2001-11-08
Random mini paragraphs, posted at 7:46 a.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com My diaryland world and the real world are clashing a bit right now. Hopefully it'll pass. I hate fighting with friends. The truth is, I say this journal is for myself, but I probably wouldn't keep it as, say, a Microsoft Word document. Part of it is that need to communicate. It's too bad when it backfires.***
Ed is quickly becoming my favorite show. The West Wing just doesn't inspire me like it once did - it's still a great show, but I prefer it when the President is fighting the good fight and the show isn't all about scandal. I prefer my politics unrealistic, I guess. But Ed is wonderful; I can't believe I didn't watch it religiously last year. There's this girl named Molly on there that reminds me of myself a bit, at least the former me (who sometimes still surfaces) - low self-esteem, defensive to the nth degree, afraid to be hurt. I connect for and feel sorry for her.
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She reminds me of the Aimee Mann lyric and line from Magnolia: "Now that I've met you, would you object to never seeing me again?... Cuz I can't afford to climb aboard you, no one's got that much ego to spend... So don't work your stuff, cuz I've got troubles enough..." It's all very heartbreaking, because the narrator of the song knows that the person is right for them, but can't let it be known for fear of being hurt.
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Today is Pajama Day at school, and I'm wearing flannel pants and a long underwear shirt. So far, I haven't seen any other teachers participating. I hope I'm not the only one!
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Nirvana's "The Man Who Sold the World" came on the radio today. From the opening chords, I was immediately brought back to 1994, high school, and my highschool newspaper The Critic. My CD for the album has been lost for some time; I've really got to find it. Hearing the song made me really want to hear "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" and Cobain's desperate caterwaul at the end. Mainstream rock just hasn't been the same since he died.
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My kids were glad to see me back. I'm a bit tan, because my windburn has turned into a tan since I returned, so I've been joking and telling them I really went to Bermuda - that the whole Appalachian Trail thing was a front. My name and the names of my students were read over the announcements in the morning, and the whole class cheered. It was cool.
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Friday we have a three-hour assembly and a Pep Rally, so today is really the last full teaching day of the week. Awesome. Meanwhile, I've been busy grading essays (and making good progress), ordering copies of Huck Finn and Their Eyes Were Watching God for my students (10th grade and 9th grade, respectively, will start those books in about ten days), and trying to get back in the habit of school. On Saturday, we have our big football game at the NFL Stadium, and I hope some of the teachers will want to go out afterwards so I actually have something social to do this weekend.
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I signed up for a 401K this week. I'm so proud of myself.