parting is such sweet sorrow!

Well, it had to come to an end. Three weeks of jumping, swimming, running, pumping, and doing Pilates every day flew by, and tomorrow I head back to the halls of high school, this time in a subject I'm a Master at (or so says the diploma). I'm certainly not complaining-- I mean tons of people wake up every day hoping for a job and I have one, albeit for only six weeks-- but I sure do LOVE my part time job, which makes it a little bittersweet. Every day at the YMCA, I am greeted by folks who SMILE at me as I walk through the halls chasing my Tot! They think he's precious, dirty face, barefoot, and all. He's told every one of my senior (citizens) about his train table that Santa Claus brought him and they never seem to get tired of his blabbering baby talk, smiling and cooing at him, despite the fact they have no idea what he's saying most of the time. They never fail to thank me after class for a "great workout" and tell me how much fun they had. Eh, not so much with the American Lit students.

Pretty often at the YMCA, I receive souvenirs from the retirees who are enjoying their retirement and stop midway through their travels to buy something for me and/or my kids. Just this week, I left with two chocolate bars from Austria and a handcrafted Easter egg, not to mention a sweet thank you card from a lady recovering from surgery, simply thanking me for the motivation I give her every day in the pool. I'm no stranger to homemade jelly, breads, and cookies either, because what could be better than burning tons of calories and following it with a softball sized snickerdoodle. All this makes the paycheck seem even bigger come payday.

I also have a younger crew I see most days and when we're not laughing, gossiping, and catching up on the latest episodes of trash TV or debating what to do with a mouthy 3rd grader, we're huffing and puffing at a 7.5 on the treadmill or hitting the sprints on the Spin bikes. I've marveled at first time 5kers, ladies shedding baby weight, and newbies who've never lifted a weight before and see the first hint of muscle tone. Talk about "Meeting the Standards," we do that every day. One can see why my trade off is a little tough.

When I show up tomorrow I'm not guaranteed smiles at the door, but if I'm lucky I'll get a few. I'm not certain of compliance. I may have to ask twice for a project to be done, whereas I never have to ask a water member to REBOUND! There will be bathroom requests, too many cellphones, and questionable dress code violations. Of course, that last one does come up sometimes at the Y, but it's not my place to judge an octogenarian's choice of Speedo.

But it isn't all bad. How many people get to work with their spouse? I can see Coach every day at lunch and sometimes that's the only child free conversation we'll have that day. How many people are made privy to the relationship woes, best friend drama, and SAT stress that doesn't personally affect me (not yet, anyway)? And speaking of cellphones, the teens can teach me waaay more about technology than the water members, and I'm all ears. I learned everything I need to know about the kids I-pod touches from last semesters 4th period. And I may not get a smile first thing in the morning from a sleep-deprived, heart-broken, English-hating teen, but when I DO manage a slight grin or tiny chuckle from the coolest of kids, it's soooo worth it! Makes the paycheck seem a little bigger at the end of the day.

My name is Jennifer and I'm a Bachelorholic

Oh Lawd, y'all, I did it again. Last night, despite season after season of disappointment, embarrassment, and questionable cocktail gowns, I tuned in to the newest installment of The Bachelor. I didn't so much tune at 8:00 with popcorn in buckets and cold coke in hand, sitting restlessly on the edge of my couch; rather I DVRed it and made the Coach watch it with me once the little monkeys were in bed. And, I have to say, it didn't disappoint-- if, of course, you were looking to watch a train wreck.

I have to start by saying that in all fairness, I am not a huge fan of Ben F. as the bachelor. Sure, I felt bad for the guy considering that Ashley made a FOOL out of him on national television as he asked her to make him the happiest man on Earth and she dissed him (I hope he atleast got some sort of ratings bonus for that sucker punch). But still, the winemaker, his hair, his. . . oh, i don't know what it is, but it just doesn't do much for me, so following him on his quest for TV true love isn't going to be easy. However, ABC must have known this and thus brought in a whole new group of CRAZIES who are destined to go down in the reality TV hall of fame. Someone needs to pass it on to these lovely bachelorettes that being documented on an E! special 6 months from now about reality show mishaps IS NOT THE GOAL! Sharing the limelight with a Kardashian kid is NOT an accolade to be proud of. WInning the heart of the bachelor is-- I guess.

Anyhoo,the show started with a grandma in tow, an equestrian demonstrating her skills, and an epidemiologist sharing her knowledge on germ prevention and how to win a guy with a rap about infectious disease. (I'm totally skipping the girl who shoots deer and eats, well, you know). Gone are the days where lovely young college grads would demurely approach the bachelor upon exiting the limo and PROPERLY try to win his attention. You know, do and say things that would make a Southern mother proud. Nope, now it's a quest for the most outrageous pick up line, presentation, or first kiss-- unless you come in on a horse or with your Nana, then that soliloquy you practiced for weeks in front of the mirror is for naught. You just got trumped by an octogenarian.

I have to be honest here and admit that I fast forwarded through much of the cocktail party, as two hours of watching the unappealing bachelor appease women who have given up their JOBS to be there, despite the fact that me, Coach, Chris Harrison, and the rest of America all know that he has no interest in her WHATSOEVER, just doesn't merit my ENTIRE two hours. I did get lucky and stop the FF in time to catch the NYC love blogger lock herself in the bathroom and talk to herself for what seemed like hours, thanks to the editing of some pretty clever ABC producers. And how Ben was not made privy to this semi- mental breakdown is beyond me, and all of America guffawed together as the poor guy STILL gave that girl a rose. (BTW, Jenna, you're giving the rest of us bloggers a really bad name; so shape up girl or stop calling yourself a writer!).

So as the show came to a close and the producers regaled us with clips from future dates, disasters, and drama,I wept a little for all the girls, good and bad, who just exposed themselves and their sometimes poor decisions to national scrutiny, public embarrassment, and a possible engagement in two weeks; because I'm convinced that no one leaves The Bachelor/ Bachelorette unscathed. And if you don't believe me, just hit You Tube or check out the tabloids on your next visit to Kroger.

Meanwhile, I kissed MY former bachelor good night and said a little prayer of thanksgiving for the lack of roses, wine, and cocktail dresses in my life.