There Will Be Pictures...

OK, OK, I'm back from the big weekend in Anchorage. Got to drink some red wine like a grownup, walk on sidewalks, and eat at fancy restaurants. It probably cost more than it was worth, but maybe not. After a couple of weeks in the pressure cooker, I needed a little distance and sanity. Even though my returning cold kicked the snot (HA!) out of me Friday night and much of Saturday, I did get some semblance of health back by Sunday in time for our Prince William Sound tour. It was as grand and glorious as I remember it from June, and the sun was out for some very nice Labor Day weekend bonus points. All Anchorageites that I spoke to said that they could not remember a holiday weekend that had been as brilliant as this one had been.

There will be some pictures, and, I hope, some video that folks will be able to see, of a good-sized pod of beluga whales swimming up Turnagain Arm. The bus driver for the boat tour spotted them, and we pulled to the side of the Seward Highway for an impressive show. They apparently travel in packs of 30-50 or something like that. Anyway, there were a lot of them out on the way out and on the way back.

Now I'm back in PKA (our airport designation and a local nickname). Another day of inservice fun tomorrow, and back to students for Wednesday. A short week, which I hope will help me to get rested up and well before we start the long grind to Christmas.

Yay! Friday!

The holiday weekend approaches...half a day of school, some sort of SIOP training this afternoon, then off to ANC for the weekend. I just remembered that I must remind myself to take my wallet when I leave. I haven't carried that thing in three weeks or so. I can understand why I would forget it. It's just not part of the everyday routine anymore. Come to think of it, I don't have any cash on my person at all. Life has changed in many strange and subtle ways in the past month. A lot of them are things that I don't think about very much at all until something reminds me. Like having to go into the air transit system.

The longer I am with my students, the more I begin to like them, regardless of how big a pain in the ass I might think that they are at any given time. I think that is probably a good thing, and I'm not going to delete it, so don't bother asking...

Oh, Wait...

Not moose for dinner, after all...chicken glop instead. Sorry to disappoint your collective expectations, but it will be served, eventually, and I will faithfully report when it does.

In other news, the cold came back today...damn...I have a funny feeling that this is going to be happening a lot this year...the classroom sounds like a sickroom a good deal of the time. I need some sleep, but it is not happening.

I seem to be getting better with the jr high, but maybe worse with my freshmen...not sure yet. Good news-tomorrow is Friday!

Off to Anchorage for the long weekend...it appears that the news person who interviewed me in June wants to do a follow-up. We are planning to tape that interview this weekend. She invited me to the station, if I understand it correctly. May take some pictures of my own for the kids back here-they might enjoy it, and a couple of them apparently knew about the previous interview. I will post with updates...

News Flash

Moose: It's what's for dinner! Tomorrow! Fresh!!! Remember what I said about the importance of moose around here. These folks are not rich. For them to share represents serious generosity. I continue to be humbled. It probably doesn't hurt.

Interesting...

It never fails to amaze me...when I feel down...one (or more) of these kids makes me see things differently. I helped a young man tick off the first item on his list for reading class that will enable him to go to high school. We were both pretty excited. I got all charged up posting the information and making it official with my intitals.

He has a little longer way to go, but it was a nice first step.

In other news, we had a staff potluck tonight, and it was such a gas to see the little kids scooting around our gym, and it was even more fun to play with them.

A couple of weeks ago, we were having school pictures. I was standing next to the wife and son of one of our computer guys. She is Yup'ik, he is Kass'aq (white). The little boy looks up at me, points, and says "Apa (grandpa)?" Too stinkin cute for words...they will steal your heart, even if ya do want to take after them with a stick once in a while...I think some of them have stolen mine...

Wednesday

Staff meeting this morning, AKT2 phone conference at 5:30, staff potluck at 6:30...it's gonna be a long day...

But I Still Have A Really Cute Dog...