Gah! Finally!

Okay...so I'm really, really bad about updating. Not that anyone really reads this anymore because really, anything Wild and Absolutely True about my new job can't go in this blog because I worry about who might end up reading it. Not like the good ole days at St. Pete's when I posted any random incident that happened without fear...

Anyway, I do have some good excuses for not updating:

1. I have been extremely, wildly busy running around eastern Contra Costa County with one of my choirs doing carol gigs.

2. I had a concert to plan (and stress over).

3. Christmas shopping.

4. I haven't been able to log on since I've been at Mom and Dad's house (though somehow tonight I managed).

But enough excuses. I'm ready to give the pertinent headlines from my world.

Carol Gigs

One of the big fundraisers for my top choir is December caroling. The kids get gigs going and suddenly I find myself driving all the way to some little out-of-the-way town called Rodeo (that's Roh-daayyy-oh, not Ro-deee-oh, I learned the hard way) to sing at a Breakfast With Santa, or to every Ace Hardware location in the tri-city area. I went to countless private homes and businesses, and spent many an evening listening to carols. I even finished my mid-quarter grading at Safeway, while my kids walked from Floral to Produce to Seafood, through Frozen Foods, back up to the Deli. Ever spent four hours at a Safeway store? I don't recommend it in terms of entertainment value, but at least I got caught up on my grading.

I've put many, many miles on Rosie Protege (but I'm getting some mileage reimbursement!) and spent a lot of time wishing I could be home, curled up on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea. It's all for a good cause. Believe me, though, I don't want to hear certain carols for a while yet.

The Concert

Oh, goodness, the stress.

I looked at my Dec. 21 concert as a debut of sorts--a chance to prove to the kids and their parents that I know something about music and choir. Needless to say, I wanted it to go well, and worried endlessly in the few weeks proceding that it would be terrible.

My worries were unfounded. Halfway through the concert, I guess my dad leaned over to my mom and said, "What the hell was she so worried about?" Meanwhile, DD (Darling Daughter) was up on stage suffering from a serious case of dry mouth. I haven't been that nervous in a long time.

The concert went quite well. My beginning choir (key word: MY beginning choir) rocked the house with "Seasons of Love" and they had a pretty good time doing it, too. I was so proud of them. My other groups did a great job, too, and I hope this will boost their confidence in me. They don't hate me, but we're still working on trust and all that. It takes time.

Anyway, I had a lot of compliments, and I managed to keep the program to an hour and fifteen minutes--this is with five choirs and a few solo acts going. By 9:30, I was sitting at home in my pajamas. Perfect!

Christmas

I hope everyone had as lovely a Christmas as I did. Truly, it was one of the most relaxing Christmases I've had in years.

Thursday night was the concert, and Friday (the 22nd) was our last day. We finished at 11:30, and by 12:30, after sharing Corn Dog Friday with two of my colleagues (long story), I was battling the crazy holiday traffic to get home.

Friday night was Dinner With Heather Night. We met at the Outback Steakhouse and spent a couple of hours rehashing all our recent dramas and joys. Work has been...busy...for both of us, to say the least!

Saturday I ran to Target and Safeway (am still having nightmares about the freakin' lines at Safeway--madness!), then came home to begin 60 hours of extreme laziness.

Mom and Dad went out that evening, leaving me to sit on the couch in my pajamas with a book. I went to bed early, still exhausted from the last few weeks, and slept like a baby until about 8:00 the next morning.

As I mentioned, the next 60 or so hours would be Extreme Lazy Time. I only wore pajamas in all that time. I did not step out of the house once--not even the back yard, front doorstep, or garage. I showered every day (can't go without showering) but I did not blow dry my hair or wear make-up.

We watched several movies over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: Lady In The Water, Little Miss Sunshine (hysterical!), The Devil Wears Prada, The Usual Suspects, and The Ref. We had a turkey-and-all-the-trimmings dinner on Christmas Eve...at which all three of us wore pajamas or sweats.

Christmas moring was lovely. We opened gifts and then sat around watching TV. I read and did word puzzles.

Finally, on Tuesday (yesterday), I was itching to spend my Target gift cards (my family knows me well), so I actually left the house with Mom and did some major shopping. Glorious!

Today was another lazy day. I've been reading like mad and cuddling with various cats (whoever will tolerate me at the time).

And that's my Christmas. It's been wonnnnnnnderful.

What the Heck is Corn Dog Friday?

Back in October, we had an all-staff meeting that was a teensy bit on the negative side (okay, I'm being nice--it was very negative). Various emails went out the next day, the first reminding all of us "why we went into teaching" and the rest letting the email's author know how pompous and condescending he sounded.

You know, we really need to start thinking about when to hit "Reply" and when to hit "Reply All."

Anyway, when I saw another performing arts teacher had replied to it (one with a fabulous sense of humor) I read it. His suggestion--we should boost morale at our school by instituting some kind of fun tradition, say, Corn Dog Friday.

Of course, it had the desired effect--everyone got a laugh and it eased tensions some.

Not willing to let it go, another performing arts colleague, Larry, decided to surprise the idea's originator a couple weeks later by bringing corn dogs to school one Friday. The microwave is in the music library, between my room and Larry's, so they shared with me, and a tradition was born. We three now take turns bringing corn dogs to school, and this last Friday was no exception. We all agreed that one last corn dog in 2006 was a great idea.

Long live Corn Dog Friday.

Good Grief

I can't believe another year has flown by so quickly. I'll try to get a Year in Review post up soon...until then, I've got books to read and word puzzles to do. In my pajamas.

Life is good.

Cheers,

Meg