Everyone knows that I hate fun. Dan was the first to name this trait, but once he did, I felt kind of free. I knew in my heart that I've pretty much always hated fun, and frankly, it felt good to finally be myself.

Group ice breakers?

Teams-building courses with colleagues?

Easter egg hunts and rolls?

Pumpkin carving?

Even happy hour if there are too many people there, and it's too loud?

I don't really like any of these things.  I'll do them out of politeness or professionalism, but I definitely won't enjoy them. Even if I'm laughing and looking like I'm having a good time, I'm probably not. I simply refuse to enjoy things that are fun.

So, it should be clear then, that I also hate Halloween in general, and costumes in particular. Some of my super cute students, though, have been asking about my costume for Monday.

"Oh," I told them, wrinkling my nose. "I'm not dressing up." They stared at me, maybe thinking I was kidding. "I don't like fun," I continued. They blinked.

"But I have an idea for you!" one of them said, adorably hopeful.

"Tell me," I acquiesced.

"You should be the grammar police!"

Now that IS an idea. "I'll keep it in mind," I told the sixers, raising my index finger for emphasis. And sure enough? I think I might actually dress up this year. I need a white t-shirt and a Sharpie, on which I'll write snarky messages like, "An apostrophe won't make your family's name plural, I promise." I also need a police cap (Walgreens?!) and a red felt-tip correcting pen.

Easy peasy AND super not fun. Can you think of a bigger buzz kill than someone who corrects you're your grammar? This is the perfect costume for me.

Mac also hates things.

Three more things I hate from the This American Life blogging challenge.

I'm back in the Heartland after the days in Disney.

I didn't know this, but Disney is really kind of a messed up place with lots of slow shuttle buses and bad food. When Lee and I got to the Japanese restaurant for our reservation, Judy wasn't there yet. She was picking up something at a store outside.

"But is she in Japan?" two different Epcot employees asked.

"Um, yeah. She's in Japan," we said.

Then later, we accidentally took a monorail in the wrong direction and went to some parking lot in the middle of nowhere.

But, it was great to see my pals, hear some talks, and tell a few people about the podcasting project.

More people are going to have to listen to me talk about the podcasters. I'll probably never stop talking about them ever again for the rest of my life.

I'm done at school for the week and headed to the National Council of Teachers of English convention in Orlando. This is going to be fantastic, and not only because it's the first time (except for that dumb run-around-the-clock relay race) that I've been away from home in a year.

Also, on Sunday when Dan picks me up from the airport, he'll be picking me up in our new minivan.

Yes, my life's dream has finally come true!

It's an eight-passenger, grey, svelte Sienna. And my first week driving it will probably be the best week of my life, except for maybe the week of and after my wedding. I would say the weeks that my kids were born were great too, except they so totally weren't. Remember the 30-hour long labor and then c-section? And then the next 12-hour labor and then c-section? Because I DO.

So.

Orlando, here I come! And when it's over, there will probably be a new blogging challenge. Bring it, Lee! Bring it, Jessie! Bring it, Gina! Bring it, Mary! Bring it, Pronto! Bring it, Dobby! I'm so planning to win this year.

So, Santa Fe rocks. On the morning of our second day, I told Dan I’d like to live there someday, and he looked at me like I was insane.

Because, of course, everybody knows that Minnesota is The Promised Land and should you desire to be closer to God, all it takes is a dip in one of our 10,000 pristine lakes. Or a quick trip to the State Fair.

But then, that evening we sipped cocktails on the patio of a partner’s sprawling adobe sanctuary on the mesa, where we gazed at the sun setting behind the Sangre de Cristos mountains, and he was singing a different tune.

The next day we conquered the rapids on the Taos Racecourse, which was way fun. On the way to the rafting drop-off point, the guide asked us why we’d all gotten together for the weekend.

Someone said, “To gain weight and be drunk.”

That’s mostly true. I also think it was provide an incentive to keep them working so goddam hard.