My original title for this post was: 'I don't know what to write about today'. Ha.
It's been a really loooong week.
This morning I woke up and noticed that it was lighter outside than usual. Turns out Jeremy had forgotten to set the alarm and unintentionally given me an extra hour of sleep. (probably a good indication that I need to start setting my own darn alarm, but after 8 weeks of this, we've gotten used to the routine) I jumped out of bed and noticed that it was 7:05am. I usually get up at 6am, and leave between 7:15 and 7:30, so the extra hour under the covers was not a very good way to start the day...
Being one of those people who needs time for a decent shower, doing the hair, putting on makeup, 15 minutes of downtime with the computer and a big glass of juice, I responded very poorly to only having 25 minutes to get ready. I ran around our flat (like a complete moron) trying to remember what I was going to wear today, splashing water on my face, and trying to soothe my abnormally puffy eyes so I wouldn't scare my students.
Here's where I must confess: I have this thing about my hair.
I honestly cannot go outside and feel comfortable unless I've had a shower and spent at least a half hour styling my hair into it's everyday look. It's been this way since high school and is not likely to change.
Finding the outfit for the day, putting on the makeup, getting snacks for school, and the other morning routines were only mildly stressful this morning. It was the view of scraggly, unwashed hair that needed smoothing and a lot of work in order to be presentable (in my mind) that stressed me right out. I think I spent 15 of the 25 minutes I had trying to style it into submission, knowing that by the end of the day I would have an oily looking scalp and there was nothing that could be done.
Wow, I sound like a total princess. And I'm digressing again...
I was running 10 minutes later than normal all the way to school, chasing after two trains and a bus, finally getting to school only to realize that I hadn't gotten something ready for the first lesson (and remembered my original plan: to get there around 8:15). This is where improvisation comes in and I decided to do a "circle time" lesson about Remembrance Day, reading them the Flanders Fields poem and having a class discussion about the wars and how they fought and died for our freedom. It was the first conversation about this for some of the kids, and they really responded to the topic. One little boy commented during the the lesson, saying that people were still fighting for freedom.
Of course I wasn't going to touch that kind of political / social minefield. I responded but guided their conversation towards the first two world wars.
It turned into a very pleasant morning, and overall not a bad day at all. I didn't get hit with the exhaustion until I was on the way home and they stopped the train 9 stops before mine, saying the Victoria Line has been suspended due to Police Action at King's Cross.
Not one person complained. I was in awe of the calmness with which the tired workers around me listened to the news, until I realized that 7/7 is still very much with them. So they don't question anything like that - and will always report abandoned luggage to the authorities. Then wait patiently for the Tube workers to take the bags away for inspection (they don't run the trains if unclaimed baggage is found). Luckily, the train started moving after about 10 minutes, so I didn't have to try and figure out how to get all the way across town using buses.
I finally walked in the door after picking up some pizza slices (1 pound per slice) from this really good place around the corner. Tonight will be a quiet night: a little Alize and a movie, instead of the pub as previously planned.
This is my last weekend with Jeremy before he gets on the plane for Canada. We're going to see the Lord Mayor's parade and fireworks display tomorrow on the Thames River, so I'll have some good pics and hopefully a good post about it.
Hope you all have a great Friday night.
Until tomorrow...
This morning I woke up and noticed that it was lighter outside than usual. Turns out Jeremy had forgotten to set the alarm and unintentionally given me an extra hour of sleep. (probably a good indication that I need to start setting my own darn alarm, but after 8 weeks of this, we've gotten used to the routine) I jumped out of bed and noticed that it was 7:05am. I usually get up at 6am, and leave between 7:15 and 7:30, so the extra hour under the covers was not a very good way to start the day...
Being one of those people who needs time for a decent shower, doing the hair, putting on makeup, 15 minutes of downtime with the computer and a big glass of juice, I responded very poorly to only having 25 minutes to get ready. I ran around our flat (like a complete moron) trying to remember what I was going to wear today, splashing water on my face, and trying to soothe my abnormally puffy eyes so I wouldn't scare my students.
Here's where I must confess: I have this thing about my hair.
I honestly cannot go outside and feel comfortable unless I've had a shower and spent at least a half hour styling my hair into it's everyday look. It's been this way since high school and is not likely to change.
Finding the outfit for the day, putting on the makeup, getting snacks for school, and the other morning routines were only mildly stressful this morning. It was the view of scraggly, unwashed hair that needed smoothing and a lot of work in order to be presentable (in my mind) that stressed me right out. I think I spent 15 of the 25 minutes I had trying to style it into submission, knowing that by the end of the day I would have an oily looking scalp and there was nothing that could be done.
Wow, I sound like a total princess. And I'm digressing again...
I was running 10 minutes later than normal all the way to school, chasing after two trains and a bus, finally getting to school only to realize that I hadn't gotten something ready for the first lesson (and remembered my original plan: to get there around 8:15). This is where improvisation comes in and I decided to do a "circle time" lesson about Remembrance Day, reading them the Flanders Fields poem and having a class discussion about the wars and how they fought and died for our freedom. It was the first conversation about this for some of the kids, and they really responded to the topic. One little boy commented during the the lesson, saying that people were still fighting for freedom.
Of course I wasn't going to touch that kind of political / social minefield. I responded but guided their conversation towards the first two world wars.
It turned into a very pleasant morning, and overall not a bad day at all. I didn't get hit with the exhaustion until I was on the way home and they stopped the train 9 stops before mine, saying the Victoria Line has been suspended due to Police Action at King's Cross.
Not one person complained. I was in awe of the calmness with which the tired workers around me listened to the news, until I realized that 7/7 is still very much with them. So they don't question anything like that - and will always report abandoned luggage to the authorities. Then wait patiently for the Tube workers to take the bags away for inspection (they don't run the trains if unclaimed baggage is found). Luckily, the train started moving after about 10 minutes, so I didn't have to try and figure out how to get all the way across town using buses.
I finally walked in the door after picking up some pizza slices (1 pound per slice) from this really good place around the corner. Tonight will be a quiet night: a little Alize and a movie, instead of the pub as previously planned.
This is my last weekend with Jeremy before he gets on the plane for Canada. We're going to see the Lord Mayor's parade and fireworks display tomorrow on the Thames River, so I'll have some good pics and hopefully a good post about it.
Hope you all have a great Friday night.
Until tomorrow...
posted by Melinda @ 1:58 PM
5 Comments:
At 8:29 PM,
Kim said…
Melly, Melly, Melly. I know you can't stand to pull your hair back into a ponytail because you think it looks bad, but it honestly doesn't!!! I've seen you with a ponytail and it looks good. And this is the best way to avoid wasting "hair-doing" time in the morning. Two seconds, that's it!! It's the way I go to work %75 of the time. Hope to talk to you tomorrow.
At 9:47 PM,
t.k.foster said…
Hey at least you can hear your alarm. Girl, my alarm will go off for two hours and I STILL don't hear it.
At 2:14 AM,
BeechballBeatsCancer said…
I still often set the time on my alarm clock and somehow manage to forget to turn it ON.. 2 simple steps. Set, ON! Set, ON! HOW on earth do I so often forget ON! DOH! And it's always when I need it the most - and then half those times, I can't sleep cause I'm having so many nightmares that I slept in because I didn't set my alarm! Grrr I hate'em! :P
At 12:43 PM,
Suldog said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 12:43 PM,
Suldog said…
Melinda:
I'd be glad to have even greasy hair... (sound of tears hitting the keyboard)
No, really? When I had a full head of hair and wore it long, I was the same way. And God forbid if the wind picked up to over 10mph. Then I was pissed all day.
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