Things Lately

Life lately is, well, like a usual teacher's life in the last ten days before Christmas break: all over the place. We've been incredibly busy, yet not all that busy at the same time. Busy with school, with work, with obligations, but not yet busy out and about and living the Christmas-y December life. We are running around with end-of-semester student projects, Christmas programs, finals, and grading. Here's a few things going on in my life lately:

1. Serial. FE:OIWJFE:OWIEJFW:OEIJ:A:LKJWELRKF. That's all I have to say. It's so good. Sarah Koenig has me hanging on to her every word. She brilliantly, fairly, and ever-so-cleanly investigates a murder that occurred in Baltimore in 1999 through a series of podcasts. That year, a high school boy named Adnan Syed was put in prison for the death of his ex-girlfriend based on very little physical evidence, one friend's testimony, and phone records that seemed to indicate his guilt. With a little prodding, Sarah is finding more and more holes, questions, and coincidences than she's finding answers. We all get the privilege to ride along and see where it goes, the fate of this man, now in his thirties, hanging in the balance. People. Go take a listen.

2. Brian Regan. Mel's family has famously followed Brian Regan's comedy for as long as I've known them. Her dad is always good for a little quote sesh on the spot. Well, this weekend her friends were invited along with the Lawrence crew for a live show of his at The Chicago Theater. I had lost my voice at that point (see #3 on this list) and was squeaking out these raspy laughs all night. 

3. Dayquil. It's that time of the teaching year. Second graders tend to spread their slime without consideration of the state of community health, and I've finally succumbed to the barrage of germs that come in my direction daily. Unfortunately for Brian, he is realizing that having an elementary school teacher as his roommate means that he also gets the benefit of strengthening his immune system through exposure. We've been going to sleep at 8:45 at night lately. I'd be lying if I said I didn't love the extra sleep/reading/cuddle time, even if we are kind of miserable. We're miserable together! #marriageperks  

4. Harry Potter. Oh yes, for the first time. Today I told my friend Sam that I was reading the series for the first time ever. She gave me a puzzled look, saying that she always thought of me as a book-y person and could not believe that I hadn't read them before. Well, sadly, it is true. Not sadly, when everyone else was reading Harry Potter in middle school, I was working my way through the Chronicles of Narnia, so not all was lost in those early years. I got to know Digory and Polly and Tumnus and Lucy, and all was well. Now I get the joy of cheering on Griffyndor, loathing Malfoy, and living vicariously through the most curious and brave three best friends  I could imagine. I finished the first book yesterday and am absolutely hooked. 

5. Birchwood Kitchen. I've been trying to get to this place for forever! Brian and I tried going last year and ended up with the prospect of waiting for a table for over an hour. We ditched that and went to, of course, Smoke Daddy instead. Thankfully, Michal and Reese were free this morning and also wanted to try it out. It was delish and had an adorable little atmosphere. The company was the best part of the meal. 

Soon I will add Christmas Programs, End-of-Year Christmas Parties, and Flights to Phiadelphia on this list of things lately in my life. But that's next week. We'll take it one at a time over here. 

Refunding

One time on Seinfeld they referred to barfing as "refunding." I thought that was a nice way to put it.

Here's one aspect of teaching that I never thought would come naturally to me, but I'm dealing with it more maturely than I expected.

I don't know what it is with all you 7 and 8-year-olds, but you guys barf a lot. 

Today, my kid D just let it fly during Writing Workshop all over himself, his chair, and the floor and stared at me like I was his mom or something. Like I was his person! Like I had to be the one to take action!

In the past, I might have run away screaming or more likely just vomited myself out of pure grossed-outedness. But somehow God has decided to develop the nurturing gene that I somehow have way deep down in my soul and gave me the strength to go over there, clean him up, and help him to the garbage can. It's happened three times this week in my classroom and I've seen it 3 times in the halls/recess areas in the past two days.

I think the reason for my unexpected compassion in these gross situations is that I know from experience that the second I throw up my immediate thought is, "WHERE IS MY MOTHER?!" as if she is going to come in and clean me up and make me toast while I watch The Price is Right on the couch. So I can understand the tendency to look around the room as a second grader when you refund your lunch and to immediately look for the closest thing that looks like your mom. I mean, I look nothing like my kids' moms, but I am older than them and I am a female. Close enough. 

Props to my mom for putting up with my crybaby self whenever I barf. Heck, props to ALL THE MOMS. One day, if I join your ranks, I'll be thankful for D who saw me as qualified to help his poor self out.

Onward and upward. Hopefully my naming today Throw-up Thursday isn't prophetic for the rest of the year. 

Fam-a-lam

My two favorite things. 

This weekend was full of family. Not the whole shebang all together (didn't get to see my dad unfortunately) but a lot of wonderful people who happen to be related to me. On Friday night, I rocketed out of school to go to my cousin Kristin's house with Steph, Karley, and Liz for a good old-fashioned sleepover. Without the sleepover. We ate together, had cute drinks, made junk food, and watched When Harry Met Sally. It was my first time seeing it and oh my goodness I love that movie. As weird as it sounds, I sort of found Billy Crystal attractive in that one. I know, it doesn't seem right to me either. But when he said "I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible," I just melted. Classic. Saturday was spent with my Mom, Alex, Steph, and Sawyer on a shopping excursion for my mom's ensem for Alex's wedding (which is quickly approaching!) which was not very enjoyable for me. The company was great, but I happened to be all stuffed up and hazed over from a weird cold I came down with halfway through the day on Friday. I'm blaming the second-graders. I distinctly remember one kid sneezing DIRECTLY in my face on Wednesday or Thursday, and I'm thinking that's what did me in. On the bright side, after this year I plan on having the immune system of an ox. (Do oxen have good immune systems? I'm not sure. It just seemed right to say.) Either way, the shopping all blended together in a weird cloud and I just nodded and smiled to things I couldn't hear as my eyes watered all afternoon.

Saturday night was absolutely great, because THE Liz VanDrunen herself came to visit me in Pilsen. We walked up Halsted to University Village where there was a cute Mexican restaurant for margaritas and appetizers (I literally could have margaritas and chips and salsa every time I go to a restaurant and be happy about it). Then we walked back to the apartment and chatted about teaching (her first year teaching 4th grade starts up very soon), weddings (she also has a million to attend this summer, including a sibling), and beginning our real lives. Don't judge me for this one, but we finished the night by watching one of the most feel-good movies I've seen in awhile: Big Miracle. Yes, it's about saving the whales. Yes, I realize that seems very lame. But it spoke right to my heart and I was charmed. John Krasinski didn't hurt either. Anyway, if you are looking for some good-clean-whale-saving fun, watch the movie. And to all of you who just wrote me off as a moviegoer with no taste, please have a little faith. Fargo, Ferris Bueller, and Fight Club still top the charts in my book.

Speaking of movies, I'm realizing that this summer has been sadly void of movie-watching. Usually I'm at the theater at least 5 times a summer along with redboxes and rentals constantly. This year, with TFA Institute, moving, and crazy schedules, movies have been off the agenda. This saddens me deeply because I am a movie freak. It embarrasses me to say I STILL have not seen Dark Knight Rises. For now, I'm just going to make a list of books and movies to catch up on when I have free time from this teaching thing. I'm thinking that will be in December. Can't wait.

Chi City

On Monday I was a lucky girl. I got to spend the day downtown Chicago with 3 great friends. They're all blonde bombshells, so I feel pretty cool being the brunette sheep of the bunch, if you will.

I never get sick of going downtown Chicago. Maybe it's that touristy small-town Wisconsinite within me that won't ever get used to a city that big. I just love going to walk around random shops and places in the city. And I don't ever get sick of The Bean at Millenium Park, either. It will always be a magical giant kidney bean that beckons me to take pictures of myself in its reflective surface. On this particular outing we didn't get to The Bean, but let me tell you, there'd be self pics in existence if we did. 

April and Susan

Shopping!

Karyn and myself

Amazing Popcorn

Giordano's Chicago Style Pizza. It really doesn't get better. 

After I got home from this blissful excursion, I started to feel kinda gross. And then the next morning I woke up feeling like I swallowed a rusty fork. And then I barfed. And then I found out I had strep throat and the flu simultaneously for three days. And now I'm sick of saltine crackers and ginger ale. You might say I'm down with the sickness. The couch and I have never had so much quality time together and I can't wait to put some distance between us again. 

Florida, anyone? We leave Saturday for our family vacation and on a scale of pretty to very excited, you might say I'm VERY excited.