sorry for the hiatus

Well, I decided that with all of my new free time, (we'll see how long this lasts...I have a crazy talent for finding things that keep me too busy), I need to keep posting. The last time I updated this was last August. So much has happened since then. I will try to tell some of it in flashback over then next few weeks, but I will begin with what happened on Tuesday.

So I am teaching in Project GRAD's summer program again. Tons of inner city kids forced to come to class in the summer: a recipe for adventure. Side note: Went to their talent show last night...unreal. So I am halfway through a class on Tuesday and the kids are taking a quiz in silence. Now, in this scenario, silence is relative. What I actually mean is that I didn't have to scream to address the class. Being in this group may be the only situation I can ever be in where it is difficult for me to be heard.

So in the middle of their quiz, the power goes out. Now, it is about 10:30 AM and the room is full of windows. We can all see fine, but the power is out. One girl starts immediately panicking (I find it strange that "panicking" has a K in it...but it's right; I looked it up). She is screaming "Lawd Jesus be with us!" One girl replied repeatedly "Don't worry errbody, Jesus IS with us!" So I try to calm them down without laughing in their face. I mean, the power just went out and that's it.

As I am saying, "It's just the power. Everyone calm down," the fire alarm starts going off and I smell smoke. Yes, kids. You were in histerics over a power outage and now I must tell you that our building is on fire. "Everyone grab your things and follow me to the stairs."

Now the stairwell is jam-packed full of UT students and we are trying to get downstairs. One girl is screaming "GET OUT!! GET OUT!! Dis ain't no drill!!"

Then their chaperone, a mid 30s black woman, really helps the situation by saying "Everyone please run. We need to get away in case the building explodes." Thanks for that, lady.

So, yes, I fled a burning building with 20 inner city kids FREAKING out. I don't think anyone was hurt in the building. An air conditioning unit caught on fire.

Then my friend Holly and I were going to lunch. She had heard of this new Mexican restaurant that we decided to go to. It was truly authentic. Everyone barely spoke English. I had to get Holly, a Spanish teacher, to translate. We had a super nice, but terribly awkward waitress. Just a really funny scene, with Mariachi (no clue how to spell that) music blaring in our ears.

I finished this random day, with a last-minute invite to Dixie Stampede, Dolly Parton's Dinner Theater/Rodeo. I knew I had to go. It was a perfect ending to this crazy day. I had an epiphany while at the show. I NEED to work there in the summers as the emcee. Where else can I ride horses, act, and sing....WITH Dolly Parton? The answer, my friends, is nowhere.

Well, my goal is to update this every couple of days. Until the next episode...