Observations

Wednesday. Thursday. Friday.

Those are the only days I have left until I say good-bye to my desk job and head back to school.

I know you're all keeping count.

Know what I counted today?

40 sixth graders traipsing through the hospital for 6th Grade Career Day. Headed up by the Marketing Department.

Which would be me.

Which is why I'm quitting my public relations career and heading back to school for something else.

Actually, the kiddos were really fun. They asked lots of intelligent questions - What do you do when there's a tornado in the hospital? Do you know my cousin/sister/uncle-twice-removed that works in (fill in the department)? What are we having for lunch? - and did great on the tours of various departments. The x-ray of some guy's abdomen with a house key in it was the highlight of the day. Kudos to our awesome Medical Imaging Department. They never disappoint.

But as I observed the students, one resounding question kept coming back to me over and over.

When did sixth grade girls start wearing mascara, eyeliner and heavy eyeshadow? And why does it look so much better than mine?

I wasn't allowed to wear makeup until a year after I got married.

Sort of. It just felt that long. I felt like I was the only high school freshman that didn't know how to put on mascara. (Actually, to this day I still don't wear the stuff. That wand thing coming at your eyeball is freaky.) Even clear lip gloss was a no-no...I was second chair trumpet. A serious wind musician never puts a foreign substance on her lips if she cares anything about the inside of her horn.

I just don't understand why a sixth grade girl would need to have perfected the Smokey Eye at that age.

And why they would look at me weird when I asked them if they could teach me.

I end up looking like a raccoon every time.