There was a whole plan to not meet “mom”, a whole entire plan.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, or that meeting “mom” would be a bad thing… it was just a bit too early still. It was just ‘for the best’. So. While, at the family cabin we packed up for the beach to avoid a criss-cross of a meeting. Their day would be spent arriving; our day would be spent departing on the nearby waterfront: a whole entire plan.

It was that morning I said, “I just have a feeling I’m going to meet the family…” and was assured otherwise.

While I was being assured, at least one family member, had the same feeling… and a plan of her own: Mom.

“Hello Brittany.”

Brittany is a family friend. She was sitting with me, while I was tanning. The other three sea-dooing unaware.

*heart skip*
*eyes up*
*suspicions confirmed*

“You must be Travis…”

“I am. Very nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you”…

And the rest unfolds from there, all parties involved walking away unscathed… smirks on the inside knowing so much is happening, yet so much going unsaid at the same time. Sea-dooers arive as introductions continue and evolve into ‘good-bye’s and ‘thank-you’s.

Two troublemakers, at the choreography of something or someone more powerful than the preventitive force, exchange greetings: “all for the best”.

And after the amazing long weekend in the mountains for the big birthday celebration I think the same thing now I was thinking then: to be honest, it’s great to feel so alive (and happy)… and… there’s NO ONE I’d rather go through this with or for. At all.

A whole entire plan? I think i just glimpsed a bigger one.

…and it was today, the day after, I confirmed THAT hunch.

*happy happy bday misha*
* =) =) =) *

muah.

After a year-end test, I added up 26 scores yesterday and got a sum of 1588.
It was to find my class’s mean score before dividing by 26.
1588 is my photocopier code. (Don’t tell.)

Is this a sign from the universe?

It’s fun to think that it is.

I also, after a graduation/bowling kind-of-day today at work, just went for a date with Calgary and saw The Singing Revolution (a documentary about Estonia’s recent history) and wondered if THIS was a sign from the universe to start singing,who knows–maybe even literally, more about the fact that Calgary’s NE (Area III) could use:

a high school or two and some smaller classes,

as part of my own melodic revolution. The lyrics could maybe include that education is, in fact, something worthwhile… something for everyone… something of a right… something that works best within one’s own community… and something that works best in manageable numbers.

Universe, or non?

I just hope the universe knows how to reach me:
a) with this new 10 digit dialing situation and
b) while I’m at my temporary Quebec address

I guess we’ll see. …I guess we’ll see.

1 week left at work.
2 weeks left until Montreal.

Na na na na… life is good.

(Oh, and there’s an amazing mountain get-away sand-wh-iched right in there too… to mark the very significant birthday of the very significant other…).

=)

…Provincial Achievement Testing,

Our classroom’s fate and results are now in my trusted students’ hands.  We’re both a tad nervous.

Then. 

A planning meeting tonight [that in all honesty I'm excited for] that takes me to 7:30 pm.  Not that it matters but that, my friends, is a twelve point five hour work day.

12.5 hours.

Coffee… check.
Water bottle… check.

It begins.

1. Creating a Blog Entry a Day keeps the doctor away: “Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery.”

   …and only moments after feeling pretty good about yesterday’s big event:

2. Calgary leads country in hate crimes: nothing to be proud of.  Ug.
   Ug. Ug.

   …and yes, maybe as the article states it’s because of increased reporting here.  But still, is this really a title we’re still wearing.
   Ug. Ug. Ug.

Flight booked for summer… check!

Fare, finally, I’m content with… check!

Entering third last school-week… check!

Amazing house-warming avec staff… check!

Staff that really does rock… check!

Non rainy A.M., finally… check!

Stephen Avenue parade that didn’t disappoint, and reminded me of our so many in our city’s awesomeness… check!

Action plan to get these blasted report cards over with… check!

Still in love with condo… check! check!

K.(M.) just in general… check! check!

Life… as they say… is good!   Life is good!

[this entry may sound familiar... it's my current feature in a three-times-a-year series...].

Travis is “showing some difficulty” “maintaining focus” and “showing the proficient initiative neccesary” to complete…

…REPORT CARDS!

Thought it was rough getting them?

Imagine creating them.

Luckily, I’ve gathered up some others in the same boat (slash same vote… if you are/were like me and thought this was how this saying went) in order to have a New Condo Gathering.

I’m excited to show the other Report Card Brain-ed Teachers the pad.  I’m also excited it will be a welcome break from all of my hard work so far (eyes up and to the left indicating some dishonesty).  We’ll eat, drink, and be merry… excited for the summer to come, excited to have these assessments completed soon (er… once started), excited that “D2″‘s [teachers with four years of education and two years of experience], despite rumours, actually live fairly normal lives with food, water, and shelter… sometimes even with electricity and heat.

Okay back at it.

…but I am pumped for tonight, and excited for Sunday’s downtown event which is now that much closer to home.  Literally.

Whenever I stay at a nice hotel…

(…or nice friend/friend-of-friend’s condo in say, Vancouver, Edmonton, or Montreal)…

I always really soak it in and kind of pretend it’s mine.

Right now, that’s the stage I’m at in my own new little condo.  Even after moving ev-ery-thing… I feel like I’m there for just awhile pretending that it’s longterm,  it feels like a vacation instead of longterm. 

…and it’s not.  This one’s for real. …for good.  …for keeps.  It’s crazy.

This morning was the first workday there.  I spent my breakfast finding the right light switches and figuring out which commute route would work the best.  There’s still no internet or cable.  So it was just me, the smell of IKEA, and the fun of something exciting, new, and different.

…a vacation that gets to stick for awhile.  I love it.