The honeymoon's over

The last three weeks have been really busy. Not so much stressful because really, how hard is it to teach your 39th canoe class? "Boys and girls, what does PFD stand for?" But seriously, every day I have to win over at least two different groups of kids (about 30 of them) I've never met before, get them to respect me, learn their names, figure out what kind of group they are, go from 3rd graders to 8th graders, switch from teaching herpetology to pioneer tools to singing songs and doing entertaining skits (oh goodness!) at campfires, form some sort of connection with a good portion of the group, all while making sure nobody dies on my watch. It doesn't stress me out, it just exhausts me. I'm talking all day long pretty much. People are constantly asking me things. I like to talk as much as any other woman. The thing is, I enjoy talking to certain people not just talking in general. It's exhausting always having to coordinate with folks and make sure everybody knows what's going on and being nice and listening intently while you hear the dozenth story about what a kid did last weekend and satisfying everybody around you. I feel like a dang monkey.

This season we have about 18 folks on staff. And it's gotten to the point in the season where everybody is now comfortable with everybody and we know each other fairly well. But you better damn well believe that after dealing with children all day, I don't feel like coming back to an office full of them. Some people are so friggin helpless, it kills me. I can't spell shit out for a grown person. It annoys me too much. It's not like I have an issue with any person in particular (I really do like almost all of my co-workers and I can say something nice about all of them). I'm just tired of always having coordinate with others.

You know in job interviews how they ask if you work well with others? I cross my fingers and say yes. I don't work well with most folks--I apparently have high standards, am independent for the most part, Tess has informed me that she's noticed that I'm a closeted control freak, and I tend to jump to conclusions/am judgemental. I work pretty good with certain people. Me and Mandy get each other--we don't have to explain every single step in our thought process. We just do. Like I tell kids a lot--sittin ain't doin. I get really frustrated when folks standin around just jaw-jabbing. It's a waste of time and there's nothing that pisses me off worse than somebody wasting my time. Shut the hell up and do it. GEEZE.

I think what I'm dyin for is for a weekend away. A weekend of quiet. A weekend of relaxation. A weekend of no planning.

That'll have to wait. We're goin to Charleston this weekend and I'm gonna have a friggin blast. I'll check you fools later.