Last time I repainted and changed the locks on Rockin’ the Bourgeoisie was June of 2010. It’s getting to be time to tidy up around here again, don’t you think? Especially since I just received my shiny, new, personalized Rat Fink logo. How fun!

The awesome Andy Nortnik designed her, and I think she’s delightful. Nerdy, sassy, kind of artsy, but with the requisite amount of silly. I think he nailed the persona, from the ubiquitous turtleneck to the John Lennon specs. If you ever need custom cartoon art, hit him up. He’s a super nice guy, and he’ll cut you a sweetheart of a deal.

OK, back to me. Focus. I need to find a new blog template that will incorporate little RF perfectly. The search begins.

Hopefully, the next 48 hours pass quickly and happily (there is much merriment at the school house today and tomorrow), so we can get on with the weekend, which will consist of grandsons, flash mobs and chili for 20. Piece o’ cake, piece o’ pie. Mavis and I have been known to bash out a magnificent feed or two in our day.

I hope your work day goes fast, too. Unless of course, you’re one of my favorite you-know-whats, to whom every day is Saturday.

Fink, off to search the WordPress themes

We’re down to the happy wire, fiends. Last night’s high school concert marked the end of the school Christmas gigs. Now it’s just the fun stuff for the remaining “performance” (a quick flash mob at a local grocery this Sunday, followed by chili at my house for the mobbers), then hello, Christmas break. Family in the house! Grammie kisses for grandchildren. Love the thought of it.

Now to keep my HS choir from lying down on the floor in protest. “Time to get out choir tour music.” Ah, I can see the faces now…

Heh heh.

Over halfway there, my pets. Over halfway. Three gigs down, two to go. High school concert on Tuesday night, and our little flash mob next Sunday. Then it’s done for another holiday season.

Today, I go to the band concert, come home and wrap more gifts (I made a dent last night, although this cold seems to be reluctant to exit, and I didn’t get as much done as I’d have liked), and gear up for the last full week of school. I will also say at this juncture that, while the Thriller and I have decided to forego getting live Christmas trees anymore, I am sad about it. I miss the look and smell and decorating fun. Blah. Perhaps next year I could ring up Lars and ask him to haul the tree in from the car. Mebbe? I think he’d do that for us.

Update: Just got this text from Lars: “Of course I’d haul the tree in for you!” He’s such a good son.

Anyway. How are you coming with wrapping?

When my kids were small, it seems I was always running around dangerously close to (and sometimes, even on) Christmas Eve, trying to get last-minute shopping done. Nowadays, I’m 90% finished by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend. Not that Christmas is all about the shopping for me, mind … I love the time of year, actually, because it means more family time for us. Everyone’s so incredibly busy, including me. I hate it. Each year I make a silent promise that I’m going to slow down and enjoy the holidays a bit more, but “stuff” just gets in the way. My intentions are good, dangit, but cripes. One day I will learn.

The worst part of this Christmasy, snowy weekend is that I’m still not “over it” enough to be around the Fab Four (our grandsons). I feel like a big fat Grammie fail.

But that comes to a screeching halt on Friday. Come on, virus gods. Let me go.

After tomorrow, I’ll be over halfway done. Does that make you want to dance and sing?

Last night, my 5th-8th graders sang like angels, and hopefully delighted their audience. There was one little behavior issue involving less-than-professional comportment on the risers that I must deal with this morning. Students presenting poor posture and attitude on the risers is a rarity, and I was disappointed. But I will dispose of the problem forthwith. Bank on it.

My dastardly cold is finally starting to subside, thanks to DayQuil, NyQuil, and clean livin’. I plan to be back on track to Grammieville by one week from today. Once we get there, all gigs except for one (a fun one that involves a flash mob of sorts) will be history, and I can really start enjoying the holiday.

What about you? Do you have any plans to go away for the holiday? I  know a couple of you fiends (David, PK, maybe others) are having family in. That’s a good part about being the matriarch/patriarch, ja? I remember hitting the road every holiday when my kids were young; it wasn’t something one thought about — one just did it. Pack up the kids and go to Mom’s for Christmas. I loved doing it, and it never felt like work. Nowadays though…wow, I don’t know how we did all that. My own sons and their wives are constantly on the move with their kids at the holidays, hauling bunches of gear with them (especially Lars and Helen, whose children are much younger than the Js).

Wears me out thinking about it. But I surely do appreciate their willingness to do it.

OK, enough rumination for one morning — especially when I’m running 15 minutes late. But hey, I can see the weekend from here. Yay for some more couch time and finally hitting this cold out of the park.

And speaking of cold: five degrees outside this morning? Are ya jokin’ me?

Yeah, that was yesterday.

When my phone rang at 5:30 a.m., I knew it was a school delay. Apparently, there was ice all over the roads in the little village where I teach, and they decided to err on the side of caution and wait it out. Well…turns out, the wait was longer than expected.

I had just started to dry my hair after showering and getting dressed for school, when the phone rang again, with the automated message that school was closed for the day. Well, whaddya know about that? All dressed up and nowhere to go.

So, I got back into some jammies and snuggled up in front of the space heater, and had a latte while reading the news, posting to Facebook, and generally being lazy.

That lasted all of about one hour; then I was rarin’ to get stuff done.

I cleaned the parlor, wrote a rhythm section chart, and finished the sound plot and program for Wednesday night’s concert. All set to copy, fold, and distribute. It’s nice to get a day once in awhile to take care of minutiae like that. It’s stuff that would otherwise have me staying late after school, and frankly, with this miserable cough, I’d like to leave work at work as much as possible.

So today, we continue the Christmas Countdown. Not the Countdown to Christmas, mind; rather, the Countdown to No More Christmas Gigs. Number 2 of 5 happens tomorrow night. I’m looking forward to it, actually. Should be fun. Should be. Hmmm.

Right now, I’m just looking forward to coming back home tonight and getting all snuggly-rat on the couch, ate up with the NyQuil.

Fink*cough* out.