And thus ends Rocktober

Halloween always makes me sad. It's not because winter is coming (I like the cold and ignore the driveway). It's not because it means 25% of the school year has passed (I'll get to that later). No, it saddens me because it signals the last day of Rocktober. Yes, the month in which all that rocks rocks a little bit more and that guy who does voice-over commercials for every classic rock station in the nation rocks a little harder is almost over. Take heart! Even though Rocktober is ending, that does not mean that we cannot continue to rock. In fact, we must take up the battle cry and continue to rock during all of the months that won't rock for us. Rocktober doesn't just exist as 31 days of the year. It exists deep inside every one of us that refuses not to rock just because it is November.

Anyway, the first nine weeks of the school year ended on Tuesday, and those limbo days between the end and when grades are due are torture. This year may have been worse than others. We had an outbreak of the symptoms of H1N1. I'll never know if many of our kids actually and the pork bug, but they sure acted like it; they didn't come to school - for days. The timing couldn't have been better because everyone was missing the week before then end of the marking period when we cram tests in to make the cutoff and be able to grade them before the grades are actually due. You would think they would be a little more considerate and think of some of the consequences of their not coming to school and how if affects me. I can't stand it when people make everything about themselves!

Vikings are looking good at 6-1. Another win over Green Bay this weekend would make for a very nice record, especially in the division.

Rock on

Tale of the Brat Thief

I still can't decide if I'm upset with the events of last night or proud. I made a couple of brats that I had roaming in the freezer and cut them up to eat with some pasta. I was working on something else and when I turned around, about half of the brats were missing. My daughter was there and said, "I love brats!" and proceeded to continue pilfering my stash. I lost my cool a bit as I didn't have any back-up brats and told her to stop. She took the plate to the table and the next time I turned around ate all but two little pieces. I was really looking forward to those brats, but the enthusiasm she was exuding about them may have made up for not eating them. I quite proud of how much she likes brats. She even chooses them over hot dogs.

Tuesday night was one of the best nights of volleyball I've played in a while. Even though it was in a gym with a concrete floor and the end lines were the walls, it was a lot of fun. We played what was probably one of the best teams, and it turns out that we may also be one of the best teams. We split the 4 games and could have won all 4. I felt a lot more comfortable this week getting use to playing 6's again after three summers of doubles. This is going to be a fun season.

I even went for a run the following day and felt good, not unbearably stiff. Anyone who read my last post saw that I found a new shoe store. It's really my new store. I decided that shoes were too big and contacted them to see if they could do anything for me. They have a 30 day return policy, regardless of the condition of the shoes. I'm glad that I decided to boycott Dick's Sporting Goods. I tried to buy shoes there and couldn't get someone to help me. It was clear that I was looking for shoes and wasn't just looking casually. I had my 1-year-old in a stroller, so I was definitely motivated to find a pair and make a purchase. You don't go trying on shoes for fun with a 1-year-old. As I stood looking at the display, holding shoes and looking intently at the sales people, the only response I could get was a curt notification that they only had that shoe is size 14 as one guy rushed to help someone else. I waited for a good 15 minutes and couldn't even make eye contact with anyone. No one even gave me so much as a, "I'll be with you in a minute," or, "Are you being helped?"

Anyway, I'm heading back to get some shoes that actually fit on Saturday and may get some more wool socks. I love those socks. I want to get some SmartWool clothing too. A friend of mine clued me into a site called Steep and Cheap that has some amazing discounts, so I'm watching that because I can't afford $70 for a running shirt.

Big game on Monday. I'm hoping the Vikings are for real and we see an Adrien Peterson extravaganza as he leads the Vikings to a rout of the Packers. Buffalo wings will be made and the kids will go to bed so I can watch this game.