1. The midpoint of summer (believe it or not) is August 7th. Describe a perfect summer day. Have you had one this year? 

Wow, that does seem weird. I would not have thought so. A perfect summer day is one in which I don’t feel stressed at all. I am not sure I had one this summer. Because between still having something I was teaching online or being stressed about money or travel, I was always in some state. But that is what I’d say: sleeping in, a slow morning, maybe a light lunch and some beer in the afternoon by the pool.

2. What’s one thing you wish you knew before starting high school?

Hmm, maybe that it’s going to be both good and bad and to take it in stride. I am not sure there’s anything you could tell an incoming freshman that would make it any better. You just have to go through it and they honestly have zero scope about the world.

3. What’s something that bothers you if it’s not done perfectly? 

I kind of agree with our host about the dishwasher, but sometimes I have to let it go if it means a kid actually helped. In my younger years I was more of the person who would correct something but these days, I have gotten a lot better so I honestly cannot think of something right now.

4. What’s the most overrated food you’re convinced people are just pretending to enjoy?

Hmm, I can’t think of one specific thing but I will say, any time people go ga-ga over Indian food I just want to throw up. It’s slop on bread.

What’s a trendy food you actually do enjoy and would say is definitely not overrated? 

I have to agree with sushi, though I see people posting all the time about trying to like avocados and I don’t get it – they’re SO good!

5. Wrapping it up this week with five fun this or thats…

personal stylist or personal chef? 

Definitely chef. I like to cook but I don’t need to do it. I don’t care about style at all.

dance like nobody’s watching or sing like nobody’s listening?

Definitely sing. I belt out songs in the car and while I’m running; don’t care!

unlimited tacos or free pizza?

EASY! TACOS FOR LIFE!

bookshelf organization-by size or by genre? 

Oh, definitely by size. Ash collects classics from the goodwill bookstore and his shelf is a hot mess. I’d love to reorganize it.

ten minutes late or ten minutes early? 

If you say late, don’t talk to me! (j/k) Early, always.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

OMG. I have zero time to do anything! This week have been either 8 or 8:30-3:30 in-service for my new job. Tomorrow, kids come to get their schedules, laptops, etc. We have to be in classrooms but it’s not a regular day. Friday, they have mass and a truncated schedule where they go to each for 20 mins and we can do syllabus, etc. Monday is the first real day. I am excited but also, terribly nervous. The “rules” in college are a lot more free and open. Obviously I have a syllabus and course materials I’ve been teaching forever and none of them involved Lit, since I focused on essay writing. So now, I have to teach novels and poems and hit all these rubric things and diocese rules too. I know I can, but it’s the worry that starting off, I’ll accidentally omit things. And of course, there are observations – planned and on the fly. It’s all a lot!

One thing that sucks is that you can’t put a non-school laptop on their network so any online work I have, I’ll need to do on this apple thing they gave me and I mean, sure, I can, but my machine just has everything all remembered, etc. Between all that and coming home feeling exhausted, I haven’t been able to grade as much in my online classes and tomorrow, grades are due for one! I am literally blasting through stuff this morning before taking my car to get CV joints and then going to work all day.

Today is lesson-planning and classroom setup, which is funny because I have nothing and I will have some blank walls for a bit! In college, you get a random room each semester and it’s not ‘yours’; you just use it. I am in the same room all year so I have to put stuff up. I ordered some posters from Amazon but that’s sort of the least of my concerns for now!

OK, I have to go. No time to do much of anything but I am sure things will settle down once I get going.