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Friday, January 16, 2009

Something Special

"If neither school calls tomorrow, I'm going hiking with the dogs up Lutz Canyon" I informed Kevin last night. We were both up late describing each other's Thursday's classes. His may get cancelled if not enough people register for it by Tuesday and I shared my fear of my instructor. He went on several angry rants about the school district he's employed with, the Federal government and "Those in power."

I was a little upset because the instructor listed in the semester catalog is not the one teaching the class. For some people that's a big thing. I don't know enough instructors to have opinions of them but I know that all three of mine are going to be demanding. I will no doubt be challenged this semester and I can't afford to procrastinate.

The alarm went off just before 5am this morning. I was exhausted and lay in bed until 5:30am before showering. There were no jobs listed on Subfinder, Bisbee hadn't called all week and it was looking like a free day for me today to release some early-semester tension.

At 5:45am I got a call to come in. I volunteered for Special Ed again. My first time in the classroom wasn't so bad at all, in a middle school 8th grade class. No one brandished a knife or weapon or threatened to kill me. A few boys had screaming tantrums but I just ignored them.

My hike will have to be postponed again. The snow is still on the peaks but I can tell by the afternoon sun's rays on the melting snow that the warmer daytime temperatures has melted some of the layers. I was going to hike as far up the trail as was feasible, and turn around when the snow got too much for the dogs. There's an abandoned siver mine up Lutz Canyon, and a round trip would have been about four miles. Further up the trail the path becomes steep and ascends up toward the Crest Trail, a 2.9-mile hike one-way with an elevation of around 8600.'

Sadie was laying on Kevin's side of the bed this morning just before I left the house. She looked so cute there, UNDER THE BLANKET, with her head poking out. I didn't bother telling her to get off the bed; her punishment was going to be being left alone with her packmates all day.

The day itself was easy as I had an aide who helped me with some of the more demanding students. The fun part began in the afternoon when several seniors came in the last class. One needed an insulin injection. Another talked about his drug and alcohol use (!) as if that were the coolest thing to do. This man, approaching 21, talked about getting high with several well-known Bisbeeite homeless, including Damion who died last fall, and another famous homeless man, Luciano.

I need to learn how to best react to people who brag about their hard drug use. The boys talked about acid and cocaine as if those were daily dietary supplements.

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