Wednesday, May. 07, 2003
Plus I don't understand women, posted at 10:03 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com I'm alive.It's been one of those weeks that is so blindingly busy that it seems surreal. For the most parts, it's been good. But I won't be able to keep up this breakneck speed much longer. Thank goodness baseball season ends soon.
Here are some highlights of the last several days:
* Got drunk on Saturday night on 8 Blue Moons and a half a pound of shrimp. I can't believe I'd never had Old Bay before.
* I went to Frank's Nursery on Sunday, and ended up spending almost three digits. Amongst my purchases was a $25 dog statue. He looks like Holden and is sitting on the porch. I cannot quite believe I bought a statue, but I figure it would make a good Holden's Lair mascot.
* I spent most of Sunday gardening. I'm beginning to love and think that I could not live anywhere other than a place where I can garden, at least a little. I find it very cerebral and spiritual to sow the earth. I planted eight tomato plants and five pepper plants in my vegetable garden. And I don't even really like tomatoes (cherry ones are good, but most I just eat because they're good for you.) Maybe in about two months you all can come over for a salad. I also planted a hibiscus, a couple of clematis vines, and a number of cheap perennials around in the flowerbeds. And I'm a renter. Wow.
* I went to the Tigers/Orioles game on Monday night, meeting up with three guys from the Detroit Tigers Internet Forum whom I had never met before. It was interesting to connect faces with names I had seen posted for the last few years. Plus, it was a great game. Hell, it was a great series, with the Tigers sweeping the Orioles. I only made it to that first game, though; hopefully the series next year won't come during the busiest week of the year.
* We are being state accredited this week for the first time in ten years. This means added stress and lots of snooping people around. Since I'm a "golden boy" of the English department, I was asked to attend the welcoming dinner for the snoopers last night. The food was mediocre and the conversation even worse. Staying out until 9pm (almost until 24 came on, and, Gale, by the way, I can't believe you don't freaking watch this show. Such political intrigue...) when I need to grade essays and catch up on lesson planning was not my idea of a fun time.
* I decided to collect essays from students with the last names beginning with A-L on Tuesday, and M-Z are due on Thursday. I was hoping that this would make grading go faster, that it would eliminate the daunting stack effect that makes me cringe at the thought of grading. However, the A-L essays have not been graded yet - still catching up on older stuff - so my little plan might be all for naught if they don't get graded sometime in the morning tomorrow before all the M-Z ones come in.
* We have baseball games every night this week. I am exhausted.
* I taught the hell out of To Kill a Mockingbird today. One girl raised her hand in the middle of one of my little diatribes and said, "Wow, Mr. Epiphany, it looks like you're going to cry." I wasn't, of course, but I was so into Harper Lee's world of the story that the passion spilled off my face. I took it as a compliment. The kids were rapt today. Absolutely rapt. And I think my excitement helps them get into it. We'll read a passage, and I'll shout someone's name across the room and scream, "Khadija, did you just get goosebumps like I did?" and then I'll run over there and show her my goosebumps. I know this is corny as hell, but today I felt like the lead actor in a brilliant performance piece. I am so not the type to be the center of attention, but get me in front of a group of inquisitive 14-year olds and give me a book that I love and understand well, and I'm off the wall.
* The Internet Server at school is down, causing some stress and lack of updating opportunities. Hopefully I'll get on my cycle again soon.
I'm freaking exhausted. I've left in the dark and come home in the dark every night this week so far, and while this is common in the winter, it shouldn't be common in the spring with daylight savings time.
Off to bed I go.