.  It needs to drain.

*But it isn't his pasta.  It's my pasta.  And that is hard to explain to a cat.

*The second issue (and one that surprised me even though it probably shouldn't have come as a shock) is the Monkey See/Monkey Do syndrome.

*The Very Complicated Kitty, normally a timid lad who doesn't get up on the counter for fear of incurring my wrath, soon realized that good things were happening in the sink.  

*Now I have to put two spoons in there in order to accommodate both furry diners and the pasta situation has gotten completely out of hand.

*Although, I have to admit that not needing to soak and scrub the casserole dishes has been rather nice.  You'd be surprised at how clean those things are after a few minutes in the sink without running water.  Nary a baked on, stuck on, burnt on bit in sight!

*Still, it does beg the question:  does it really matter at this point if the cats are getting the healthy canned food from the pet store?  I mean, seriously.  Baked ziti with three kinds of cheese is probably going to overwhelm any health benefits in those cans...

*It hasn't affected their energy level much, though.  The minute they sense kitchen activity, they rocket in and hurl themselves into the sink like little furry bullets.  

*They don't even shout a warning, which seems a bit inconsiderate.  I mean how much time would it take to shout out a helpful, "Banzai!"  Or "Fore!"  Or, "Comin' atcha!"

*Even the snow storm has the common courtesy to let us know it's on its way.  Incoming cats don't seem to set off my sinuses nor do I hear the dulcet tones of bickering children before getting slammed aside in order that a spatula might be investigated. 


Well, it seems I inadvertently left a bag of cotton balls on the counter.  (I also picked up cotton balls at the little discount store but those weren't storm supplies.  I just have a nail polish situation going on, is all)  Those cotton balls appear to have attracted the attention of a certain feline who can't imagine why anything in a plastic bag might not contain something yummy and I'd probably best disabuse him of this notion before things take a bad turn.

Although I don't know why he should think they are his.  They aren't in the sink...at least not yet.

I hope that your week has been a good one and that if you also happen to be in the path of this or any other incoming storm, you have been able to adequately stock up on chocolate and yoga pants.  Preparedness is important after all.

Perhaps not as important as a crusty casserole pan in the sink, but it's still pretty high on the list.

SA