The Agony and the Ecstasy

The good news of the week was as follows:

1. First and foremost, drumroll drumroll, WE GOT OUR TICKETS TO SOUTH AFRICA! This is the ecstasy part. And I cannot mention it without effusive, prostrating thanks to the benefactors who made it possible, B & B. However, nothing good comes easily, and the process of booking the tickets came with much frustration—see the bad news below. But I will have retribution. In response to my negative customer service experience, I have written a 3-page, single-spaced, angry letter to not only Continental Airlines Customer Care, but the president of the company (possibly at his home address, thank you WhitePages.com), and the customer relations departments of their competing airlines.

2. I got almost everything checked off my to-do list. Except sending REF and JDM emails that they deserve. Said items have been carried over to this week’s to-do list.

3. We had a successful gathering at our house. It bordered on party status, I would have to say, but remains a gathering based on the relatively small number of people and the fact that it was on a Thursday. But, as we have never really had such a thing before, I would call it a success.

4. I put the CBEST behind me—now I can move toward being certified in multiple states! Calloo, callay, oh frabjous day. Certified to teach, that is, not to be confused with certifiable…. It reminded me how standardized tests are LAME. That notwithstanding, I think I wrote a damn good timed essay on why arts and athletics should not be cut to reduce school spending. I managed, within the confines of my five paragraphs, to display my verbal agility and prowess in all its glory—as when the lion is so beautiful one does not notice the bars of the cage….yeah.

5. I took a hike with my students through my old stomping ground, Hollywood, and rode LA mass transit for the first time. It cost $5 per person for the day, and driving would have cost at most 1/4 tank of gas for all 7 people…it is sad when public transit is just not worth it. There’s something wrong there.

6. Jodi got back an art project and an English paper, and passed both with flying colors! That is, an A. What color is a flying A? Questions to ponder. But we both celebrated to the max the fact that her hard work is paying off.

7. I revisited a couple of recipes I hadn’t made in a while and had a hearty week of cooking—I made Vietnamese fresh rolls, turkey-and-veggie-stuffed cabbage rolls, and a yummy pasta dish. We still had our requisite Thursday turkey burgers, but at least we changed it up a bit.

8. I wrote a poem! That I actually kinda sorta like! I gave the kids an hour to write in their journals and actually wrote in mine too! And although it’s not just right yet, I haven’t written anything that I liked at the outset in a long time. So. Wow. I feel a weight lifted.


The Notsogood News of the Week:

1. Again in the number one spot, the process of booking my ticket, which I will spare you, but the process consisted, in short, of a shit-ton of frequent flyer miles and also a shit-ton of hours spent on the phone trying to use said former shit-ton. In the process, I was heavily shit on. Shat. But did you see how I used that double entendre? I kill myself. They kept unconfirming flights I had on hold and then wanting to charge me more to get them back, not leaving things on hold that they said they would, and contradicting the previous agent I had spoken with, no matter what the situation. But it’s over, it’s behind us now, and I can look toward the future…

2. The lack of sleep is generally not good. I remember when I was little and could never sleep, and I HATED sleep, and Mom would be exhausted and would want to take a nap, and I asked her WHY she would ever want to nap; it was so BORING. And she told me sleep was something she craved, looked forward to, couldn’t get enough of…and I did not understand. Well, I do now. Sleep, glorious sleep. Oh, sweet small semblance of death and rebirth. It actually comforts me to think of death like sleep…I know that’s a common comparison, but if you feel half the relief once you’re dead as you do while you’re asleep, it might not be all that bad. Not that I’m considering it. But it is a nice thought.

3. The kids claim I walk too fast when we’re hiking, and Jodi claims I walk too slow. I can’t win. Or maybe I’m surrounded by whiners. Poll: which is more likely?

4. The days are getting shorter. Although one thing CA has going for it is that the long cold descent into winter is not very long or cold or wintry. But still dark. I find this gradual plunge into darkness very hard to deal with. It gives me a sense of impending doom, of hunkering down, of waiting out the worst of things. I know it won’t be that bad. But I like having hours of afternoon to spend in light.


That’s all, folks, for this week…sorry, I’m a little uninspired. But I guess it’s good to play ketchup once in a while. Next week, maybe the muse will be with me.