Thirsty Thursdays: A Bright Spot in These Dim Times

 Thirsty-Thursdays are a place to talk all things thirst. Thirst can be actual, physical thirst and direct us to the subject of tasty drinks, but it can also drive us toward a mental thirst, the thirst for information.

    Life has been a bit different the past nine months or so. Work has been really different for me the past nine months. This school year is the most challenging I have faced in my nineteen years of teaching. I am learning lots of new technology things to keep my classes ready to go fully online at any moment, and I am also trying to find new ways to motivate students, who already have a hard time being motivated.

    Let's be honest here, I, too, am having a hard time being motivated. See, pre-covid, I had a lot more going on outside of work. I don't consider myself the most social person, but I am realizing more and more that I need a social outlet. With the whole idea of "social distancing" I am not getting even the little amounts of social interaction that I crave and need. I have gotten into a rut. I have hit my snooze several times everyday. Recently, I have gotten in the habit of just setting my last alarm out of my four pre-set alarms. It feels silly and a wee bit pathetic. I am just not motivated to get up and get going like I usually am. So, I totally get my students' lack of motivation, but I also realize that they need to be motivated or we are going to lose a lot more graduates than we usually do.

    So, basically there are reasons we need a little bright spot here and there. One of my co-workers has created "Thirsty Thursdays" for us at work. Here, we can visit her stash of flavor syrups to add to our sodas to celebrate the end of days with students(See Fridays are student free). It's the clean version of cocktails at work. I look forward to this every week. I don't know how this little thing brings so much light, but it does.

    What is my drink of choice, you ask? I love a extra dirty Coke Zero. I add coconut and half and half to my Coke Zero and instantly I am on some beach somewhere enjoying a "mixed" drink.

Seeing it is December and I love Coca Cola, I think you need a little bright spot that can be found within Coke's yearly Christmas Video. Enjoy:

    Coca Cola has been in the business of Christmas Advertising since the 1920s when ads featuring Santa appeared in popular magazines. Most recently, the ads often feature polar bears and are amazingly cute. These cute commercials started in the 1990s. I love how they are often family themed and overall just plain fun. Enjoy a few now:

    If you need a little bit more of a pick me up, be sure to do what Coke would tell you and "Have a Coke and a smile."