Royal Role Model

We saw Black Panther today, and my favorite character was definitely Shuri, who is King T'Challa's younger sister, and a scientific genius in charge of all the king's technology. With a job kind of like Q's in James Bond, Shuri is also hilariously irreverent and a determined warrior when necessary. My students love this movie-- one of them called it, "the best movie that landed on earth!"-- and how awesome is it for them to see a young, gifted, assertive, successful, black, female character who is just a few years older than they are?

And technically? Since Marvel Entertainment is wholly owned by The Walt Disney Company, she's a Disney Princess, too. 

Uncle

I like to think of myself as a very healthy and hearty soul, one who soldiers on even in the most trying of times. BUT... after a whole box of tissues and when the saline, neti pot, ginger tea with honey and lemon, breathe-right strips, peppermint shower gel, and even chicken soup had reached the limits of their effectiveness, I gave in and took a sick day from work, hoping that rest might activate the other remedies and finally clear the congestion in my head and chest.

I hated to do it, but I have to admit, I do feel better.

Ask a Librarian

A student walked into after-school study hall in the library this afternoon with an open can of Coke in his hand and sauntered over to a table near where I was sitting. His confidence momentarily disarmed me. Have they changed the rules since the last time I was here? I wondered. It really hadn't been that long, but I guessed anything was possible.

"Are you allowed to have soda in the library?" I asked him, with genuine curiosity. Even though I have worked in the same school for 25 years, it was well within the realm of possibility that I could be out of the know.

He looked a little confused. "I think so."

I raised my eyebrows and shrugged in an exaggerated I-don't-know-about-that kind of a way. "You better check with them." I pointed at our pair of librarians, primly seated side by side, at a table near the checkout desk.

To his credit, he went right over. "Can I have this in here?" he asked, hoisting the can.

The alarm on their faces confirmed my suspicion (and made me giggle).

"No!" said the first.

"Not with all the books and the computers!" added the second.

I couldn't see his face, but it must have been filled with dismay.

"Sorry," they told him, gently, in unison.

He tossed the can in the trash and came back my way. "You were right," he sighed.

"Yep," I nodded. "Let me know if you need any help on your homework"

Let's Stay in Touch

My wife teaches social skills for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and one of her kids, William, has warned her all year long that the telephone list on her wall was out of date. "That's going to be a problem, Skipper," he says, and the other day he was right. One of the students had a little meltdown requiring an administrator's support, but for some reason there was no answer in the main office when she called. Deciding to phone the assistant principal directly, she looked at her list and realized that neither he, nor his office were in the building last year, and so, William was right.

William's mom is a colleague of ours, and so we knew right away when her father-in-law passed away over the weekend. Extending my condolences to her, I asked how William was taking it since he was very close to his grandfather. "It's beginning to sink in," she told me, "but when we told him the news, the first thing he said was, We'll have to take him off our contact list."

We laughed at the pragmatism of such a reaction; it's that kind of quirkiness that makes even the most challenging middle schoolers so much fun.

Just a few minutes ago, I clicked over to my Facebook account and was presented with a memory from three years ago today, when we went out to celebrate our wedding with a friend from out of town. It was a lovely evening, a memory to treasure, made even more so by the fact that our friend passed away unexpectedly a few months later.

Apologies to William, but I'm glad he's still on my contact list.

Community Outreach

I crossed paths with a bundled-up woman being pulled along by a perky black and white dog on my way out of school this afternoon.

"Ms. S!" she hailed me. "I'm Connor's mom!"

I peered a little more closely at the rosy face beneath the crochet beret. "Hello!" I greeted her warmly. "This must be Piper!" I continued, leaning down and patting the dog.

"Yes!" she answered, "but how do you know? We just got her Sunday."

"Oh, Connor wrote all about it for the writing challenge," I explained. "It was a pretty exciting event."

She beamed. "I'm so happy he's doing that," she told me, "and he told me he really likes it so far."

It was my turn to smile. "Thanks for letting me know!" Just then the puppy gave an energetic yank on the leash. "Enjoy your walk!" I waved. "Nice to meet you, Piper!"

28 Day Warranty

It’s always hard to leave the beach, and today it was especially difficult since

our brand new car wouldn’t start!

Half of our group was already gone when the nifty trick of simply placing my foot on the brake and pushing the button yielded no results, not even the click click of the key in the ignition. There was no explanation on the  fancy screen; it too remained blank and powerless.

How could a 4 week old battery be dead? You ask. We asked the same, but luckily my nephews had jumper cables, and  after considerable searching I found the hood release. By then a work crew had arrived to replace a deck on the house and the others in our party had returned. Once connected , power immediately returned to the dash and display, and a few tries later the engine turned over.

We all agreed I should keep it running until we got home, and we made it without further mishap. It’s starting just fine now, and I have a courtesy visit already scheduled with the dealer for Saturday. You bet we’re going to have a few things to discuss. 

Just, Wow

When it comes to vacations, especially those involving rental homes, I am usually sooo organized. But this time? Getting organized for our Oscar weekend away was extremely challenging for me. Maybe it was the wind, or trying to coordinate with all our far-flung folks, or the little head cold I was battling, but I pulled out of my parking lot with a full car which was lacking a few essentials. Oh, we made do without the cumin, the coffee grinder, and the tinder and kindling, but when it came to the actual Oscar ballots, well... the pool must go on.

Problem solvers that we are, I grabbed my phone and packed up my laptop for an extra measure and headed north to the nearest town and its office supply store. Once in the copy section, I must have looked a little lost, because a clerk hailed me from behind the counter. "Do you have some questions, ma'am?"

"I need to print a file from my phone, or computer," I told her somewhat helplessly, "what's the best way?"

"You can email it to that address," she gestured with her thumb over her shoulder, "and then follow the prompts on the copy machine."

What! I was shocked at this amazing technology. I did as she suggested and then stepped to the machine. What awaited me there was even more amazing. I could actually connect to my Google drive and print any document there.

Mind?

Blown!

Ballots?

Printed!

In color, no less.