What a day. I
probably should've stayed under the covers.
It is hot today -- bloody, horribly, humidly, unbearably
hot. I am already dripping sweat in my
classroom by 7:30. I have a trivia game
for the kids, and my first period class shows little interest. Four cherubs rip up the paper and throw it in
the recycling bin. I make them do it
again with a minute left of class. I
hope they are late to math because now I hate them. Okay, I don't really… Oh, screw it. They ruined my fun; I hate them.
We are having shortened classes today so we can go to field
day down at the local park. It's going
to be about 94 today (my car says 96), humid, and not weather anyone should be
running around in, but, of course, we are.
But I digress. By the third
shortened class, I feel like I might vomit.
I turn one of my fans toward me and let it blow on me until I start to
feel better. I must've turned ten shades
of green because I see a couple of the students looking at me strangely. I gasp out, "I feel sick." They nod and return to their trivia
challenge, unconcerned that their teacher is ill yet secretly hoping I'll hurl
so they have a good story for the park later.
Speaking of the park later, my class is the latest of later
because the school is one bus short, and somehow my homeroom draws the short
straw. As I am yelling at the usual
suspects, the bus driver addresses the children by name; alas, we have drawn
the lucky driver who is stuck picking up and dropping off the worst of the
worst of the worst behaved out of my bunch (which really isn't horrible) and
knows each one's name, address, and probably even serial number. We are the last of more than four hundred
staff and students to arrive at the park.
While at Field Day in the park, I am monitoring the soccer field. Since I am already draining every ounce of
water I've had all day, I decide the best way to play is to let them all have
at it so I can catch my breath.. "Who's
on a team?" they ask. You all are. I am stuck in the sun for more than two
hours, just melting like old wax crayons left out on a hot day.
Because we were the last bus to Field Day, we get to be the
first back. Doesn't matter; two girls
hold us all up, and we end up melting away on the bus, instead. After dismissing the students and putzing
around the room, I am ready to go home and shower, which I do.
At first, everything is fine. Then, a rip-roaring headache starts its
attack. About twenty minutes after that,
I hear thunder … very close thunder. The
storm isn't even on the radar, and yet here it is. Turns out we are in an electrical vortex that
lasts two hours and just keeps coming at us and coming at us. Normally this would be considered a good thing
-- time to read or sit still, which I rarely have time to do anymore. Tonight, though, is game #6 of the Stanley Cup
Finals. It is still thundering at 8:00.
I am also trying to run laundry because I would like to wear
tomorrow the bra that I completely sweated through all day today. I finally wrap everything up, attempt to watch
the hockey game, and find myself dozing off. And I still haven't eaten, now that I think of
it.
I am not going to make it; I am finally going to crash and
burn.
Yes, indeed, one of these days when I should've stayed under
the covers … but didn't.
