One week down, one million to go.

School is officially back in session and already, it has been quite a week.

Overall, my classes so far are really good. I have a couple of rowdy classes, but hopefully once they get into the groove of things it'll subside. Hopefully is the keyword in that last sentence.

I think and hope it's going to be a really good year. I feel far more prepared this time around and so far, the things are going better in many aspects. I feel more confident, and I think that helps. :)

This year, our department will be putting together two fall shows. Usually it's one fall show, a musical in January, One-Act in the spring and a student-focused-something in May. Last year we did a showcase, sometimes we'll do a student-directed show.

Since we're doing two fall shows, the other theatre teacher and myself will each be directing a show. She has chosen to do Frankenstein and I will be doing a parody play called Murder in the Knife Room. I've not read the version of Frankenstein that she is going with, but my play is light-hearted and funny. I chose it because it has a LOT of roles and the hope is that it'll work well as a recruitment show. We really want to grow our department, so I think that a show with many roles that aren't overwhelming in size will draw in some new faces. I'm hoping that both will be well-received by our audiences. Frankenstein will run in October, just in time for Halloween, and my play will run in November.

In other news, my life is still pretty boring. Maybe I'll have some good stories to share later. :)

The Pantry Chronicles

As my summer is coming to a close, I've mostly filled my final days of freedom with ignoring the chores at my house, watching television and sleeping 'til noon. Not to worry, I have found some things to be a contribution to society in the last couple of weeks.

My grandparents decided to take out their carpet and put down Pergo laminate flooring in their house for health reasons. It looks amazing, but that's not what I'm writing about. Since it was for health reasons, my mom and brother have devoted a lot, (and I mean a lot) of time giving the house a deep cleaning...probably a deeper cleaning than what the house has seen in many years. Yesterday I decided to lend a helping hand and ended up cleaning out their pantry.

My grandfather, (aka Poppaw) has a deep love for Sam's Club. Sam's is the equivalent to Costco, for those who may not know. Anyway, with this love for buying in bulk, his pantry is full. Poppaw is also a laid back guy that doesn't pay much attention to small details.

For ONE SHELF of the pantry, I filled an entire grocery bag with expired products. It's not like they're hoarders, but they're old and just don't pay attention, I guess. I told my mom I was going to create the Pantry Chronicles to have record of the insanely old foods. Luckily, nothing was gross. It was like, old canned goods, tea, cake mix, etc. It wasn't moldy bread or anything unidentifiable.

Things I found?

16 cans of Rotel, all expired.
1 bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar from a store that our city hasn't had in years and expired around 1998.
Cake Mix that expired in 2006
Popcorn that expired in 2006
At least 20 packages of assorted mixes and seasonings, all fresh.
Countless cans of soups that were all at least a year expired
1 tin of nutmeg, expiring in 1988.

That's right. I said 1988.

A portable television & charger, circa 1980.
3 giant recipe collections, all appearing to be from the 80's and untouched.
A box of greetings cards that were intended for soldiers commemorating, (that's a weird use of that word) the 3rd anniversary of the war in Iraq.
An endless supply of paper goods, (plates, napkins, plasticware, etc)

Did I mention this was all on only 2 shelves? And I didn't actually finish the second one. I'm going back tomorrow, so we'll see what else I can find.

Maybe I'll find a secret stash of cash?

I guess I'd have to give that back.