Two months?

I can't believe it has been that long since I posted. I didn't even post a new year's resolution post? How did I let that fly by. I think about how much is going on these days, and I know I have stuff to write about, so why am I not writing?

Of course what pulled me back this time is something that happened at school. I want to write about it as a learning experience for me, but we all know the last time I did that (without using names or specifics) a school board member and his daughter had kittens and caused me all sorts of trouble. Oh, what the hell, we all know one way or another the thing that will always get me in trouble is my words... verbal or written.

So this school year, in case I haven't mentioned it is about to go down on the books as the biggest all time beating. Both baffling.. the girls are always happy to say yes to whatever, and then they wander off and don't do what I ask. I have never dealt with that before. Out right mutiny. Sure. Sly unwillingness. Sometimes. Happy compliance without following through? Shoot. Me.

The senior ads have been the worst of the situation. The girls have worked their butts off. The pages are killing us. Last spring ad sales were during bomb threats and such, so it started out sideways. This summer all the ads were done on the wrong templates. AAuuugggghhhh. So they all had to be moved over and fixed.

At Christmas we did not have a single page submitted to the plant. We usually have about 550 by then. Over Christmas I did manage to submit them all. The senior staff decided to gas on it in the last three weeks of school before Christmas and got all of their first semester pages ready to go. It was impressive.

Second semester starts... and we have 2 more deadlines and 100 or so pages to go... and all of those first semester pages I submitted? Yes, they all came back as proofs within a two week period. It has been a madhouse.

We also have the flue and other illnesses flying around this place. So, it's been a bit hit or miss. One of the girls that is responsible for about 40 pages was out sick. I understand, no problem, but the pages are here waiting because she really knows where she is and what needs to be done etc. She doesn't talk to me when she gets back, apparently everything I say to her she takes as me being mean, not understanding etc etc. The hard part of that, is that I had talked to her about how I enjoyed having her on staff, but if she wanted to do something different we could work on that, and just please talk to me if there is a problem.

Does she? No, of course not. She just quits. It kills me. She knows that means all these other girls will have to do her job. And I clearly, am an idiot. The entire time she smiled at me and said, "Oh, it's fine." She was really being deceitful. It was lies. She wasn't going to tell me if there was a problem. She apparently things I'm evil and didn't mean anything I said to her??? Ug. Makes me feel gross. Makes me feel bad for the other girls. Makes me sad that this girl doesn't know how to be honest.

But, at the same time, it makes me so grateful for all of the other kids on the staff who have worked hard, and suffered through all the crap this year. They haven't quit, they haven't walked away. I know I need to tell them more often how proud I am of them and that it says so much about their character. And I am going to tell them today.

In the meantime, I'll work on posting more and getting some of the other fun stories of crap that goes down around here up.