Chipped a molar last night on a flipping brownie. It is not painful, and this is hardly newsworthy, except I've never even had a cavity. Yup, lived 46 years without a needle in the gums, and I liked it that way.
Until now. I haven't even been to a dentist since ours died of cancer in the Big City. I am certainly jinxed tooth-wise. But even worse, is that son #2 has NEVER been to a dentist, and he is 10. To further complicate matters, hubby needs root canals and partial dentures and has gum disease, and even HE has blown off the dentist for a couple years.
So, based upon a recommendation from my sister, I am going to make appointments for all with a very nice female dentist in the nearby city. We shall take a day off and make it a party. End of dentist rumination.
Now I gotta ruminate on how to end this second in the Thresholds series...I think its length is about right. The problem is, it needs to lead into the third, but I don't know what the third is. Options include:
1. The "and that's another blog" blog. I could fill in the story droplets that I hinted at in the first blook. Stuff like college stories wif my bestest friend Sandita and other "rocking chair" memories that I've accumulated.
2. The story of what happens after I get canned for publishing Thresholds and Other Ruminations. Of course this hasn't happen yet, but very well could. THAT's why I've bookiemarked the first amendment lawyer. Tee Hee.
3. The story of what happens after my school district lays me off, as they have to cut 10% of the budget across the board due to a state mandate.
4. Insert Option 4 here. I have NO idea what is to come in the next few months; that I HAVE learned from the whole fire thing.
All I DO know is that we signed and initialed our fingers until they were raw last week closing on our house mortgage. The good news is that we locked in at 4.3% interest for 15 years. We will own the home by retirement time, which is only 18 or so years away for me, and less for hubby cuz he is three years older.
Back to the tooth, I can now feel the warmness of the coffee I sip INSIDE the tooth. This is going to be interesting to say the least and painful in the most. K. Bye. Roger. Out.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Porch Pontifications
It's well documented that the demise of the front porch has resulted in decaying neighborhoods. Or something like that. People don't hang out on their front porches like they used to, at any rate.
We, on the other hand, hang out on our front porch about twice an hour -- whenever the need for nicotine arises. Yes, we are the people who had our house burn down and now we smoke in full view of the public. I'm sure this has caused more than one townsfolk to judge us, as if we burned our house down on purpose from casual smoking.
As a matter of fact, during the most uncomfortable interview ever, between the Ebil Insurance Company and me, I was asked many questions about the cause of the fire, including:
1. Does our son like to play with fire?
2. Do we smoke?
3. Did we have space heaters plugged in?
4. Did we offer up 4 cats as sacrifices on purpose? (ok, this wasn't an actual question, but it should have been considering the invasive nature of the questions.)
I kept reiterating that according to the fire department, the fire was electrical in nature. So, NO Son #2 does not have a fire fetish, and yes, I smoke but know how to put them out safely. Keep in mind, this was MY own insurance company, trying to establish our liability. I felt like a damn criminal during that interview, and didn't appreciate it in the weeks following the fire.
So, back to the porch. Hubby and I sit and smoke and pontificate about life's finer points: the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the history of the World according to a history teacher (hubby), and the dreams of a manic school teacher (me).
We take turns pontificating, and there is something about the porch that makes our speech safe and thrilling. Any passerby could over hear us talking, but since it's a small town the only passerby is the aforementioned "walking man." If he were to stop and listen, I'm sure he'd run away holding his head in his hand and screaming, "Those people are fucking crazy!"
But we are not crazy, we are simply bleeding heart liberals who are getting more and more conservative with age...we are concerned with World events but feel helpless to change the course of them...we are full of hopes and dreams that remain unfulfilled due to funds and time.
So, townsfolk, next time you drive by and see us smoking on the front porch, know that we are solving world problems in addition to inhaling deeply. We are ruminating about the Thresholds in our own lives still...and wondering how to safely cross them to get to the other side.
We, on the other hand, hang out on our front porch about twice an hour -- whenever the need for nicotine arises. Yes, we are the people who had our house burn down and now we smoke in full view of the public. I'm sure this has caused more than one townsfolk to judge us, as if we burned our house down on purpose from casual smoking.
As a matter of fact, during the most uncomfortable interview ever, between the Ebil Insurance Company and me, I was asked many questions about the cause of the fire, including:
1. Does our son like to play with fire?
2. Do we smoke?
3. Did we have space heaters plugged in?
4. Did we offer up 4 cats as sacrifices on purpose? (ok, this wasn't an actual question, but it should have been considering the invasive nature of the questions.)
I kept reiterating that according to the fire department, the fire was electrical in nature. So, NO Son #2 does not have a fire fetish, and yes, I smoke but know how to put them out safely. Keep in mind, this was MY own insurance company, trying to establish our liability. I felt like a damn criminal during that interview, and didn't appreciate it in the weeks following the fire.
So, back to the porch. Hubby and I sit and smoke and pontificate about life's finer points: the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the history of the World according to a history teacher (hubby), and the dreams of a manic school teacher (me).
We take turns pontificating, and there is something about the porch that makes our speech safe and thrilling. Any passerby could over hear us talking, but since it's a small town the only passerby is the aforementioned "walking man." If he were to stop and listen, I'm sure he'd run away holding his head in his hand and screaming, "Those people are fucking crazy!"
But we are not crazy, we are simply bleeding heart liberals who are getting more and more conservative with age...we are concerned with World events but feel helpless to change the course of them...we are full of hopes and dreams that remain unfulfilled due to funds and time.
So, townsfolk, next time you drive by and see us smoking on the front porch, know that we are solving world problems in addition to inhaling deeply. We are ruminating about the Thresholds in our own lives still...and wondering how to safely cross them to get to the other side.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Further Proof...
...that I have learned, Steakboy old chap.
Made this business card with Photoshop CS3 on my HP laptop.
Now, we wait and see what happens. And in the meantime, I live life to the fullest, only pausing to bitch occasionally at life's ironies, like PMS.
OK. That's a crock of shit. I made this and I'm going to make it better. My nephew suggested making the fingernails red, so Ima try that for the final version once Thresholds and Other Ruminations comes out.
I'm blogging late; I've been abusing caffeine all day long. Everybody is in bed, and I'm rearing to go. UH OH. Oh well, I can sleep in tomorrow for sure. If you count waking up at 4:30 and then 6 sleeping in.
Further proof...that I'm getting too damn old for this.
Pages! I need pages...
This is the cry of the journalism adviser on deadline night. Well, at least it's my cry. I often channel Jackie Gleason as I scream it in the computer lab around 7 PM: "PAGES! I need pages...."
It's the signal to the student editors to quit MESSING around and get done with their first drafts of the inDesign pages so we can edit them with our ready red pens. Their messing around is actually called "multi-tasking" these days. Kids can do it much better than adults, so we often yell at them when they have their music and social networking sites open WHILE they work on the newspaper/yearbook. But I try to focus them in spite of their diversions; i work WITH them on their addictions/fetishes and manage to get some decent journalism out of them.
For example, there is Laken. We met her last as an underclassmen with promise of being an editor. She met that expectation and more, but the way she operates is typical and frustrating. She was editor-in-chief last year, and she's more like an adviser this year because she is graduating mid-year. She writes like a professional feature writer; a bit lengthy and wordy at times for journalism, but it works.
AND SHE is perpetually on her iPhone, even though I have a no phones rule. She also is frequently seen playing a damn balloon-popping game on addictinggames.com. When does she work? I'm not sure, but her stories are always done on time and she puts together the front page of the paper and she massages all pages before we put the paper to bed. WHEW.
Multiply this times 15 computers and 20 kids and you have a glimpse into my world. They are all doing crap that they shouldn't be doing. Jedi was a master at this also back in my early days. He never looked on task, but always got shit done. Same with Pi. But not Steakboy -- he worked always and only paused when the other boys distracted him. His graphics are legendary now; as well as his "Brain" and his stylebook.
Why am I thinking of deadline night on this Saturday morning? It's coming up in a week, and OMG, I just realized as I typed this that I'm double booked....it's parent conferences AND deadline night on Oct. 27. SHIT. Oh well, they can stay in the lab and mess around while i am in the classroom schmoozing with the parental units.
And I'm thinking about this because I am more behind than I care to think about with paper work, again. I can't focus on it; haven't been able to for a month now.
Pages, I need pages.....
It's the signal to the student editors to quit MESSING around and get done with their first drafts of the inDesign pages so we can edit them with our ready red pens. Their messing around is actually called "multi-tasking" these days. Kids can do it much better than adults, so we often yell at them when they have their music and social networking sites open WHILE they work on the newspaper/yearbook. But I try to focus them in spite of their diversions; i work WITH them on their addictions/fetishes and manage to get some decent journalism out of them.
For example, there is Laken. We met her last as an underclassmen with promise of being an editor. She met that expectation and more, but the way she operates is typical and frustrating. She was editor-in-chief last year, and she's more like an adviser this year because she is graduating mid-year. She writes like a professional feature writer; a bit lengthy and wordy at times for journalism, but it works.
AND SHE is perpetually on her iPhone, even though I have a no phones rule. She also is frequently seen playing a damn balloon-popping game on addictinggames.com. When does she work? I'm not sure, but her stories are always done on time and she puts together the front page of the paper and she massages all pages before we put the paper to bed. WHEW.
Multiply this times 15 computers and 20 kids and you have a glimpse into my world. They are all doing crap that they shouldn't be doing. Jedi was a master at this also back in my early days. He never looked on task, but always got shit done. Same with Pi. But not Steakboy -- he worked always and only paused when the other boys distracted him. His graphics are legendary now; as well as his "Brain" and his stylebook.
Why am I thinking of deadline night on this Saturday morning? It's coming up in a week, and OMG, I just realized as I typed this that I'm double booked....it's parent conferences AND deadline night on Oct. 27. SHIT. Oh well, they can stay in the lab and mess around while i am in the classroom schmoozing with the parental units.
And I'm thinking about this because I am more behind than I care to think about with paper work, again. I can't focus on it; haven't been able to for a month now.
Pages, I need pages.....
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Not Gonna Do It
My school district is spending gagillions of dollars on a university-sponsored professional development sequence. And I like it. Yes, I said I like it. I'm not one of those old teachers who balks at professional development no matter what it is. I am a picky old broad who only balks at 90% of staff inservices.
So, this current "content enhancement" push falls into the 10% of times when I learn something I can immediately and enthusiastically apply to my classroom. We are finally getting away from theories and moving on to teaching strategies that I can sink my teeth into. I even worked on the weekend to make lesson plans based on the new tools, AND invited my principal in to evaluate me on its implementation on the Monday after the training. Now, I'm teaching my husband how to manipulate the technology necessary to do it properly. I am now an official Content Enhancement Whore.
That's why it pisses me off when I hear reports of other teachers who are, "not gonna do it." I heard a report through a student of Teacher I (for ignorant) actually telling the kids that he wasn't gonna do it because the way he teaches, kids learn, but the way they want him to teach is too confusing.
What a crock of shit. Teacher I just doesn't understand how these techniques could STRENGTHEN his curriculum; and he doesn't understand how the hell THEY WORK. I wanted to rat him out to the principal so badly, but I didn't because that would make ME look bad somehow.
Squeaky wheels don't get the grease in education; they get the axe. So, I shall continue to whore it up and teach the shit out of the kiddies. By the way, my evaluation went smashingly and it looks like I may even have a job in spite of the 10% spending cut our State is facing, and in spite of the fact that I'm about to publish a very controversial blook.
Stoopid or not? Time will tell.
So, this current "content enhancement" push falls into the 10% of times when I learn something I can immediately and enthusiastically apply to my classroom. We are finally getting away from theories and moving on to teaching strategies that I can sink my teeth into. I even worked on the weekend to make lesson plans based on the new tools, AND invited my principal in to evaluate me on its implementation on the Monday after the training. Now, I'm teaching my husband how to manipulate the technology necessary to do it properly. I am now an official Content Enhancement Whore.
That's why it pisses me off when I hear reports of other teachers who are, "not gonna do it." I heard a report through a student of Teacher I (for ignorant) actually telling the kids that he wasn't gonna do it because the way he teaches, kids learn, but the way they want him to teach is too confusing.
What a crock of shit. Teacher I just doesn't understand how these techniques could STRENGTHEN his curriculum; and he doesn't understand how the hell THEY WORK. I wanted to rat him out to the principal so badly, but I didn't because that would make ME look bad somehow.
Squeaky wheels don't get the grease in education; they get the axe. So, I shall continue to whore it up and teach the shit out of the kiddies. By the way, my evaluation went smashingly and it looks like I may even have a job in spite of the 10% spending cut our State is facing, and in spite of the fact that I'm about to publish a very controversial blook.
Stoopid or not? Time will tell.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
It's a BIG 10-4
That's right, it's the anniversary of my birth, my hubby's birth and our wedding. We have one big celebration a year, and we never forget it.
Hubby is 3 years older than me, but we were born on the same day -- further proof that we are soul mates. Can't remember if I've ruminated on this before in Thresholds I or this, the sequel, but mah hubby and I have a huge connection in and out of the bedroom, and it's made for an interesting 11 years to say the least. My friends don't wanna hear how good I got it; it's THAT good.
Today will be full of family and food (alliteration unintended.) Probably won't see Son #1, but might tempt him with a japanese dinner after he gets off work. Son #2 isn't up, and whaddya know, it's 10:04 AM. I'm overdue to start cooking a few dishes to bring to our birthday potluck I orchestrated to avoid going to my hubby's family. Long story there. Might be a whole other blog.
Birthdays are overrated as you age, fer sure. I'm just one year closer to 50, which blows my mind. Fifty-year olds are OLD. I mean old.
Anyway, I'm off like a dirty shirt, to celebrate a Big 10-4.
Hubby is 3 years older than me, but we were born on the same day -- further proof that we are soul mates. Can't remember if I've ruminated on this before in Thresholds I or this, the sequel, but mah hubby and I have a huge connection in and out of the bedroom, and it's made for an interesting 11 years to say the least. My friends don't wanna hear how good I got it; it's THAT good.
Today will be full of family and food (alliteration unintended.) Probably won't see Son #1, but might tempt him with a japanese dinner after he gets off work. Son #2 isn't up, and whaddya know, it's 10:04 AM. I'm overdue to start cooking a few dishes to bring to our birthday potluck I orchestrated to avoid going to my hubby's family. Long story there. Might be a whole other blog.
Birthdays are overrated as you age, fer sure. I'm just one year closer to 50, which blows my mind. Fifty-year olds are OLD. I mean old.
Anyway, I'm off like a dirty shirt, to celebrate a Big 10-4.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
