After Tuesday’ entry discussing my typical workdays the first three weeks during the summer, I have taken a brief break the past three days. Thursday morning I went to school where we interviewed four more candidates for three available math teaching positions at the two high schools. My department will be practically unrecognizable this school year with four new teachers and one maternity-leave replacement. Those of us who are left will be doing lots of mentoring (yeah, Mike and Adrianne, that means you! ☺)

As soon as I got home, Jean, Ceil and drove to Oriskany, New York. Ceil is Jean’s 84-year old aunt whose only son lives in Denver, so she comes to visit us two or three times a year for two week-long visits. Normally she flies from Syracuse to Newark, but this time we decided to drive her the five hours each way so Jean and I could do some chores around her house for her. Ceil is amazingly energetic for an octogenarian, but there are still some things she cannot do very well. We stopped for supper at a diner Ceil likes which was pretty good. I ate cream of pepperoni soup and a large tuna salad/potato salad/vegetable salad combo. We stay at Ceil’s house overnight–and since Ceil’s house does not have air-conditioning and the temperature was in the upper 80s, Jean and I missed being home–then we left mid-morning Friday for the return ride, stopping for lunch at Arby’s, which is probably the best fast food place because of their market sandwiches on whole-grain bread, which is much better than the little buns other fast food sandwiches are served on.

When we got home, Andy and Mark were at the pool with my brother’s family, so Jean and I went there for a few hours, staying for supper. Thus I did not get any work done at all the past two days, which will continue for another day since this is Hawaiian Tropic Day at Great Adventure, which means my family gets free admission, parking and supper at Great Adventure because my brother works for Hawaiian Tropic. Even though there is nothing I really like at Great Adventure, I would never stay home alone working instead of going on a family outing, plus it is good to get an occasional break from writing and editing so it does not get boring and become a chore instead of a pleasant activity.

Tomorrow I go back to work though!