What drove me the most nuts

when Connor & Grace were here ( I just realized this) was the background noise from the TV. Beauty And The Beast - Jamie herself watched this movie repeatedly into her teens- Snow Babies ( think that's right...dogs were in it I think), & Happy Feet were all watched in the 3 days here. Half the time no one was watching them but they were on. Annoying.

Jamie & Ryan are going to Hawaii mid- August for 10-12 days. They will be gone over the weekend of the 14th. Ryan's folks are going to stay at their house during the week days & Dan & I ( and hopefully Jessica) are spending the weekend. The kids will go to daycare during the week.

Plans aren't firmed up yet..I mean the trip & tickets and everything are, but our stay &/or length thereof isn't. I've heard through the grapevine that George ( Ryan's Dad) has a shoulder that is bothering him.

So my post was about how things will go & everything but I have something else weird to tell you.

George is a retired Industrial Tech teacher but he has been teaching at Messabi East HS & a community college of some sort. Something TERRIBLE happened in a shop where he was working in April. The welding teacher stepped out for a bit & asked George to watch his class & while he was gone a kid's shirt caught on fire while welding.

The 17 year old kid got burned pretty badly & died in the hospital, not from the burns but from undiagnosed Addison's disease. But what is REALLY weird & coincidental is that JESSICA'S roommate, who works in the county morgue for the county this accident happened in , told Jess about this case in May waaaaaaaaaay before Jamie mentioned it to her last weekend. Jessica's roommate assisted in the autopsy ( she is in Med school in Duluth). She told Jessica that her boss, the M.E. told Josie ( roommate) before they even started the autopsy that he knew it was an Addison's case just by the color of the dead kid's skin (orangish).

Poor George. If I were him I'd be sweating bullets in worry. Apparently the Mom worked at the school & was called to the scene before the ambulance came. Bet the hospital is worried too. The kid wouldn't have died from the burns , although serious enough to have needed grafts taken from his thighs to cover his chest. Josie said that his adrenal glands were virtually non-existent... the Addisons. The hospital never caught it.

On that strange and rambling tangent I shall leave Snoidsville. Poor George. My shoulder would be bothering me too if something this horrendous happened in my classroom. I will give him a big hug when I see him:)

Flash.

If you google "mesabi east welding accident" you can read about it.

Poems? Musings? Fake writing?

I find myself with time on my hands while sitting in a German classroom teaching science to 4 classes of between 3- 20 students. If the kids think that I am very busy they are less likely to cry & writhe in pain fighting for my attention. So yesterday I jotted down some thoughts about my students with a very thoughtful, busy look on my face.

The first set was very negative. I'll post them in the near future. Once I wrote (and read) the first set, I decided to change my point of view & be positive. So here are the positive musings from SS 2010.

1) The light on your face is eternal....my hope for your sacred self is eternal too.

2) Funny, fun, bright & capable. Life so short but future so long. Bright. Remember that.

3) Concentrated effort so determined in nature. Put to good use, you could carry the world on your shoulders. Will you?

4) That line you step up to every single day- do you peer beyond it, shield your eyes and see how beautiful you are? I do. Every. Single. Day.

Many of my SS students have the sniffles.

Muaaaaaaaahaaaaaaahaaaaaaaa. Maybe you should bring your OWN PENCIL instead of me handing you one EVERY DAY!!!!!!

Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Flash

Connorisms:

1)Casual conversation

Me: Connor, do you think that your mom is pretty?

Connor: long pause. Well, my DAD thinks she's pretty.

Me: Does your Dad tell your Mom thats she is pretty?

Connor: Wellll SOMETIMES he tells her that she is pretty.

Jamie glowed as if a wonderful prince had just complemented her. pretty cute :)

2)While looking at their collection of movies to decide which one to watch

Me: Hey Connor! We have the movie Transformers!

Connor: Wellllllllllll. My parents won't let me watch Transformers. I am too young. Long pause... but I can PLAY with transformers. I am old enough for that but I have to wait until I am OLDER to watch Transformers.

3) While he was sitting in his car seat ready to go home after their visit.

Me: I love you Connor. You are a good boy. I especially like how you say please and thank you.

Connor: Welllllllllllll I don't ALWAYS remember to say that. But everybody makes mistakes SOMETIMES.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I miss everyone. A "balanced" life continues to elude me. I am not fool enough to think that it will suddenly find me , or that balance will suddenly appear. I understand ( an have for awhile) that I will have to actively seek it by studying tai chi, Zen meditation, zuòchán or (坐禅), Feng Shui.

But wait. Dad & Cigdem Onat ( his nut case 2nd wife ... google, her but don't be deceived...fruitcake) followed this guy : Meher Baba & attended his retreat here. Uh. Dad found peace & balance at the end of his life & I think Meher Baba helped, but not until AFTER heart disease nearly took my Dad out & finally it did him in.

I think I'll just get on my elliptical, count my plethora of blessings and then take a nap. Yeah. My feng shui. Sorry Meher Baba, no offense, but your image just freaks me out.

Flash!

NOW I remember!

Why I looked forward to the start of a new school year come August when the kids were little!



We have had all my children ( and 2 grand kids) home for two days ( so far). I have just retreated to my bedroom with my computer. I checked my e mail accounts, Pioneer's Woman's site, looked at 2 posts by Andrea, one by Holly that I hadn't read ( I RELY on you guys.... you are like pesto sauce to me! I'll explain some other time..), & it has just finally quieted down in the living room.

The front door has opened and closed 8 times in the last 10 minutes ( Yes, I'm counting... I have caramel rolls in the oven & will have to leave my cave soon)....do I use ( ok nine times) too many comas when I write?.....,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


Later.....

Crazy Grandma Flash drive scooter mom

There is enough beauty product in this house right now

for 20 women.

My girl is back!

I can handle this gone for a few days, home for a few days routine! And Buster... well he is a TOTAL pain in the ass toward the end of any consecutive several days she's gone! He gets JUMPY, CRABBY and ORNERY!!!!

He is in Jessica heaven right now. he goes errrrrrr errrrrrrrrr errrrrrr & rolls around on the couch next to her. Soooooooooooooooooo cute!

My boy Buster's life is complete... at least temporarily!!!

Flash!

FALSE advertizing!

'Ya know how they say that blue painter's tape comes off easily even after three years? NOT!!!! Don't ask me how I know but it has to do with me being on my hands and knees with a pair of eyebrow tweezers.

Now THERE'S something you can COUNT on! Electrolysis to remove unwanted & sculpt beautiful eyebrow lines. I would recommend Electrolysis by Robyn ( or soemthing like that). She knows what she's doing and only laughs a little it when her favorite country music radio station starts playing through your tooth fillings.

Flash

Skeered myself.

Went a little too fast around a corner on baby GZ. HEY!!

All My Children will be playing at my house next Friday!!!!! AND maybe Mama honey will be here too!!! I'd be more excited but I have a sore throat. If one of those hooligans gave me a cold at SS, I'll just have to turn off the air conditioning and make 'em sweat!

F

Damn that Jody Voight....EDIT

His response:

I'll try not to over use him but he was pretty valuable to me yesterday.

Thanks
Jody

Yeah, right. I never have trusted the word "try" especially from Jody. Baaaaaaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa boooooooooooooooooooo hissssssssssssssssssssss

Damn that Jody Voigt!

The email I sent to Jody this morn. should explain:

Jody:
I am teaching summer school 'ya know. Because Dan is helping you today, the following very, very dire consequences have happened this am :

1) The toilet nearly overflowed.
2) I had no milk for my cereal.
Dan would have noticed both of the above situations yesterday & remedied them had he not been thinking about.................. ahem "WORKING".

3) Dan makes my lunch... every day. Today's lunch was CRAP.What... FROZEN strawberries with no cottage cheese OR yogurt? What is up with THAT?
4) No supper will be made when I get home. Dan said "Well there's leftover venison" YEAH!!! From TWO DAYS AGO!! I'll be stopping at Subway.

So just an FYI. Don't get any funny ideas. I've gotten used to my "man" being HOME!!!!!!

Your friend :)

Mary

Why is this one such a big DEAL to me?!

I guess it doesn't matter but it is a big deal :)

I'd rather eat buttered noodles

than go to the annual , nearly 100 year old "Beumer" picnic .... where the people are friendly, the food is spectacular & the conversation is as dull as sand. Is that bad?

Oh. It is within FEET of the Meyer School house, owned by District 742. I just noticed that it is on the district's web site. Huh. Go HERE.

I'm such a fuddy duddy.

They are EVERYWHERE!!!

I was just thinking ( yes. I do that sometimes). There are school children everywhere I go. And I don't "go" often. Case in point: On the light rail back from the Twin's game last week Dan & I sat across from a Mom & her son. I intentionally sat there because I expected I could relate to and intermittently interact easily with a Mom and a middle school- aged son. I assumed that they would mostly be preoccupied with each other and that Dan & I could hold our own conversation. WRONG! The kid was a little smart alec & I'd bet his name was Hunter or Trey or Devil.

Anyway, I immediately knew that this was a gross error in judgment on my part, got the impression that this was a single Mom & this was her only child. I would NOT be able to sit across from this for TEN minutes much less 45. I also knew that I was going to have to make a move soon... because the game was over, more people were coming & it wouldn't be long & two adjoining seats would be all taken.

I tried, people, I really TRIED to think of a graceful way to exit, but I just couldn't think of a way to excuse us without being obvious. So I just went for it. I looked at the lady in the eye as I literally pushed Dan out of his seat ( he had no idea what was happening!) and said ,"Maam, I teach Junior High School and I just can't TAKE this!!! ". She was super surprised and with a forlorn look on her face ( or was that hatred?) she said "oh! Really?". I thought to myself, yeah, REALLY!!!!

The look on Dan's face was easy for me to interpret. He was amused, not in any way surprised & was very helpful in finding two adjoining seats facing away from those two so I wouldn't have to make eye contact with them. What a nice guy :)

Flash!

I have a LOT to learn

about adequately documenting a motorcycle "trip chronicle". On the motorcycle forum I frequent, they have it down pat. How do they point & shoot while RIDING? I wanted to give a birds\'s eye view of what it looks like to be riding in formation ( in a group ride, there is protocol... very serious stuff) but really have no idea how to accomplish this (yet).

So here I give you my lame attempt... the background... I left at 9:00 to meet up with fellow riders at the Honda House. Only 3 show up: Mona... the leader. She mapped out the route & took the front. I was behind her & Diane & her passenger, Angie, a high functioning downs syndrome young woman behind me. The leader rides the left half of the lane, the following rider is staggered... back about 4 car lengths & uses the right part of the lane ( I was 2nd... newer riders are toward the front) , the next rider, staggered , 4 car lengths back & in the left part of the lne.

That way, everyone can see everyone in their rear view mirrors & so hand signals can be passed back. They are universal.

When you come to a stop sign, you pull up & stop next to each other in pairs: rider 1 & 2, rider 3 & 4 next. Then, when the coast is clear, rider one takes off first, rider two not far behind, then rider 3 & 4 & so on.

More than you care about I'm sure. Today was the longest ride I went on. It was 258 miles. I got home at 7 pm. We ate lunch in Brainerd, drove to Aitkin, stopped at DQ, gasses up a few times... the longest I rode with out getting off to stretch was around 100 miles. That was long enough. Staying hydrated is important, taking your gear off & getting into a cool place is important. Aleve is important. Laughing, admiring each other;'s bikes is important, the stories behind them are important, giving each other a hard time is important & more than anything, keeping an eye on each other & safety is first.

Enough...some picts Mona is in the yellow jacket. Diane & Angie ( downs) are obvious(ly NOT ATGATT or all the gear all the time) & Deb , met us in Brainerd. She is a new rider as well.:

She improved her scores!!!!

Both quantitative & verbal. The writing score still needs to be processed. Now....will they be good enough????

Thanks for any prayers by-the-way :) Wow. What a relief!

Flash!

Alone at last.

In a few hours Dan, Jessica AND Buster are going to Rochester to stay with the Haradens for the weekend. The reason? Jessica is scheduled to take the GRE tomorrow at 12:30 IN Rochester & Dan is her designated driver & Father savior who will wrap her in his big bear arms if she doesn't improve her scores.

Well, that is my take. Here are some other possibilities:

In a few hours Dan, Jessica AND Buster are going to Rochester to stay with the Haradens for the weekend. The reason? Jessica is scheduled to take the GRE tomorrow at 12:30 IN Rochester & since Grace dissed Dan at Como & refused to let him carry her or hold his hand, he wants to convince her that he is a perfect Grandpa.

or

In a few hours Dan, Jessica AND Buster are going to Rochester to stay with the Haradens for the weekend. The reason? Jessica is scheduled to take the GRE tomorrow at 12:30 IN Rochester & Dan is sick of me and needs a break.


or

In a few hours Dan, Jessica AND Buster are going to Rochester to stay with the Haradens for the weekend. The reason? Jessica is scheduled to take the GRE tomorrow at 12:30 IN Rochester & Dan senses that I am sick of him and need to be alone.


In any case, one thing remains constant & that is that Jessica is taking the GRE ....again. Pray for her. All else is irrelevant at this point.


Flash! Who may be going on a group ride to Brainerd with the local chapter of WOW
( Women On Wheels) tomorrow.... a good distraction from GRE world & since riding a motorcycle involves prayer, it will be a good fit .

More summer fun.

I have the week off ....




Flash!

Como 2010

Fun day yesterday! The evidence:

How I can tell that Jessica is "home".

From the most obvious to least:

1) Buster cannot rest. He faces the door with one eye open even when Dan & I are both watching TV.

2) There are never fewer than 3 full boxes of cereal in the cereal cabinet.

3) There is a gym bag in the entry way.

4) I have to watch for her car when I back out of the garage.

5) There is a Toshiba computer on the couch. Hmmm wonder where THAT came from!

6) There are neon note cards with vocabulary words on them in a baggie on the couch. She is taking the GRE in 10 days for the third time. Pray for her.

7) I begin to go through serious with drawl when she hasn't been home in two days :)

Flash!

A potentionally traumatic moment.

Happened just now. I went from the bedroom into the living room in just my underwear to get & bring back into the bedroom with me:

1) A tall glass of water.

2) My computer.

3) My reading glasses.

4) A banana.

You guessed. The banana had to go into my underpants for transportation. Thank God no one came to the door.

And if you are saying "ewwwwwwwww". I agree totally. There is a reason to be grateful for banana skins.