make you feel that way

i am wearing pants that haven't fit for 6 months. and i didn't need to lay on the bed to zip them up.

i am also wearing pointy black shoes with heels that echo with authorit-aey every time i walk down the hall. i feel like a little girl wearing her mother's high heels and playing dress-up.

i was running (literally, running [coffee in hand]) late to school this morning and a stranger offered me a ride to school on his scooter. he ended up being related to babul, our school's driver. consequently, i was on time to high school assembly for the first time in almost a week.

girls' night on friday complete with bridget jones, weeds (the show that is the new favorite pasttime of woodstock staff members everywhere) bagels and cream cheese (!), v-crans (vodka & cranberry juice) and an unbelievable amount of sappy pappy estrogen-filled love.

i haven't eaten chocolate or pringles for over a week.

the ferns are turning brown which means monsoon is almost over; though it is a bittersweet end... the green moss and fern-covered trees are incredible, but the mold on everything-- seriously, anything in your house that sits for over 72 hours typically grows a layer of mold-- purses, clothes, my watch, the tablecloth-- needs to be done.

having homestead #1 be the locale for multiple "pep-talks" to fellow novice teachers with the amazing feeling that i have lived a whole year to learn about a) myself, b) teaching and c) give this advice in this moment.

i wore a sari for indian independence day (15 august) and learned how to wrap it myself. (this is a delayed comment, i know... i was so busy with my existential rants that i didn't have time for such details).

i just had a solo dance party and singing performance in my classroom. to do: get over fear of singing in front of people. how else will i become a rock star in my next life?

i think i finally figured out how to make a "authentic assessment" in exam form. the victory has been a long-time coming.

last week was interhouse cross country, the day that woodstock most closely resembles hogwarts. though i came to school with no running intentions, i finished in 13th place in borrowed shoes and jeans to cheers of "go ms. humm!!"

i taught my 1 1/2 year old neighbor, josef, "up high, down low, too slow!" this weekend. gets him laughing every time... and, man, when you make a kid laugh like that...

you know those kids that act like they hate everything? all of their classes, lunch, friends, EVERYTHING... even those kids smile and laugh (occassionally) and participate in my class. and they even play "simon says", too.

it's chicken enchilada day in the cafeteria.

rock on.