I need the good drugs.

Life has been crazy: B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Teaching economics during a recession is draining, as I am constantly reading and studying every news source out there, trying to stay abreast of the sitution so that my students don't think their teacher is an ignoramous who should be pink-slipped. Although my workload has increased quite a bit, though, it's exciting to be teaching a subject that is extremely relevant and that allows for awesome discussions. I can honestly say that, as of now, I am loving my job...although Friday you couldn't tell, as I was on the verge of throwing desks, as 3rd quarter grades closed and everyone and their mother needed to make up tests at the last minute and give me a billion excuses as to why/how they lost their extra credit papers.

My second endeavour that is monopolizing my time is planning the prom. The theme is Alice in Wonderland and is going to be quite bomb-diggity. I am the class advisor and should really just be overseeing things, but I have control issues with how things should look and took on the task of designing the tickets and posters to advertise the event. (I think I should be a graphic designer later in life, but that would entail really knowing how to operate a computer.) The kids I'm working with are great, though, and the event should be quite fantastic (fingers crossed).

Lastly, swim. (Any excuse to post a picture of Aaron Peirsol is a good one.) I am one of Frontier's JV coaches and am really having good times with my kids, or "guppies" as we refer to them. We just had our second meet, and it is rewarding to see the kids improve and to watch them get excited about their progress. We swim against Liberty next week, though, which will more than likely be a blowout and will burst their bubbles, but it's good to knock kids down once in awhile-it prepares them for the real world. This season's coaching experience has really brought me a new appreciation of my dad and the program he has built at Liberty, and I hope that I can inject some of that at Frontier. It makes me laugh that I am the strict disciplinarian at my new school, though, as I was the "easy coach" at Liberty (not Mary Kay Leteourneau easy).

My "50 books in 2009" goal continues, though slowly, but I'll catch up over Spring Break. #6 was The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton, about American girls who travel to England to find love; #7 was The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson, a non-fiction piece about an American (himself) who lived in England for 20 years and came back to the good ol' U.S.A. to travel via automobile to discover and explore the homeland; and #8 was Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg (author of books such as Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe). I have read most of her books and have loved every one. She writes in a very honest and candid style about slices of real American life, and I recommend her to anyone who is looking to distract themselves from the hustle and bustle of the world. Of the three, Bill Bryson's was my favorite. I laughed out loud throughout, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more of him.