The Good, The Scary, and The Stupid

Tomorrow, as you probably know, is that day when all the kids in all the schools go more than a little crazy. Even the ones who deem themselves "too mature" for dressing up get all excited and amped up by the thrill of the holiday. Halloween is definitely one of the highlights of the middle school social calendar, and the halls will become deafening as a result. I've learned from experience that it does no good to try to fight the mood. Anyone attempting to do a serious lab experiment or literary analysis tomorrow will be sadly disappointed by the lack of student attention. Instead, I choose to run with all the excitement and do "autumn" (not Halloween because that isn't pc) -themed lessons.

Therefore, instead of the usual Wednesday lesson of spelling, vocabulary, and grammar, we will be reading ghost stories. Not horror movie ghost stories with lots of blood and gore. Those are too much for many of our more tender souls (like mine). Instead we're going to read some great spine tinglers from a website I found called The Moonlit Road. This is a great collection of old Southern ghost stories. Not all of them are appropriate for middle school, but careful selection gives me many options.

In the process of looking for some good stories, I also came across an article from a "real" ghost hunter who'd visited Fort Worden. She is unintentionally hilarious. The best part is her special ghost-sensing camera, Sparkles. Definitely good for a few laughs.

TGIF and TGTO (Thank Goodness That's Over)

Warning, quite possibly boring work stuff ahead.

First of all, it's Friday, and that is almost always a very good thing. Second, the three major projects that have been hanging over my head for the last several weeks are finally completed! Hooray! Let there be rejoicing in the streets or at least in my classroom. I'm practically skipping down the hall.

Project #1 was a very tricky combination of organization, politics, and just plain work. I hate these projects where you don't have any real authority over the group because they are your immediate co-workers, but you are still expected to motivate them into finishing the work. We are finished (at last) and I don't think anyone even hates me (mild resentment maybe, but not hate I don't think).

Project #2 dealt with the extreme incompetence of a vendor. On the good side, the district, my co-workers, and I were in agreement that the Publisher sucks. This meant that there was no hostility or political wrangling (we left this end of things to our admin) between us. However, the logistics of collection, re-numbering, stamping, and distribution of books were intense. The publisher screwed up and had to re-send the order THREE TIMES. My arms and shoulders are still sore from delivering all those books to classrooms.

Project #3 was not so much a project as a political negotiation. As department chair (yay! another position where I have no authority, but I'm still responsible getting people to do things) I'm supposed to "guide my team" to select a person who will serve on a certain committee. This committee has a quite a bit of power, so several people want the job. Eventually, all but one of our team agree on one candidate, Mr. X. It seems like we've made a good choice. However, the lone holdout refused to believe that we aren't putting her on the committee because "she really, really wants it." We are only allowed one representative, and she is NOT a good choice. I tiptoe veeeery quietly off to my boss and lay the situation out for him. He sends out an email saying "since you can't choose, I will choose for you. I choose Mr. X because he needs to do more leadership." I breathe a huge sigh of relief.

I haven't stopped sighing (in a good, relaxed way) since. It feels SO GOOD to be out from under all that stress. The normal work days seems sort of like vacation by comparison. Now it's Friday, and things should get even better.

A Little Humor

Nearly all teachers agree that the question "Did I miss anything?" from an absent student is more than irritating. It seems to us like the perfect representation of the self-centered view the students sometimes have of the world around them. This teacher actually came up with some possible answers. Of course, I can't use any of them because "middle-schoolers cannot comprehend sarcasm" according to my graduate school professors. They are funny nonetheless.

Did I Miss Anything?

By Tom Wayman

Question frequently asked by students after missing a class.

Nothing.
When we realized you weren’t here
We sat with our hands folded on our desks
In silence, for the full two hours

Everything. I gave an exam worth
40 per cent of the grade for this term
And assigned some reading due today
On which I’m about to hand out a quiz
Worth 50 per cent.

Nothing. None of the content of this course
Has value or meaning.
Take as many days off as you like:
Any activities we undertake as a class
I assure you will not matter either to you or me
And are without purpose.

Everything. I few minutes after we began last time
A shaft of light descended and an angel
Or other heavenly being appeared
And revealed to us what each woman or man must do to attain divine wisdom in this
life and the hereafter
This is the last time the class will meet
Before we disperse to bring this good news to all people on earth.

Nothing. When you are not present
How could anything significant occur?

Everything. Contained in this classroom
Is a microcosm of human existence
Assembled for you to query and examine and ponder
This is not the only place such an opportunity has been gathered

But it was one place.

And you weren’t here.

Originally from: The Astonishing Weight of the Dead, Vancouver; Polestar, 1994

Work is Like...

When you first get a job, it's as if they hand you a satchel and tell you that your job is to carry the satchel and not let anything fall out. You think to yourself "This satchel is not so heavy. I'll just sling it over one shoulder, and that still leaves plenty of space for the stuff I was already carrying."

You go on like this for a brief period, and then people at work start handing you extra things to put in the satchel "Oh, by the way, this is part of your job too, and your also responsible for this, etc" None of these items is very large or heavy, so you just keep stuffing them into the bag. Pretty soon the satchel is getting kind of heavy, but you figure it's not that big a deal because you can keep switching it from one shoulder to the other.

One day you realize that nothing, not one more tiny thing, can fit into the bag. This is the point at which 25% of new teachers say "That's more than I want to carry!" and they put down the satchel and walk out the door for good. The rest of us decide that maybe a new backpack wouldn't be such a bad idea, and maybe a coat with lots of pockets?

After a while you start to learn that it's bad to volunteer for everything. In fact, some people cope with the problem by flatly refusing any and all requests. I loath these people because they try their best to skate through on the assumption that "someone else will do it." For those who continue to engage, even "good causes" must be scrutinized with extreme care.

People will come up to you and say "Look at this important thing. It really needs some attention from a caring person like yourself. It's just a tiny little thing anyway; you'll hardly notice it among all the other stuff." Sometimes they convince you, and then you have to find a place where you can cram the thing. In truth, sometimes things fall out again. At some point, you just have to start putting things down.

My only real professional experience is in education. However, I suspect that many other kinds of jobs probably work in much the same way. The difficult part is finding a way to remain energized and enthusiastic about your work without eventually getting your back broken. I’m still working on this.

Venue! Venue!

Hooray we have a venue! This means that we can actually get married next year! (I suppose we need an officiant, but still) We decided on a building in the Arboretum, so I'm crossing my fingers for beautiful scenery. The place that we've selected is surrounded by wisteria, and I'm also crossing my fingers that some of it might still be blooming by our wedding (it's normally a late spring thing). I love the way the venue has an outdoor area for the ceremony, and an indoor place for the actual reception. We also have a line on a caterer who knows the facility and will provide not just food and service, but also rentals and decorations. Now we're on to searching out the fun stuff like flowers, cake, and music. Woo Hoo! It's all starting to come together!

Wedding Venues #10 and #11

Okay, I admit it, I'm burning out. We have not seen the perfect venue anywhere (or for any price) we are going to need to make a compromise somewhere, but it's not an easy choice to make. When we started out looking for venues, it was fun. Now, however, it's starting to get frustrating. We will need to make a decision soon.

Skansonia--- Historical, funky, charming in many ways, but also on a not-so-lovely portion of Lake Union. Lots of old boats, junk, and construction stuff lying around. The main view is the underside of the bridge. Also, no good parking, the seating space is cut up into several different rooms, and they have a 150 minimum on Saturday evenings in summer.

Lord Hill Farms--- We went in the dark, so it's sort of hard to say what the outdoor spaces are like. The indoor part is quite charming in many ways. Big open spaces, a very nice country feel, and plenty of room for dancing, eating, etc. The in-house catering is also reasonably priced. Some details that aren't so great such as the floors, the road noise near the outdoor ceremony space, and the distance to greater Seattle. Oh yes, and the part where they have no Saturdays for all spring/summer 2008. We would have to do a Friday such as the 4th of July. Do I want my anniversary to be the 4th of July forever?

Wedding Venues #7, #8, and #9

Newcastle Golf Club--- Very pretty views, slightly musty tent smell, HUGE price tag for even the "lesser" venues. I agree that the views are worth quite a bit, but I cannot see spending that much on the whole wedding, let alone just the venue.

DAR House--- We really liked the historical charm of this old place. There was room to hold the wedding in the large living room, and then go upstairs to have the reception in the ballroom. However, there was a feeling of faded elegance about the place that almost reached the level of shabbiness. We sort of wanted to ask if they were planning to paint any time in the next year. Also, the house is located in a crowded part of Seattle and had NO parking at all. All the guests would have to pay in a lot and hoof it several blocks.

Graham Visitor Center--- This venue is located in the arboretum, and it serves as a gathering place for many local plant societies. When we arrived to take a look, there was a bulb sale set up in the conference room. This room, along with the patio, make up the wedding facility. I admit that the room is not exactly glamorous or romantic, but I do think it might be okay with some serious decoration. The patio is what does it for me. Surrounded by arbors, it is covered in wisteria vines, and it looks very lush and pretty. Downsides of this place are the room, and the tiny little kitchenette. It remains on the list.


1. No stinky venues

2. No busy roads within hearing distance

3. No ugly ceiling tiles

4. No wedding planners who can't manage their own schedules

5. No rooms without windows

6. No venues that cost the same as my car

7. No staff who just can't be bothered

8. No hideous decor

9. No venues that completely lack parking

Whirlwind Wedding (but not our own) Part 2

We were surprised (and touched) to be seated in the family pew with M's aunt and uncle, and it gave us an incredible view of the proceedings. I don't think I've attended a seriously Christian wedding (I'm sorry, but Christian-light is a whole different experience) since I was a very tiny child, so much of the ritual was foreign to me. I was later informed that we were watching the Lutheran equivalent of high mass, so the service included hymns, a homily, a number of prayers and readings, and Holy Communion for all comers. We kept watching everyone else to know when we should rise, say certain things, look prayerful (or respectfully silent).

I am not a Christian. I do not pretend to be a Christian, and most of the time this is not much of a problem. The more rational portions of the world at large are accepting of the fact that not everyone follows Christianity. However, many people do seem to have this idea that everyone will sort of automatically know the ins and outs of Christian ritual. I do not know these rituals at all because I am (say it with me now) NOT A CHRISTIAN. Sorry to get strident, but I feel I understand a little of what it must be like to be a Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist etc. in this country.

The issue of Holy Communion had me panicking. The priest announced that all baptized people in the church were welcome to come up, and that the bride and groom would serve as chalice-bearers for the wine (or blood depending on your views). I suddenly did not know what to do! M's family are dear, sweet people, and I did not want to offend them. However, the priest was very clear about the baptism part, and also I'm not comfortable doing such a ritual. Better still, he had the people coming up one row at a time. This meant that when M and I stayed seated instead of going up, the whole church was looking at us and waiting for us to move! Fortunately, Uncle J., in the row behind us, understood quite quickly, and shoved his family out to go up to the alter. M and I just sat and smiled vaguely. I'm still hoping his aunt and uncle weren't offended.

All this said, it was a beautiful wedding. The bride and groom both seemed so happy, and there is not doubt that their families were pretty ecstatic as well. The flowers were a lovely combination of roses and rosehips (to add a fall touch and great texture), and the stained glass windows of the church made everything glow. M and I certainly got some great ideas for our own wedding. However, I think we'll skip the hymns and communion for our ceremony.

Whirlwind Wedding (but not our own) Part 1

Last Friday, a friend of mine from work covered the last 20 minutes of my last class so I could make it to the airport on time. Of course, this being 2007, the flight was delayed, but we did eventually make it down to Southern California. M's aunt, uncle, and two grown cousins are also from South Africa, but they have lived in San Diego for several years now. The elder one was getting married, so we had the chance to do a little research by attending the wedding.

Of course, since our flight was delayed, we missed the rehearsal dinner, and had to go instead to an Olive Garden at 10:30 at night. Olive Garden is not a good choice at any time, but it was especially bad because they were doing their best to hurry up and get us out of there. This was the first of our unfortunate food experiences. The second occurred when we went to get breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Some buffet breakfasts are sinful but also delicious. This one was sinful and not delicious, so we did not partake all that much.

After the unfortunate breakfast, we had a few hours to kill, so we used the navigation computer M bought to find Balboa Park. The navi is called Tom Tom, and I have to say that it was incredibly useful. Even when you make a mistake, it just recalculates the route and give you new directions. In just a few minutes, we were to the park and admiring the incredibly beautiful setting. Why can't our old World's Fairgrounds look like that? Amazing architecture, lovely landscaping, and even a perfect reflecting pool with blooming water lilies! We really enjoyed our time at the park, but pretty soon it was time to head over to the church.

Wedding Venue #6

Acalia Events is a sweet LITTLE place in a so-so neighborhood. Emphasis on the world "little." The dance floor is literally the ten foot square entry hall, and you can't seat more than 40ish people in the "main" hall. I can't imagine trying to hold a wedding reception (with toasts and such) while people are all seated in different rooms! Extra credit to the owners for turning a pokey little place into a nice venue for small events. However, we will not be holding our wedding there.

Wedding Venues #4 and #5

One good and one bad this time, but neither one will work. The good one was The Edgewater hotel on the waterfront in Seattle. This is the hotel where the Beatles famously fished out of a window, and it has kept up its glamorous patina. The rooms are decorated in a funky Pacific NW meet just a hint of industrial, and the restaurant, 6/7, serves some incredible food. The actual wedding venue is a dedicated suite with one large room looking out over incredible water views. Ferries pass regularly and you can just make out the Olympics in the distance. Several smaller rooms offer space for buffet tables, a bar, and there is even a terrace for outdoor lounging. The reason we didn't sign a contract then and there?

Whoa baby did it cost a lot. The catering manager was very bright and cheerful, and she informed us that we were in luck because they had no facility fee. However, the catering minimums killed the deal. For a wedding of our size, we would need to spend a whopping $150 per head to reach the minimum, and that did not include cake, flowers, or gratuities. We had fun imagining how a person spends that kind of money on a largely vegetarian meal. Gold-plated salad anyone?

Directly after leaving The Edgewater, we hoofed it up to the ferry at Anacortes, and caught the evening sailing to Orcas Island. On the ride, we were treated to the most vibrant orange/pink/purple sunset, and it made me wish we were getting married that evening, when the weather was so perfect. We arrived on Orcas after dark, and make our way along the winding roads (I was feeling green by the time we arrived) to Rosario Resort.

We were under-whelmed by the service of the front desk, the dining room (she told us she didn't have a table available when we could see this was not the case at all), or the bar. Everyone working there just seems sort of bored and perhaps faintly annoyed at having to look after you. After a lovely dinner of salad and ginger ale (It was the road and nothing more. Don't get any ideas) for me and oysters, fish, and chips for M, we made the five minute drive up to our rooms. That's right, very few people actually stay in the historical lodge. Most rooms are located in apartment-style blocks a few minutes up the hill. When we got to our room we found it reasonably clean, but also incredibly ugly. The decor was a mishmash of rainbow striped curtains, India print bedspreads, and distressed yellow furniture. Not the sort of place you want to spend the night, let alone your wedding night!

On the whole, Rosario is just kind of a sad place. The people don't care, the buildings are sort of shabby and worn down, and it all has this air of faded grandeur. The setting and scenery are truly amazing, and if someone would just put some money into rehab (and kick the staff in their collective behind) it would be a wonderful place for vacations or even a wedding. However, as things stand now, there is no way I would even consider it as our wedding venue.

Wedding Venue #3

Okay, the first odd part about this place was that the wedding coordinator double booked herself and had two couples arriving at the same time to look at the space. All four of us were clearly confused about this, and it created an odd, stilted atmosphere. Were we competing with each other for dates? Could we ask specific questions about OUR event when the other couple was waiting to do the next part of the tour? Not a good start to things. That said:

Columbia Winery is set in a beautiful spot near Woodinville. It boasts impressive architecture, thoughtful landscaping, and an overall feel of subtle opulence. It also has a nicely appointed reception room and reasonable changing rooms for the bridal party. However, it also has a patio for ceremonies that backs onto a major road. You can't see the cars, but you can sure as heck hear them. Going there would be like getting married at a raceway. Also, they have awful acoustic ceiling tiles. I'm starting to develop an odd list of no-no items.

1. No stinky venues
2. No busy roads within hearing distance
3. No ugly ceiling tiles
4. No wedding planners who can't manage their own schedules
5. No rooms without windows

More to come I'm sure.

Women and Books

NPR had an fascinating and disturbing story about reading this morning. It seems that women read far more than men. (No surprises there!) You can read the specifics in the actual piece, but the basic questions are about why women should choose to read more than men. Some suggest it's because women are more able to empathize with the characters, while others seem to think it has more to do with the simple ability to sit still.

Who knows the actual reason, but in my personal experience, it is true. Many of the intelligent, educated men I know do not read for pleasure. Of those who do, only a handful are willing to read fiction. One of the many things I love about M is that he has a stack of novels next to his bed, and he actually moves through it at a reasonable pace. Why should we care about the fiction vs. non-fiction question? Educational research suggests that our brains process fiction as if it were actually happening to us. Therefore, my reading a moving story, and caring about the characters, is a form of emotional practice. Perhaps if more people were good fiction readers there would be a better sense of empathy in general.

I MUST Have My Frap!

No real wedding news to report except that we are continuing to search for a good venue. This weekend should be quite busy with the hunt. However, in other news...

One of my immediate co-workers (we'll call him Mr. Smith) was informed last week that a student in his class wanted to transfer out. Mr. Smith was surprised by this because he feels that he hardly knows the students yet, and they hardly know him. It took some time, but he was finally able to learn the reason for the transfer request.

It seems that last year, when the student was a 6th grader, Mr. Smith told her she was not allowed to drink her frappuccino in the hallway. This made her feel sad at the time, and, therefore, she now needs to have a different teacher for 7th grade. OBVIOUSLY she can't be expected to put up with Mr. Smith who made her feel sad before. This would be a funny story except that the parents are in complete support of the transfer request. I am delighted to say that, in spite of much parental fussing, the request was denied.

I love, love, love my school which is full of mostly great kids and mostly wonderful teachers. However, I do have just the occasional twinge of "Sheesh!" in these sorts of situations. At least the right won out in this round.

Wedding Venues 1 & 2

The search is on! The wedding advice ladies at school tell me that if we want to get married in 2008, we must quickly find a venue. It seems that we are coming late to the party already because many venues fill their summer reservations more than a year in advance. Therefore, while we can wait on many things, we must get this first detail nailed down ASAP. Over the weekend, with my mother along for moral support (and because she's fun to have around), we went out and looked at the first two potential locations.

The two venues happened to be fairly close to one another, so we were able to see them one right after the other. The first was The Plateau Club, a golf and country club in Sammamish. Driving up, it looked like most country clubs with perfectly manicured greens, imposing front doors, and special parking for golf carts. We knew going in that it wasn't likely to be a very "us," but we thought we would give it a try. Walking through those imposing front doors, I knew immediately that it was a no-go. It smelled. In fact, it reeked like a diner with a deep-fat fryer that hasn't been cleaned in decades. It did not matter the decor or the prices or the menus, we were not going to use this location. We all dutifully went on the tour and received the brochure, but when we got to the car we all agreed that it was not going to happen. We went off to a Starbucks to recover our sense of smell before the next appointment.

The next place was just about as different as you can get from the first. Located in a city park, this small lodge was just about as quaint as they come. In a beautiful wooded setting, with log finish on walls and ceiling, and windows looking out at the lake, it was a perfect picture of pacific NW aesthetic from about 1940. There were many things to love about it (including the low rental fee) but there were also some drawbacks. First, it had no AC, and the only summer date available was July 26th. Second, it had no truly private bathrooms. The lodge's bathrooms all included doors to the outside because they serve as the bathroom facilities for everyone in the park as well as wedding guests. Last, it's just not that big a space. It could be tough fitting a dance floor, buffet tables, and seating in the one room. This venue stays on the list, but we are not finished looking.

And so, the search continues. M and I would really like to find a place that feels just right. Of course, we may dither so long that nothing is left, but in that case we can just change our date to an off-peak time. Wedding in April anyone?

A Ring Pic at Last

Thanks very much for all the good wishes, flowers, treats, and wedding magazines we've received over the last ten days. It was such fun to tell all our family and friends; the looks on people's faces were wonderful. The part where my mom cried, and my friend, C, screamed and jumped in my lap were priceless.

Many of you have already seen the ring, but I wanted to post pictures for those who live far away. The center stone is a ruby, the side stones are diamond, and the setting is platinum (was that crass to tell? People do ask). I look down at it way too often just to enjoy the fact that it's there on my finger.

We still don't have any idea of dates or locations for the wedding, but I believe it will be some time in the next year. I am starting to collect ideas from various sources for how we can go about this whole thing. Two of my aides at school AND the librarian are just about to marry off their daughters, so they are most excited to share tips and ideas. It can be a little overwhelming at times, but they do mean the absolute best. As Big Niece says "all you really need for a wedding is flowers, a cake, and dancing." Now that's some serious wisdom from someone just starting the third grade.

Goodness Gracious! We're Engaged!

Note: I'm typing this post on the day (September 2nd, 2007) that we got engaged. However, I won't be posting it until most of our friends and family have been told. I really wanted to tell people in person or at least over the phone if they live far away. I'm writing this post today, though, so nothing fades from memory in the excitement that is sure to follow.

On Saturday, we went to Bumbershoot as we'd planned to do for several months. It was our first time to the festival, and we planned to stay all day to see shows, and then stay at a hotel in Seattle. The first shows of the day were standing room only and the sun was hot, hot, hot. I must confess that I was fairly grumpy through the first act (Crowded House) because of the heat and the jostling of the crowd. For the next show (The Shins) I was very happy to move into the bleachers and also into the shade. Luckily, my mood improved very much once I had my own seat.

After The Shins were finished, we wandered the festival, found some food, and took in a Can Can dance review that was a lot of fun. There is so much to see and do at Bumbershoot that you can't possibly get to it all. We saw snippets of several more shows, marveled at the length of the line for the Greg Proops show, and then finished our evening with Gabriel Y Rodrigo. They play incredible Latin guitar, and it was a shame to leave just before they finished (but I insisted because I did not want to leave with the other 79,998 people). We took the monorail back towards our hotel, and then took a short walk to one of our favorite restaurants, Lola. By this time, it was at least 10pm, but the place was still hopping.

Our meal at Lola was probably the best we've ever had there (and that's saying something). First we shared a Greek salad with the most perfectly ripe tomatoes in red, yellow, and green. Next were zucchini fritters with creamy dills sauce. Finally, I got my entree of roasted eggplant tagine with bread, onions, pickled tomatoes, and a yogurt-garlic sauce. Normally I'm not a huge fan of eggplant, but this entire dish was perfect, fragrant, and delicious. I can't speak for M's food because it was fishy, but he made happy sounds throughout. Finally, we shared a fruit tart with brown sugar ice-cream for dessert. We left around midnight, full, and very happy.

After dinner, we walked the few blocks back to the Hotel Alexis. We always seem to stay in Kympton hotels, and this was no exception. We like them because their rooms don't look like hotel rooms (hipper? less plastic? more comfortable? I'm not exactly sure what it is), they have good service, and they are a comparatively good deal. Our room was on the third floor, and we practically fell into bed after such a busy day.

The next morning, just as we were waking up, M put a box in my hand and said "I have a present for you." I didn't have my glasses on, so I really wasn't sure what it might be. It was a double box, so bigger than the traditional ring box, and it took me a few minutes to figure out how it opened. When I finally got to the ring, I looked at it, and I looked at him in complete surprise. He said "will you marry me?" and I was so amazed that all I could do was squeak "really?!" and he said "yes" so I squeaked "yes!" and then I just kept saying "really" over and over until he finally said "yes! really!" I truly could not believe it was actually happening.

But it did. It really did happen. We are engaged, my ring is absolutely beautiful (that's another post), and I'm wearing it right now. I have no idea any of the details about how or when or where, but none of that matters very much right now. In fact, it could have been a candy ring and I would still be completely over the moon right now.

Back to School 2007

Sorry for the radio silence. Life seems to have filled right up to the top again. We did finally agree to a contract with the district, so that is a very good thing. There are a few compromises, but, overall, I think it will be a workable arrangement for most of us. Also, we are still scheduled to get our 4.3% COLA in the next paycheck, so I'm really looking forward to that. Even a little bit more money is a very nice thing indeed.

School started again without a hitch. One of the truly wonderful things about being a seventh year veteran is that you just don't get so anxious any more. I slept just fine the night before school started, and I did not get any butterflies before going down to meet the kids. A co-worker and I were just discussing the amazing power of just letting go. At some point, you realize that the world will not end if something goes wrong. You can pretty much always come up with a solution.

The beginning of the school year is always an exciting and invigorating time, and this year seems to be especially good.

Finally, Results

After many months of phone calls and negotiations, our house is painted AND we have a new fence around the backyard! When I drove up yesterday I could hardly believe my eyes at the change. We no longer look like the shabbiest house in the neighborhood, and that is a very good thing. We have our privacy back in the backyard, we can let little kids out to play without fear of the road, and our kitties can enjoy the sunshine without fear of dogs. It's a pretty wonderful thing.

Home improvements are kind of like being sick. First you think you might have to do it, then you know you have to do it, they you do it and it isn't much fun, but you feel so much better afterwards.

To Shirt or Not to Shirt

Okay, so I am not exactly a fashion maven (to say the very least) but I try to present myself in a reasonably tidy way. I always set my clothes out the night before an early morning, and I usually don't have too much trouble choosing outfits that are clean (always clean!) and relatively un-goofy. Last night, however, I had a major fashion dilemma. Well, that's not quite right. Fashion choices were involved, but the real issue was about labor unions. Strange combination, I know, but I am not making any of this up.

Last night, I went to a union meeting to hear how the negotiations are going on the new contract. Some of the old issues have been worked out already (yay!), but a few big things are still causing trouble. The main issue most of us care about is the proposal to convert a portion of our weekly teacher preparation time to do district business. For example, instead of collaborating with my team, correcting papers, or planning lessons, I could be required to attend meetings, trainings, or any other district-directed activity that they choose to throw at us. We are not amused.

The negotiation team still has hopes on this issue, but they also feel that the district may be willing to go to the proverbial wall on this plan. In order to show our solidarity, the union wanted us to all wear black shirts. I was SO torn about this request. I do support the cause, but I am a big fan of the secret ballot. This, to me, was a request that we vote early and wear our opinions on our chests. One of the things that allowed us to avoid divisions during the last strike was by keeping our votes to ourselves. I went back and forth trying to decide what I should do because there just wasn't an easy answer.

In the end, the black won out. I had a colorful shirt with me, but I wore the black all day. It turned out that almost all my co-workers did the same. Hopefully none of the non-shirts (ha! ha!) will hold it against the rest of us. Even more hopefully, we will get a contract, and we can stop displaying our opinions via our clothes.