Monday Morning Brain Dump

• It’s Monday. And in case you were wondering, it feels like a Monday.
• Meaning it’s 10 degrees out. This has not kept the meteorologist who updates Weather.Com from describing the day as “Fair” complete with a corresponding sun icon. He must be the world’s biggest optimist.
• We (and by we, I mean Chuck) got a Kuerig for Christmas. It’s one of those fancy little single cup mini-brewers that can whip up a cup of chai with one push of the button. Sometimes, it is the reason I get through these “fair” days.
• Other updates: The emperor came down with pink eye. It was a sloppy sight. Be glad you missed it. But in case you’d heard how monstrously contagious it is and are panicking about somehow catching it over the internet waves, don’t. I was panicking about the contagious factor and it turns out, after a kid gets put on antibiotic eye drops for a while, it’s apparently totally neutralized.
• I wish there were similarly magical eye drops to neutralize personality issues in people. Maybe the optimistic meteorologist can get that going…
• I went to Chicago to participate in some meetings for STORY 2011. The vision for this year’s event is crazy strong. The site goes live in February, but you can register HERE. With everything else in the works for the future, I can only say this: this.is.only.the.beginning.
• I spent the rest of the weekend holed up in either the Buzz tent (the emperor insists I come in there with him) or the finished attic, typing away at a project I’m working on with Mike Foster and David Kuo.
• Yesterday, Chuck talked one of our students who works at a local pizza joint into making him a custom made Chicago thin-crust pizza for pickup. This is risky on several fronts. What would you have done to your teacher’s pizza?
• Today is the first day of 3rd quarter at the alternative school I teach for. My first goal with new students is to welcome them warmly and my last goal is to send them off well. The last words of every period are “Have a good day. Be safe.”
• Justus puked on me again yesterday. In a show of commitment, he left his dad’s side and climbed two flights of stairs to get to me in time for the dousing. I know it’s gross, but come on, you relate, right?
• Lastly, Michigan is about to get hit with an avalanche of ice. Even the weather.com meteorologist doesn’t have anything sunny to say about it. Cue the snowdays.
• Have a good day. Be safe.