I graduate in (*counts on fingers*)... five days. A lot of my little senior pals who are not education majors have much of this week off, having managed to escape finals or lucked out with the odd take-home or paper (I say "lucked out", but I suppose it's all relative. I'd rather be hunkered down in the library basement than sitting in a high school classroom at the moment--and you can see by the fact that I'm blogging how much my dedication has wavered...granted, I don't teach during second period). No, I have obligations for the rest of this week that require my physical presence here, in this classroom, doing...stuff (I actually plan on spending the next three days eating cookies and playing Apples to Apples with my juniors).
However, there is nothing to be said for my mental presence in the classroom, which I can say has been lacking since...(I don't want to say March, but) January. Okay, slight exaggeration, but when you can count on one hand how many more days you have left to your undergraduate career, you start to feel a bit flighty. You also can't spell exaggeration. I've spelled it wrong twice now. Yay for spell check! BTWs, it's double g's, not double r's.
So, if I'm not here at the lovely area high school (mentally), then where am I?
Me, daydreaming. Yes, that is my classroom and motivational poster
using an iceberg in the background.
Location #1:My dad's boat
We lucked out with a uber gorgeous weekend (hoping and praying we get this next weekend), so I spent Saturday raking and ripping the life out of my garden at the new house (which sound really horrible--I actually just cleaned up some spaces--I will be posting pictures after graduation, when I have my life back) and sitting on my dad's boat. Yesterday we shipped out from my parents' house at one end of a gorgeous lake in Maine and boated down to the other end of the lake, roughly seven miles away, got lunch at a restaurant (the novelty of being able to "park" your boat at a restaurant and then going in to eat will never be old to me), then boated home. I came back very crispy, but very happy.
Location #2: The local nursery--garden variety
The tradition in my family has been you do something vegetation/outdoor related for the mom's in your life for mother's day. For example, this year, we got my mom a gift certificate L.L. Bean so she can put her Adirondack chair jealousy to bed and get a spiffy reclining one to go on their porch, thereby winning the sweet seat competition she and my dad seem to have been having for the last 12 years since they moved into the new house.
In previous years, both my mom and I have been gifted plant life. It was also the go-to gift for both my grandmothers when they were still living (both possessing great green thumbs, something I hope to inherit and hone--I'm really loving the alliteration here, aren't I?). Anyhow, when this year came around, DOH asked me what I wanted. I was torn. What we really, really need is a new vacuum cleaner, but funds are tight and my mom has promised me her old one (we're getting a lot of furniture and appliance hand-me-downs lately--something I am not complaining about). So, my second option was plantlife (per usual). I told DOH I really wanted to get some potted plants to put in the little planters that are on the front portion of our porch at the new house. They're these adorable little bird houses that are open at the top and you're meant to just slide in your little potted plants. Each time I think of these cute little features (I will post pictures ASAP, promise), I immediately envision Christmas time and little sprays of greenery coming out of these. But for now, I want some cute potted plants. I'm thinking these:
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| Geranium (a classic) |
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| Pansy (love these, but I can't help but think of those talking flowers from Disney's Alice in Wonderland). |
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| Hydrangea (my favorite flower of all time, but I'm not sure if these can be potted, really). |
I keep thinking about that moment when I accept my empty diploma case (explained, sort of, here), shake the many hands of the important professors and upper university echelon, and saunter off the stage, having completed my undergraduate degree (my next few posts between now and Saturday, and probably just after Saturday, will likely repeat that whole "completed my undergraduate degree" phrase a whole bunch--feel free to start the drinking game now--that's three shots already, by the way--I know I've started).
Saturday, while less important academically than my aforementioned portfolio presentation, it's still a big day, an exciting day, and probably one of the last days I'll have for a while that are about me and a celebration over what I've done. I know that sounds totally narcissistic and horrible, but it's how I feel. I like getting positive, pats on the back kinds of attention, and I packed a lot of that into the last five years, between my high school graduation, the birth of our daughter, our wedding, the purchase of a house, etc., etc. We've pretty much done everything most adults do over several years in about four (not counting graduating from high school). So, graduation is my last hurrah for just me, at least for a while (there is graduate school and all that good stuff).
All this leaves me in a pretty tough position. I need to be here, school, until Thursday (though we'll see how Thursday goes since a bulk of my students will be MIA at a college fair). After that, I'm as free as a bird. But Thursday feels so far away.
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