My capers in the past week have included 7th and 6th grade English classes, post-anesthesia Marley and everything in between. (Let it go on the record that my reference of 'capers' directly ties to Matt on VH1's "
The Pick-Up Artist") I'm not entirely sure to begin, so I'll start with the most unrelated to the rest of what this blog might contain, first.
I had my dear little Marley fixed on Wednesday. Just in time, too, as earlier in this week I was noticing the common early signs of heat in kitties (including that obnoxious meow/howl/cry). I took her in around 7 on Wednesday morning, dropped her off and the vets took control from there. When I picked her up around three, she was still quite drowsy from the anesthesia.
I don't remember my cats that my parents now have possession of (sadly, cats became cat last summer) after they were fixed. Partly, because the vet convinced us to do the tendonectomy (alternative to declawing that my mother and I have decided, in retrospect, is just as bad as declawing) and the spay in the same go and wanted to keep the little dears over night for observations and partly because I was, well, 11. The vet tech said that she may be a little growly and confused for the rest of the evening and to treat her like a drunk person, making sure she didn't stumble down stairs or off of furniture (and, boy, do I have experience with that).
I let her out of the carrier and was in for a real treat before I left for work. Drugged-up Marley was the most tragically adorable thing I had ever seen in my life. She wandered in circles and wobbled everywhere she went and slid off of my couch like melted kitty butter. I do not condone drugging up your animals (this disclaimer seems oddly necessary), but if you can one day experience a post-anesthesia animal...it is far funnier than a post-anesthesia human.
Now, you're wondering where the Chubby Buns Award comes into play with this. Or, at least, I would be.
Subbing has improved greatly since my first experience. My second school was a real treat and so far my favorite. I had seventh grade English for a whole day. Right off the bat, I knew the school was run much more smoothly than the first. The staff was very helpful and the kids, while still middle-school-wonky, were funny. I had a really good time there. The team of teachers I was with invited me to eat lunch with them in another teacher's classroom and took my sub number at the end of the day to request me later in the school year.
(As an aside: I am very well-aware that this is, gasp,
networking. If any of you followed me in the summer of 2007, you know that I developed some serious issues
against networking. However, my scheme of "I'll get by and get a great job on my charm and adorable-osity alone" has worked out
incredibly well so far (link inserted for sarcasm) that I think I may just bite and do the adult thing and start to network while I'm at these schools. Boo.)
This same second school is the school where I confiscated my first note. In a moment of pride and true teacher-dom, I told the students in question that if they behaved for the rest of the class, I would not put their names on the note and turn that into their teacher with their work. They quickly agreed to this deal with me, and were quiet...so naturally I did the mature thing and kept the note. In it, was a glorious drawing of a human's derriere labeled "The Chubby Buns Award" and a conversation about the award. In my continuing professionalism and maturity, I have proceeded to show the note to my friends and am toying around to submitting it to
FOUND magazine.
I'm definitely pursuing the right career path. No doubt in my mind. Subbing is stressful. I guess there was a reason I blocked out how we treated substitutes back in my day (that...and a reason I blocked out middle school...they're a different breed of wonky...). I think this really will be a good experience to help me figure out where my teacher-self will want to end up in three years, especially if I am asked back to schools and able to commandeer a bit more respect from the kiddos.
It's getting late, and while I have a bunch to say, I do have to get up at 9 so I can head out to
Shenandoah University in Winchester for my affiliation into the Winchester Alumane chapter of
SAI.
I shall resume more wonky stories tomorrow.
