Listening to: Bing Crosby – White Christmas
Reading: Jewels of the SunNora Roberts
Weather: 40, sunny
Trivia:Where are the coldest volcanoes in the solar system?
Neptune's moon Triton is the coldest place in the solar system, with a surface temperature of -235 degrees Celsius (-390 degrees Fahrenheit). As cold as it is, there are active volcanoes on Triton in which the erupting liquid is frigidly cold liquid nitrogen. At Triton's surface, nitrogen normally exists as frozen ice. But under the surface, where Triton is heated by slow radioactive decay of its rocks, nitrogen melts into a liquid. When the liquid heats up still further, it boils and erupts through the surface, spewing evaporating liquid nitrogen high into space.
Cool word: sangfroid [n. sahn-FWAH]
If you have sangfroid, then you are calm and collected, even when things get difficult or stressful. Example: "We expected Pete to be nervous and sweaty as he stepped up to the podium, but his sangfroid surprised everyone." In English, if you are "cold blooded" you are ruthless and unfeeling, lacking compassion. In French, to have cold blood means to be calm and collected, even under stress. Sangfroid is from the French sang- froid (cold blood), originally from Latin sanguis (blood) and frigidus (cold).
sangria [n. sang-GREE-uh]: cold drink with wine and fruit juice
sanguicolous [adj. sang-GWIK-uh-lus]: living in the blood (as a parasite)
sanguine [adj. SANG-gwin]: blood colored; of cheerful, healthy temper
sanguinary [adj. SANG-gwin-air-ee]: accompanied by bloodshed; bloodthirsty
Where’d it go?
What happened to my vacation? Where did the days go? What did I do with them?
Not much.
I started some stamping projects, played on the computer, wrote mail, wrote a couple of reports, and that about wraps it up.
And now it’s into the rat race again.
I’m particularly dreading this week, especially Wednesday. We are being audited by the state department of education this week, and on Wednesday I am being observed in one of my classes.
I totally hate that kind of thing. It’s bad enough when it’s my principal or department head, but to have some absolute stranger come in to observe me really sets my teeth on edge. I have no idea what this person will be looking for, and I’m deathly afraid of screwing up.
I wish I knew why I was chosen. Apparently The Ice Queen decided that I would be observed and I don’t know if it’s a set up because she hates me or if she thinks I’m doing an ok job and won’t make the department look bad.
Whatever the reason, I wish I’d been passed over.
I also have to be interviewed by them for an hour on Wednesday afternoon. I don’t know what to expect there either. I will be honest in my answers (can I nail the Ice Queen?) but I won’t volunteer information that they don’t specifically ask for. I hope they are astute questioners. By the time they get to me on Wednesday several other people will already have been interviewed, so I may have some clue as to what to expect.
It’s all going to be nerve wracking no matter what happens.
I also have a stupid emcee meeting tomorrow night. This may be the meeting where the shit hits the fan. Dee and I are both up to our eyeballs and totally disgusted with the way things have been handled recently, so I think it may all explode tomorrow night.
And I hate confrontation.
We have a performance at a nursing home Wednesday night and are having a guest night on Tuesday, so things are a little too chorus intense for me this week.
On Tuesday we have a half day at school and more parent conferences. Ugh. From there I have to go to that damn computer thing that lasts for three hours. Of course, I’ve yet to stay for all three hours. It’s just the thoughts of it looming that makes me nuts.
I still have to deal with that parent who accosted me when I was on bus duty Tuesday. It’s all ugly.
I guess what I need to do is to stay focused on the end of the week and the thoughts of being in New York City on Saturday. There was a segment about the window decorations that are at Macy’s, they’re a tribute to "Miracle on 34th Street’. That is my second favorite Christmas movie. "White Christmas" is my favorite. I bawl every time they sing "We’ll follow the old man".
"The Grinch" was on last night, which is my third favorite Christmas cartoon. My first favorite is "Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol", which they rarely show on television (but I have my own copy of it – Dee gave it to me for Christmas last year.), my second favorite is "Rudolph". I pulled out all my Rudolph stuffed animals yesterday so they can be out for the holiday season.
Now I guess I need to see if I can organize school clothes and chorus costumes for the week.
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