Bamboo wind chimes and orange kittens

Ah, the weekend. Such a marvelous time. I am especially enjoying this one because I worked really hard last week (as a substitute preschool teacher), all while I was sick with a sore throat/runny nose/cough/etc. I have to say that childcare is undoubtedly one of the most difficult professions to be in when you’re sick. Nothing like losing your voice and then trying to keep control of a classroom full of four year olds. I end up abandoning the correct approach to things (such as explaining patiently why hitting is not ok)and instead resort to the Preschool teacher Point, Glare, and Shake. This involves pointing at the misbehaving child, giving them a stern glare, and shaking your finger at them vigorously. They usually respond by staring blankly at me for a moment and then going back to beating up their classmates. And if you get too close to preschoolers, they inevitably choose just that moment to cough in your face, causing you to inhale yet another mutant strain of illness for which you haven’t yet produced antibodies.

Illnesses that Cassie has suffered through since starting in the childcare profession:

Bronchitis
Pink Eye
Strep Throat
Stomach Flu
Colds (3)

The good news is that I’ve reached the point now where I skip the miserable fever/really feel awful portion of colds/flu and now just go straight to the soore throat/runny nose part.

This is not to say that there aren’t parts of working with kids that aren’t amazingly rewarding. I get lots of hugs, and when I get to work kids will run over to me and wrap cute pudgy arms around my leg and smile up at me. Plus sometimes there are field trips to fun places such as the park and Krispy Kreme Donuts, and once I got to take school age kids to see the movie Brother Bear. Easiest hour and a half of work I’ve ever had. I even got a free soda. Ooh, and last week I got a free ice cream sundae. Free food is always an excellent perk.

So, getting back to the topic of weekends…. I sure like them! Last night Mike and I went to dinner with friends at Bardenays (YUM! black bean and sweet potato chimichanga, one of my favorite dishes ever) and then saw Farenheit 9/11, which was an excellent documentary, funny in parts, educational and informative, and very very sad. Makes me want to move to Canada. Then today Mike and I didn’t do a damned thing! Well, we did clean the apartment, kind of. Like dishes and de-cluttering and the sort. And we went to the library and the store. I read a 370 page book and talked to my patio plants, and then we went for a walk around the block. We didn’t go far because another ominous thunder storm cloud bank was getting closer. On our walk we saw two super adorable kittens, half grown and all lean and cute. One was white and the other orange, and they came over to us and wanted to be petted! That part was great, but then they started following us down the sidewalk, so we had to pick them up (darn) and carry them back to their yard and then make a run for it. Our glorious and incomparable kitty Bonsai seemed rather peeved at us when we got back, likely because she could smell the kittens on us. We’re traitorous humans, what can I say. We still love her most though!

On the agenda for tomorrow:
Exercise (as am not sick anymore, can no longer use as excuse)
Put away laundry in basket (has been there for two weeks now, sigh)
Write letters and mail out grad pics to people without Internet (sigh, they’re like, in the dark ages)
Cook something really yummy so I can have leftovers for lunches during the week. Hmm, maybe some more tasty pineapple fried rice, or udon noodle-veggie-tofu stir fry, or some enchiladas… Darn, now I’m hungry again.

Time for some Will and Grace! God bless Tivo.

And as to all of you who complained about my lack of blogging,

So there!