Nonsense

Sometimes I sit at my computer screen sifting through the internet, as bored as all get out, and fighting sleep every moment. I want nothing more than to lie down and sleep; after all, it is past midnight. But for some reason, I have this compulsion to put it off, keep drifting from sight to sight, opening up endless new tabs and typing in new addresses. All the while I wonder, why aren't I in bed?

On Not Being Behind

I realized something this week. I am not behind. My grading is proceeding right on schedule and I will have end of the term grades ready in plenty of time for next week's deadline. My learning targets for this term are actually all taught. Two more class periods will finish up Malcolm X. One of those class periods is already planned.

Yearbook is still a learning experience, but I'm figuring things out. Today my lifetouch rep came and looked over what we've done so far, gave me some tips, and said it looked good. My students' first deadline is in two weeks. They're a little behind, but I think I've planned enough time for them to slip a little if they need to. But the pages they're putting together look good.

My ward choir performed. They did well. I'm planning the Christmas program. It looks fun.

Put all these things together...and I'm not behind. I'm not in a panic. It's the end of the first term, and everything's fine. I don't really know how to function this way. I expected chaos. I expected to need to turn my internal stress dial up to "Ruin Your Health" and blast my way through the next few weeks. After all, I still haven't begun to plan the next term yet. But I already know how I'm going to start it.

I can hardly grasp this new, strange, and slightly exhilarating sensation. Instead of barrelling down a hill wondering which patch of gravel is the best one to crash in, I'm cruising confidently down the slope. If I were to sum up my reaction to this new (and probably temporary) state of affairs, it would sound like this:

"What the...!? I'm not behind? How'd that happen?!"

Oh yeah, one more...

Just as a shout out to cavdawg... I was running late this morning, again. :)

   

But, unrelated to that, I have done, yet another thing that puts me in the "Wow, it looks like you're having a mid-life crisis" category.  You see, I have never dyed my hair.  I planned on never dying my hair.  I was firmly taught that dying one's hair meant that you forfeited the natural highlights that had developed over years.  Not only that, but you would be trapped into paying to have your hair redyed over and over and over, with your only option for escape to cut it all off, or dye it back to your original color, but this time without those natural highlights.  It would be years before you could recover.

   

Yet, Saturday morning, I enlisted a lovely assistant, 

and he dyed my hair.  !!!       !!!      !!!    

    

My reasoning was thus:  

   

I have actually always admired funkily colored hair.  Especially super short, funky-colored hair.  Now, after years of coveting it, I finally have super short hair.

   

Second, it occurred to me one evening last week that my super short hair exempts me from all the tragic consequences of dying my hair.  I can dye my hair any color I want, and, in about a month, I'll cut all of the dyed hair completely off, simply to remain my current hair cut.  Presto, hair back to the way it was before I dyed.  Exactly.  No redying, no trap.  I was free to experiment consequence free.  

   

So, embolden by my immunity, I reached for what I'd always secretly wanted, and I have gone from hair like this:

   

To hair pretty much like this (the flash made it turn out slightly more red than it's actual color):

Miscellaneous

Tonight is going to be catch up on my blog night.  I've been very good tonight, and graded lots of papers, so I deserve a little extracurricular life.
 
Pictures of dress up day have been requested multiple times, so here are a couple from 80s day.  It looked better in person, but you can get the general idea.

   
Second, last week, on Monday, I went to a "content day" for the district.  All the junior high and high school English teachers came to learn about and discuss a variety teaching topics.  It was held at a local high school.  I took plenty of notes related to the topics the seminars were about, but I also took notes on other things I was thinking.  The result was somewhat humorous.  So, without further ado, here are my thoughts from content day.


8:05 Wow.  That is one tall drinking fountain.  It's chest high!
         This school smells like hamsters.
8:30 I actually WANT to learn Spanish!
         Crap!  ESL kids don't get study skills for homework help anymore?  Crap crap crap.
9:20 I need a hair cut--time to call Amanda
         Socratic Seminar??
9:55 I like trail mix two times only: when I'm hiking, and as a "snack" at one of these seminars.
         Teachers at this school have really fun bulletin boards.
         There has got to be a book about analyzing people based on their doodles when they're bored.  You could analyze personality, intelligence, creativity, penchant for organization and neatness, etc.
10:00 Why did houndstooth come back in?  Is it piggy-backing off of Argyle's recent surge in popularity?
            Sigh.  I want a real plant.  Something that good with artificial light.
10:05  I don't like corduroy pants, but I do like the word curduroy.
            Is giving students candy that's not individually wrapped even LEGAL anymore?
10:07  What does it say about me that most of doodles are geometric patterns?  What does it say that I can't draw a non-skewed geometric pattern to save my life?  They always turn out with non-uniform angles...and slightly bent lines.
10:10  How can I get my hands on the Dr. Brain series? Especially the Lost Mind of Dr. Brain.  I loved those games.
10:15  Give me lamination, double-sided tape, and magnetic things, and I will change the world.