McCruari Humor

Today started off with a pain in the neck. Carrie's neck.

It started out innocuously enough. I was getting ready in the kitchen and Carrie was talking to me. Her hair had come forward so she swung her head to throw it back over her shoulder.  "OW! That really hurt!"  It was an action she'd done countless times before, but this time was different. Of course, I didn't know that yet. I figured it was just a quick pull and something that would pass fairly quickly. Wincing, Carrie went downstairs to pump and I grabbed my tea and was off to work.

An hour later, I'd be back at home and a couple of hours after that, Carrie would be hopped up on some Vicodin and muscle releaxers and be sporting a support collar. My brother Matt's response?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymKLymvwD2U

That's McCruari humor for you!

And if you want the long account...


Carrie called at 7:20 when I was grabbing breakfast at Chic-Fil-A. She was crying. Her neck hadn't gotten better, it'd gotten worse. She couldn't pick up Shane to feed him and was trying to have him drink the bottle while in his crib. Carrie had called my mom, but Mom wasn't going to be able to make it over until 9:00 and then she had an 11:00 Dr's appointment. My wife asked if I could come home. I asked her to wait 15 minutes and I'd call her back. I was already almost at work and I would need to make sub plans if I was going home.  Plus, I was erroneously hoping Carrie would start to feel better and the situation would resolve itself.

Not.

Carrie was hurting badly and needed me to come home. Unfortunately, teaching is a 'performance' and the show must go on. I ended up busting my butt getting everything ready for a sub and changing my plans for the next hour. It was not a good day for me to have to bail. There was an IEP the next day I was getting ready for, a couple of kids were trying to turn things in last second to save the grade on their report cards (one had even been emailing me pleading), and another student who's amazingly behind was going to stay after for some make-up work. Then there was the team meeting, the quiz review for math, and my team-teacher 8th period had already told me that he was going to be out, so I'd have to help his sub. Busy, busy day.  Then, to further improve my outlook, the AP dropped by and told me her buddy was going to be coming in to cover for me.  Wonderful.

I was pretty frustrated at this point, but that never helps so I said a silent prayer and tried to look on the bright-side. I'd made lots of copies in neat stacks, had a fair lesson plan (including an emergency video for science), and the sub had to sign my VGLA binders anyway. Maybe she'd give a good report to the AP and make me look a little better.  Plus, I only had to use 6.5 hours of leave instead of the full allotment because I'd come in and was working on getting plans ready.

The whole "looking on the bright side" hit a road bump on the way out to my car. I called home, and my mom was already there and available all day.  My first thought was that I'd taken the day off for nothing.  My second thought was that there was no going back, because if I made the AP's friend turn around that would put me on the shit list lickity-split.  Thankfully, (or unthankfully for my wife's health) it did turn out it was a good thing I'd taken off. At one point Carrie couldn't get off the bed and I had to help her up and I also ended up taking Shane to get his 4-month vaccinations. (On a side-note, I was really proud of my boy. He cried like he was dying when he got stabbed, but he recovered really quickly this time!  He slept off and on for most of the time he was home and took it like a trooper. He even let me touch where the shots were without any fuss later that night). I also "scripted" many levels of magic in Oblivion:Nehrim.... (scripting involved a gnome pencil holder holding down the cast key on my keyboard for hours).

I am curious about what's going to happen tomorrow.  I got an email from my AP that read as follows: "... please stop by first thing after buses. Nothing is wrong at all just need to ask you a question about a student. Thanks." I'm willing to bet it's one of two students, but I've never had an AP double-check with me after having a sub unless it's this sub.

It would be nice if this whole incident ended with a plus mark in my boss' mind that I do a good job with a rough crowd. Especially if her friend told her I left good plans. I just hope the kids didn't run riot while I was out and that I'm going to take the heat for it. Doubtful, but the thought is there.... (plus it's a more interesting note to end a post on! Oh wait, I shouldn't actually say that should I? Oops)