Dear Weather,

you need to calm down.  All of this is excessive and unfun and we could do without it.

HEARTS,

Emily


*PS, I was totally going to throw an expletive into that first line, but decided against it.  That whole 'catch more flies with honey than vinegar' thing

Mindsay,

a girl from my high school died this weekend.  I keep finding myself incredibly saddened by it.  Not like, crying tears (though I know that is imminent).  Just this really strong feeling of dread knowing that the world is down a person like her.  Like, something great happened earlier today with one of my students, and I was being my usual dorky teacher self praising her, and her smile reminded me of Sonia and... SLAM.  Ton of bricks, right on my chest.

I will not claim that Sonia and I were BFFs; if I'm honest, she was one of the BFFs of the little sister of my BFF.  We knew each other; she was only 2 years younger than me.  The link to the article I'm sharing is spot on; she was truly a beautiful person, inside and out.  I never saw her do a single thing that wasn't kind or good-intentioned; she was spectacular.

Heaven's lucky to have you, Sonia.  I'm sorry we didn't know each other more.

http://malverne-westhempstead.patch.com/articles/west-hempstead-grad-sonia-sethi-dies-at-24

I already HATE my 18 mile commute (that's one direction).

How much more am I going to hate it with the driver side door (you know, the one that I sit next to as I drive the car?) is kind of NOT STAYING CLOSED? Like, shut it, and it pops back open?  I'm afraid tomorrow we shall find out

I guess this is a funny/ironic change from the usual problem, which is the door freezes shut/refuses to open.  But really, it just makes me sad and scared and nervous and wishing I had ANY kind of spare money to start putting towards a car where the doors did normal things, like open and close when I want them to.
BUTOHWAIT, I teach public school in crappy Massachusetts.  I am half a step above foodstamps, and will soon be job-hunting again. 

2012, you need to start doing better.  Already I have to have firm words with you? NOT a good omen!

It's 6:47 on a Tuesday morning that I DON'T HAVE WORK ON because IT'S WINTER VACATION.

My big plans for the day include:
- FINISHING (not just working on, but FINISHING) the rest of a report about one (ONE) of my students' testing results (when I quit last night at 11:50, I was on page 7; still have 9 or 10 subtests to go....)
- Calling the hotel my February 3-day conference is at to see if it is more cost effective to stay there or drive the 90 minutes each direction ...six times (have I mentioned on here yet that I HATE driving?).
- MAYBE going to the gym for the first time since last Wednesday/Thursday (PS, since school started, I've been able to get my butt to the gym 4 or 5 or even 6 nights a week...).


THAT IS A PATHETIC DAY! 

There better be some INCREDIBLE music going on, Pandora!


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12 Hours Later (edit)

- Report is writ; I need to go back and edit it and all that good anal retentive stuff, but... is written.  I analyzed all that I could analyze (and like a bad teacher/examiner/reporter, left out one subtest because it JUST doesn't make any sense)
- Picked up a prescription at CVS.  Saw one of my students (not the one I am writing about for 11 pages, another one of my darlings who I love very much).  Talked myself OUT of buying some crap; gotta save that money for New York.
- Walked on the treadmill (mostly) uphill for 36 minutes (5 minute cool-down) while enjoying my tunes.  They give too much down/flat time on the treadmill in my opinion, and it makes my shins hurt; I prefer the steeper hills (is that a sign of insanity that THAT is preferable to flat walking?).  Also, I decided to walk at a pace of 4.1 instead of 3.9; not much different; maybe next time, I'll do 4.2? 
- Laundry.  Well, shower, and THEN laundry.
- About to go start making my first ever potato latkes.  THAT'SALIE.  I made 2 as a test earlier in the week.  I did not impress myself, but mommy liked them, and daddy is making a big deal about 'I bought you 2 pounds of potatoes' and I already chopped the onions, so...wish me luck .

I think I could watch A League of Their Own 2, maybe 3 times a week from start to finish, and never tire of it.

Sure, it's been 3 years since I've seen it (before tonight), but I still know the whole damn thing by heart...and want to watch it.

It's crazy; we were flipping through the channels and I saw it was on and I turned to my mom and said, "Can you read, honey?" just like they ask Shirley, and THAT is the exact part that was on.

Interestingly, I was crying at parts OTHER than when Betty's husband dies (I am incapable of keeping tears in at that moment, even though I know it's coming).  It COULD be that I've just had an emotional 72 days of school (has it really been 72 already!??!).

How long 'til pitchers and catchers report??