7-21 Mar 07

This might be the most ridiculous post yet, but last week was Spring Break (during almost all of which I was quite sick) and the week or two before that I was well on my way to being quite sick, so.... In any case, here are the remnants.

Remembered another amusing aspect of the germ-related conversations of the sixth: Professor Alpha announcing that he would be my Jewish father to look out for me when my Jewish mother is unavailable. Much appreciated, needless to say, and not only because it cracked me up.

Learned that Professor Alpha really, really did pay attention during our it's-okay-to-ring-the-cell conversation, when I got another morning call - although my slacker approach to blogging lately means I've forgotten what the topic was. (This and the last note took place 7 Mar.)

Jumped into the typist's seat after a series of tortured email compositions, my reminder that I don't mind taking dictation, and an attempt at posting for a teacher's classroom blog which began with a sentence including the word "seniore," at which point Professor Alpha threw up his (too-big-for-a-Mac-keyboard) hands and said, " Okay! Okay. You volunteered, and now you get to do it, 'cause I've had it with this shit."

Trotted into J. Hardy's office in response to his announcement that the projectable keyless keyboard gadget for Palms is actually available for purchase; all our exclaiming caught a Professor Alpha (who, as we know, likes being left out of interesting conversations about as much as I do) who crowded into the office with us, threw his arm around my shoulder, and made some goofy comment about how I know just how badly he could use a friendlier keyboard (or something like that - missing the genuinely amusing details is my punishment for SLACKING.)

Got a "Happy Spring Break" hug from Professor Alpha even though - as it occurred to me then - I never really explicitly mentioned my plans to just, you know... skip WORK for a week. (Particularly interesting since Alpha ended up having plans to come in himself.) Also, this paragraph is the official announcement of this blog's change from being about time, money, and more interesting things to being about time, money, and more interesting things but especially Professor Alpha. Okay, not really. I can't exactly help that that's what I DO during the day: wait around for assignments, and gladly accept extremely pleasant interactions when there aren't any!

Trekked sweatily and in a general state of virus-based irritation towards the train uptown, answering the phone (despite the fact that I didn't recognize the number) just before the last street crossing to get one of my lovely student-teachers on the other end. P. was lurking pre-class in the area of my building, and was calling to offer some sort of "hot beverage" if I were still around. Much appreciated, sir - but at that point Starbucks couldn't offer anything I needed more than my bed. (The last four entries are from 8 Mar.)

Sat on the couch, watching TV and standing up just long enough to answer the door when the pizza man rang. (That's 9 Mar.)

Finished packing and (already) tiredly pulled on my sweatshirt, stretching my neck as I did so in such a way that I noticed the Super Shuttle was already outside, even though I had five minutes before they were supposed to be here. I dashed downstairs and hopped into... an empty van. "You're the only one," the driver told me. "Express trip for you." Nice, except for the part where that meant I was at the airport three hours ahead of time, which turned into four by the time the plane actually showed up. In any case, though, the drive there was cool - especially since "Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet came on... and I recognized it.

Stood - ever wearily - in a straggly line of folks attempting to make it to south Florida and picked up a buzzing phone which I expected would contain my mom at the other end - but found the LTC instead. A nice surprise, even if we did get cut off while I was tromping down the jetway, especially as the conversation had featured the commentary: "Ew, you have mono? That's gross! You're not breathing on me, are you?" And this, you must know, is why the LTC is absolutely one of my favorite human beings on the planet.

Schlepped through the West Palm airport, but felt a little better when some of that schlepping took place behind a girl wearing a t-shirt labeled: Trapper John's. It didn't have to do with everyone's (or at least my) favorite TV surgeon, but it was almost as good, and if it would have fit me I might have mustered up the strength to mug its owner. (Last three items from 10 Mar.)

Enjoyed the most glorious - and positively best-timed - week of enforced vegetating I might ever have experienced. I finished the Janet Evanovich novel I'd bought and half read at the airport and took two days over the latest Georgia Nicolson YA, but other than that: television. Television interspersed with indulgently-received complaining, several fast-food lunches which I didn't have to fetch or pay for, pet-rat harassing, and a few email checks, but mostly television. It was lovely and, I think, much needed. (This, maybe needless to say, is intended to capture the week of break.)

Received several uplifting emails, including a get-well card with a reminder that the "HH needs you!" and a link to an article in the G'ville Sun with which Professor Alpha had included a note about "progressive Florida education" and, even better, another about how they missed me here in the city. This did a lot to temper my experience of whatever germs I happened to be carrying around at the moment, and - like many other things - I really appreciated it. (This was sometime during the week, obviously.)

Returned, slowly, to my desk, and sat messing with emails and so on until Annette popped up from around the corner. We sat (well, I did; she stood in my chunk of the hallway) and chatted, and just as she was in the midst of asking how I felt, "because I heard from Rebecca you thought you might have --" Professor Alpha sidled up. This put Annette into a bit of a quandary over whether to finish her sentence or refrain from broadcasting my germ issues for Alpha's benefit, which she expressed by looking from me to him and back again with her mouth open but quiet. I sort of nodded encouragingly, waiting for her to finish (although this was not terribly accommodating of me, it WAS making me smile) until Alpha leaned over her ear and stage-whispered in a portentous tone, "MONO?" Ha! Poor Annette certainly did not know that I'd already told Alpha what I thought my problem was or that even if I hadn't I wouldn't have purposefully avoided doing so, and her consideration DID add to my appreciation of the conversation - just not the way she thought it would. (19 Mar.)

And I think that's it. If I come up with anything brilliant from the last two days - unlikely, since I recall identifying particularly pleasant or amusing moments, acknowledging them, and STILL not making a note of them - I'll backtrack, but for now, let's look forward to MORE DILIGENT BLOGGING, dumbass.