5 Days' Countdown

Now that the simultaneous events of starting the school year and moving to our new place are done, never let it be said that there's a dull moment around here. In less than a week, I will be doing something that will turn out to be either very cool or very foolish, depending on my performance. My dear sibling, my baby brother, has invited me to come on an excursion up Mt. Whitney. Now, this is not Kenneth's first time doing this; he and his friends have climbed it several times, on top of numerous other trips scampering around the Sierra Nevadas. A four-day hiking expedition is a walk in the park for him, and he and his pals usually have fun by seeing how much time they can shave off their estimated time. This trip, however, he's specifically gearing towards hiking newbies and non-backpackers, which is the only reason I was even considered.
So, this coming weekend, I will be trekking (slogging? dragging?) up a 14,000+ mountain, with 60 pounds on my back. My companion on this adventure, besides Kenneth and some California friends, will be a fellow Phonecian. No, not my husband- the thought of having to leave his computer for 4 days, and being dragged into the dusty wilderness makes him wince. (Whenever I bring up stuff like this, there's always a haunted look in his face, because he would do it if I asked him to. He's offered in the past to give up the Internet if I wanted him to, which is the most perfect example I've ever seen of True Love. I'm so lucky to have him! <3) Anyway, it's my honorary sibling, my comrade-in-tent, my sister-in-law Stacy that is coming too. We've been making numerous trips to REI and Sports Authority to stock up on supplies these past few weeks, and tomorrow we're heading up to Prescott to take a practice hike through some actual trees.
World-class procrastinator that I am, it doesn't matter that this has been lined up for 4 months. My training has been sadly lacking this past month. Moving and starting school at the same time has a funny way of sucking up one's time; however, I seem to always find time for Newsweek, if not a jog. So it will need to be sheer willpower, and some luck, to get me up that mountain. Well, and my baby brother's expert guidance. Fortunately, he seems to have forgotten the abuse I inflicted on him as a child, and promises to get me back in one piece. So- up the mountain!
I'll let you know how it went- either a post on here, or directions to which hospital I'm at.

Life Update, in Haiku

Boxes and boxes
Making high walls around me
Why, why so much stuff?

Slowly diminished
Order returning to our
New (gently used) condo

Cat under the bed
Peeking nose out, slowly, scared
Venturing downstairs

Two weeks later, cat
Prowls and yowls at night, waking
Me in the darkness

Up stairs, down stairs, legs
Getting exercise as I
Carrry books and books

Dance of joy as now
House is becoming clean, neat
Happy here with Brad

Students file in and
Out of school, learning, laughing
I grade their papers

Teaching done at one
Not as rushed as last year, I.
More time to plan, think

This year's kids are nice
Is it bad to say I like
These new ones better?

:-)

-MEP

Another quiz!

Rock on! That's the kind of nerd I want to be. :-)