Yay for Christmas break a day early!

Whew. Let me tell you, as a teacher the week before Christmas break is only rivaled by the week before summer vacation. In fact, I think the week before Christmas is worse because at least before summer vacation the students have exams to be panicked about. Before Christmas break all they think about is presents, two weeks off and the possibilities of snow days. The teachers are thinking that too, I promise you.

We got an early present though. Christmas break came a day early because of the 6-7 inches of snow that got dumped on southeast Michigan over night. Our first snow day! Even yesterday everyone was talking as if we wouldn't have school today. The forecasters were predicting up to 10 inches, we only had a half day planned anyways and it was the last day before break. Even better? We got the call that school was canceled last night. Sure, I'd have been more than happy to have gotten the call at 5:30 am this morning, but going to bed knowing that I don't have to get up for school the next day was even better.

Now that school is out for two weeks, I can start thinking and enjoying the fact that Christmas is around the corner. The cookie baking-a-thon happens tomorrow, J and I are going to the school's Christmas Play tonight, I can start listening to Christmas music without feeling guilty and, best of all, I can read all the not-for-school stuff I want. Woo!

Wife posted this on their blog the other day and I just got enough of a kick out of it that I had to post it too. I like the reindeer solo best.

Exhausted and a bit overwhelmed

I'm not sure I'm going to make it to December 19. I have to keep telling myself there are only 7 days of school left before break but I think I'm hitting the breaking point.

I'm exhausted. I feel like I never stop running around. On the one hand I'm looking forward to the social agenda for this weekend but on the other it makes me want to crawl under my covers and not come out. I'm tired just thinking about it.

I'm not looking forward to the 41 Great Gatsby papers I will get on Monday that have to be corrected by Friday in order to get them back to my students so they can have their final draft in when we get back from break. I am not looking forward to how nuts the kids will be all next week since it's the week before winter break and "we shouldn't have to do anything!"

I'm not looking forward to the department meeting I have to run after school tomorrow. I don't want to talk about our 1-3-5 year plans for teaching reading. I don't want to talk about the budget changes that have been made and I definitely don't want to talk about what we should "Drop, Add or Keep!" from the curriculum. I want to tell everyone to go piss off and leave me alone.

I'm irritated that my mom sort of started the whole bitchiness about the holidays again. I don't want to be in the middle of it. I'm not interested.

I want someone to wait on me. To give me a back rub and tell me how I'll make it through the next few days. I don't want all this responsibility right now. I want someone else to do it all. I don't want it. I want to be on a warm, sandy beach with the ocean lapping at my feet and a drink in a coconut right beside me. I want a stack of thrilling novels at my side, the smell of the ocean in my nose and sunglasses perched on my face. That's what I want right now.

Grump, grump, grump.

Hawthorne Heights Interview

Two weeks ago I got to do an in-person interview with two of the guys from Hawthorne Heights and that was pretty exciting. Most of the interviews I've done have had to be email interviews and, although I get pretty nervous, there's something much more exciting about doing a live interview. Especially when the band is pretty well-known. So, after having to wait outside in the freezing cold for about 45 minutes due to some delays at The Shelter, I got to sit down and chat with Eron Bucciarelli and Micah Carli from Hawthorne Heights. If you're interested in reading the story, check it out at Revolt. The show review and some photos I shot will go up in about two weeks. I think getting to meet them was especially exciting because I felt a little like things had come in a circle (well, maybe a spiral would be a more appropriate analogy) because they were the very first band I got to photograph from the photo pit at a show and one of my very favorite photos of all time was a picture I shot of Micah Carli at that show. I didn't have a photo pass (another photographer and I started chatting and he sort of snuck me into the pit) and I was just using my Canon point and shoot, but it was a thrilling experience. So, to actually meet them and sit down to talk was really a thrill. :)