Thursday

Tomorrow is the last day of regular classes. Final exams start on Monday, which means the kids leave at about 12:30.

I am really ready for this.

I have to say that although I like kids in general and am generally fond of the kids in my school, they're just being crazy lately. More and more, I'm noticing them doing dumb little (or big) rude things. Yesterday, I pulled open a door at the bottom of the stairwell to go through it, and a boy raced past me, slipping through the door I was holding open. He said nothing. I'm glad that this is not a common occurrence, but come on. The after school crowds we've been getting in the library are really out of control. They will not lower their voices; it's as if they don't understand the concept that their raucous laughter could be bothering anyone else. If I call their attention to it, they're back up to full volume in 10 seconds. They absolutely do not understand that it is not appropriate to use a cellphone anywhere they feel like it. I'm guessing that these are people who answer their phones or text while they're in church, assuming some of them go to church. And who do you think is calling them during the day when they're in school? Most of the time, it seems to be mom or dad. Don't they know where their children are? Do they remember their parents calling them on a personal phone when they were in class? I don't think so, it doesn't matter where they came from. I do think that part of the problem here is that many of our kids are being raised by parents who were raised in other cultures, but hey, I'll bet mom and dad toed the line when they were in their 65 student classes in Mother Russia, or the Ukraine. It's as if they come here and feel like all bets are off, and now they have to stand up for themselves at every conceivable moment, even when they don't. (What do you mean, I have to return the library book? I am not finished with that book! Why do I have to return it today? Because you're graduating from the school next week, bub, which takes away your right to use our library. Got it?)

Okay, a mini-rant. I am also tired of picking up their empty (or not) water bottles. And yesterday after school, I found that walking up to a kid on a cellphone and saying "Oooh, I like that one; I'll enjoy using that," was pretty effective in getting them put away. When I made a loud announcement that I would be taking all cellphones I saw for my own from that moment on, I also told them that I would appreciate it if someone would use an iPhone because I really want one of those. (Which I don't, actually, but maybe ...)

No, I don't want an iPhone, just an iPod touch, but K is really itching for that new iPhone coming out in July. It's faster, smaller, and cheaper. Sounds like a good deal. It probably costs the same as an iPod touch at this point, but I'd have to add on the monthly phone bill charges, and I wouldn't even want to use it as a phone, although Internet wherever I go would be nice. Some random workers were in the library today -- not roofers -- and they said that we're getting wireless in here soon. I'll believe it when I see it, but that would certainly make an iPod touch a lot more useful, since it uses Wi-Fi for Internet access, so I could use it here. I think. Who knows. It'll probably be some bizarre encrypted network that only dogs can hear.

My quiet, yet insane, obsession with the bento is amusing me. It's not like this is something you can do all the time, because you can basically only do it for lunch, which is a self-limiting activity, and I can't imagine collecting bento boxes (which some people do) because hey, it's just me and it's just lunch; how many could I use? But I've read every inch of every website, and I'm somehow disappointed that the PTA is providing lunch for the whole staff tomorrow, because that means I can't bring my own lunch to school. Am I a lunatic, or what?

Including tomorrow, I have to get up eight more times in the morning for work before the school year is over. I don't know if K is working tomorrow -- it's pretty much the last day she can -- but getting up without her being up too has been just lovely. Although my alarm is set for 6.00, I've been waking up between 5.30 and 5.45, which means I can get in the shower before the Hubs is even up, and then I have a nice big chunk of relaxing time. This morning, I realized I was all ready to go at 6:30, so I went to Dunkin Donuts and got a lovely iced latte and came back home and drank it there. I even saw the first few minutes of the Today show, which is not a normal workday occurrence for me, but I had the time, since I didn't have to stop for coffee.

Otherwise, not much happening here. Wonderful Niece is coming over tomorrow so we can finish something for the gala couples' shower on the 28th. All I can say is, any time I get to see W.N. is a good thing.

WATCHING FAMILY GUY :: ENTRY #1780