Hello Friends!

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...
I love saying that to my students. They never get it though.

Sorry that I've been MIA for so long. Don't really have a good excuse. Here's a random list of things I've been up to/thinking about....

1. Freshmen

I teach freshmen English at my high school. I am also the Freshman House sponsor for student government. Our biggest job all year long is to get ready for Homecoming week...which is next week. The following are the drawback of this job:

Drawback #1: Freshmen are elected to house. Actually, everyone is. The beauty of the upperclassmen is that they are elected at the end of the previous school year. So I don't get my freshmen until several week into the school year. Of course the upperclassmen have been actively working on all of their homecoming things since the second or third week of school. We start weeks behind and have to literally hit the ground running.

Drawback #2: Everyone who is in charge of something thinks that what they are in charge of is the most important thing. I get it. But it probably isn't. Last week I was out becuase of a conference my assistant principal asked me to go to. (What was I going to do? Say no? Yeah right. Plus, it was a literacy training inservice and I love reading.) So my freshmen found someone who was staying after school and who was willing to let them work in her room. (Thank you!!) Well, they also opted to not go to cross country. So I get an email from the coach. She asked me if I could in fact verify that they'd been doing homecoming things. I said they had been, but I was out of town and had not planned on them working Friday. She said they can't miss this Friday. No biggie. I get it. So, today we stay after school. They have practice at 5. At 4:50 I make the girls get up and change their clothes to head to the track. They do. At 5:02 (did you read that? 5:02!) the coach walks up and says that she can't find her runners and they are late for the second time and last week they just chose to skip. I said that couldn't be late because they'd been gone for 10 minutes. She said she'd just come from the track and they weren't there. Okay. Well, guess what? The track is at least a five minute walk from my room. Maybe even six. This meant she'd left the track BEFORE THEY WERE EVEN LATE! So of course she hadn't seen them! I think she's out to get me or my freshmen......

Drawback #3: People who have done this job in the past think they have, of course, done a better job than me. And they choose to tell there current freshmen classes that. And to tell their current freshmen classes to make sure they ask me why they can't be apart of it. Uh, hello!! You have to be elected to freshmen house! Everyone had the option. It was publicized around the school for weeks! They chose not to run. Really what they want to do is be in the skit. Everyone wants to be in the pep rally. You have to be in Freshman House to be in the pep rally. Please don't send them to me. If they were too lazy to fill out an application, chances are they aren't going to contribute a tremendous amount to my group.

Drawback #4: Freshmen never win. But I've got a feeling about this years group.....we are going to pull it off. I just know it.
I guess I should have really called this an advantage. That and my freshmen rock. They work super hard and are so adorable. I am referring here to my freshmen house students and not the ones I teach!

2. Football

What the hey happened last weekend in college football? Dang. I think everyone lost. From the top all the way down. Obviously I was very disappointed that Clemson lost. Still not sure how that happened. But don't worry. I saw an interview on the news today while I was at the gym. Tommy Bowden doesn't plan to make any changes for future games but he does acknowledge that it was a disappointing lost. Whew. Glad we got that straight.

3. Age

At what point is age really just a number? I know that when you are 18, you can't really date a 13 year old. That's just weird. But eventually age evens itself out. Doesn't it? I mean what about 19 and 14? Weird. But what about 20 and 20? Not as weird.....or more specifically 29 and 24? Weird? Or getting better? Because 45 and 40 is normal sounding! And at what point does it just sound creepy? Uh, 29 and 24? Oh no......

4. Dating
Why are all the good people taken? Because that's what it feels like sometimes. Or maybe the good ones just don't live in my town? Oh wait. I know the answer to that one. It's because I opted to waste (though I didn't view it as a waste at the time) 4 years of my life in a deadend relationship and while I was doing that everyone else got married. Or moved away. Or both! Damn. That's why it's time to start looking at the younger demographics. They are where I was when I started on my relationship to nowhere. Oh well, it's like they always say - Hindsight's 20 20...or....If I knew then what I know now. (I'd have bought the winning lottery ticket. But who wouldn't have?)
And when do you know if revisting something is worth it? Again, hindsight's 20 20? Maybe not.

5. Edisto
Yes, it's about that time again. We've been gone too long. Planning is underway for the next big adventure at Edisto. I've said it before and I'll say it again...the fact that the island is still accessible and the fact that the house is still standing is not due to our lack of a really good time down there. I am sure this trip will not disappoint.

6. Halloween
What should I be for Halloween? Some friends are throwing a halloween party, and I "have to dress up in order to be admitted" per my peeps. What should I be!?! Remember, I am a party of one, so all the cute ideas of partnering up with someone don't work well when you are single. I've got a bad feeling this is going to be like the dating thing...if I don't think of something soon, all the good ideas are going to be gone!

7. Take out Chinese
Really has nothing to do with anything but mine just arrived and I am really excited about it. Sort of negates my earlier gym performance, which I completely blew out of the water. But, who's counting? Better yet. Justify it this way. How many fat Chinese people do you see? Okay, I know. They don't eat take out. I get it.