Back to School Night

Tonight is Back to School Night at my kids' school. That's the night that parents go to the school (at night-- duh) and have a look-see. We get to sit through a boring assembly. The principal, vice-principal, superintendent, PTA committee head, school board, some oompah-loompahs all give speeches that they gave last year. At the end, the principal reads the same poem he's read each year, at the Back to School Night and at kindergarten graduations. I know this because I've been to two of those kindergarten graduations.

After this, we all shuffle out of the gym and head to our kids' respective classrooms where we get to sit in tiny chairs, our knees somewhere near our ears, while the teacher gives a speech and we get to rummage through our kids' desks. That, if you haven't figured out, is the fun part. I've found out, since I've started going to these things, that my daughter, though showing signs of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), is quite the slob in school. My son, though he never draws unless under extreme duress (that's what he gets for having an artist for a mother), doodles quite a lot. I organize their desks and get a package of things I can take home.

The package usually consists of a letter the child is forced to write to me-- another highlight as my kids are unintentionally funny-- and some drawings or art projects-- again, aimed towards me. All during this, they try to suck you into joining the PTA-- "Act now! Only $5 to join!" Sometime during all of this, I meet the teacher(s). I've come to expect their startled glance. Yes, I am young. Yes, I go by my maiden name. No, I won't kill you much if you call me by the other last name. It's pronounced just as it's spelled. Yes, it is rather easy to say, isn't it? If you'd rather, you can call me by my first name. Yes, it is unusual as well. And so on and on. Eventually, I make my escape. Sometimes, I run into someone I knew from high school. That is, if I can't do the ol' duck and run before they spot me. And I'm done! Home sweet home! No more teachers, no more tiny shrunken desks and chairs, no more glazed-over stares.

Until Parent/Teacher Conferences start..

***

Hee!:
Top 10 Most Ridiculous Black Metal Pics of All Time. Quite funny. I love the one with the open fly. Oooh.. Scary!

Doomsday (Averted?):
It's the end of the world as we know it. The when of it all is the tricky part. So is the how.

What a way to go:
Man shoots monkey stealing fruit from tree. Monkey turns out to be wife. If I had a nickel for every time that's happened..

Yay!:
This guy has got to be the best DJ ever!

Freaky:
Hen egg found inside duck egg. I'd like the odds on that happening.

Science geeks:
Why eyes in paintings seem to follow you wherever you go. No, it's not in love with you. It's how you perceive it. Very cool.

TV review:
Watched Lost last night. All I can say is this: "So good!"