Putting it off...

This Wednesday I leave for the States for two months of raucous fun and traveling. Like many times before I leave, I'm filled with excitement and anticipation. And like these times, events serendipitously come together days and weeks before, making it hard for me to leave yet again. I haven't had a weekend like last since Provo and it was amazing. Flick can articulate it for me.

I always seem to put off any sort of interest until the very last moment, when possibilities are damned by an absence of company. I asked a cool girl out for lunch. A very rare event . I'm actually excited about it. Even more rare. I think she's excited about it too. More rare than unicorns and zombies at the farmers market in Paris. I leave Wednesday.

Dancing > Sleeping

In the past 43 hours I have slept about four hours and have danced more than five. I feel great and I love life.

36 hours

FRIDAY
6:30: Wake up, have a cuddle party with my friends sleeping over
8:40: Work, organize my office, chew the fat with other teachers, make some phone calls, meet with a student and a parent, write up some evaluations, send some e-mails...like a boss.
16:00: Go home
16:45: Meet up with Flick, finish up our playlist
17:30: Listened to music, facebooked, blogged, blah blah blah
18:45: Went to the Cheesecake Cafe with Graham, Kelsey, Heather and Evan
20:00: Choir practice
21:20: Headed over to the tunnel to set up for our dance party
22:05: DANCE

SATURDAY
00:30: Last four to dance, went to Macs to get slurpees then all our cars
1:15: At Amanda's to watch Mystic River
1:20: Fell asleep, only got 5% of the movie
3:00ish: Woke up to see the DVD player start Mystic River again, stayed awake to see 95% of Mystic River
5:30ish: Talked about how much we liked the movie, tried to go to sleep again, couldn't, decided to go to Tim Hortons
6:30: Breakfast at Tim Horton's
8:00: Got home, more cuddle partying with my friends staying over
8:40: Left for Magrath to volunteer for the Yard Sale
11:30: Went to Napa auto parts for a new thermostat for my car
12:00: Napping party
14:00: Woke up, Phase 10 party with my friends upstairs
15:46: Writing this blog
18:00: Hay Hay's wedding reception
19:30: Concert in the Park
22:00: Dance party at the Henotic

I love summers.

Last day

Look at where I've come: Fully dressed shirt and tie to washed up t-shirt, shorts, sandals and a gross haircut and prepubescent facial hair.


I remember I couldn't sleep the night before the first day of teaching. Last night I fell asleep on the couch, my friends came home late and they told me they woke me up several times but I don't remember. I got eight hours of sleep. It was wonderful. Looking back over the year I've learned so much about myself, about teaching and about students. Here are some of those things:

• I love teaching. I LOVE IT. I love it, I love it, I love it.
  
• I came into teaching wanting to eventually be an administrator. You can't pay me to be an administrator. No offense to principals or office workers, but the highlight of my day is when I'm with the students. Then it all goes downhill after classes when I have to plan and make phone calls and do this or that. I just can't sit at a desk.
  
• They don't care how much I know until they know how much I care. Cliche, yes. True, very.
  
• Pack a lunch, I'll be happier.
  
• I suck at disseminating information quickly. Need to do better.
  
• It's okay to fail at somethings. It's okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
  
• I don't think they would come out and say it outright, but students need structure, and defined expectations. I'll interject dammit just because I can.
  
• Small town schools don't function the same way a school does that's bigger than the small town.

Amen.

R.I.P King of Pop

Whatever feelings you may have of him, the world lost an icon today.

Hello Summer

Today was the longest day of the year. I'm still not used to the amount of sunlight we get up here. Dawn starts breaking at about 4 am and it's still dusk at 10:30 pm. Regardless of the not being used to the extremely long days, I love it! I heralded summer in by having a sleepover party in a little grass bowl called the Sugar Bowl. Me and nine other friends got blankets and set up camp in the bottom of the field, rolled down the hill, had a dancing party, had a pillow fight and took a nap.

Actually this weekend was quite good. Friday night I played trombone in a contemporary jazz ensemble in a local night club in town. Then hit the last part of a church dance where they played MGMT, Daft Punk among others. I was surprised; I was blown away actually. Then had a sleepover party with some friends where I only got about two hours of sleep. Had breakfast with more friends Saturday morning, lounged around all day Saturday, went to a baseball field where there was a BBQ and kickball going on, then went back to the Slice to listen to more jazz...then to my second sleepover party in the Sugar Bowl. I'm quite content.

Stalkers

You've been discovered...I know who you are...I'm watching you...


...I'll see you in band next fall...

The second awakening

Today I got my second wedding invitation in as many days, and my ninth invitation so far this summer with more on the way. I haven't had wedding invitations line my fridge like this since.....ever. One of the couples met at the beginning of this year, got married in May and are now pregnant with their first kid. Nothing to naked in five months. Naked to knocked up in....

Music across....generations?

Today we are cleaning our band instruments and during one of the classes I asked if they want to listen to any music. Of course! Why do I need to ask? Then one of the students asked, "Can we listen to Justice?" It was a very satisfying moment for me. It would also make Melia proud. It was her little sister. She was also in grade 8.

Clowns in a clown car

How many grade 7 students can you fit in Mr. Yamamoto's office?
Apparently 17.

My two new roommates

I moved upstairs from my basement suite in April and loved it. Then I spent two months in my new found space (3 bedrooms and 2 floors) all to myself and loved it. Then to cut costs I skeptically let two brothers move in to take up the other two rooms. And guess what??? I love it! They're not bad at all! I got home today and they had a sandwich ready for me! Yesterday we played Rock Band! I think my experience last summer with Storm (yes that's his real name), my roommate from hell, kind of jaded me to this whole roommate idea. There is hope for humanity, and it begins with cool roommates.

My summer

in two words:

Asian guys

I think this also explains why I'm single.

Bachelor this and bachelor that

I met a cool guy back in August. We were each other's first friend up here in Canada and hung out a lot, then he met a girl and things just fizzled out between us. That's life. I understand. I was honored and surprised when he asked if I would be his best man for his wedding. I was happy to oblige.

Tomorrow he gets married. So tonight I thought I'd do what traditionally the best man does and throw him a bachelor party. We got a group of friends together and went salsa dancing. Much to my surprise again, he was asking girls to dance left and right. It was perfect for him.

On the way back home he innocently says to me, "You know, if we were still hanging out like we did tonight since September, I would be single still." I laughed so hard. Yes I guess my lifestyle is the lifestyle of bachelor. Yes I suppose I enjoy this lifestyle more than that of being married. No I never thought it would prevent others from being married as well.