I’ve been having a lot of trouble getting work done at school lately. I have a morning study hall which should be the perfect time of day for me to do work. The kids are sitting quietly. I’m sitting quietly. But then the class period is over, and I haven’t done anything. I’m disappointed, but not surprised: I’ve been letting myself get sucked into the comment sections of political articles on the internet.
The articles themselves are interesting enough, but when people can write comments on them, then I’m really entertained. And that’s how I end up spending so much time. I really enjoy the passionate arguments some people make. I don’t think any of my own opinions have been changed by any of the arguments, but it’s very interesting to see another point of view. If the comments I read are any indication, political opinions seem to be more about emotion than reason.
But maybe I should cut back a little on the article-reading. I think The Internet was trying to send me a message the other day:
Happy Groundhog Day! If the current weather is any indication, I predict that winter will end three months early.
We have had such warm temperatures lately. I normally would say such a thing makes me happy, but it’s only the beginning of February! This warm weather makes me feel like spring is just around the corner, but it’s not. It’s a mile down the road, over a bridge, through a tollgate, and then around the corner. So instead of winter-cold air and some snow every once in a while, we have temperatures in the 50′s and 60′s and rain. And all the plants are dormant. There isn’t even the yellow cheer of daffodils. And I can’t wear my hat. And this is going to last for three more months?
Are warm temperatures nice? I guess. But I find myself wishing for winter.
I’ve been thinking about how my lunch has evolved over time. When I started teaching, I actually packed a lunch, and it had a variety of foods. After stopping that, I tried all kinds of lunches: frozen dinners and pot pies, soup, loaves of bread and something to go on it, crackers and cheese, crackers and tuna, Carnation Instant Breakfast Drink, Lunchables, leftovers…
On and off, I’ve been pretty good about bringing some kind of fruit or vegetable. They’re a hassle, because I have to buy them weekly if I don’t want them to be rotten. And they’re more expensive than just getting a box of granola bars. But they’re good for me. And when it comes down to it, I like to eat some plant material every once in a while.
Lately, I’ve been getting apples. My normal talent at picking mealy ones has been on vacation or something, because I’m finding some pretty crunchy apples. I’m glad. I wouldn’t have said apples are my favorite fruit, but they sure hit the spot when I’m hungry. I’ve even tried that at home… Hungry? Want to eat half a box of cookies? Have an apple. …and then eat half a box of cookies.
Because the face lotion I was using was discontinued again (this is the third time that’s happened!), I am using a new kind. It’s a Clinique product, and is kind of an all-in-one thing. This is the first lotion I’ve used that has sunscreen in it, and I could tell. The lotion looked, felt, and smelled like sunscreen. In fact, I smelled sunscreen all day long. It was a little disorienting. The warm weather we’re having has been disorienting enough, thank you. (We’re supposed to break 60 degrees today.)
Anyway, I like this new stuff well enough, but I do have to get used to that sunscreen smell. And I need to make a better effort to keep it out of my eyes. Sunscreen in my eyes stings!
Happy Birthday, Peggy! Yay!
On my way to school yesterday before church, I had to stop for gas. My route to school takes me past a gas station, so I stopped there. There is a tree there that I look at every time I pass it. In the winter, it holds on to its leaves. There is a light right next to it that has a faint pinkish tint to it. The result is something that sort of looks like a cherry tree in bloom. A perpetually winter-blooming cherry tree. It makes me smile.
On my route home from school, I often see a woman power walking. I love how regular she is. And she walks with this spring in her step and with such a serious look on her face. When I see her, I always smile as well. But I’m not going to take a picture of her. She probably would think that’s creepy.
