For a week that was supposed to be uneventful, this one turned out to be really busy. This weekend and the next look to be the same. And I'm hot. And tired of being hot. Now, I don't mind hot so much, as long as there's a beach or some fun activity to cause a diversion. The beach--that's pretty much all the diversion that is needed. But I'm not enjoying it being hot just to be hot.

I'm reading a really good book--that's been a little bit of a diversion (but reading at a beach would be better). I've gotten a lot of scrapbooking done lately (definitely not something to be done at the beach). I've made quite a few cards, and have watched a movie or too. And this afternoon is Mamma Mia--yay! Air conditioned movie theater, maybe some popcorn, and definitely dinner after.

But we need a little cloud cover. Right this very minute. Need some cloudy cover, cause I'm really baking in it. Yes we need a little cover, right this very minute. We need a little cover now.

Okay-- tell me what movie that song is from!!

Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go

Okay, not really, but it was sort of like work. A good friend of mine is the new library teacher at the school I used to teach at, and I've been helping her with getting the library ready. I spent two days there a few weeks ago, and six hours helping today. She's a real go-getter, and probably has a touch of OCD because when she gets an idea, she has to work on it NOW. She has recruited lots of friends to help, and thank goodness because she's doing things like painting her office, and moving every single book in the entire collection into a new, improved location. She's got good instincts, and when she showed me the plan for the new location of everything I have to admit I was impressed. Fortunately, I'm not doing any of the manual labor. I'm doing all the computer work that the last library teacher should have done before she left and didn't. We've weeded nearly 400 materials from the collection-- and it was very much needed. I keep forgetting to take my camera-- since school has been out I don't ever seem to have my camera with me.

Best part of the week: The Mamma Mia movie opens on Friday! We're buying tickets early and are going opening night. And I'd better not hear "Sorry, we're all out of tickets".

Out Again?

Whoosh--there goes the weekend.

Last summer B and I got into a Sunday routine of stopping at A & W and getting root beer floats. We'd sit inside, play free music on the juke box, and get at least one refill on the root beer and ice cream. Mmmmm.

We haven't done that all summer--so today I said I'd kind of like to get one. We needed to eat dinner anyway, so headed to the yummy place. When we ordered, we were told, "We don't have any ice cream. The machine is broken". I'm sure the look on my face was priceless, based on my "sorry, we're out of chai" experience last week at SB. B said to the cashier, "Do you realize there are people who come here specifically for root beer floats? Why don't you have flashing lights and a siren and someone rushing to fix that machine?" Then they said it wouldn't be fixed for at least five days. Are you kidding me?

If I'd been there by myself, I probably would have just left and gotten dinner somewhere else. But we stayed and ate, and I bemoaned the lack of a root beer float the whole time. We did go to Sah-nick and get something ice creamy, but it just wasn't the same.

How can you be out of ice cream at A & W?

Out of the Blue

I just got an email from one of the parents at the school I just retired from. It made my day.

I just thought I would share a very sweet moment with you. Tonight Bxxxx came up to me and said "Mom, I am just heartbroken right now". Not knowing what that could possibly mean for a nine year old, he pulled out his year book and said " I think the last day of school is the last day I will ever see Mrs. B. again!" His heart felt so sad. I assured him that I thought you would be back to school to visit on some occasion. I let him know that you served and taught children for many years and now it was time for you to do other things that were important.

I can't even begin to tell how much that meant to me--for two reasons. One, the content of the message. But even more meaningful was the fact that she took the time to share it with me.

Take note--do the same for someone someday.

Today was one of the best days I've had in quite awhile--all summer, for sure. It was spent bumming with a friend then going to see a movie. I really needed that.

Scrapbooking day tomorrow--and I have no idea what I'm going to work on. I do know I have really enjoyed this every Thursday scrapbooking plan we made at the end of the school year. I love the scrapbooking, but it also gets me out of the house at least once a week!

If I was going back to school, I'd be reporting exactly three weeks from today. That is definitely one thing I am glad I don't have to look forward to.

One good thing about retiring is that I'm not going to be spending so much money on calorie-laden drinks at the Very Expensive Coffee Place. Oh, I still go, but at school with my very flexible-type schedule, I go on a SB run for myself and RR pretty much everyday. Most of the time it's just to get out of the building for about ten minutes.

So my visits are maybe once or twice a week now. So when I do get them, I appreciate them and look forward to them a lot more. Today I went and ordered my usual-- a 7 pump soy chai. "Sorry, we're out of chai". What? How can you be out of chai? I've never ever known a SB to be out of chai. How can you be out of chai?

I've also never really understood why, when a restaurant or something runs out of chai, sweetener, potatoes, whatever...they don't just go to a nearby restaurant of the same name and borrow some til their shipment comes in.

How can you be out of chai?

My Selfish16

Tonight I was at someone's house watching tv (I'm feeding their cats while they are gone) and happened upon that wonderful show on MTV that shows spoiled rich kids planning their 16th birthday parties. Yes, I've seen it before, no, I don't watch it regularly. I just kept shaking my head at the money these kids spend on their parties, and then they all get some expensive car from their parents. It's always supposed to be a surprise, but it never is. Tonight's car--$100,000. At the dealership this gal kept asking to see more and more expensive cars ("This one isn't expensive enough!" she whined)--until she finally got to the top of the line. the dad said he'd see. Well, you know exactly what she got. And something I've noticed about these kids-- the majority of them aren't white kids. And what is up with these parents? And what in the world do they do for a living?

I don't even remember what we did when I turned 16--I'm sure my mom made some kind of cake, but I don't remember what I did. Since I've kept pretty much all of my calendars since I can remember, I could probably do some digging and figure it out, but I can pretty much guarantee I didn't ride into my party in a showgirl costume while riding an elephant. I waited til I was 21 to do that.

You wish.

My So-Called Life

Have you ever known anyone so burdened with the weight of anxieties about their life and their perceived lack of importance in it that they felt immobilized to do anything more than get up every day around 10 a.m., lay on the couch and pretend to watch television all day still in their pajamas, then go to bed at 1 a.m. and start it all over again the next day?

Nope, me neither.

I got nothin'.

It's 2 a.m.-- what am I doing up? it still feels like Fri night, so we'll just go with that.

You know how you really think you know someone, and every once in awhile, they completely take you surprise? Sometimes it's not in such a good way, but sometimes it's in an amazing way?

Tonight, B gave me a retirement gift. It was wrapped, there was ribbon and a bow, and there was a card. All of those themselves were out of character.

I opened it, and because of the way the outside wrapper was on the item, it took me a bit to figure out what it was.

This is what it was.

I was speechless. And thrilled.

I'm still speechless.

Brownie points for everyone!

Found with a Stumble...

HOW TO TICK PEOPLE OFF
1. Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, 99 copies.
2. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors."
3. Specify that your drive-through order is "TO-GO."
4. If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
5. Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
6. Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."
7. Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."
8. Practice making fax and modem noises.
9. Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.
10. Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."
11. Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.
12. Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.
13. Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
14. Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."
15. Staple pages in the middle of the page.
16. Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.
17. Honk and wave to strangers.
18. Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.
19. TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
20. type only in lowercase.
21. dont use any punctuation either
22. Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.
23. Repeat the following conversation a dozen times."DO YOU HEAR THAT?""What?""Never mind, it's gone now."
24. Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "No, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
25. Ask people what gender they are.
26. While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
27. Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.

Went to a show downtown tonight, and since it got out at 9:00, decided to stop at the SB and sit and people-watch while drinking expensive tea. Boy were we in the right place at the right time. We had a curbside seat when this unbelievably tripped out hearse pulled up and parked. And yes, he really did look like that when he got out, only his hair was blue, not red.

AND the thing is a flame-thrower, as seen in this picture:

The driver parked at the curb at a meter, he and the passenger got out and headed down the 16th St Mall. You would not believe the number of men that came over and took pictures of this car. It was hilarious. One man even posed in front of it while his friend took a picture. And this was long after the driver had gotten out and walked away (without saying anything to anyone). I think B secretly would have liked to have gone over and taken a closer look, too.

On the website it advertises Hearse Con in May. I wouldn't be surprised if we went.

You just never know what you're going to see downtown, that's for sure.

Feeling a little out of sorts tonight. This reason, that reason, nothing really specific, just a little of this and that. I'll blame it on the solstice.

Headed to B&N to pick up a book tonight--not that I needed one since I have several waiting to be read, but after reading Jenniy's post about the new Janet E. book, I wanted to have it to read tomorrow. I don't really like to buy books, especially hardcovers, because I read them fairly quickly and then don't want to store them when I'm done. I'm not one of those people that has shelves of books they love--I either give them away or drop them at the thrift store. I usually get them at the library, but I'd be number 300 something on the list so will give up the bucks for it. I got it for 40% off, so it's not as bad as it could be.

This afternoon I talked to one of the teachers at school confirming a scrapbooking day we're doing this week, and she told me about a call she got from one of the first grade teachers. This teacher had been told something pretty inconsiderate by someone in supposed authority, and she was calling G to ask about it. Now this other teacher does have some issues with parents, and with classroom management, but as far as I know she has never been offered any kind of help by those in authority. Those in authority just shake their heads and say "oh my". And now she's been told that none of the parents in the upcoming class want their children in her class. Even if that were true, (and the "none of the parents" is a big, fat clue that it can't be 100% true), it doesn't seem very kind to say that to someone.

One more thing to add to the list of Reasons I'm Glad I Don't Have to Return to The Wonder School.

Recently, I made an appointment for a massage at a place I go fairly regularly. I took potluck--not knowing anything about this person. I had an hour massage two Saturdays ago--last Saturday 90 mins, today: two hours. I love him. He finds tight spots that no massage person has ever found. He's amazing. He really is the best massage person I've ever had before.

But today he ruined it. He said something so rude and thoughtless, it was absolutely awful.

About ten minutes into the massage he said, "Today will be our last time together. It's my last day here."

No no no no no no! I just found you! You can't leave!

But he is.

He only works on Saturdays (which I knew) and has found it too hard to work six days a week between this and his full-time job. I'm so bummed. I'm beyond bummed.

When I met him in the hall after I got dressed I gave him a big hug and said I'd miss his work, and I was really glad I had gotten to meet him and to start to get to know him. There are so many reasons I like this guy--he's a great massage therapist, he obviously knows what he's doing, he's interesting to talk to (and I don't usually like talking during massages), for starters.

Now I have to break in a new person. I say that tongue-in-cheek, but there's some truth in it. There's a trust you build with this person, and it makes for such a better massage when they can "read" you and know what you need and how far they can push it (deep tissue, how modest you are, etc). He agreed, and that's what I enjoyed so much about his work-- we seemed to be in synch with what I needed.

{Sigh} It was nice while it lasted.