Monday, March 26, 2007

Chilicraft--The Afterburn

I'll make this fast, since I broke the camera and have no pics to share.
I felt Chilicraft was a good success, considering I had a month to pull it together, and it was hot.
Here was my day in a list:

1. Wake up tired.
2. Get to school later than I had liked, because every single stoplight from South City to U. City turned red when it saw me coming. Marcia calls; I try to sound cheerful and unpanicked.

3. Roll up to school. Vice principal is there, as are several other crafters. It is quite warm.

*added after list was made* Patrick from Meshuggah does indeed bring me my large vanilla latte, even though I said he didn't have to. I lord it over Tiny Montgomery, who anxiously awaits the first brew of coffee. The good thing about student volunteers is that you don't have to lift a finger. "R.! Go see if the coffee's ready!" and off he trots. It was.

4. 5 of my male students show up at 8:15 am on a Saturday to help me, even though I had pissed at least 3 of them off the day before. They are wearing their team t-shirts, or navy blue shirts and are charming and carry heavy stuff for my crafters.

5. I am mumbly and confused without coffee. One boy, D., takes my seating diagram and directs the table set up and placement. He tells me to go away and that he can take care of it.I grunt thanks and unload my car.

6. The district turns off the AC and heat on the weekends. We get R. to climb up the closed bleachers with a tool to crank the windows open. He enjoys any chance to show off his muscles to a room full of women.

5. Beqi arrives, crabbing about the worst birthday ever and a speeding ticket. My students assist her in unloading and uncrab her.

6. The kettle corn man shows up, and speaks to me from his van. He is unsure if he'll do the fair or not, since I am not Dionne Warwick and cannot predict how many customers he'll have. He smells funny, and I sense that he is not the type of man I want around my students. He tells me he'll make some calls and let me know. In 5 minutes, he calls me FROM HIS VAN to say that he's going to St. Ann instead.

7. I pace the room, entertaining crafters, and am nervous that nobody will show up and we will make no money and my friends will hate me.

8. People show up, we make money, and my friends love me.

9. Matt's chili is among the first to get sampled into extinction.

10. Other students show up and work my booth for me. They are good salespeople, and sell a lot of raffle tickets.

11. Most folks go home happy. Cranky Cricket gets invited to the Best of Missouri Market, which is awesome news.

12. I "get" to climb up the closed bleachers and crank the windows shut myself, even though I am scared of heights. I develop chameleon-like suckers on my hands from gripping the wall so hard. I don't look down. I sweat a lot. I get the windows closed without falling 15 feet onto the gym floor and snapping my neck in the now-pleasantly-scented corner Morgan's Naked Soaps was situated. At least I would be soothed by the faint cloud of lavender.
I have to sit on the top bleacher for a minute until my arms stop shaking and I can get the courage to climb back down the closed bleachers. I assure my principal I'm fine, mentally cursing the 2 girls who didn't show up for their shifts. Women, man....

13. My principal is pleased with me, and I feel the best I've felt in a LONG ASS TIME.

14. Now I feel weird, since a parent of a possible future student is reading this. Hi Bev!

15. I shower, nap, and then go to poppymom's for wine and cheese and telling funny stories about chipmunks and knives and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

16. I come home, find Matt already asleep, but pull a 20-something thing and lay in bed with him talking until 2 am.

17. I worry about what bad thing will happen to delete my euphoria.

18. I sleep.

19. I wake up and wonder if my friends embarrassed me in front of my students or vice versa.

20. We think we hear someone at the front door and yell that we are sleeping and to come back later. It was just the wind.

I ate no chili.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You didn't say one single word me being the one you liked the best at Poppy's house. I knew I should have used that flat iron on my hair before I went.

Lisa

sarahkate said...

Sorry I missed it, it sounds like a huge success! Congrats!

Allison said...

Yes, indeed, Lisa was my favorite new person, mainly because she has photographs of my ex graduating from high school.
And she is a corn-fed Midwestern gal;)
And she drank beer from a straw!

Anonymous said...

But ... but ... you're supposed to like me best! Remember how I, um, came to Chilicraft, even though it was hot and stuff? Okay, it was fun, but still. I think that should make me the one you like best.

I was wondering at the time why you were running around with a great big coffee cup and I only had a wee one. I guess that's fair, though.

YOU'VE GOTTA TAKE ME TO JACK IN THE BOX!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I don't know who should feel weirder: You for knowing a parent is reading your blog or me for knowing secretly that in two years you may have Smart But Unmotivated Boy (insert superhero background music) in your classroom. Eh, they're all unmotivated...

I had myself a good time. Thank your students for me, they were very helpful. Let's do this again.