garbage, mouse droppings, & retirement parties

of all the things that make me want to get the hell out, a bad day at school is on the top of my list. and today was pretty bad.

i get to school every morning around 7:15; today i get there only to find that the custodians have thrown away a huge box filled with my spring concert music. all of my octavos thrown in the trash.

then, i go into my desk--spring cleaning etc--and all over my files are mouse droppings. yes. MOUSE DROPPINGS. so, i don my gloves and surgical mask (which is pretty hysterical, what in my blazer, venetian crystals, and high heels) and proceed to throw away about half of my files--confidential files, concert programs, letters to and from parents, observation summaries... oh i was ticked off. really ticked off.

the day did get better. it had to, didn't it? things turned out ok--i just cranked up the sound on my ipod and listened to some tunes during free periods, finished my ordering for next year, corrected some papers...

after school, however, i had to go to an informal retirement party for one of the fifth grade teachers. she's been teaching a long time and i really like her. i should. i spent my childhood in her house. but, i don't know, some things have been done recently that i thought were rather insensitive; and despite my desire to feel ANY other way, i'm not feeling like i want to celebrate her right now. isn't that horrible?

oh well. thing is, this town is so so so so so small. everyone knows everyone and everything about everyone. it's hard to have secrets in a place like this. that's why i'm feeling boxed in.

but maybe i feel this way because of the mouse turds in my desk.

that could have done it for today. i don't know. maybe that's the explanation.