Happy Independence Day!

Funny, I don't feel very independent with my poor mother waiting on me hand and foot and my being unable to talk or eat or drink.... Yep, I went through with the surgery. I can't even eat ice cream right now! What a rip off—that was supposed to be the only perk of this darn surgery! Swallowing my liquid painkiller makes me double over in pain. I just started taking the steroids this morning, which should make it all much better soon; they better not make me angry and hairy like I heard they might. Gross.

The good news is I can tell this surgery will help with my asthma--I can breathe better already now that my airways aren't obstructed with enormous tonsils! Still can't swallow, but I can breathe. I think my recovery will be a tad harder because the doc says it is harder when the tonsils are infected and big at the time of surgery and mine were both.

So, I am going to be out of work for at least a week to recover, and there IS a good chance that I will be fired upon return for some things that I couldn't possibly get done before taking my sick leave.

I’m sorry, but when you are sick and exhausted from working to death for paychecks smaller than what I made in undergrad and you are asked to stay over to finish up a project the night of the TOM WAITS show you spent $195 on and have been waiting since 1992 for…. well, I guess it kinda skews your priorities a little. So, I may get fired and I may not care…

And I am sooooooo glad I went to see Tom Waits. This guy really knows how to put on a show. I knew he’d be good, but this was downright thrilling. We were in the center of the tiny (gorgeous & old) theatre--only 15 rows back....perfect view. The audience was great, too….they knew all the words and got really into clapping for the encore and randomly standing up to yell and clap after certain awesome songs. After the show we walked out the side door where he was standing about 10 feet from a bunch of fans and talking to them! I stood behind everyone and waved timidly. HE WAVED BACK! I expect his proposal any day now. Then he walked over and started shaking hands with everyone, but not me because I just couldn’t put my hand out there or make eye contact. This man fully defines cool. Boy Wonder only knew two songs before the show: “Mocking Bird” and “Goin’ Out West.” Now he is a HUGE fan and wants to go see him again!

The perks of possibly being fired after sick leave: not working that hell job any more and at least a day off before I start my new emergency job. Any job, no matter how quickly rushed into, would have to be better than the current one. And I should know by the beginning of August if I have a teaching gig or not. The principal seems convinced that I do…. It is all in the Board of Education’s court.

Much love,
Scraps.