This
Journal

January
2000

14. Simple Day

Man, where did this week go? Friday already? I was thinking this afternoon that it had been a day or so since my last entry...not four. Now, here it is 9:30 at night and I'm wondering what I accomplished today.

We didn't have classes; we had an in-service day, largely devoted to our North Central accreditation process. So I sat and listened and took it all in. There are some sensitive issues relative to teacher use of our computers. It's kind of eye-opening. I suppose no group of adults will ever be on the same page at the same time for very long.

One of the best things of the day was getting a chance to chat briefly with a few colleagues. After the meetings I stopped by Amy's room to see some of her Teacher Portfolio information. What a bright and lively room with upper walls papered in student posters (WANTED posters for 19th century American poets - very cool idea) and the back wall done up as a quilt made of individual students' self-descriptive squares. I'm starting to understand what my students mean about my "stupidboring" room. Well, Amy's room gives off a very good vibe - neat stuff happening there. And she gave me some good ideas about this portfolio thing.

Then it was home to a community meeting where we decided it was time to get our February party in gear. I'm in charge of getting out the invitation to the sixty-one Midwest Carmelites. I know there are sixty-one because that's how many envelopes I addressed by hand this evening. Ouch. At first I was just going to send one to each community and then individual ones to the outlanders, but at dinner tonight Bob said he thought it would be good to send one to each guy. I responded, "You wanna help with the envelopes?" He grinned and declined. But the damage was done - he got me thinking. He was right. Separate is better. I know most of the guys won't be coming, but at least someone cared enough to call them to the feast by name.

So tomorrow, after I take Dom to the airport, I'll head off to the one of these copy places to print the invites. Then off to the post office for a big handful of stamps. Then home to stuff and lick and stick. That's what Saturdays are for, no doubt.

Aside from that, I will spend tomorrow doing what I do best: ignoring my friends. One's back from the far east. Two were sailing by on their way to Marquette but I failed to return the call. One's got a nifty new look for his webpage, which I haven't really seen on this machine with its damnstupidslow AOL connection because it takes so long to load - but I did get a peak at it through the T-line at school. Another's off in the wilds of Canada. And still another is teaching up a storm again in The District of Columbia. And others out there in the night, are you thinking of me? I'm thinking of you.

{Smartypants}

We sail tonight for Singapore - we're all as mad as hatters here.
Tom Waits

 

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