First week of school

I have a new batch of beginning orchestra students, making a grand total of 91 for this year. This is excellent news! When I started this job 6 years ago I had 34. Progress is good.

Over the years I've noticed a trend in behavior patterns, grades, generally can predict which class will be the best within a couple weeks, etc. I also have noticed a particularly disturbing trend in one specific school ( I teach on 4 campuses each day)... there's ALWAYS one kid from this particular school who has gas. I don't mean a little tummy rumble, I mean rat-a-tat-tat flatulance!

I've seen the kids for two days now, and was thinking maybe Gaseous Maximus would make himself known by the end of next week. (Don't get all sexist, it's always a boy. Girls don't find it socially acceptable to be gassy in public in 6th grade. Well, not many anyway.) So today I'm discussing the parts of the instrument, the room is all quiet and suddenly from the far right hand side of the room comes this thunderclap of a fart! 16 heads whip around to this little boy, who is beet red but from trying not to laugh out loud. He can't contain it any longer and bursts out laughing, and was joined by just about everyone else. Unfortunately for those in Gaseous Maximus's proximity who were sucking in air to laugh, they got a bit more than air, and suddenly had to put up "air filters" (breathe through their shirts). Mayhem. Pandemonium. Finally the kid stops laughing hard enough to say "excuse me" in a very soft voice. Poor kid.

I think 2 days is a record for explosions of this nature to appear.

Other classes are going well so far, mostly. I can't believe how busy I have been recently! It's not usually this hectic. I'm also just completely blown by the time I get home and finish teaching piano lessons, or from symphony, or quartet rehearsal, etc. I have been in bed by 11 most nights, which is weird. My summer hours are 11am-3am. It's taking me some time to adjust my schedule by 5 hours.

My parents are in Europe- they decided to take a river cruise up the Danube. So while I'm sitting at work like a chump, my mom texts me from London and says hi, then another text several hours later from Prague. I was planning on flying in to Paris to meet them for a long weekend in 2 weeks, but I have a wedding gig that I've already accepted. Just as well, I can't afford to buy a last minute ticket anyway. :(

I feel like I've been a bad friend- I haven't made time to talk to almost anyone that isn't directly related to what I do at work. I haven't even been playing XBOX which I am jonesing for. Maybe tonight after piano lessons and calendar organizing I'll have time. I miss talking with everyone. I suspect there are things that need to be said. It's been a long week.