Pie and the Sky

Every morning Clint gets home from his night shift no later than 7:00 a.m., just in time to pass the car to me so I can drive myself to work and begin my day.  We have other vehicles, but the Oldsmobile needs a new battery, and the Volkswagen is having issues running (translation: it's a piece of crap).  So this morning, as I was getting ready for work and the clock was creeping closer to 7:00, I called Clint, feeling concerned that he wasn't yet home.  He informed me that he was still at work (an hour away), forced into overtime.  After a few initial seconds of panicking, I decided that I was going to have to ride my bike to work.  

Riding my bike made me realize how out-of-shape I am...I was breathing so hard by the time I pulled into the parking lot.  I had to store my bike in my classroom, which made my students very curious, but otherwise the whole bike-riding thing was fun.  Until that afternoon when I was ready to leave.  I was busy loading up all of my papers onto my bike, along with the rat carrier, when suddenly the sky took a big ole' gulp of air and started spitting all over me and my plans.  It started pouring sheets of rain.  We haven't had rain in the desert in like eight or nine months.  The very first time I ride my bike to work, it rains?  Really?

Clint called soon after to let me know that if I just hung tight for twenty minutes, he would come get me.  So Cole and I kept ourselves entertained by playing with the two Mrs. Rats and running out in the rain.  Eventually Clint texted me to let me know he was waiting out in the parking lot.  I rode my bike through the campus out to our car, with papers and rats in tow, when problem #2 (or is this #3 now?) reared its ugly head.  My bike wouldn't fit in the car.  Clint immediately decided to be the ultimate gentlemen and insisted on riding my bike home...in the thunder and pouring rain.  But the thing is, my bike, well, it's bright purple.  With giant hibiscus flowers all over it.  And sparkly purple and pink streamers hanging from the handlebars.  Just typing about it is impossible for me to do without giggling.  The imagery just kills me--this 230 lbs. absolutely drenched man lumbering over a shiny, purple, girly bike with sparkly streamers flying out behind him.  I tried to get a picture of this scene on my cell phone as he pulled up into the driveway, but he jumped off of that bike so quickly it might as well have been a volcano getting ready to erupt.

The only other note-worthy thing that happened today was I went to our school's annual "Rock n' Lock n'", where students get family and friends to sponsor them to sit in a chair and rock for four hours--although most students bring lawn chairs and wind up just sitting.  At the Lock n', I let a student throw a pie in my face.  It wasn't a surprise thing; I had volunteered for this event a couple weeks ago.  I'm not one to normally allow food to be smashed in my face, but it was for a good cause.  The student who clobbered me with the pie had really good aim and absolutely creamed me (no pun intended).  A campus assistant (Cole's mom) helped me clean up afterwards, but my face still feels a tiny bit sticky.  I'm secretly hoping that whipped cream has some sort of skin-clearing or anti-aging properties that no one has yet discovered.

After my collision with pastries, I went to my sister-in-law's house to see my brand new niece.  She is really cute.  Holding her reminded me of holding Trinity when she was a baby, which brought on a few waves of nostalgia.  I guess it was a little awkward for Trin when we got home and I was patting her head and telling her how much I love her, but she'll get over it soon.