Thing #51: Dashboard Drum Kits

So, I'm tired. I'm running through the list of incomplete items (numerous) on my (extremely long) to-do list. I'm sitting at the light humming to the music, contemplating what groceries to pick up before my brief drop and run at home. I turn to my left. There is a rather wrinkly older gentleman. And he is crushing the drum solo of a rockin' song. We're talking snare, high hat, cymbal, and, no doubt, base drum, too. He was all over that car, making it bop along with his intense and (I'm guessing) practiced solo.

Which made me think, "What the heck is so important in my life that I can't rock a good dashboard drum kit solo now and then?" I promptly calmed down and smiled. A lot. And then I giggled for good measure.

That, if anything, is a good enough reason to be happy.

Thing #50: The Smell of Rain

I left my windows open a little last night. It was just too cool outside to justify shutting them and shutting out that beautiful beginning-of-fall smell. This morning, the rain is falling, which means throughout my apartment there is the smell of rain. It has a crisp, cool feel that we have long been missing. Summer rains smell lovely, but they are soon followed by suffocating humidity. No thank you. This smell, the one I'm talking about, comes only in the spring and fall when you feel like putting on your sweatpants and comfiest hooded sweatshirt.

What delightfulness. If it is going to rain and insist on being cloudy, it is a blessing that it is at least this delicious smelling kind of ickiness. I can handle that.

Thing #49: Friday Night Football

I am not a sports "fan" so to speak. I really could care less what is happening in a professional football team's season. However, I am drawn to high school and college football. There's a certain desperation in some games - the "notice me, I am great!" push of stars as they strive to find a slot in the next level of competition. There are also the mix-ups and fumbles and head-shakers, and that makes it more human, perhaps.

I also love a good Friday night game. Even in high school, I attended most of the home games (except in awful weather). It began when I was in band and was required to go, but it continued well into my junior and senior years. Now, I rarely miss an Ocean Lakes home game. It's as much social as it is football. I rely on the more knowledgeable people around me to shout out what's going on down on the field, but I do pay attention some.

There's just something special about a Friday night high school game, and I can't describe it in words. It's a feeling and an energy that seems unique to that event. And when the air is crisp and the sky is clear, there's no where else to be. No where.

Thing #48: The First Day of School Outfit

The first day always gives me a jittery feeling. When I go to bed, I have to be ready with all my stuff in a bag and the clothes laid out of the bed. The lunch waits in the refrigerator and the coffee maker has the delay start ready to go. The outfit is yet another way to feel prepared for whatever might come my way on that first day. I can remember almost all of my first-day-of-school outfits. In first grade, it included a lovely skirt made by grandma. On the first day of high school, I had Airwalk kicks with a reflective band. My first day of teaching, I wore a lovely teal printed Banana Republic dress. The first day is often momentous, and for many years, those first day pictures were mailed somewhere as evidence of our successful return to school. Unfortunately, some of these pictures (especially the high school ones) are out there...looming.

I used to spend hours trying on clothes just to find the perfect combination of new school clothes for the first day. Generally, I'd find my new favorite pair of jeans, a cute (loosely defined) top, and the new shoes for the year. I cringe a little to think about what I wore in high school, but I felt good, and that's what I remember most. I knew that I was my best in that outfit, and I could take on the world...or the day.

I have become more adept at selecting an outfit for the first day. I have also become increasingly confident with myself and what image I want to present, so that helps a lot. At 25, you'd hope that I'd have some of that under control. Of course, being the teacher instead of the student presents new challenges - like wearing heals for the whole school day. Still, I have found that feeling good in your outfit really is key to having a confident start to the year. It's probably just a mind trick, but to be fair, I love a good outfit.

Today's outfit felt particularly excellent - a black pencil skirt and a white button down with fabulous heals (that hurt...ouch). I felt powerful, and that was JUST the attitude I needed to take on my two classes of seniors and study block. Sometimes, clothes do make the (wo)man.

Thing #47: Finishing the Race

August 2008, I stepped out of the door and ran one mile and walked another. That was all I could do. By Labor Day weekend of that year, I had finished my first 3 mile run. In October, I ran my first real 5K, in November, my first 10K, and March of 2009 was my first half marathon. I am now entering into my third year of running. Shocking. 13.1 miles is a long way for non-runners likes me, but I have now completed it 4 times. This astounds me. I think it also means I cannot completely consider myself a "non-runner" any longer.

While most races come with a sense of accomplishment, the half marathon seems like a big one, especially since I have never run the race distance prior to the race. It's a kind of a question mark - "will I be able to complete all 13.1 miles?" And then, I cross the finish line (in awful shape, might I add), and I have answered that question. Yes. I am able.

Thing #46: Clean apartments

Ah. That is the contentment of someone with a clean apartment. I have scrubbed the bathroom, Cloroxed (nice verb, right?) the kitchen counters and stove top, vacuumed the two rugs, washed the covers of the couch pillows, and lit a very nicely scented candle to make sure it all smells nice, too. This makes me happy. I (as previously mentioned) like order, and my clean AND orderly home make me even happier. It is rare that everything is so neat and clean; therefore, it receives special recognition here.

Ah. Really really content right now (not to mention that the weather is great and I just consumed my first pumpkin spice latte of the season. Mmmm.)

Thing #45: Organization

I am not obsessive, compulsive, or otherwise mentally unstable. However, I am a bit...over-zealous in my organizational pursuits. I have to say, I am not always so stellar at keeping the organization up, but I am great at getting it started. There are currently two things that are keeping me afloat on organization good vibes: 1) my new office shelves complete with baskets and 2) my gradebooks for the upcoming year.

Let's start with the office. Before assembling and organizing my new shelves, I had piles. Piles are no one's friend. They can be seen by all, and they quickly dissolve into greater chaos. After all, what lies at the bottom of a pile is anyone's guess. The piles were haphazard and mostly just annoying and unsightly. Flash forward to the new shelves. They are neatly filled with the books formerly piled next to my other (full) bookshelf as well as delightful baskets. In these baskets, I am able to tuck away the unsightly messes that were my craft and wedding piles. I also have a new basket for the stationary and one for my paint. How perfect! Furthermore, this new organizational tool gave me an opportunity to de-clutter my desk and display more photos. Win.

The gradebooks are another beast all together. Office supply love is nothing new, so it comes as no shock that I adore the neat edges of a fresh binder filled with clean page protectors and new dividers. This year's binders are even fabulously color coordinated. A bright pink binder houses A-Day materials, and within its covers are delicious sections identified with pink paper. A purple binder contains all pertinent B-Day materials with likewise fantastic purple inserts. It is good to know the bones of classroom organization are in place; without a well-organized gradebook, sh** falls apart, if you know what I mean.

I breathe calmly with all of this happily organized junk. I will maintain this delusion of organization...and not open the desk drawer.