I know in some areas, school has started and in others it’s about to start - my granddaughter starts kindergarten on Wednesday.
So let’s share memories of first days - yours, your kids, whoever. I’ll be back later with my tales.
Happy Moanday!
First! Hah.
I always loved the first day of school even in horrible middle school.
Mornin’ all! Balconatin’ for now, but a morning shower is headed our way and I’ll probably have to retreat before I post this.
Today is the first day of school for Her Ladyship’s daughter’s foster 6yo. So of course it wasn’t until Friday that the school got any of the enrollment & emergency contact paperwork to daughter’s residence. Who was on vacation with us since Wed. All of which is genuine dead-tree paper and cannot be done online or emailed.
Cue crisis since she’s also got to juggle her other 3 toddlers while trying to deliver 6yo to school, complete & deliver paperwork, etc. And because the kid is a foster, there’s no such thing as “close enough good enough, we’ll do the paperwork the next day” like you could do for your own bio-kid. So much complications.
Her adopted developmentally-delayed maybe-mildly-autistic-or-something 3yo who’s been with us this weekend also begins a special pre-school this week. Just 2 days a week. Which means Mom, the professional early ed teacher, gets to be the substitute teacher the other 3 days so matching curriculums had to be built, etc. So much complications.
Meanwhile the other two 3yos need the usual care, feeding, and watching. And she still has 3 empty slots for incoming fosters that keep falling through at the last minute. So much complications.
She’s got the energy and patience of 10 of even 30yo me. I don’t know how she does it.
I recall my own starting school as no big deal. I did preschool for IIRC 2 years (though might have been 2 terms) then the usual K-12. No major crises. Some years it was kinda fun and anticipatory, most years it was “Oh well; here we go again”. I can still remember all the classrooms and teachers’ names. I don’t have much recollection of my fellow kids though. Says something about my thoroughly tiresome personality.
A shout-out to all the many teachers who were forced to deal with me. The youngest would be ~73 right now (~24 fresh out of teacher college when I was 16. Rowwr!!) and the eldest would be 120-something now (~65 when I was 6 in 1st grade). Some I liked better than others but none were bad, mean, disinterested, or burned out.
Annnd … the rain shower headed my way just melted as it hit the beach. Another has formed out to sea, and the air is cool as sunrise finally happens. Time for more caffinatin’ and balconatin’.
It appears unlikely I’ll get any overtime now through Wed so I’ll probably be home & slothing. Probably. I’ve got Thu reserved as a home-for-sure day to have my long-awaited phone interview with Social Security. Then Fri-Mon I’m back on-call for the first of my three (!!!1!!) remaining irk stints.
Cheers all!!
Ref Nellie’s last-MMP call for advice in the middle of the night, here’s hoping she got to the ER promptly and the problem is under control.
Here’s to a happier week for our much afflicted Cookie, Sari, and Wordy. And all our others grappling with life’s problems great and small.
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s currently 21c/69f with a predicted high of 23c/73f and mostly cloudy. Weather app is unimpressed and tells me that “It’s a stupid cloudy day and I ain’t got fucking shit to say about it.” Well, clearly you had that much to say!
True, it’s cloudy but there’s been some sun and it’s still quite humid out there. I’ve got windows open upstairs so we’re getting a breeze along with the neighbour’s constantly-barking dog, grandpa who’s sitting outside on a swivel chair hammering something, and the noise of what sounds like a bandsaw. Since the idiot neighbour has managed to break a pair of 7’ high wooden gates, I suspect he’s cobbling together some kind of rudimentary barricade, because he’s that stupid.
nellie please check in with us today! Did you get to ER? Has someone medically qualified looked at your leg and done something about it?
First day of school was something exciting and dreadful. My first two schools (infants and juniors) were right across the road from home so easy to get to and back home again. The grammar school was 3 miles away and involved a 10-minute walk from home to the bus stop, then (hopefully) the school bus that would take us directly there, or two normal service buses that meant we had to change halfway along the route to catch the second bus.
I wasn’t particularly bothered about starting school (it’s always early September here), I was just bothered about having to go in the first place! Never enjoyed it, never fitted in, never had many friends. When I was 16, we moved away and I had to start Sixth Form in a completely new place. That was difficult, and I really regret going to the school instead of the Sixth Form College instead.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN OK, actually already caffeinated. ‘Tis 75 Amurrkin out and clear(ish) with a predicted high of 95 and N.O.S. for the day. The big item on today’s agenda is men’s night over to the church house this evenin’. Thus, as y’all know, steaks are marinatin’ and beer is chillin’. We’ll head over early as is our wont to do setup and prep stuff. Other than that sloth shall rule the day. I could mow, but ain’t happenin’ today.
First day of skool was always excitatin’ for me as a wee cub. As I got older, it was just a thing that happened whether I wanted it to or not. I remember all the names of my elementary skool teachers, and almost all the names of junior high and high skool teachers. A few of those names are fuzzy especially in the seventh and eleventh grades where I had three homeroom teachers in one year for both grades. I can remember the names of teachers for classes I had however. Junior high (what a lot of you call middle skool) was loathsome for me. Matter of fact I can drive by that buildin’ when I am in ye olde home towne (which is now a part of the local kolledge) and still shudder. Lookin’ back, it was really mostly me. Well, puberty and me. I did not suffer puberty well and I was in junior high when I was beset with puberty. I was back to my usual lovely self by high skool.
I shall join in the chorus of hopin’ Nellie got to the ER last night.
I am already caffeinated as mentioned earlier, so I shall now go feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.
Happy Moanday Y’all!
I only remember being excited in about eighth grade, as I was eager to see my good friend again. I met all the buses coming in and finally spotted him. We started talking and then started laughing when we realized that both our voices had dropped. I must have been excited about the first day of senior year, too, as it meant the end of all those crappy high school dynamics and moving on to meet new people.
Back to PT today, which is good, and I’ll probably start up exercise classes again this week, also. A haircut is in the schedule for this afternoon. Busy, busy. Gonna be very hot over the next few days, with very high humidity, as that heat dome presses north a bit.
Onward to breakfast!
@nelliebly your ass had better be at the E.R. or at urgent care by now, or I will personally kick your ass.
Smalls heave was brief, but hot. Then I had to load on Middle Blue. 3 cars were pretty easy, but the middle one had 3 bulk stops, and looked like it had been loaded by an anacephlic Blueberry on Saturday. I fixed, but the driver’s gonna be cursing me.
I have blotted out all the moemories of the first days of school. Except today. The nearest Catholic grade school had it’s first day today, so I had to squeeze past the drop off line with my mind right wheels in the gutter. Also, It’s college football season, so it’s almost time for my yearly rant about unranked Incarnate Frickin’ Word getting to be on TV on week 2, but N.C. State doesn’t. 
nellie, please check in.
Adding my voice to the nellie watch–if you’re confused, go back to last week’s MMP and read the last 10 or so messages. (BLUF, here leg was swollen and there was a potential blood clot). Hopefully she’s at the ER and will respond to us when she can.
Up and ready for the 5-S day (Shop-Sammich-Swim-Sauna-Soccer). Also need to make sure the soccer players have a 5-S day (Shoes-Socks-Shin Guards-Shorts-Shirt). Already 81F before 9am, so going to be another hot and dry day.
My first day of school was Kindergarten at Meadowbrook School in 1958 (the school building was still there last time I was in my old hometown 4 years ago, but is now an admin building). No real memories of what it was like, but thinking back I was awed at how BIG it was (in truth, it was a pretty small elementary school).
Pilot, many Huzzah’s and Praise’s for your Daughter; she seems to be an extraordinary person.
OK, need to get about the S’s…have a good week all.
nellie you best be in the ER.
I always wanted to wear my new clothes the first day of school but it was always too hot. Other than that, no major memories of starting school.
Yesterday was horribly hot and humid. Today and tomorrow will be normal summer but Wednesday and Thursday already have excessive heat warnings.
nellie, sending good vibes your way - I very, very much hope you got to the ER last night. Please let us know how you’re doing as soon as you can safely and comfortably do so.
Both my kids started school today this morning - my son is now a senior in high school and the girl is in 8th. The boy got up at 5 a.m. for something called senior sunrise, which is a tradition at their high school. They used to spend the night on the football field but shockingly they decided that might not be a great idea the night before school, so they had them show up around 5:30 am instead. The girl spent forever getting ready this morning because, of course, her activewear had to be just. Right.
I used to love the first day of school - I love new supplies, the idea of suddenly getting organized, etc. By about day 2 or 3, reality would set in and I’d realize that my dreams of organization were for naught, but it was still fun to go, even in middle and high school, which were not some of my best days.
Today is the Big Appointment with the oncologist. Thanks for all the advice you guys have given - I really appreciate it. I did bring up the notion of a feeding tube with mom, just asking her to mentally prepare herself for it to be brought up since she’s losing weight despite managing to get in over 1,200 calories a day (which is unfortunately somewhat of a feat for her; she’s barely 100 pounds now). She immediately wrinkled her nose and said “Nah, not interested. Plus, it’d be a surgery and I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t be good for me at this point. For right now I’ll do the ensure and beneclorie until I can’t anymore.”
That was a relief - the tumor is growing in her throat now and pressing on the back of her neck, so a nasal feeding tube is simply not an option. I would like to opt out of this week now, and maybe wake up back in 2018.
Thank you. She is extraordinary, but I can take no credit. She is Her Ladyship’s daughter not mine. I’ve known her distantly for many years, but everything she has become is on her, her Mom, and her Bio-dad. I’m just a late visitor to the dynamic.
Now that made me cry. For you, for me, for my late wife and your Mom, and for countless others unknown.
And the various other MMPers dealing with their whatevers.
I’m so sorry, for your loss, that you have to have had the scary experiences that you’ve had, and for what your wife went through. And, like you, for everyone on this board going through hell.
The only thing keeping me going is my family and the fact that I know it gets better. I know it. Then it gets oh, so very bad. Then better again. Shoot, now I’m crying, too.
The only first day I remember was 9th grade, the first time I would ride the bus and first year in public school. I had made my pink dress and pink purse, and I had a matching pink Carnaby Street style hat. Yeah, too cool…
Ok, lunch time.
Life, rather than getting easier as you age, just seems to have more tragedy in it sometimes. I told my nephew that he is forbidden to die before I do, as the last ten years has included my sis, my bro, a son, a 1st cousin, and my wife’s sister. No more, thanks, but I guess that’s too much to hope for.
Yeah. If Life is a three act play, the fun is concentrated in Acts 1 and 2. The curtain coming down all around you, then finally on you too seems to be the main theme of Act 3.
We can find our many small joys and victories in the scenes of Act 3, and I’m trying hard to do exactly that. As are you and most of the rest of us. But that darn music keeps playing in the background and it sets a less-than-upbeat tone.
My first day of high school on the way into the building I walked past a fire alarm pull station and tripped it, setting off the fire alarm. Twelve years later I started my career as a fire alarm service technician and spent the next forty two years tripping manual pull stations.
First day at St Stephen’s first grade my siblings forgot to collect me for the bus ride home. Sister somebody found me and took me home in her Buick. Not sure if I was even missed at home.
First day sixth grade got lost walking home, got blisters took off my shoes and cried finally stumbled home close to five pm. Mom was on the phone. I was livid! I was supposed to walk with a girlfriend but she got a ride somehow and I walked. I was livid at her too.
First day HS no memory.
I have lots of school memories, but oddly, none seem to center on the first day thereof. I do recall that I was never terribly excited to go back. I lived for summer vacation.
I missed the Nellie drama yesterday, and I, too, hope she got her but to the hospital and is OK.
We’re getting our backyard done, and I’m meeting the landscaper this morning to pick out trees and bushes. That’s today’s excitement.
Morning, all. We’ve been in school a week and a half already, but classes were canceled today while the district assesses storm damage. I drove by the high school this morning, but didn’t see anything amiss from the road. Lots of branches down, but that’s about it. We’ll find out tomorrow if any of the classrooms leaked. At least we got out of a department meeting scheduled for this morning! Small blessings.
For the last 37 years, the first day of school has been:
