Behold the puffy lips. I ate a mango, and apparently, I'm allergic to them. My lips blew up like I got collagen implants. A couple people actually asked me if I got Botoxed. It was actually pretty painful, because it turned all blistery. I was able to do a really great duck-billed platypus impression for awhile though, which my students thought was pretty funny.

Funny Story. . .

I love it when I can laugh at my students' expense. One of my 7th graders--a tall, overly-developed boy who thinks he's the coolest kid around (most of the 6th graders probably agree with him)--suddenly asked, "What date is it today?" I told him it was the fourteenth, and he smacked his hand into his forehead and said, "Oh man! My eggnog went extinct today!"

Hope Exists

That was probably the main focus of the U2 concert I attended in Miami last night. Up until yesterday, the only things I knew about Miama were from the 2 CSI:Miami episodes I've ever seen, and Will Smith's "Welcome To Miami (Bienvenido a Miami)." Hmm. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I even remember that song (should it even be considered a song?). Anyway.

GREAT CONCERT.

I should also admit that I didn't know for sure that The Edge was actually called The Edge until last night either. I'm not exactly a U2 connesieur. The lighting was pretty amazing, though-- five panels of "beaded" curtains (think like the kind people hung in dorm rooms to feel hippyish, except HUGE), and the "beads" were each individual lights. Each panel was like a big, sophisticated marquis (sp?) with a variety of pictures and patterns. At one point, it looked like women dancing; at another point, it was like a plane flying from panel to panel. I really enjoyed the music, and gained a significant appreciation for Bono's voice. To sing the way he does for the number of years that he has, and to still have such range and flexibility is incredible. I think one of my favorite numbers was "Miss Sarejevo"--he sang the Italian part originally performed by Pavoratti, and he did a fantastic job.

There were a lot of Christian overtones to the show--lots of references to grace, belief in the power of the cross, and of course, Bono passionately plugged his One Campaign to end poverty in the world. Very ambitious, but definitely a worthy cause. At the end of the show, people were given a number that they could text their names to in order to sign up, and then later they showed people's names on the jumbotron. The guy next to me saw his name and spent the remainder of the show calling all his friends to tell them his name was on the jumbotron. I also enjoyed being in the presence of so many people. I can't imagine what it would be like to hear a sold-out arena singing your songs back to you. I thought of what it will be like in eternity, when the multitudes sing praises before the throne of God. Even better than what I heard last night, and what I heard was pretty cool.

I got back at 3 am this morning and had to be up by 6:30 in order to go to school, so I'm sort of pushing myself to not go to bed just yet. Plus I'm recovering from the attack of the allergenic mango. My lips puffed up, and I got tiny blisters all over my face. I wasn't exactly looking my best for work today. My students thought the idea of getting an allergy attack from a mango was pretty crazy (they seemed to think I was inventing an excuse for my Angelina Jolie lips), so I researched it a little, and I found that mangoes are actually in the same family as poison ivy and poison oak. The skin of a mango contains the same toxins, so it's easy for people to have reactions to them. I thought it was crazy, though, because I've eaten mangoes before and never had this reaction, but apparently a person's immune system doesn't build up the antibodies that cause an allergic reaction until she's been repeatedly exposed to the toxin. So beware, all you mango-lovers out there! The fruit you love may one day turn on you! In all reality, if you avoid the skin of a mango, you'll probably be okay. So there's a little random info on mangoes that you probably never thought you'd know.