2010 In Status

Haven't found the right words to capture the last year...so here it is in Facebook status...

1/11-things move change shift. but it is good and I am ready.
1/19-the east is covered in pink fog this morning. except we all know its not fog. because fog doesn't smell like this.
1/20-the fog is gray today. the smell is the same. I may throw up.
1/21-today the east smells like burnt toast. the entire city. how is that even possible?
1/22-runners, gang fights, lockdowns. oh but its friday :)
1/22-manchu chicken!
1/25-has self diagnosed herself with oppositional defiance disorder
2/10-is really proud of her boys right now
2/12-is thinking about a gold medal...again...
3/10-why is fog cool and magical in san francisco and just gross here? isn't it all the same fog?
3/24-amazing sunrise over the mississippi. I'm not a morning person but I will miss this.
4/27-in the memphis airport. really unimpressed. but happy to be headed north!
4/27-back in Boston. I love this weather!
5/2-heading back to nola. after such an amazing time up north it actually hurts.
5/7-is watching her boys play flag football against the coaches. may we all experience moments of such pride.
5/9-any of my Maine friends know of a good maid or maid service? Am I showing my pretension by asking? No I just recognize that at 31 I am not going to start cleaning any time soon :) Any suggestions would be great!!!!!
5/11-fire at school and now the whole city smells like oil. I am officially starting my countdown
5/11-amended post: two fires set at school. the east still smells like oil. its time.
5/17-watching my 7th graders compete in martial arts in my cafeteria. amazing how far they've come since august. this I will miss.
5/19-playing chess with one of my 6th graders. laughing so hard. this I will miss
5/20-watching one of my "struggling" math students teach his peers sine, cosine and tangent. this I will miss
5/21-sharing an ipod with charles. listening to drake. this I will miss.
5/22-t-minus one week....and counting
5/26-waiting at the airport for her brother to arrive. can't wait to see him!
5/27-may 27th. eating my first school breakfast. hmmmmm
5/27-playing board games with my boys. laughing.
5/28-will miss my boys
5/29-just drove 16 ft truck with trailer onto bourbon
5/29-as an fyi. the mississippi welcome center is closed.
5/29-the alabama welcome center is open. but not welcoming.
5/29-the city of birmingham sucks. that is all.
5/30-‎4 adults 3 cats 1 hotel room. interesting night
5/30-quadruple parked at a dairy queen somewhere in alabama. mnm blizzard. happy.
5/31-in west Virginia. cue banjos
5/31-made it to quakertown! ah east coast. how I have missed thee
6/1-on the road again. maineward bound
6/1-apparently a truck towing a car costs 25 in tolls to cross the tapenzee. a problem when you only have 20.
6/2-is home
6/17-is hanging out as the canyon comes between
6/18-loves new england summers
6/23-heard Midnight Train on the radio on my way to work and it made me think of Bourbon Street...missing my NOLA friends!
6/27-steamed clams and lobster. summer has begun.
8/14-I wonder what it means when you dream about being tired...
8/18-is thinking about the milestones you don't achieve
8/24-is hungry for the first time in 36 weeks...what an interesting feeling
8/30-is thinking Morning Edition on NPR needs to find some more news to report...some guy from Wisconsin who decided to move to hollywood to find success but didn't doesn't really seem like news...at all...
9/19-couldn't ask for anything more then she has right now
11/25-is thankful for friends old and new and my wonderful family. go pats!
12/6-misses her boys
12/10-realized this morning that her only response to there being no hot water is to call the landlord...not very effective when you own the house
12/15-Knows how lucky she is...and is very grateful
12/20-you are the best thing that's ever been mine
12/21-Would like to give a shout out to the state of Massachusetts for contributing to her 5 hour drive home last night...I mean it's not like they get snow that often...so it's no surprise they don't have plows or sand trucks right?
12/26-Amazing Christmas...amazing family...amazing friends...so very happy
12/30-Can't wait for a 3 day weekend with her boys

Sounds of the Past

How long has it been now since I have heard the sound of my heels echoing down the metal ramps of the schools trailers. Since I have pushed open heavy metal doors to have meet air so humid, so thick that it would stop me in my tracks. Since I have walked down a hallway full of young men on the brink of becoming.

So much change so quickly. So much started and stopped and started again. So many places we can never return to. Important to remember that just because there are some places we can return to doesn't mean we should.

And I miss...sunrises over the Mississippi River, the sound of Jazz music on Royal Street, mornings on Bourbon Street, Cafe Ole and beignets, Miller McCoy, my boys, Jackie and Ben, Monica, all my TeachNola friends, daiquiris to go, Fritzels, Uncle Barry, drinking on the railroad tracks and sharing one large chair with Huey.

I hold onto the sound of my heals. The smell of the humid morning air. The city that played an integral role in my healing. The year that forever changed me for the better.

Time to Test the Theory

As one of my New Years Projects (remember no resolutions for me this year...they just end in, well, failure). Which is a nice segway into this project. Since I now have what seems like extra time on my hands (really it's just trapped time)...as I spend 9+ hours on a train each week in nice 2 1/2 hour blocks...I have decided it is time to take my theory on failure and test it.

This is where you loyal blog readers can help. This link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P8KZW6F will ask you 10 questions about failure. Your answers will help me further formulate my theory...and I promise to share some of those results here with you!

Also...I just noticed my title is 5 words all starting with T. Totally unintentional on my part. I wonder if you could write a paragraph with just words that started with T? Or a page? Perhaps that will be next years New Years Project...