in which I ignore everything and just write

Wednesday evenings are one of my favorites. Jason goes to scouts and my husband goes to his GMAT prep class. Which leaves me to sit at home and do whatever I want for a full hour and a half. Blog, watch a movie, wish Jessa were feeling better so I could go bug her, go for a run, anything. But usually it's just sit and enjoy some down time. I swear I didn't used to be an introvert, but now that I'm surrounded by 30 loud kids who need something all day every day, a quiet hour or two is like a heavenly round of the Hallelujah Chorus. Simile alert! I just finished teaching my kids about similes. They're dang good at them, too.  And place value. And earth processes. And narrative plot structures.


Also, speaking of introvert, I finally took the BMTI test, because apparently I need a computer and 72 yes/no questions to tell me who I am... Anyway, I have an 11% preference for introvert, which seems pretty slim to me, but whatever. I guess it explains how much I love these Wednesday free-time sessions? Also, my INFJ combination makes me Remus Lupin according to this website, so yeah. I'm a worn-out professor with a good heart who also is a werewolf. (Metaphor. Another thing my kids rock at.)


Funny anecdote: our class is pen pals with residents of an elderly community in the area (thanks again Amy for setting that up!), and their first letters were hilarious. First, they had a million questions for me. "Is Inez a boy or a girl?" "What about Beverly?" "Is it safe to tell them my name? What if they come and pretend to be my mom and check me out of class? But wait, could they do that? Can they even walk? Can they write back?"


And then, in their letters, "Should I call you sir?" "Are you a boy or a girl?" "How old are you?" "Can you still walk?"


Bless those elderly souls, and bless them in advance for trying to decipher our fifth grade handwriting.


So anyway, back to actually picking a topic to write about during this blissfully quiet hour off. Can we talk about fall? Because I love fall. Apparently it's a cliche blogger thing to love fall(?), but I love it nonetheless. I've loved it since 5th grade, when I had an exchange student from Japan, Conoco, and she was amazed by our Oregon autumn. "So pretty!" she would exclaim, picking up a golden leaf. Memories of fall afternoons with her solidified my preference for fall. That and the year I discovered how many treats one can make with a can of Libby's.

Photos taken last fall by KNW. What could be so bad about a season that looks like this?

Sometimes, in this blog of mine, it's good to sit down and just write about whatever I want. It may just become my favorite Wednesday evening tradition. That or watching 13 Going on 30, which I'm booting up as we speak :)