I have to tell you about my day because it seems amazing to me how long it has been and how full of people, work and weirdness.

It all started at around 5:00 am when my aching tooth woke me up. I have decided to live with the pain, because whenever I go to the dentist I pay him to do things that hurt me and my teeth continue to decay at rediculous rates while I pay him four times as much as I make per hour. I know dentists are trying to help me, but my mouth is lost cause. So there I am a 5 am aching tooth and trying to remember a dream about high school and an evil Tyrannosaurus named Bart. But, that was a lost cause as well. So I started thinking about the day coming at me, new children and nervous parents. And miraculously I fell back asleep. This is a first. Usually I am a world class insomniac; I stay awake and on the morning before a big day, it is completely freaky for me to be able to not obsess myself into stubborn wakefulness. But I slept for another hour and my alarm woke me.

I get up at 6 so that I can get some quiet contemplative time before waking my surly purple haired son. It really helps my attitude to have this tranquility before the epic struggle that is the waking of the boy. But, today he popped right up. Weird! He was actually, well cheerful is a bit much, but he mumbled pleasantly in my direction when I said, “Good morning.”

After about 20 minutes of slow motion activity he is ready for me to drive him to school. Let me tell you about “my car”. It is my car because Mary is a worrier and can’t drive a car that sounds like a 50 year old motorcycle in need of a tune up. It also tends to run a little hot and she can’t ever relax if there is even the outside chance of overheating. It is an ancient VW station wagon that we bought for $1000, 5 years ago when it was merely old. “Her car” is 2 years old and runs so smoothly that when you turn it on you are not quite sure its on. You know when you step on the gas. So anyway he starts to get in the nice car and I have to say, “We’re not in that car, Buddy. We gotta take my car.”
The look on his face is classic: “That piece of sh….” He does not actually say this but he sadly mopes over to the POS. Which actually I don’t mind driving. It handles well and has more power in the 3 out of 4 cylinders that work consistently than the nice car. But it has funky old stereo without a CD player which you can’t even hear over the roar of the stone age engine.

I got him to school and head to work. I am always pleasantly surprised when my car reaches its destination and relieved when I turn off the engine. Then I was a little excited as I unlock the door to the center and start preparing for my day of teaching. My supervisor arrived and worried over last minute details. I told her. “We’re all ready to go.” I showed her where the paperwork on the families she would be enrolling was, and finished the final touches on the classroom. The class went smoothly except twins who took turns crying whenever I spoke to them, and a junior ninja who jumped the fence like a thought in action. We retrieved the escapee and finished the day with as many children as we started with. Phew!

Part II tomorrow: stay tuned for “Mountain of Wood and Invasion of the Manic Pizza Eating Posse”