Thursday

Thursday. Last day of the 4th week of summer school. One more week. I had 7 students in the beginning, and now I'm down to 3. The senior in my class didn't even come today. Someone must have told him the district ordered everyone not to penalize students for a lack of attendance. It's a shame they care so much about numbers that they would not penalize them.

It was my first time teaching summer school. It's kind of sad--most of the students are there because they just never came to school during the year. They're pretty hard tough kids, some of them. It makes me really sad.

Anyway, last night--at 47 years old--I had the worst nightmare that I think I've ever had. The parts I remember: being in a huge old house filled with tons of cool books and stuff that I was told I could take. I was grabbing stuff. Then at some point I realized they were cannibals, and I saw all these people carrying this girl away screaming. Somehow I knew they were cannibals and what her fate would be. I was there with my chihuahuas, and suddenly there were all these other neglected chihuahuas (or other small dogs?) running around. I was trying to save them along with my own chihuahuas--and myself of course. Then I was trying to find my car again, but it seemed impossible. Then I woke up. It took me a few minutes to realize it was just a dream. I didn't want to sleep after that. I still kind of feel that way. Is it possible to start having night terrors at my age? Crazy. Maybe I should find a therapist. Whew.

I did manage to take my nap today though, cuddling Papa Smurf, one of my tiniest chihuahuas, just in case. No dreams that I remember.

The heat is back, and really bad air quality from the wildfires in Canada. I don't have a mask, but I went to another book launch. This book is about various types of communal living. It's called Living Together: Reimagining Community in the Age of Disconnection. It's a book of essays edited by Samantha Paige Rosen. She and two of the authors were on the panel, at the Philadelphia Ethics Society. It was inspiring, and I'm looking forward to reading it. I'll attach a photo of the book here. It's given me some ideas for the future.

Tonight Trump apparently gave a super-urgent conspiracy theory speech full of lies about the 2020 election. At war illegally, in the midst of a health crisis, a housing crisis, etc., and the stupid election is his main concern. Well, his main concern apart from destroying the country to enrich himself and his co-conspirators.

Yet, it's nice to see pockets of optimism, free spirits, and hope in the people in books like these.