Monday Meme: The Story of a Day

I borrowed this (with gratitude) from Tense Teacher, Queen of Memes, as it seems like the perfect thing to start off the week.

1. You wake up in the morning. What time is it, probably?
Around 7, at least for the summer. Bob think he can enslave time, so his clock radio is set ten minutes behind “real time” so we can pull ourselves, zombie-like, out of bed in our good time. Come September, both kids will be on the bus at 7, so we’ll set the radio zapper for 6.

2. You get yourself some breakfast. What do you make?
Toast of some kind, mostly; however, I do sometimes treat myself to oatmeal (the real kind, with raisins, cinnamon, butter and maple syrup), or pancake or waffle leftovers. With maple syrup.  MMMMMMmmmmmmm
3. Someone calls you on the phone. Who do you want it to be?
I’m with Tense on this one: “I don’t want anyone to call me; if the phone rang early in the morning, I’d likely have a heart attack.” My mother has assured me that should one of our relatives pass in the night, she will wait until we are actually awake before calling to deliver the news. But really, if it rang and it was school time, it would be around 6:45, and it would be Boo’s friends calling.

4. You turn on the TV for a bit. What channel do you put it on?
The Weather Channel or the news if there’s a chance snow has canceled school.

5. You have some time to kill before you have to leave. What do you do?
I’ll put away my dishes, feed the dogs, load up and start the dishwasher and try to remember to take something to EAT with me for the day. Oh, and my teaching stuff!

6. You go and have a shower. How long does it take you?
Most mornings, Bob and I shower together and that takes us about 10 minutes.

7. You decide to get yourself ready for your day. How long does it take?
I’m pretty slow in the morning, but for the most part, I’m showered (every day), dressed, fed, coffeed and made up in 40 minutes or so.

8. You put on some makeup. What do you put on?
I use foundation (Ecco Bella for now but the stuff contains Parabens so I am searching for a replacement), eyeliner, concealer around the eyes, eyeshadow and mascara and finally, Ecco Bella blusher.

9. You’re ready to leave. What do you take out with you?
Water bottle, school bag with wallet, cell phone (sometimes that’s even OFF) and school books. folders full of grading (possibly even graded), my lecture notes and papers to be copied and a snack. If hell froze over, I bring lunch.

10. How long does it take you to get to work?
If they haven’t blocked my favorite shortcut for street repair, it takes about 11 minutes to get to school. The drive in just long enough to hear some news on NPR and settle my mind in preparation for the day. Sometimes, I sing at the top of my lungs to get my mood more extrovertive.

The Day:

11. What is the first thing you do when you get to work?
If I have copying to do, I head to the faculty room, praying that the humidity hasn’t caused a molecule of paper to shear off and bollix up the machine. I wait in line, if necessary, make my copies for my two classes, fill my water bottle and/or grab some organic coffee out of the pod machine and head to my classroom.

12. Do you take part in office gossip/water cooler talk?
I don’t get to see my closest friend at the college this semester, as she and I don’t teach on the same days. : ( That said, if I have a chance, I will seek out teachers who are taking on the same classes as I have for the semester for a quick check in. Otherwise, I will stop at the College Goddess’ desk for a brief word. I just lent her my copy of Eats, Shoots and Leaves, which she adored, being as much an Anglophile as I.

13. Anything particularly annoying about each work day?
The numbers of excuses I get for missing homework. My policy of no late work has met no challenges thus far in the semester, but that may change soon.

14. What’s the best part of the day?
When a discussion takes off and students address EACH OTHER instead of looking to me to moderate each remark, when there is laughter or an interesting take on a question or point, when I get high on the places the discussion went - THAT’S the best part.

15. Do you usually leave on time or stay late? Take any work home with you?
I leave on time, sometimes early (although the new Pres has said that under no circumstances may we let students out early any longer as these students have paid for and therefore deserve, every blessed moment) so not aanymore. Not even by the 15 or so minutes I used to allow.

The Perfect Day:

16. The boss calls to tell you that don’t have to work, and you’re free for a whole day. What do you do?
Get into comfy sweats, find a book and settle into the couch with my dogs at my feet and a cup of tea next to me. Then I get up and blog, who am I kidding?

17. With whom would you want to spend the day?
My daughters, my darling husband, Mrs. Chili, or maybe my sister.

18. You go to the store to get some snackage, but it turns out you can only buy one thing there. What do you buy?
Probably some kind of fruit smoothie, like Odwalla or Naked Juice, because I am more likely THIRSTY than hungry.

19. You’re walking down the street and you find a magic lamp that grants you 3 wishes. What do you wish for?
An insta-out of debt-card, enough money to change the world and my own, thriving company.

20. You meet a man who says he will give you your dream job, what is it?
Gasp. I don’t know. Shit, gotta think about this one…

21. You can choose any concert of any singer/band in the world; whose do you go to?
I would see U2 doing the Joshua Tree Concert, in London, just to give you a view into the paradigm that shaped me!

22. You get home and there’s a check for $50,000 in the mail for you. On what would you spend it?
Paying off debts!!

23. You get to bring back anyone from the dead, famous or not. Who would it be?
I’m named for my grandfather, my mother’s father, who died the year I was born. When I was growing up, my mother would often get weepy at something I said or did and she would tell me how proud her father would have been of me. My Opa spent time in a concentration camp in Holland, called Vught, where he wore a sharp metal bracelet imprinted with the number 2078; I have that broken bracelet on my desk at the moment and I find it inspirational. I would like to meet him and introduce him to my daughters.

24. You get to interview your favorite celebrity. Who is it, and what would you ask him/her? Emma Thompson hasn’t worked much lately, but I used to ensure that I saw whatever she was involved in, from Henry V, Much Ado, to Dead Again, to Wit, Angels in America… She is such a visceral, intelligent person that I find she imbues everything she does with brilliant intensity. Also, her speaking voice gives me shivers. I love to do accents, but hers remains elusive. I am still working on it.

25. You get to see into the future but you can only find out one thing about your future life. What would you want to find out?
I’m going to play a cliched Jewish card: do I have grandchildren?

26. At the end of your perfect day, you go on a perfect date; describe it.
Bob and I would probably hit a local organic wood-fired pizza place, where we’d giggle and talk over something with goat cheese and caramelized onions. I’d have a blueberry ale/stout beer and then we’d go over to teh bookstore where we’d each get a pile of books and have tea in the cafe. Then we would go home and spend intense quality time together.

Happy Monday!