Food and friends

You know what's awesome?

Food and friends.

A student brought lunch for my colleague today.

She ordered me some too.

It was super yummy Chinese.

I sat around and ate while I should have been grading.

A couple of students kept me company.

One was actually trying to finish his final project.

One...I don't know, he just appeared.

He isn't a kid I have in class. I don't even know his name.

But he wandered in and seemed content to sit awhile.

The third was a young lady waiting for her ride.

I think she was supposed to be at orchestra practice, but didn't want to go.

They entertained me with silly, lighthearted nonsense.

Students aren't friends, of course, but they can still be quite pleasant company.

Eventually I had to kick them out and actually get some grading done.

I spent a relatively productive afternoon getting most of my grading completed.

I even sent reminder emails to all the students with missing projects.
 Tomorrow will be an easy day for me.

Because my schedule is organized the way it is, I am done proctoring exams.

Instead, I will finish grading, upload final grades, clean my room, and make parent phone calls.

Which is why I was able to blow off all my lingering work tasks tonight.

I choose grown up friends and more food.

My former principal turned good friend and I got together.

It has been months since we have been able to hang out.

We met a local restaurant and had fabulous food.

Oysters Rockefeller, A pork dish with toast, brussel sprouts with bacon, trout and turnips, French onion soup, and a decadent chocolate mousse.

YUM.

It was nice to drink and eat and talk and act like an adult.

We caught up on our lives and jobs.

We complained good naturedly about our bosses.

Not because we are negative or bitter, but because venting is a release.

Because we have known each other long enough to share without judgement.

I hope we work together again someday.

In the meantime, an occasional happy hour will suffice.   
The young lady who brought our dessert recognized us instantly.

Well, she recognized her former principal right away.

She recognized me eventually.

I was thrilled she remembered me and my name at all. I never had her in class.

To be honest, I don't know her name. I recognized her, sort of.

My friend remembered her and her close friends.

Hearing about her college job at Washington University as a research assistant, her student loan debt, and her entrepreneurial enterprises was pretty cool.

Even though she wasn't mine, she was ours.

There is something so gratifying about student success.

Actually, on Monday afternoon a former student of mine did stop by.

He came in to say hi, give me a hug, and tell me college is kicking his fanny.

It was nice.

I don't get too many of those visits.

Mostly, I think, because I teach only freshmen.

By the time graduation rolls around, the majority of kids have found new heroes.
  
This time of year can be a rough ride.

The holiday crazy is upon us.

Winter break can not come soon enough.

Tempers are worn thin and patience is at a minimum.

Stress and anxiety are exceptionally high for students and staff.

But the good things meander through now and then.

Like this post, they don't always make much sense or progress in a straight line.

That is ok with me, it might mean I have more good things than I can properly recount.

I should choose food and friends more often.