Wednesday, Jun. 16, 2004
Baltimore bar guide, posted at 10:52 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com I'm embarrassed to say that after those last two heartfelt entries about loving my job and teaching and the wonders of education and loving Baltimore's kids, I have been behaving in a very unteacher-like manner in the last two days. I mean, I've been more like a rock star. One that parties all the freaking time.Tuesday night was a repeat of last Tuesday night. Following another softball loss, we headed over to Kisling's and played Flippy Cup. Again, Bill drove me because he takes the weekend shift and I'm the Mon-Thurs shift. My technique for Flippy Cup is back in form. It's not quite like riding a bike - it took me a while to get heated up - but now I have down the whole motion. I down the beer, put the cup on the edge of the table, then flip it gently until it lands on its top without falling. Then, the next person does the same, and it travels down like a relay race. Our team is much better at Flippy Cup than it is at softball, but that's okay. Although, I must say that I'm hitting .750 with three doubles, five RBI, and two runs in four at-bats so far.
We also got to see the Pistons win their championship. I was living in Detroit's suberbs (Redford Township) the last time they won, in 1989, and it was awesome being there. I wish I could feel that energy right now. The feeling of a city totally bonding over something is very affirming, and I miss that. However, one never knows, I could be in the Detroit area the next time the Tigers or the Lions are going for a championship. I think both the NFL and MLB have wider appeal than the NBA or NHL, so seeing that would be even neater.
Okay, back to my parting because it's the last week of real school schedule. Tonight, a co-worker I've worked with for three years had his going away party. He is a great guy. I always thought we'd be closer, but he's got a wife and two young kids and he could never really hang out after work, but that's the life I envy and see myself grabbing onto within five years. He's always been a good guy to me, a mentor of sorts, and I'll miss him. Anyhow, his wife and kids have already moved out to Arizona, where he's moving, and the whole department had a dinner and drinks shindig at Ryan's Daughter in Belvedere Square. I still think place is pretty cool, although I wish it was cheaper. Afterwards, when all the older-than-35 folks took off, the leaving colleague, Jason, took the remaining four of us out around to the rest of Belvedere Square. I've never hung out there, but he grew up in the area, and we hopped from Ryan's Daughter to Swallow at the Hollow (read that review, it's hilarious) and then to Murphy's Neighborhood Bar and Grill. The latter had a basement with wood paneling, a jukebox, a cheap pool table, and no one in it. We stayed for a long time there, enjoying each other's company and drinking lots of beer. We're all English teachers, so we talked about some dorky stuff, like the book that changed your life. My answer? The Color Purple. That was Jason's answer, too, before mine, so that was pretty cool. We then turned down the jukebox to watch the Justin Timberlake episode of Punk'd. He almost cried, poor guy. Being in Murphy's was like being in my living room, with its grandfather's basement feel, and it was good times all around.
I'm completely done with students - no finals today, just a few kids coming to write essays in desperate attempts to pass. Today, I'm going to finish grading my finals and that should go quickly. The year is rapidly coming to a close and I couldn't be happier. I used to think the worst part of being a teacher is the summers, as it's like being laid off for three months. But this year, I need the break more than any other year. I still wish we had a school year that was more spread out, with 200 school days and more breaks and a yearlong contract (Baltimore doesn't offer one). This year, I need to recharge the battery more than ever, which is another great thing about teaching: how many jobs just completely get to start over every year?