and the birthday continues......

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes. I had a great day - although very busy work wise.

I am still celebrating my birthday - sometimes I am celebrating and no-one else knows that I am.

Things people will know about:
* dinner last sat night with friends round the corner (yum yum roast pork),
* dinner last Tuesday night with k and foo (I was SOOOOOOO tired that I made it an early one but it was great!),
* morning tea with people in my staff room (surreal as there are a fair few I would like to knock on the head as they are wankers!)
* dinner with the young boss department chief on my actual birthday before we assessed lots of kiddies (yummy lean cuisines re heated in the microwave and a glass and a half of red wine. mmmmmm)
* all the people present at the recital singing happy birthday to me (Loved every minute of that)
* my singing student doing such a great job. I am very proud of him at the progress he has made,
* dinner with my mum at her place on Thursday night (she and I have planned on an outing when I go on holidays),
* fish and chips last night with the friends around the corner (they didn't know I was counting that as a birthday night but I'm counting everything!),
* lunch today with some friends I haven't seen in ages,
* lunch tomorrow with other Sparky - her birthday is the day after mine - and a few other friends,
* dinner tomorrow night with a few work colleagues and my old boss which I am looking forward to heaps.

Now I haven't finished there - I will celebrate at every opportunity. It was a great suggestion of K's and I will see it through to the end of the financial year! (maybe until next year - although that might be pushing the friendship a little)

The neighbours have been out in the back yard 3 nights this week helping me celebrate - although I don't think that they know it is my birthday. Maybe I should stand outside and yell the fact at them........ I KNOW it is cold but they are still there - they have put a laser-light plastic -roofing wall up around the edges of the patio and veranda. It has quietened them down a little but not a huge amount. The door slams are still quite LOUD! They also have flood lights up and they spend a lot of the time out there chopping wood. They are threatening to have a party (I know. I heard them when I was in the "listening room" - known as the toilet) so I am waiting in anticipation.

I am so excited that I have finished and submitted my 181 reports! Still a few things to sort out here and there work-wise. The young boss is off to be married in Finland and I will step in as the acting head of department while he is away next term. This is our huge term with two big concerts and at least one tour taking place during that time. I am looking forward to the challenge.......(cough cough!)........... We will have another teacher come in and take his classes - someone I went to uni with but that was so long ago that I don't quite remember what she was like.

This week we have our Junior concert where all the kids who have been learning for the past few months/years get together and perform for their parents. This is one of those concerts that Frogdancer mentioned in her blog about how good her son, singing student, did at the recitals the other night. I find the nights a little tedious at this time of the year as I am so tired from the reporting etc BUT it is amazing to see the standard change in the kids each time they get up to play. One of the reasons the standard is high in the senior levels is the fact that we demand a professional level at the junior levels. They rise to the challenge.

I will be out again for a celebration dinner on Wednesday night with some great people from work.........woo hoo!

Just an aside - we have a teacher at school who manages the property, makes sure the graffiti doesn't get out of hand etc. Now I know that as a teacher if you piss off a kid you will get your name mentioned on the walls/desk etc. Yesterday afternoon this particular teacher decided to let me know that he removed graffiti about me from the toilet walls at the back end of the school. According to the delightful child I am a "fat slut" which is great to know. When he told me I replied "but I've lost lots of weight." I am not so much annoyed about having my name mentioned on the wall etc but I am peeved that he told me. Why would you do that? Just thought I would share that moment with you.......