...phone ringing at 6:15 a.m.

Arggghhh. Even though I have been mostly awake since about 3:30, industriously scratching at my newest collection of red-bugs, it is so annoying for the phone to start up at 6:01, when the sub-finder is looking for replacement teachers. I have not taken any jobs since school started back in early August, always having something else planned, or out of town. I knew I needed to get up, get started, but was dozing, periodically napping and waking, waiting until I didn't have any choice, never intending for the phone to startle me into action.

I went to the (mostly worthless/waste of time) required meeting, about a month ago. And signed up to do it again. I know the annual event is pretty much a formality, since I did not go in August of last year, but accepted assignments that were equivalent to working a month in the course of the school year. Having some conflict with the day the program overseer/manager choose for the requisite gathering, I sent in regrets when invited, and asked to attend a 'make-up' meeting, which apparently never occurred/got organized. But I kept getting the calls, more for work as a para-professional than as a teacher,(pay rate is $65/day vs $100/day, so you see why no one wants the para-pro jobs - you work just as hard for 1/2 the pay, plus headache inducing lunch room duty) but had all the school district employment I wanted or had time for.

I should have expected that phone would ring early this morning, as I just hung it up last night, instead of going through the process of listening to the recording enough to actually 'decline' any more opportunities during this particular calling period. I remember from that official introductory meeting (that is always the same, with greetings from a school board official, and repetition of the guidelines/rules/what not to do) that in order to stay 'active' with the sub-finder program, one only has to accept and complete one assignment during the school year, and I will certainly do that.

But not today, as I am going to Publix.