garden shots taken last friday at arlington garden on the last official day of my sabbatical
i've landed right back in the rabbit warren of working life with a thud. i completely forgot how exhausting it is to talk, listen, comprehend, and form sentences. with other people. little people! for 6 hours a day. all the while motoring down the trail and trying to avoid snaring my ears or tail in brambles. oh dear.
i can report that it is a huge relief getting my little sub voucher at the end of each day. i drive off campus and the next day i'm at a new school in a different part of LA. no planning, no paperwork, no conferences looming, no report cards, no meetings. 2 days down, 93 to go till summer. eventually i'll land somewhere permanent. but i am in no hurry to inherit a permanent class and it's great fun to see different schools. next school year is soon enough for me to commit myself to one class at one school.
i'm heading to palm springs with pam & my sister on friday. off for a long weekend art retreat. i can't wait to sink into the hot bubbly spa outside. frank sinatra on the hi-fi. a cold drink in my hand. stars overhead. a giant stack of journals and art supplies waiting on the table inside. someone's taking her weekends v.v. seriously. maybe it's me!
I love your photos Mary Ann! After moving to Philly almost 3 yrs ago from Colorado, I now see why everyone wants to move to California! That and your blog is seriously tempting me! 😀 But I guess going back to Colorado will have to do.
It seems like getting a glimpse of life in many different schools might facilitate finding one which could be a more comfortable fit? I hope so.
Looking forward to seeing what you guys get up to, this weekend! I know you’ll have fun. 🙂
I’ve been thinking of you and wondering how that re-entry went. It sounds like you are adjusting with minimal sorrow. Good for you!
Your description of your weekend ahead sounds so perfect to me. I really and truly hope that’s what heaven might be like.
Our school calls subs “guest teachers,” and I think it’s a nice fancy way to be labeled (in the public system, no less). Plus you could dream up a new persona each day! Try out an accent! Wear an eye patch! Talk to them about Mondrian and Caravaggio and lost islands and mail art and the encyclopedia of adhesives.
Or, ya know, follow those guest teacher plans, keep ’em in line, then go home & cook up a citrusy gin & tonic…and break out the brushes. Follow your crazy passionate path! And I shall follow from here.
I was a sub for a couple months before I got my permanent position and the nicest thing about it was that, at the end of the day, the students were no longer mine. But it’s also nice to have a place to hang your hat, so to speak. Enjoy your time as a traveling teacher (doesn’t that sound so much nicer than “sub”?)!
Just finished a rough day of subbing. Take me with you! ;D Glad to hear you’re doing just fine!
Hi Mary Ann. I’m glad things are less stressful for you in your job this year. Thank god. I’m hoping you have a lovely long weekend and of course I’m jealous because Pam will be there and I love her art so. I know things are rough with your mum too so I’m sending paint kisses with cat fur on top.
The gestation period for the Puma is 90 days…………so, perhaps you could focus on nurturing your inner puma? Take a look at http://www.whats-your-sign.com for its qualities. Some of them would be verrrrrry useful in a teacher’s bag of tricks!
that was hysterical…..enjoy your art-filled weekend with inspiring friends….
Holly
Glad to hear the re-entry is going well, sounds like you have landed on your feet! Can’t wait to see what you and the other 2 members of your art posse get up to this weekend – enjoy!!
OK. I am officially jealous (not of the sub part – been there, did that!) Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy!
YAY for MAM. I find that the apprehension is the worst part of a return to work. I subbed for a few years when we lived in Memphis and I wasn’t admitted to practice. I really enjoyed it! Now as far as you and Pam and sis go in the desert with art supplies, pool, sun and heat: I’ll try not to be a hater, but it’s gonna be hard!
With a little “Fly Me to the Moon” on the stereo, you won’t even remember you ARE a teacher! You’ll just be an artist with stars in her eyes and paint under her fingernails…enjoy every second.
Sounds like an ideal way to test the waters of academia in LA. Personally I’m happy for all the little children who will have had the opportunity to be touched by your magic wand and wisdom. Have a wee of a weekend.
Holdfast!
xoxox
Welcome back to the work force! Wishing you a wonderful art retreat and…I just love that first photograph. 🙂
MaryAnn, I have been wondering how your re-entry is going… glad its doable! I know you will have an awesome vaca with your peeps!
Your most recent post appears to be welcome news to a lot of us who follow you and your interesting life on a regular basis. I think you have managed to finesse your way into a most perfect set up between having to work and having time YOUR way. It is all about the priorities, my dear, and you were wise enough and fortunate enough (or maybe you made GOOD life choices???) to be in a position to act on your preferences.
So often in life people have to experience a wake up call, such as a life threatening illness, before they come to the realization that their life is not exactly going in the direction they want it to go. So here’s to you as you make your way through this journey searching for the perfect balance between work and play. Winning the lottery will most likely not be in the cards for most of us so we shouldn’t count on that! Typically, we were or are in the same boat. Working is a means to an end. I am glad you’re in an occupation that gives you flexibility and an income. And the best part of it all is that you had the good sense to realize that there had to be more out there besides putting in your six hours every day and schlepping home exhausted and spent. You will do a better job with your little charges now that you know what’s waiting for you in a few short days.
Have fun at your retreat. I am looking forward to what you ladies cook up….it’s bound to be fun and interesting! And it inspires many of us, as well.
Mary Ann, I’m glad your “reentry” is going well. Subbing sounds perfect. Enjoy PS – it’ll be quite warm!
Oh the joys that await you in Palm Springs – more than enough to get you through the week. Have a wonderful time and we want to see the details here. I’ll go put on some smooth jazz and join you in my mind.
In govt/mil terms that would be 92 and a wakeup. 🙂 I like the idea of the subbing. It certainly gives you a taste of many many schools and ideas about where you would like to be. I do think it would be hard to have to talk to people again after your year of not-quite-silence.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Congratulations on the first day complete. Subbing sounds like the perfect way to ease into it.
Wondering what its like to go back to the grind after having a year away. Its been a thought going through my head-taking a leave of absence, and I love the idea of being a sub. That even sounds good as a full time job. The papers and the planning gets exhausting.
Have a blast this weekend.
Have a great time in Palm Springs. Soak in as much as you can to carry you through the next 93 days. Glad you like to subbing and the adventure of new schools. I can just see you sketching and making this time of you life into a great journal.
2 down 93 to go ~ you crack me up! Have fun in the Springs!
You are gonna have a dang awesome time with Pam and your sweet sis…perfect timing I’d say…get back to the school routine with a built in release valve for the upcoming weekend. Enjoy every single solitary second and squeeze every bit of relaxation and goodness out of it.
PS subbin’ sounds like a good fit for ya…like dippin your toes in pool side without having to jump completely in until the temperature of the water suits ya. Good plan I’d say.
I would love to have you sub in my school but it is a tad far away. Love your attitude about subbing and getting a glimpse of different schools. What an education! Enjoy Palm Springs.