I feel happy and free

Why the sudden good spirits?

Well, it's vaguely warm outside, and next week is spring break. I had some extra vacation since I didn't teach today (no way the students would have shown up the afternoon before vacation started, with no quizzes or papers approaching the week after break). And, soon, I'm headed off to NYC. It's been a few years since I left the country, and I think NYC almost qualifies as such a trip. And, while I'm working at the UN for the week, I'll be in "international territory." (It's so not New York there that they can even smoke indoors, not that that appeals to me.)

In celebration of the approaching trip, a friend and I had a "grocery store dinner" last night. A grocery store dinner, most commonly occurring over long trips, involves going to the grocery store and picking up some items that can be eaten without cooking or utensils. Our menu included: a loaf of Italian bread, Australian cheddar cheese (yummy), and some very tasty cannolis (did I spell that right?). Very filling & satisfying. Who needs a fancy restaurant?

Reverting to Childhood

About a week ago, I performed in a little talent show for school. This show was pretty much my first since high school, which ended for me in the late 90s. Since I now live close to my childhood home, my parents attended. Chatting with them in the hall after, I flashed back to my old choir concerts. But, instead of meeting my friends for ice cream, I said goodnight to the rents, and headed out to drink beer at the afterparty.

Not so childish, you say? Well, yesterday, I went on a fieldtrip. While the bus was not yellow, our hosts provided snacks, including: granola bars, juice-in-a-bag (now easy to open, since I have nails), and oreo cookies. We also used to budy system to make sure that everyone was on the bus. If only they had served ants-on-a-log, the flashback would have been perfect.

Librarian Shushed by Patron

Proving once and for all that libraries just ain't what they used to be, a patron recently "shushed" me at the library. I was chatting with a coworker and fellow libary student about the joys of foundations courses, when our noise prooved too much for an old fashioned (and probably undergraduate) patron. Being service-oriented, as well as on my way out, I chose to end the conversation, instead of informing him that he was on a "loud" floor.

It was a very man-bites-dog moment for me.