Dearth of Chivalry.

Really. It must be completely dead in the general population. I was retuning to my car after school, crossing Capitol Boulevard/Ninth Street. The day was hot, somewhat muggy, enveloped in the fumes of at least five lanes of traffic. Heat radiated from the concrete. I was crossing the last few feet, surrounded by my colleagues, my co-instruction seekers. Fellow students of all genders and creeds. Just before we reached the beckoning sidewalk, I heard several quick thumps. I turn around, in case it was my recently acquired books. Alas! So it was.

I knelt speedily, my bare knees pressed into the tarred surface, and began to refill my errant bag with the recently lost articles. I was hampered by people stepping past, by, and even over me. I was able to get out of the road before a hasty Jeep barely bothered to swerve around me. I glared at their backs, the polo-shirted, cargo-panted cad, the Slipknot-torsoed scoundrel, and the V-necked, faux-label bag betoting villainess. (There were others. I choose these three to bear the weight of public scourging.)

Home, home, home.

Am v. pleased to be back in the great desert wastes. While the climate of the Bay area is superb, the array of ethnic restaurants dizzying (Mem: Am fond of Peruvian food. Who would have guessed it?), and the hammock a great distraction, all my people are here.

Off to prepare for school.

Pfrancing

So, it looks like I have a lot of dancing ahead of me. Which is good, of course. I love to dance, and could definately be in better shape.

As of tomorrow (Tomorrow? Tomorrow!), I will be taking actual lessons in Raqs Sharqi, for which I am very excited. Between that and Baronial dance practices, and the upcoming Yoga and Judo classes for which I'm enrolled, I should be a beast, come this winter.

Not to mention, of course, the movement-, theater-, and dance-related Jewish day camp I'm helping with next week, for four to eight year olds, which should keep me a-moving for nearly eight straight days. Eek. I have to pack for that.

Responsibility

If I'm to return to school, I may as well get ready for it now. Mostly, I'm all too happy - mending my sweaters, polishing my boots, knitting new warm-keepers, etc. However, as an English Education major, I really should reread all the required High School books. Which is again, fine. Anything had to read then tended to be short.

But.

I managed to escape from my primary education without having read one book. I switched from regular to AP English just in time, and side-stepped it. The infamous. Ethan Frome.

I've read Wharton. I actually kind of liked Summer, though I need to read it again and see if it's as creepy as I remember it. But Ethan Frome, man! I thought I'd never have to suffer it. Ah well. I suppose I'll have to in order to inflict it on my future pupils, as I can't imagine going all Ursula Brangwen on the little monsters and whipping them.