7.48 pm

We finally have power.
The campus just lit up and everybody cheered. Of course, they had already told even more kids to go home, or go to friends' homes until through the weekend. Kids were getting very cold at night and we weren't sure how long we could keep up what we'd been doing: feeding kids, planning activities for them, finding things for them to do (like cleaning the campus, cleaning the golf course), and supervising them with dorm duty, etc. The electric companies were starting to tell people that it might be another week and everyone has been getting more and more discouraged, but ta-da!! Heat is back on. We still won't start classes until Monday. Our trimesters have been shifted into the winter term and exam week has been canceled. Frankly, I could care less about finals week: less grading for me!

Lately though, everyone's (students and teachers) spirits have been down, and understandibly. Parents who normally go to work now have to spend every waking hour with their bored children without power or heat or light since Sunday. The first day or two were fun for everyone and a nice break, but already by Wednesday, we were all getting antsy. These days have been the longest ever. I've watched WAY too much TV online, I've sewed tons, knitting plenty and skyped with Matthew even though I have nothing to say about my day. I told him that I felt like I was turning into a vegetable, like my brain had no reason to be active, to do anything, to plan anything or to "accomplish" anything. Other teachers echo my same odd feeling and they feel totally useless and unmotivated and purpose-less... like they are just waiting around for something to happen. It may look like a vacation to you all, but it has been the opposite of that. It's just weird. No one that I've talked to has "used this time" wisely because no one knew if we'd have school tomorrow or in 10 days. So you might think we should have been productive, but instead we all just filled time, and waited. And waited.

Only last night, the school put together a game/poker night. That finally energized the students who, once it's dark, have nothing to do except find a building that has heat and power and hang out. My table was Settlers of course, and no one knew the game!! I couldn't believe it. One kid wanted to play because he had heard about it, but "it's a nerd game". Right. That's why my circle of grad student friends know and play it. I also brought Guess Who, Clue and Set. It was a great night, complete with a cookout.

Tonight was a Talent Show! Sure, it was thrown together in the afternoon, but people still prepared something. Most of the performances were musical, which is nice, but it can get old, especially if the music is just coming out of the performer's iPhone. Several young faculty members went up and sang "I want it that way" by the Backstreet Boys and that was funny. Oddly, I remembered all of the motions words.

Since they wanted more faculty members to participate, I couldn't think of anything I could do that would be easy enough to demonstrate. And, of course, I wanted to make it silly. So I grabbed my sweatshirt and came on stage (not rehearsed). I introduced myself as knowing lots of skills (French, sewing, knitting, etc), but the little known fact is that before I came to this school, I was a professional.... folder. They laughed, but I assured them that this was highly useful for two reasons: A) it can get you a job and B) it can keep you from being grounded if your room is a mess and clothes a strewn about. So, I taught them how to properly fold a sweatshirt and when I got to the hood, the audience had a collective "aaahhh!!" and laughed some more. Several people filmed me on their iPhones, so I might already have a channel on YouTube. Check it out. When I got to my seat, my colleague said "What about the FITTED SHEET!?!?!" Ah! Of course! Thankfully, the annual talent show is coming up in January, so there will be a follow up from... The Master Folder.