Weekend Happenings

Such an interesting weekend I've had! Melinda and her beau, Adam, came down Friday, so good times were gauranteed, of course. They gave us a call around 7pm saying that they'd missed an exit and were around 30 minutes passed the Germantown exit. Talk about feeling guilty! I was the one who had made this detailed - and apparently overly-complicated - set of directions to get down here. But arrive they did, in due time. We spent most of Saturday building up leg muscles and, in Aaron's and my case, getting a thin, pale tan on our even paler shoulders. Walking next to Melinda and Adam, we must have looked like two raw potatos in a McDonald's french fry container.

So what all did we do with our time? We learned that rhinos can exude 10 gallons of snot in the 10 minutes that you're listening to a zookeeper's chat. This is so that they can trap more air-borne particles and thus not only gross out everyone within 25 yards, but also get a better understanding of their surroundings. We also learned that after 5 hours of walking around in the zoo and downtown, $1/person trolley fare is more than worth it. Speaking of which, I also learned that most people are inherently honest. When you get on the trolley, there is no way to police who pays and who doesn't. The conductor doesn't watch you, and you don't get a ticket or receipt when you pay. You just put in the exact amount and sit down. I know for sure that they don't moniter it b/c Melinda only had a $5, and since the machine doesn't give back change, she didn't pay. During our 1 1/2 loop around downtown, I was amazed to find that every single person paid the exact fare, most knowing full well that it wasn't policed. Now really, that's a comforting thought, isn't it? In a time when most everyone's moral outlook on society is so negative, basic human goodness does prevail, and when nobody is looking, too.

On a completely different note (high B flat), I received less than 24 hour notice of an interview today for the VERY LAST available teaching position for either middle or high school in ALL of the Shelby county district. And I barely got that. My application had been on file for awhile now, but as I hadn't heard anything in a while, I emailed the main HR guy about how wonderful I am and how the school system might implode if I weren't immediately employed within one of their schools. He emailed me back this past Friday saying that if I was interested, there was one last opening at Germantown MS and the interview was this Monday at 11:30. Course, because of the busy weekend with Melinda and Adam, I didn't check my email until Sunday evening. Talk about pressure! I have only this one opportunity to get a teaching position in a school that is nearby and not completely overrun by gangs. (That interview is this upcoming Saturday, btw.) I have one hour before I head out and my nerves are running amok. Interestingly enough, did you know that the original use of that word meant to run around in a homicidal frenzy? If my current blood pressure is any indication, I'm guessing my nerves did.