If you didn't watch "The West Wing," you probably don't know about Big Block of Cheese Day. If you've read any of my previous Big Block of Cheese Day posts, you already know my somewhat inaccurate reason for using this title when I write a post made of a collection of various topics instead of one consistent idea. Hopefully that intro will be enough to catch you up on what to expect today.
Outside the Comfort Zone
Tonight I went to a retirement party for a former colleague where I had the chance to see several other people I taught with earlier in my career. I enjoyed seeing many faces from my past and catching up with them, but by the time I left I felt the introversion kicking in and my energy draining from being around so many people after a day of teaching and then a party after school. The thing is, I've got a long day of Track and Field tomorrow, which means there will likely be at least three times as many people at school than there are on a typical day. And when that all ends, there's a post-Track and Field staff gathering going on right after school. I'm going, partly because it's been awhile since we've had any kind of off-campus staff thing going on and I really do enjoy those kinds of things (I know, kind of a shock), and partly because I told someone else I'd be there and I keep my word. But I'm already planning how important it will be for me to find the right place to sit to make sure my batteries aren't completely drained after half an hour of celebrating. And this is to say nothing of a big family weekend centered on my cousin's graduation open house, so all of this means I'm not going to get a lot of recharging time until Sunday afternoon. Anyone who spends time with me in the next 72 hours who notices I'm a little off? Now you'll know why.
Accidental Societal Engineering
I've observed in the past that the school year still following a schedule established during an agrarian economy has its upsides: Saying goodbye to the students you've worked with so much and bonded with over the past nine months can be an emotional time. Luckily, a lot of these kids start acting up in the last few weeks of the school year because they can sense summer is almost here. This makes saying goodbyes a little bit easier.
Binge
There is nothing interesting on TV these days since we're in the lull between spring shows having their season finales and summer shows not starting yet. I do plan on restarting Netflix as soon as I feel like I've capped off the school year once and for all, and I plan on doing some show binges this summer while the account is active. I've got season 2 of "House of Cards" on deck, and I have every episode (so far) of "Fargo" saved on the DVR, with plans to wait for the series to end and then go through it all at once like I did this spring with "True Detective." I'm very open to suggestions of other shows people would recommend. (And since this seems to be an issue for certain circles of mine, I'll just offer this: I have never seen a single episode of "Veronica Mars" and don't know enough about it to be convinced that's a bad thing.)
I Like Tacos
If you've been following some of the more wandering comment threads that appear on my Facebook timeline over the past year, you may have come across the prhase "I like tacos" coming out of nowhere once or twice, or many times. My cousin Paul started this as what I can only imagine was originally intended to be a randomly dropped cognitive weapon meant to disrupt any conversation that was becoming too serious, or too long, or too unfocused. Several other of my relatives followed suit and before long it became an online catch phrase for us, one that developed enough staying power that it led to me hosting two, count 'em, TWO family taco parties at my house in the past year. And these weren't necessarily small - between the two parties we had people residing in at least four different states attending. Neither of them had been my idea, but it turned out planting the suggestion was enough to get the taco rolling. For the record I think tacos are fine, but I can honestly say I haven't had one in at least six months. Not even the scary new breakfast variety.
What a Crock
Speaking of food, I got a brand new Crock Pot for my birthday. I decided using one of these was a skill worth mastering, and summer vacation is a great time for a project like this. (I'm partially inspired to this by one teacher I know who, years ago, declared her project for the summer was to discover the perfect strawberry margarita recipe.) Since I live 700 yards from the Takeout Capital of North America, cooking in the summer has never been a big thing for me. But this summer that will change. If anyone has any slow cooker recipes they think I absolutely have to try, send 'em my way.
My Second Job
This time of year at school the topic of most conversations usually winds up at "So what are your plans this summer?" Happily I can say this year I'll be writing. Sure, I was last summer too, and probably the one before that and the one before that and so on, but this year everything about the purpose is different. I've spent the past month and a half doing a lot of editing, some early revising, and ton of developing ideas I want to use for when it's time to let the dogs loose and go to town on the revisions for real. I have a ridiculous amount of notes and ideas stashed away in four different locations right now, and I can't wait to tear into them. It feels like a dam about to burst.
Late Night
Does anyone watch Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show or Seth Meyers' Late Night? I will if I'm up late enough, and I couldn't enjoy their shows more. I loved watching SNL when they were both in the cast, and I'll sometimes catch reruns from that era on VH1 Classic. When I see an old favorite sketch come up that featured one or both of them, I'll feel a strange kind of pride for them to think these two guys I enjoyed so much on the show back then have gone on to bigger things.
The Zen of 5th Grade Closing
I plan on putting in a lot of late evenings at school next week, inventorying all of my 5th grade supplies to get them sorted for the new 5th grade team, throwing out the things I won't need anymore as I move on to another grade, and organizing the few materials my non-hoarding self has managed to keep after so many classroom moves of the past. It's a pain of a job, but a part of me really enjoys doing it. There's good emotional closure in putting aside the things you won't need anymore and preparing for what's next. As ready as I am for summer to begin RIGHT NOW, I feel like the last couple of weeks are going to end well.
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