A Slight Distraction

I'm standing in front of my class today, expounding on the process of converting from scientific notation to standard notation and back, when this incredibly detailed scene for a story I want to write pops into my head. We are talking all out gore, a la Quentin Tarantino, playing out like a demented film preview while I'm trying to teach 6th graders the finer points of a review lesson! I know that it showed, for a least half a beat, that something was going on in my head that didn't jive with what was coming out of my mouth. A few of them probably thought the old lady at the front of the class was stroking out right in front of them. Anyway, I waved my hand in front of my face and acknowledged that my thoughts had derailed for a second. Several heads nodded in accepted agreement that, "Sometimes that happens." And then I continued with their mental torture with numbers. It got so busy today that I never got the chance to put down in words what had flashed through my head. Here's hoping that I can catch it before it disappears into the ether.