Before The Fall... and Other Novels

I'm pretty sure I read more during the school year than I've done this past summer - I'm ALREADY writing in past tense, as if this summer is done already. I technically have one more week of "summer." Buuuuut, I am shamelessly admitting that I'm going into my classroom on Monday to start setting up. If any of you have seen my classroom, you would know why. It is a bear to set up, but it's worth it.

Usually, over the summer, I read at least ten books. Why wouldn't I? I stress out during the school year because I try to cram in my person reading amongst the grading, curriculum reading, magazine-editing reading... and I manage. But this summer, I haven't had the time or the drive to read. Although, those novels that I did end up reading have been fantastic.

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley was a gift from a student at the end of the year. She knew me too well. It was one of those "whodunnit" types where a plane crash happened and it goes through the backstory of all of the passengers to figure out why it happened. Without giving too much away, the novel was definitely a comment on how we are just a victim of circumstance. Some may be disappointed by the ending, but I found it kind of self-fulfilling. Maybe the readers who didn't like it as much wish that they could be more in control of what happens to them. But, to a certain extent, you're really just NOT. So suck it up and just be.

I've also read a few novels related to magazine review edits, but I don't feel like writing about them here. Nothing has been OUTSTANDING to the point where I want to write a review about it twice, so I'll leave it at that.

Books that I'm currently reading all at the same time...

Golden Son by Pierce Brown: I flew through the first installment because, of course, it's a dystopian set-up where one part of the civilization just isn't happy with the way they are living and thus, REBELLION. And it was great. It was a totally new plot, with the same dystopian storyline. The second installment, however, is kind of moving slowly for me. It's all action and battle and killing - and while that's all good and fine for me in the movies and on TV, reading it is a bore for me. I don't know why, but it just is. So it's lacking my attention.

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard: Same thing as above, for all the same reasons.

Maybe I should just give up on dystopias for awhile. Let it relax. It was really hard to follow after the last book of Justin Cronin's The Passage series came out. I'm probably experiencing withdrawal symptoms from that.

I think I'm going to try to fit in another novel before next week. Because if you aren't reading, consider yourself braindead.

What is... Summer?

Today marks the first week of FREEDOM for the summer time. And then, in two weeks, it's back the grind.

I was lucky enough to participate in the Curriculum Writing Academy for Daily English 10 (one of the subjects I will teach next year, and what I taught this past year). Our fabulous team created the entire first semester from, what I would consider, scratch... Considering that we didn't have a Daily 10 curriculum last year and just went off of the Standard 10. Which was difficult - Standard 10 met every other day, and we met EV. ER.Y. DAY. So Daily 10 teachers will finally have something to call their own and hopefully be more comfortable reaching their students who need the most support in reading and writing.

Plus, I met and worked with some of the most fabulous teachers in the county. I may be biased because, hey, English teachers ARE fabulous. I wouldn't have traded those many, many hours of sitting in student desks, staring at my computer screen for anything because I made some new friends that I hope to keep in contact with.

Plus, there were food trucks. So... Food driving to me? Yeah.

I completed my LAST summer grad school class. Graduation date is set for May 2017 - after 5 years of grad work, it is long overdue. But, that's what happens when you take one class per semester. I wouldn't have been able to afford it otherwise. The woes. But, the YAYS are I will have my Master's and get that pay raise!

And the one thing that's going to make it hard for me to go back to work...

My Manny, the black lab.

He is sleeping on the couch as I write this and it is the cutest thing in the world.

I have been bugging Eric for a puppy for months. Every time I would see someone walking their dog out in the neighborhood, or bringing their dog to his softball games, I would make a comment or post a Tweet or text him something along the lines of - WHY CAN'T I HAVE A PUPPY? But perhaps a little less needy. Perhaps.

And he would always shoot the idea down. 

"No, we can't get a puppy, you're at work all day."

"We don't have time for a puppy."

"Not right now."

Basically, my future looked bleak in the puppy department.

Well, sneaky Eric had been planning to buy a puppy since May and left me out of the loop. Everyone else knew. I used to think that I was pretty good at catching on to people when they were lying, but now I don't even know own self!

He said he had to work a catering one night for Famous Daves (which he does, regularly) and I had Paint Nite with my mom and sister, so I didn't think anything of it. He wasn't going to a catering - he was driving, with his family, to Lancaster, PA to pick out a lab puppy for me.

Needless to say, I walk upstairs, completed Paint Nite painting in hand - ready to show Eric what a stellar job I did creating a blob of leaves on canvas and renounce my career in education for an even poorer job in artistry - and I see Eric and this tiny little black creature ambling up to me. 

My first thoughts were, "Is that Lola (Katie and Tim's dog)? That's too small to be Lola. Oh my god, that's a baby puppy." And the first things I said were, "What is that? What is that?"

I laughed. I cried. I was being videotaped by Eric's sister, who was hiding in the background along with his brother and mom. So many people talked about how the video of me, laughing and crying, made them laugh and cry. 

So, we have Manny - named after Manny Machado of the Orioles. You could say he's my best friend and I'd agree, regardless of how silly that sounds. Yes, I talk to my dog. Yes, I've slept next to my dog more than I've slept next to Eric. But ya know. Puppy life.

He'll be 12 weeks tomorrow. AND I'm going to have a terribly hard time going back to work. Can I just bring my puppy? How do I go about registering him as a therapy dog so I CAN bring him to work?

The next two weeks: puppy, reading, puppy, binge watching shows (UMMM, Stranger Things? The Night Of? Orange Is The New Black? Vice Principals? Done, done, done, and done), puppy, my sister's bachelorette party, puppy, hang out with my godson, puppy, hangout with friends, puppy, volleyball workouts, puppy....

You get the picture.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer!