End-of-year happenings.

[ School hallways. Taken using the Hipstamatic app for iPhone. ]

Hello readers --

So in case you hadn't noticed, the end of the school year draws ever nearer with each passing day. It's an interesting time of year for all of us, but if you've never experienced it from the teacher side of the desk, you don't know what it's like. Between getting final grades in, helplessly watching your David-esque students battle against the Goliathan standardized end-of-course test, cleaning your room, and completing the seemingly endless "check-out" requirements and paperwork set forth by administration, it's a surreal mix of anxiety, bustle, and relief.

By the way, "check-out"? Since when is the high school a hotel? ...Then again, there were some nights after Drama Club practice that I probably should have just rolled out a sleeping bag.

And in keeping with the hotel vibe, the school set us "guests" up with a meal today (though it wasn't a continental breakfast). One of the coaches cooked about 30 whole chickens, his wife made spectacular Cracker-Barrel-style hashbrown casserole, a first-year PE teacher made this crazy dessert whose filling consisted of confectioner's sugar and butter (recipe by Paula Deen, if you couldn't already guess), and there were assorted other sides and desserts. Oh, and sweet tea, naturally. Pictures of the spread (once again taken using Hipstamatic):

(While I'm on the subject, if you're an iPhone user and you haven't yet discovered Hipstamatic, you need to get on it. My parents are probably shaking their heads at the irony of young folks using 21st century phones to take pictures a la 70s-era cameras, but I still think it's cool.)

There's another smorgasbord slated for Friday. Not sure what's on the menu yet, but any day's a good day when I don't have to pack a lunch the night before -- and it's even better when the district is picking up the tab.

Other end-of-year news: I'll be working the craps table at this year's Project Graduation. Not to be confused with the Graduation Project (which is a seemingly-never-ending soul-sucking vortex of deadlines, research printouts, missed due dates, and nagging students to finish their work), Project Graduation is a super-fun post-graduation activity for seniors. It goes from 10:00 PM to 3:30 AM, and there are all kinds of wacky activities to make sure no one leaves unembarrassed -- karaoke contests, dance contests, maybe those sumo suits...you get the idea. I know nothing about craps, but that sure isn't going to stop me, and I'll be working with a couple of my good friends on the faculty, so we'll probably end up having more fun than the kids. Also there's going to be a Texas Hold 'Em tournament, so I'll probably clean some kids out on that. Maybe I can cash in my Monopoly money for tenure?

I guess that's it for now. Jewel and I are about to head out for Wednesday Night Mexican with some fellow teacher folk. I'll leave you with my most recent musical discovery, made while listening to Pandora in my room yesterday: "Little Secret," by Passion Pit. I bought it last night, and I've listened to it way too many times already. A solid pre-summer jam with some solid 80s-era synth. (I guess between the photos and the music, I'm a potluck of decades.)

Back soon,

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