tcb

back to work. back to the daily grind. the west belden student population was rather zombie-like today. the most disrespectful kids still managed to be a handful by way of mumbly comments. i almost gave three detentions in my third grade class today but settled for short essays on "what it means to be a positive learner," to which one of my students, jeremy, wrote the following:

never go to dark side [insert shaded box here]. that's evil. let's go to the white side [insert light, unshaded box]. i want to stay on the white side to be a positive learner. i want to be a superstar, but i have to earn it.

of course one immediately begins to probe the deeper meaning behind all this "white side" business (at least i do). we could go on to debate the influence of race and "the man" and the fact that jeremy's adopted by parents who've spent his entire life trying to convince him he isn't actually black. (i'm not sure how much older jeremy can get before the "we left you in the sun too long when you were a baby" story no longer holds water.) however, jeremy's thought process isn't so complex. not even subliminally.

i'm finishing up this post a few hours later. will's having friends over to watch football, chew on some jimmy john's, watch the ohio state v. lsu football game, and play halo 3. he doesn't like when i hide out, so i'll be taking part in the debauchery. we're on a drinking strike currently, so nothing will get too out of hand. it is monday after all. gotta tcb (take care of business).

check out this sad bunch.

a bunch of lonely studs.

the things you do when no one's looking

so, over break i've done a lot of relaxing. grooming myself, embellishing my apartment with world market clearance items, and drinking iced coffee (usually because the pot i made earlier was impossible to drink by myself). i've also been watering plants, rearranging things, pushing things around, scribbling things down, dusting things, reading books, etc. etc.

tomorrow i'm buying a new phone, and i'm really looking forward to that. buying a new phone is a really big deal. like most people, i use it every day. probably more than i "use" anything else. the pathetic little phone i have now is a reflection of the broke life i was living when i first moved to chicago. i was eligible for a new phone in october of 2006, but forced myself to grab the cheapest one. i can't say the phone was a disappointment, because i wasn't expecting much to begin with. replacing the things you use the most is a life changing act. a new bag or purse, for example. a new winter coat, or a new scarf. something new that you get to use a lot. i've been trying to treat my new green zip up sweater the same way, but it's really not cool to wear the same, "dry clean only" thing every day. that makes me sort of a loser. so sue me.

i also need new contacts, but those will have to wait.


clockwise from left >> my rich berry nails. my joey cell phone. the view from above my computer screen. will and me on new years eve.