it's red, it's warm, and close to your heart...thanks luke perry!
March 11, 2003, 9:54 pm

Missed me, didn't you? Of course you did. It seems whenever I have a spare moment, diaryland has no want of me for updating...time to suck it up and go gold, I think.

I've been, as usual, insanely busy. Here's a recap of my past two weeks (in a nutshell...pistachio...mmmmmm, pistachio....)

So...how's it going? Did you hear about the fabulous Gophers? Oh no? Well, let me be the one to tell you: COMCAST CENTER! That's right, the GB Gophers' Boys' Basketball team is headed for the hallowed Shell where National Champion Terps play for the MD High School Final Four. I went to the game where they beat the 23-0 Patriots, and let me tell you, it was a great night to be a Gopher fan. Our school is not particularly well-known for its school spirit, but we had nearly 400 kids with faces painted, signs, and enough noise to drown out the home crowd. What an unbelievable feeling!

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One-Act Plays went well. The kids and teachers performed admirably. I cast You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown on Monday. A few kids visited me today to see why they didn't get leads, and that's always tough. It's a lot different than One-Acts where everyone gets a big part because there's so many plays to stick them in. I'm going to be incredibly stressed (so what else is new) coming up.

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Okay, so I gave blood on Friday. For the first time. Ever. I thought it would be nice, and that it wouldn't affect me seeing as how I had classes, dress rehearsal, and the basketball game all that day...I'm so incredibly silly.

First, I thought the entire ordeal would last roughly 20 minutes, so I went around 9:50am, giving me enough time to grab lunch before teaching again at 10:55am. Um, First Strike on the gameboard there. Since I'm a teacher (a cheered on teacher, as all of the kids were super excited I'd be hooked up to the machines next to them; my kids in SGA were teasing me relentlessly, as I looked pretty scared upon entering), I was able to jump to the front of the line (how nice). I didn't realize that they ask you a lot of questions about your past that could yield some potential stand-up routine material:

Have you had sex with anyone since 1977 that has paid you in money or drugs?

Um, does dinner and a movie count? (She didn't think that was funny.)

Have you had sex with a male who has had sex with another male since 1977?

I didn't really ask, but I know I've been with a couple of guys who said they were in a threesome. Of course, I doubted one guy when he bragged about bedding two playmates, but I only assumed he meant child neighbors...(She didn't even crack a smile.)

Then came the obligatory second-guessing myself.

Have you had sex with anyone in the past six months that may have been exposed to Hepatitis or the AIDS virus?

No. I mean, maybe? It was always protected but, uh, I've slept with some slutty guys in the past two months, so uh...

Have you had sex with anyone who was paid money or drugs for sex since 1977?

No, I mean, I don't know?

Have you visited Cambodia in the past three years?

I don't remember!

Were you vaccinated in Cambodia or India?

Aaaaaghhhhhhhhhh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! My blood is filthy!

That's kind of how I felt. I was nervous as I could be, and the nice nurse let me go to the front of the line and get hooked up to the machine. On the auditorium stage. On the auditorium stage where a scant few hours later I was supposed to be having dress rehearsal for One-Acts, but no matter.

I sat down on the little wheelie thing and was greeted instantly by a student I recognized by sight, but had never had in class nor knew his name. "Hey Ms. B! You scared?" he smiled as I noticed the thick, maroon cord seeping out of his arm.

"Uh, no! I'm fine!" I muttered as the nurse nearly flipped me over in the recliner.

One of my students brought me a little sleep mask that said "Princess"; "Here Ms. B.," she said, "that way you don't have to look at it."

I wasn't allowed to wear the mask because, as the nurse explained, they wouldn't be able to tell if I had passed out or not. Great.

So it didn't hurt too much. Not too much. And I felt fine after I got up. The nurse told me that I saved three lives, and that made me feel all warm and tingly...then I realized that I wasn't feeling warm and tingly because I felt good about giving blood, but I felt warm and tingly because I was about to faint.

45 minutes later, a student escorted me to my classroom, where my students giggled nervously at my tepid demeanor and lack of enthusiasm. I felt as if I were so incredibly hungover to the point of being incapacitated; I felt as if my entire body was asleep and I couldn't get out of a trance. Talk about being affected by one measly pint of missing blood!

My students were perfect angels, though, working quietly in their groups and bringing me orange juice as I sat with my feet propped up on another chair in front of me. The basketball coach, Mike, my buddy, brought me cookies and granola bars and juice when he saw how sick I looked. I was roughly the color of an eggshell; overall, not great.

Next blood drive, I'll wait to give during 4th period.

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"My favorite ice cream is Maggie Moo's."

"Yeah, I know, you always mention that place."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, Ms. B., you always talk about Maggie Moo's!"

"No, I really don't...uh, do I?"

*nodding head emphatically*

"Oh."

(The preceding was a conversation between myself and three other students on Saturday. Apparently, I mention Maggie Moo's an awful lot. My addiction is worse than I thought.)

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The film shoot is going really well. My dad got his close-up, and boy is he excited (still!). More news on it as it ends.

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I did a silly, silly thing. A few years ago, someone sent me one of these secret admirer emails, where you send it to someone, and if they send it back to you, you get a message from them saying that they like you. Cute premise.

Anyway, so it turned into this thing I've always wondered about, because I sent it to a couple of guys, and then one sent it back to me. I never knew who originally sent it to me, though.

So I sent one to CNET because I can't handle this anymore. Wish me luck.

At the very least, I can tell Megan that I did something proactive instead of just being whiny all the time.

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So the guy who was the inspiration behind this entry emailed me out of the blue after not speaking to him for about five months today. I have no idea what to make of it, but that he's probably lonely. Had I time to worry about it, I'd probably write back to be cordial, but I don't want the desperate booty call. We all know that you can't booty call a one-night stand, and while technically we did go out a few times, I kind of equate our relationship to a one-night stand, and that just won't do. For further edification, see the rules.

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The first boy that broke my heart broke up with me nine years ago today. Sunrise, sunset.

Oh Patrick, you devil.

*kisses for a good week*