Sweating in South America

It's 8 pm in Buenos Aires and I'm putting off a shower, since it'll be two or three hours before we go out to our beefy wine-y dinner. Portenos know how to eat, but I'm not sure they can teach me how to stay awake long enough to digest.
Our hotel is lovely wonderful. In a bit, we will sit on the rooftop, drink a bottle of Malbec, and chat about the 50 stray cats in the park today.
If you come back as a cat, move to the Botanical Gardens. Those mini tigers are treated like kings.
Er.
Whatever.

Buzzing In

I'm having some trouble putting together cohesive thoughts lately (and finding the motivation to get out of bed for work. Something in my brain has trouble with Hi, we don't want you anymore, but since we have to pay you through June, just keep showing up.). Thank you for all of your support. I had a lot of beer and hugs and prayers this weekend. Perhaps those are part of the problem. Prayers kill brain cells!

• I have some strongly worded letters to write to some administrative higher-ups, so I'm going to let that simmer a bit while we are gone to Buenos Aires. Matt, Nicki and I are off on Friday. Any tips? Any legal souvenir requests?
• I've delayed grocery shopping, so my sustenance is either from a restaurant or the giant basket of aged tortilla chips on our kitchen shelf. I'm a little desperate. I almost stole some food from bookclub last night to eat as lunch. I'm almost ashamed to write that. Almost.
• At 4:30 pm this afternoon, I will be watching Minneapolis improvisor Fred Beukema on Jeopardy. They taped a while ago and he signed 400 confidentiality papers, but he has posted some about the experience. Neat!
• It's Carly's birthday today. Hi, Sister. I hope you get a serenade over your Ariel Barbie cake. Just maybe skip the candles, because otherwise you'll get a half-day at work and the other half of the day will be filing a deposition with the Brooklyn Center PD.

Free Like Cheesybread

My mother has taken to sending me e-Catholic Greetings. I'm hoping I'll get one today, since I just got laid off.

Is there a Patron Saint of the Unemployed?

What they actually said was that they would be "reallocating funds associated with [my] position." I was the one who had to clarify it meant that I wouldn't be here next year. I'm safe and paid through June, but the district is cutting $2 million and my little position is one portion they will not be funding anymore. I suppose they would probably let me do it anyway.

I was a champion, Friends.

I did not cry.

I stressed the importance of my work here and my connection with the students over these last 5 years, and how they should be sure to figure out where those responsibilities are going: hip hop, butt plugs, investigation of bus incidents, teaching them how to be hypocrites adults.  I will miss some of them more than others.

But it's time for a new adventure. I'll need your prayers and your beers and your hugs.  

Celery, Celery, So Crunchy

Matt and I are in London for the weekend to photograph a special birthday party at the Dorchester Hotel. Peep this, you guys. P.I.M.P.
I'm recovering from a rough flight/time changeroo by watching a kid's show with a Blue's Clues-y song about vegetables. It deserves a visual aid, so remind me to show you when we return. Airplane food tried to ruin this trip for us but I will be damned if I am going to miss an opportunity to eat Cadbury's at the source. Especially when our little American monies can buy more than it could before...
Love and replenished fluids.

National Anger Management Month

Ever since my birthday left, I've been irritable.  The day with all the beer and presents doesn't come around again for 12 months.  I was thinking, today, about all the rules I have in place for human interaction--the ones people don't even know they're violating. If I wrote a motivational book, it would be part really mean and part less mean, so you'd forget about the mean as you moved through it.

Possible Chapters:

1: If you’re going to do something and it’s something that you generally do because it’s your job, just frigging do it.  If you get all tweaked out about the details, and you're not an event planner, people won’t want to work with you anymore.

Me people.  I don't want to work with you anymore.

2: Idea!  Every normal task you do during the day, time it with a stopwatch.  It's more fun if it's a race against yourself.  It's like regular you, but faster.  Warning: Not for readers prone to heart attacks. 

3: If I have to bounce my leg this hard just to stay awake while meeting with you, you are dull and I'm leaving.  Goodbye.  

4: If you're the only one who says hi first, take a couple of days off.  People will think you're selfish taking all the initial hellos for yourself.

5. It smells like decay in here.  Maybe consider disposing of lunchtime garbage by leaving it somewhere else.

6. Draw pictures of bunnies.