Petals

** Did you know that when Gene Kelly filmed the title scene for Singin' in the Rain, he had a 103' fever? It took three days. The filming of the movie was months and months long. It blows my mind that our Don Lockwood in our show has to do all of those song and dance routines all in one night, like 30 times this month. I'm his dresser, which is fun because it's another thing to do so I'm not standing around just waiting, but my biggest fear was that he was going to need me to tie his shoes, which scared the dickens out of me. I can only imagine watching him tap dancing on a desk with a shoelace flapping, ankles in peril, and it being all my fault. He doesn't, though. Thank goodness.

**There are days when I come to school and feel like I can't possibly face one more day of reading Greek mythology plays. The very idea makes me want to curl up and cry. But I know that everyone feels that way about their job sometimes, and that I'm so lucky to get to work in a clean and stable place, in a classroom that I decorated myself, surrounded by stuffed Kermit the Frogs, wonderful books, Mary Englebreit posters and kid art. Things could definitely be worse...and will be, a few weeks from now, when spring comes and the boys all get really smelly.

**You know what's fun? When really annoying, unpleasant people do stupid things, right in front of you. It's such a gratifying feeling. I know that statement does not come from my Higher Self. It's just me being snarky, which we all have to be sometimes.

**My Mom very kindly did our laundry this weekend, because our washer is broken. And we are currently dealing with the situation by just kind of putting our fingers in our ears and going, "Noooooo! Nononnnnooooo!"

**Today is Pi Day, 3/14. Everyone should celebrate this by eating pie. Whyever wouldn't you?

**My favorite time of my teaching day is from 12:15 till 12:45, the half hour before lunch when kids go either to band or chorus, and whoever remains just reads, and I read, too. Because, you see, a hallmark of a good educator is to model what you want your students to be doing. That's what I say. But really, I just want to drift away for a half hour under the guise of "working." It's a way to take a breath in the midst of an intense day of business. Sometimes I read school things, novels I might use for my class. Usually I don't, though. And when I'm reading something saucy, I cover the title with post-its so the kids don't know.

**There is something I very much enjoy and even respect about very pretentious people, as long as they are sincerely deep into their characterization, whether it be "Hair Stylist" or "Designer" or "Serious Educator." If they're really into their role, and use their vocabulary and terminology with gusto and verve, I find myself willing to say, "You go for it. You be that Writing Consultant with all that you've got. I'm on board." While I think I have as much temptation to be pretentious as anyone, naming rooms after Greek goddesses and things, I don't think I have an all-out Persona like that. I think if I had to pick one, it would mostly be "Frantic Working Mother." Or maybe "Theatre Dork." I don't even know.

**Someone gave me an unexpected compliment this week, and said that I have "elan." I had to look that up in the dictionary, but it means "dash and vivacity," or "enthusiastic vigor and liveliness." It was really such a lovely compliment and something I want to strive to be. Wait...to have. How exactly do you use that word? Anyway, it was awfully nice and made me feel glad that someone who doesn't know me well would detect that I just like life so much. Now that I've written this, I am thinking that it's probably bad manners to post a compliment about yourself in your blog...or pretentious, anyhow. So now I can change my title to "Pretentious Blogger."

And that is all I have to say for today.