The last day of school before Christmas vacation is always a nice day because of the good will which permeates the classes. Yes, I taught all 5 of my periods, but my students did not protest much, even my 7th period ESL class! And several of my students were thoughtful enough to give me presents, which really made me happy. Thanks so much Divya, Amy, Manal, and Gianna! It’s great having all of you in the math lab every afternoon!

Tomorrow will be mostly a cooking day since I am making the fish this year for the gathering of the clan–of which there will be 20 of us gathered at David’s house tomorrow night. I am making calamari, scallops, mussels, and shrimp. That is not the traditional multi-course Italian celebration, but my family has become mixed since all of us married non-Italian wives. Part of me misses the old days when the meal consisted entirely of antipasto and fish. As I get older and experience a bit of the diverse ethnic backgrounds of my students, I really wish my family followed Italian traditions a lot more than we do. It is too late for me to turn back the clock in that regard though. All I can do is try to learn more about Italian culture and history, which I hope to do in the foreseeable future. I wish there were some way to encourage my sons in that regard too...