with great thanx to my brother, my last day of school was a success. all kinds of things were going wrong beginning the night before friday. i won't go into it, but i actually started to feel very stressed out. the next day, more things were just not falling into place. technical difficulties with my slide show for the kids and their parents, anddd... just a whole lotta other shit was going on behind the scenes. but the "show" went well. =) parents came for the last class party of the year, bringing all kinds of delicious plates. my mom came and brought korean food, everyone helped set up and stuff. i played the DVD movie of the first half of first grade. then i showed a slide show of the second half of first grade. i was in and out taking care of a million things, and finishing up last minute things. i got everything done just in time. i read out loud my last letter to the students and parents, which kinda turned out to be a speech. i had a parent stand next to me and translate. then i gave out "valuable volunteer" awards to parents who were able to donate their time and efforts to our class. then i gave out certificates for completing first grade (which the school does not provide), and fun awards that were unique to each student. everyone got a kick out of those. =) then i gave out my very special, personal gifts to them, which were the all-star yearbooks. by then the school day was already over. i didn't have time to take it all in and watch them leave. i completely forgot about giving the last report cards, so i was frantically passing those out, and trying to clean up, and answer questions, and say good-bye... it was madness to the very end. immediately afterward, had to attend the staff luncheon. bid our farewells to some staff members and whatnot. of course, anyone would look nerdy when they get called up as the only one to get perfect attendance for the whole year. yes, that was me. i felt especially dumb when i had to go up there just to be up there. she could have at least handed me something so i would have gone up there for a reason, but no, i just went up there to be looked at. anyway, i ended up staying that nite until 9:15pm trying to pack up my room. it was all rush rush. it was all just so much happening that i really think i was stressed. i kept getting these sharp, piercing pains in my left ear... last year i got the chance to watch my kids leave and i got to cry it out. but one big difference is that with last year's kids, i wasn't sure if i'd get them back again or not. but with this year's kids, i knew they'd be coming back to me 3rd grade, so maybe that's why i knew it wouldn't be goodbye, just see u in third grade.

i hadn't had a chance to breathe yet even still! sat. nite i woke up early to play soccer. made a goal! then headed down to irvine, which i haven't been to in.. wow i don't even know how long. helped my buddy celebrate his daughter's first birthday. i'm glad i went and i'm glad i was able to help celebrate. =) i ended up staying longer than i had planned, rushed to my parent's home, made a quick visit, then headed back up to west l.a. didn't make it in time to carpool with benji to methodology. i drove myself, went early cuz not too many folks were gonna be there to help set up (actually a lot ended up coming), and i became quite inebriated as the night unfolded. in fact, i was unfit to drive. i was passed out during dinner, or whatever u would call it at 3am, then went back to chinatown, monty drove my car, benji was unfit to drive as well!, so nina drove his car.. someone else was unfit to drive their car so another person drove theirs... it was craziness. we all made it safely in the end and got home as the sun was rising. i haven't pulled one of those since college, i do believe. next methodology is my birthday party... i predict a somewhat similar, if not more interesting, night.

tomorrow i will be part of the interviewing team to hire new teachers at our school. i'll even be interviewing my very own APSA high school conference co-coordinator, steph aguon! how weird is that. i guess not so much, considering laurence and other folks i got to know were part of the interviewing team when i was applying to 99th. i'm taking the day off of literacy program training this week in order to do this. i think it's important in some of the changes i'm trying to influence at our school. i went monday and today, i'll miss tomorrow, but i'll finish the rest of the week. i'll have to make up wednesday during some other week of training. whoo whee.

i have five free dodgers tickets for this friday nite. i don't think i'm using them. anyone want em?