Livin' la vida buena

Imagine my glee this morning upon finding the high school parking lot EMPTY. I’d woken up at 6:30, snoozed until 7, then rushed around like a maniac trying to make it to work on time. (Inevitably, I was late. My manana attitude didn’t prevail, since my boss has insisted I get to school by 8am, which is still way later than everybody else, but super-early for me.) It was my first day back at work after a LONG vacation, and this morning proved to me precisely why I must find a way to work for myself: feeling harried and stressed from the moment my feet hit the cold floor; no time for coffee, walking the dogs (we run, like retards, around the block); reading the news. I don’t even swipe on some mascara (make-up in the morning? No way). I’m tired of eating my breakfast out of a Tupperware. Fucking Tupperware.

My gleeful discovery? School was cancelled – and is, possibly, all week. (The janitors, when I asked them if school was closed: "Don't you watch TV, lady? It's been all over the news." Me: "I don't have a TV." Foiled again!) It’s been almost a week since the last snowfall (it’s a beautiful, sun-bright, New Mexico morning), yet the city deemed the roads too dangerous for school to reopen. Outrageous! (And TOTALLY wonderful.) As in kid in coastal MA, school was on during the worst of Nor’ Easters. In Albuquerque, a few flakes and people hole up with hot chocolate and pinon fires. (When I walk the dogs at night, my hair ends up smelling like firewood, which I love.)

I think I’m happier now, as an adult, to discover that school is cancelled than I ever was as a kid. (Not that I liked school. For the most part, I didn’t – despite my dorkiness.) And now I won’t take the extra time off for granted, as I tend to when I have extended vacation time. Today: maybe a snowshoe hike w/ Rex in the Sandias (AWESOME, esp. covered in snow), finally finishing that Mother Jones piece (slacking and obsessing, alternately), maybe getting back to my ms, catch-up emails (I know, I owe you!), and some work on the house.

It’s hard to believe, but today marks a year I’ve lived in New Mexico. It feels like forever that I’ve been here, in a sense…but in a way that feels really good. My NYC life feels really far away, and it’s hard to imagine that I lived in such a different way for so long. It’s funny, too, that I never meant to stay here. For now -- at least, for the next twelve months, I can’t imagine leaving (except to travel, of course). “New Mexican” doesn’t sound quite as illustrious as “New Yorker,” nor does it have the cache. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty sweet life…VIDA BUENA!

‘Til manana,
KT
Addendum:
Another week off!:
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Albuquerque Public Schools News Release
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Subject : Albuquerque Public Schools Will Be Closed Thursday and Friday
Author : Joseph Escobedo
Posted Date : 2007/01/03

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[Albuquerque] – Albuquerque Public Schools will be closed Thursday and Friday (Jan. 4 and 5, 2007) because road conditions have not improved and there is still a great amount of snow that must be cleared from school grounds.
“We were hit hard with record amounts of snow fall and have been working since the storm hit to get our schools ready,” said APS Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Everitt. “Currently we have more than 200 APS maintenance personnel, about a dozen contractors, dozens of parent and community volunteers all working on removing snow at our schools.”
All after-school activities will be canceled until Monday, Jan. 8.
Albuquerque Public School bus contractors told administrators today that the road conditions are not safe for them to be out transporting students to school.
“Our main concern is getting the students to school safely and we hope that these two days will allow time for the snow to clear on the city streets,” added Everitt.
About 38,000 students are transported to school everyday by APS bus contractors.
APS administrative offices will be open as scheduled. Employees can take up to two hours to get into work, if needed, but if any employee feels that it is not safe to drive to work they may take 8 hours of personal or annual leave. Principals, teachers and other school staff do not have to report to work on Thursday and Friday.
“Custodians are being asked to help get schools ready for Monday,” Everitt said. “We thank the community for their support in this unprecedented storm for Albuquerque and the entire state.”
Every child has a right to a quality public education and APS is committed to providing that education. For more information about Albuquerque Public Schools visit www.aps.edu."