Quarter Break

So, it's been quite a while since my most recent update. For that I truly and most sincerely apologize. One must understand, however, just how crazy life gets here. Life during the spring semester just becomes obnoxious. The seniors checked out in November so there's no hope in teaching them anything (as evidenced by my most recent test in AP chem). AP and IGCSE exams are looming upon us. Come May I'm not entirely sure what I'll be doing at all. My seniors take their exams and then they're gone. At any given time my tenth graders can be out of class taking an exam leaving me with anywhere from zero, to two, to twenty three students at any given class time. It makes planning ahead all but impossible. Add to that a lung infection and a curriculum overhaul for moving from a three to two school model. Oh let's also not forget about being an eleventh grade advisor and having to help out with JSB (prom), JazzJam, and mela. Life's hectic. Gimme a break if I don't post for weeks at a time.

Anywho, what's been going on since my last post? Let me see if I can recollect everything. It's all a blur really. I seem to remember lots of grading, being sick, and some badminton. Probably the highlight of the past few weeks was last weekends staff talent show. Much like last year there was lots of songs, dancing, cross dressing and some fabu emceeing. I helped our finance director, Ben, to emcee the show. We didn't have any time to get together before hand and plan what we were going to say so it was mostly improvised. The people I talked to said they really liked it and that we did a good job. All those years of campfires has paid off I guess. We had a fashion show to start things off. It was really fun to see some of the staff members get all dressed up and strut their stuff. I think the best was Chophels in their traditional Tibetan garb. There were also a few bands that rocked the house. My HOD (Head of Dept) told a continuation of his story for the wee kids that he did last year. There was a Flashdance done by some of the men on staff that literally brought the house down. By far it was the best act (and I only got to see it from the side). I took part in a skit called "3 Woodstock Alums" based on an old Monty Python skit. One of my fellow science teachers took it upon herself to rewrite the script down to three people and tool in a bunch of Woodstock references. The kids really enjoyed it when we talked about having urine dripping on our beds in the dorms back in those days. (Yes, that really happened to a kid. Gotta love temporary dorms.) The show ended, as it usually does, with a big Bollywood dance number. The kids love this stuff. My dance was something about I'm totally smitten with the girl and she's a flower and I'm a bumble bee. She asks me if I like her (or something like that) and I get all embarrassed and say 'no no.' I freeze up as I put my arm on her shoulder and my buddy Nassir has to come out and tell me to just ask her to marry me. I was told I was very cute in my dancing. Aww shucks.

The Chophels in their Tibetan garb with Ms M.

The staff Bollywood dance.

Flashdance!

Our opening bit. Big heads on little bodies is just adorable. (Family: Would a Maggie joke be inappropriate here?)

Rockin' out Woodstock style.

"You lived in a shoebox?! Luxury!"

Bantering. Really, the bow tie makes it work.

Oh, the weekend before that was the opening for Hostel, the boys' dorm. They completely renovated the place and have really made it look amazing. I think I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves on this one.







Lastly, my buddy Jon (all the way back from fourth grade) got married the same time as I was doing the talent show. I had really hoped I'd be able to get to go and partake but being so close to the end of the quarter and how crazy travel would be I just couldn't do it. So, what's the next best option? Why life-sized cardboard cutouts of course. Apparently I even got to dance a bit with one of the bride's aunts. I tell ya, it's the ol' Rice-Charm. Wish I could have been there for real-real and not just for play-play. Congrats to the both of you.

The two most handsomest groomsmen ever.

Even in two dimensions I am still the life of the party.

Thanks to Karan, Casey, Cookie, and other anonymous people I borrowed pictures from for this post. Let me see if I can't upload the Bollywood dance in another post. In the meantime, enjoy whatcha got.