This year’s haul included Twain’s Feast, the Autobiography of Mark Twain, The Millennium Trilogy, Cleopatra: A Life, Operation Mincemeat and Earth: The Book.

I realize that I would probably be a great candidate for a Kindle or Nook or iPad for reading, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.  I just love real books too much.  I love the weight of a hardcover in my hand, the feel of the paper and the satisfying “thump” when you close a book when you finish it.  You just can’t do that with an electronic reader.  Also, I never have to worry about the battery going dead on a book.  You also can’t make cute bookmarks for electronic readers.

As long as I am alive, the print publishing industry will still have one customer.

Now, it’s been…a while…since I was a student there, and I didn’t exactly expect to be overcome with nostalgia the moment I walked through the door, but I thought I might stumble upon a few corners of the school that might feel ever-so-slightly familiar. Nope. I am going to take the word of my friends that the school has been extensively remodeled since I attended.

It’s funny, because I totally remember the layout of my classroom in first grade: Mrs. Casey’s desk front and center, the chalkboard right behind her, door & coathangers on the right hand wall, my desk on the second row, either at the far left or second from the left. Yet I have absolutely zero memory of how I got from the front door to said classroom. I’m sure we also had music and PE and such – but you couldn’t convince me I ever left that classroom for anything other than recess, where I gave Billy a bloody nose one sunny and crisp fall afternoon after he decided it was a good idea to start picking on my friend. (This is how we dealt with bullying back the day. Not exactly appropriate now.)

But one thing does remain – her spirit is still floating around the school. I remember how much she worked with me on the problems I had, and cheered me on in the subjects in which I excelled. Granted, she did have to tell my parents, “Cindy doesn’t like to associate with the kids below her reading level.” The reply was, “So, you’re telling us we have an elitist on our hands.” (I’d like to think I got past that little issue.)

Granted, things would be harder if she were working today – between the SOL’s and having to suspend me for the Billy incident and the Neosporin in my desk when I split my lip and had stitches, she’d have to stop sleeping so she could teach and do all the paperwork I would have generated just on my own.

She is still my favorite teacher ever – I never remember a day where I walked out of there feeling like crap. Feeling like I could do better and was actually capable of it? Sure. Feeling like I could do great? Lots of times. Like crap? Never.

I IA’d for an autism resource teacher and her kids are doing spectacularly well. This is in NO small part due to her very hard work and the work of the mainstream second grade teacher. These kids came in happy to be at school, worked their butts off all day and didn’t leave the school feeling like they’d had anything less than a really good day and looking forward to tomorrow. That doesn’t just happen – that’s a teacher’s work right there.

Yup, Mrs. Casey’s vibes are still floating around the building.

It was a really lovely little break from routine and I loved every minute of it, but coming home was just as lovely. I pulled up in front of the house and as I got the cooler of little bro’s petsitting payment of BBQ out I looked up and saw a barking and bouncing dog in the window. How great is that? Hell, when I was married I didn’t get that kind of reception when I had to go out of town.

Inside, once I got past the bouncing and kissyness of the MoxleyDog, Carmen was next in line. She seemed slightly befuddled, as if she wasn’t quite sure how long I’d been gone. But I got an, “Hey! You weren’t here, but you’re here now! Let me show you the MOST AWESOME THING!” And then she went and lounged on the super awesome cat table that appeared as soon as I’d left on Wednesday night. (This is also known as the laptop table.)

It took a little bit of calling about the house to locate the LilyMonster. I found her in the center hall, and she was angry. It went something like this… “You LEFT me! You went away, and had fun and—-MOOOOOOOMMMMMMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and she came running down the hall meowing at the top of her lungs and headbutted me with her Evinrude outboard motor purr.

Sometimes the best part of checking out for a few days is finding out you were missed when you return. Narcissistic? Quite possibly so. Heartwarming? Most definitely so.

The original came out in 1982, we got a (likely pirated) copy on VHS when we were overseas – I cannot tell you how many times we watched that movie, and this one looks FREAKING AWESOME.  I didn’t realize they were actually going to extend off the original – I cannot tell you how completely geeked out I am that this isn’t just another remake.

If my Dad were still around, he’d be in line at 12:01AM on December 17th to see it.  Hell, *I* may be in line at 12:01 AM.