Homecoming, oh my

Life is fun sometimes.  And sometimes it's not.  Like when you're dead tired from the musical but then it's Homecoming week right after, spiced up with 2 nights of conferences.  However, these are the weeks I remind myself WHY I try to really enjoy a relaxing summer.

Homecoming week is always interesting.  Some highlights:

1.My room is near the junior hallway.  Said juniors decided to have a rave between each class period.  If you want to know how many raves I've listened to today, it's 5.  It only stops if you go unplug their stereo.

2.In honor of spirit day, some of the boys decided to wear those itty bitty cheer shorts.  You know the kind:  they're cotton with elastic waistband and they have about a 1 inch inseam.  Those.  On boys.  With really white thighs.  Without compression shorts.  Let's just say I made an extremely conscious effort to only look at them from the waist up.

3. The pep rally.  We get forced to do lip sync.  I donned a mullet wig with some other "teach's" out there and did "Dream On."  It was actually fun.

4.  The senior class this year is great.  Beyond great actually.  They organized a flash mob for their lip sync and I was thoroughly impressed.

5. It's over.  That's a highlight.  Sometimes I get asked why I didn't dress up more for spirit day (I do the minimum, aka I wear navy) or this or that.  My response is always this:  "Well, I feel like I used up all of my spirit in high school, when I participated 110% as a student.  Also, I don't want to look too much like you."  As well as the fact that I'm still good on the dressing up bit from the sorority days.  The pink zip up skirt and fishnet stockings don't need to be donned in front of 16 year old boys, thanks.

well huh

This conversation ensued today:

Me:  (After seeing a student sleeping.  Mind you, class has been in session for a total of 5 minutes.  Apparently the journal entry was THAT boring today.)  Hey, what's with the tired business?
Student:  OMG, I got like 2 hours of sleep last night.
Me:  Oh yikes.  Why?
Student:  I don't even know!

5 minutes later...same student.
Student:  Ummm, are we like doing anything important today?
Me:  What kind of question is that?  I'm not sure I even know how to answer.
Student:  Well, can I go to the nurse's office and take a nap?
Me:  Yeah, no.  I'm not letting you skip class to take a nap.  (Ahem, especially when you're barely passing my class but I'm sure this entire scenario is unrelated.)
Student:  But I'm soooo tired.
Me:  I'm very sorry but you're going to have to suck it up.

Now to be fair, I'm sure this student is tired as it's homecoming and there is lots going on, etc.  And also fair that she would like to take a nap in the nurse's office.  I have certainly done that in my student days.  Especially when I didn't want to change my clothes for aerobics.  However, at least LIE and tell me you don't feel well.  I would have been none the wiser and would have let you go to the nurse to take this much needed nap. But to ask in front of class and blatantly want me to allow you to skip?  Get some street smarts, student. Plz and thx.

For Ashley and Joy

As most of you know, this little thing called the Norris musical takes over my life every year for a solid 6 weeks.  I mostly love it, it's a great creative outlet for me, and it's something that I've worked really hard to build for the past 5 years.  This was the 5th installment in ridiculousness of sets and costumes and 80+ casts.  Some day I'll learn to downsize but that day is not today nor is it probably in the near future.  My padre is one amazing dad for many reasons but one of them is the fact that he builds all of my sets.  And to be really honest, doesn't really tell me "no".  When I said to him this year, "Dad, here are the pictures I'm thinking of but I want it to be so pretty and awesome, that the crowd ahhs when you pull back the curtain."  And at least on that end, the show was a success.  (It was in other ways as well but I probably won't get into it because that would be weird.)

The good news about The Sound of Music is that I never actually got tired of listening to the songs.  That almost never happens.  (Put it this way:  by performance 5 of Wizard of Oz last year, I was asking if Dorothy was home yet and if never wanted to hear the 5 chords of "I'm off to See the Wizard" EVER again.)  It also is just an enjoyable story with cute kids to boot.  So here it is in pictures for my 2 dear friends that couldn't see it but were sending their love from thousands of miles away.  Love you both.  (And yes, I'll send the DVD but I think it's weird that you'll watch it.  It IS just a high school musical after all...not exactly a cinematic experience but choose your poison, I suppose.)

Do Re Mi

The 80+ cast and crew doing bows.  (The stained glassed windows were still out from the closing scene.)  

The ending "So Long Farewell" part at the festival before they escape.

Wide shot of "The Lonely Goatherd" and the set.  Easily my most favorite part of the show.

 Close up of the marionettes.  We had a mom make them over the summer and now we're telling her she has to rent them online.  (Because they don't exist.)  They were amazing.

 The kids lined up in their costumes.  So stinking cute.

 Good picture of the full stage.  Yes, that's crown molding, and yes, I made my wonderful dad chop the two pillars down after he made them.  He obliged even though it was more work.  What can I say?  I'm a perfectionist and I see things a certain way.  (Thankfully, that trait 100% comes from him so at least he gets it.)

My solution to the kids playing in the trees during "Do Re Mi".  It was surprisingly another favorite part.  It was also the solution to not renting a backdrop.  The hills were alive with trees from a pasture and your imagination.  Thank you.

There you have it.  They're not in order but I'm tired and I don't think it really matters.  Miss you both dearly.  

Hawaii

We were talking about traveling to other countries today and in all seriousness, this girl looks at me and says, "I've been to Hawaii, that counts!!"  

"Uh, dear, Hawaii is part of the United States. Your country."  

"But it's overseas!"  

"Yes, while it's not part of the contiguous states, it is still part of the U.S."  

"But they speak Japanese there!  I was there!!"  

"Ohhhhhhh my.  Ok.  Um, I think we have a problem."

this week

I fell flat on my bum in the hallway.  I slipped on water and bruised my knee and the top of my foot.  So that was fun.  No sprained ankle at least.  We'll save that for winter.

I can't get used to it!

Teaching an extra class, that is.  I'm doing my best this week to stick it out but for some reason, that extra 50 minutes of students a day coupled with the fact that my plan is now at the end of the day every day equals utter exhaustion.  Because you know, if you get to 2:30, all you want to do is sit and eat a snack and look at your Google reader in pure silence.

I forgot how many dumb questions I get asked.  Thankfully, summer had erased those memories.  But now they're all roaring back.  Some of my favorites so far:

Student:  So if I didn't write my sentences, is it still considered not done?
Me:  Well, wasn't the assignment to draw a caricature and write sentences?  So yeah, I'd say that qualifies as "not done."

Student:  So can I call you Wizzle?
Me:  Do you have to?

Student:  Since when did we have a quiz?!?
Me:  Since I told you 3 times last class, put it on the online calendar and wrote it on the board 4 days ago.

Student:  Ugh, I'm already sick of school  I don't want to be here.  Oh, no offense.
Me:  None taken.  Seriously.

Student:  So, like, did I miss anything?
Me:  No, we did nothing for 90 minutes.  (Also, what is your name?  I barely remember that you're in my class...oops.)

Student:  Do we really need to know the word "bladder" for our quiz?
Me:  Is it on your sheet where I said we're taking a quiz over ALL the body parts on the list?
Student:  Yeah.  So we have to know it?
Me:  I guess it will be a surprise.  (And these are the smart ones!)