Today... Today sucks.

Today was not a good day.

I somehow again want to just lay in bed and cry. I have no good reason. I think maybe because I just had such a wonderful weekend just spending chill time with my friends and family, going back today was all that much less fun.

It was a stressful day. Tuesdays we teach 38 minute period, essentially 7 of them, and then have meetings. Although it is *technically* a shorter day... it doesn't feel like it. It feels longer. And my lesson didn't go as planned. It was nothing that I could predict. I had planned a connotation lesson and then had the idea to have each group pick a team name that reflected the connotation of how they'd like to see themselves as students. I had a math teacher that used to do something similar with us. It was always fun, so I thought they'd enjoy it.

My students are generally more mature than average teenager (which may not be saying a lot, but really they are), but today was not a good reflection of it. Although I was very clear that the names should have a positive connotation and a connotative meaning they can explain, some groups still came up with terrible stuff, and terribly inappropriate too. One group whose initials are A, I, D, and S, thought it would be funny to be A.I.D.S. So, so, so, NOT funny. Then there was the group that thought it would be okay to be "The Fierce Pussies."  No, I am not joking. And this was my honors class.  By 5th period, I had given up and abandoned that part of the lesson. Boo.

I had vowed to put the annoying day behind me, temporarily forget the fact that I had a good 100 or so papers to grade and input before grades are due at midnight, and just enjoy my afternoon. So, I packed up and actually left school at 3:30pm, with the plan of picking up Vinny and going to the gym, while hopefully still making it home relatively early to make parmesan chicken for dinner.

It didn't go that way.

While picking up Vinny, I got out my phone to look at the soccer schedule his coach sent me (because I do not read emails and drive, duh). While putting Vinny in the car, his seat belt was stuck, so he couldn't buckle it himself. It required two hands to wrangle free, so I put the phone down. Where? I didn't remember. Until... I got to the gym and realized I couldn't remember where I had put it. After 10 minutes or so of searching, with a very frustrated Vinny begging to just go into the gym, I gave up and realized it must be back at his afterschool care, so I headed back there.  I feared that I put it on the roof and drove off. By the time I went back, it was not there. I went in to ask, but no one had seen it.

Ugh. At this point, it was definitely too late to go to the gym, so I picked up Tiana and went to the T-Mobile store, where they de-activated the sim in that one and gave me a new sim to stick in an old prepaid phone so I can at least make phone calls. I was so frustrated by the time I got home.

Imagine my relief when Marc walks in the door carrying my phone. Apparently a parent picked it up and then one of his employees went to get it from her. What I am missing in the chronology here is why the parent LEFT with it. Oh well.

Imagine my frustration when I realized that, although the phone appeared unscathed, it would not work. The on and off button works, and the screen looks normal, I can see and hear when someone calls. I receive texts and emails.... but the touch screen doesn't work. I can't press anything. I can't unlock the screen. Not registering. Boo.

At least I have insurance. Except they want $130 for a deductible. Considering that the phone was initially free, it feels like robbery, really.