oh, oh what I want to know ... where does the time go?

Well this was one of those weekends that seem to be over before they have a chance to start. It was a hectic flurry of Brian and his running around, E and her adventures, Megan and her swimming and puttering about, and baby birds being thrown out of nests.

Yesterday, the beach in the morning was beautiful. The weather was a little warm but perfect for a beach walk; the boardwalk was a little crowded but at that hour, the beach itself was empty. By the time we got home, I was exhausted and I had a few things to take care of in the backyard. I sat down to take some pictures of the chickadee who made her nest in the little 'Jets Fans Welcome' birdhouse, only to catch the movement of the poor outcast out of the corner of my eye. After a couple of attempts at repatriation, we realized that s/he was an unwanted little nestling and we had no choice but to let nature take its course.

A call to a bird expert confirmed what I read online, that if you put them in a new nest, their moms will feed them, but only if they fell out by accident. This one, poor Humpty Bird, was pushed, and pushed again and again. Based on some pictures I had found on the internet, the bird must have been only a day or so old. Apparently, within two weeks they grow up and leave the nest!

There is still plenty of squawking going on within the house, and the mother and father are busy bringing bugs and worms. I realized with equal degrees of amusement and amazement that Kevin can't hear the birds when they chirp! We had a good laugh at dinner when they were chirping, and he said, "that's not them!" I told him to tell me when they stopped, and Megan, E, and I all waited patiently. A second later the sound quieted, and Kevin still sat there unaffected. We all had a good laugh, and now we know that if we want to tell secrets, we can just do it in very high pitched voices.

I got a call to work tomorrow and the next day, and a half day Wednesday. Tomorrow is Brian's school trip to the pool club, and on Tuesday I have a meeting for the ::gasp:: Mother's Club at his high school. I'm going to go just to see what it's all about. The way I see it is I might as well do all I can to help boost his image until I see what he is going to do about it himself!

And I guess we will see what awaits us on The Week in Swine Flu. One of Brian's friends apparently has a dad who has it, and the kid can't play xbox because the dad is holed up in his room as isolation. I know it's in our town and they just aren't telling us about it. They won't announce it unless they determine that it's clustered. And half the people who get sick don't even go to the doctor anyway. If they just feel a little achy with a sore throat, fever, and cough, they treat it as they normally would and take some advil and rest if they need it. Otherwise, I'm afraid they show up for work and school as they always would. No school closings in our immediate area, although there are a couple in the next county, I believe. Yet the state's official count stands at 75. And Kevin has three air trips coming up, two day trips and one for a few days. No worries?

Anyway, in other news, Megan had to wave the banner for Pentecost at church today, representing the entire famiily on her own. Kevin had softball, a double-header, and Brian had baseball about an hour away. I had to take him, and we left at 8 and got home at 1. He's been running around lately, and partaking in some activities that leave me a bit concerned as to where they might lead him, so I am glad that school is ending and the beach club will hopefully provide him with an outlet.

Oddly, still not a word from the Fresh Air Fund's new rep, who weeks ago was going to call me in ten days to discuss whether we would host again. After this year with E, and all the crazy swim events going on this summer, I am not going to beat down their door to send us C, or anyone else. So I'm just going to ride out the next few weeks. I really am surprised that she dropped the ball on us.

oh yeah, and ...

I forgot to say, I went to the pet store last week to buy a new bag of cat food only to find that my brand had been recalled by Nutro for a mistake in the formulation process. The food either had too much zinc or not enough potassium. The instructions were to return the bag to the place of purchase for an alternative food. I had already bought alernative food since there were no bags of the one I liked, but I didn't find out about the recall until my cats had reluctantly eaten the entire bag. It lasted way longer than any other food ever did, so I thought they were just tired of it. A couple of weeks ago, there was a lot of cat puke around, too. I also keep another brand that I feed them at night, out of old habit when somebody was a new cat. So they at least were eating that and some morning wet food when I felt like giving it to them.

Also, I misinterpreted Brian's summer assignment. After he reads up on the life and times of the patron saint, he must write a similar life story on his OWN life, including three key instances that have shaped him up till now, what he expects out of high school, and where he sees himself afterwards, and why. Uh oh. He'll have to get deep and philosophical now.

Anyway, in other news, I am off to the beach with Megan for her morning run and my walk. It looks like we'll have some good weather this weekend. Brian the procrastinator has to build a 'stage' for his language arts class, and Megan has a party to attend tonight. E, I don't know what she has planned, because she ended up coming straight home from the prom last night, alone. So maybe we'll hear more on that today. My day will probably consist of attacking the mountain of laundry, changing the litterboxes, and supervising Brian's stage building. Tomorrow I have to take Brian to a baseball game in Belle Mead(e?), whereever that may be. At 9am. (Disclaimer: post not proofread!)

all the news that's fit to print

and maybe even some that's not...it's been a fast week, which is unusual for me with four day weeks. Usually I feel they drag by. But with all that's been going on: it was a cleaning lady week, meaning those always fly by before I have a chance to straighten up for the day she comes in, I ended up with two days of work at the end of the week, all the driving for swimming, and the debacle with my Explorer - time has just flown by.

Where to start? Well, Tuesday and Wednesday were quiet days so I sat around and blew off some time. I managed to get in a workout and a good walk, thankfully, because after that I have not had a chance. I was called to work yesterday at 6:50 am and the class was full of coughing people. I was relieved when I was asked to go somewhere else today, because then I was unable to return to that sickroom today, if they needed me! But today I had a third grade class that just doesn't listen. It was tiring. They are notorious for being this way. And I also got two bits of school news, one good, one bad. The bad news? The snails from last Friday did NOT survive the weekend. I guess I should have fed them :-( ... but the good news? My cross turned up! A kid found it on the playground! Of all places, like finding a needle in a haystack! It must have become stuck in my sweater when the chain broke, and not fallen off until I got outside. Because the chain was found inside the classroom! But now I have the whole thing back, so that is a beautiful thing.

So, the Explorer. The thing has never run smoothly. It had to have a new transmission in its first year. But this time, it's much, much worse. It is, of course, out of warranty, although some of the problems have been occurring for a while. I just never knew that they were related. The ABS light that comes on, the 4x4 high that blinks on and off, and the high pitched whine that comes from the engine upon acceleration, particularly on highways. Most recently, the feeling that something is about to fall off of the bottom of the car.

So the estimate went from $450 to $1000, and is now sitting at $1800. But we don't even know if that will fix the car. A google search reveals that Ford Explorers built after a certain time, and including the 2004 model year, are pieces of crap. Apparently their entire rear ends are just desined to self destruct. They whine at high speeds, and this is apparently a sign of a failing rear differential. Who knew? I thought it was just a loud obnoxious truck. Kids in the back seat have been complaining about that noise for years. Compounded by the fact that the spilled milk makes the car reek of baby puke, this issue may be the final straw on that confounded piece of junk.

The car's been at the dealership for over a week now. They've done $1000 worth of work on it, and it isn't fixed. Now I guess it's taken apart and its rear end is shot. So for $1000 I can have my car back in pieces? Yet apparently, Ford does not acknowledge this as a defect. I even found some lawyers in NJ who seem to be putting together a class action suit against Ford. I might have to get in touch with them if this doesn't get worked out soon. They just don't call us back when they don't want to deal with us.

Thank goodness I have the Honda. Oh! But in my car search, that one turned up as the car with the single most complaints against it! Even more than the Ford Explorer, which is apparently the worst car you can buy. The 2008 Honda Accord has been dubbed the only car in history to have the rear brakes fail before the front. Mine haven't failed yet. That I know of. But they sure do squeal a lot for a one year old car.

In other news, a letter arrived for Brian from his high school. It contained his four book reading list for the summer as well as his first assignment, which is to read a booklet (provided) on the life and times of the school's patron saint, and then to summarize the entire context in 400-600 words, typed, double-spaced, and submitted to the principal by August 1!! I think I like this school. I wonder if Brian will?! And tonight is the senior prom, which E is attending. I am waiting for her to call for a ride to her date's house to take pictures (wrong as that sounds -- a ride to her date's house --?). Oh, and funny thing. Megan found out today that he school named its new principal: her honors chemistry teacher! The one who writes the most impossible tests and is the hardest teacher anyone has ever heard of. I think he will make a good principal, although I'm sorry he didn't get the job a year earlier! ;-)

(mid)weekend updatee

So here it is, Sunday night. Tomorrow is the famed Memorial Day. It is forecast to be rainy in the morning, perhaps clearing in the afternoon. We will probably go down to the beach for a few hours, even if just to sit wrapped in blankets, we'll bring down the chairs and towels and look at the ocean, that is always nice.

Anyway, yesterday, I decided it would be a good day to heat the pool, which was opened last weekend. So I pushed the button. And then I thought, hmm. Must be doing something wrong. And I pushed it again. And I thought the same thought. And I pushed it again and it went 'whoosh' and I thought, "whew," and I walked away. I heard it whoosh again but didn't think much about it until a few minutes later Kevin announced that it had shut itself off again. So the multi-million dollar pool heater lasted exactly two seasons bfore self-destructing. Kevin spent hours working on it yesterday and today, undaunted by the plague inflicted upon him either by E or by his travels aboard the swine flu express to Miami last week. Nothing. So for $100, next Saturday, the pool company will send someone out. Just to look at it.

Incidentally, the water temperature is a balmy 71 degrees. Or it was before the icy rains began to fall from the sky tonight, while Megan is at a pool party.

Anyway, that is our story. Yesterday I hung around the house and got some things done in the house and in the yard, while Kevin tinkered in vain with the heater. He also took Brian up to play a little golf, and then we had a mini BBQ last night. Megan went to the beach, and E went to some kind of concert that resulted in her not returning until 12:18 am. (!) Tonight she is out with some friends and planning a boat excursion for tomorrow. I hope the weather holds out. Could be mighty cold out there on that North Atlantic! Maybe they'll stick to a river cruise.

Oh Speaking of E, I got the most infuriating email from the rep today! It commands our presence at the final, *mandatory* meeting, NO EXCUSES ACCEPTED on June 13. This happens to be a Saturday in, I believe, three weeks from now. So she commands our presence, from 3-5, on a Saturday in June. It also happens to be the day after the Doll's significant 75th birthday. And Megan has a swim meet at Princeton that whole weekend, which also happens to be the weekend before finals at the high school. And for those fans who don't pay attention, she had the FLU when she took midterms, so she needs to be in good shape for finals. Or else!

**update! Brian just lost another tooth! He has been losing them at a rate of about one a week lately - I knew this would happen, they stuck in his mouth for longer than they should have, and now they are all coming out at once; better stock up on yogurt and soup, he's toothless!**

So back to the agency issue. They also included questionnaires for us, for E, and for the school. I take issue with THIS ... they have not been a good support system for us at all. We have worked everything out on our own (well that which we worked out, anyway) and it wasn't easy. If anything, the rep complicated matters. And I can't write that and then turn it in to her! So I think this is so unfair. Those questionnaires should be turned in over their heads. I don't like this agency and wouldn't use them again, which is one of the questions. If I do decide to do this again, and it surely won't be the next school year, or the one after that, I will probably seek out a different agency!

But in other news, the rain is really coming down tonight! Kevin and I went to a little fishery we haven't been to in years, and the food was so good! We decided to just go out on a date since we had the chance. We'll have to remember to go back to this place again. It really is good. We went earlier to a nursery to find out what's been eating my knock-out roses, which are not supposed to succumb to pests. While we were there, we picked up another $10 azalea, as well as a butterfly bush and some flowers for the mailbox planter. Now to find room for the new plants! Mostly the available spots have all been taken up already! But with the rhododendrons and the peonies beginning to bloom, more pictures will soon be forthcoming! But now, it's time to go and fetch Megan. With this rain, I wish I had my Explorer - it's still at the dealer, pending another $600 diagnostic breakdown. Gah.

summertime summertime sum-sum-summertime

Memorial Day is here! What a year it's been. This is one for the record books. After I didn't get the phone in time yesterday morning ::cough cough:: I had another free day looming (today) until the phone rang around 8:30 last night. I was surprised because I didn't think teachers could take off the day before a long weekend, but it turned out this one had a good reason.

Every year I seem to find myself in a string of the same grade. Last year it was mostly fifth. Well this year? No. First and second. ::rips out hair:: They are very cute, but they can run you ragged. This was a pretty good class, but there's never a dull moment in the life of a substitute. First I found that today was the teacher appreciation luncheon, where all lunches were extended by half an hour. Except mine. I was never technically invited, and my plans said to go outside after half an hour of lunch. So it was very awkward for me, because I knew that by not going I was avoiding them, and yet I couldn't just assume I was welcome and walk in, either.

But first I need to backtrack to half an hour *before* lunch when the office intercom announced into the classroom that the guppies had arrived. Guppies? There was already a tankful of guppies. I said, OK, and continued about what we were doing. Five minutes after that, in walked the janitor with a box that said "living things" or some such identifying feature. (!) What was I supposed to do with guppies?

So one of the kids told me they usually do science with another teacher, whose class is on the complete other side of the building. I chose the most responsible girl in the room and sent her off with a note saying, "guppies are here. what do i do with them?!" She set off and happened to encounter this teacher on her way to take her own class outside. She took a detour and brought HER entire class in with the class I had, who were at their desks working. When I balked at the responsibility, terrified I would kill the entire colony of silvery swimmers, I guess she decided she'd set them up herself. So she did, and I read two books to her class, who had gotten a bit wild with excitement. There were two guppy casualties, which I had to fish out myself (heh heh) at the end of the day. I absolutely hate deceased guppies.

So that was the beginning. Then, after spending lunch dealing with the issues of my beleagured Explorer, which is at the dealership now, I went back to the classroom and got the group ready for recess. No sooner had we emerged into the hallway than we were spotted by the principal! She had me take them back to their room, get books, and come sit with her in the gym so that I could attend the remainder of the teacher appreciation lunch! So although that was also nice, it did set us back an additional half hour!

But the rest of the day went fairly well, although I was also asked to cover for a computer teacher during prep, because she had to go home for a sick child. This was fine, and in fact her class happened to be the class that I had had for the two week period that just passed. But that meant that I didn't get to organize any of the work for the teacher I was covering, or to grade the classwork that they had done. As it was, I didn't get out until 3:30 (normally 3:15) and Brian was ringing my cell phone off the hook looking for permission to roam the neighborhood. I think has managed to elude any law enforcement encounters tonight. He is down at the local McDonald's now, and Kevin will pick him up in half an hour.

Anyway, in other news, E is still hacking a bit and Megan is still having the symptoms. I noticed that seasonal flu is still listed as widespread in NJ, but I don't worry as much about that because I do believe we have done our time with that one, back in the time of the Great Sick. But the swine flu thing bothers me. It's a constant state of limbo, and I am pretty sure they don't tell us even the tip of what they know. I found out that there are kids who attended the conference with some who fell ill, and are being checked daily for fever. So they could come down with it, but meanwhile they've been in school the whole time they were cooking the virus anyway. I guess that's why closing the schools really just doesn't pay. By the time they close it, the virus is probably everywhere, and the ones who aren't sick yet probably all get together and hang out in close quarters anyway! But the best news of all is that the summer is kicking off, and the beach club opens tomorrow!

humbug humpday

Well, I had work today. It was not wonderful, it's a rough crowd. They're all very cute, but I felt like my head was going to explode by the end of the day and there were very few of them. Also, on Monday night, I went to take off my necklace and it wasn't on my neck. It was a thin chain with a small cross, with some diamonds. I knew that I had put it on, so I guessed the clasp hadn't closed and it had fallen off during the day at school. I emailed the secretary and teacher, and they wrote back and said that they didn't find it.

But today, they brought in a note from the janitor, and on the note was just the chain! :-( so the cross, the best part of it, remains at large. It's pretty small, so it could have been swept up or caught up in something, never to be seen again. I am happy to have the chain, but given the choice of the two parts, I would have preferred to have kept only the cross ... sigh.

I also found out today that I won't be getting that 12 day job at the end of the year; I am really fine about it, aside from the way it happened. The story is that the boss wants someone specifically certified in that area - which of course, I am not. I did think it would put me in an awkward spot to finish out the year with a bunch of kids whose parents might have questions, and their half days get out way later than the half days of the middle and high schools. So I will just continue with the uncertainty and daily phone calls of the past eight years! As of now, I am not working tomorrow, and I do hope it stays that way. I need a real rest, without other people at home with me.

In other news, E is recovering slowly from her Great Malaise. She is still coughing, but not as badly. No wonder, with the plethora of medications I have her taking; but now Megan has come down with the sniffles. I tried to get her doctor to renew her nasonex prescription, but the junior partner refused, because she wants to see her in the office. I was mad, it isn't a major medication, and after so many years of nursing her (and Brian) through these same sorts of things, I think I know when to use these medications. I wish I had asked for refills when I asked for these. I remember the doctor had offered, and I said, no, I'll just call you if I need more. Hah. Luckily Megan has some left, but it's old, which means she probably used it already with a sickness. the main doctor is on vacation and won't even be back for a week. Oh! And Memorial Day weekend is at hand! What will the weather have in store for us this year?! The beach club is opening!

and it's back ...

The swine flu is back. It is rearing its ugly head again, although I suspect it never left. The media just grew tired of it and now that people have died and schools are closing, they have decided to resurrect the coverage. They announced again that underlying conditions played a role in the deaths of those who succumbed in the US. But what does that mean? Don't most people have 'underlying conditions?' I mean, what about asthma? Asthmatics have to get flu shots to protect them from getting pneumonia. Does that mean they have to worry extra about the swine flu? And how can it be H1N1, just like the seasonal flu, and yet there is no cross-immunity? Why don't they publish fact sheets and answer the questions people really have? I think by now we know what flu symptoms are and how to wash our hands.

And, of course, we are booked on a transatlantic flight. I hope it's all in remission by then.

So today is my first day without work, due to the snafu where I told one teacher I would work for her and then the job was given to someone else, but I had turned down another job and then by the time I found out I didn't have the first, it was too late for the other. I wasn't too disappointed to be off, though, which is in contrast to the emotion I felt when E appeared, at 6:45, and asked to stay home from school because she didn't sleep well. Had she been Megan, I would have made her go. I don't believe in missing school because your nose is stuffy; and I took her to the doctor yesterday and they are treating her for sinusitis.

So I think this day will do little more than throw off her schedule. She's had no fever, just congestion and the cough; and it's been since Thursday, she should be improving rather than needing to stay home. I had really looked forward to being able to blast my stereo, straighten the house, catch up on laundry, and just pretty much be in an empty house. But I wasn't going to force her to go, and she went back to bed, where she remains.

In other news, Kevin has taken a day trip to Miami, meaning he is now exposing himself to the flying virus pool yet again. I went to the Y this morning and did some exercises to try to whip my aging self back into shape, and now I am off to the showers. I have work to do in the yard and in the house, as well as things I need to pick up from various shopping venues. I am not scheduled for any work again in the future, but I was asked to do 12 days in June. But I'll have to wait to see if they call me. It may end up the same way as this afternoon did. Oh, and we bought a new table for our back deck. Kevin wanted to move the old one down to the pool deck, so that's where it is. The new one is just a resin table, so it isn't that attractive, but it's functional and big enough for lots of people. Right now we have resin chairs around it, but if we get some nicer chairs, they might dress up the look of the table. I still need to get pictures of the yard again, and also I need to find my camera (that would help). I hope I didn't lose it, or it didn't get stolen.

and the trip is booked...

Finally, after several hours-long sessions of trying different scenarios of days/countries/airlines/options, I decided it was time to just book something. The airfare alone was coming up around $3000 and then I noticed that Orbitz had a hotel option where they claim you get a better deal if you book both through them. One of the hotels that was recommended by a friend, a Holiday Inn in the Mayfair district, was one of the chosen hotels, and reasonably priced.

So I knocked a day off the trip (leaving Saturday, returning Friday), changed my flight preference from the redeye to the morning flight (we leave at 8am on British Air) and reluctantly bagged the Continental flights despite the mileage we would have gotten, because their cheaper flights were on the same kind of plane we take to Fort Lauderdale, the one that shook and rattled through the clouds of the storm. I cannot do that on a transatlantic flight!

Now, of course, I am hoping not to have the room next to the boiler, and thinking I probably didn't get the 'breakfast included' option. But it seems like if they don't get you coming, they'll get you going. Our trip will probably be filled with long walks through Hyde Park and lots of feeding pigeons. That will fit the remaining budget. But the hotel + air was $5000 for all of us, so that was not too bad; initially I thought we could get bargain airfares for around $400-500. It's been a long time since I booked an overseas flight at my own expense, obviously.

So the next is to plan the day trip from London to Paris. I thought that would be better than flying out of London with all of our 'stuff' and then flying home from Paris. This will be a long and tiring day, but we'll do it Thursday, and our flight is in the afternoon on Friday, so we can have the morning to move about slowly and get ready to check out and head to the airport. So the trip set for mid-August!

In other news, E continues to cough and honk into tissues. Megan sniffled a bit yesterday, but Brian was gone most of the weekend so he didn't have the exposure to the flying germs. With the recent renewal of swine flu coverage, I am keeping an eye on her. It's been five days now, so hopefully that means it's 'just a cold' but with Megan's tendency to get sinus infections and Brian's predisposal to bronchitis, I really wish she'd get over that cough. And I can't support her medicinal needs either! Claritin D is an expensive alternative to natural healing! If she isn't better in a couple of days I am going to insist that she see a doctor. And I am off to work for the day, in first grade. I got the call last night. But the job I was supposed to have tomorrow was given to someone else. I told another teacher I couldn't come in for her, but now I will tell her I can; although she may have already called so it might be too late. (disclaimer: not proofed!)

through the clearing smoke

So as the smoke clears from the insanity of the last few weeks, I am looking ahead to only one half day of work scheduled for next week! There will be testing, but I haven't been asked to cover any of those teachers yet, anyway. Yesterday was a really slow day, the teacher I was in for spends half her day in the second grade, and they were out of the school on a trip all day. So I hung out with the third grade teacher, who really didn't need much help. Then, to finish off my week, I broke the copier. I set it for 25 copies, it made 8, and then a red wrench turned on and it said to call for service. So I confessed to the principal and teacher whose copies I was unable to complete, dodged some other ranting staff members, and snuck out a back door.

Then only to come home to Brian who is lobbying NOT to have to endure the punishment I had promised him (he forgot three homework assignments in math this half-marking period so far; then couldn't do his homework and had no notes with him; then when finally he finished it with help, he left it at home and didn't realize till he got out of my car at school) so that he can go run wild in the neighborhood with a bnch of boys. Against my better judgement, I allowed it, and he came home telling some tale of how they entered a church, one of them spoke on the microphone, they were asked to write down their names and addresses, and those who put down fake names were taken into a police car and forced to confess their true identities. Fortunately (??), Brian had put his real name.

E is sick again. It started with a cough and hoarse voice and now she has an incredibly stuffy nose. I gave her some claritin D this morning but mostly I am trying to keep her separate from the other kids. I'm taking Megan out present shopping for her friend, whose party is tonight, and I'll just have to take E out in a separate trip. Aside from the obvious reasons for keeping them separate (they don't like each other!) I'm going to try to have E keep her virus to herself if possible. This is historically a bad time of year for Megan and sinuses, and she doesn't need additional exposure to sickness!

Oh, and in other news, we had our pool opened today! I'll try to get some pictures of it later on. I still haven't found my camera. Progress reports are due to come today, and the sun is actually shining. I took Megan down to the beach for her practice this morning and I took an hour-long walk. Someone else met me halfway and I felt like I was running to keep up with her. This is not a bad thing, but I felt terribly old and out of shape! I really have to get back up on it ... I used to be fast myself! Well, I did have other things to say but I really can't remember what they might have been - probably just rambling about Megan's summer job (or lack thereof, other than volunteer) and our European vacation (or lack thereof, other than the hours I have spent on the internet trying to find one for a reasonable price! (disclaimer: post not proofread!)

just another manic monday

A crazy day, hectic and insane. Manic, for sure. The class I was in is a rough one, one of the roughest I've seen in the school in a while, although there are certainly worse in other schools. One of the students borders on violent when she doesn't get her way, and today was one of those days. She freaked out and had to spend the entire morning out of the room, just so they would keep her quiet and she wouldn't disturb the testing students.

The class has various other issues with kids who don't want to listen, or can't, and of course, the successful tantrum of one leads to attempts to follow suit by the others. But it's fun and I may be back in there a few times more this week. I realized that the other days I was asked to 'float' are probably going to land me in there for the morning, although I had promised to be back in the other class for the support teacher two days of the week this week. I'm waiting to see what happens with that one, too.

I am so mad about Brian's phone. It's this nice Samsung, the Impression, and Megan got the same one. So after about six days, Brian's phone shows up with a starburst crack in the screen, and he insists he didn't do anything to it! So it's some sort of pressure crack just from having such a piece of plastic mounted, and I called AT&T and they won't take it back because it's damaged! So under their warranty, they won't replace a phone that is defective if it has damage. I'm so mad. I tried to get hold of the guy who sold it to us but I wasn't successful. I hate them!

I have had more problems with AT&T in the past year and yet I still stick with them for some reason. But my own phone is not 'upgraded' so I may just hold off and then shop around when I'm able to. This is not a cheap phone either, to be cracking like that. The woman tried to tell me it's under 'let the buyer beware' and I said, 'well how long is that?' and she said a month, and I said, 'well it cracked in a week!' Ridiculous. If the same thing happens to Megan's, I'm writing to anyone who will listen.

In other news, with one prom down, E is looking towards the future and the next; should be interesting. Also, I am still wondering how we will find out on what date our Phillies vs. Mets tickets will be honored, and how I will find this out. I would expect an email, but I also would have expected it wouldn't take a week or more to choose a make-up date. Even Little League works faster than that! And tomorrow I am covering as a 'testing floater' which means I will just go in for teachers at random if they have to test someone but have other students in a different grade. I'm not sure who that will be, but I'll soon find out!

mother's day blues

So again, my (un-)favorite holiday descends upon us. I begin to dread Mother's Day about the time that the school craft projects get underway. In our class, we made a rose pin out of pipe cleaners. It was cute. Also a coupon book for the moms. And a card. Not bad considering I didn't even think of any of it, one of the other teachers gave me all the ideas.

This year, so far, hasn't been a let down. I had a headache all night long. I don't know if it's allergies, or a migraine, or tension, but it won't go away and I can't quite breathe right through my nose. But Megan had to be in church (Brian was also supposed to but I couldn't get a sub for him so he just blew it off) so we had to go. Kevin and Brian left early for Brian's baseball game. We ended up running late, but we did get there in time so that was OK.

E and I chose a pew with several empty rows in front (I hate when someone sits in front of me because I can't see) and I figured we'd be ok because we were practically late already, at 9:55. But by 10:05, there were people flooding the pews, and all right in front of us! (I guess all those empty seats looked too inviting to pass by) I decided to move over to the other side of the pew, and as soon as I did, the tall woman two rows ahead of us did the same >:-(

A little after that, in came another family. Two small boys and a baby girl sat with them. One boy colored, the other studied Pokemon cards, while the baby babbled and wriggled and complained for the entire hour and a half of church. The mom sneezed on me. Then church ended.

At this point, we went down to the plant sale, and I picked up a bunch of daylilies for the yard (photos on the yard's progress to follow in a day or two). My head was still hurting, so I decided we'd go get lunch, and I could get a bagel. Sometimes a plain buttered bagel helps. So we went to the bagel store. In the store was a boy who knows E, but once used to be really mean to Megan. So that bugged me at first. Then I noticed there were only three plain bagels left, and one cinnamon raisin, which is my usual favorite.

I saw Megan wave to someone, and turned to see who it was. It was the ringleader of the mean boys (our across-the-street neighbor) and his dad. The dad saw me turn, and he looked away. So I looked back to see if it was our turn. Then suddenly, the dad and the bully son proceeded to order ALL the bagels!!! I was so upset that I almost cried! Bad enough that their family has stomped us enough in the past but now they're going to come in and take my bagel? I was speechless. Snubbed, then cut. I still can't believe it. I just walked out to prevent myself from saying what I really wanted to say. Why is it that some people just feel that everything belongs to them? I had waited for at least three or four minutes, and they just walked in and went right in front of me.

Anyway, that has been my day so far. Now I'm going to go up and buy some petunias for the deck boxes I have hanging on the, well, the deck. My head still hurts because I never did get that bagel, I had a piece of microwaved leftover pizza.

In other news, no work is official for next week, but I was asked to do Wednesday and Friday, and maybe Thursday. But I don't know if they'll call me for that or not, or for more testing coverage. The last week of state testing is this week, with the fifth graders taking their tests. Progress reports are also due this week, at the end of the week, so I brace myself for that. And we have pretty much narrowed our trip down to London, with a couple of days in Paris at the end. Flights to Paris seem to have gone up in price, while London is still reasonable. I think I'd better book something this week. No more time to delay.

time drags, and then it's over

So I guess it didn't really drag after all! The week started out moving really slowly, and there have certainly been obstacles, like a substitute teacher in the class while I was subbing, and several different teachers telling me what to do and not always sharing the same opinions, and a class full of kids who would rather talk amongst themselves than listen to me.

But I made it, or I almost did, one more day to go. Tomorrow will be fun, the classroom aide will be out and she will have a sub, and then the co-teacher will also be out, so there will be another sub, and not even the same one who has been in with me all week, a young guy to whom I have grown attached despite my initial surprise. So check back after tomorrow and see what will happen!

I can't believe the rain has barely let up at all. Three straight days of indoor recess and I was about to lose my mind. Finally yesterday we had a little break and I was able to rush them out for a little while, and again today. Just as we were coming in it started to rain. But after school today I managed to get out and get the process of rearranging plants started. I decided to get a new azalea to offset another one and yesterday I found one for $10! It must have been a leftover from last year but it's exactly what I needed. It was larger than the ones at the other nurseries, but scragglier. Hopefully it will flourish now that it has found a home. The more expensive ones wouldn't have been anywhere near the right size. But now I'm waiting for the year when all my plants just bloom and I love them, instead of thinking, "well, maybe if I move this one over here, and that one over there ..." or "why aren't my lilacs blooming?!"

Anyway, in other news, Brian's new cell phone already has a cracked screen! I am mad! I guess I should take it back but I'm worried that they'll try to say he did something to it, which he didn't. He hasn't even had it for a week! I'll get him to the store one day soon and see if they'll replace it and then get a cover for it. Kevin thinks it justs ort of imploded because maybe he squeezed it while he was using it. Megan has her second lifeguarding class tonight, so two down, five to go. She was mad at me, though, because we went to Applebee's and I forgot to bring her something back. She punished me by eating a huge bowl of ice cream. And the Phillies punished me by losing to the Mets, again.

just a quick update...

as if I am capable of such a thing. But to try: the trip to the Phillies game obviously ended in a non-event as far as that went (rainout), so we made a brief stop at Cherry Hill Mall and followed that up with a nice lunch with the old folks. I got the call while we were still in Philadelphia that the teacher's father did not make it after all, so I have been assigned to that class for the entire week.

This is good news, but exhausting, circumstances aside, of course. And the fact that the first kid who saw me heaved a huge sigh and burst into tears didn't help so much. (I am going to assume that this is due to his extreme attachment to routine and to his beloved teacher rather than actual aversion to my presence).

As for swine flu, still no cases that I have heard of, although E did turn red the other night and she coughs occasionally, and Megan sniffles and I just heard Brian cough twice upstairs. But I stand by my recent theory that if the bug is going to make a comeback in a more virulent form in the fall, those who get it over with now and recover fully might actually be the lucky ones! Or so they say, on this site: http://doihaveswineflu.org/.

And in other news, Brian took the placement test for Spanish in high school today. He felt that he did reasonably well, but they sent a note home with them saying no student will be placed higher than level 2. Megan started in level 3 in 9th grade at the public school. Level 2 is fine for Brian, as I have said, I don't even care if they put him in Spanish 1. Although my sense is that he'll probably be put in Spanish 2 non-honors. But we'll find out soon enough. I don't know if they notify them by mail or if we have to wait until he gets his classes. Otherwise, nothing much else, just a leak from our shower down into our kitchen, and now a resultant silver-dollar-sized hole in our kitchen ceiling; and this afternoon after school, E made herself a nice chicken salad sandwich and foolishly left it, only to return to find no sandwich, just a dog, who licked her lips. And now Megan and Kevin have returned.

living on the edge

We ate at a Mexican restaurant tonight. I can't believe it, but we did. And it is run by Mexicans. It's not like Chili's and Chi-Chi's, it's legitimate and Mexican. Our waitress seemed well enough, but I didn't get a good look at the chefs. Although my latest take on swine flu is that if you're going to get it, best to be among the first, while it's still a relatively minor illness. Just in case they're right and comes back en force in the fall and winter. I wonder if our latest bout with The Great Sick will confer any immunity? It surely was several days of unpleasantness. Maybe WE were patient zero!

Anyway, I made the mistake yesterday of mentioning to Brian that our phones are eligible for upgrades. He goes through phones like crazy, it's like he saps the life out of them. He's been through three in the time that Megan and I have been using the same ones we got two years ago. Mine is beginning to falter a bit, like if I text it won't catch all the letters, and the battery is running down faster than it used to, but overall it still serves me well.

But we all loaded into the car and, after getting lost for ten minutes trying to pick up a girl who wanted to go to the mall with E (this was my third time picking her up and she only lives five minutes away), we headed down the AT&T store. I had to drive all the way to the mall, because the store I used to go to, a satellite store rather than a corprate location, was going in and making unathorized changes to my account! So I won't ever go there again, even though it was more convenient.

So this trip cost $265 so far, and the new bills will start rolling in soon. They both got really nice phones, with internet, keyboards, and all the bells and whistles. They're a little large for my liking, but they both said it was perfect for them. I didn't even see anything in the store that tempted me too much, so I'll probably just wait and upgrade mine when I really feel the need to replace my faithful red phone.

Anyway, as far as school goes, still no news on the teacher's father, so I don't know if I will be in next week, either for her or otherwise. The week went pretty well as far as I was concerned, I think we managed to get by as best we could with the limited guidance - all I had were her plans, which actually ended today so if she doesn't make it back, the week will be a little tough! I guess I will hear by Sunday.

Speaking of Sunday, I do hope they change the forecast! Rain + Phillies is not a fun thing! But I do have a whole bunch of red ponchos from the last rain-out we sat through. Although one of them is a Cardinals poncho, for some reason. Infiltrated the lot, I guess.

In other news, E will have a busy week coming up. She has a big concert tomorrow, then the Phillies game, and the junior prom is on Friday night! She is dismayed at the amount of money she has spent in recent weeks, of course most of it on the two dresses she bought for the prom, one of which she now hates, and the other she barely tolerates. However, I am just glad that she has dresses at all, because with her taste and her shopping history, the dress of her dreams was likely not going to materialize in time for the end of school!