October 15, 2008
-
The Daily News1 Ah, I had all but forgotten all the wonders of being back in the classroom.2 Yesterday was a bit of a buzz because it's grading time.
3 It isn't that I'm unused to that, not that I wasn't prepared. On the contrary, I've been taking papers with me everywhere I travel, and have been for almost a month now.
4 And still, I've never battled it so much as I have this year.
5 Could be because EVERYBODY does their homework up at the Chill.
6 It's really odd, because when I was in the Comp/Lit business at YB, nobody brought books to class, and the best you could hope for would be if you could hedge a few bets in a Poker game.
7 Trust me, they have their share of Poker up at the Chill, they just hide them in secret areas.
8 I have some pretty alert sorts, and I forget that when I do an over-the-shoulder assignment to pull through the morning, that it will get done, and with competition.
9 One teacher mused in the break room, "These guys LOVE getting tons of work. They're all like, 'HOMEWORK! SWEEET!' "
10 I must say it caught me off guard. I've been lugging around this roller-backpack for weeks, and it's like doing white sheets in a poop house.
11 It's like a guy whose butt has fallen off.
12 Endless.
13 It's okay to groan.
14 Anyway, I had to give my students some sustained silent reading today just so I could hit today's 4 p.m. deadline for grades. It hammered at me all day.
15 You see, doing grades is perhaps the most tedious part of the job, because you're reading forever and sharpening pencils, pulling staples out of papers with your teeth, and facing a booming deadline that breathes fire as the hour approaches.
16 I know, cry me a river, right?
17 But every time I'm guilty for having summers off I think of yesterday, when I worked until 1 a.m. The stuff has been annoyingly relentless.
18 So I took off today at lunch, and accidentally wound up on good ol' Tully Road.
19 The day before I had wanted to go get some Pho, because I haven't had that in quite some time.
20 So I was pretty happy I had made a wrong turn, and wound up turning left at Pho Hoa on Tully.
21 I parked the TOOOOOONDRA in this wonderfully familiar place and went inside, ordered a number 45 and chilled.
22 Pho is the quintessential comfort food, especially for Asians, but in yesterday's case, it was the most perfect thing I've eaten in weeks.
23 Maybe it was all the stress of grades and deadlines and all, but the soup had an amazing consistency; the noodles hot, the fatty meat always amazing. I put sprouts on top, and as always, I insisted on using chopsticks rather than a fork.
24 They usually give me a fork 'cuz I'm a white guy, but I enjoy using chopsticks and those little white spoons.
25 The bowl steamed and had tremendously beautiful color. I settled in and soon forgot everything that was stressing me out, my head swooning with comforting flavors going right through my eyeballs. I thought my ears were going to fall off.
26 If you've never had Pho, that place is definitely one of the best. If you have, you ought really to go get some today. It had been a long time since my last bowl, and it lasted me well into the night.
27 I may go back again today if I get those grades in early, which I think I could do.
28 I want to thank the entire Asian nation out there for introducing me to the wonders of Pho. It's almost more than food. It brings laughter, relaxation, and warm thoughts of friends and family.
29 And it couldn't have come at a better time.
30 Happy Wednesday everyone.
31 Get Pho today. Order a hot, fat broth. It'll slop all over you and bring a big smile. You'll believe in world peace, and that dreams really do come true.
32 Peace.
Comments (1)
oh god.i want some pho sooo bad.
Comments are closed.