Palm Springs, here I come!

Whoo hoo! I'm going to a conference in Palm Springs. And having been to this conference before, I know that not only are there a bunch of interesting workshops to attend, there's a lot of free time. I have never been to Palm Springs before, so I'm going to treat it like a mini-vacation, check out some restaurants, some shopping, and maybe a spa!

I was so incredibly organized for the sub -- I left attendance, seating charts, referrals, a list of names to watch out for, extra work in case he needs it, a clean desk, pens, pencils, a clipboard, projects for my TA . . . oh, it was beautiful. I even left assignments that are generally of the high buy-in quiet kind, rather than disorganized group work or art or something that requires a lot of materials. But, naturally, having finished all this, I left my purse in my classroom. I'll be on my way back shortly (they set the alarms and lock the gates at 5).

I'm so excited about getting all this house stuff done -- Dad came and picked up a desk I wanted to get rid of, and soon I'm going to paint the room it was in (before Piggs moves in). He chose the color "Spring has Sprung." I like it too. I also am replacing moulding -- this is a new project for me, so I'm kind of excited. I would never be featured on one of those reality home makeover shows, though, because every ten seconds they'd have to put up a new "Don't try this at home!" warning. "Warning: Do not search for rusty nails in the carpet in your bare feet!" "Danger: Do not attempt to jump off a step-stool while holding on the the moulding with a pair of pliers." I haven't gotten hurt, so I'm considering it all a success so far.

I have a lot left to do tonight -- packing enough reading materials to satiate me on a trip is really rather a challenge (not that I read a thousand books a week, as some have claimed, but I do tend to devour them when I have free time.) I also want to go to two ballet classes tonight so I only accrue one make-up session while I'm gone instead of two. I also have to put some clean laundry away, do the dishes (about ten glasses -- I drink so much water at home), and pack cosmetics and the old iPod. I was thinking of putting my new Spanish language CDs onto the iPod, but was a little worried that on the plane I might forget to be quiet and find myself saying, very slowly and with excellent enunciation "DONDE HAY L'ESTACION DE TREN?"

Okay, all for now. Take care everybody!
Mockula