Follow the Lighted Promenade

I’d like to start by thanking you, sincerely, for choosing me to deliver the keynote speech at your graduation.  As it says in my bio (in the little playbills you are holding), this is one of the biggest honors I have ever received.  And the fact that you had me as your teacher for three years, and still want to hear me talk, makes me smile.  Accordingly, I will try to rise to the occasion.  I told Bianka and Tiana I was just going to hiss at everyone individually, but I’ll save that for the meet-and greet afterwards. Thanks, too, to our administration for allowing me this opportunity to speak, and to our Senior Class Sponsors, especially Bon-Eye, the Librarian, who is always kind and patient, with everyone, even when terribly busy.  Thanks for treating people well, Mrs. Williams. It’s been amazing working with you guys, watching you grow – although I use that word loosely; most of you are the same height as you were when you started high school and some (ahem…Marisol, Brittan

My annual end-of-year post…I’d intended to write it yesterday, but got terribly busy (as is my wont on the last day of school).  So, now, being not as busy, I will write it.  I’ve got a long night of sleep, a day of lethargy, and most of a soy Café au Lait from Z and H (one of the best cafes in Hyde Park) in me.  Commence beasting. My summer vacation started about as inauspiciously as one could imagine.  First, on endeavoring to get everything from my car to my apartment (a ponderous load on the last day of school every year, but hang those who talk of more than one trip!), I managed to douse myself with most of an iced coffee.  Next, after somehow getting everything inside my building (if there’s a video of this process, it may be viral by now), I checked my mail and found a notice from the Chicago Department of Finance – a red light camera ticket (which is BS…one hundred dollars of BS – and our second BS ticket in three weeks).  Then, on getting upstairs, intent on looking up my