Good thing Leif remembers to check the mail

Just got a letter in the mail that says I made it into the company!

For all the guhs

I had to fuss at one of my girls in 6th hour because it was her birthday and someone was sending a giant card around to get signed while I was teaching verb phrases. She had it on her desk when I told them to clear it off. (When I say "fuss" I mean "ask firmly.")

She ignored me for a second before looking at me like I was the biggest hassle in the world and put it under her desk. While I was standing right in front of her desk staring at her and waiting for her to comply, I noticed a couple of the notes people had written to her on the card:

"Happy Burthdayyy, Guh!"

I thought of all my guhs and laughed to myself.


I haven't gotten any notification from the modern company I auditioned for last Sunday. At the end of the audition, which I thought went pretty well, the owner announced that this was going to be a very difficult year because they only really need one person. The pool of people auditioning (that weren't in the company) was relatively small, so I had been thinking the whole time that we were all basically in.

We're studying the theme of "Coming of Age" with the ninth graders. I guess I'm not too old to have a Coming of Age lesson, right?

This week I found myself starting to try to analyze why they wouldn't want me in the company, but it didn't take me long to get sick of that game. If I'm not what they're looking for, then that's how it is.

Option B: I keep taking class at the studio I'm dancing with now and audition for whatever modern piece they're doing in the Spring. I might want to go back to ballet, as well. Maybe I'll start with one class per week so I don't spend too much time feeling like a big-booty elephant.

I wish I could take some hip hop every once in a while and put the booty to use instead of trying impossibly to tuck it under all the time.

Paradoxically, all week my kids and the rest of the faculty have been thinking I'm some kind of professional dancer because the ballet teacher there is the same woman who owns the studio I'm doing the Graham piece with right now, and she put it an announcement about the upcoming performance including my name and the other kids at school who are in the piece. I keep explaining that we're a student company and the rest of the pieces are danced by professionals in the show, but they still can't get over the fact that I'm going to be in a dance. "You're a dancer?" they say. "You know how to dance? What kind of dance? Why didn't you tell us?" And I say "I don't know, I just didn't."

Not a bad post-hurricane week

On Friday, my honors kids were working on a theme poster for The House on Mango Street. Some of them went in the hall to start drawing their images on the poster and some stayed in the classroom to finish their analysis. I had a moment of thinking that I better go check on the ones in the hall, because they might be farting around without my supervision (naturally).

When I went out to check on them, they were all sprawled out and discussing ideas for the poster and drawing. When I went back in, the groups inside were discussing their analysis. Besides the occasional question, I was nearly jobless.

I felt such a surge of affection for them and how hard they were working, but also because they were being kind to each other and having fun being creative at the same time.

The ninth graders were spazzy but surprisingly enthusiastic during discussion, as well. We read Monster, and we had our first really successful discussion (where they were raising their hands wildly and disagreeing with each other and changing their minds and such). I'm working with them (i.e., nagging them) on letting someone finish a thought before you blurt your rebuttal or approval on the sidelines.

When things are working, they are really working, and it feels good.

I have an audition for a modern dance group tomorrow. I'm excited and I hope I make it.

Aftermath

I'm too tired to write a real blog, but I feel the need to update before I forget the events of the past week.

• Gustav came, we stayed in our house, and a tree fell on the back bedroom while we were in the house.
• Tree also collapsed the ceiling in the guest bedroom and dropped wet insulation into the room.
• Only one bookcase full of books was ruined because Leif went into beast mode and hauled the beds and things out of the rooms while I called 911.
• There was nothing anyone could do for us during the storm, so we waited it out in the hallway and hoped no more trees would crush us.
• Slept without power in half-collapsed house.
• Found out my parents' house had power, packed some bags and drove to Lafayette to stay for about 5 days.
• Searched for housing, considered putting things in storage and living with Leif's parents for a while. Found nothing for a long time. Things were feeling bleak, but then we found a house on Stanford.
• We went up in rent a good bit, but the previous house was a steal because it wasn't in great shape and we were renting from family members.
• Moved all of the big furniture today with help from Reid and Leif's parents. Van, Prius, pickup truck.
• New House is lovely and spacious, but AC isn't working. Supposed to be repaired tomorrow. I'm glad it's central air.
  
• Landlord seems good: a math grad student who also happens to be an electrician, a plumber, and an investor. Sarah knew of him and remembered him from German class back in the day.
• Found out this afternoon that I have to go back to school tomorrow instead of Monday. I forgot my teacher shoes in the new house, so I'll be wearing red pumas with my black dress pants. My favorite blue T-shirt from Banana got stained when my bedroom ceiling fell in during Gustav and it's the only teacher thing I packed (I thought there would be no stains after it got washed), so I'm wearing a black tank top over it and pretending it's a vest or something.
• I haven't had a breakdown of any sort yet--I'm feeling pretty good about everything. Feeling lucky to be alive and to have most of my belongings intact. There was only one brief moment when we started moving stuff today, after I found out that I'd have to go to school instead of working on moving, that I felt really stressed. Leif needed the keys to lock the new house, and I had them--he was on the porch and I was about to get into the car. I chucked them overhand as hard as I could at the door. He was like, what the hell. He made me explain what was bothering me after we got into the car and I didn't even know. But then I realized it was because I was scared I couldn't handle school+moving.

I'm at Leif's parents' house and dinner's ready, so I must go now. We are lucky that our parents keep taking us in and feeding us.