The Agony and the Ecstacy

Well, the ecstacy first.

I passed all three of my stupid teaching English learners tests!!!!! Of course, I can't brag about it at school, because I talked to one other teacher who already told me that he only passed one and he talked to someone else who passed none. But, my test-taking skillz served me well. Nothing like drawing on your background as a white, middle-class, English-only, privileged child with parents who completed college to pass a test that proves you can teach students who are not white, low-SES, non-English speaking, not privileged students with parents who might not have graduated from high school.

And the agony: There have been six homicides in town so far this year. Five last weekend, one more last night (along with three shootings). Rumors were flying around today that one gang was going to drive by my high school when school let out this afternoon. I'm definitely getting out of town tonight, and I'm working on getting out all weekend long. It is a bloodbath.

UPDATE: I am out of town for the weekend. I hung with friends in Monterey/Pacific Grove on Friday night, and then drove up to Los Gatos to chill with my friend's parents. Well, they're off helping their son's family move, so it's mostly me and the dogs with my pile of grading. However, checking the news, my town has been quiet over the weekend, so maybe the gangs are taking a much-needed break from the violence. And I do live in a pretty quiet neighborhood on a cul-de-sac; it's not a good place for a shooting.