Annoyed? That seems silly. I'd be all "Cookie Thunderdome! Two men enter, one man leaves! Loser cleans all!"

"With ALL THE COOKIES!"

(This is possibly why my students will never forget me. I faked a huge fight where I got "fired" by my principle to illustrate some literary principle, and it was great fun for both of us, and I SNOWED those kids. They mention it to me to this day.)

My middle school had this thing called "The Wheel" for 6th graders for electives.I don't remember how many electives there were but you changed around until you got a taste of each one and then picked one at the end of the year for 7th and 8thgrade. This was for indecisive people like me.

So the classes were trying to pitch why they were the best. Honestly I don't remember anything but home ec, shop, and something that wasn't home ec but more like business with typing and learnig to write a check.

Home Ec almost had me when the teacher was explaining all these cool projects you could do. Except all the cool projects I wanted to do were for 3rd year Home Ec, which I would never get to because I'd only have 2 years of Home Ec.

I ended up doing band. With mixed results.

I never learned an instrument. I was all set to learn the viola in 6th grade...when I broke BOTH arms.

I was relegated to choir. I like to sing, but I don't have a great voice. I have perfect pitch, so though other people singing off-key grates my nerves like cheese, my own off-tune warbling doesn't bother me, because I just laugh at myself. And I usually am singing stupid songs I make up on the fly.

With which I have contaminated my family. Dan and Micah both sing "Arthur the Dog-Faced Dog" now.

And I usually am singing stupid songs I make up on the fly.

Hah--my family TOTALLY does this, all random opera "I'm doing the DIIIIIIISHES, why dost thou not CLEAAAAAAN the TAAAAAAABLE?? la la la"

But at Christmas, we realized my brother in law didn't learn the same random kids songs (or, um, any?) as a kid like we did, so he thought we were making most of those up too, when singing to the 3-year-old! We were like 'No, THOSE are real songs! Uh, mostly. For the most part."

(And then we had to sing all the ones we could remember, at the table. And mention that episode of the West Wing where CJ doesn't know the Thanksgiving song)

Sorry about your crappy morning, askye.

Girls weren't allowed to take shop, and I refused to take home ec as a point of honor. Also, my mother was sick, and I was already doing quite enough cooking and cleaning. At my small high school, the alternatives were Latin, typing and study hall. I viewed study hall as a complete waste of time, so I took two years of Latin and one year of typing, which together did me more good than the entire rest of the curriculum.

I had a meltdown at the oncologist. Kaiser is closing the oncology office I've been going to for more than a decade, so I was going to a new office. I was running late because of pouring rain and traffic, then I missed the turn and when I got to the office I didn't know where anything was. Then the whole idea that someone would have to do for me what the blessed LAistas are doing for ita crashed down on me. Bad, bad day.

Then the whole idea that someone would have to do for me what the blessed LAistas are doing for ita crashed down on me. Bad, bad day.

Great big hugs to you!

Oh, Ginger. That is a truly awful day. Saying I'm sorry seems inadequate.