I’m ready to go…

(I loved that song once.)

I booked an extra night at the hotel, just in case I’d end up visiting longer than expected. The idea of getting in the car at 6 p.m. (7 p.m. Ohio time) and driving for 7 hours doesn’t thrill me, so I’ll make a gametime decision on whether or not to stay over. If I do, I’ll hit the road back home as early as possible on Sunday morning, as I surely don’t want to miss seeing the Browns lose again.

I told Suzanne this week that while I’m bummed that Mavis or the Thriller can’t go with me tomorrow, I’ll likely use the alone time to think and plan and choreograph, which can be a good thing. I don’t mind the solitude.

What about you? Are you a quiet traveler, or do you like the company and conversation? Some people would lose their minds traveling alone, while others would play music or audio books and be perfectly contented on long trips. I can go both ways. I’ve driven solo to and from Florida, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas, and enjoyed it just fine. Then I’ve taken long road trips with the Thriller which were loads of fun, too. Meh. Matters not, I guess.

Unfortunately, the Finkmobile won’t be making the trip with me, either. While visiting the Js last night, #1 Son found a troubling issue under the hood, so off it goes to the carspital for a few days. As much as I love my car (a paid-off one, especially), I’m beginning to wonder if it isn’t time to at least consider thinking about trading it in for something that’s a bit more reliable, warrantied, and better in snow. Seems like no matter who we take the F-mobile to for repairs on a recurring problem with the airflow sensor (which negatively affects engine performance), they can’t figure out the fix.

Oh well. Those are thoughts for another day. On to the day at hand. Being up since 2:40 and jazzed up on café mocha oughta get me through just fine. Did I mention that I swore off the melatonin for a week to gauge its effects on my sleeping patterns? Well, I got my answer. It really does make a difference, but it seems like I’m either doing the wake-up-at-2 thing, or I’m so groggy and sleepy, it’s dang hard to slide out the bed in the morning. I want to smash my alarm, truly. So…good sleep and bad mood, or bad sleep and decent (artificially jacked-up) mood?

I think too much.

FO

Just as I published this and looked at the date, I realized that today would have been my mother’s 74th birthday. It’s hard to imagine what she’d look like now, seeing as how she was 56 when she died, and to my recollection, very young-looking. Bizarre. We all miss her, that’s for sure.

It’s what you auto not do, but you do anyway.

I know I auto not eat late at night, but last night I did it anyway. And guess what? Nightmares — all night. Again. Happens every time, and I knew it would happen this time, too — so why did I have dinner at 9:15 p.m.? Oy.

But hey, it’s overwith and I’m awake (although the stupid Droid somehow disconnected from the charger last night and I woke up on my own at 5:30), so it’s another day at the school house, and I’m ready to hit it.

Today’s goal: get through high school choir rehearsal just once this week without lapsing into the process by which the nuclei of my brain’s atoms split into smaller parts and produce dangerous gamma rays, resulting in very large — and, by all modern standards, unsafe — amounts of energy.

*bing*

Oh! And Stoney and I have decided on a show for this year, and I’m surprised we hadn’t considered it before. Should be fun. Challenging, but fun.

Hey now, you have a great Wednesday. It’s a bizzy one here in Finkville. School, the all-important hair-dyeing and cuttage, a visit with the Js (yay!), then more DT work until bedtime. Psh. Piece-a cake. Piece-a-pie. But as for my high school students…

The Inquisition’s here and it’s here to staaaaaaaaaaaaay! 

…for another ka-razy week. But first — the Thing With No Face.

Do you just love that fall is coming? That’s one of the things I like about living in the Midwest. October doesn’t feel like July (even though this week in September will feel like June). So, what’s on the Big List this week?

• More recording — yes, I got everything working relatively well on the new beast. I am learning as I go, so hopefully the tenth project won’t be as clumsy as the first.
• The callouses from practicing violin and ukulele (for my step-daughter’s wedding and Dinner Theatre, respectively) are coming alone fine. I should be ready by October/November, if I keep practicing.
• Getting four new tires mounted on the Finkmobile this Friday, just in time to take off for Chicago. Have I mentioned there are about seven other things I’d rather buy with that $300?
• Hoping Brandon Weeden is over his rookie jitters by Sunday. But hey, at least we’re not alone in the loss column. Heh. A little schadenfreude to start off the week.

And now it is time to hit the road, Jack(son). The jury is still out with regard to how I feel about 85 seventh- and eighth-graders first thing in the morning, but I’m fortunate to have this great job and to work with awesome fiends. I’m still mad about the tires, though.

An impossibly, unbearably irresistible cute puppy video:

[youtube]JCo5w6qukJY[/youtube]

Awwwwwww

Happy Sumday!