Coda

Oh man, am I hacked. Do you guys remember when I told you that we have to punch in a personal code into the copying machines at work because each teacher has a paper budget? Well, somebody has been using my code and my allotted paper for the 6 weeks has already been used.

What am I'm going to do? It's not like I had enough paper to begin with. Most afternoons you can find me hunched over a magnifying lamp with an exacto knife, bi-secting what paper I do have in hopes of doubling my stash.

And I certainly can't go out and do my own investigation amongst this den of thieves, by dropping my code number in everyday combination. Imagine:

HT: Big game tonight.

Coach Smiler (History teacher): You bet. Hope to see you there.

HT: Oh, I love basketball.

Smiler: Uh, you mean football?

HT (laughing it off): Aaah, just testing ya'.

Coach Smiler gives an uncomfortable laugh.

HT (getting back on track): I have a prediction on the score. 23-46.

Smiler: In our favor, right?

HT (sizing Smiler up): Right... 2-3-46... sound familiar?

Smiler: Excuse me?

HT: The numbers in my prediction--2-3-4-6. Have you ever heard those numbers before... maybe?

You can imagine how the rest of that conversation would go. It would be a dead end with Coach Smiler finishing with, "Maybe you coming to the game tonight wouldn't be the best idea."

No, I think my only hope is for one of my parents, whose kid's modifications require photocopies of my overhead notes, to come in and threaten to sue. That would get Pécan to do something.

Come on litigious parents. Papa needs a new ream of paper.