I pity those traveling in the cities today!!

The Minnesota Twins play Oakland at noon Saturday at the Metrodome.

Obama will be speaking at the Target Center at 12:30 p.m. His plane will land at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport shortly before the speaking engagement. Drivers can expect roads and bridges to be blocked while the motorcade passes.

The president is expected to fly out of the Twin Cities by 2:30 p.m. just before pregame festivities start at the University of Minnesota. The Gophers football team will be playing its first game on campus at 6:30 p.m. in years.

Hi Ben.

Hello there Ben!!!

Just want to say Hi & tell you that you are THE luckiest baby in recent history. I have known your Mom & Dad for quite some time now and consider them to be smart, funny, fun, creative & quirky. The funny, fun & creative portions of their personalities will become apparent to you quite soon. As a matter of fact, I'd be willing to bet that your synapses have already begun to connect themselves to align themselves along these lines.

Now that leaves the definition or at least my interpretation of "quirky".

Your Dad's quirkiness includes such things as a complete & dramatic wardrobe change in the spring & index fingers that reflect the colors of the rainbow. He may , in fact, be from over the rainbow or maybe from Kansas. I'm not sure, but I have seen him click his heels ( or was that do the splits) on occasion.

Your Mom is a FANTASTIC teacher but she does have a few quirks herself. She does not like birds. I think she may appreciate birds, but she is not a fan of their wings and is NOT impressed with their ability to fly. She would probably LOVE penguins!!! Speaking of being a fan, she is a fan of the Minnesota Twins. I have seen her go so far as to wear T shirts in honor of the ones who perform well!! & Ben's Mom = Lists.

That's it, Ben. You have created quite a stir around here & we are all just so happy for you and your new family. Keep truckin' and suckin'!!!!

Looking forward to meeting you,

Mary, one of you parent's teacher friends :)

Back in the saddle again.

After a bumpy start I feel ready to teach. Why the bumps? Well let me count the ways:

1) Dan is home. This has been good and bad. The good is fairly obvious but the bad may escape most including myself until I thought hard about it. I have had NO alone time this summer.

Remember, I have had "summers off" since 1978 without Dan being around during the day. Kids... yes. Husband? No. He keeps himself very busy, but we are still TOGETHER... all day. It has been an adjustment & for the most part has gone very smoothly... until recently.

As school approaches it is normal for me to get pretty uptight/ moody & distant but this year I feel like Dan is in my face. It bothers me. We talked about it Th. night & agreed that this weekend would be a great time for him to go Rochester to see Jamie & Fam. Jessica left for Duluth yesterday. Dan & I sat around the bonfire last night enjoying at least an evening of just Dan & I alone time & after I buzzed his head this am he left... until Monday.

Whew. Just Buster and I chillin' out. I needed this. And I love Dan (and Jamie) for understanding it.

2) The science standards are changing... again. They have been in perpetual flux for at least 5 years. I believe the final draft will be approved by spring. They are once again different from the last 5 or 6 drafts but I am optimistic that these are the best standards yet. I like the direction they will lead science educators and their instruction.

I understand that I will be a part of their implementation but also that I will be out of the profession before real success is realized. This is a bittersweet realization for me. And the new standards mean work. Hard work. I am just so thankful for the excellent people in my department.

I guess those are really the only bumps. Oh.
3)I have a student teacher who is wonderful but she talks a LOT. Because of the new standards I am having to revamp my curriculum for the beginning of the year. This compounds the challenges of having a student teacher right away but I have to look at it positively. She is VERY good (has taught already & is a little older)& we click. She is funny & fun and is not very needy. She will be really helpful when it comes to figuring out Skyward too. :)

That is all I have to say for today.

FLASH & Buster.

One of the annoying things about getting ready for school.

Is he whole clothes/ outfit switcheroo and preparation :

*** Next week I will be wearing outfits that are appropriate for wearing to workshop, but maybe not to school. They represent a sub set of school- appropriate clothing & they have to be washed, organized & coordinated.

*** The following week I have to have thought through & prepared another whole sub set of clothing to wear. The "fall" sub set of clothing. In my world this includes cool, cotton skirts , nice capris, clean white T shirts & others ,layered tops over them
( which I likely will shed with the first hot flash around 10:30 am... thus CLEAN T shirts) ) , sandals, clean anklets & newer tennis shoes.

**** The next sub set of clothing one must consider while getting prepared for school is the transition sub set. This includes long pants. Now I put off wearing long pants for as long as I can because my legs generally scream in protest. Also, when I wear pants to school for the first time, the amount of day light is also likely waning & I hate that. I LOVE sunshine & November is our cloudiest month. yuck.

*** There is a winter sub set followed, obviously, by a spring sub set but by winter I really don't give a rats ass what I wear to school as long as my underwear is clean & my teeth are brushed.

I must admit though, that the above is minor compared to getting your own school-aged kids set up for the beginning of school. Also pale in comparison to getting your daycare age kids ready to go again. I have mucho respect for young Moms and Dads.

Flash :)

I am crabby too.

That is why I left home and am at school. That is why I can barely look at Dan without being pissed off even though other than being crabby, there is absolutely no reason to be pissed off at Dan. Ok. Maybe there is. HE doesn't have to start work next week!!!

I am also crabby because my meal worms are hungry and I have to go to Heims Mill to pick up feed. Wait. Maybe I'll send my student teacher next week.

I am crabby because I have looked ALL SUMMER and haven't found a replacement for the insulated mug that I dropped and broke last spring. So what you say?? SO WHAT???? So that means that my freaking cup of ice water will sweat ALL FALL, crinkling up my desk calendar which I will be reminded of every time I sit at my desk until MAY!! That is a big time "that sucks" !!!

I am crabby because I am bored and I want to start school but know that AS SOON as I start school I will wish I was bored.

I am crabby because after finally racking up the miles on Flash, I am beginning to realize that a 3 gallon gas tank, even on a motorcycle, gets empty fairly quickly... like every 120 miles or so. This means that I have to make choices and important decisions when I am riding and feeling free. Like last night. Last night was a beautiful night to ride; no wind, cool & the sun is getting low enough that it doesn't blind me by my bedtime (8 pm). I didn't know how beautiful it was to ride until I got to Marty... then St. Nickolas (oh. Look at those cows. Aren't they lovely?), then as I got to Eden Valley, I had to make a decision. Should I get gas in Eden Valley or take a bit of a chance & ride to Watkins, Kimball and home? OR, should I not get gas, cut the ride short, be safe, turn around and go home? If I cut the ride short because I didn't fill up in Eden Valley, will I feel sorry on the way back & wish that I had filled up? I could fill up in Luxemburg then & continue riding, but if I am that close to home, I might just want to call it a night and GO home! Then I would sit in my chair staring out the window thinking "You dumb ass, Mary, you should have filled up & rode on.".

It actually turned out OK. I played it safe, turned around and came home and was glad that I did. I was getting cold anyway & riding when I'm cold isn't much fun. But in my opinion, if one is riding a motorcycle, one should not have to make such difficult decisions. It really does take away from the whole experience. And THAT, my friends, makes me crabby. At least today.

Later,

FLASH.

ps. I also am crabby because normally blogging helps. This time it hasn't. I am still really really crabby.

Now ain't that the truth!!

Here is an article regarding the website Craisglist. Craigslist has an interesting history with one founder and only 30 employees. That has it's downside and I quote:


By eliminating marketing, sales, and business development, craigslist's programmers have cut out all the cushioning layers that separate them from the users they serve, and any right they have to teach lessons in public service comes from the odd situation of running a company that is directly subservient only to the public. Here's the lesson: The public is a motherfucker.

Never more truth be told!!!

Flash.

Beginning of school analogy. NOT for the weak of heart.

This was posted on the biker's forum I frequent and I wanted to quote it and respond by saying "sounds like the beginning of another school year" but didn't want to threadjack so will post it here to get it out.

[QUOTE=684869]They should count themselves lucky.

The last time a pilot landed on a freeway in the Atl area, he struck a car, the plane exploded, and all involved died by fire.[/QUOTE]
Sounds like the beginning of another school year!!!