From the Outside Looking In…

Finally!  I haven’t had one of these in a long time.  This morning I was able to take down the Christmas tree and house decorations, and I rearranged the living room in the process.  But now, with much of the morning still remaining, I am sitting with my coffee and freshly made scones.  It is so nice to just relax – that is my task today.  I am work-free this weekend and just plan on hitting the gym, doing lots of make-up reading for my studies, and enjoying the sunny day.  Later in the evening I will be getting together with all of my principal colleagues for dinner and drinks out at Reston Town Center.  I am excited about that and think that’s a good way to end this relaxing day.

Tomorrow, well, that’s another story.  I have a number of meetings in the morning and mass in the late afternoon.  I’ll just enjoy today while I have it!

There’s gonna be a rumble!

Fights and conflicts certainly have changed from generation to generation.  I know we can talk about root causes for a long time as well as contributing factors but the reality is that young people today, from my experience, have no real internal mechanisms to appropriately solve conflict or deal with conflict.   I see more and more young people escalating in anger at little things like eye rolling or even when a student does something that is clearly an accident.  Pushing, punching, kicking, slapping, physical reactions to what may sometimes be a non-physical conflict.

What makes the situation intensify is the interest on the part of others to spread the word of conflict.  In my school this week, word has been going around about a conflict that is supposed to take place tomorrow in response to one of my students getting jumped on the metro yesterday.  Is it going to happen?  Who knows, but the more I dig deep into the root cause of this conflict, the more I discover lots of inconsistencies and misrepresentations of facts that have been bolstered just to increase the hype and drama.

Drama…that is what I think much of this is about.  Students just love drama.  Back in the day (I can say that because I am over 30) when someone was called to the office the class would respond with the collective “oooooooo” at which point the teacher would hush the children and return to their work practicing proper handwriting or paper headings.  Now, by the time the student returns from the office for what could just be a phone message or errand for a staff member, a speculative story grows and somehow mysteriously turns into fact.

And that is where the real drama ensues.  Once “fact” emerges then people have to respond.  And this is where I am right now with this internal investigation.  With so many factors involved in this conflict, it is almost impossible to decipher what originally happened which begs the question “will this ever be resolved without additional conflict.”

All hands on deck for tomorrow for serious intervention with students, a staggered dismissal, and police presence will hopefully provide initial communication that this is unacceptable and solutions to any conflict are only an open mind and respectful tone away.  Easier said than done.

I enjoy long weekends but pulling myself back to work today reminded me how much of a tease long weekends really are.  You see, you take a traditional two-day weekend and add an additional day before or after and you officially have a tease.  Well, it is not long enough for a vacation and too long to just hang around and do nothing.  Often times people around you at work say “if only I had just one more day…” and there you go!

Today was a pretty busy day, my feet were hurting as evening drew near.  I contemplated skipping the gym but I pushed myself to go and am so glad I did.  I watching American Idol while eating dinner and now will relax on the couch.  I did not bring any work home tonight so I can just “be.”  I like evenings like this!

Going back to work I realized how much I love my kids.  I really do, with all their quirks and baggage they come to school with.  They come to us for discipline, and education, a meal, a safe space to learn, all of these things which demonstrate how the field of education has shifted over time.  Schools are now social service agencies or at least need to provide much of the services that therapists often provide.  I consider my school one-stop-shopping!

Yup!  Back to work…

LC and I arrived here in Cambridge late last night.  We went right to bed and woke up early enough to walk over to Tasty Toast, a funky diner near MIT with great food and a great atmosphere.  Tasty Toast makes their own bread and their dishes are as unique as their name.  The one dish I am going to order some time in the future is called “The King.”  Two pancakes with banana and chocolate chips and peanut butter in between them surrounded by an order of bacon – can you guess who that is named after?  Top that with homemade whipped cream and you have a complete breakfast.  Yumm-O!

LC is now on his way to meet with his parents.  He took the jeep and they are going to have lunch while I explore Cambridge more and get reacquainted with my home away from home away from home.  We will be having dinner with the parents this evening so we will all be together before LC and I head over to New Haven tomorrow morning and meet MRB for lunch.  I feel like we are on tour – and I love it.

The weather here in Cambridge is chilly, but not cold.  Snow is expected tomorrow but we will be gone before it begins to fall.  Hopefully we will miss any incoming storms as we make our way south back home to Cheverly.

I suppose I should stop blogging and get out of the hotel before the day gets too late and I end up just sleeping all day!!  I will keep you all posted on our weekend events, especially mine and LC’s meeting with the parents!

I am heading back on the road to Cambridge for the weekend.  It has been a while since I was last there – not too many positive memories from that trip as you recall.  This trip is of a much more positive energy, a chance for LC to see his parents and have an important conversation with them – one that involves me.  You get the idea, no?

Needless to say, LC is nervous and the cultural challenges of being Taiwanese and gay play directly into that nervousness.  I understand the nerves, fear, and trepidation.  I had a similar conversation with my family a few years ago and I am a much better person today for it.  I totally underestimated my family, expecting the worst but received the warmest and most compassionate response….maybe it just wasn’t as much of a surprise to them as I thought it would be.

LC asked that I be near and so we are going together.  He was there just a few weeks ago over Christmas break, a time home with the whole family.  I stayed home and did some work around the house but this weekend will essentially change everything – making things more complete, transparent, and healthy.

I really can’t wait to go back to Cambridge.  We have made a number of dinner reservations that will mark sort of a homecoming for me.  Strange as I only spent two weekends or so a month up there for almost two years, but I love the quaint town of Cambridge and the romance that fills the air.  I am looking forward to sharing that with LC as we walk, talk, eat, and live in the moment.  (mushy, I know)

On the way back Sunday, we will be stopping off in New Haven to meet my friend MRB for lunch – and I’m hoping he buys…got that, MRB?  I know you’re reading this!  It sounds like we are on a bus tour, but once our time in Cambridge is done our goal is a safe return home to Maryland.

So, wish us luck on the drive, the stay in Cambridge, LC’s talk with his mom, and the wonderful dinner plans we have.  Of course this will be a dry run for our next trip to Cambridge this May when LC and I take part in the Run to Remember, a half marathon I ran two years ago.  Hopefully this run will prime us for the Disney Marathon we will run with our friend JL next January.  Stay tuned for that!

I suppose these can be two words to describe my day today.  I am meeting some friends for lunch at noon today and I am so looking forward to eating at Open City Cafe in the Woodley Park area of DC.  Woodley Park is near the National Zoo and is a neighborhood filled with restaurants, small shops, and great walking areas.  Sure, a bit too cold to walk around today, but certainly not too cold to grab lunch, maybe a hot chocolate afterwards, and then resume my day.

After yesterday’s gym visit, I think I will wait until tomorrow to go back.  I think a trip to the gym will be a good cap to a Monday return to work.  Today, however, I will rest and relax.  Lunch, then a casual drive to Baltimore for mass at St. Sebastians, then a trip back home for dinner.  This sounds like a nice and relaxing Sunday, no?

As I write this morning’s entry, I can’t help but to notice that the movie The Wedding Banquet is on TV again.  I say ‘again’ because LC and I watching it last night as we were waiting for dinner to finish in the oven.  Interestingly enough, next weekend he and I will be traveling to see his parents.  We will be staying at a hotel in Cambridge since his family home is in Boston and I really can’t wait to get back to the city of Cambridge – a place I grew to love.  Maybe the visit will end as nicely as the movie ends, with LC’s dad handing me an envelope filled with money and his mom crying because she is so happy.  I’m sure.  I tend to have that effect on women.

How is that for a straightforward blog entry title?  So, tonight LC and I went to happy hour at DC Coast.  It seems that many restaurants in DC are adopting a sales strategy where during happy hour (a selection of hour ranges between 3 and 7) drinks and meal options are half off.  It really is a great deal and I’m sure the alcohol is where they end up making all of their profits but I’m quire satisfied.

I had a glass of wine and LC had a cocktail called a Ginger Cosmo.  For dinner we munched on dumplings, sliders, oysters, sweet potato and crab fritters, and Kennebec frittes which were french fries covered in Parmesan cheese and truffle oil – yum!  Each dish and drink averaged $5 and the two of us ate and drank our full – for a whopping $40!  With a deal like this, you can’t go wrong!

Now, back home, we are prepping for dessert – it is LC’s turn to whip up some magic in the kitchen and I am on deck for tomorrow.  Maybe I’ll just head back in to another happy hour and outsource the responsibility!

Yesterday was a bummer at school.  I mean, it all started out well until people started to arrive.  Not so good news from a staff member, followed by a number of emotional needs exhibited by a few students – and I mean extreme behaviors!  This, of course, was topped with a principal’s office that had the air conditioning on (of course to cool me down?) and then a frivilous school lawsuit from a money-hungry parent who’s child apparently slipped last June.  Here we go, emergency conference call with the central office is on tap for today as well as a day outside of the building at meetings and a training session.  At least I’ll be out and about!

The good news is that I managed to get to the gym last night – not that I had an option.  After the day that I had yesterday I needed a stress reliever and I got it!  It was a good solid minutes of running on the treadmill with an incline.  I watched my television screen in front of me and forged ahead.  Ahhh, what a great feeling afterward.  I was so energized that I came home and, as late as it was, made a dinner of roasted chicken breasts with raisins and apples, covered in champagne – so sweet!!!

Then I passed out on the couch while watching The Office.  Yes, the usual night’s end.

Now I sit at the dining room table with my coffee, about to head out on the road for work and hoping today will be a better day than yesterday.

This was a revelation that one of my coworkers made known today.  Some of you wiseguys are retorting “only when you’re hungry?” to which I kindly reply….shut up!

You see, I decided to measure my cereal this morning.  One serving was 1 cup and it was exactly the measurement I poured into the bowl.  Mistake #1.  I should have had the trough I normally eat.  Waking up so early my breakfast was consumed in about 6 seconds and at approximately 5:45am.  By the time 9am came, I was cranky and starving.  I mean, who eats a serving of cereal as measured in the serving size listed on the box?  Come on.

I have given up snacks during the day, kinda.  I did eat two apples today but since they were not dipped in caramel or covered in chocolate, or fried and wrapped in a pie crust, I was still hungry.  Lunch was small, too.  Why am I doing this to myself?  I do have to admit it was somewhat strange when one of my secretaries made notice to a parent “be careful, he’s hungry.”  Normally they make the disclaimer around the mornings when I had not yet had coffee.  That I can understand!  Heck, anyone who knows me can understand that!

So, dinner was nice tonight and a make-up of what I should have eaten during the day.  The usual freshly poured glass of wine and some cheese nicely placed on a platter (aren’t I spoiled??) is a nice start to the stew that filled my tummy on this frigid Winter night.  Life is good…but still…a cup of cereal?

Anyway!