Second Helping

We spent a couple of the precious hours of this last weekend of summer break at the movies this afternoon. In a fitting, book-end kind of a choice we saw Guardians of the Galaxy, the latest offering from the Marvel Universe. While I am not a dedicated fan of the comics I do like the movies, but there was actually a lengthy period of time this summer when I thought GotG looked too stupid to spend money on. When it opened a few weeks ago, I was quite shocked by the positive reviews which were only confirmed by my nephew, Treat.

Since then it's been on the list and a rainy day like this one was the perfect opportunity to go. It was pretty good-- to me more funny than gripping or exciting. One thing I admire about the Marvel movies is the complex canon that they pre-suppose and add to, but for the same reason, in every one of them I see I sense that there is more to it than I understand. Oh, each movie can be enjoyed on a superficial level as well, but I always know I'm missing something, and so the minute I get a chance I hit the internet to research all the winks and nudges.

I guess you could think of that as double duty, but in my mind?

It just adds to the fun.

A Blog Odyssey

People who know me know I'm a counter-- I like numbers. I think that's why it's easy for me to remember dates and years. I know all my friends' birthdays, their ages, the years they started work, how old their children are, etc.

But while I am a collector of figures, I am not a fan of "big data". I know that there are enough numbers out there to tell any story we want to, probably because I count other things as well-- pages my students read each week, hours spent in meetings, snow days used and unused in a year, miles in a hike, the elevation of the mountain we climbed, calories burned by walking the dog, and so forth. It's all interesting, and there are some meaningful patterns, but I don't fool myself that they are absolute or even objective.

Certainly you won't be surprised when I tell you that I have been counting blog entries as well. Oh, I have mentioned milestones here in the past, and I was well aware that there was a big one coming up. But I've been so absorbed this week in getting ready to go back to school and helping Josh do the same that p2k totally slipped my mind.

So, this is post 2001, just another statistic for anyone keeping track.

Three-Quarters Baked

I've met a lot of college kids over the past couple of days, and the more time I spent with some of them, the more I could see the former sixth grader in them. I felt right at home.

Often these days when I meet young people I figure out what year they started middle school, and then I mentally match them up with the kids I knew who are the same age. More often than not I don't get to see how my professional efforts are paying off down the line, and so in addition to being a fun exercise it allows me to imagine how my former students might be faring.

Today I'd like to think that many many of the kids who sat in my classroom back in September 2007 nervously anticipating the next stage of their school career are, just like all the kids I've met this week, finding out how amazing college can be and preparing for four fun years of learning and growing.

Getting There

Although I pride myself on being able to successfully navigate all the cities I have visited, I have not regularly taken a bus since I was in high school. These days, my main impression of a metro bus is something not to get stuck behind when driving-- there are soooo many stops!

But Josh is going to have to rely on public transportation to get him to and from his classes downtown, so today Heidi, he, and I traveled by bus and subway to the campus of GW University for his freshman orientation. As much time as he's spent here, he doesn't really know his way around, and although that will change in a hurry, we thought it would be a good idea to give it a try before classes start. 

I did plenty of research in advance and found the best routes and connections for our commute. Last evening, we all walked up the hill and scoped out the closest bus stops in our neighborhood. As we circled the blocks, all of a sudden it didn't seem like there were too many at all, and whether they were uphill or down, shaded or not, seemed very relevant. Already I had a new appreciation for commuter conveniences.

This morning, Smartrip cards at the ready, we headed out, timing our walk to the bus stop. I'll admit to a bit of a thrill when I saw that bright red metro bus turn the corner and roll our way. We boarded the bus and sat near the front, awash in yellowish fluorescent light. As we bumped through the neighborhood and onto the interstate, familiar sights seemed slightly different viewed from the wide tinted windows. I was a rider now.

In 8 minutes, as scheduled, we were at the Pentagon where we walked a few yards down to the metro. The Blue Line came in less than 10 minutes, and we emerged from Foggy Bottom station 8 minutes after that. Door to door, the whole trip took less than 45 minutes and cost about 2 bucks each.

There was a point in our journey, when standing on the metro platform, that I looked at Heidi and Josh and considered how far the three of us have traveled together over the years. I knew neither one of them had any clue where we were going once we got to the top of the escalator and they were not concerned in the least. They trust me to get us where we're going, and I felt proud.

Maybe a little too proud. As we waited, I rustled my itineraries and timetables officiously. "Good thing you guys have me," I said. Heidi raised her eye brows. I shrugged. "I mean, because I know where we're going and all."

"Really?" she said. "I think it would be easy enough to ask someone on the street if I needed to."

I gasped. Then I laughed. Such an approach would never occur to me, but she was right, of course. It would probably be very effective, maybe even as good as knowing just what to do ahead of time.

"What's so funny?" Josh asked. 

"Heidi and I are very different, but very complimentary," I told him, and relayed the whole exchange. "Take the best from each of us, and you'll do fine!"

Second Generation

To me one of the benefits of being a team leader and going in early for that meeting has always been getting a preview peak at the team list of new kids. After 21 years in the county both as a teacher and a resident, I've forged quite a few connections, and it's always interesting to see whose brother, sister, cousin, son, daughter, or grandchild might be in my class.

This year did not disappoint. As I was paging through the 120 info cards, I stopped on one. In retrospect, I can't say exactly what it was that caught my attention, but I spoke his name out loud, and the director of counseling who was sitting next to me, said, "Oh yeah, he's a cutie and his mom went here."

"What was her name?" I asked, and a few minutes later I discovered that for the first time ever I have the child of a former student.

I think they should have a name for that-- maybe, like the aunt or uncle, we could be great teachers, or better yet? Grand teachers. 

Dance Card

And just like that, it happens. After a fun day at the museums with Michelle and the kids, I have an all day meeting tomorrow at school, freshman orientation with Josh on Wednesday,  and suddenly the days seem so full that it's hard to fit everything in. Good-bye summer vacation.

He Called It

After dinner tonight Josh sat at the table and finished writing his thank you notes for the graduation gifts he received. His mom is only staying until tomorrow, and she made him promise to do this before she leaves so she can mail them off from home. As he worked, Heidi, Michelle, and I gabbed away.

"Finished," he announced and handed me a white envelope. I read the note and laughed, and then I winked at him and held up the card to show Heidi. It's a nice custom design with pictures of Josh and some if his art work.

"What do you want to do with this?" I asked her.

"I want to put it right up on the refrigerator!" she said.

Josh and I laughed. "What am I missing?" Heidi frowned until she opened the card and read it, then she laughed, too.

Following the sincere message of thanks, it said,  You'll probably do something cheesy like put this card on the refrigerator. Love, your new roommate Josh.