& etc...

it is currently 11:05 on a sunday night. i have to get up at 6:30 tomorrow. why am i choosing to write this much-belated update right now?

two reasons:
1.) i took a two hour nap this afternoon, and i'm not the least bit tired.
2.) i need to be writing exam review lessons for school tomorrow, and honestly, who wants to do that?

which brings me to the biggest thing in my life right now: i am sick of school. the year needs to be over. if i make it through six more school days without dismembering someone, or tossing them out the window, it will be a miracle up there with the loaves and fishes and cramming all the animals on the ark. i spent all day friday verbally reminding myself, "laura, if you whack someone in the head with a textbook, you will get in trouble with the n.c. board of education." the kids have completely checked out. it doesn't matter that they have an extremely hard state test next week, which they have to pass to graduate and which i don't think i could pass without the 40 point curve (and i majored in this stuff), they get downright indignant when i want them to work. trying to review test material is like pulling teeth. last week, i was one obnoxious, bitchy complaint away from slamming the book shut, telling them that i didn't care if they failed, and sitting at my desk and reading my library book for the rest of the class period.

this is why i shouldn't be a teacher.

the rest of my life has been fairly uneventful. last weekend i chaperoned the ROTC trip to washington, d.c., which was a riot to say the least. we stayed in quonset huts at Quantico. it was seriously straight out of Gomer Pyle, USMC. the funniest part was when the Senior Chief had them doing push-ups in the parking lot of the 7 day store at Bolling AFB. and let me tell you, you haven't really lived until you've traveled through d.c. rush hour traffic before a holiday weekend on an activity bus driven by a 70-year-old retired U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer taking turns on capitol hill at 55mph (because that was the maximum speed the bus would go). note to self: don't visit d.c. on memorial day weekend ever again. it didn't help that it was the 20 anniversary of rolling thunder, so there were approximately 1 million motorcycle riders there for their annual rally. i had a really great time, though. the kids were wonderful and never caused any problems. i would chaperone them again in a heartbeat. if all teenagers were like these ROTC kids, i would keep teaching.

i'm getting really exciting about moving. i'm also super-excited about getting to spend time with rachel'n'hans, neil, and the betherman, and about all the weddings this summer. but i'm also going to be a little sad to leave n.c. i'm really going to miss my grandmother and the rest of my family, my church, and just how beautiful it is here. i'm not that thrilled about trading in the mountains for highways and office buildings. and there are a few things about school that i'll miss, but the more obnoxious my students are being, the less that is a factor.