Slipping

I started writing with good, daily intentions. And I find it is not usually top of mind, even in the mornings. Some days I am rushed, or distracted, or busy trying to organize a day so I can have a little moment of triumph and know that, no matter what happens, there is enough to educate, entertain and fill 50 minutes. Yesterday was like that. (notice that when talking about good intentions, I left out the daily walk, the communicating with friends, and other things I planned to do often for the past 3 months).

Yesterday was like that. Wednesday jury duty cattle call was a joke. Drive all the way downtown. Pay, along with the other 2000 other people called, $5 to park, get to the huge room with chairs set up. Wait. Wait some more. Have things explained. Have judges come in. Have more things explained. Have the potential weeks you can pick listed, which ranged from the week prior to TCAP to the last week of school, meaning no matter what, I was going to be out for some portion of the rest of the year, which is a good thing. Watch 80% of the people in the place scramble to get in line for the first week, and line up when the second week is called, without the line being much shorter for having filled the first week. Wind up getting the first week of May, neither good nor bad. Then cattle call out with all the people leaving, meaning traffic and frustration.

So I overplanned yesterday. I had no confidence that a sub showed up, based on past experience. I made sure I had two lessons in one, with calculator practice, and a handout. Got to school and pleasantly surprised to see a note from the sub - she had followed my directions and things went smoothly. Finalize my grades (since the grading period ends Friday at 4pm, they need to be in) and felt accomplished and ready to cruise through the periods. During planning, a man in a sport coat walked down the hall - I figured he was a sub. Then I ran into him in the teacher's lounge and asked him if he was a sub. He said no, and I guessed, out loud, he must be an important visitor. Turns out he is the Math Supervisor for the system. When I introduced myself, he already knew who I was. The administration had requested he come by for a "drop-in" observation of my classroom. The kind that goes in a file. The day after I have been out. The day before the kids go on Spring Break. Not the nicest surprise. And the kids could not have been less cooperative. The ones who learn were great. Those who talk and good were making animal sounds back and forth at each other (this is the class that did the disruptive throat clearing on Tuesday and had a class-wide lunch detention). The supervisor actually thought he was going to be sitting in on my enriched class - oops on his part. I managed to get through the class, he shook my hand, told me I was very energetic and he would email me follow up forms. Great. Have to have those done before vacation, too.

The rest of the day just slacked off from there. Principal decided to move a dance for the middle schoolers into the school day (since lower grades, who do no have the extreme behavior of our teens, had theirs during the school day), which means two of my classes won't meet today. My uncooperative student is now getting up from his seat to challenge me, and when told to sit back down starts his muttering rants and complaints. Assistant principal was not in to update me, so I have no clue where that whole mess stands - but unless I hear something today it will probably hover over my head through break.

And today I have the tough decision - should I blow my GRE money on the new iPad2? It is a cool toy - but at home I anchor myself to this PC and it does what I need. I don't actually feel the need to have a computer with me all the time for Twitter and Facebook and all that stuff, the same way I never felt the need to have a phone with me (and I don't use that often either). I have a school issued laptop, so I can travel with that and be connected via Wifi. I am leaning against getting it, even though I was excited at the idea first. New gadgets are interesting to think about, but not life changing, and this one I think will wait.

Financial front - News America gave me a proposal on my pension. 140% of the estimated worth in a lump sum - just under $20,000. But it will be taxed unless it rolls into an IRA or other retirement fund. Probably going to take it, just got to figure out the right method. Or I can have $68 a month until I die, or $365 a month until I die if I wait until 65.