Listening to: The Scarlet Pimpernel – Cast Recording
Reading: Ransom Julie Garwood
Weather: 65, partly cloudy
Trivia: How did the sport of footbag (Hacky Sack) begin?
The sport of footbag has been played for centuries by Asians and Native Americans, who used small, soft bags filled with nuts or pebbles. But it did not take off in the modern world until 1972, when a football player named John Stallberger made it into a popular
hit. Stallberger was recovering from a knee injury. His friend Mike Marshall suggested that he keep his legs flexible during his recovery by kicking around a small bag. They called it "hacking the sack." Stallberger and Marshall began marketing their "hacky sacks" and were immediately successful. Today, footbag is an international sport with champions and competitive rules
Cool word: evince [v. ih-VINS]
To evince is to show clearly, to constitute outward evidence of something, or to reveal. Example: "This thin layer of dark red sediment evinces the arrival of ash from a volcanic eruption 6,000 years ago." Near-synonyms for this word include manifest, demonstrate, and indicate. The root was Latin evincere (to vanquish, to prove), which came from ex- (out) and vincere (to conquer). In the 1600s, to evince could be to convict of wrongdoing, or to subdue. Later, that meaning was dropped, and to evince was to prove by argument as in a court. The modern meaning emerged in the 1700s. Another modern word that evolved from evincere is evict, which is to put out or eject by legal process. For example, a tenant may be evicted from an apartment. Also from vincere are vanquish, victor, and convince.
Let the vacation Begin!
Hooray! Hooray! It’s Thanksgiving vacation!!
Most schools have a half-day tomorrow, but we voted years ago to return on January 2, after Christmas break, if we could have the day before Thanksgiving off. The school committee recognized a good deal. They were exchanging a half-day of work for a whole day, at no added expense.
So this means that tomorrow I can go to Matilda’s first grade class to be the "Mystery Reader". They don’t tell the kids who is coming in to read them a story, and then a mom, dad, grandma, etc. arrives to read to them. This should flip Matilda out. She’s been begging her father to come to read as "No one can EVER come for her!" (I guess the fact that her mother came didn’t count.)
I can’t wait to see her face when she sees me walk in. I’ve got two different Thanksgiving stories to choose from.
School was just awful today.
We’ve been having parent conferences for the last week, and today one of the teachers I work with was attacked in writing by a parent. She was demanding an immediate meeting and making all sorts of crazy accusations. This parent has well established herself as being a pain in the ass.
So the teacher and I came up with a response to her letter, and sent it home with the kid.
At 2.15 (school is dismissed at 2.30) I discovered a phone message that a parent had called and wanted an immediate meeting. In her dreams. I figured I’d return the phone call when I got back after Thanksgiving break. I dashed off to bus duty and the mother came to find me at BUS DUTY!! I am trying to get two hundred kids safely on buses and sent home and she is out there discussing this in from of the kids and making demands. I told her I’d return her call after vacation and would fit her in when I could.
She told me she didn’t like my attitude. Tough. I am not jumping through hoops for that piece of work! I was so pissed off I thought my head might explode.
The after school computer thing was awful again. I want to bail out on this one.
It continues to be unfocused, and way too long. If they don’t pull this together I’ll never make it through the full twelve weeks.
Then there was rehearsal. Disaster. It was very poorly attended, and the director flipped out. But what does she expect the Tuesday before Thanksgiving? I’ve decided to write her a letter (e-mail) telling her how I feel about what is happening in the chorus and why I’m personally not happy.
I think what I’ll try to do is write it and let it sit for a few days before I send it to her. That way I can consider my words carefully, as I don’t want to hurt her feelings, but do feel as if I need to let her know that I am not going to continue if I don’t start finding some personal satisfaction.
This is supposed to be a happy hobby that releases stress. So why do I come home full of stress and hurt after so many rehearsals? I need to get this out of my system.
It’s now one a.m. I went out after rehearsal. Time to crash.
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