Notre Dame de la Paix, Notre Dame des Neiges

I had a dream this morning that they were about to pump our school full of this chemical called phosphore blanc that burned people’s skin, and their lungs, if they breathed it in. Siatree and I were in one of the bathrooms. He was putting on all sorts of equipment, getting ready to fill the school with this chemical so as to get rid of secret hidden enemies and I was begging him not to do it. Then I realized that it was only 6:30 am and that I still had time before my classes to ask the proviseur if I could leave before the dastardly deed, and he said yes.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Which is kinda disturbing, as it didn’t really bother me that the students still had to be there (though I’m sure if it was a huge problem they would go on strike). But even more disturbing was waking up at 6:30, half an hour after I set my alarm, and realizing they’re talking about this phosphore blanc on the radio…I’m not entirely sure, but I think we used it in Vietnam, and everyone’s talking about how they just found out we used it in Iraq too…I’ll have to find a paper to see if I can figure out what the deal is…Any of you heard anything?

It snowed today. Not enough to seriously change anyone’s plans or even really cover the ground but it was pretty while it was falling. All the kids were acting crazy…I tried singing "Let it Snow," inspired by the weather, and all the girls in my insisted the bell had rung while we were singing (it hadn’t) and ran off. I called them all back and one asked if I was going to chew them out…I told her no, but if we’re going to be this crazy we can’t do fun stuff…like the dance I was going to show them to go with the song…but no, nope, no time now…everyone was quite willing to go back into the classroom after that…even to stay after the bell. I showed them the Dean Collins Shim Sham…But they’re still clamoring to learn something more modern, like a rap song…what can you do?

All I have to bring in is "Peachtree City Ghetto," "The Suburb Streets," and "Golf Cart Thugs" by the inimitable PTC Gz. But I think they want to learn one they already know.

Overheard at lunch…one of the teachers is married to a Muslim guy and has kids whom she was obligated to raise Muslim…only apparently neither she nor her daughter, by virtue of their femininity, are allowed to visit Mecca without a male escort…Never knew that before…

Also overheard at lunch… You know that people with black eyes always tell the truth and the people with blue eyes (like Isabelle) always lie…you’re talking to three women behind a curtain so you can’t see their eyes. The first one says something in Japanese and you don’t understand it…the second, translating for the first, tells you the first one said she has blue eyes. The third one tells you the first one has brown eyes and the second has blue…who is what?

Request: does anyone know of a more or less legal way I can get hold of "The Teenage Guide to Popularity" or a fairly simple but not infantile version of "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer"?