my first day of retirement
“What I wanted to be when I grew up was in charge.” — Wilma Vaught
did I mention that I retired? I know, I know — always with the big news around this place.
Yeah, yeah, I thought I needed grad school, but what I really needed was to retire and write. So I retired! (Seriously, I was all, BRAINSTORM.) It’s my friend Dan, he sets a bad example. Technically, my last day was Friday, but due to the fact that I am nice… when my principal asked me if I would please come in and train my replacement (who didn’t start work ’til yesterday), I said, Sure! Thus confusing my students beyond all belief and making them cry.
“They told me you left, but you didn’t you’re right here!”
Oh, geez, kids. They break your heart and they fill your heart, every day.
here’s my day, so far, starting with last night:
1) WENT TO BED EARLY and got a good night’s sleep. This is something new. Goodbye, stress and work anxiety and having nightmares about cafeteria duty and kids throwing food at me. (Teaching: The Dirty Secrets Come Out, Today on Wacky Mommy…)
2) told Steve to sleep in. I think he started to ask, Really? But he was snoring halfway through the word so I can’t be sure.
3) Here’s the thing… I don’t know what my kids eat for breakfast, or lunch, so much. Not so much. OK, woke up the kids, and after brief fits (this is normal, right?) they got up. (Usually I’m out the door and Steve deals with all this. That’s the way we’ve done it for a looooooooong time now. I work out, ignore everyone, get ready and go; he deals with the rest; they go to school. Then at 3 o’clock, I take over.)
4) After some skepticism (“You’re fixing our breakfast and lunch, really? No. Really?“) The kids did some, No, not like that, like this, etc. and gave me pointers, we dealt, and I got them out the door.
5) Whew ;)
6) Then got Steve out the door.
7) Whew ;)
8) Tended to a) cats b) laundry c) dishes d) computer tech stuff with my ma — Updates from Steve, Computer God as well as Hockey God e) my son’s room f) resisted urge to tidy up daughter’s room, having been told by almost-teenager to stay out, Mom, please?!!!??!!! and next…
9) I’m going to do some yoga and…
10) write!
11) my (former) co-workers are joshing me, Let us know when you have your first book written! me: Uh, I have two written. I’ll let you know when they’re published.
12) dinner? How about potato soup and green salad? I’m going to do a simple one, but this sounds good (sub vegetable broth). Or perhaps you would prefer cupcakes? (writing again, feeling superstitious and doing all my weird writing habits, so i have to skip the next number…)
14) my hair looks crazy — I chopped it all off and now it will just look crazy for 2 years until it grows out again. just fyi.
15) interesting random fact, from my internet browsings this a.m.: Have you ever heard of a leafy sea dragon? I hadn’t either, what a quincidence.
16) my daughter’s middle school band is doing a play-a-thon, how awesome is that? It will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. — the kids sign up for shifts. Great idea, eh? please support the music and art programs at your local schools, you will not regret it a bit. Books are always welcome, too. Just drop off a bag of books with the secretaries at the front office and say, These are for the teachers to use in the class or send home with the kids, and they will say, Thank you. And you can say, You’re welcome. And it is just magical, really.
17) I’m still going to keep writing my library blog. Send me a note if you don’t already have the address, or I bet you can figure it out if you’re a girl sleuth. Or a boy sleuth, for that matter, ha.
18) Steve and I started talking about moving out to Washington County a long, long time ago. Like, about ten minutes after we moved into our new (to us) 100-year-old house and I realized I’d bought a “vintage” house that would need more than I would ever, ever be willing to give it. That house, honestly — it was like a demanding old woman who wanted some nice new cosmetic surgery every week or so. Also, there were the pitbulls. And the serenades. And the Nasty Neighbor. And the Other Ones.
19) Yesterday, to celebrate my Last Real Day of Work, I took myself out for coffee. Someone ordered the following (this is verbatim): “A three-shot grande pumpkin hazelnut latte extra hot with no foam!” Jeez. People. Plus, that doesn’t even sound good.
20) Did you know that this Thursday, March 10th, is International Women’s Day? How cool. Celebrate your hero. No, I don’t mean me. I’m gonna go get another cup of coffee (it will contain a) coffee b) milk) and avoid the heroics.
happy, happy, happy, happy Tuesday.
— wm
, 
.
Woo-hoo! Can’t wait to see your books published :) We must go for coffee now. I order mine just black, unless I’m feeling flush and then I order it with just foam. Fun times.
March 8th, 2011 | #
yeah, if i’m really broke, i tell them to just give me the foam from the lady who ordered it no foam. they usually do it for me.
just sent someone to your blog for Moroccan recipes — do you have many on there, though? Or was that my blog? ha. you always have so many gorgeous pix of food, i get confused ;)
March 8th, 2011 | #
Wow. I am tired from just reading about your day. I feel so embarrassed when, say, at New Seasons and clerks who know me by site ask, “Well, what are you up to today” and I have to find a way to avoid saying, “Wasting time, as usual.” I am happy if I can say that I did something re: my volunteer stint with CASA or even that I stopped by my daughter’s house to let her dogs out while she is at work. The other day at a cousin’s 80th birthday party, other cousins — first cousins once removed — asked me what I do with myself and I had to come up some thoughts, including “a little personal writing.” That sounds good but too often refers to too little actually accomplished.
I doubt that I am the Dan who set a bad example, and am not sure what the example is, but in any event, I admire your energy and determination. All best wishes with your endeavors.
March 8th, 2011 | #
Dan, you know it was you, all that talk of “what’s a weekend?” I thought, Self, the man has discovered the meaning of life only I don’t think he realizes it yet.
I think we can all learn a little something here. I get too busy, would rather remember to breathe :)
March 8th, 2011 | #
O AWESOME ONE! You sound like retirement is right up your alley. Now. There are a whole bunch of magazines in the UK that PAY for short stories. Go here to learn more: http://womagwriter.blogspot.com/
That’s Kath, Chas’ friend’s mum. (got that?) I bet there are magazines that do short stories in the states too, go to a store that sells that kind of thing and see.
Now I’m going to have a coffee.
March 9th, 2011 | #
Congratulations, Nancy! Very happy for you!
Will enjoy reading your PUBLISHED works.
Can I tag along on the Coffee Date with Bethie?
March 9th, 2011 | #
Hope your books get published soon… want to read them!
March 10th, 2011 | #
Oh, right: “What’s a weekend?” Not my original line, of course. I had forgotten that. And I meant to say, of course, that some New Seasons employees know me by “sight,” not by “site,” although, it is possible that they recognize me there, in context of that site, and might not in, say, the library or on a bus. In fact, I often have trouble recognizing people whom I have met in the course of my work because it happens at a cafe, maybe, and not at the Legislature or some other place where I first met them. They are at the wrong site. Or I am.
That potato soup sounds good.
By the way, I was talking with Spencer the other day. I am going to send him your blog site (that word again!). I can’t recall if he said he wanted to contact you, but he might have. He told me about some nice thing you did years ago when the family (his family) gerbil died. You made a monument for the grave, uh, site.
Take care…
March 10th, 2011 | #
How did I miss this retirement announcement?! (Max would say, epic FAIL, mom.)
As someone who is at home and making breakfast and lunch and dinner too while doing laundry and writing and papering my studio walls with little handwritten notes that begin with “this is lovely but just not what we’re looking for right now” I salute you, my dear.
Let’s compare notes!
March 12th, 2011 | #
Oh and I want to hear more about this haircut!
March 12th, 2011 | #