Happy Halloween?

So I have complained about the kids that live in this neighborhood, and the way they treat Brian. One in particular will decide that Brian isn't worthy of his company, and he will purposely leave him out, and his cronies will follow suit. Then suddenly he'll come over and invite Brian to play, and help himself to two or three cans of iced tea from the garage, and a half dozen poptarts, under the guise of friendship, giving Brian false hope, only to knock him down again.

Today, Brian thought he would trick or treat with these kids. Apparently they discussed it on the bus, or he thought they had. Brian texted the main kid, and asked if he was leaving. Kid texted back that he was not. Then he proceeded to leave and walk right by our house. Then he had the nerve to come up to my door with his troupe, half of them not even in costume. At the age of nearly 14, that is just disgusting. I'm pretty sure they did the same thing either last year or the year before.

For some reason, Brian refuses to turn his back on this treatment and repeatedly takes it. If there was ever any doubt that the gum ended up in his hood at the hands of this particular crowd, that's pretty much been erased by what I experienced today. One has to wonder what it is to make a kid so nasty and yet so blatantly in-your-face about himself. Not to take him is one thing ... maybe they don't like him, and that's fine. But why come to my house? It's not like the neighborhood is small.

Anyway, Megan is at the Y swimming and so far the trick or treaters have been only the ditchers, and then Brian and his group. His group is sort of a motely crew, but they are also a crew with whom you always know where you stand, unlike the ditchers.

E is up to the usual. Sleeping over somewhere, doesn't know where, going somewhere, doesn't know where. I haven't heard and if history is any indicator, don't expect to. Perhaps in fact the difficulties I experienced back in May with Dr. NoCallBack were the fates' attempt to intervene.

But in other news, this will be a busy weekend between the two-day swim meet, the placement test tomorrow, and all the usual goings-on of the weekend. We have a lot of days off from school in the next couple of weeks, with elections, teachers conventions and Veteran's Day. And the next thing we know, it will be Thankgsiving, and then Christmas. And then Nationals. And then the school year will end! I can't believe it has flown by already. :-)

On second thought, I hate all kids. The doorbell just rang (no idea who this group was) and I gave them each two pieces of candy. Not one said thank you, but one said, "oh wonderful" when he saw what I was putting in his bag!! I really believe there should be a program like the Fresh Air Fund in reverse, where suburban kids have to go and live in the South Bronx for ten days. (amendment.. the first girls just came and they were friendly and polite; the previous statement applies to only boys!)

False Alarm

So I have written about our hyperreactive smoke detector before, I believe. And tonight, it struck again. Brian was in the shower (of course it would be Brian) and when he came out, again the alarm sounded. This is the first time with Kevin being home, so of course he flew into dork mode and snapped at all of us. I tried to reset the alarm from the keypad, and he tried to push the button on the ceiling. In my panic, I did the automatic keycode and hit .. the wrong button. The big red one that says 'FIRE' in it. :-/ But we were able to cut it off, and told the ADT folks that all was well.

I sat down to finish some surfing, when all of a sudden some flashing lights flew past the window. (Note to self: invest in reflective house numbers ASAP) I ran outside to avert further embarassment but it was too late. So, two huge fire trucks, several pick-axe wielding fireman and two police officers later, our excitement has died down. I guess that because this time it took us longer to shut down the alarm, ADT had to call in the fire alarm.

Meanwhile, I can almost feel sorry for Tampa Bay and that area roughly between first and second base that seems to be cursed for them. But of course, the night is young. I'm just glad the Phillies get to be up four times to Tampa Bay's three. A one run lead is not much of a cushion. (Edit: a tie is no cushion at all, I don't feel sorry for anyone anymore)

In other news, my three days of full day working are over. I am working tomorrow, now only in the afternoon, and I have been called to work Friday morning as well, but at a different school. Which is OK. I am ready for a break! Sometimes it's hard to go to the same school so many days in a row. People start making comments like, "well, you're a regular fixture here" or "you might as well take up permanent residence" which sort of serves simply to remind me that I DON'T really work there.

Otherwise, Brian seems to be still doing well following his alleged blackout after his fall the other day. After I spoke to the pediatrician, I did check with the neurologist and both said that he will be OK, even if he has had a concussion, so just to watch him and keep him out of contact sports for three weeks. He doesn't have gym this marking period, so that won't be a problem anyway. I am still concerned that nobody knows or seems to care what happened or why he fell. The only witnesses were kids, and nobody is asking them what happened, and if Brian knows, he ain't tellin'

Unlucky Monday

At least it is if you're Brian. I was at work, and the phone was making sounds like they were trying to call the room, but they never said anything. A few minutes later they beeped in and asked me to pick up. When I did, they told me the middle school nurse had called. Turns out Brian "fell" and hit his head on the wall at school, hard enough that he now claims amnesia directly surrounding the incident. He remembers walking, and he remembers getting up. But he doesn't seem to understand why he fell. Falling over someone's foot seems very suspicious to me. Especially for someone who came home from school and put up his hood to find that a criminal had put a wad of gum in it, and their prank had been successful, and the gum had entangled itself in his hair. I worked on it for half an hour, and managed to get it all out with barely any hair loss, so the villains won't know of their success.

(Phillies score one!)

So I am at a loss as to how to proceed. Do I let it go and assume it was truly an accident, or do I contact the school and let them know that I am unsure of the circumstances surrounding the fall? Did someone think it would be funny to trip him up, but then feel bad when he fell harder than they expected? I know middle school is an awful, horrible place, but this is just ridiculous. Is it coincidence that this would happen on the day before they are set to visit the public high school for their tour? I think someone tries to send a message to me, this is what it must be.

Anyway, my day was OK. The kids are cute and one of my most favorite students in the entire school is in the class. The day goes so fast because there is just so much to be done, and there are a few aides and a resource teacher in and out of the room throughout the day so I never have to wonder what is going on for long. And by the end of Wednesday, hopefully I will have it down to a science. Just in time to be done :-) Another teacher asked me if I can work for her Monday, Wednesday, and the following Monday, which are the next three school days for our district. We're off Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and then the next Tuesday as well. So maybe I will be able to foot the food bills after all.

(Phillies score another!!!)

Otherwise, nothing of excitement to report. The only other news is that Halloween is Friday and Megan and Brian have no idea what they will be. E has an ever-evolving costume, which ranged from a 20's girl to various pop icons of the 20s through today, set partially in motion by the discovery of an old dress I let her try on, complete with shoulder pads. That created a costume idea, which she has since recreated to include everything BUT the dress. But she may be the only one with anywhere to go anyway. Megan will have practice, and I just don't know what Brian has in mind. Now I am off to the Phillies.

School Pictures

Lucky 13

We have a birthday in the house today! It's Molly's 13th birthday, although she seems unaware of her advancing age. I got her an edible Nylabone, which I made her take outside because it smelled so bad, and also a stuffed chipmunk, so she can feel like she is keeping up with the cats. I took her for a long walk and then brushed her. Now she is asleep on the rug under Kevin's feet.

We split up for two swim meets today, the girls won 110-108 and the boys won 109-108. Megan swam OK, not too exciting for her, being a distance freestyle swimmer, the shorter events at the dual meets are not her best, nor are the stroke events. The shortest freestyle race in this meet was 100 yards, and she swam it and came in third. Not a big deal, she looked fine. Just a little boring as a spectator! Later in the season the race will turn to a 200 and that will be better for her. But the meet itself was exciting. We had a couple of ties, and some of the relays were so close that the screaming was deafening. That's when the meets are really fun to watch.

So my career is picking up a little. I worked my scheduled half days on Wednesday and Friday but also was called in for Thursday, and that teacher called me at home yesterday to see if I would work for her Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all day. The only problem was that she was trying to call in to the sub line, and she was having trouble getting through to the voice mailbox. So she was going to keep trying and is supposed to get back to me before the end of the weekend. But that would be helpful, three full days in a row. Megan doesn't have spinning this week, so I don't have to be back to drive to swimming until 4:30 instead of 2:55.

I am a little over in my spending, and I can't believe how much things cost these days. At Target today, I noticed that all the laundry supplies have gone up by $1-$2 per item! And of course, I had to replace my hair straightener. I got a deal, though. It was on sale for $99 and I got it for 20% off that price!

I also got called yesterday morning, already scheduled for a half day of work. They somehow had not gotten a sub for the Spanish teacher so they asked me to come in a little early and cover her classes for the morning. I watched the first 40 minutes of The Lion King three times, in Spanish. I understood about three words in the entire thing. Yesterday was a tiring sub day, though, the afternoon was a little challenging; and the morning was a bit slow with the Spanish SEEEEMMBA.

In other news, this week will be Halloween. Megan tells me she will be Count Chocula, but I don't understand how that will happen. And she has a swim meet all weekend at Princeton, so she won't be able to have any fun anyway. Brian hasn't even mentioned a costume, but I don't know what he has in mind if anything. He actually has one of the high school entrance exams on Saturday morning; not that he would be out late celebrating anyway. I am trying to plan a costume for Molly. I'm afraid I may be turning into a Halloween shrew. I have a strong desire to turn off all the lights and pretend to have left for Disney World.

Pinky Woes

Well, Megan's finger is injured. Some time last week she came home, saying she had been kicked in the little finger by a finned foot. Her little finger was all black and blue, and someone had taped it to the one next to it. She insisted it was not broken, because she could move it, and said it was jammed and had been cared for. So I never called the doctor.

Now here we are and it looks sort of like a tree branch, or a little twig. It comes up, goes out, and then comes back to the center again. It still hurts. It's white from being taped all the time. It is, of course, her left hand, the one she uses to write. So now I don't know what to do. At this point, it's set the way it is. Will it straighten out on its own? I don't know. I guess I'll have to have it checked out.

And so Kevin is somewhere across the Great Blue Sea. Last I heard he was in Copenhagen, but he was waiting for a flight to Oslo, and that was 7 hours ago. I guess those are long flights. I am off to a morning of covering for child study meetings, hopefully some well scheduled ones. There is no day more wasted than one in which I have to work all morning for one meeting. I end up having to roam the school in search of work to keep me busy.

The alarm at the house across the street continues to go off sporadically, but the authorities seem to understand now that it is malfunctioning, and it's been confirmed that the homeowners are on vacation. As long as those firetrucks don't keep pulling up at 7am and midnight, I won't complain. I can't hear the alarm unless I am out in the back of the house.

I guess things are a little boring at the moment, or all that I would care to pen in cyberspace, at least. This weekend we'll have a couple of swim meets and that's it. Next weekend is a big meet for Megan, at Princeton, but not one of the biggest of the year. That's in December at Rutgers. Then we have the high school meets in January and February, and Nationals in April. Look at the year flying by.

In other news, E has decided she should cut her hair short and dye it. This is to take place on Friday, so let's see if she keeps up the nerve that long. We had our monthly check-in with the agency rep, and she told me that she's having a little gathering of all the students in December. So that should provide us with some entertainment. As far as that goes, I am still trying to find the balance between what's right and wrong as far as freedom goes where she is concerned. Some of the places she wants to go are not places that Megan would ever go, and they are certainly places I would never LET Brian go. So I find myself in a difficult spot. But that's all I can say on that topic in this venue. (Disclaimer: clock strikes 8. Post not proofread)

School Selection

As Kevin attended his Mickey Mouse meeting down in Orlando today, I awoke to the sound of a fireman on a two-way radio, saying, "...and nobody's answering the phone ..." when I remembered OUR malfunctioning fire alarm and wondered if it had gone off and cut the phone line, without my hearing the perpetual shriek. I jumped out of bed and noticed that they were actually at the house across the street, which appears to have noone home. They didn't stay long to investigate, but left the house with its own alarm perpetually shrieking indoors. I'm pretty sure it's still going on now. They are a retired couple, so they could be anywhere. Even in Florida.

Anyway, once I ascertained that this was not another humiliation served up by my own over-active monitoring system, Brian and I headed out for the final school under consideration. I will call this school MD. The grounds are very nice and serene, something like 32 acres of mostly playing fields and a beautiful huge new church that the parish just completed last year. This is actually the church where Brian was baptized, but since he has moved toward heathenism by joining an Episcopal church, he can't be a Catholic without undergoing some sort of ritual. But it doesn't matter. They'll still take our money.

So the school has the same laptop program as the one we visited last week, which is nice (call it SJV). However, when the students changed classes, we saw many of them moving through the halls with large textbooks in hand. I didn't think they needed to carry them, SJV did not, but this is still something that can be worked out under the 504 plan if he does choose MD. The problem that I am seeing is that his first choice school is morphing into whatever school he has most recently seen. So today it's MD. Last week it was SJV, and before that, the all-boys one.

The advantage of MD would be its size - they aim for 125 students per class, and there are only about 400 in the entire school. SJV has about 1000, as does the public school, and the all-boys Catholic school as well. I don't think MD generally has gotten there yet, they have not got the best reputation in town in some ways, although they seem to be doing better at reaching their goal. I know of several very selective parents who have sent their children here and are happy. The school is neat, clean, and bright. Even if they did just do this for the open house yesterday, the other two didn't look that way at THEIR open houses. Interestingly, MD has three levels: low, mid, and honors. SJV has mid, honors, and AP. They won't take the lower ones, I guess. This is the reason for the negative perception of MD. On the other hand, it gives certain kids the opportunity to be big fish in a small pond.

And one to go - the public school. Next week, on the 28th, Brian will visit the public school with his middle school. He would also like to spend a day as a student at MD; they offer that as part of their admissions process. Then, on November 1, he takes the test at the all-boys school, and on November 15, he takes it at SJV. This test will serve as a placement test for either of the two co-ed Catholic schools. He'll have to complete an MD application and pay for that as well; although he's already paid up for SJV. Confused? I am. My current front-runner is still SJV, plus it is the 'cheapest' of all. I think he hears from all of them in January. and of course, don't rule out public just yet.

When we got home, we found Megan sitting in front of the TV. Apparently E had woken her to tell her she was going out to lunch, and then couldn't lock the front door, so Megan had to come down and do that. This was five hours ago, and still no sign of her or word from her. Kevin is in Orlando and at last check was frantically speeding towards the airport. Come to think of it, he suddenly stopped texting me back (he was not the driver) so hopefully that meant they reached their destination and he is too busy checking in and finding the gate to text me back again.

Megan is exhausted from the swim workouts. The hayride she went on the other night wore her out because it turned out to be a highly popular touristy place and they were waiting on lines for hours for the attractions. She didn't get home till nearly midnight, after having been up early for the PSAT. Then the swim meet yesterday was long, and her finger is injured from a collision in the pool. Add to that her cold (which at least seems to be improving) and her flaring up eczema, and, well, she is falling apart. Good thing there was no school today, but I do hate that these days are always spent recuperating instead of taking little trips or doing little activities.

And in other news, I am working, so far, two half days this week. I guess that's better than nothing. I just got my social security report (which I get every year, ironically, and Kevin never gets one) and I made more money in 2007 than I have made since I stopped really working, in 1999. I made over $6000!!!! In ONE year!! Amazing. This year I am already up to 5, so I am challenging that amount. Of course, at this rate, I'll never make it. It's only that high because of the 07-08 school year, anyway. I've made about $400 so far this school year. Gross pay. No pun intended.

Solitude on Saturday

So we made it to another weekend. Right now it's all quiet in the house, just a dog at my feet, a cat on the arm of the love seat, and another taking a bath on the windowsill. The girls are at the school, taking the PSATs, Brian is sleeping, and Kevin is off somewhere taking a recertification class for his officials credentials for the Y.

Today is a hodge-podge day, practices at the Y, Brian has baseball at 5:30-ish in East Brunswick, which is a bit of a haul, and Megan won't be done practice until 6 or so. Tomorrow Brian and I are supposed to be at church for various reasons, and then there's an all afternoon swim meet at the Y. Also that other Catholic school open house which I would like to try to attend, to leave Monday open, and then Megan is hoping to be able to go to FrightFest at Six Flags with some friends on Sunday night, since they're off on Monday. So we will see.

For some strange reason our fire alarm has gone off twice, resulting in a call from the monitoring station and my embarassment. It seems to have something to do with showers and hair dryers, but I can't realy pinpoint the cause. The unit going off is a hardwired detector mounted just outside the bathroom. Simultaneously, I hit the code and 'enter' on the keypad and E pushes a button on the ceiling unit, and it stops, so I don't know which of us is actually responsible for turning it off. But then they call and I have to tell them my password and name, and assure them that all is well.

In other news, the weather is finally turning cooler. After packing up all the warm-weather clothing, I didn't much appreciate that return to summer-like temperatures. All the leaves are starting to turn color and drop. It gives Rusty something to watch for hours from his window perch.

Friday Eve

Well, it is the eve of Friday, what a big Friday it is, our schools have a three day weekend. We are just back tonight from the open house at the other local Catholic high school, which in Brian's eyes eclipsed the first one by a landslide. This school had a very nice feel, although at first I didn't think it would. It's as large as the public high school (about 1000 students, a bit more even), and the building is old. However, as we went through on the tour, which was pretty well run and everyone was nice and well-spoken and just, well, normal, we got more and more comfortable.

One thing that particularly appealed to us in light of Brian's chiari issues is that the entire school is on a laptop program. Every student has a laptop and the entire building is wireless. Notes can be taken on the laptop, either typed in or written as if it were a tablet; all assignments are turned in electronically. All teachers report grades via 'parent connect' which is something I have heard quite a bit, but for some reason our public schools don't do. There are no textbooks to be toted around, they stay in school and are usually available to be viewed online at home.

Of course, this comes with a price tag. Our next visit is Sunday or Monday to one more school, and then Brian will visit the public school on the 28th with his middle school. Oh, and the school we went to today is also on "block scheduling" meaning that they have four classes in the fall, and four classes in the spring semester. Classes run for 70+ minutes, and they all have an hour for lunch in the middle of the day, which is also when a lot of clubs meet.

Progress reports also finally arrived, although Megan's did not. I called her guidance counselor and he read it to me, so it was all positive, the worst being the B she is getting from the chemistry teacher who feels it is his job to break the A students in to failure (not that a B is failure, but the 65 on her last quiz practically was). She has another quiz tomorrow. I always panic when she has a quiz in there after a particularly long day of swimming, because she's tired and has less time to prepare. And she's been not feeling so great the past couple of days.

Brian's was pretty good as well, the worst on his being that he is talkative in MATH class!!! The math class is taught in a strange way, though, and may lend itself to non-attentiveness. I thought at back to school night that it didn't sound optimal. Hopefully he's learning. He also has a test tomorrow; in that class and one in science. And then today, I got a call and an email from his social studies teacher, just to let me know that he has been doing very well in that class! So that was nice.

And in other news, I am still unemployed but will not be tomorrow. I awaited a call this morning to see if I would work today or tomorrow, but it turned out to be neither. But later, I got another call and have a pretty good assignment, I daresay. It's from about 10-1, so that should be great. Kevin has just informed me that there are TWO munks on the back porch, and all this without any cats being let out at all today! I got mad because yesterday I let Wren out, and she spent hours out there, and then came in, and went straight to the litterbox and left a big dump in there, didn't even bury it! Oh, and the house is clean. Today was a cleaning day. That's always noteworthy.

Wednesday Morning

Here it is, Hump Day, and I am not motivated. I am unemployed yet again. I checked last year's schedule and noticed that I was really quite busy, but I was also working as a substitute para, and that seemed to bring in a lot of my hours, this time last year. However, I did have a day or two of work each week as a teacher sub as well. Last night, the new caller tried to call. I had Kevin on the other line, and he wouldn't stop talking. By the time I got to her, she had hung up. I called her immediately back, first she picked up and put the phone down, and then I called again and left a message, but the call was never returned. I'll call her again today, because I can't work in the afternoon tomorrow, so I'll request a morning, and a job for Friday, and see what happens. After 7 years, I am in my 8th, I have gone to being a nobody again. By the way, that is longer than I ever stayed at any of my other jobs.

I have to finish work on the directory for the middle school anyway, but all I have to do is delete a few names and print it out for proofing, and that won't take long. Otherwise I have laundry to finish up and I have to get the house straightened for the cleaning lady, who comes tomorrow. (yay) Maybe I'll go for a bike ride or take Molly for a walk. It's supposed to reach close to 80 degrees again!

After school today, Brian has swimming followed by baseball. Megan has nothing but a swim meeting at school and a Spanish Honor Society meeting. This is good, because she isn't feeling well. I have to go and get her some drugs; it's her usual November affliction of stuffiness. She also jammed her finger on someone's finned foot at practice the other day. Swimming CAN be dangerous!

Tomorrow is the next open house at one of the Catholic high schools. There's another on Sunday, but we have to be at the Y, so I may call the school and see about going another time. They do 'open tours' and also allow the students to experience the school for a day, which is a great idea. We have a lot of days off that they don't, including this coming Monday, so that might work out. Anyway, the school is far from being a first choice.

Meanwhile, I started letting Buddy and Wren out from time to time while the weather has been nice. It cuts down on litterbox cleaning, and they don't go far. However, Wren has become quite the chipmunk hunter. But she doesn't kill them. She brings them home to keep as pets. She meows while they're still hanging, terrified, in her jaw, and she brings them to the back slider and tries to get in! Yesterday, Brian saved one by chasing Wren around the yard until she finally dropped it and it escaped. But she's out now. She busted out when I was checking on the car.

In other news, STILL no progress reports. Maybe today. I was pretty sure they had gone out yesterday. And I definitely will get paid, thankfully, because I have no more money and there is no more food in the house. Having to budget not just money but how much food to buy is proving to be more challenging than I had expected, with another mouth to feed. And a big night tonight! First, the Phillies in a win-win situation. If they win, they go to the World Series. If they lose, they get to come home and win the pennant on their own turf (because of course, they will win). Second, the final debate, and being held at the renowned Hofstra University. How much more excitement can be packed into one night? I can hardly stand it.

Sandy Hook and Molly's Bath

Weekend Update

This was a fast weekend! The busy ones don't last long enough, and Kevin was off today, making the weekend a three day one for him, anyway. Also for me, because I never work. So I kind of have a 365 day weekend since we got this new sub caller.

So on Thursday I cut my pinky on a garden trimmer. I was pruning a shrub that looked like Sigmund the Sea Monster, and my little finger got in the way. I panicked, because of course there was dirt, and there was rust, on the trimmers, but I ran in and squeezed it to get it bleeding, then washed it out with soap and water and put some antibiotic ointment on it. It looked like a little papercut, but I was alarmed by it nonetheless because of its source. I managed to ascertain that it's been over 30 years since my last recorded tetanus booster, so I set myself off on a flurry of internet tetanus research. What I was able to learn is that tetanus is a very rare, but very awful illness that most often strikes older people who have allowed their vaccine series to wear off, at least in the developed world.

So began the quandary of what to do - get the shot? Don't get the shot? I called the doctor who said I would probably be OK because I had washed it out right away, but that I could have one if I wanted. So I decided I'd go today. But then when I thought about it, I didn't want my arm to hurt for a week, and I worried about degenerative neurological reactions. So in the end, I have still put it off, at least till tomorrow, and maybe beyond. the cut has healed to the point where it can barely be seen already. One study that I read recommended that all adults be vaccinated one time in adulthood at the age of 50, rather than every ten years. apparently the initial interval was every year, then every five, and now it is every ten. I wish they would just run titers instead of randomly vaccinating people. I guess the drug companies make more money on vaccines than on lab testing. Or maybe there is no titer. What do I know? I just don't want a shot. Not that I want tetanus. I think I'll stay out of the garden.

Oh, the weekend. Right. Brian played well in his baseball game, they lost 10-8. I had to go sell some food for the national team at the Y before the meet, so I didn't see the game at all. Brian swam well for himself, although he panicked about having to do a 100 yard backstroke, and they switched him down to a 50, although there is no such event at his age. Megan won the freestyle and says she got third place in the backstroke, but I thought her backstroke looked a little ::er:: choppy. But it was a good day, just a LONG meet. It felt like it might never end, but at least it did. Then Megan and E (who had stayed home because she had a lot of work piled up) went to a concert with some of Megan's beach club friends.

Yesterday we rode in the bike ride down at Sandy Hook, which was fun. It was a beautiful day, and we ended up there from 9 until nealy 2. Again, E stayed home. We ended up riding ten miles even though the route was 8; it just didn't feel like enough, and we weren't ready to turn around. We didn't win any of the many prizes, but there are a couple of good photos of Brian on the website (and a few awful ones of me! Holy cow).

(look at DSC#3593 through 3597 and DSC-3810) http://www.shutterfly.com/progal/gallery.jsp?gid=768a5498ce7d6c03d877

This is the link to ALL the photos. The first few are in album #3 and the last one is album #6. I can't link to the individual photos. But I can add my own - I'll do that next. (done :-) )

After we got back, Kevin and I took Molly to a nearby county park so she could swim in the lake. She encountered some fishing lines, some kayaks, and a horse. Also a crazy old man who gave her a tennis ball and then called Kevin a fool for throwing it over her head so she couldn't get to it, because she was tethered by her leash. Finally we let her off, and she had a great time swimming. She needed a good bath when she got home.

And that's about it. In other news, progress reports should really come this week. Brian is overscheduled this week, which I don't like, but he'll have to miss an activity here and there to manage it. There's another open house later in the week. Well, I must go because E is having a very bad headache and I have to make sure it isn't something other than tension.

disclaimer ... post not proofread ...

Big Weekend Begins

And I worked today. The new caller called and tried to send me to some random school for the whole day, so I lied and said I had to pick my kids up at school and it was too far away. So she sent me to another one for the morning instead, equally far, but at least I like the school. It's the same one where I did the half day stint last Friday afternoon.

(Incidentally, the upstairs bedroom is creaking, so if this post is suddenly cut short, please release this information to the proper authorities. Maybe it is the wind or a dog or cat, but just in case, thought I'd mention it)

Anyway, back to the day. I was floating for meetings again and I found that most of my day was spent in a classroom with a para whom I know very well, so it was a good day. I also sat through two shows of the 'space bubble' or whatever they call it, star dome, I don't remember. It's an inflatable planetarium with a funny guy doing a running monologue with a brief overview of all the planets, several stars and constellations, and finally an overview of the night sky. Very fun.

Brian is recovered from his mystery ailment and has returned to school. I was mistaken about the progress reports, however, they will be issued, I believe, NEXT Tuesday. So, stay tuned. Otherwise, here is the weekend: tonight: flexible, except for Megan, who of course has swimming. Saturday: Brian has baseball and then there's a big swim meet at the Y for the whole team, where they split them into two and have them race each other to evaluate them all for spots on the dual meet teams. I'm pretty sure we'll be Girls A and Boys B, but at this point, it doesn't mean much which dual team Megan is on. It's all about the big meets at this point in her swimming life.

On Sunday, we are participating in the bike ride to raise funds for pediatric brain cancer research, held down at Sandy Hook. We did this last year and it was very fun. E is supposed to be doing it with us, but she only cost an extra $5 and as she seems less than thrilled, I will certainly offer her the right to back out. We have to borrow her a bike, if she is going to do it.

Meanwhile, Megan is supposed to acolyte at church at the same time, and I am trying to find someone to switch with her. It's one of those Murphy's Law things - nobody will be able to switch with her, but last time she came to church to work her PAID job in the nursery, they pulled her out of the nursery and put her on the altar, and gave a younger girl the nursery job instead. Maybe .. it is ..GOD'S WILL?!?! Anyway, she won't be going. If I have to call them and just flat out say, she can't go - that is what I will have to do.

But now my laptop battery is dying, a sure signal that I must get up and be productive. In other news, the dog stinks, our mutual funds are in the gutter, and college is two years away. Today I considered moving to one of those states, like Florida or North Carolina, where the tuition is so much lower for in-state residents. I'm sure I could get a little residence there for a year or so ahead of time, just so she could go to college there for less money. Or do you actually have to attend school while you allegedly live there? Hmm. Why does it matter, anyway? Phht.

Wednesday Non-News

Well, life has returned to the mundane, for now. Of course I watch with anxiety as the financial drama unfolds, and I worry a little about Kevin's bank, but so far they seem to be weathering the storm. I remember back in the 90s when things got rough and they restructured and cut jobs and slashed departments, they put Kevin in the back office working in customer service, then brought him back up when things got better. So we'll see. Since as far as I know (I'm sure he will correct me) they're not into commercial banking (whatever that is nowadays) in the US, they should have limited exposure. But as it trickles down and affects all the markets, I'm sure that will have to change in some way. I set them up on a google alert just to be on the safe side. :-)

I listened to John McCain talk about stabilizing housing values and selfishly thought, that better not happen! When we just paid what at the time seemed a good deal, but now seems to have been top dollar, for this house two years ago, (and I suspect it is worth slightly less than even that 'bargain' price) we can't afford for it to stabilize below what we paid for it! But at least I did manage to stay awake for most of last night's debate. I did doze off briefly, but roused myself and paid closer attention. I wish it had been Sarah Palin instead of John the troll. She is much more fun to watch.

Anyway, speaking of unemployment, *I* remain unemployed, despite my phone call to the sub caller last week. Do I have to call every day and every night? Sigh. I didn't mind having a couple of days off to recoup from the migraine, and today I have plans for lunch (although I could have switched these around) but tomorrow there is no school, so the only possible work day this week is Friday, and I'm pretty sure teachers are discouraged from taking that one off. I'm trying to think of other ways to gain employment, but right now I need such flexibility that there isn't much I can take on.

So yesterday Brian stayed home sick from school. Well, not stayed home, but laid the groundwork for it, and came home at 10. He said he was dizzy with a headache, stomachache, and sore throat. One thing I noted was that he was not shaky, which is normally how he gets when he has a stomach upset. So I think he was just exhausted and needed a 'mental health day'. Of course, he fell asleep the second John McCain opened his mouth and uttered his lullaby responses.

Otherwise, all is quiet. Kevin was in Toronto yesterday and for the first time I can remember, got home with no storm-related delays. He has a few big trips coming up, too: Finland, Norway, and, of course: Disney World. Heh. In other news, progress reports are due to arrive in mailboxes today. Anxiously looking forward to that. I'm not sure what to do about E's, though. It's for the parents, but I will feel intrusive opening hers. Hmm. I'll have to think about that one. Also regarding school, I have been thinking of having Brian tested, to see if he has any sort of overlooked learning disability. I wish I had fought harder back when he was in fifth grade for the school to test him, but I didn't. I got through to one recommended neuropsychologist, and she charges $250 per hour, with an estimation of $3,500 total cost!!! No, thank you. Brian can surely pull his act together for less than that. I'd rather spend that money on tutors, if needed. On the other hand, there's a lucrative career for those in the position to choose. I'll have to point that out to Megan, who has announced she is interested in taking the AP Psychology class within the next two years.

Multiple Migraine Menace

Well, the headache was not to be defeated. It came back with a vengeance in the form of a back-to-back 'aura' yesterday afternoon. I thought I'd be OK after the first one receded, and we set off for the open house at the Catholic boys high school next to our house, but as soon as we went to go out the door, I sensed a new aura starting over. It was mildly alarming, although it's happened before, jut not too often, but it did follow its normal pattern and passed within less than an hour between the two episodes. Afterwards, though, I was left with a sickening headache.

The school tour was OK, considering my condition, I tried to get the most out of the day. I enjoyed waiting behind people who seemed unaware of the line forming behind them as they grilled the guidance counselors at their information desk, particular the woman who pronounced the name of another local high school, Mater Dei, "mayter dee". Then there was the elderly gentleman who heckled the poor boy who sat alone at the Future Business Leaders of America table about capitalism. Bad enough nobody seemed to have any interest in leading business, but the poor kid had to put up with that onslaught of misdirected patriotism. (What?! You're not a capitalist? That's what America is all about!!! to which the kid replied, "Ok. I'm a capitalist)

Anyway, I just doubt this is the school for Brian but he and Kevin were swept up in the moment and paid the $75 and registered on the spot for the entrance exam, so I guess we'll just cast that die and see what lands face up. This school wouldn't honor any of the accommodations in Brian's 504 plan, somehow they are exempted from doing so, or perhaps it's just that if they find out he has any special needs, they won't accept him. This is sort of a cookie cutter old-school type of school, and I guess it does develop a work ethic and seems to produce a lot of achievers, but again you have the differential between honors and non-honors classes, and I don't know where we're heading with that.

But there are two other Catholic schools to check out in the area, one has block scheduling, where the periods are twice as long but they only take half the classes each semester, and then the other half the next, which reduces the amount of different homework, as well as the weight of the backpack. The other school is smaller, perhaps not as academically blessed as some, including the public school, but publicly funded benefits seem only to benefit those in the honors track or the special needs groups. It is easy to get lost in the mainstream.

Both Catholic schools have laptop programs, where they require each student to purchase a laptop and use it for all of their classes. This would be a great thing for Brian. And the middle school will take him on a tour of the public high school. So by mid-January, we should be pretty sure where he will attend 9th grade. I wonder if the Catholic school might give him a smaller environment in which he won't get as 'lost' as he seems to be doing in the middle school. Just not sure how we pay for this ... but ...whatever.

Speaking of honors, Megan has an impossibly difficult chemistry teacher this year. E is also in the class, she has him at a different time. Megan got a 65 on the last quiz, E got a 71. However, the fire alarm sounded while E's class was taking the test, and they were not able to complete the end, which included a few open ended questions, which is where Megan says she lost most of her points.

The scores were calculated as a percentage of total responses, but since the test given to the earlier class was lacking the more challenging questions, Megan maintains that this was unfair. I think probably the teacher is trying to shake the kids up early on so that they will see that they need to study more than they have ever studied before. It is only one quiz of three, and quizzes only count as 30% of the total grade. But my jury is out on this teacher; they all say he is a very good teacher, and that his students will learn more from him than anyone else. But I don't understand why he has to be impossibly hard. I have particular interest in this issue, in light of my chemistry debacle in 10th grade, which was sort of the catalyst that led me to drop out of Girls High School and pursue alternative education.

And so today I am just hanging around. I did some work on the middle school directory last night, but I have more to do. My neck is still stiff from the migraine, so I'm not going to attempt to work out today. In other news, Wren got out last night and tried to come in with a chipmunk! Molly seems to have stopped licking her paw again, at least for now, and Kevin is back to work but is about to embark on several trips in the upcoming weeks. Also coming up are many days off from school, and the start of the swim season. Otherwise, all is pretty quiet at the moment. Nothing of interest to report.

So, Megan had her beach practice down here ^^ again this morning, at 8am. I was going to take her and do my walk, but I woke up with a stabbing one-sided headache, so I decided to try to rest it. Of course, it escalated as the day went on so if this post makes no sense, excuse me for that.

This weekend is the calm before the storm as far as swimming goes, no meets, but they start up next weekend. After that there will be one nearly every weekend until Thanksgiving, and even beyond. Then high school swimming will start again, and so will begin the craziness.

I managed to get my half day of work in yesterday, and it wasn't bad at all. I had 16 cute first graders, and they were all well behaved. Only one bloody lip and one alleged bee sting (I didn't see anything) and it was the end of the day. Kevin got caught up in the mess of the Lincoln Tunnel closures and was brought home via the Midtown Tunnel and the Verrazzano by the bus. He got home just around 7:30 and we went out to eat, but it was late by the time we finished.

Anyway, between my headache and the allure of my typing which draws everyone in the house to come and question me on the secrets of the universe, I am unable to concentrate any longer. So I will move into other news: Molly is chewing her paw again, Brian's team lost their baseball game, and Megan and E have gone out for the night, with the Favorite Boy and some friends, although Megan's other girlfriend flatleft her for a better offer, so it's a good thing E agreed to go, or Megan would have been the only girl. She isn't very good at securing plans sometimes.

Disclaimer: post written under distraction and not proofread

Molly Has Fun

Today was one of those days marked by internal conflict, when I had a long talk with myself about whether or not I should go to the Y first thing this morning, or use the time doing chores and errands. Myself won out over my other self, and I did go to the Y. On the way home, I got a call from a friend who was going for a walk at one of the local parks, asking if I wanted to come along. I said I would, and initially planned not to bring Molly; but she had been so fond of park walks in her youth that it didn't seem right to leave her behind, so along she came, and she had the time of her life.

After our walk, we stopped at the dog park. Isn't it funny how dogs gravitate towards others of their own breed? How do they even know what they look like? Anyway, here are some pictures of Molly and her new friends, and the tall goofy one is, of course, Max, our walking buddy. He is a ::cough cough:: labradoodle. Hehe.

Otherwise, I continue to be unemployed. I must not really mind so much because I forgot to call personnel for the phone number of the sub caller until after 4, when it was too late. I don't really want to work tomorrow anyway, I have the cleaning lady coming (I hope!) and I have plans to meet a friend for lunch. I'll make sure I remember to call them tomorrow, and maybe get a job for Friday. Hah.

In other news, Kevin has been there and back to Ohio, and is finally in New York today, although it won't be long before he heads off to Finland. E continues to settle in and all seems to be going well; school offers its occasional challenge, she has had to adjust to changing classes and all of the different teachers assigning so much work (again, who says American schools are so lax?) but she has the ability to handle it all, once it all clicks in she should do fine. Megan is off from swimming today, so they're downstairs playing pool. I am about to go back to the Y to watch Brian swim a little, and to order their team apparel amidst great chaos (the reason I came home during practice today, as a matter of fact ... also because I left my AMEX in my pants pocket last week, so Kevin cancelled it, and the new one just arrived, but was at home, so I had to come and get it so I can pay for said clothes.