AFTERMATH

So... it's been a few weeks since news of Principal Palpatine's departure, and aside from the initial uncontrollable outburst of joy, my overriding reaction has been to let everything just slide all to hell. I haven't done one stitch of preparation for school. I've barely even thought about it. Now, with a good chunk of August still laying ahead of me, you'd think that wouldn't be so bad... but there's a lot to do, and some things had to be put in motion... well, yesterday. No... two weeks ago.

I'm supposed to be taking kids on a retreat in less than a week. I did do the initial paperwork, but... umm... cabin rental... van rental.... yeah. And then there's the drum line "camp" we're supposed to be running at the end of the month. I haven't even announced it yet. I wish I could blame it on scrambling to prepare for the new baby... and trying to find a house to live in. But the truth is, I'm just giving myself a lot of space... Maybe I'm just making excuses.

One thing is for sure: If September comes and I hit the ground with my feet at a stand still... it sure as hell isn't going to be Palpatine's fault. So, come Monday I'm going to have to kick ass and take names.

One disturbing thing reared it's head this week - I managed to go by the school to check my mail, and Gus the middle school principal caught me and pulled me into his office. He wanted to confirm things that Palpatine and I argued over agreed on before she was tossed into the Death Star reactor core moved on. A lot of it was logistics.... stuff about classes and scheduling. No big deal (Side note: Palpatine actually tried to set up a separate marching band class, thinking that if she arranged for someone else to teach it, I wouldn't try to block it. The problem is, she was going to put beginners in it. I had a hard time trying to convince her it wouldn't work. I don't think I ever got that point across.)

But what eventually emerged in that conversation with Gus was a discussion about how many athletic events I should plan on attending with some kind of musical support. I told him I was prepared to do exactly that which I agreed with Palpatine: I'd do all the home varsity football games, plus any CIF playoffs. Anything beyond that is subject to our availability.

That's the point where Gus brought up my stipends. He was a lot nicer about it than Palpatine was, but he brought them up all the same. If you haven't been following my blog, you need to know that there was a meeting back in December in which the administration figured out that the only thing they could shove in my face in terms of contractual obligation was a $10,000 stipend that "seemed to imply" that athletic events were a part of my job description. (In truth, the wording is vague. Nice try, though)

I was severely annoyed that the will of Palpatine was lingering in my life through this issue, but I did sense one advantage: Gus isn't even close to being the unstoppable force that Palpatine was. Neither is AP Bob, who was appointed to be my stpiend monitor. I also think that neither of them lack the requisit amount of moral fiber to push something like this through on lies and stretched truths.

Still...

I didn't leave Gus without a life preserver. I know full well that if I just stopped showing up to football games with a band or a drumline or something, the parents would be at their office doors with pitchforks and torches. Besides, I never had any intention of copping out of pep band duty. I tried to make it clear to Gus: I will provide what spirit support I can within reason. Saying "please" goes a long way with me. In fact, had Palpatine used that word once in a while, she would have gotten far more cooperation from me.

Cooperation.... not loyalty... cooperation.

We'll see if he figures it out. I hope for his sake he does: word on the street is that he put his name in the pot of potential Palpatine replacements. If he makes it, he's going to have to uninstall her OS and load his own: He doesn't have what it takes to operate the way she did. I mean that as a compliment.

Oh dear reader, I know what you're thinking: Will Maestro ever stop writing about Principal Palpatine? I plan on.... trying. I promise this - one final farewell address to the evil one, and then I will never again devote an entire post to her.

No, really.