They Canceled Christmas

Actually, it was just the last day of school before Christmas Break. The day of our annual Christmas Party. When, traditionally, I wear these:








We were supposed to arrive, overly excited, chomping at the bit for ridiculosity. A few of us would take a test (hopefully not two tests! Oh, procrastination!). Then we would change into our snow clothes, go to the field and zoom down the hills on our lime green brand new saucer sled... I'm guessing everyone bought the same color as me because, honestly, why would you choose any other color?

Then we would grow numb with cold and exhaustion and trudge back up to the school. We would change our clothes and toss them around to dry and it would look like someone's hall closet exploded. We would sip hot chocolate and apple cider and eat junk until noon when we would watch the younger grades' Christmas play... They've worked so hard and now it's been canceled twice!

After this, the pizza would arrive and, again, we would eat junk. By this time we will all be feeling giddy/nauseous from high fructose corn syrup poisoning. A few of us would compete in wrapping-paper-tube-fencing. Gifts, cards and love would be exchanged. I would haul my frozen-solid Christmas turkey home and thaw it in the passenger side floorboard of my car, as is my custom, since there is no room in my freezer for it.





That's how it went in my head, anyway.

A Field Trip

Went to the Oil and Gas Museum today. Loved it. But there was one room that really stole my heart. A weird and slightly creepy room.



Old worn wood smell. Oily cast iron. Flaking tin ceilings.




Lovely, lovely apothecary shelves. And tell me with complete honesty you've never wanted to glide on one of those rolling ladders before. You can't.

And there was a romantic/industrial skylight. I spent much more time in this room than the others...especially the creepy basement. Horror movie stuff down there. Definite "vibes".




It was a grand time. You should go. Oh, yeah, we learned a lot, too. Of course!

Staff Work Day

...on April Fools' Day. Uh-oh. Nervous.

I made a little playlist for the occasion.

I've been busy, ok?

So skip April and May and head right on through to June. Let's see, what has June held in store for us so far...?
- Last day of school, YEAH!!
- Staff work day(s)
- Bonfire kickoff for the Connection
- Awards Ceremony for school...I love it, what a festivus!

Um, also I happened to crash a kick scooter. At a very high rate of speed. Please, keep all of the "Bet you'll never do that again"s and the "Now you know to stay away from scooters" and "Next time you should use the brake"s to yourselves because, trust me, I've heard these sentiments many times since Monday. I'd go into the whole horrific tale but there were so many, many witnesses that the chances are good you already know it or will very soon. Road rash is very miserable when it's on a part that bends. As Ralphie says on the Simpsons: "Tastes like burning!"



More later on this weekend's festivities...

Peace?

Okay, the last two days have been chill. I don't want to think about it too hard, or even make direct eye contact with this phenomenon, in case it vanishes upon closer inspection. That being said, God gets the credit for this improvement. Work has been, uh, rough lately, and we all have been praying...very hopefully...for a break in the storm. A couple books and blogs have come my way recently that have made a difference in my own personal person, too. This one, and this here one. And this one. And of course my favorite, this book right yere.

What you get, folks, if you smoosh all that together is pretty close to my beginning-of-the-year philosophy, which, somewhere along the way, got yanked down and trampled and left in a ditch next to mile marker eleven, or so. Anyhow, said philosophy is a cozy fit for me (all of us?), and it's good to be back in control...yet less controlling. Thank God for the reminder and the refocus. I realize this post makes no sense unless you are Tiffany.

At any rate, it's good.

But, oh, no, the entry deadline to the West Virginia Writers' competition is in, ok, three days. Yeah. Gotta go.