Playing Hookie

I skipped school today. Called in sick. I don't do that very often, but once or twice a year I'll take the day off just to catch up with myself. Usually I take the day off to do work or to go to Orlando with Andrew. This time I just really needed a day to relax. I know it's early in the year, but I was already totally exhausted every day (maybe getting a little bug) and very frustrated with my students and colleagues over silly things. I didn't think the long upcoming weekend was going to cover it. I wanted to spend a day just relaxing.

If you know me you know I have no problem pampering myself. So I slept in until about 9:20, puttered around a bit, and then went to a local spa for a massage. It was really lovely. I've been looking for a nice local spa and have been utterly disappointed until today. What a great place! They are quiet, full service, upscale and professional. The other places I've been to locally have been too casual or too small to be what I prefer. Anyway, it was a wonderful massage. Afterward, I took a long shower in their fancy shower room (even though I'd taken one at home three hours earlier) and slowly got ready to re-greet the world.

I stopped by Panera (read: yuppie fast food) for lunch and then headed home where I again checked my home and work email and filled out some paperwork for the bank. I didn't greade any papers or do any work. If I get a hankering, I will grade a few tests tonight. If not, no big deal. I can do some of that this weekend anyway.

Yesterday when I started thinking about taking the day off, I felt really guilty about it. Some of the colleagues I mentioned it to felt that I should just wait for the long weekend. But as soon as I was on the massage table (when I would normally have been administering a Vocabulary test) I was glad I did it.

Tomorrow at school we have a pep rally, which means the classes are shortened a little, especially 4th period, which is my least favorite (TV Production 1).