I did worry about my alarm not going off this morning - but that became a non-issue when I woke up at 4:30 and turned it off. Tom even got up to see me off, somewhat surprising since he's not exactly a morning person....! Patti picked me up right on schedule, at 5:45, and even though traffic was heavy and moving slowly we made it to the airport by 6:20. I did get slowed up at Security because my baggie of trailmix (pumpkin seeds, Craisins, and almonds) looked like explosives in the x-ray
machine. Who knew?! (And I had thought it would be the large metal plate I use for my cross-stitch that would invite extra inspection.) Still, I made it to the gate before
boarding began, and then scored my preferred seat on the aisle in the back.
Before we took off, we were regaled with a singing welcome, a Southwest parody of Uncle Kracker's Drift Away. It was delightful, and I wish I'd been able to record it!
Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Just a couple of minutes after take-off (flight attendants were still buckled in) it got very hot in the airplane; I did joke that at least there didn't seem to be any flames anywhere! Everyone was reaching up to turn on their air, so we soon got an announcement from the cockpit that they would adjust the temperature - which they did. But because of the severe storms all across the Midwest today we had a very turbulent flight. Not only was our seatbelt sign on for most of the flight, but for a good hour or so even the flight attendants were buckled in.
We landed early, my luggage made the same trip I did, and renting the car went smoothly. Then I relaxed while I waited there for Marilyn. Directions to I-95 were confusing, so it was a good thing she had her Smartphone to get us there. Once on the highway we played in Rush Hour traffic, but made it to Mink Hollow without any difficulty. While Andy and Sandy were glad to see us, it was Pippa who gave us a royal welcome. Sandy had made us a delicious dinner, and the four of us caught up on this and that. Heard about Andy's upcoming trial, and we also discussed the possibility of me auditing Torts next semester!
Teachers were not back at work today. When they'd announced that they would
return to the classrooms today if the proposed budget passed on Wednesday (a budget which sadly does NOT address a lot of the issues) the legislature decided not to
vote/pass it - assuming the teachers would still return to the classroom? (Promises over the past
decade have not been kept. At this point, if I were still teaching, I would balk at the
proposed budget and hold out for more real help for the schools after the legislature showed their true
colors: Don’t trust us!) However this evening I got a text from Patti that teachers (at least Deer Valley) are going back to school tomorrow. No details, but maybe the legislators eventually got it through their thick skulls that the teachers have had enough and realized that they needed to do something (like pass the budget?) or the walkout would simply continue.
Like other states that have seen teacher uprisings, Arizona’s schools have lost a significant amount of state funding since the recession, when states were forced to cut budgets across the board. The state did little to restore funding to schools after the economy recovered. Arizona enacted a corporate tax cut that continued to deplete revenue.
Still wide awake now at midnight, though my body is likely thinking it's only 9:00. Of course I have no idea what time I'll wake up tomorrow. Still haven't spoken with Mom, though I did leave a message on her phone this evening. Marilyn and I will head over to Riderwood at some point in the morning, and then bring her back here for dinner tomorrow. Think we're going to celebrate Mom's birthday then since Andy & Sandy have a wedding to attend on Saturday.
No comments:
Post a Comment