Right here in River City

I just got home after stage managing/assistant directing the last of three shows in two days. I'm exahausted. This entry will be rambly and slightly incoherent. Proceed with caution.

I know they call it "summer vacation," but I never seem to have quite enough of the vacation part. This summer I had a total of one week off without rehearsals or camps to attend, and I am taking an online class. Not to mention moving. Somehow I managed to read 5 or 6 books, of which I'm immensely proud.

Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. A quick chronological breakdown of recent and upcoming events.

- This week was production week for The Music Man. What a blast! It took up almost all of my time - literally - but I loved it. What a wonderful cast! The backstage moms were great (not always the case), too, and we had good people backstage helping out. That helps when you are the stage manager and assistant director of the show. In fact, the director was so comfortable with the cast and crew that she wasn't backstage during the shows and did not wear a radio. That's a first for her (as far as I know) and was a nice compliment for me. I definitely have favorite kids in this youth theatre program, and they were all in the show. Most of them were principals. It was a dream to work with them. This particular acting troupe attracts people who are very kind and willing to help in all aspects of the show. From the leads to the last chorus member they are always on hand to move sets, run lines, etc, and you never get a diva. My favorite kid in the troupe played Harold Hill. I swear if I could steal him without his mom knowing I would, and if I was 15 I would be crying over him every night. He's amazing.

- So because of the crazy production schedule and how exhausted it makes me, and the fact that last week was my only week off all summer, I haven't yet finished my assignments for my online ESOL class. They are due by Monday. I have three units left to do. Each unit includes five or so articles to read, commenting on a message board, and doing three written assignments which get emailed to the teacher. So I have to do all of that tomorrow.

- Monday I have to be at school for the first day of a four-day camp. It's a cushy gig -$500 for four half-days of work - but I'm not ready yet. Tomorrow, in addition to finishing my class, I have to plan and prepare my lesson for the camp. Then I have to show up early on Monday. The kids start at 8, but I have to get there early enough to get into my classroom, get materials, move them to the classroom where the camp kids will be, and set up that room. They've been waxing floors in the school, so there may be furniture out of place.

- Next Monday through Thursday is the camp. I'll be in charge of a group of about 15 kids. It's designed for incoming freshmen to get them acquainted with the school and encourage them to take AP and honors classes. We give them study skill lessons, do group activities, familiarize them with the school, have drawings, and they rotate to one or two mini-academic classes a day. I plan to do this fun album cover activity with them. Please, please, please let my album covers still be in my classroom!!!

- And the week after next I return to school. I will be at the same school where I was last year. I tried to get ahold of Andrew's school but nobody returned my calls. I've decided it's now too close (time-wise) to change. Honestly, I'm disappointed. I am pissed at them for never getting back to me, and I know I'm valued where I was, but it's such a dank dungeon of a school and both the faculty and students settle for mediocre most of the time. It is depressing and makes things hard for me. I looked over my class rosters online and I have a bunch of kids in my E III Honors class (the American Studies class which is like honors plus) who failed my E II Honors class last term. Grrrr.

I guess that's it. On a completely random note, Andrew has fallen down the stairs twice in our new place. He's been fine both times - just a little banged up - but this morning he wound up kicking a hole in the wall. I guess we'll have to patch it.