JUST SO HAPPENS ...

Well, folks. Seems appropriate to try and straighten out my thoughts on the stuff I missed this week, it being Friday and all:

1 Congratulations to my dear friend Bond, whose baseball team won something (still not sure what it was, but good on them anyway).
2. A multitude of friends have caught the blug and started blogging. Looking forward to getting the news from your perspectives! (and I promise to post links as soon as I figure out how!)
3. Taylor's band LiMBO has a new webpage. Check it out at www.littlememphisbluesorchestra.com. Apparently the next big thing for the Soul Patrol and LiMBOmaniacs.
4. It has been brought to my attention that SOMEONE has been keeping a mafia-style hit list ... and to this I would like to state unequivocably: Beware the Jabberwock, my son; the jaws that bite, the claws that catch. Beware the Jub-Jub bird and shun the frumious Bandersnatch!
5. Our dear Dana has been visited by a nasty gremlin this week. Don't worry, dear. You will always have our support and unconditional love.
6. Officially missing my Sue. I needed to throw that one in, as we always seem to just miss each other in chat.
7. From my end, Meet the Teacher went well last night, even though I was sporting a temp of 103 and sprained tummy muscles from puking my guts out all morning (sorry - that's TMI, I know). Had an alltime record of visits - 11 parents showed up to talk to me about the courses their children would be taking this year. *stops briefly to wonder at the lack of parental involvement when it would be the most beneficial to the children*
8. Feeling marginally better today. In case you hadn't figured out, I'm one of those annoyingly anal persons who doesn't like to give up control of their classroom. Besides which, the kids actually get upset when I'm not there to browbeat them into submitting to my unbending will ...
9. I am still on a music-induced high from the jazz and blues festival last weekend. Who knew a little bit of blue could color the world so rosy?

That's about it for today, boys and girls. Have a marvelous weekend. You are never far from my thoughts, even when I'm not with you. Love and hugs to all.

PS - just got paged - a former student has arrived to visit me ... I am Godmom to her daughter. She claims I saved her life by stopping to talk to her at the mall one day after she had dropped out of school, and that our conversation convinced her to give high school another go. Funny that I had thought nothing of the encounter until she told the guidance counsellor why she decided to return to us, and the story got spread. It was one of my proudest moments as a teacher and as a human being to be asked to hand Shannon her diploma two years ago. Uh oh - teary-eyed at that memory ... Proof positive, folks, that the smallest of gestures can have a profound impact on someone. Oh well, gotta go see my girls. Hugs - until later.