Ode to Spring Break

So, Spring Break was a couple of weeks ago. I miss it, and have started a campaign called "Spring Break means Break for Spring" outlining a plan that would allow school to be out for the entire season of Spring. I am bringing this before the Texas Legislature in a few weeks, and I have good feelings about their response.

Anyway, for Spring Break, I booked it down to Austin (which I do every time I have a spare few hours) to chill with my homies. Then, because the thought of fourteen people on two RVs driving for five days with nothing but Rice Krispie Treats, the Spice Girls debut CD, and some Toilet Chemical just sounded TOO AMAZING to pass up, I went on the Tarrytown Mystery Ramble.

We drove from Austin to Dallas, from Dallas to Houston, from Houston to Galveston, from Galveston to New Orleans, and then back to Austin. I logged 26 hours as Captain and/or Navigator of RV #2 (the youth logged 25.5 hours of sleep in RV #2), and my friends, I have a new respect for people that make their livings driving across the Country. Especially those that don't have a PortaPotty riding along with them.

In any case, we had fun. We had everything from a suprise party on the RV, a campfire on the beach, a good go with the Green Knight at Medieval Times (as well as the Museum of Torture, where I got some great ideas for use in my 2nd period class), an evening of Authentic Jazz at Preservation Hall in New Orleans, and James Coney Island Hot Dogs at David's childhood home.


One of the most impacting things that we did was some work with UMCOR in New Orleans. The organization is working to rebuild New Orleans after the damage done by Hurricane Katrina. This begins with cleaning out and gutting the houses that were damaged. We were sent to work on a house that had been almost completely underwater at some point. The sight was terrifying and incredibly eye-opening. We removed EVERYTHING from this house: beds, clothes, furniture, video tapes, photo albums, TVs, etc. The remnants of this family's life would soon be a pile on the sidewalk.

It was a sobering experience, and the youth worked incredibly hard, despite much difficulty breathing through the masks we had to wear. It was a fun trip altogether, but I am still catching up on sleep (hence the aforementioned proposal to the Legislature).