Political Commitments

I've been whining a lot this week.

Tonight I have, yes, I know, I say this All The Time, another Board meeting. And I really don't want to go. I'm so imagining what I would do with myself If I played Hooky. Maybe the flu is coming on.

Here's an extra inducement. The meetings are on local cable, so I have this extra fantasy of staying home with my feet up, nursing a cold Porter, and heckling those poor fools who are forced to sit up there, hour after hour, and discuss the lates t budget transfer in exruciating detail.

But then there's a Closed Session at which I'm supposed to report on Negotiations, and we have staff evaluations to consider as well, which I'd like to take part in. Closed Session starts the meeting. It would be weird to go to that and then just disappear after potty break. And there's a curriculum report on High School Math which I'd like to hear. Apparently there was a coup in the High School Math department, and they voted out the New Math-like funky curriculum and voted in Traditional Math (Yay!). Also, the teachers are laying the credit for the change at my door--wholly underservedly, I need to add. I had nothing to do with this shift--although I agree with the change wholeheartedly. But I'm getting handshakes in the coffe shop for engineering and supporting the shift. Eh, Yeah. Um, no false modesty here, but it weren't me. But I should be there for the report nonetheless.

Unless NOT going demonstrates that I didn't support the shift. But I do. See, this is where politics can make you crazy.

Is it just May that makes me want to stay home?

I just can't get the Oooomph up to do much of anything or get excited about much.

But then when I look back over things I've done recently, I realize that I've done quite a bit, and was happy to do it. (Well, getting the stain out of the shirt was neither exciting nor uplifting, but it was somewhat important.) Husband just celebrated one year in business with an event over the weekend--lots of balloons and free samples. My mother visited for three days. And as of this morning, I just came back from a ribbon cutting ceremony at Husband's business, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor. I did that whole negotiation thing last week. I've taken my kids to lots of tutoring sessions (1/2 hour drive each way). Start totalling those up, and I begin to see why I'm feeling kind of, "Meh. Whatever." about tonight's meeting.

TOTAL TANGENT ALERT:

Watched Kate & Leopold last night. The costumes were soooo distracting. Leopold, from 1876 New York was wearing some puffy collared waistcoat under a blue morning coat with GOLD EMBROIDERY all around the sholders. This was paired with biscuit colored pants and riding boots. BOOTS? At a Ball? Riding boots? Why is everyone else wearing black evening dress and Leopold's looking like he just knocked over a notions store?

Then Kate wears a business suit over a buttoned leather vest? No Shirt? Ouchie. Hot, stiff, chafing, and uncomfortable!

Then something looked oddly familiar about it all. (Talk about being distracted right out of the story. I'm looking at shoes, buttons, and the cut of the clothes at the back waistline by this point). At the end of the movie, go back to opening credits. Yep. The costume designer for Kate & Leopold designed the oddish costumes for the Circus I worked at. That's nutty. I didn't even know she *had* a style, and I surely wasn't expecting that I would *recognize* it. Still shaking my head over it.

Maybe it was because she put Leopold in a Ringmaster's costume? Boots and long tails? All he needed was a top hat, a whip, and a different colored jacket.