Spring Break: A List

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Our school district’s calendar does not always include a full week for Spring Break. Most often, we have the Friday and Monday before and after Easter off of school. Every once in a while, however — and I really don’t know the math or magic involved — we find that we have a full week off. Is it the most convenient time, with MCA’s (Minnesota’s statewide tests) during March and April? No. Is it ever actually “spring” during Spring Break? Of course not (See article photo) Do I make the most of this week off to catch up on all the things I’ve let slide at home since Fiddler on the Roof ended? Not really but kind of but also no.

I now present to you, Dear Readers, a comprehensive list of all the things I’ve done over Spring Break:

• I’ve been asleep by 10:30pm and awake by 7:30 every day. I’m deeply disappointed in myself.

• I got a pedicure, using the gift certificate I got for my birthday… in June of last year.

• I painted my fingernails — I refuse to get a manicure because I almost always chip them immediately — and because I’m being a lazy bones this week, it is still intact 5 days later!

• Billy and I took a road trip to get our passports — we both have separate trips to Canada planned in July, if you can believe that. He played music for me and I for him, and it’s always a joy to see where we overlap. The happy discovery this time: Avril Lavigne. We happily scream-sang Complicated while discussing the baseball schedule and the pitfalls of dating in high school.

• Dan and I continued to watch our new show at night: Fallout. It is based on a video game (that we don’t play) and most of the time we are confused, but it is fun enough to keep going. Walton Goggins is great.

• I told Emily that I was bored playing Block Blast and I needed a new game. She bullied me into Hay Day, so now I’m a stressed out farmer trying to keep my chickens fed while also attempting to produce enough soybeans and carrots to feed a giant Easter Bunny? I might be in over my head.

• I rewatched most of Sherlock because I was in desperate need of cleverness and also Andrew Scott (but I couldn’t handle the emotional weight of rewatching Fleabag).

• I met a friend for coffee at the local Caribou at 8:30am on a Wednesday, and received some wicked side-eye from a group of elderly people by sitting in the armchairs when it was clearly their area. Never fear, we eventually got the hint and moved to a table.

• I had lunch with my mom and scared the hell out of her by approaching her car by the passenger side window. Twice. (She’s blind in her right eye so no peripheral vision on that side.)

• I showed up at church choir even though one guy suggested that he thought I’d be too in my cups to do so, being Spring Break and all.

• I binged the most recent season of Shrinking, which is so good I’m almost mad at it. I texted my brother after the first episode and said, “UGH I forgot how good Shrinking is” and he wrote back, “Ha I almost texted you that last night.”

• Speaking of my brother, I lived vicariously through him as he attended Springsteen’s tour kickoff concert in Minneapolis — Tim had great seats, and said it was the most moving concert he’s seen.

• I had a brief but meaningful discussion with a woman in the Easter candy aisle at Walmart. She asked me when grandchildren were too old for Easter baskets, and I said I wasn’t sure but that I was currently shopping for a 16 year old, an 18 year old, and a 20 year old. She said that hers were in their 30s, and I commented that I believed my brother was around that age when my mom stopped hiding eggs for him. I can’t be sure, but I think I made her feel better.

• I’m having dinner and margaritas with two friends — we’re on an every-6th-months schedule for getting together so the conversation should be WILD.

• Billy has had baseball every morning this week, so tomorrow I’m going to go with him and put in a couple of hours in my classroom so that I feel ready for going back. Then we’re going to get him fitted for a suit for PROM.

I feel satisfied that I had a nice balance of doing absolutely nothing, but also accomplishing enough so I didn’t feel useless. We must have goals, mustn’t we?

Thanks for reading.

Love, Susie