1 Yesterday I went out to get the paper at the crack of dawn.
2 Because I had spent an entire evening answering howls and barks from animals, I didn't sleep that well, nothing new if ya know me.
3 After awakening at around 2 a.m. and then listening to both a cat catterwallin' and a dog doggerwallin', I eventually caught a few more hours.
4 That being said, when I finally awoke at a normal hour, like 6:15 is my norm, I went into my usual routine: clean the cat box, turn on the bathroom faucet for our particular cat named Todd, and then feed Phoebe, the dog, more famous for the epithet I hung on her, 4:20, and for biting back pockets off peoples' pants.
5 She awakens quite often 4:20 a.m. shakes her body as though soaked in water, and then yelps a loud, high-pitched bark that could shatter glass. It's usually about an inch away from my ear.
6 AnywayZ...
7 I had managed to get into my morning Zen, which really is to think good thoughts at around 5 a.m., cross my feet, make a sign of the cross, and go into my mantra, which is this: sleeeeeep. It is meditative and weightless.
8 Yesterday I floated in that state until 6:10, then REALLY slipped into a meditation, and awakened five minutes later as fresh as a daisy.
9 So yeah, I woke up as planned, did the routines, and then barefoot, walked outside to get the Merc News.
10 Now isn't this something.
11 I managed to hit the same acorn going out to the driveway, and returning.Ouch.
12 Don't barefoot, dude. You will always hit infinitesimal objects that will force pain through your membranes. One tiny acorn in an entire driveway, TWICE hit. Ouch.
13 When I said miracles happen a few days ago, I also meant miracles that are so preposterous as to seem insane. Hitting the same acorn twice on a journey down the driveway is a form of miracle, just a thorny, painful one.
14 It also defies odds. For one thing, you're usually aware of where it is, and will sometimes kick it into some rocks or something, which I didn't do. Or you would at least mark its position. I did neither.
15 So TWICE my neighbors heard me yell in the early morning air, "Ouch!" and "Gosh darn!"
16 I guess that's just the way life rolls sometimes.
17 Ouch. Gosh darn.
18 Moving on, Part the First: Acorns. I mean, really.
19 Well, that was the way the day started. That and a really gloomy sky.
20 I always try to gear up for Mondays, and especially for Tuesdays after holiday weekends.
21 A few kids still had projects to present, so it wasn't expected to be a very tough day, but when I arrived at school, I found that my function buttons failed on my HP laptop. The laptop is relatively new; I bought it last year. All last week, the fn f4 function that drives things from my computer to the teevee in my room worked famously. I was even tempted to talk of the S-Cable as the greatest invention since peanut butter and jelly, but I hadn't yet experienced the downside.
22 Fortunately, it didn't really affect anyone who was prepared, but during my prep period I ran over to Target to buy a new S-Cable. When I plugged it in, it still didn't work. I then went to my computer's help area, and upgraded the driver. Nada.
23 I was chiefly concerned about one group in my afternoon class. They worked so hard on their project but had used an Apple program that didn't work. One girl who is one of my best students had been so excited about their project, and when it didn't work on Friday, she left almost in tears. Genuine kid too, not prone to emo stuff. It was heartbreaking, because I know she poured hours into the project. I really wanted it to work for her and for her group, but the driver upgrade completed right when they were coming in, and it STILL failed. These are things that happen in teaching.
24 I had spent almost an hour-and-a-half trying to make it happen, and it just didn't.
25 She came in with a huge smile on her face, and couldn't wait to present the project. She talked fast, and I didn't quite catch what she had said.
26 "Mr. H! I have the project on a flash drive, on You Tube, on a CD, AND on a DVD!"
27 I wasn't really listening, just trying to work up the courage to tell her the teevee wouldn't work. I was straight up with her. "Um...the S-Cable connection from the computer to the television isn't working. It hasn't worked all day. I think it's cursed, because two groups were going to present Mac...The Scottish Play today, and both times it failed."
28 Then it all stopped, and I realized what she had said.
29 "We have it on a DVD!!!"
30 It was simply a triumphant moment. Everything hooked up and WORKED! They put an Entertainment Tonight-style video of
Much Ado About Nothing together, and the class enjoyed an epic effort. Huge applause at the end!
31 Just a moment among thousands of moments, but it all worked. After that, kids sat on the floor in front of the teevee to enjoy
The Taming of the Shrew. When the bell rang, NOBODYwanted to leave! They wanted to keep watching
Shrew. That usually happens the second day of the film, but these guys were definitely in an end-of-the-year bond.
32 So a day that began with an acorn ended wonderfully with a happy class. I got home and collapsed on the couch. Lack of sleep, along with all that commotion had done me in.
33 A good day of teaching though. I just thought I'd share.
34 Looking forward to today.
35 See ya soon.
36 Peace.
~H~
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