Losers and Winners

I am not an advocate of all the many standardized tests and practice tests that we are required by our district to administer throughout the year. For example, the assessment my students took yesterday and today was forty hard questions based on very dense reading passages. Taking on average over an hour and a half to complete, it is also designed so that the kids get about half of the answers wrong, which seems a little soul-crushing to me. 

But as long as I could ignore the glazed eyes, heavy sighs, and frequent bathroom breaks, it sure was nice to get all that grading and planning done as they struggled through. 

Without Irony

The room was empty when I poked my head in, but for the colleague working at her desk.

"Isn't there a parent meeting?" I asked. 

Her expression was blank, but kind, as she cocked her head in confusion, but when I mentioned the student's name, she brightened a bit. "That sounds familiar," she nodded. "Let me check."

With a few taps of the keyboard, she looked up, clear-eyed. "It's next Thursday," she told me, and as I turned to go, grappling with my senior moment, she added, "but thanks for being on top of it!" 

And the nicest thing was? She meant it.

Old Soul

"I'm going to be absent for a while," a student told me today. "I have to have my tonsils removed and the recovery is two weeks."

"Really!" I marveled. "You know, when I was a kid lots of people had their tonsils out, but I don't think I've ever had a student in the last 30 years who's had that surgery." 

It was the same student who crochets and shops at Ikea, so I guessed it was fitting for her to have such an old-fashioned operation. 

My hunch was confirmed when she shrugged and answered, "Well I do want to be able to sleep through the night, you know."

Call the Doctor!

"I was sick over break," I confessed to my team over lunch today.

"You're never sick!" exclaimed one who has known me for 25 years.

"I know, right?" I replied. "I'm still not feeling a hundred percent, either. But you know what the weirdest thing is?"

They waited with interest.

"I was really glad to be back to school this morning!" I laughed.

My friend shook her head. "You must be sick," she said.

Best Foot Forward

Blackeyed peas for luck? Yessir.

Ham for not looking back? Check.

Greens for money? Yep.

Rice for prosperity? Mmhm.

Corn for all that's golden ahead? Got it.

Fried chicken because we like it? Yes, that too.

Add a little Cascadia, canneles, cookies, and a peppermint pig and 2024 is officially off to a good start!

Now about that 5 a.m. alarm tomorrow...

The New Year Calls

After reviewing my 23 for 23 list, I have concluded that 2023 was a mixed success: I  accomplished 12 of the 23 goals, and I also completed many (but not 12) "holiday" months, including Dry January, Sugar-free February, Meatless March, No Amazon April, Social-media-free May, No Buy July, and Jolly Rancher-less December. 

Somehow I do not feel more improved, but I'm still satisfied. I have no regrets, and never fear: My 24 for 24 list is already written, and tomorrow kicks off "Aloha January" where I practice ukulele for at least 10 minutes a day until the 31st.

Lat's go!

First World Problem

Still not feeling quite 100%, I decided to take a shortcut and rather than fight other holiday shoppers, order the groceries I need for the next couple of marquis days— New Years Eve, which is also our anniversary, and New Years Day when any family in town comes over to share our traditional lucky meal. 

On my list were some lobster tails for our usual anniversary dinner, along with chicken, ham, corn, rice, and some pantry staples. I’m usually pretty conscientious about checking the ‘no substitution’ box, but I needed some milk to get started with my preparations, and so I went through item-by-item to designate my instructions. 

I obviously missed something, though, because this morning I got a message that my order was out for delivery with one substitution. A couple of taps on my phone revealed that somebody thought it was a good idea to substitute smoked salmon for the lobster. I was appalled and irritated, but there wasn’t much I could do but keep clicking through to request a refund. 

When the order arrived, I was relieved that I had only one package of smoked salmon instead of the four that the notification suggested, but it was still aggravating to have to go out anyway.