It’s been a great couple of weeks.  I haven’t had much time to write.  Mainly because of the end of the school year rush:  grading, fine sheets, check out sheets, disclosure statements, book collecting, book inventory, room cleaning, whining-honors-kids-who-all-think-they-deserve-an-”A”-because-they-exist, etc.  But with yearbooks distributed and seniors graduated and sent on their way, I thought I’d finally update my blog.

 

Give me a second here….

 

Not quite sure what to write about.

 

I think I’ll just list the highlights.  (Holly often makes fun of me for my need to use numbered lists.  I can’t help it. It’s the way I think.  I wrote a [kind] letter to a guy I was breaking up with, and if it weren’t for my dear friend Jenny, I would have formatted it in a numbered list.  True story.)  Here goes:

 

1.  The chemistry teacher at JHS allowed students to use a strong odored chemical called butyric acid.

2.  I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with 12 fellow Parley ward members.  It was okay.  But the company was good.

3.  The AP chemistry students didn’t follow the directions for handling butyric acid.

4.  I decided to accept the offer from the Gilder Lehrman Institute to go to Stanford for a week in June to learn from the prestigious historian, David Kennedy.  They promptly sent me his Pulitzer prize winning 800+ page book to read in the next few weeks.  It’s called Freedom From Fear.  Ironic–considering the size and density of the thing.  And I love to read.  I just hate being assigned to read.  Again, ironic–considering my profession.

5.  Due to the mishandling of butyric acid, its smell permeated the school.  And I really mean permeated.

6.  I have a new calling to teach Relief Society.  Actually this is the third time I’ve been called to be a Relief Society teacher, so it’s not that new of a calling.  It’s one of my favorite though.

7.  After the first wave of butyric acid odor infestation started to die down, some other chemistry students discovered the “qualities” of butyric acid and snuck some out of the lab and distributed it around the school.

8.  M.L. from my ward said I am “seductive and know it.”  I think it was a compliment.  And he was actually serious.  I just batted my lashes, blew him a kiss, and wondered what on earth he was talking about.  (I’m kidding–about that last part).  ;)

9.  One of the “deposits” of the stolen butyric acid was really a smearing of the stuff along the J-hall.  My classroom is in the J-hall.

10.  When I saw my photo in the school’s yearbook, I said, “Well.  I’ve had worse.”  Adrienne’s immediate (and serious) response?  “No.  It’s not good.”  So much for my ego. 

  (Here Adrienne shows off her own photogenic-ness).

11.  The butyric acid incident happened 6 days ago.

12.  I went to a pine wood derby race on Saturday.  For adults.  Really.  The race track was computerized and everything.  It was a “Tri-Ward” activity–which means it was for the three single adult wards (ages 31-45) in the valley.  Someday, when I am a grown up, I am going to go to a pine wood derby competition and not have to participate.  Instead, I’ll get to watch the kids.  Like sitting at the grown up table at Thanksgiving.  Mindy’s car beat the bishop’s so his first counselor bought six of us dinner.  I’m not quite sure on the logic of that–but I got some free food.  Not much though.  Stupid Gus.  (Who is Gus?  See The Beast Within below).

13.  The butyric acid smell is still going strong.

14.  One of my students proposed to me last week.  He was on one knee and everything.  That’s now my fourth proposal.  Total.  All 4 were from students.  Despite the hand-crafted, scotch-tape ring, I turned him down.  He is the first to actually have a ring.  One young man wrote the proposal in frosting on a sugar cookie.  He still didn’t get an “A”.

15.  I found out that the chemistry teacher allowed the original perpetrators of the butyric-acid-olfactory-crime to play with the stuff a second time.  She’s new.

16.  Holly threw a tremendous mini-mingle on Sunday.  For those not up to LDS single slang, a “mini-mingle” is when people from the ward offer to host a dinner party and then other members of the ward are assigned to go there.  This one wasn’t that much of a “mini.”  We had 20+ people there.  She had a shish-ke-bar.  It was a make your own shish-ke-bob meal.  Well, we had a shish-ke-bar.  She was in another….place.  Completely.  I believe some refer to it as “La La Land.”  Ahhh the joys of crushes.

17.  Butyric acid smells like vomit.  Exactly  like vomit.

 

Well that’s it.  That sums up the exciting events of the last two or so weeks.  Of course, there were lots of other things too–some boring, some interesting.   But I think I’ve rambled on long enough.  And I’ve got to have some secrets.  :)   But, at least I wrote something new.

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