Just Another Manic Monday

Seriously, every Monday morning I find myself humming, "and the silicon chip inside her head gets switched to overload..." because all I can think is "I don't like Mondays." But here it is, Monday again, and at least it isn't raining. Well, unless you count Wall Street/banking failures and falling stock prices, then it's raining. This morning I had to work a half day, and Kevin was home until 9 because he was flying to Ohio. So I guess it wasn't terribly manic after all, but just by being a Monday, it always really does feel like it anyway.

This week also begins the more hectic phase of swim team, when they add the twice-a-week spin classes. Occasionally, when we go to a meet and a certain team has most of the strongest swimmers, I will look up their practice schedules to see what might be making all the difference. Many of these teams have double practices, but the one thing I do notice is that many of them have more convenient practice times, which allow the kids to come home from school and do some work and have dinner, then practice and still be home at a reasonable hour for bed. Tonight Megan won't be home till close to 10:30; and on Tuesdays and Thursdays she is gone from 3 until 7:30 or later. It is brutal.

Megan also just joined the Friendship Club, where students go and sit with special ed students, and they just talk and 'be friends'. It's a nice club, and one which she chose to join out of interest and not requirement. I will hate it if the Thursday spin classes interfere with this club; in fact, I plan to make sure they don't (Megan occasionally reads this blog too, by the way).

Oh, and work. My assignment today marked the end of the string I had been given by the old sub caller. I have received only one call from the new caller, and that was a 6am call, made because I had been requested. I have been told by a couple of subs that they call in and request days. I would do this, but I am not exactly sure which number to call! I guess I can try the old one, I probably should do that. If I ever want to work again. Having nothing on the horizon is not encouraging, especially after some recent spending sprees.

After seven years, I have felt pretty acclimated and accepted, and now I walk through the halls and see all sorts of unfamiliar faces taking over classes I used to sub in almost exclusively. It's weird. One of the paras jokingly (I hope!) refuses to speak to me because of a few of the subs that have come into the class with her lately. I keep trying to explain, I have nothing to do with it! (I don't think it helped that I had a good laugh over one of the subs last week!! Haha)

And tomorrow we can thank the Jewish populus for a free day off from school. I made appointments for Megan and Brian at the dentist, and I assume E will make some plans with friends, apparently some were discussed in school, but nothing had been finalized. I usually like to take these isolated days off to have them catch up on schoolwork and homework without the pressure of dinner and bedtime and swimming, rather than try to plan some exhausting activity that makes it hard to catch back up once the next day rolls around.

In other news, Molly's foot seems to be doing better on her new antibiotic. She hasn't been chewing it and the cyst seems to be deflating. I hope that it stays that way, because the last time she finished her antibiotic, it filled back up again. Brian is also still swimming, and he seems to be enjoying it. He is split between the group that's his age and the younger group, because he has a hard time keeping up with the kids his age. He loves the easier practices, and we can see improvement, but he misses seeing the older kids then. It's unfortunate that he can't hang in there better in that group, but we'll see if that improves as he gets stronger. I'm glad we had the MRI done, now that it's over. The other day he made himself a cup of coffee and began to shake like a dancing flower. A little food and water brought the shaking under control, and I made sure he knows to steer clear of the coffee from now on, but at least I know it isn't caused by any change in his condition!

Ok, a picture of the plane on which Kevin is flying:

and a picture of the weather he is flying through:

All I can say: 'It's five o'clock somewhere! Bring on the alcohol!'

Back to School

Last night was Back to School Night at the high school. Of course, Kevin was out of town. I had said to him, if you only come to one BTS night, please let it be South's. I thought we should have some representation for E in her classes; but I can't miss Megan's during a critical year when she's overloaded with extra math and honors chemistry. So I went alone, in the rain, and went to all her classes except gym. She and E also have the same chemistry teacher, so I met two of E's teachers. (well actually three, but I didn't hear the English teacher speak, see below)

A funny thing happened. English and History are taught in pairs, and they always present together at BTS night. The rooms are usually adjoining, with a wall that can be opened or closed between them. They open the wall and present together, which gives them more than twice the time, because they use the travel time as well. Megan's two were first, and the teachers were pretty good. They're both older and I felt like they really knew what they were doing. They were going on and on about how great the group was, how they were the best group they have ever seen, they almost dared to say, and how they just sit and wait to be spoken to. We were all so proud!

On to E's History class. I missed the English portion of it, but when I got there I saw that she has a young handsome teacher. He was speaking about the class and how they would be doing this and that, and all of a sudden, he told the parents that they have the most impressive group of kids he has ever seen!!! I thought, "what!? Is this some sort of scam?" He thanked the parents for placing this emphasis on achievement and they all beamed with pride and self-satisfaction. I thought, "what?! Is this some sort of scam?"

Anyway, wait till next year. Then he'll see.

And so I am happy with the news from the MRI. Stable we will take, although I would really like to see improvement instead. But as long as we can have stability, Brian will be OK. Now onto February with that one. I'm sure I will have enough with E to keep my mind off of this for that long.

We have no major plans for this weekend, just swimming and maybe some hanging out here and there. Kevin is in South Carolina and somehow expects to be home this afternoon. I don't know with this storm how that will work out, but hopefully it will. There is supposed to be a Y parents meeting tonight and God only knows what social plans E will concoct at the last possible second!

But in other news, Molly's paw still has a cyst on it. I have a new antibiotic for her, as I am trying to avoid surgery. I think that it is shrinking a bit, I have also been using a steroid/antibiotic topical cream on it once a day. But last night I came home and found her working on it. And now, it is after 9, and she hasn't come down from her dog bed yet! I guess I should go up and check that she is still among the living.

One Time, in NYC ...

Yep, yesterday was the big day. The first trip into NYC with E. Of course, Megan had to be up and at the beach for a 7:30 practice, which had us scrambling to get to a 10:50 bus in time to pay for our tickets and parking. But we did manage it, and the bus had exactly enough seats for all the riders, which unfortunately meant that a small woman sat next to one of the girls in our party, in the back row of the bus, and fell asleep with her head on the girl's shoulder. ick.

(NOTE: This bus was not at 11:50 as originally reported, although that would have been helpful if it had been)


Once in the city, we meandered up towards our Off-Broadway show, and had lunch in a little touristy place with mediocre food but a good view of the sights outside, which at that location pretty much meant billboards, tour buses, and street vendors. On to the show, which was good, and featured a guy who was once in 'So You Think You Can Dance', to the delight of all the girls except for E, who said she didn't know who he was (neither did I). Afterwards, the actors all come out and sign programs and pose for pictures with their fans, so we waited around for that before heading down to Little Italy for the San Gennaro feast (more on that in a few paragraphs).

So it's been many years since I rode a subway in NY, and I have never used Metrocard machines, nor do I know how much it costs or what the specifics are. Fortunately, a few of NY's finest were loitering by the machines, and one told me exactly what to do, and I did it. So that worked out, at least. We managed to get the train down to Canal Street, which was just teeming with people, bringing to mind images I have seen of the streets in cities in China, where there are just so many people at these street markets that you can barely walk.

But if I thought that was bad, it was because we had not yet reached Mulberry Street, where the Feast actually takes place. I was trying to remember if I had ever been before, and as soon as we got there, I knew that I had, and I knew why I had blocked it out of my memory. This street was filled with crowds that could barely move. I suppose the point of the festival is to sample the wares of each of the little touristy restaurants down in Little Italy, but it seemed to me like a street fair gone horribly awry. People were smoking in the midst of the throngs, it seemed as if there was no end in sight to the non-movement of the masses, and if you tried to stop to check out one of the vendors, you would just make everything worse.

Finally, we decided to just duck into one of the restaurants, because, despite the mobs, every restaurant had available seating. So we ate in one called Casa Bella, which didn't really impress me because the waiter was gruff, which I suppose is typical for an Italian restuarant particularly on a day like this, but they seemed to make up some of the rules on the fly. The menu listed half orders, and said that after 7 you could only get these with an order of another dinner. But when we tried to order them, we were told that was only for lunch.

The menu said a tip would be added, and it was not. Finally, when the waiter served one of the dishes, he poured olive oil all over my bag. A very nice and apologetic man came out and said he would take care of it, and he vanished briefly with it, and came back to return it smelling just as badly as it had when he took it. I don't think I'd bother to take the trip back to this place. My friend ordered their specialty, the veal, and said it was very good, but the rest of us had pasta and it was just OK. Good enough, but I like the dishes at Carrabas better, and they cost less even if you don't count the price of a trip to Manhattan - a trip that also makes us "bridge and tunnel people", which is most likely what incites the gruffness of the server.

Following our feast experience, we made our way back through the hawkers on Canal Street to the E train back up to Port Authority. Always an adventure. I was exhausted by the end of the day. Remind me never to try to go to that feast again. A funny thing, though, twice we were asked for directions, and both directed their queries to E! I guess she looked the most cosmopolitan of us all. Anyway, the first guy was a large curly-haired middle eastern man, asking at 50th Street how he could get to the "buildings that blew up and fell down." I showed him the E Train and he said thank you, but he would go to McDonald's first because he was "veddy veddy hungry."

And that was our day. In other news, Brian and Kevin stayed behind to go to Brian's baseball game, which was alas another loss for the team. Today we have to go to our first meeting with the new church class that Brian will be in, and this is where I'll hear the exchange of ideas regarding the 'pilgrimage.' And we look towards the week, more anxiety over whether or not I'll hear about the MRI results, or if I work up the nerve to call and get it over with. Otherwise, I work Tuesday and Thursday, so far.

No News and TGIF

Well, I never heard from the doctor, although it occurred to me that I don't even know if he was in the office this week. He should have been, he said he was going away at the end of August, but one never knows. Anyway, I thought of calling but talked myself out of it. I thought, if he has something to say that I don't want to hear, I prefer that it not ruin my weekend! Of course, it would be nice to have my mind put to ease, but I decided to put it OUT of my mind for the weekend instead.

So, we made it through another week of school. E missed a day and a couple of classes, and I worked a day and a half, but otherwise it was relatively calm. Brian skipped swimming last night, he has had a cold plus it was back to school night and he had a lot of homework and a baseball practice, one that took me 20 minutes of driving around to find. I am so through with this team. At the moment they are losing pitifully to some team, there was probably only one more inning to go (the fourth inning) but God only knows how long that was going to take.

Megan is at practice, and E is at the school football game. I am home alone! E and I went out for dinner, which took longer than I had hoped, partly because she got a late call from her mom and then I got on the phone with her. There were a couple of issues I wanted to discuss with her, mainly the things that go on that shouldn't, and how she would handle them if E were living with them. Just the usualy high school issues, but I didn't feel comfortable letting her do some things, such as riding in cars with kids who are not supposed to drive more than one or two others, or being at parties where there will be alcohol and maybe even drugs. So I feel a little better, but it is still a big responsibility, and a sad testament to the state of our high schools in the US!

Anyway, the main thing that she had wanted to see was the Halftime Show, and we almost missed it! As we pulled in, the cheerleaders were all piled up on each other. Apparently they were anxious about this show, it wasn't quite as perfected as they would have liked!

And in other news, the pool is now officially closed. The plants are withering and getting ready to winter themselves, and the leaves are beginning to change color and fall off the tree. I feel a pressure to "holiday" this year more than usual, to give E the proper American experience. I only hope I can remember how to do it!!!

Happily HumDrum

Today marks four weeks since E's arrival. But who's counting anyway? ;-) After she missed a day of school with a bad cold on Tuesday, yesterday I was called up to the nurse to give her advil because she had a sinus headache. The nurse gave us the form, at the high school if you have permission from a doctor, they can give you free medications, such as advil, tylenol, etc! In middle school, I have to provide the medications as well as have the note signed by a doctor. E didn't understand why this was such a big deal, why she had to have a note. I told her because in America, we all sue each other.

Also of great interest to E is this whole debacle on Wall Street. Instead of a language, she has been placed in an Economics class, although she missed being there for the past two days, unfortunately. I would have really liked to have heard what an economics teacher would have done with the lessons. Hopefully just watched MSNBC!

Fortunately Kevin's bank is not American, nor are they an investment bank, although they do have a little 'trading floor'. However, I think, at least for now, they are immune to the woes of the American economy. Well, let's hope so.

I have not called the neurologist yet for the MRI results and I am trying to decide if I ever will. Of course, there is still the chance he might call me anyway, but I would imagine anything life threatening would have been brought to my attention by now. Of course, with chiari, there is not a life threatening change that comes on so quickly, more of life altering, and even then the progression is so slow that he might just wait for me to call him anyway. I do not like this! I would much rather live in ignorant bliss. Well, not really, but it is a lot less stressful.

Anyway, when I began this post, I was huddled in the basement with Molly while the new cleaning lady cleaned the floors. I went to the gym this morning, and then to Costco. Adding just one mouth in the household seems to really increase the amount of food we go through, or perhaps it's because we almost always eat at home now that school has started, instead of going out to eat every single night. Tonight, though, is Back to School night at the middle school, so I don't know how dinner will work with that. Maybe popcorn chicken and canned green beans, take it or leave it? Kevin will have to skip the BTS Night because Brian has swimming AND baseball in succession tonight; then he will be hungry and will have homework to do. And someone needs to drive him home.

So now the cleaning lady is gone. The house looks great. She was older than the one we got last time, and she did a better job. The last one cut corners, I could have done a better job myself and saved the money (haha, surely). In other news, two cats are sharing a perch at the window now that the house has gone silent. There is mass uncertainty when the cleaning ladies are here. Now I am waiting for the pool guys to come, today is the day they will close and cover the pool. They should be here in half an hour or so. On Saturday, Megan, E and I are going into NY to see an off-Broadway show called Altar Boyz and also to walk around Little Italy during the San Gennaro feast. I don't know if I have ever been, so it should be fun. However, I read my horoscope for Saturday and it said, "don't pay for someone else." Hm.

Bridesday Revisited (circa 1990)

Uneventful MRI

Well, I do hope that the results will go as uneventfully as the MRI. We did get there a little later than they had requested, but we were there well in time for the 4pm start time. They didn't take Brian in until about 4:15 or maybe later (I forgot to check) but they were out around 5:10. No major mishaps, and no idea what they saw. Surely the techs can't tell anyway, because we know the syrinx is likely still there, and the brain sits lower than normal. But it's only the comparisons to last year that matter, and the techs probably don't have that ability. So now I wait.

A couple of years ago I had the MRI done after the visit, and didn't see the neurologist until February, and he never called me. That was one of the years when we were still seeing the surgeon, so I knew everything was still OK, because he read the films for us. I don't know if I don't call the neurologist this time, if he will call me with results. I am tempted not to call! But then I will just be in an absolute panic in February, or sooner if he happens to call this week without my preemptive inquiry.

Anyway, it was all OK. I left some meatballs in the crockpot, and also some salad, and we were home a little after 5:30. I got a parking spot on the first go-round in the hospital lot, and I finished the crossword (with just a *little* help from the receptionist), the word sleuth, the jumble, and the cryptogram. Then I watched John McCain talk about how strong our economy still is while I listened to the numbers coming out of Wall Street and thought thankfully I don't work there anymore! Although most of the people I used to work for and/or with are no longer under investment banks. Most have branched out on their own as independent investment management companies.

And in other news, Brian is enjoying being back on the swim team, although it is tough for him trying to keep up at times. He claims he is going to wake up tomorrow and go for a run, in a further effort to bolster endurance and pulmonary capacity. I guess his cold is better, but now E has come down with one! Today (as you see from the slideshow above) is our 18th wedding anniversary. As I sat and watched the little TV at the hospital while I waited, I thought about where I had been 18 years ago that moment, at the Panorama Club, without a trace of knowledge of chiari malformation, syrinx, or even what an MRI entailed. It's hard to connect my life to that one, so much has happened between then and now. I will resist the temptation to say "those were the days" in the hopes that there are still even better days to come!

Sunday Night

I don't know what "hot as the dickens" really means, but I'm pretty sure that's how hot it was today. We started off the day at church, and E accompanied us. It was a slightly different service than usual, because there was no sermon, instead there was a joint-effort presentation by a few of the 'pilgrims' who made the trip to England in early July, the trip on which we chose NOT to send Megan, for various reasons.

I listened carefully to everything that they all said, weeded through all the "amazings" and "awesomes" to try to hear what they were really saying and if these were true emotions. I think that they did have a good time and that some got more out of it than others. One thing that struck me was how 13 of them went on the trip; four were chosen to speak, and I think I saw maybe two or three others in attendance to show their support. After church came the church picnic. Admittedly, due to it being hot as the dickens, many had an excuse to stay away. But still. Only TWO of the pilgrims were at the picnic. So I wasn't really sure that that convinced me that they had really formed the strong familial bond, of which they spoke, during their travels.

Anyway, I have to decide if I am sending Brian on this trip in two years, if in fact they take the same trip again and I just really don't have any idea what I will do. Of course, my immediate concern will be tomorrow's MRI, but assuming ::knock wood:: that all is well with that, I will have to begin to consider this trip...there was talk of some physically challenging hikes and walks, but otherwise, there was a lot of prayer and a lot of church-visiting. Which brought to mind Brian's comment, which was met with some agreement from his dad, when he found out he was being taken to church today: "It's torture." Is this a kid who wants to take a two-week tour of all the churchs in Northern England? Well, I am not so sure. We didn't make up our mind with Megan until the second year anyway. Also, they're talking about maybe changing the trip. So stay tuned to this space for further updates.

But enough about that - did anyone see Saturday Night Live last night? I specifically wanted to see Michael Phelps' performance, and made sure I tried to stay awake. The opening skit was quite funny, particularly "Sarah Palin" although I had a hard time seeing "Hilary" in her portrayer. I didn't find Michael Phelps to be very comfortable on camera or very funny in his skits, at least those I saw before I fell asleep (which happened when he appeared in full orthodontic headgear) but as I read in one blog - would you rather be the greatest Olympian or the greatest SNL host - so I guess that about sums up his performance. And some of that has to be blamed on the writers. I'm sorry I missed the part at the end where they made fun of his diet. That must have been a little funny.

Anyway, in other news, I will have my first day of work tomorrow, just a half day, and then we have to get Brian down to the MRI. After the MRI he has swimming, which he can't really miss because he's trying to build his endurance. Megan also has swimming, she does have a ride there, but I may just drive her since I am also driving Brian. Or maybe just get Brian a ride there as well. That might work. Oh my goodness. It makes my head spin.

First Friday

It's the end of the first full week of school, and still no word from USG. I guess he assumes ... whatever. After the MRI results, I'll look into having Brian tested and get some advice from someone who knows how to advise people. I need guidance on such issues as whether he is really age appropriate for his grade, and if he is really able to sort through all of the information that comes at him, or if there's some organic reason he can't do this. I read through an answer he had written for a social studies assignment last night, and not only did it miss the point of the question, it also lacked substance. And he really needs to have substance by the time he's in eighth grade.

My morning assignment for today was cancelled, so I won't start working until Monday morning. I ran over and got in a quick workout, which I hope I will be able to maintain once the work does pick up. Having the cleaning service will be helpful, I will only have to worry about laundry and maintenance of the house in between cleanings. But if I could get myself into a more steady type of work, I would love to do it. I can't quite seem to do that, though. And now that I had the conversation with the sub caller, I am a little uneasy about going back to the school. I know there have been a lot of changes, and I don't know how well they have been received. Although yesterday, two students came up to me and said hello, while I was watching Brian swim. So that was nice. Of course, I remembered their names only when they walked away from me, so I hope they didn't think I couldn't remember who they were!

As for Brian and swimming, I'm just not sure if we did the right thing. I'm watching him struggle to keep up and he's really doing his best and falling far behind. I just don't know if this is the right place for him. It makes me so sad to see him really do his best and have it not be good enough, and I know it's due to forces beyond his control, and that breaks my heart. Add to that the treatment I have received from USG and the fact that I was pretty much blown off when I tried to discuss it with the coach, and I'm just feeling really unhappy about all of this. It's hard enough to be a 13 year old boy in middle school without being different from the others. I really wish we could find something Brian is passionate about, and that he is good at.

He loves baseball, but can't seem to make it past alternate on this team that he's on. And the team itself can drive us crazy because they email with practice times the day before - and it can be any day of the week! We try to never have Brian miss, so that he can have at least a chance of playing a little more, but this week Comcast blew up Kevin's email, and he never got the practice notice, so Brian missed it. And their first game is tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure we can count on a lot of benchwarming. Also, heartbreaking.

And what that does is make him so nervous when he does get a chance to play that the one ball that comes to him carries so much pressure that it usually gets past him, and the same thing happens when he gets up to bat. There's so much riding on each pitch that he buckles under the pressure. And the kids at school are still being mean to him; although not all, a couple happen to live in our neighborhood and he has to deal with them on the bus and in the streets here as well.

Otherwise, E is still trying to find the right balance of challenge and manageability in her classes. I believe she will need to change at least one of the classes again, but she's going to work that out with the guidance counselor on her own. My main thought on this is that the guidance counselor needs to take a better look at where her past education has gotten her, and place her accordingly. He's just taking it at face value and the classes she's being placed in require more background than she's had so far. It's not setting her up for a good experience. Hopefully, they will fix it within the next week.

And in other news, we have, as I said, Brian's first baseball game tomorrow. Megan is back to swimming, but I think she is off this weekend. She wants to go and see her friend in some play at her church on Saturday. She had bought two tickets, assuming as she so often did in the beginning, that E would go with her. But E has been invited to a birthday party on Saturday, so she will most likely be going to that instead. I have still not called the vet for Molly's blood test results, but I assume all must be OK or I would have heard. Maybe I'll go and make that call right now. Or not. I don't think my favorite vet works Fridays. Maybe tomorrow.

Picking up the Pace

The school year is kicking off for real now. I got my first call from the sub caller last night. Alas, she informed me that it may well be my last call from her as well. She and her two associates have all resigned from this assignment, due to changes and complex requirements that were imposed on them for not much compensation. That has to be a terribly stressful job anyway, having to fill all the openings of all the absent teachers every day of every month. They make calls until late at night and start again at 5:45 am. And then they go to their regular jobs.

So I am working Friday and Monday mornings, and all day on the 23rd. I'll be happy to see the paychecks, but I'll be even happier when they start to fill in a little more. The end of summer is always hardest, coming off of birthdays, vacations, and end-of-summer party mode. By Christmas I usually recover, and then spend it all all over again.

I still have not heard from Useless Sir Guidance (hereforth known as USG). I have been emailing Brian's teachers at a rate of one per day, because it exhausts me to repeat myself, but I don't want to send them all the same impersonal note. I was waiting on USG, but since he never deigned to call me, I decided to make the science teacher my email of the day for yesterday. I explained a little about Brian's condition, and then said that I hoped the binder he was using for math and science would be ok. She wrote back: "his binder is fine. And if you feel it is a burden, we can work something out."

Huh? What happened to the two inch dedicated binder, and Brian's permission to show up late for his Spanish class so he could put that binder back in his locker? First of all, I know Brian would never have done that. The last thing he wants to do is draw MORE attention to the fact that he is different and weaker than the other students. Second, WHY was it such an argument on the phone with USG that I had to get myself all upset, and still not have heard back, when in actuality, the teacher is perfectly willing to work with us? What is the point?

Anyway, I have met a few people in response to my post on the forum, of course I had to discount the half dozen or so suggestions that I get Brian a rolling backpack, but most have come through with good thoughts and words of encouragement. It's really important for Brian to do well this year, because he didn't do so well last year. If he is going to go to a different high school for a fresh start, he is going to have to have a good first marking period. If he is not,, and he is going to the public school, he is still going to need to do well, in order to be placed in the highest level of classes possible. Honors won't be an option freshman year, but he can perhaps work towards that. But I certainly won't stand for anything below the next level down, which is called "college prep."

In other news, the weather is lovely and is forecast to remain that way through tomorrow. The girls at HS South will be happy about that, as they have picture day this week. Megan's is today, and E's is tomorrow. It always helps when picture day is a good hair day. Brian starts his swim team practices today, but he has to go to the orthodontist first. Megan starts tomorrow. And so begins my life of taxi driving!! I have already researched crock pot recipes. In fact, I think I need to start one cooking right now. :-)

Someone Left the Cats Out in the Rain

Well, it happens.

They busted out and I thought, fine! Begone with you both! The litter box is getting stinky anyway. So I let them out and they ran off. It wasn't until much later, after I had watched the thunderstorm from the living room window, and after Rusty had curled up on my lap and purred himself to sleep, that I suddenly realized that his warm bliss wasn't the way of the household today!! I ran to the slider and pretty much discovered the above. Now, which cat looks to be smarter and more street-wise? Hint: one came in soaking wet, the other, only a little wet from waiting to be let in.

In other news, the guidance counselor continues to earn my disrespect. When I checked Brian's folder after he came home from school, I saw the handout from the science teacher. It does not call for, as Sir Guidance reported, a TWO inch binder dedicated solely to science, but instead, a ONE inch binder to be SHARED with social studies. This is to prevent the students from confusing themselves and bringing the wrong binder, as they have social studies and science on alternatibg days. However, Brian will always have the binder with the science notes in it, because the way I have it set up, this binder is being shared with math, which is an every day class. And I haven't received a call back from Sir Guidance one way or the other, which is really fine. I'm not listening to him anymore anyway. If I need to go back in there, I'll just bring counsel with me. Otherwise I'm dealing directly with the teachers.

My World, in Brief

It was bound to happen, things have been going too smoothly. I'm not enjoying today. I seem to have run up against the same stumbling blocks at the school with Brian. It continues to boggle my mind that teachers all must think theirs is the only class students are taking. I was trying to get Brian's accommodations to include a caveat that he should be able to organize his classwork in a way more conducive to his understanding (due to his scatterbrainedness) and to reduce the load of his books (due to his syrinx and chiari). This just isn't really going well, and I am once again beating my head against a brick wall.

I emailed the guidance counselor, and he called me back. His solution is that Brian should get another binder, a 2" binder (which ends up being closer to 3" thick, because the measurement refers to the circumference of the metal rings within.) This is in addition to two existing 1" binders and a 3-subject notebook. In order to reduce the burden, Brian is allowed to stop at his locker after science, and leave the book there. But, I pointed out, he will still have to carry all of these binders home!! I just honestly think these people don't get it. As I do every time, I have appealed to my support groups for suggestions. And if anyone suggests that I get Brian a rolling backpack, I'm throwing the computer out the window.

So now Megan is home. Alone. I guess E is rearranging some classes. I texted her but got no reply. I wonder if I should go up to the school and wait there, or just wait for a call? I don't want to leave her there alone, but if she wants to handle it independently, I also don't want to step on her feet. The problem has been that since things are taught differently "over there" it was difficult to figure out at which level she might need to be. And whether it was a question of honors vs. non-honors (I think not) or of changing to a different level of class; staying in honors (I believe this might be best). Our math goes Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, PreCalc (which can be taken together) and then Calculus. They just have "math" and it's all mixed up. I did tell her if she ever needed to go to guidance, that would be fine. She should just call me and I would come to get her. I am just hoping she has a more effective guidance experience than I had today.

And these are my musings for the day. In other news, Molly is not chewing on herself now that she is on an antibiotic, so that is good. I must find the positive and focus on that. I also bought some chicken to make for dinner tonight, although I also considered pasta. I was in such a funk while I was out, after having spoken to the guidance counselor. I remember last year why I finally gave up and just rode out the year. But that didn't have such a good result either, so I'm going to have to find another way.

Hanna Who?

The next time I get 27 phone calls about a rainstorm, I'm disconnecting the phone. As I suspected, Hanna blew through our town with nothing more than some downed tree twigs, as far as I could tell. Even the "high winds" didn't seem to make it to our neck of the woods. From the news reports, I see that there was some flooding, but I don't think they expected much along the Jersey Shore up here, one reporter said the storm hit mainly during low tide at the beach.

So we wake to a lovely sunny day. I think I will probably not go to church today, in favor of getting the house ready for our BBQ today at 4. Kevin is already outside readying the pool. Yesterday Brian and I did a little running around, then picked up E who had had a sleepover with her first outside friend. She had an interesting week at school, just has a couple of classes to sort some things out with, and also her lunch dilemma; because as I expected kids are coming out of the woodwork and wanting to be her friend. She seems taken aback by the social impact of the lunch period. I think she's finding that to be her hardest class!

Megan has liked all of her classes so far, with the exception of one of her teachers, who has been teaching for many years and may have grown a little stale. Brian seems happy as well, he has all "good" teachers this year. Will that translate into good grades for him? I don't know. He also has an elective, which this year is drama in the first half and art in the second half of the year. The class is full of characters, and I know he will enjoy it, but I hope he will be able to manage his own behavior in that group.

In other news, I took Molly to the vet yesterday for the lump on her paw. He squeezed it, and it is a cyst, but not worth removing unless it bothers her, he said he couldn't do it with a local because they are too hard to get out. So she's having an antibiotic, hopefully it's just some inflammation and infection that set in because she had the itchy paw and was chewing. That part at least seems to have improved. He also drew some blood to make sure she is OK (she pants a lot even indoors), so I should get those results tomorrow. And so we enter the first full week of school, which also ends with the start of swimming. Of course, Brian already has two conflicts the first week of swimming. He has the orthodontist on Wednesday and baseball on Friday. Just lovely.

And They're Off...!

I don't actually know how this is going to go. I got the girls out of the house right around 7. Brian will be OK, because by the time all the hustle and bustle of their waking up is in full swing, he gets up and still has plenty of time. Having two girls who need to shower, fix their hair and primp will be challenging. Although perhaps as in the past, Megan will lose the drive to fix her hair and primp, possibly before next week is out. She took her shower last night, too, so today wasn't too bad. It just got a little crowded by the bathroom sink at one point.

Tomorrow will be tougher, because their bus will probably come much earlier. That's what it did last year. I suppose it isn't a big deal for me to just drive them, and drop them off early at school for now. My problems will start when I also want to use the showers in the morning for work and don't want to take the time to drive them to the bus, which is a five minute walk away. I don't want to get E used to the luxury of leaving at 7 when some days she might need to be ready to go at 6:40. 7 is already an hour earlier than she had been used to at home. She said she had a hard time falling asleep last night. This has been a long anticipated day for her.

Brian always has trouble falling asleep on the night before school starts, but then he's wiped out by Friday night. It's a good thing our school starts on Thursday. You can't get too tired out in just two days, and then you're more ready for the first full week.

I took my shower before dropping Brian at the bus, thinking I didn't want to leave the new cleaning people (turns out to be one girl) alone. But now I am just waiting for things to open so I can go out and do things. I'm holed up in the basement with Molly, so as not to be in the way. I ironed Megan's shorts that were down here, but there isn't much else I can do, unless I scour the bathroom and kitchen down here, and vacuum and dust. But I'm trying to be quiet! At least I have the laptop, but I'm growing quickly bored of this as well.

In other news, Hanna seems still willing to spare us Sunday, which is good if it comes true. I have to run and do some party shopping today at Costco, and I have to plan for seating for about 40 people!! If the weather is bad I'll have to buy some pictionary paper or something!! :-D And I am beginning to worry myself about the MRI. I thought I was so smart, getting out of having it done over the summer! Now here I am in the beginning of the school year, having it hanging over my head. I was thinking today how things would be if we didn't follow up with the neurologist. We would probably only have annual follow-ups with the surgeon, and he would never order MRIs and would tell us every year how great Brian looked. Then I wonder, why didn't I go that route? And then I say, "oh yeah. Because this guy is thorough." I know I would panic either way. I suppose the more frequent MRIs are less stressful each time, but they bring more frequent bouts of stress.

Boredom in a Blog

I stalk some blogs. There it is. I confess. I find them through google's blog search function, and some I save in my favorites, others come up time and again on my google alert emails. I never identify myself as a stalker, but I continue to stalk nonetheless, I am curious to see how things will turn out. Most of the blogs can be fairly mundane, but they have some relevant experiences at times. The majority that I follow regularly have to do with chiari patients, so I don't count myself as a stalker in that case, rather a concerned compatriot.

This morning, as I was blog-stalking in procrastination, I discovered again what I have seen before: the world of the creative blog. For example, now that I have made my blog public again, I have to think about what I write. Such as not being able to call E by her real name, although I do identify myself and every member of my immediate family. So if someone were to stumble upon us and actually care, they would be able to figure out with minimal sleuthing just who we really are.

It made me think that I should really have names for us all: such as Professor X (that would be Brian with his XBox obsession) or King Homestead for Kevin. I would have to really give it some thought. But how would I ever remember those names, and my regular readers (all 2-3) would never be able to remember the cast of characters. Most of these couldn't be bothered to remember a password when the blog was briefly private!

Anyway, these have been my musings of the morning. It's like a whole Facebook blogworld out there, where people make friends through blogging and 'tag' each other and give each other 'awards'. I don't think I am really up for that aspect. But the creativity and a chuckle here and there might be nice.

So in other news, today is the last day of the summer break. I still plan to spend it at home, getting ready for the school days to come and for the cleaning service that will finally show up around 8am tomorrow. I don't know how I will occupy myself during this onslaught, but I'm sure I can find a way. Right now I think I had better go and wake the kids. They're in for a big shock tomorrow at 6am! The only one who has been setting an alarm so far has been E!

Brown Spot: BEGONE

And it is! The brown spot that has plagued me all summer is not only gone, it is benign. I got the call today from the nurse at the dermatologist's office. Of course, after checking messages all day, I went out to pick up Megan and E at the mall, and called home to check again. Brian picked up on the second ring, so I assumed there had been no calls.

"Oh," he says. "No, the doctor called."

:-O ... he knows I have been waiting, but he was too ensconced in his XBox to call and let me know, or even to NOT pick up the phone so that I would get the message. I called a second time. "BEEEEEPPPP" The machine malfunctioned. I was broken out in a cold sweat before I finally managed to get through and get the message to play, and I heard that it was the voice of a woman, signifying a favorable result. The doctor had said that if it were bad, he would personally make the call.

During this time I was also listening to the radio, and they were discussing the meningitis vaccine, the same one that I just agonized over for Megan, and finally opted to take. Not only did that radio conversation reinforce my thinking that I did the right thing, it made me want to run Brian in, rather than wait another year or two for him, as I did for Megan. I wanted to make sure that he isn't at greater risk of a side effect, due to his 'events' of recent years.

And tomorrow is the last day of summer vacation. I plan to spend it at home, doing laundry and getting things ready for school. We have also hired a cleaning service, and they will come Thursday for the first time. I am so excited to have a clean house, and they'll do things like clean moldings and doors. I can hardly wait!

I took Megan and E to the mall so E could meet my friend's daughter, and I think it went well. Brian and I joined them all for lunch, but we came home sooner. My credit cards are up pretty high right now, so I have to wait until Friday to start charging again. Oh, and I have to take Molly to the vet for that growth on her paw. I hope it won't need to be surgically removed, but I fear that it might. It is on the same paw as the one that was removed back in February 2007. Poor old dog.

A few nights ago we were down at a restuarant by the beach and we saw some girls doing a photo scavenger hunt, so Megan and some others dreamed up the idea that they should have one as well. They have made up some teams, and they're meeting up there at 6:00 tonight. We'll see how this is going to go. I asked her if they were all dressing alike, and she went, "oh."

Guess not.

In other news, the mailbox manages to remain upright. The pool chemicals are normalizing after an attack by chlorine, at the misguided hand of Kevin. We need it to recover in time for a little BBQ we are having on Sunday night for some swimming families. We also need the approaching hurricane to move through on SATURDAY even if it does mean Big Brown will have to outrun a bunch of old nags under sloppy conditions. Oh, and I think Megan is trying to coordinate the like-dressing after all.

Monday!

I can't believe it. Summer is over. The beach club is closed. The day was beautiful. I guess there were still a few more jellyfish than usual for this time of year, but overall it was a beautiful beach day.

I think we all had a nice last day at the beach, of course Brian had to cause a bit of scene when we told him we were leaving at 6:30 but we snapped him out of it pretty quickly. The beach had been ridiculously crowded when we arrived, so much so that they had to take our car and park it across the street at someone's house, the cars in the lot were double and triple parked. They brought it back in and it took me ten minutes to find it at the end of the day.

So we left around 7 and went for dinner at Windansea, a restaurant with beautiful views of Sandy Hook bay. We had a great table and some good company, and it was a great end for summer. Tomorrow I plan to introduce E to the daughter of a friend of mine, and then we're supposed to go down to the beach for a 'scavenger hunt' if Megan can pull it off. (well, I won't participate) and then we'll take Wednesday to get ready for the beginning of school.

In other news, I actually got a cleaning lady! Well, team. She starts this week (they start) on Thursday. My house should be clean for the weekend! Ater that, she will come every other week. Most thrilling news, that it is, that it is.