good times

Beware the rapid turns of thought in this post. My brain is breaking under the pressure of washing every piece of laundry in the house, packing for Europe (What to take in carry-on? Is three pairs of shoes [just for me] ridiculous? Should I bring my own pillow & blanket?), packing the kids for visiting my parents, printing & double-checking packing lists, cleaning the litter box, watering plants, remembering to pick up daughter from day camp, remembering my dentist appointment tomorrow, and trying not to microplan every second of our trip. I'm a tad scattered. Here we go.
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Yesterday's trip was positively lovely. I enjoyed six hours of in-car-conversation with my very good friend Lisa, offered few occasions for her to jam on the imaginary passenger-side brake, and had relatively positive experiences with the Garmin GPS. All that in addition to meeting Melanie from BeanPaste, Angie from All Adither, Nora Bee from Whopping Cornbread and Stacy from Mama-Om. We gathered at a funky bar in Seattle where we partook of outrageously delicious garlic truffled popcorn (seriously; it was all I could do not to shove my face in the bag) and chatted about everything from writing (surprise!) to families to MILFs until Lisa & I had to get back on the road home. This is the kind of stuff I especially love about blogging - creating & developing these Six Degrees of Separation connections. But I will not start singing "It's A Small World." You're welcome.
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I found this book at Goodwill today for $1.99. Hooray! I mean, Fantastique! It not only has the most relevant information (like, "I'm sorry, I don't speak French.") but also includes pronunciation guides. Hello? [Bon jour?] How is it that other books leave that part out? I am tres contente.

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I ran into a former student working at our fabulous local greasy spoon today. He just graduated and seemed a little self-conscious about having to flip burgers, but I reminded him that I had a similar position for two years - most of us go through those less-than-ideal jobs and come out having a greater appreciation for hard work plus a more vivid vision of where we really want to be (and not be). This kid is a brilliant artist & musician, a sensitive & thoughtful young man; I have no doubts he will go places, do things. Before leaving I showed him my tattoo, at which he sputtered "Holy shit, Mrs. S! It's awesome!" Ah, the poetry in that statement; I beamed.
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Tonight I'm going to a Pampered Chef party at the home of our school secretary. I love that I consider all the other (7) teachers and my principal plus our secretary & counselors & custodian & maintenance people friends; it makes life richer and more pleasant. I wish everyone could have this - I think the level of rage & angst would lower significantly in the world.

Amen, shalom, Godspeed, good night.