Didn't Get a Single Number Correct Wednesday Night, But I'm Road-Trippin' Like I'm a Boss. I Rarely Play. I Always Lose. Onward.

Every once in a while I get a wild hair that wonders, "What would it be like to hit a Powerball Jackpot," so I play every now and again. I already know what I'd do...take a lil' chunk for me and then create a trust for the National Writing Project so individuals like me don't have to work so hard to secure funds in support of teachers and kids. I'd like to restore the normalcy of solid literacy instruction through research-based professional development for teaching writing. Simple, really. 

But I lost. I'm over it.

I'm actually hitting the road this morning for Pine Grove Mills, PA, to finally spend a long weekend with my dear friends who I miss tremendously. It's been too long and a year ago I married their son to his wife and today, a baby is due any minute. Their collegiate life kicks off next week, so I'm kicked out and will head to Syracuse from there...a four hour drive. I figure I can do the triangle in a week and should land on Amalfi Drive by Monday (in time for the week, but not to pacify my mother's weekend boredom. Sad news, too...I have to leave Syracuse by the following weekend because our work is picking back up at Fairfield. 

I got myself in a good place with syllabi, publications, editing, and materials for Fall (finally put away a garage full of CWP-Summer goods). So now I'm looking forward to taking off for a little while and not being monopolized by the National Writing Project work or Fairfield University. I know that the vast majority of academics get June, July, and August off and I can't even wrap my head around three months being away. I'm lucky if I get a week or two (but I know my responsibilities are different, and if you want to make a good world for young people and their teachers, you have to put that much more time in). 

Of course, in two weeks I'll get head-whopped again by all my colleagues who have posted all their summer vacation spots and relaxation photos, only to state they need their summers for research. We see each others CVs. Those in the know, always know. 

In my next life, I hope to be a better person for drawing lines and saying, "This is owed me." I'm not that way, though, because I have too much K-12 in me, and even more passion for helping those who get beat down the most. Returning to the hypocrisy is part for the course and, who knows, maybe one day I'll hit that Powerball and then I can really focus on the good work I know needs to be done.