“MARRRRGARET!!!!  MARGARETTTT!!”

***

So, Joanne calls.  “I just got a Little Britain DVD.  Isn’t it you who mentioned Little Britain?”

I reply, “Yes, I mentioned it after Montreal,” confused as usual when Jo speaks and asks questions.

It turns out what she’s really asking is if I mailed it to her.  It being the second season, to be exact, from Best Buy.

I inform her that I don’t even know her address and couldn’t have if I wanted to.  I then hazard a guess that it came from her Irish friend.  Only because Ireland and Britain aren’t too far off, and that he does funky things sometimes.

She thinks it might be a mistake.

***

I return home tonight to find Little Britain Season One in my mail.

Sooooooo…

My good ol’ BFF David Van Boomer is spreading Christmas cheer from half way accross the world.

Fitting, because X-Mas is his B-Day.

The DVD does exactly what I assume it was intended to do.  It keeps us guessing… and makes me think of the zillions of Little Britain quotes I heard during my summer Francophone Adventure which turned out to be an extended adventure for DVB.

Jo and I will watch it and laugh… and undoubtably when we’re with DVB again we’ll do it all again.

Happy Holidays and Happy Birthday in advance, my friend.  As usual, you made my night!  Peace and Love right back at you from your two Calgarian Partners in Crime!!

I don’t know if that actually translates.

I’m looking for “Small Things”

The French File in my brain is starting to get pushed further and further back in the filing system (a system that I can only imagine is as chaotic as the actual filing systems I use at home and at work).

Anyways, the whole point of this is that Small Things, or Les Choses Petites [if only any of you spoke French so you could tell me if I'm right or not] keep me going.

This week I have a few (not counting Christmas or the Holiday which is, in fact, a big thing or Un(e) Chose Grand(e)).  Big Things, of course, keep us going, it’s why they exist.  These are the smaller ones I’ve given myself:

-A Survivor Finale Night.  How fun!!  and until Midnight on a school night no less… with the greatest person ever, too

-haircut tonight (seriously it’s been so long since the headshave; I’m pumped)

-a partner in crime position during some quality analysis at a major restaurant chain… meaning free food… and feedback that’s actually asked for (one’s already happened, and one is happening soon)

-the potential opportunity to ‘meet someone new’ tomorrow, for good food (or at least coffee) again

-even some new toiletries could go on this list.  I love waking up and using new Dental Floss for example… which I bought this weekend and used for the first time this morning.  New Hairstuff or New Smelling fragrencies are even more exciting, though.

The point is, pretty much every evening this week I have something to look forward to.  That means time will sail by right up to the Holidays at home and the Holdiday Event known as Man Won’t Vancouver Be a Fun Escape During New Years Especially in Comparisson to a Very Very Busy Working Year.

Then, hopefully, I’ll be as well-rested and as soulful as I was at the start of this School Year…… all ready for Round Two of Life in the Fastlane.

Do you know what I love?

I love making supper plans with an old university friend for 6:00…
…coming home and telling my roommate I’ll try some of the supper she made, but that I’m on my way to dinner out.
…telling Jo that Survivor Night will have to be put on the shelf for a week.
…telling my Dad that I won’t be able to meet him while he stays in the city.
…scheduling a Parent/Teacher Conference with that supper in mind.

I love showering and getting ready.  I love being told that it ‘won’t work’ meeting until around 9:00 actually.  I love saying “That’ll be fine” in an understanding way then going to the mall and trying to start my Christmas shopping since I’m showered and up.  I love running out of gift ideas and loosing steam but staying at the mall, since it’s not quite 9:00.

I love being called at 10:30 with the voicemail, “I have to apologize.  I didn’t get away from my group until now… I’ll give you a call and touch base with you.  Hope you understand.  We should get together in the next couple weeks.”

How does the saying go?  Fool me once… ?

I have a new answer for What is your Biggest Pet Peeve for my next Yearbook Article written about me: UNRELIABILITY and TOTAL DISREGARD FOR OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES.

ARG.

Last night *gasp* on a school night… was our school Staff Party.  70 of us, I think.

Wild and crazy?  Not so much.

In a posh and dressy kind of place? Yes.

Good food [actually... Almost Lifechanging Food], laughing, and everyone asking about my brand new, super expensive, canary yellow….. …… …… …. …..speeding ticket.

I really like our staff.  We’re a fun, dynamic bunch.  Whether you teach or not, you have to admit that teachers, generally, are cool people.  Maybe it’s just my bias. 

Everyone was all dressed up and glowing slightly more than they were in the tired moment of the 3:00 bell a week and a half before Winter Break.  It’s nice getting to appreciate your co-workers a bit more outside of a ”Type-A List of a Zillion Things to Do in the Heart of a Just Off of Chaos” Environment.

Yet another type of Communion Experience, I’m starting to understand more and more in my adulthood.

The title pretty much says it all.

I now have the next three major breaks planned.  Winter.  Spring.  Summer.  [Home/Van; Wedding/Dominican; Family/Toronto respectively]

I’m thinking Montreal for Fall but only because I had a lot of fun there when I went last Fall and because it didn’t seem to fit in the other three breaks.

I just read all my old GMAIL from the summer and it made me get an even worse-than-usual case of Montrealpox.

Breaks are a nice perk of my career but really 3 (or even 4) planned, already?   What would Freud say?  When will I ever make it across the ocean?  Oy yoy yoy.

Outside my house is a cactus plant
they call the century tree.
Only once in a hundred years,
it flowers gracefully.
And you never know when it will bloom.

The next part of the song, from Camp, asks if you want to play the century plant game.  It’s a cool analogy.  It’s also a cool and catchy and funky little tune.

These are the cool and catchy and funky things I did this weekend, during this weekend, a tiny little part of what seems to be my century plant game:
-A “The Apprentice”-style Gingerbread Making House Party with Barry.  It was really cool and competitive and fun (kind of like us).  I couldn’t believe how serious everyone was taking things… but the all of a sudden so was I.  Too crazy.
-A shopping day with the fam.  I spent some quality time with my Grandma and even picked out a Holiday Shirt with her.  Super nice (both the shirt and the time visiting with her).
-A company Christmas party–and not my company–which meant I got to keep company with people I didn’t have to impress.  That meant I could load up my buffet plate and dance the night away with each song being nothing short of a broadway number.  Fun fun fun… just like me and jo jo jo.  [the evening was also the big reveal of the Holiday Shirt].
-Buffet II at Heritage Park.  Gotta love anything all-you-can-eat.  Jo and I started the day a bit groggy but then spent the day laughing with her family.  Only a tiny bit was laughing at me, so I kind of dug it.  After that, Nap, Camp, groceries.

Nice little weekend… kind of felt like a sneak preview of my three week holiday coming up.  Yay, breaks!!

I’d like to be able to hum in my head to “Can I Have This Dance for the Rest of My Life?” to a few more things in my adult life, now.

Lately, things have been more happily hummed to the tune of “Since You’ve Been Gone!”

Lately, instead of embracing the longevity of stuff going on I’ve been celebrating the absence of hardships. It’s all a bit too Avril and Kelly and not the Anne and Jann and Sarah I’m a bit more typically drawn to.

Bringing this all back to teaching these are the things I LOVE doing: [Anyone know how I can have a career almost exclusively with these kinds of moments... rather than almost exclusively disruptions that occasionally allow for these things to happen? (...If only ... If only Maslow and his Hierarchy were a premier or a trustee)]
-reading aloud
-listening to their stories
-sharing mine
-group writing
-presented work
-getting to get lost in my own projects
-figuring out the smartboard
-finding the perfect “thing” to share
-making bulletin boards
-establishing “looks” that get across every single thing I want to say
-school events
-seeing the kids figure something out
-seeing the kids pumped up
-seeing the kids genuinely smile
-getting to “eye smile” tons

I’m starting to doubt my assertions lately that i’m becoming a better morning person.

This morning I was back to my zombie-like morning condition.

It’s been awhile.

It was one of those mornings where I’m lucky I made it to work with matching socks, a belt, and teeth that are brushed.

While laying in my super comfortable bed, this morning, i told myself that maybe it would be a more-fun day if I wore my glasses.  I haven’t wore them forever.  They’re kind of funky… maybe that’ll help me have more energy.  It’s the acting-like-someone-kind-of-funky-and-arty-approach to having a good day.

I did.  It seems to be working.  A co-worker even said I look studious.

[I haven't wore them forever, though, so I'm worried I'll get a headache.  I'm also worried I'll do what I usually do and set them down in nineteen random places and spend the whole day remembering where those nineteen random places are.  Only time will tell if this strategy works for having a more energetic and productive day.]