The Plural of Nemesis is Nemeses

I had a very difficult time selecting my top nemesis this week.

There was, of course, the evil lap top that dedicated all of its RAM, battery cells, DDR, and pixels to thwarting my attempts to finish the 6th grade orientation video.

Then there was this thing that took up both lanes as it puttered along in front of me for blocks and blocks, making me later for a meeting I was already late for.

Putter, putter, putter, putter, putter, putter.

But it turns out that, when it comes down to the nemesis-selecting-wire, neither thwarting nor puttering could compare to the lovely spring weather we have been enjoying.


Of course, by "lovely" I mean "freezing", and "enjoying" is code for "whining through chattering teeth and frostbitten lips." But that is what spring in Idaho is all about, right? The traditional juxtaposition of cheery spring decor on the same stoop as a snow shovel.

Don't get me wrong. I am a life-long Idahoan, and as such am very used to the whole "Spring in Idaho" thing. I am fine with blasting the heater on the way to school in the morning...

...and then rocking the AC on the way home in the evening.

I don't have a problem with wearing a breathable ensemble to teach in, then throwing on a jacket when I get chilly.

Ooops. Wait. THIS is the jacket I throw on when I get chilly. THAT was the boa I throw on when I get dramatic.

No, my problem (besides my unhealthy affinity for feather boas) is that wretched wind that has been howling up and down my valley for days on end.

The wind that threatens to rip my car door off its hinges whenever I try to exit my vehicle.

The wind that transforms my hair from a reasonably presentable teacher-do to an eye-lashing mass of swirling furry to a tangled nest of very unpresentable knots of frizz.

The wind that, I am fairy certain, carried off a few of the scrawnier 7th graders during this mornings fire drill. But don't worry about the overly-aerodynamic kidletts. If the wind blew them all the way to Wyoming, they could actually attend a school that can afford luxuries like chalk and toilet paper. Lucky overly-aerodynamic kidletts...

But this blasted wind hasn't just carried off things like scrawny sevies and half-hearted hair-dos. It has also carried things into my valley. This like obscene amounts of sinus-torturing pollen, miles of soul-dampening clouds, and...

... lots and lots of hail, which is pretty much just snow with a bad attitude and a license to maim.

And after early morning exercise and a full day of teaching, I just don't have the energy to run to my car while trying to dodge sharp chunks of ice with added velocity from 40 mile and hour winds.

There is one nice thing about battling this particular nemesis, though. Unlike the evil computer, I am not alone in this fight. And together, as a community, I know we can survive this wind and end up better and stronger because of it.

And that will make us better prepared for next week's challenge: Learning to use punctuation.