Lousy Wednesday (John Steinbeck was right, oh so right, damn it....)

"Some days are born ugly. From the very first light they are no damn good whatever the weather, and everybody knows it. No one knows what causes this, but on such a day people resist getting out of bed and set their heels against the day. When they are finally forced out by hunger or job they find that the day is just as lousy as they knew it would be.

"On such a day it is impossible to make a good cup of coffee, shoestrings break, cups leap from the shelf by themselves and shatter on the floor, children ordinarily honest tell lies, and children ordinarily good unscrew the tap handles of the gas range and lose the screws and have to be spanked. This is the day the cat chooses to have kittens and housebroken dogs wet the parlor rug.

"Oh, it’s awful on such a day! The postman brings overdue bills. If it’s sunny it’s too damn sunny, and if it is dark who can stand it?" --John Steinbeck, Sweet Thursday

1. My dad, who is, let us just say old enough to remember rumble seats and Black Tuesday, had a bunch of tests yesterday because he felt a mass in his abdomen, and neither he nor my mother called me yesterday, nor picked up their phone, nor answered the cell phone I bought my mother all day yesterday. He's had many health issues in recent years. Really, mom and dad, you can't do this to me. I already have trouble sleeping on good days, and I last night I got about 5 minutes' sleep because of the worry.

2. Got to school and couldn't print anything from my computer for the twelfth time in the last five days. Everybody wanted something from me today, and my plan period was taken up with explaining tech issues with three different tech people.

3. Rain! Again!

4. Finally got the study guide printed out for my US history kids' next test, and tried to discuss the ramifications of the Treaty of Versailles and whether Prohibition was a success or a failure.

5. In the middle of this, my cell phone rings. It is my mother. She starts telling me about what happened with the doctor, which was basically that they didn't know the results yet. Did I mention this was in the middle of class? I do not normallty just yak away on the phone, but this was nervous breakdown time. The kids get to work on the study guide and giggle at how loud my mom's voice was over the phone. One kid started talking to another kid while I was listening to my mom, and the other kids shushed him: "Shh! Can't you see she's on the phone to her MAMA?" And the kid looked abashed and said, "Sorry!" Didn't I tell you I have sweet kids? When we got ready to hang up, all the kids said goodbye to my mom together so she could hear it.

6. We have a good laugh about moms who call on your cell phone when they KNOW you're in class and you're not supposed to use the cell phone at school. Commiseration and bonding ensues. They are also amused that my ringer is "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

7. Tech guys come in 4 more times during the day. Computer check for viruses takes 2 hours.

8. Got an email from a coordinator wanting to know why I haven't sent the thing he wants already. Well, let's see: there's the teaching thing, and the computer thing, and the I-can't-print-or-attach-to emails thing. Grrrr.

Lousy #@!% Wednesday.



But on the plus side, the 45th Carnival of Education is up and running over at The Education Wonks' place. It's inconceivable!