Stompin' at the Savoy

Monkey and I had a great time in KC this weekend. Upon our arrival at the Hotel Savoy, we watched a bit of college football before dinner. Outside of our sixth floor window, it sounded like someone was landing airplanes on the roof. I thought, maybe we were really close to an airport, which would have been bad, and caused me to reminesce about a night Monkey and I spent in Cheyenne, WY, in a Motel Six next to a railroad depot. No sleep for Monkeys, I thought.

But I was wrong. It was the Blue Angels, apparently performing for some sort of air show. I loves me an air show, don't you know. They came awfully close to the hotel, but I didn't get any good shots of them up close. I did take this shot of a formation just a few blocks away.

The architecture at the hotel was very cool, with lots of stained glass and art deco fixtures. We went to Lidia's for dinner, and it was great. Monkey got a giant piece of osso bucco, I got a super tasty sea bass. The play we saw, well, it was not very good. And long. Finally, we popped over to Cheesecake Factory for dessert. A great night, over all.

The museum on Sunday was good, except that we missed all of the exhibits. We manged to be smack in between the closing shows and the opening shows. However, we enjoyed the permanent collection, anyway.

We were home by 5pm on Sunday, both of us a bit tired, but very happy with our chock-full weekend.

Next year, we're thinking Omaha!

The Big Eight

Monkey and I celebrated wedding anniversary number eight this past Tuesday. We are planning a weekend in KC to celebrate. Dinner and a show on Saturday. An overnight at a swanky hotel. A visit to the Nelson-Atkins Museum on Sunday. We are both looking forward to it. Aunt JAmes and Uncle Joe will be entertaining Ripken this weekend, so, thanks to them!

Chicken Nugget Day was a success, but only barely. I think I was wiping gravy off of my face just as my kiddos were rolling in for fifth hour. And, honestly, the "other" vegetable was pretty heinous. Some unshelled peas that were amazingly both tough and mushy at the same time. Not good. Is our enthusiasm for Chicken Nugget Day waning? Hell, no! We simply look forward to better days in the annals of processed chicken. But then, don't we all.

Grading I should be doing, so grading will soon be done. I am certainly tired of watching West Virginia massacre my Terps. 37-10 at halftime? My Powder Puff team might be able to give these Terps a run!

I Am Not Alone

Today I was treated to some student poetry. A student I had in class last year shared with me a poem she had written in 9th grade that addresses a subject near and dear to my heart. That's right, ladies and gents, chicken nuggets. Here, without further ado, is an excerpt from said student's poem, "Ode to Chicken Nugget Thursday." I was granted permission to post it here.

Ode to Chicken Nugget Thursday

I wake on Monday longing for
The aroma wafting through the door.
Crispy tenders in my sleep,
Counting nuggets as if sheep.
Mounds of comfort on Styrofoam,
Deserving of utensils chrome.
Tuesday comes, two days to go,
My dreary life drags on so slow.
Alas, alas, what do I see?
A nugget oasis in front of me!
So close to me and yet so far,
If served on silver, fit for a zar.
It's Wednesday now and I can't wait,
Nuggets and spuds will soon meet fate.
Oh how my mouth waters all the day long,
I yearn for the sound of the lunch-bell gong.
And as I lay me down to sleep,
Visions of rolls into my head creep.
Woo hoo, hooray, it's Thursday now,
Can't wait to dig in to delicious chow!

I couldn't have written it better myself. And, lucky for me, in my world, chicken nuggets come on Tuesday, and that is tomorrow. I am getting hungry just typing this! I surely hope I can manage it this week. Last week was just awful. Just awful.

Note: the photo above does not do justice to the gustatorial beauty that I experience each week. Our nuggets come with mashed "potatoes" with "gravy" and a "roll." Sometimes, we even get a second "vegetable." No cookie. And get that ketchupy dipping sauce outta here. That is what the "gravy" is for, baby. Also, I go crazy and hit the choco milk. No weak white milk for this cat. No way.

Fear of a Gold Hat

Faithful readers will note that it is the time of year when the author's mind turns to football. Yeah, yeah, the NFL season opens tonight. But I'm talking about something more real. Something more within the true sphere of my existence. Don't get me wrong. I love Sundays in the Fall. I love pro football. I love Saturdays in the Fall. I love NCAA football. I'll be happily wolfing down overpriced hotdogs as I watch the Tigers battle the Ole Miss Rebels at Faurot Field this weekend. But what I am really jacked up about is Powder Puff football.

Coach B and I are chomping at the bit, more than ready to defend our crown as coaches of the 05 champion Gold Team at our school. Sadly, our nemeses of the past two years, the pair of coaches against whom we are 1-1, have bowed out of the game. The rubber match will not be played. Coach B and I suspect it is fear of the Gold Team juggernaut that has made the decision for our honorable enemies, but they contend that they have "too many other obligations at the present time." Whatever. Instead, we face a new pair of foes. A pair culled from the few willing volunteers not three hours before the first informational meeting. It will be a shame taking it to a couple of rookies, but bragging rights are on the line, and, even though I truly believe that the way you conduct yourself on the field, rather than the final score, determines wether you are a winner or a loser, being the one with the most points at the end of the game TOTALLY beats getting your ass handed to you. Trust me, I have done a comparative study, and one is WAY better than the other.

In other news, I went to school splintless today, and except for some stiffness and a little soreness, I had an okay time of it. I still favor the finger, but I should be as good as new (though slightly crooked) in no time.

Now, it's time to start game planning!

Puttin' the Squeeze On

I guess I didn't tell you this, but in a bit of what I see as passive aggressive behavior, Fearless Leader has shortened our lunch period by five minutes in order to afford an extra five minutes to third hour for school-wide announcements. Now, announcements, especially in a school as large as mine, are muy importante, but now, we have twenty-five minutes for lunch.

As a result, I didn't have enough time to get my nuggets today. This perturbs me. Luckily, I had forgotten about it this morning and I had a cheese sandwich with me. I worked through lunch anyway, so I guess I needed the time I would have spent in line waiting for my food to do more important things. But twenty-five minutes? It seems wrong to me.

In other news, I am toying with the idea of playing softball tomorrow night. The finger is not 100%, but it is much improved after two weeks. I almost went to school with no splint today, but decided against it. We shall see.

I hope everyone's week has started well. I am a bit piqued today, but not a bad day overall. The nuggetlessness notwithstanding.

Laborious Weekend

Another perk of the teaching profession: you work a week and a half and--BAM--a three day weekend! The first full week of school has gone well. I seem to have some really great kids, this year. I was suspecting, after the excellent crop of last year, that this year would be less stellar. It appears this is not the case...but, it's early.

Went to the MU football game yesterday. A rousing, though not very exciting, 47-7 win over Murray State (who?). In years past, such an underdog opponent would have either given the Tigers a game of it or beaten them outright, so an expected easy victory is actually encouraging. Monkey and I had a good time. The weather was pretty nice.

I'm off to enjoy the rest of my relaxing three day weekend. I hope you do the same.

One last benefit to the three day weekend (when Monday is the off day): when you get back to school, it's Chicken Nugget Day!