Or This

The rest of the suggestions for my 100 Day challenge came in today, and I like to think I kept the kids on their toes by telling them that if they proposed something boring just to get a Jolly Rancher, I would smash the candy and only give them half of the dust. Oh, they laughed until I reached behind my desk and pulled out the gavel someone gave me back in 1996. Then I pulverized a green apple to demonstrate my commitment to their creativity.

In the end, only a few Jolly Ranchers had to suffer for the greater good, and I got some worthwhile ideas. Here are they are:

draw the same thing every day to see if I improve
put a song suggestion box in my classroom and listen to a new song every day 
sing karaoke every day
dance for 10 minutes a day
read 25 pages a day
eat something hot and spicy every day
do something I've never done before every day
crochet every day
cook a new recipe every day
learn a new fun fact every day
bake a french pastry every day

I'm not sure which I'll choose; each proposition promises to be fun, fattening and/or otherwise enriching. I do like my friend Mary's suggestion from yesterday to learn Welsh while eating carrots on my two mile fast walk. 

Why limit myself to just one?

Maybe?

As the 100 Day Writing Challenge kicks off on March 1, I have again asked my students to suggest a 100 day challenge for me, since I write every day already. I'll be gathering ideas through tomorrow, but here are a few of the suggestions I've gotten so far:

10 free throws a day
10 jumping jacks a day
walk 2 fast miles a day
keep a daily gratitude journal
write a poem a day
read a poem a day
make a sketch a day
stretch for 10 minutes a day
watch a baseball game every day
eat carrots every day
learn Welsh
do as many push-ups as I can every day
write part of a novel every day

Any thoughts?

Two More Days and a Pat on the Back

I did little maintenance around this ol' blog today, getting it all spruced up for the annual slice of life story challenge that starts March 1 and the additional readers the SOLSC usually brings. Mostly I just switched out the logo I made for the challenge last year for the new one, which I designed this afternoon. 

Creating the badges is kind of silly, but it feels celebratory, almost like decorating for a holiday. In that spirit, I also added thumbnails of the logos I've made since 2018. And, I added a caption to one of the elements on the site, but I'll let regular readers see if they can spot that themselves.

Dress Appropriately

I wore shorts to the grocery store the other day. I had been playing pickleball after school, and hey? 77 degrees said don't even worry about it. Still, I felt a little odd shopping in shorts and a hoodie on February 23rd. And when I ran into a neighbor, I sure wished my legs were a little less flabby and a little more tan. 

Somehow, the gradually warming days of spring into summer make the transition from one season's wardrobe to another more graceful.

Even so, I needn't have worried about it, because this afternoon? As I walked Lucy through the snow, shorts were the farthest garment from my mind.

Unreliable Sources

I introduced the 100 Day Writing Challenge today, and as inspiration, (and a bit of a brag, I guess) I told the young writers, as I always do, how many days in a row it has been that I've written (5,109). At this point, the number is beyond their life span and hence beyond their comprehension, but they, like past groups, become fixated on finding my blog. "It's public," I tell them, "But it's also my personal writing, so you are welcome to read it, if you find it."

Over the years, I've done a pretty good job of scrubbing any searchable connection with my name and this blog. Not perfect; it's been found before, but not easily. Today the search took on familiar outlines of years past. "Is it your facebook?" someone asked.

I shook my head.

"Your pinterest? Your Twitter? Your Instagram?" 

"Is it this?" They show me a picture of myself from the school website. 

Then a kid raised his hand. "I'm only telling you this for your safety," he reported quite seriously. "Here is your address! And your age! And people you know!" The identity website he had found astounded and alarmed him.

"That's just a website based on public records," I told him. "You could probably find similar information about your parents. Stop looking for my blog and start writing."

A little while later, while kids were supposed to be composing their first slices of life, I noticed a girl staring at her screen, both hands covering her mouth in horror. "Is this true?" she asked in a low voice. "How could it be?" and she began to weep.

I stepped behind her to see what she was looking at. It was an identity website with the name of a woman who shared this student's last name. Her age was reported to be 93. "Is that your great-grandmother?" I asked. 

"My aunt," she told me, "but I thought she died! How can she be 93?"

Both I and the girl next to her tried to reassure her that the site was a mechanical gathering of information. It didn't really know anything, but we were unsuccessful. That kid left her half-believing that a woman who died in 2016 was alive and well somewhere.

"Talk to your parents about that website," I told her as she walked out the door.

"Oh, I will, she said. "I sure will."

There Once Was a Boy

Now that it's been nearly a month since I started working out downstairs with Treat, we have found that the pickleball court is not always as open as it seemed to be the first week or so. In fact there is a regular group of players, who, if they are already playing by the time we get down there, will not likely give up the court before it's time for us to leave. Oh, there's a system for signing up, but unfamiliarity with both it and the game itself have kept us from anything but practice games between ourselves when the court is empty. 

A couple weeks ago, we talked Emily into going to play with us, and as the three of us smacked the pickleball around, sometimes wildly, sometimes with accidental precision, a woman approached with her middle-school aged son. "I noticed there are only three of you," she started. "Would you mind if my son joined your game? He really just wants the practice."

We shrugged, and welcomed the kid into our game. His mom seemed pretty experienced with her equipment bag and court shoes, and as she handed him a racquet from the three or four in her bag, she reminded him not to swing it too hard. "It's light and powerful," she warned, and with that he bounded onto my side of the court.

What's your name?" I asked.

It was Pierre, and he was an eighth grader at our school, although he had never been in either my or Emily's class. Pierre was a curious dude; self-assured and light on his feet, comfortable talking to adults, with some solid, but uneven pickleball skills.

"Shall we play a game?" he asked, and proceeded to teach us the rules and etiquette for pickleball doubles. He was good enough to carry a team, and the rest of us had our moments, so it ended up being a fun and fair match up.

I was disappointed this afternoon when I glanced through the safety glass on my way to the locker room. The courts are taken 😩 I texted Emily and Treat, in case they wanted to change their workout plan.

It's only Pierre Emily replied a few minutes later when she got in there. The two of sat in, yes, folding chairs and watched Pierre give his friend a lesson in the basics. As they volleyed, Treat came and told us he had a call at 3, but would join us after. 

"Do you want the court?" asked Pierre a few minutes later.

"Do you guys want to play a game?" I asked in return. And so we did. It was fun. Emily got her serve down, and when Treat came out it so happened the other kid had to leave so he joined as our fourth. Pierre was a bit pedantic, and still far from a pro pickler, but one could never say he doesn't care.

Journey to June

The first set of commercials are due tomorrow, and the film festival is all set for next Monday and Tuesday. To be honest? I'll be happy to pack away the costumes and props; it's been fun, but like any holiday or vacation, the sparkle and novelty are wearing thin, and it's time to get back to writing.

And write we shall! The 100 Day Writing Challenge starts one week from today! Who knows what the next 107 days will bring? 

Resilience

It happened in slow motion. 

I was watching out the window while a group of kids set up a shot for their commercial. They were in that zone of both productivity and fun, and their faces were beaming as they rehearsed and gestured about the blocking. Just then, a gust of wind caught the iPad on the tripod like a sail, and lofted it up and then let it smash on the ground. Their jaws dropped as they bent to retrieve the device, and then their faces crumpled as they saw the screen. 

The class was almost over, and so I met them at the door as they came in. "I saw," I told them, as they tried to explain. 

"But the whole commercial is on that iPad!" one of them pointed out in dismay. We gingerly laid the device flat on the table, and through shattered glass I carefully selected all the video clips and uploaded them to the student's Google Drive. Then I shared each one with me, and later, after they went to their next class, created a folder and shared it with the rest of the group. Then I put a repair ticket in for the iPad and turned it in.

It was a much more somber end to the day than we expected, but I predict that their enthusiasm will be back even before the iPad is.

Nothing's Promised

"Those are young people's dreams," my friend told me at breakfast the other morning.

She had been catching me up on the plans of another of her friends. Our age, this woman had recently retired from the State Department and enrolled in law school. "She wants to work for the Innocence Project," my friend said, "but the average case there takes 15 years. She'll be in her late 70s by then."

Another of her friends, also our age, was working on developing an investment property he had purchased. His plan was to build a sustainable community. "He's having trouble with the permitting, though," my friend told me, "and he won't even be able to break ground for another ten years." She shook her head in dismay.

Her advice to both friends was to find something that they could do now. "We do have a shelf life, you know!"

I can see both sides. 

By some accounts, 60 is the new 40. A more comfortable life and better health care have combined to put off some of the classic complaints of aging. Sure, I and my contemporaries have a few more aches and pains, and several have even had knee and hip replacement surgery. But such procedures are so commonplace precisely because they promise to get those folks right back out there, as mobile and pain-free as ever. Since aging might feel as dramatic a decline as it once did, there's a temptation to continue operating as if we have many decades ahead of us, instead of just two or three.

My friend is right: we're not going to be around forever., and it is better to focus on the now. But that's always been the case, hasn't it?

The Check

I went to breakfast yesterday with a friend of mine. We spent an hour catching up, and at the end of the meal when our check came we owed 33 dollars for breakfast. 

We agreed to split the bill evenly. "I have cash," said my friend. "I'll leave the tip." She put seven dollars on the table. 

"I'm going to put my half on my card," I said.

"Do you want me just to give you cash?" she asked.

"That works," I shrugged. 

"Half of 40 is 20," she noted, and handed me a twenty dollar bill.

I nodded and accepted the cash, and then paid with my card at the counter. 

It wasn't until this morning when I saw the twenty on my nightstand that I realized I owe my friend seven bucks!

Gotcha

After nearly three years of avoiding the virus, Heidi tested positive for COVID this afternoon. She was feeling a little poorly with a headache that wouldn't quit, and so, out of caution, she pulled out one of the home tests and swabbed her nose. It was honestly a bit surreal to see the two pink lines on that square white lollipop, a sight I had only seen once before, when my nephew tested positive at Christmas in 2021. 

Heidi is sure she caught the 'rona at the Seinfeld show last Saturday. The venue seemed airy and well-ventilated, but the seats were very, very close together. No matter the where and the when, though, here we are: Heidi with mild systems, in a mask, spending her time upstairs, making sub plans for at least 2 days, and I with no symptoms and a negative test, so far, canceling a planned visit to my 86-year-old aunt, and mulling what those sixth graders might do, should I have to miss nearly a week. 

Because, really? What are the chances I'm going to get out of this COVID-free?

Condolences Accepted

"You guys need to hurry up and be on time to your next class!" I called as the bell rang at the end of my last class of the day. "I need to run to a meeting!"

A student did a double take at the news. "Wait! You have meetings when we are in PE and electives?" she asked.

"Yep," I answered, "almost every day."

"I'm so sorry," she said, and it really sounded like she meant it.

Trending Now

Our warm-up question today was What is the next trend that is going to blow up? I figured it was tangentially related to commercials and media literacy, plus, I was curious. 

Rhianna and her baby, Kevin Durant joining the Suns, the new Antman movie, plaid, Cobra Kai, Crocs, AI, EVs, Wednesday Adams, Jaritos Nike Dunks, TikToks of Free Palestine, and side ponytails were all on the list.

Stranger Things, the fifth season, was a very popular prediction, but equally so was Ginny and Georgia, a show that often shows up in my Netflix feed, but I've never seen it. I may have to watch after all the rave reviews I heard today, including, "I watch it with my cousin, and I loved it. (She is older so she didn't show me the mushy gushy things for me to stay HOLY!) Amen!"

I also had to laugh at this prediction: "More baggy clothes, because they are so comfortable, and I can't believe they will ever go out of style."

The 90s might have something to say about that, kid.

Fond Memories

One of the commercial production teams needed a location for their ad that could be a party. I suggested Heidi's room, because of the LED lights and they went to get her permission. I knew there was a class in there at that time, but my 6th grade students invited her 8th grade students to be extras in the party scene, so it worked out. 

Treat is the assistant in the class, and he told me that after the commercial team team left, the 8th graders were reminiscing.

"That was a fun project!" said one.

"Yeah it was," agreed another. "What was your product?"

"I don't remember," the first kid answered. "What was yours?"

"I don't remember either," the second kid said. "But it was really fun making those commercials!"

Here's the thing-- those kids were in my English class when they were sixth graders, but it was the year we were virtual until March, so we didn't get to do the commercials.

I'm glad they think they enjoyed it, though!

Misuse of Wardrobe

"We need all the costumes for our commercial!" one group told me today.

"How could you?" I asked, looking over at the judge's robe, the chef's jacket, the cowpoke vest, the velvet vest, the construction vest, the blue scrubs, the white lab coat, the fancy blazer, and the three aprons, not to mention all 12 hats. "There are only 4 people in your group!"

"Oh, we're trying to make a closet," they explained. "Somebody's going to be in there."

"We have closets out in the hall," I told them.

"That would be better," they agreed.

Tech Lag

"Can we put aliens in our commercial?" a couple of kids asked me today.

"You mean extra-terrestrials?" I clarified. "Sure."

Then they launched into this convoluted concept for some kind of device that the aliens would want, but was actually a funnel worn on someone's head.

"Why do they aliens want it?" I asked. 

They conferred. "I think it will allow them to understand humans," suggested one.

"That's cool," I agreed, "but maybe you can expand it so that people use it, too, to translate automatically from one language to another.

"Isn't that Alexa?" another student remarked, and the 'duh' was strongly implied.

Turns out? She was right. How did I miss that? And how long will it be before we all just wear those devices?

The Show

What can I say about the crowd at Jerry Seinfeld's sold-out show last night? Like us, they were mostly over 50 and white. The exceptions were teenagers with their parents and white guys in their 30s who, if overheard conversations can be any measure, work for Republicans on the Hill. (And Wolf Blitzer was definitely there, too.)

And what can I say about the venue? The lines moved quickly, security was efficient, the staff was helpful, but the seats were underwhelming folding chairs, slightly padded but packed verrrry closely together.

How about the show itself?  Well, Seinfeld was funny, but not hilarious, with a much more animated style than I expected, especially given the deadpan persona of his television show.This Jerry Seinfeld grabbed the mic from its stand and paced and grimaced and gestured for the entire show. The stool on the stage was merely to hold his water.

In the end? Seinfeld is a rich, white, heterosexual dude in his late 60s, so the jokes about growing up in the 60s and 70s and even raising kids, kind of landed with us two married, white middle aged teacher ladies, but we probably didn't connect with about half of his material. 

Even so, there we were. And honestly, I don't regret a moment.

Sold!

There was crow poop all over the car yesterday morning when we left for work. On winter evenings, large murders of crows gather at dusk in the trees above our parking lot before flying off en masse to roost. It's cool, but it can get messy. Yesterday's mess was a little grosser than usual with chunky splatters on the windshield and by the door handles, but like many things, I forget about it until it's right in front of me again. 

So this afternoon, when I went out to run a couple of errands, I made a stop at the carwash down the street first. The establishment had recently changed hands and had gone from a wait inside to a ride-through car wash. Even so, an employee greeted me at the pay gate. There he explained a grand-opening promotion they were running where I could get 2 months of unlimited daily car washes for 29.99. "That would only be 50 cents a day," he said. 

"I might need it!" I laughed, gesturing to the crow droppings. 

He nodded sympathetically. "If it doesn't come off today," he told me, "I'll let you go through again."

The Future is Now

I was digging around this morning in the cabinet where I keep the games in my classroom. Some of the kids were playing Spot-it, and I asked them if they had ever played Set. Several said they had, and I realized that although I owned a couple of decks, it had literally been years since I or anyone else had seen them. 

I was first introduced to the game over thirty years ago by my young cousin, Jennifer. She was 8 or 9 at the time and had played it in some gifted pull-out sessions at school. I was training to be a teacher and the two of us loved playing games, so Set was a good fit. Back then, Jennifer liked playing with me because I wouldn't let her win, so she knew if she beat me it was fair and square and a much sweeter victory.

I found the games in the back corner of the cupboard in a little crate with some other cards, among them something called Table Talk which was comprised of a deck of conversation starters. I have no idea when or where I acquired the game, but the first card I looked at happened to be the exact same question I posted for the warm-up on Monday. It occurred to me then that the game might be a helpful source of Chat questions, and so I set it aside when I pushed the crate back into the corner.

This afternoon I was sorting through the questions, and although many are good for sixth graders, a few like What does your dream kitchen look like? and What advice do you have for newlyweds? just aren't relevant. I did come across a question that hinted at the age of the game, though.

As Seen on TV

"What do you mean you're going to "see" Seinfeld?" a friend asked me at school the other day when we were talking about our weekend plans.

"Jerry Seinfeld is playing two shows at the Anthem on both Friday and Saturday," I explained, "and we have tickets."

Heidi has been having similar interactions with friends this week: they are surprised that Seinfeld is touring, and impressed that we are going.

"I hope you told them about Gordon Ramsay's Fish and Chips, too!" I laughed when she told me about her latest conversation. "Because that kind of rounds out the evening, right?"

The Stage is Set

The costumes are hung, the props unpacked, the equipment checked, and the blank storyboards prepared. After demonstrating their theoretical knowledge of persuasive techniques on a test, my students will start their commercials tomorrow. 

Bring it on-- I'm more than ready for a couple weeks of creative chaos!

Sad Necessity

News today that all district professional learning for our system-wide PD day tomorrow has been canceled. Instead staff will be required to take Narcan administration training, as well as participate in another session about how to recognize the signs of opioid abuse.

After one student overdose death in a local high school last week and many emergency calls across the county schools to treat other kids, I know this is important training and knowledge for all secondary school personnel in our area.

But what a world.

Can Do

When my school organized a mentor group for girls, I was on the fence about volunteering. Years ago, I was a mentor, and I stayed connected to the same student all through middle school and beyond. In fact, she's in her early thirties now, and I'm friends with her on social media, following along as she works on a career and has adopted a rescue dog and cat. 

But this time around, I'm a lot older and, I confess, a bit curmudgeonly. Even though I still have a good rapport with my students, and we have fun in class, I was concerned about spending unstructured time with a kid I don't even teach. What could we possibly have in common? I found out in early December when we met for lunch in my classroom. Well, it was supposed to be lunch, but she didn't bring anything with her, claiming to rarely eat in the middle of the day.

We did not have that in common, because I am always starved for lunch, but we were able to make small talk about the World Cup, her family, and school. "What's your favorite snack?" I asked her.

"I love fruit!" she said. "Especially watermelon. It's my favorite."

Fortunately the mentor program is much more formal than the one twenty years ago. There are monthly activities for the kids and the adults organized by the counseling staff and funded by the school. In January we did a spa afternoon with face masks and finger nail painting, and today we decorated Valentine's Day cookies. January wasn't really my scene, and my mentee wasn't there so I bagged a little early. Today I was equally convinced she would be a no-show because she hadn't replied to my reminder message, but I headed down anyway and was pleasantly surprised. The girls had fun with the cookies, and my mentee even won the door prize. At the end of the afternoon, we arranged to have lunch again on Friday. 

"I'll bring the watermelon!" I told  her.

We're Quits

When I was a kid, it was the Sears holiday wish book that was our go to catalog when it came to making our Christmas lists. And the Sears outlet store in the next town over was always my mom’s first stop for school shopping.

When I moved to Arlington as a young adult, Sears had a big presence here, not only as a mainstay mid-priced department store, but also in the many neighborhood examples of the mail order houses they sold through the Sears catalog from 1908-1942.

And down in Atlanta, right around the corner from my sister, on the BeltLine in the Old Fourth Ward, Ponce City Market, a mixed-use development with a food hall, restaurants, upscale shopping, apartments, office space and a mini-golf course on the roof is a cool example of a repurposed Sears distribution center. Visiting there, though, I’ve always been a little sad that the company’s loss has been our gain.

Yeah, I’ve been a loyal Sears supporter for nearly sixty years, all through the ups but mostly downs of the company. Then, after the whole refrigerator fiasco yesterday, today SEARS called to say that the refrigerator we ordered on November 27, which had been delayed three times, was now discontinued, and we would have to select a different model.

I think that might be the last straw Sears.

Cold Truth

We had hit up our neighbors to borrow their coolers in preparation for the arrival of our new refrigerator today, but it occurred to me last night that the whole world would be a refrigerator today, when the high temperature was only supposed to be 32. 

No coolers necessary, I rose at 8 AM and packed the contents of the freezer and fridge in reusable shopping bags and set them out on our deck. Then I pulled out the empty appliance and cleaned behind and underneath it, not wanting to subject the delivery and installation techs to a couple of years worth of side spills and cat hair. And I was just finishing up when my phone rang. 

Perfect timing! I congratulated myself, but I was disappointed to hear a recorded voice telling me that our delivery had been delayed a third time and directing me to dial a toll free number as soon as possible. Pity the operator who answered my call! I was courteous but clearly displeased, and he soon elevated my call. The next person I spoke to acknowledged my frustration and offered me 42 dollars for my inconvenience. 

I laughed out loud, at which point she doubled the compensation and promised to have my fridge to me by Wednesday. "It would cost me more than 84 dollars to take off from work," I told her, which I think is true-- I'll be compensated for my unused leave when I retire. Her best offer was 126 dollars and a Saturday appointment, which I accepted with the understanding that any further delays will result in the cancelation of the order. I hung up and turned to my empty refrigerator. 

The problem with it is a clogged freezer drain which results in water flowing into the main compartment whenever the compressor defrosts. I had watched videos on how to clear the clog, but it would involve me removing the icemaker before I could access the drain. After my stove fiasco, I didn't have the will to attempt such a feat, and since our fridge is 19 years old, my research told me that a new, more energy-efficient appliance would have us break even within a year or two. 

But the freezer was empty, and I thought long and hard about what it would take to pull that icemaker out. In the end, I attempted to unclog it from the freezer side with some very hot water. Then I scrubbed that old fridge within an inch of its remaining days and hoped for the best. 

Maybe it's fixed? But probably not. It does still chill, though, and it's sparkling clean. It can last at least another couple of months if necessary, and I'm thinking that's likely.

If It Ain't Broke

"So I was thinking about this question in the shower," I said to my first class of the day today as they posted their answers to What is your favorite cereal?

"Wait! What?" they exclaimed. 

"Are you surprised about the shower or the thinking?" I laughed. 

But what I told them was that I realized that when their A Day peers had answered the question the day before, almost every cereal they mentioned was one that had been around when I was a kid, fifty years ago or more. And the same held true today: Lucky Charms, Rice Krispies, Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, and Coco Puffs were among their favorites. A few cereals that were new when I was a teen, like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Reeses were also mentioned, but almost everything else was on the shelf when my brother and sister and I used to go shopping with my dad on Saturday afternoons. I really have to wonder how the breakfast cereal industry has been spending its time.

There was one product mentioned that I had never heard of before, though. A couple of kids named Krave as their favorite, and one was even enthusiastic enough to post a picture. It seems that Krave is a Cap'n Crunch type shell filled with chocolate cream. 

Friends, it's been a long time since I've been down the cereal aisle (I'm more of a yogurt or oatmeal or avocado toast type of a gal these days), but Krave? I might just have to try it. 

After sugar-free February, of course.

Commercial Success

My friend Mary and I always say that if we can make it past the essay unit, the rest of the school year is an easy, downhill glide. The kids usually love the media literacy unit where they make a commercial; they enjoy writing fiction; the 100 Day Writing Challenge is novel and engaging; poetry is fun; and the unit where they interview another student is also high-interest. Cap that off with teacher for a day at the end of the year, and the next 4 1/2 months seem easy peasy, on paper at least.

And if the lesson today on persuasive techniques and how they can be used to manipulate us was any indication? 

We have totally got this.

Again!

Tough Crowd

"Our friend actually asked me what kind of graphic organizer I recommended for the article he was reading," one of my colleagues reported of a challenging student at our team meeting today. "And when I told him I could see using either a timeline or a description and suggested a combination? He said, 'good point.' I see that as a win!" she laughed.

"Amazing!" I agreed. "And you've definitely got me beat. I was just happy when he said goodbye on his way out of class today!"