Wednesday, June 3, 2009

New life?


Well, each day I get up and think that "this is the [fill in the blank] of my new life," but somehow, I don't feel different or like anything new has started. Maybe tomorrow?

Today, I thought to myself:

Self, you are not going there again.

To mimic Hemingway: "In the fall school was always there but I was not going back to it anymore."

Really?
Really.

It's June.
I've had 50 of those that I can remember, and they always involve thoughts of "when I go back to school."




So what to do with myself.

1. I think I need to keep the shutters closed -- birds are flying into it like it's the tunnel to heaven and knocking themselves silly. One was knocked so dizzy today, that David picked it up and petted it like it was domesticated. It was stunned... and you know birds -- not that much gray matter to shake. I checked on him a minute ago -- he's sitting in the hen and chicks and muttering to himself.

2. I went to Publix. I ran into a former student, of course. Alex. S. His first question is -- "so what are you doing with yourself, now that you are retired?"

Me: I'm going to the grocery store. You work here?
Alex: Yeah, I work here.
Me: No, I mean work, not that you are employed. Different words.
Alex: Why you gotta be so mean?
Me: Why you wanna know what I'm doing?

*he slinked off into the canned food aisle*

Later I saw him and asked him to take out my groceries. He looked at me like I asked him to read.

Alex: I can't do it. They 'd fire me.
Me: Makes sense to me. Only not.

*shrugs*

Publix is always an interesting place. You should have seen the woman juggling five boys like a circus performer. She wasn't smiling..she's was grimacing. She wished school was still in session.

3. I spent a while on I-Tunes, listening to songs recommended to me by a friend. One of them comes from a band named, Theory of a Deadman. *scratches head*

4. I sat on the deck. Lannie, the dog who belongs to the neighbor behind me, barked at me and every blade of grass. She's delusional. She hallucinates. She's looking for sheep to herd. She's a border collie. She wears herself out running back and forth beside the fence. I guess she's looking for something to herd. Keats stares at her and smirks. Bad Keats.

5. I'm reading The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter, a work of fiction about the upper crust of African American society and the inner circle of an Ivy League law school. The main character's name is Talcott. So far -- is good. I just finished The Laments by George Hagen. I emailed Mr. Hagen and gave him some feedback on his novel. He emailed me back telling me how much he appreciated "my giving time to his work." I should have told him -- yo, buddy, time is what I got.

This is my blog. Welcome to it.

8 comments:

  1. I know something you can do. Go to Hulu.com. You can watch some old movies and full seasons of some shows. I just started watching Stargate SG-1 on Monday. I'm almost done with the second season.

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  2. Hey teach... ;) This is Stephanie A, one of your former students (1996-2000.) I'm looking forward to reading your blog.

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  3. Okay, I have a question referring back to your 1. Who is sitting in the hens and chicks muttering to himself? David or the bird?

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  4. GILLHAM!! I have missed waking up at the buttcrack of dawn to come to school and talk to my favorite teacher! But anyways, Emilee, Jamie and I have decided that we are going to go see The Proposal, as soon as we saw it, we knew. So get PUMPED!

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  5. Good Afternoon Ms. Gillham! I second my former classmate Stephanie’s comment above. “Write, and write often” is my fervent request and proposed answer to the question of what to do with your free time. What I learned in your class served me well in college. I would love to have the opportunity to read what creative works spring forth from the hands of a former teacher, who, along with several other English teachers I had at HHS, I admired and whose criticism and instruction proved invaluable.

    If Theory of a Deadman made that list, I can’t imagine what else could possibly have been included.

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  6. You should get a facebook. Then I can poke you and send you quizzes for you to find out what kind of starbucks beverage you are. That's what you should do with your freetime now. That of get some friends : )

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  7. Aw...your smileys aren't moving anymore
    Oh well
    Be nice to Keats, he may have to protect you from that delusional dog of your neighbor's

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