Lamps in a cafe in San Juan Islands

“It’s Been A Long December…

12.20.07

….and it’s easy to believe
maybe this year will be better than the last…”

Last year we got out for Christmas Break on December 15, but this year we drudge on until the 21. Tomorrow is the shortest day of the year, at least in daylight hours, but I think it will be a long one for me, as I will be teaching all 6 classes, finalizing my packing, cleaning the house a bit, completing Christmas cards, and doing all those last-minute right-before-a-vacation household chores. We wake up early Saturday morning to head to the airport to catch our flight to SLC (we’ll end up in frigid Pocatello). The only sanity-saver I have is knowing that I won’t have to go to work for 16 days, and that I will get to spend time with friends and family in the meantime.

Although this trip will be a time of catching up with friends and family, I have calculated that on each day of this break, I must grade 3 senior papers. I also have to grade 30 mitosis labs, 30 photosynthesis labs, 70 biology notebooks, 30 AP Bio Mitosis and Cell communication tests, 30 AP Bio photosynthesis tests, and 70 cell quizzes. As you can tell, I am a bit behind on my grading, as I was out sick for 3 days last week and I simply have not caught up. At least my Christmas shopping is finished, right?

I should go to bed so I can face the last day before break as a well-rested human being!

Snow, Rain, and Wind..What’s Next?

12.01.07

Today we got our first snowfall in Seattle, and it’s actually sticking. It has snowed for about 6 hours–some hours it was heavier than others–and we have about an inch and a half, I’d guess. However, it’s going to turn to rain tonight, so by tomorrow morning we might just have a slushy or soggy mess. Tomorrow it will be warmer–in the 40s–and by Monday it will be in the 50s with thunderstorms and wind. It seems like November and December weather in Seattle is full of surprises, which I like–I’m all about the inclement weather. I wish this snowy weather would stick around for a while…it puts me in the mood to work on Christmas Cards and online Christmas shopping! Which reminds me…if you haven’t created an amazon wish list or sent me a list of what you’d like, hurry and do so!