Sleeping In the Recliner...

I finally resorted to that approach last night...it cuts down on the coughing associated with trying to lie down in the bed. This is weird-I don't have a fever or anything like that, just this cough. I feel better after morning coffee, and then things begin to deteriorate as nighttime approaches. Aggravating...

I see some sleepy kiddies this morning, but some of the usual suspects seem to be more aware than usual at this time of the day. Hopeful...

It is hard to make out what is going on with breakup at this point...we seem to be in the watch and wait mode.

My wife notices that the days seem to be taking longer to complete as we approach year's end. I am not sure that I agree, but I suspect that is a matter of perception, which is certainly individual.

The sub teacher is currently attempting, without success, to awaken one of the enchanted ones...it must be a strong spell....

Coughing Too Much...

The congestion has settled into my chest. Sleeping is especially challenging, but daytime activities seem to be relatively unaffected. I know mostly that I want it to go away, and I hope that it will soon.

Other than that, it appears to be another relatively uneventful Tuesday, albeit the next to the last Tuesday. The sno-go is put away, thanks to Gabe Joekay, and we are mostly in the process of making last minute plans for the senior trip.

Time to hit it...

Penultimate Week!

I just love that word...I use it as often as possible...no, not "week."

I have this damn cold that my darling wife brought me from her travels that seems to be hanging on. I suspect that a clinic visit may be in the offing if it doesn't improve in the near future.

I will be interested to see the level of attendance and interest from the kiddies this week. The light is longer, the weather is nicer, and the birds are there for the hunting. That is some powerful competition, and I certainly understand why.

We have an intramural basketball league that has been playing games since the regular season ended. Basketball is the king of sports out here. It will cost a dollar to get in. I think that I may pick up the tab for some of my worthies. Some of them may be playing in the games, and that will get them in free.

I can hear more birds arriving and calling every day as we take our evening stroll. One of my students says that he saw a flock of swans this morning.

Sunset tonight: 11:07. I tried to go to bed last night at 10:30, and the task was made more complex by virtue of the fact that the sun was shining directly at the window next to the bed. We have blackout curtains, but they don't stop the light from coming around them. The other complicating factor was my incessant coughing. Finally got that under control, and slept ok for the rest of the night. I need to get better in the next week so that I can be ready for senior trip.

Time to run-school is ready to begin!

On To Graduation...

Prom is done, graduation comes this Friday, and I am wasting time that I should be using to finish the last little bit of my lesson planning for next week. It is the last full week of classes for this year, at least until we return in August...

Prom Preparation...

Continuing in earnest at this hour...I hope to have pictures for Facebook later this evening, so keep an eye out, Facebook friends...

It Is On...

Breakup, that is...the river is clearly opening up upstream from here. We had a visit from Search and Rescue and our local VPSO today about flood potential and protocols. The potential is certainly there, given the amount of ice in the river and the amount of snowmelt that has to make it to the sea. All that we can really do is wait and get ready and hope for the best. The National Weather service has a website at http://aprfc.arh.noaa.gov/ that allows monitoring of river conditions and flood warnings and watches. Today's map shows that the river is opening up near Aniak. Average breakup here is May 12, which puts it a little over a week away. I was convinced that we would not get close to that date, but movement appears to be taking place quickly.

We are done with the youngsters two weeks from today. They have been doing well for the last several days, but today there was a lot of foolishness. We shall see what next week brings...

Testing Tuesday...

We are scheduled to administer a computer-based test called the MAPS today. It is kind of labor-intensive, and kind of finicky to boot. I have had the whole thing crash each time that I administered it. This means either that I am an idiot, which is certainly within the realm of possibility, or maybe it means that it is not user-friendly. Others have experienced some problems, so my idiot explanation is only partially persuasive.

The kiddies are getting restive during their Yup'ik class, which seems to be the case a lot lately. A couple of kids are apparently having some sort of Facebook fight, which adds to the festive atmosphere. I sense a bit of weariness with the school year on everyone's part. We shall soldier on regardless...