Itch, Scratch, Tingle and Whatnot

How's THAT for a headline??

I feel bad. I haven't blogged in how many days? I didn't check the date but I think it's over a week's time. I don't feel bad in the sense of not meeting an obligation. I just feel bad because I LOVE to write and lately I just haven't been able to pull it together, sit down, and write.

Ok, I went and looked. Not quite a week, but those two blogs weren't incredibly substantial...as opposed to my normally earth-shaking subject matter, lol.

And it's not that there hasn't been ANYTHING in my life that I could share. It's just been something between being busy and being blah. Neither lends itself to good writing.

But tonight I'm ready. I'm determined. I MUST write. I want to. So here I am. Any ideas? ha ha I actually have a few.

For instance, how about some of the wonderful rewards of teaching that I've experienced in the last couple weeks. First of all, let's go with the gross-out. It was the end of the day, Friday before last, and I called a little guy back from getting on his bus. He had NOT had a good day and I had not given him slack. I wanted to encourage him and still make it clear that I expect certain behavior. So I called him back from his bus. I squatted down against a wall and pulled him onto one of my knees to sit while we talked for a minute. He shyly refused eye contact but grinned as he sat on my knee and listened to what I had to say, knodding in agreement. I then stood up to escort him to his bus and noticed a very wet sensation on my knee where he'd just been perching. SERIOUSLY???? Thanks kid. Have a good weekend.

Or how about THIS one? Head lice has been ..... rearing its head ..... for lack of a better term, this year. I'd had a girl in my class checked...came back clear...but she scratches maniacally. Several weeks later, her mom writes and tells me they've been fighting it for "some time" at home and wants to know if she's getting it FROM school. I desperately wanted to thank her for sending it with her child with no warning to me. She hugs my middle and then so do a couple dozen others, including my own kids. WE DON'T WANT LICE!!! The same thing happened about 4 years ago. It was miserable and took forever to eradicate. Last week the class next to ours sent a girl home CRAWLING with lice. Ughghghghghgh! Today we talked about it and now tonight the thought recurred so my scalp is itching ... I scratch ... then every hair feels like it stands on end, tingling to beat the band. It's like people talking about ants. I hear the word and my flesh crawls with the sensation. It's driving me batty.

Oh oh...here's another little choice nugget I that made me think immediately about blogging about it. Last week, I was talking to my sister on the phone when she interrupted our conversation to say, "Felicity! What did you do??" (Fel is her 8 year old daughter). Long story short, Felicity shaved her eyebrows off, SHAVED HER EYEBROWS OFF. She has glorious black hair and dark brows, too. Oh they'll be missed alrighty. They'll be missed. Poor baby. She has the saddest little eyes you will EVER see. EVER. Her reasoning for shaving was not revealed to me.

How about some good news while I'm here? I think you folks have heard me talk about my friend, Ginny. She teaches kindergarten in the lice-ridden room next to mine. A couple years ago she went through cancer and in the process we really grew as friends. We spend a lot of time together now. Well, Ginny helped me move last February. She helped me paint inside the house before we moved in. She mowed and kept my dog while I was in Montana. She's one of THOSE friends. She has watched my struggle for the past couple years with total lack of motivation, total "survival mode" and wishing to get on top of things in my house. Two weekends back she volunteered and came over to my house and helped me get it in shape. It's finally maintainable and I feel soooo good about it. The living room is a bit of a mess and please don't look in the garage for another week as I'm still catching up on laundry but oh you would NOT believe the difference............and it's all thanks to my friend, Ginny. What would I do without her?

Well I'll tell you what. I wouldn't be going to scary movies that freak me out if it weren't for her. But other than that, she's priceless. Totally fired from selecting movies, but otherwise, a keeper. Last Friday she took me to a movie that left me tense for hours. Not good. Not good at all. I need happy endings. No...I neeeeeeeeeeeeed happy endings. I do.

Hmmm...lots of GP in the media this past week, too. Makes for a happy week and a week where my heart gets aerobic activity without me lifting a finger. Find out there's a new photo or article or video and wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee off goes the thump-thump of my heart. It's like....exercise without the effort. Not bad for Hill.

Ok, I'm outta here. Sorry for the long rambling blog, but I HAD to get back on here. And now I think I need to go shampoo and get my scalp to...no wait. It is NOT the thought of lice. Oh glory be. I've had this reaction before. I just have to figure out what ingredient it is. Dang! Something in the sinus medication I took is freaking out my scalp! Dang it, dang it, dang it!! It happened the last time I used Afrin and it happened just now with Tylenol Sinus Congestion and Pain SEVERE. Oh dear. It's allergic reaction and gets to crawl for hours.

Great. Guess I'm off to scratch. Glamorous life I'm living....