Today is the last day of school in our town until November 9. That ought to give the swine flu a bit of a break, but of course Brian's school and all the other Catholic and private schools remain open, and the flu is spreading through all of them now. The other night, Megan came home and told me that one of the boys drank out of her water bottle at practice. Of course, being thirsty and invincible, she drank out of it as well. So today his Facebook status says that he is on tamiflu and biaxin. Just great.
And she had three tests, and a hard assignment for calculus that she couldn't figure out how to do (I stopped being able to help her with homework back in 7th grade) last night. She was up late trying to cram it all in. I wish she would skip swimming once in a while. Even though she will be out of school next week, the flu is making the rounds on the team, and she'll still have to keep going there. I am still holding onto the slim ray of hope that we had this flu already, when we were so sick in early February. Who knows at this point? Maybe it did circulate for a while before it was discovered. We were all pretty sick for the better part of a week.
And this is the week we have our planned trip to Boston. I expect to leave early on Wednesday, instead of Tuesday night as originally planned, and then stay just one night, because the hotels are around $200 a night. We'll be back in time for Thursday's practice, then there is another, germ-spreading meet next weekend. Fun times. And Wilbur is being neutered on Monday, poor little guy. Right now he is locked up in his pen, waiting for me to steel my stomach to the task of washing the remains of his morning relief efforts (time to get him in for the 'sanitary' cut from the groomer, I'm afraid)
Also next week, the big election. I saw a little table in the paper yesterday that said that our county currently pays the 15th highest property taxes in the nation! That's terrible! But whose fault is it, and will it really matter who is in office? I regret that I am not smart enough to understand politics. If everyone lies, or even if they are not lying, they aren't able to follow through on promises because of red tape, how will NJ ever get out of this mess? I have to study the issues before Tuesday. There are also local happenings, such as the building of several townhouse units practically right in our backyard (remember we moved here to get away from that on the other side of town! so much for that).
And in other news, the Phillies and Yankees are now 1-1 as they head back to Philadelphia for the next round of games. I am afraid to watch on TV, as I'm convinced I bring them bad luck, but I probably will watch tomorrow night anyway. I keep it in a window on my computer and check periodically, but it isn't the same. All the players look alike in the little graphic of home plate! I have a job for this afternoon. I wasn't going to take it, as it's only half day, and I thought for sure something full day would come up. But it is for one of my teacher "friends," and she said that they would be having the Halloween parade so mostly we'll be outside. I won't have an opportunity to work again until after the break anyway, so I decided I'd go with the bird in hand.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
welcome to the working week
Anyway, the sub system is at it again, my widget seems to be off sync with the actual system and it's beeping too late for me to see the posted jobs. I did work yesterday and the day before, but yesterday was not a good day. I had to travel between two schools, and the instructions for doing so were not clear as they had me at one until noon, when the class ended at 11:20, and at the other one at 12:01, when that first class started at 1:30. So without going into much detail, I'll just say that I was sent to sit in a virtual closet with nothing to do for over an hour. When I got home, the first thing I did was block out that school for future jobs! It was my first time going there anyway, might as well have it be the last as well.
So the big news is that my blog was flagged, I assume, in a search for an editorial type column in the Star-Ledger. I didn't know this until I received the comment below. Bits and pieces were fortunately edited out, but the general gist is that I am confused as to what to do. And I am! But now I have comments calling me a child abuser and invoking Darwin to imply that the world will be better off without me and my children, should I choose not to vaccinate them with this as-yet unavailable vaccine. In fact, we did get advice NOT to vaccinate Brian because of his neurological issues, and I am certainly worried about this! The same issues that may make him more susceptible to complications from flu also make him potentially more likely to suffer a devastating reaction to the vaccine! I am still on the fence with Megan, but will wait and see what the next few days bring in terms of information.
It seems as if the flu is beginning to sweep through the schools, however quietly for now. I am hearing lots of stories of people sick with high fevers and coughs, and not only young kids. Most are recovering, but the advil/tylenol ritual seems to have to be performed around the clock. And then with this latest news of the sudden death of a 17 year old in South Jersey, even more to fear! They said he was doing fine until he woke up with this raging fever. And that is what seems to happen. The fever doesn't creep up - it's all of a sudden there with a vengeance, and very hard to manage. This is not the way it was with our flu in February, when we had lower fevers at first, that advanced to the higher degree, and we didn't have them much in the morning, after a good night's sweat.
I read something yesterday that quaoted a doctor likening all of those who choose not to vaccinate to the people standing and admiring the receding ocean before the Tsunami hit in Thailand, and that is an alarming analogy. Then I read more, claiming that the vaccine manufacturers don't fully disclose the risks of the adjuvants and additives that are in those vaccines. But, again, who is telling the truth, or both are true and they just don't know when the risk is worth taking. It certainly is a tough spot to be in. I do wish I could have blind faith and just walk in and roll up all of our sleeves. Certainly all might be fine, and then we wouldn't have to worry. Until next year, or the year after, when we would be asked to roll them up again. Or until ten or twenty years later, when the autoimmune disorders began to set in. How do I know? I only have access to what is on the internet, and what the doctors tell me; and then hope that I have done the right thing.
Anyway, in other news, the big game should be a go for tonight. Hopefully the rain will let up in time for them to play without adverse conditions, and we can get the series underway!!! I'm getting nervous - this is sort of Yankee country out here!
So the big news is that my blog was flagged, I assume, in a search for an editorial type column in the Star-Ledger. I didn't know this until I received the comment below. Bits and pieces were fortunately edited out, but the general gist is that I am confused as to what to do. And I am! But now I have comments calling me a child abuser and invoking Darwin to imply that the world will be better off without me and my children, should I choose not to vaccinate them with this as-yet unavailable vaccine. In fact, we did get advice NOT to vaccinate Brian because of his neurological issues, and I am certainly worried about this! The same issues that may make him more susceptible to complications from flu also make him potentially more likely to suffer a devastating reaction to the vaccine! I am still on the fence with Megan, but will wait and see what the next few days bring in terms of information.
It seems as if the flu is beginning to sweep through the schools, however quietly for now. I am hearing lots of stories of people sick with high fevers and coughs, and not only young kids. Most are recovering, but the advil/tylenol ritual seems to have to be performed around the clock. And then with this latest news of the sudden death of a 17 year old in South Jersey, even more to fear! They said he was doing fine until he woke up with this raging fever. And that is what seems to happen. The fever doesn't creep up - it's all of a sudden there with a vengeance, and very hard to manage. This is not the way it was with our flu in February, when we had lower fevers at first, that advanced to the higher degree, and we didn't have them much in the morning, after a good night's sweat.
I read something yesterday that quaoted a doctor likening all of those who choose not to vaccinate to the people standing and admiring the receding ocean before the Tsunami hit in Thailand, and that is an alarming analogy. Then I read more, claiming that the vaccine manufacturers don't fully disclose the risks of the adjuvants and additives that are in those vaccines. But, again, who is telling the truth, or both are true and they just don't know when the risk is worth taking. It certainly is a tough spot to be in. I do wish I could have blind faith and just walk in and roll up all of our sleeves. Certainly all might be fine, and then we wouldn't have to worry. Until next year, or the year after, when we would be asked to roll them up again. Or until ten or twenty years later, when the autoimmune disorders began to set in. How do I know? I only have access to what is on the internet, and what the doctors tell me; and then hope that I have done the right thing.
Anyway, in other news, the big game should be a go for tonight. Hopefully the rain will let up in time for them to play without adverse conditions, and we can get the series underway!!! I'm getting nervous - this is sort of Yankee country out here!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
swimming, working, and swine flu in school
What a weekend. Beginning on Friday, when I had to pick Megan up at school and drive her to Rutgers for a swim meet, ending with this morning, when I dragged myself out of bed at the ripe old hour of 8am, thinking my Farmville pumpkins had wilted (they had not!), the weekend was a whirlwind. Megan had to be at Rutgers Friday night and Saturday morning, and at the Y Saturday afternoon, for swim meets, plus I am trying to stay on top of a pimple type thing that she got a week ago on her thigh. I treated it quickly with bactroban and it started to go away, but now that it's so small it's important to continue treating it at least for another day or two, but I keep forgetting and she doesn't remind me.
Last night was the church 'talent show' fundraiser, and Chinese auction. We went not knowing what to expect. They had everyone bring an hors d'oeuvre and $20 and then they also sold tickets for the auction items. The talent show portion took place up in the church, and it was most entertaining. One selection, entitled "childhood memories" consisted of a song about manners that was sung around the singer's dinner table as a child, followed by a reading of 'Jim,' by Hilaire Belloc, which was absolutely hysterical. After that, the emcee, who resorted to a book of jokes between acts, introduced our rector, who was to speak to us about a 'tragic event that happened in America.'
Up the aisle, solemn and processional as in a Sunday service, came the rector, decked out in Dodger jersey and cap, and carrying a Manny Ramirez bobblehead on a tray as if he were a religious symbol. He ceremoniously placed Manny on the pulpit, then after a reverent stare at the bobbling head, opened his papers and proceeded to read the poem he had written, which summarized in verse the last inning of the Dodgers pennant race, and ended in a strike out for Manny, at which point he delivered a blow to the bobblehead that sent it toppling. The priest then observed a moment of silence, righted Manny, and left him there, proceeding off the altar. One of the phrases went, 'somewhere in the world, the sun is shining now, and hearts are light ...' so when he was done, the emcee said, "I think the happiness is in Philadelphia." :-)
There was also a bunch of music, most notably a performance with Brian as background guitar, which was cool - they played Sweet Child of Mine and one other song, whose name escapes me.
And so the big news is that Molly is 14 years old today! She made it! She seems kind of tired, like it's a lot of work to be that old, but she is ready to go out to the store to choose her gift. In the past I've gotten her things like new collars and leashes, but this year I guess she'll probably choose a bone or a tennis ball. She is not as hung up on fashion at this point in her life. I'm just waiting for Kevin to come with me, because someone has to hold onto the sidekick, as they both get overly excited in the pet store. she drags into everything and he yaps at everyone and pees on the floor when they try to pet him.
In other news, I have started an all-out assault to try to find a job. I've decided that enough is enough of this. As long as I can be home by 4:30 or 5 the kids should be able to make do. The only problems I would have are getting Megan to the Y two days a week and if Brian wants to do his high school swim team, he will need rides there every day during the season. I'd have to find someone who could take him there for me, and then I would have to be able to get there by the time the practice ended.
But it's all speculative at this point, who knows if anyone will even show interest. It's been ten years since I had a real job, as of this December. I sent one resume out to a company similar to the ones I worked for, just mailed that yesterday. Then I saw two university jobs, so I applied for those two, but both are full-time. And I sent in to the hospital where I briefly worked as a temp, asking them to consider me for anything part-time that they might have. I also answered an ad in the paper today, but that job is far away, although it is only part-time. So over the next few days I'll see if anything comes of all of this.
Oh, and lastly, the schools are asking us to make a decision on whether or not we want to have our kids vaccinated IN SCHOOL for H1N1! How to decide this? I don't trust the information we are given on either the vaccine or the virus! I don't want my kids to get sick, but I don't want them to have neurological reactions to the vaccine, either! And Brian with his chiari and syrinx, how do I know if that puts him at increased risk, either for having severe swine flu, or for having a reaction to the vaccine? And when Megan was little, she used to spike frighteningly high fevers, but she also used to have vaccine reactions. So how do I decided what is right for her? For myself, I think I'll skip the vaccine and suffer the consequences if I get sick. I hate having to make these decisions for other people!
Last night was the church 'talent show' fundraiser, and Chinese auction. We went not knowing what to expect. They had everyone bring an hors d'oeuvre and $20 and then they also sold tickets for the auction items. The talent show portion took place up in the church, and it was most entertaining. One selection, entitled "childhood memories" consisted of a song about manners that was sung around the singer's dinner table as a child, followed by a reading of 'Jim,' by Hilaire Belloc, which was absolutely hysterical. After that, the emcee, who resorted to a book of jokes between acts, introduced our rector, who was to speak to us about a 'tragic event that happened in America.'
Up the aisle, solemn and processional as in a Sunday service, came the rector, decked out in Dodger jersey and cap, and carrying a Manny Ramirez bobblehead on a tray as if he were a religious symbol. He ceremoniously placed Manny on the pulpit, then after a reverent stare at the bobbling head, opened his papers and proceeded to read the poem he had written, which summarized in verse the last inning of the Dodgers pennant race, and ended in a strike out for Manny, at which point he delivered a blow to the bobblehead that sent it toppling. The priest then observed a moment of silence, righted Manny, and left him there, proceeding off the altar. One of the phrases went, 'somewhere in the world, the sun is shining now, and hearts are light ...' so when he was done, the emcee said, "I think the happiness is in Philadelphia." :-)
There was also a bunch of music, most notably a performance with Brian as background guitar, which was cool - they played Sweet Child of Mine and one other song, whose name escapes me.
And so the big news is that Molly is 14 years old today! She made it! She seems kind of tired, like it's a lot of work to be that old, but she is ready to go out to the store to choose her gift. In the past I've gotten her things like new collars and leashes, but this year I guess she'll probably choose a bone or a tennis ball. She is not as hung up on fashion at this point in her life. I'm just waiting for Kevin to come with me, because someone has to hold onto the sidekick, as they both get overly excited in the pet store. she drags into everything and he yaps at everyone and pees on the floor when they try to pet him.
In other news, I have started an all-out assault to try to find a job. I've decided that enough is enough of this. As long as I can be home by 4:30 or 5 the kids should be able to make do. The only problems I would have are getting Megan to the Y two days a week and if Brian wants to do his high school swim team, he will need rides there every day during the season. I'd have to find someone who could take him there for me, and then I would have to be able to get there by the time the practice ended.
But it's all speculative at this point, who knows if anyone will even show interest. It's been ten years since I had a real job, as of this December. I sent one resume out to a company similar to the ones I worked for, just mailed that yesterday. Then I saw two university jobs, so I applied for those two, but both are full-time. And I sent in to the hospital where I briefly worked as a temp, asking them to consider me for anything part-time that they might have. I also answered an ad in the paper today, but that job is far away, although it is only part-time. So over the next few days I'll see if anything comes of all of this.
Oh, and lastly, the schools are asking us to make a decision on whether or not we want to have our kids vaccinated IN SCHOOL for H1N1! How to decide this? I don't trust the information we are given on either the vaccine or the virus! I don't want my kids to get sick, but I don't want them to have neurological reactions to the vaccine, either! And Brian with his chiari and syrinx, how do I know if that puts him at increased risk, either for having severe swine flu, or for having a reaction to the vaccine? And when Megan was little, she used to spike frighteningly high fevers, but she also used to have vaccine reactions. So how do I decided what is right for her? For myself, I think I'll skip the vaccine and suffer the consequences if I get sick. I hate having to make these decisions for other people!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
world series, take two
Can they do it again? Will they be playing the Yankees? That will certainly be exciting in my part of the world! I wanted to put my Phillies sticker on the back of my Explorer but I'm seriously concerned that the car will be trashed if it comes down to a race for the win! But last night was another nail-biting game, not starting well and then ending with threats and pitching changes galore. Poor Joe Torre. Although I guess it's better to lose now than to come and be beaten in NY by the Yankees!
This morning I'm stalking the sub finding system. Two jobs have gone by, one was gone as soon as the alert bell rang, and then I just happened to see another, and the alert bell rang a minute or two later. So it seems the system is out of sync, and that's what happened with the first. The second was all day for Spanish, which I would have done, but I always feel that I should at least speak *some* of the language, even though she usually leaves videos for the day. But before I could decide if I should take this job as an impostor, it was also gone, quick as it had come.
I didn't work yesterday, the only job I saw came across too late for me to get there any earlier than an hour + past its start time. I guess either someone cancelled or they didn't realize they needed a floating sub, so they put the job up at 8:45 requesting a start time of 8:30. I would have gone, but I hadn't showered, planning my walk. But I would have liked to have had a job for today, even though I also would love to be home to enjoy the weather! And the Doll has invited me out for lunch with the $25 she had given to Brian to buy her a book at his museum trip, the one that was cancelled.
But yesterday two financial dilemmas presented: one was a call that came as I was up to my elbows changing the litterboxes (when else would the phone ring?) It was Brian's school, they are doing a fundraiser where they want everyone to commit $5000 to the school over five years! I guess that the more a school costs, the more they think you can afford, but this is not the case with us! We can't commit to that, still having the lawnmower issues hanging overhead and Megan's college coming up. The woman wanted to go over it with me, and said she'd call today. So I don't know what to say when that call comes!
I'll have to ask some of the other swim team families how they handled it. As it is, our church is claiming dire straits and asking for a pledge of 20% more from every family so they won't have to start cutting staff just to meet expenses. And a five year commitment when we only have four years at the school seems a little intense, as he's only been in the school for two months and although it seems to be going well, it's a little premature to commit like that.
The other thing that happened was that Kevin's new insurance refused to cover the vitamins that Megan takes for her acne, nicomide. The old insurance did pay, but I can't remember what our copay was, it may have been $40. So that was every month. But this one won't pay at all, so it cost $85! Of course, I can price them around and find a cheaper alternative (maybe) and they also offer a mail-order prescription service, so maybe they have them there, but I was really annoyed. She has been taking them for nearly a year and they are working quite well, keeping her off of all the other alternative treatments except an occasional topical when she gets a breakthrough flare-up. Hopefully we can get them to pay for it, but if not, there's another monthly expense, she can't just stop taking them.
In other news, Megan has a swim meet at Rutgers this weekend, there are a few colleges going as well. She's not going Sunday, to do what would have been her best event (200 free), but she is doing the 500 free tomorrow so that should be interesting. I had to designate tomorrow afternoon as a no-work day so I can pick her up right at 2:15 from school and head straight out to the pool. They also start their dual meets on Saturday, so she has to go to Rutgers in the morning, then come back and swim in the afternoon at the Y. And so it begins. Brian will have church practice and then tennis, and then the 'talent show' for which he has been practicing will be that night, oh, and I have to bring an 'ethnic appetizer' so I'm open to any thoughts on that one.
This morning I'm stalking the sub finding system. Two jobs have gone by, one was gone as soon as the alert bell rang, and then I just happened to see another, and the alert bell rang a minute or two later. So it seems the system is out of sync, and that's what happened with the first. The second was all day for Spanish, which I would have done, but I always feel that I should at least speak *some* of the language, even though she usually leaves videos for the day. But before I could decide if I should take this job as an impostor, it was also gone, quick as it had come.
I didn't work yesterday, the only job I saw came across too late for me to get there any earlier than an hour + past its start time. I guess either someone cancelled or they didn't realize they needed a floating sub, so they put the job up at 8:45 requesting a start time of 8:30. I would have gone, but I hadn't showered, planning my walk. But I would have liked to have had a job for today, even though I also would love to be home to enjoy the weather! And the Doll has invited me out for lunch with the $25 she had given to Brian to buy her a book at his museum trip, the one that was cancelled.
But yesterday two financial dilemmas presented: one was a call that came as I was up to my elbows changing the litterboxes (when else would the phone ring?) It was Brian's school, they are doing a fundraiser where they want everyone to commit $5000 to the school over five years! I guess that the more a school costs, the more they think you can afford, but this is not the case with us! We can't commit to that, still having the lawnmower issues hanging overhead and Megan's college coming up. The woman wanted to go over it with me, and said she'd call today. So I don't know what to say when that call comes!
I'll have to ask some of the other swim team families how they handled it. As it is, our church is claiming dire straits and asking for a pledge of 20% more from every family so they won't have to start cutting staff just to meet expenses. And a five year commitment when we only have four years at the school seems a little intense, as he's only been in the school for two months and although it seems to be going well, it's a little premature to commit like that.
The other thing that happened was that Kevin's new insurance refused to cover the vitamins that Megan takes for her acne, nicomide. The old insurance did pay, but I can't remember what our copay was, it may have been $40. So that was every month. But this one won't pay at all, so it cost $85! Of course, I can price them around and find a cheaper alternative (maybe) and they also offer a mail-order prescription service, so maybe they have them there, but I was really annoyed. She has been taking them for nearly a year and they are working quite well, keeping her off of all the other alternative treatments except an occasional topical when she gets a breakthrough flare-up. Hopefully we can get them to pay for it, but if not, there's another monthly expense, she can't just stop taking them.
In other news, Megan has a swim meet at Rutgers this weekend, there are a few colleges going as well. She's not going Sunday, to do what would have been her best event (200 free), but she is doing the 500 free tomorrow so that should be interesting. I had to designate tomorrow afternoon as a no-work day so I can pick her up right at 2:15 from school and head straight out to the pool. They also start their dual meets on Saturday, so she has to go to Rutgers in the morning, then come back and swim in the afternoon at the Y. And so it begins. Brian will have church practice and then tennis, and then the 'talent show' for which he has been practicing will be that night, oh, and I have to bring an 'ethnic appetizer' so I'm open to any thoughts on that one.
Monday, October 19, 2009
go Phillies! can they do it again?
So the night that the Phillies lost, I had fallen asleep. I saw that the game was close and I just couldn't watch. I always feel like I jinx them when I watch. But I watched last night!! Imagine if I had not. I can't decide if I should watch tonight or not! In fact, we are still waiting on the outcome of the Yankee game. It will be interesting if the Phillies and the Yankees both advance to the World Series!
Today was a quiet day. It was beautiful outside, but almost *too* bright. There was glare on the roads, and I had to squint when I took my walk this morning. But it's nice and crisp and fall-like outside, and the leaves are everywhere to prove it! Brian, of course, did have school, and he came home with good and bad news. Good, because he is getting better grades in science. Bad, because, inexplicably, the trip he was supposed to go on tomorrow was cancelled! I am glad that he won't miss any classes now, but that was very odd, and he was really looking forward to it.
Megan didn't do much today, but I guess she needs those days. She slept till 11 when I woke her up to check on the status of a pimple on her upper thigh, right about where the elastic of the bathing suit would have been while she was in and out of the pool and sitting on gross bleachers all day yesterday. Forunately, she told me about this 'pimple,' which could be a boil or something caused by some bacteria, so I was able to begin my offensive on it immediately. She is at practice now, but she'll have to go straight into the shower and I'll slather it in bactroban again when she's out. It did look better today after a couple of treatments, but I am so disgusted by the things that go on in and around pools that I can never take these skin ailments lightly.
Megan and I went out for an hour or so this afternoon, and when we got back, there were two missed calls from the sub calling system. They usually don't call me insistently like that unless I have been requested, so I went onto the online system and sure enough, there was a job from one of my regulars. So I have work tomorrow, but it's the crazy loud special ed class. They are all very cute, but the class is very loud and very hectic. And I have already had a headache for a couple of days with all of the wild weather changes!
Anyway, in other news, Megan informed me that University of Delaware does in fact have a swim team; and most of the kids who go there to check it out absolutely fall in love with it. Since it's so close, it will be an easy trip, and I checked out the times of the swimmers, and last year she would have had the third fastest 200 and 500 free times, and that's as a sophomore in high school. So I think she will fit in with what they look for in a swimmer, if she likes the school. But this is all so preliminary, she fits in time-wise at Boston College and NYU as well. Boston University is a bit faster, she fits in time-wise with the team, but not the top three. Not yet?
Today was a quiet day. It was beautiful outside, but almost *too* bright. There was glare on the roads, and I had to squint when I took my walk this morning. But it's nice and crisp and fall-like outside, and the leaves are everywhere to prove it! Brian, of course, did have school, and he came home with good and bad news. Good, because he is getting better grades in science. Bad, because, inexplicably, the trip he was supposed to go on tomorrow was cancelled! I am glad that he won't miss any classes now, but that was very odd, and he was really looking forward to it.
Megan didn't do much today, but I guess she needs those days. She slept till 11 when I woke her up to check on the status of a pimple on her upper thigh, right about where the elastic of the bathing suit would have been while she was in and out of the pool and sitting on gross bleachers all day yesterday. Forunately, she told me about this 'pimple,' which could be a boil or something caused by some bacteria, so I was able to begin my offensive on it immediately. She is at practice now, but she'll have to go straight into the shower and I'll slather it in bactroban again when she's out. It did look better today after a couple of treatments, but I am so disgusted by the things that go on in and around pools that I can never take these skin ailments lightly.
Megan and I went out for an hour or so this afternoon, and when we got back, there were two missed calls from the sub calling system. They usually don't call me insistently like that unless I have been requested, so I went onto the online system and sure enough, there was a job from one of my regulars. So I have work tomorrow, but it's the crazy loud special ed class. They are all very cute, but the class is very loud and very hectic. And I have already had a headache for a couple of days with all of the wild weather changes!
Anyway, in other news, Megan informed me that University of Delaware does in fact have a swim team; and most of the kids who go there to check it out absolutely fall in love with it. Since it's so close, it will be an easy trip, and I checked out the times of the swimmers, and last year she would have had the third fastest 200 and 500 free times, and that's as a sophomore in high school. So I think she will fit in with what they look for in a swimmer, if she likes the school. But this is all so preliminary, she fits in time-wise at Boston College and NYU as well. Boston University is a bit faster, she fits in time-wise with the team, but not the top three. Not yet?
Sunday, October 18, 2009
is it sunday already?
it is! But at least this time we (Megan and I) have tomorrow off. The public schools are closed for some sort of teachers' in-service. Brian has school and Kevin has work. I guess it will be a catch-up day. And we need it, it was a busy weekend.
Saturday was not too bad, Megan had PSATs and swimming, Brian had tennis. He had hoped to go to FrightFest, but it didn't work out because of the weather, so he spent the night on xbox instead. Megan went out with a friend after swimming and Kevin and I went to dinner across the street from where they were, and watched the couples at the bar, out on middle-aged dates. It was fascinating, really.
Today Brian had church and Megan had to teach Sunday school and then go to her swim meet. Brian had his round robin tennis tournament. I don't know how he did, but he didn't get first, second, or third. I saw him lose one game bitterly to a girl, who ended up winning the whole thing, and then win one, tie one, and lose another. Megan swam ok, this wasn't a fast meet at all for them, just a fundraising kickoff meet for the team.
And so Brian is pulling himself together in school. He was having some trouble in one of his classes with a boy who would move his chair/desk around (they are the molded one-piece things that are probably awful for left-handed students anyway) with his feet from behind. Then he would put his foot up on Brian's desk. One time, Brian said he took off the kid's shoe and the kid still did it. I was getting really mad about all of this but he insisted that he would handle it. Well, he must have drawn on karma, because last week he came home and said that the kid doesn't kick his seat anymore. Why not? Because the kid now has a broken collarbone! So not only is he in no condition to kick chairs, but for eight weeks he also has to wear his glasses! There is justice in the spirit world after all.
As for Megan, she has decided that she would like to be an occupational therapist. I spoke to the daughter of Megan's former babysitter, who works as an OT, and she gave me some ideas, and I found a bunch of schools who offer OT programs. However, some are undergrad and some are only masters programs. Some of the undergrad programs are five years long, but they may involve two summers. Considering that the MS for OT is only a two year program, I almost think it's better to get the undergrad degree and then continue on into OT. Or some schools might only have some requirements, like maybe 2-3 years of college, before you can enter their programs. So we're going to start out visiting some schools just to get a feel.
Whatever it will be depends on finances and grades as much as course offerings. But I'm sure it will all work out anyway. In a field like that, your practical presence is as important as your academic credentials, I'm sure. So it is time to start the preliminary fact-finding.
In other news, Wilbur counts down his days as a fully endowed dog. November 1 will mark the day of his emasculation. I doubt it will change his behavior much, I expect him to still show the same inappropriate affection towards Rusty as he always has, although I hope he won't be quite as fascinated by the rear ends of his female dog park counterparts. The next day, or the morning of the second day, Megan and I will leave to visit Boston, leaving Kevin and Brian to man the homestead. All the cats have adapted well to their lost friend Buddy, and I have to say that the litterboxes are so much easier to clean, it's like half the cats have left instead of just one. There is something to be said for small demure cats, I guess!
Saturday was not too bad, Megan had PSATs and swimming, Brian had tennis. He had hoped to go to FrightFest, but it didn't work out because of the weather, so he spent the night on xbox instead. Megan went out with a friend after swimming and Kevin and I went to dinner across the street from where they were, and watched the couples at the bar, out on middle-aged dates. It was fascinating, really.
Today Brian had church and Megan had to teach Sunday school and then go to her swim meet. Brian had his round robin tennis tournament. I don't know how he did, but he didn't get first, second, or third. I saw him lose one game bitterly to a girl, who ended up winning the whole thing, and then win one, tie one, and lose another. Megan swam ok, this wasn't a fast meet at all for them, just a fundraising kickoff meet for the team.
And so Brian is pulling himself together in school. He was having some trouble in one of his classes with a boy who would move his chair/desk around (they are the molded one-piece things that are probably awful for left-handed students anyway) with his feet from behind. Then he would put his foot up on Brian's desk. One time, Brian said he took off the kid's shoe and the kid still did it. I was getting really mad about all of this but he insisted that he would handle it. Well, he must have drawn on karma, because last week he came home and said that the kid doesn't kick his seat anymore. Why not? Because the kid now has a broken collarbone! So not only is he in no condition to kick chairs, but for eight weeks he also has to wear his glasses! There is justice in the spirit world after all.
As for Megan, she has decided that she would like to be an occupational therapist. I spoke to the daughter of Megan's former babysitter, who works as an OT, and she gave me some ideas, and I found a bunch of schools who offer OT programs. However, some are undergrad and some are only masters programs. Some of the undergrad programs are five years long, but they may involve two summers. Considering that the MS for OT is only a two year program, I almost think it's better to get the undergrad degree and then continue on into OT. Or some schools might only have some requirements, like maybe 2-3 years of college, before you can enter their programs. So we're going to start out visiting some schools just to get a feel.
Whatever it will be depends on finances and grades as much as course offerings. But I'm sure it will all work out anyway. In a field like that, your practical presence is as important as your academic credentials, I'm sure. So it is time to start the preliminary fact-finding.
In other news, Wilbur counts down his days as a fully endowed dog. November 1 will mark the day of his emasculation. I doubt it will change his behavior much, I expect him to still show the same inappropriate affection towards Rusty as he always has, although I hope he won't be quite as fascinated by the rear ends of his female dog park counterparts. The next day, or the morning of the second day, Megan and I will leave to visit Boston, leaving Kevin and Brian to man the homestead. All the cats have adapted well to their lost friend Buddy, and I have to say that the litterboxes are so much easier to clean, it's like half the cats have left instead of just one. There is something to be said for small demure cats, I guess!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
let the rains begin
I guess I jinxed myself. This morning I got up, rushed to get ready because the cleaning people were coming, and got myself up to the school by 8:25. Only to be told that they had cancelled the job. (Incidentally, it's still in my schedule on their online system, awaiting my feedback since before it was even supposed to start.) The secretary said she had cancelled the job, and they now needed subs in the afternoon, but they had them already. But the other sub who was supposed to do morning with me had also managed to get the afternoon, so she was there too, expecting a full day.
They sent her off to one room, and me to another, coincidentally with another sub, who happens to be my neighbor across the street, a very nice woman who recently retired from teaching at that school and now subs occasionally when they need her. The secretary had called human resources and left a message, and when they called back, they asked if I would go to one of the middle schools in the afternoon. Since the weather is bad and expected to be worse, and I was only working till noon, I had told both kids I would get them in the car, and Megan has to be at the Y early today if she wants to do the spin class. So I explained this and that I could not go to that school, which by the way is on the list of "don't show me jobs from here," but that doesn't count when the HR secretary has to fill jobs without the system. (Why have the system?)
I hung up with the secretary after I told her this, and she called immediately back. Now, suddenly, HR had told her to tell me that there really isn't any place that they need me, so they would rather I go home. I have been to many schools where when you show up like that and it's their mistake, they will find something for you to do, at least until 10:30, and you will be paid for the half-day. But I guess they were punishing me for not going to the middle school. That made me more mad than the fact that I wasn't needed in the first place. I had an odd feeling about the job anyway, and had even checked it when I got up again, because I was confused about what was going on with it.
Oh, and just now the system beeped, and it was that same school, looking for an afternoon sub. ??? No way I'm touching that one, but it isn't going away, either. I could designate this as a non-working afternoon, but I like to see the things that come across, just so I know the system is actually live.
So I went out to Target and Marshall's instead, and ran into another sub who said she's having the same kinds of issues. She was on her way down to fill in applications in some retail stores, which is what she did before having kids, but with that, there's always the need for weekend and night workers. So we're in the same boat.
Anyway, overall, not a happy day, unless you are the dogs, who were in the basement because of the cleaning people, so they got out within two hours instead of four. Wilbur appreciates that. Oh, and one small accomplishment: in my Facebook scrabble game, against an old schoolmate who time after time wallops me in the game, I used up all my letters AND got a double word score. So, for the brief time being, I am actually ahead of her. But that's happened before.
In other news, the juniors from Megan's school had a nice trip to Ellis Island yesterday, as I blogged the other day, WITHOUT Megan and her classmates in AP, but WITH their teacher! The teacher had told them they wouldn't be able to go because they had too much work to cover, but then she went and left them with a substitute! This being the same teacher who told them they will learn to hate three day weekends, and piled on outlines and papers that weekend, and fails many of them on all the tests they take. I'm sure they got a lot more out of retyping their papers than they would have from visiting Ellis Island, no doubt.
And Brian is hoping to go to Six Flags this weekend for FrightFest. I said he could go, but he can't go on most of the rides anyway, but I recognize his need to be out and about. Only now the weather is threatening to ruin those plans - I just hope it either gets nice or they don't go. I think the worst thing would be for them to go in bad weather. Megan has the PSATs on Saturday and then swimming, and Brian, who has started taking tennis lessons on Saturday afternoons, wants to play in a round robin tournament on Sunday. In fact, I just reminded myself that I have to call them and confirm that he would like to do it.
They sent her off to one room, and me to another, coincidentally with another sub, who happens to be my neighbor across the street, a very nice woman who recently retired from teaching at that school and now subs occasionally when they need her. The secretary had called human resources and left a message, and when they called back, they asked if I would go to one of the middle schools in the afternoon. Since the weather is bad and expected to be worse, and I was only working till noon, I had told both kids I would get them in the car, and Megan has to be at the Y early today if she wants to do the spin class. So I explained this and that I could not go to that school, which by the way is on the list of "don't show me jobs from here," but that doesn't count when the HR secretary has to fill jobs without the system. (Why have the system?)
I hung up with the secretary after I told her this, and she called immediately back. Now, suddenly, HR had told her to tell me that there really isn't any place that they need me, so they would rather I go home. I have been to many schools where when you show up like that and it's their mistake, they will find something for you to do, at least until 10:30, and you will be paid for the half-day. But I guess they were punishing me for not going to the middle school. That made me more mad than the fact that I wasn't needed in the first place. I had an odd feeling about the job anyway, and had even checked it when I got up again, because I was confused about what was going on with it.
Oh, and just now the system beeped, and it was that same school, looking for an afternoon sub. ??? No way I'm touching that one, but it isn't going away, either. I could designate this as a non-working afternoon, but I like to see the things that come across, just so I know the system is actually live.
So I went out to Target and Marshall's instead, and ran into another sub who said she's having the same kinds of issues. She was on her way down to fill in applications in some retail stores, which is what she did before having kids, but with that, there's always the need for weekend and night workers. So we're in the same boat.
Anyway, overall, not a happy day, unless you are the dogs, who were in the basement because of the cleaning people, so they got out within two hours instead of four. Wilbur appreciates that. Oh, and one small accomplishment: in my Facebook scrabble game, against an old schoolmate who time after time wallops me in the game, I used up all my letters AND got a double word score. So, for the brief time being, I am actually ahead of her. But that's happened before.
In other news, the juniors from Megan's school had a nice trip to Ellis Island yesterday, as I blogged the other day, WITHOUT Megan and her classmates in AP, but WITH their teacher! The teacher had told them they wouldn't be able to go because they had too much work to cover, but then she went and left them with a substitute! This being the same teacher who told them they will learn to hate three day weekends, and piled on outlines and papers that weekend, and fails many of them on all the tests they take. I'm sure they got a lot more out of retyping their papers than they would have from visiting Ellis Island, no doubt.
And Brian is hoping to go to Six Flags this weekend for FrightFest. I said he could go, but he can't go on most of the rides anyway, but I recognize his need to be out and about. Only now the weather is threatening to ruin those plans - I just hope it either gets nice or they don't go. I think the worst thing would be for them to go in bad weather. Megan has the PSATs on Saturday and then swimming, and Brian, who has started taking tennis lessons on Saturday afternoons, wants to play in a round robin tournament on Sunday. In fact, I just reminded myself that I have to call them and confirm that he would like to do it.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
columbus who?
Kevin and Brian were off yesterday. The public schools? Nah. They'll randomly close next week, for some teachers' in-service. At least that works out for Megan, because she has a really busy weekend between Saturday and Sunday with swimming and church school (she teaches it now!) so she'll have all day Monday to rest and catch up. Or do history homework.
But I sat with my job search software open all morning and at 7:30, I heard the bell go off! I checked and it was at the school where we live, which I have never worked in as a substitute teacher, only as a para. So I took the job, thinking Kevin and Brian could have some father/son time, and I was so glad I had done that. It turned out to be the best assignment I have had so far this year. And after another entire day of stalking the system, I managed to get a half day at that school for Thursday. My goal is to get on their 'preferred list' so I can work there regularly. It's so convenient, the teachers are nice and laid back, and the kids (at least yesterday) are well-behaved.
Tonight they had an information night for freshman parents at Brian's school, with the guidance counselors telling us things we pretty much already knew. We didn't stay for the Q&A, but one thing I did take from it was that I should email the two teachers who gave Brian progress reports last week, biology and religion (we thought religion was fine, but we knew about the biology tests, just not the lab that he did poorly on.) Brian didn't want me to, he said that one of his teachers hates when parents email him, but the guidance counselors stress that we should do this. They also say to go through their notebooks and backpacks, and one went so far at a meeting Kevin attended as to say that you should ransack their drawers, as long as they are living in your house. Gotta love them Catholics! :-)
So things have been pretty mellow these days, I am still conducting interviews for a best friend but Rusty and Wilbur seem to be the top contenders, although I must admit to having a soft spot for Puff, not that she deserves it! But when she is sweet, she is charming, and it erases all memories of her bolting for under the couch to get away from me.
In other news, all of the history classes at Megan's school are going on a trip tomorrow to Ellis Island, but not hers. No, the AP kids have to stay in and read about history instead of experiencing it. They have some sort of trip planned for Boston in the spring, it's some sort of overnight trip, who knows if that will ever pan out, or how much it will cost. Speaking of Boston, Megan and I are planning a trip up there in a few weeks to visit Boston College's campus. It's a little early for official visits, but they do guided tours and it is best to do it while school is in session. We were going to stay two nights but now realize that we can't really do that, she has to be here for practice because they have a meet of medium importance that following weekend. So Wilbur is having his operation on the 2nd, and we will probably leave either late on the 3rd or early on the 4th, and come back on the 5th. After that we have to visit schools in PA, VA, and she wants to see UNC Chapel Hill, but that is a trip for the four of us in the spring or summer.
But I sat with my job search software open all morning and at 7:30, I heard the bell go off! I checked and it was at the school where we live, which I have never worked in as a substitute teacher, only as a para. So I took the job, thinking Kevin and Brian could have some father/son time, and I was so glad I had done that. It turned out to be the best assignment I have had so far this year. And after another entire day of stalking the system, I managed to get a half day at that school for Thursday. My goal is to get on their 'preferred list' so I can work there regularly. It's so convenient, the teachers are nice and laid back, and the kids (at least yesterday) are well-behaved.
Tonight they had an information night for freshman parents at Brian's school, with the guidance counselors telling us things we pretty much already knew. We didn't stay for the Q&A, but one thing I did take from it was that I should email the two teachers who gave Brian progress reports last week, biology and religion (we thought religion was fine, but we knew about the biology tests, just not the lab that he did poorly on.) Brian didn't want me to, he said that one of his teachers hates when parents email him, but the guidance counselors stress that we should do this. They also say to go through their notebooks and backpacks, and one went so far at a meeting Kevin attended as to say that you should ransack their drawers, as long as they are living in your house. Gotta love them Catholics! :-)
So things have been pretty mellow these days, I am still conducting interviews for a best friend but Rusty and Wilbur seem to be the top contenders, although I must admit to having a soft spot for Puff, not that she deserves it! But when she is sweet, she is charming, and it erases all memories of her bolting for under the couch to get away from me.
In other news, all of the history classes at Megan's school are going on a trip tomorrow to Ellis Island, but not hers. No, the AP kids have to stay in and read about history instead of experiencing it. They have some sort of trip planned for Boston in the spring, it's some sort of overnight trip, who knows if that will ever pan out, or how much it will cost. Speaking of Boston, Megan and I are planning a trip up there in a few weeks to visit Boston College's campus. It's a little early for official visits, but they do guided tours and it is best to do it while school is in session. We were going to stay two nights but now realize that we can't really do that, she has to be here for practice because they have a meet of medium importance that following weekend. So Wilbur is having his operation on the 2nd, and we will probably leave either late on the 3rd or early on the 4th, and come back on the 5th. After that we have to visit schools in PA, VA, and she wants to see UNC Chapel Hill, but that is a trip for the four of us in the spring or summer.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
bruce in review
So the big concerts have played their last and the Great Stadium stands silent (except for the remaining sporting events still on the calendar!!). The concert was interesting, we arrived about two hours early and were able to park, mainly because our friends had saved us a spot and people weren't yet desperate to the point where they were moving chairs and parking in those spots. So we had a pretty good location from which to beat a hasty retreat at the end of the night.
We 'tailgated' with them for a while, I drank probably too many pomegranate martinis, which were good but once the effects wear off and you have sat in blaring loud music, the residual headache can be a bit sickening due to the sweet aftertaste that won't go away. Anyway, that was okay. The concert was long but really didn't feel it, despite the fact that Brian had his fingers in his mouth the entire time. Finally, about a third of the way through the encore (which I didn't realize was the encore) he brought out his fingers, covered in blood, and wrapped around a stubby little molar. After that he proceeded to keep his head down in his hands and ask when we were leaving. Bruce does put on quite a show, but that stadium is so huge that most of what we saw of him was what we saw on the video screens.
I had said we would leave at 11, but there were rumors that 'special guests' might play since it was the last concert, and that Bruce had requested to play until 1am. So I decided we'd stay till 11:30 and still get out before the crowds. However, at 11:30, he played Jersey Girl and the next thing we knew, the concert was over! So we had to rush out of there and make our way to the car so we could get out and onto the highway in time to get Megan to bed at a semi-respectable time, as she had the SAT-2 (math subject test) the next morning. We made it home just before 1, and she had to be at the school at 7:45 the next day. We'll see how that worked out for her in a few weeks.
Yesterday was also a busy day. Brian had to volunteer at the soup kitchen, and then Megan had the kickoff internal swim meet, and Brian now has tennis every Saturday from 2 till 4. We went out for dinner and kept an early night last night, and Megan had to go to her 6:30 am swim practice this morning. Brian is off from school tomorrow, and Kevin is off from work, so no CBA homework has been done yet in this house. Megan does have school, which means I might get work, I pretty much expected someone to take off so they can spend the day with their spouse or private school kids who have the day off. The public schools are off NEXT Monday, for some reason.
And so there it is. Kevin and I took the dogs to the dog park today. Wilbur is so funny there. He likes to go, but when he isn't there regularly he gets kind of shy. Since there were many small dogs on the small dog side, I sent Kevin to the big dog side with Molly and she kept coming over and peering through the fence at us while he tried to get her to make friends with a six year old golden on his side. Eventually a lot of the rougher big dogs left, so I took Wilbur over to the big dog side, and he seemed to enjoy that. Then he grew bored and we came home.
Kevin is off to service the Doll tonight. She has to borrow my blood pressure monitor, because the one I ordered for her will take a week or so and the home health care nurse is coming tomorrow to show her how to use it, and she also bought herself a new phone and can't figure out how to hook it up. So that's what he will do while Brian is at his swim practice.
In other news, I am still conducting interviews for a new best friend. Rusty is the strangest cat. He insists on being in the room while I shower, and he is in the group that comes up with me at bedtime (actually, they all are, poor Buddy was the only one not allowed in until the other non-gluttonous cats were done eating) but he will almost never purr for me, yet he purrs readily for everyone else. So I'm not sure if he wants to apply for the job. Wren purrs all the time, but is very much the typical girl cat, aloof and everything has to be on her own terms. Puff would be a great candidate, if only she were not afraid of the very ground on which she stands. And Wilbur, of course, would be an excellent new best friend, but sometimes he smells like a dog, he NEVER purrs, and once, he peed on my bed. Also, he can't get on and off without help, and that is a definite requirement.
We 'tailgated' with them for a while, I drank probably too many pomegranate martinis, which were good but once the effects wear off and you have sat in blaring loud music, the residual headache can be a bit sickening due to the sweet aftertaste that won't go away. Anyway, that was okay. The concert was long but really didn't feel it, despite the fact that Brian had his fingers in his mouth the entire time. Finally, about a third of the way through the encore (which I didn't realize was the encore) he brought out his fingers, covered in blood, and wrapped around a stubby little molar. After that he proceeded to keep his head down in his hands and ask when we were leaving. Bruce does put on quite a show, but that stadium is so huge that most of what we saw of him was what we saw on the video screens.
I had said we would leave at 11, but there were rumors that 'special guests' might play since it was the last concert, and that Bruce had requested to play until 1am. So I decided we'd stay till 11:30 and still get out before the crowds. However, at 11:30, he played Jersey Girl and the next thing we knew, the concert was over! So we had to rush out of there and make our way to the car so we could get out and onto the highway in time to get Megan to bed at a semi-respectable time, as she had the SAT-2 (math subject test) the next morning. We made it home just before 1, and she had to be at the school at 7:45 the next day. We'll see how that worked out for her in a few weeks.
Yesterday was also a busy day. Brian had to volunteer at the soup kitchen, and then Megan had the kickoff internal swim meet, and Brian now has tennis every Saturday from 2 till 4. We went out for dinner and kept an early night last night, and Megan had to go to her 6:30 am swim practice this morning. Brian is off from school tomorrow, and Kevin is off from work, so no CBA homework has been done yet in this house. Megan does have school, which means I might get work, I pretty much expected someone to take off so they can spend the day with their spouse or private school kids who have the day off. The public schools are off NEXT Monday, for some reason.
And so there it is. Kevin and I took the dogs to the dog park today. Wilbur is so funny there. He likes to go, but when he isn't there regularly he gets kind of shy. Since there were many small dogs on the small dog side, I sent Kevin to the big dog side with Molly and she kept coming over and peering through the fence at us while he tried to get her to make friends with a six year old golden on his side. Eventually a lot of the rougher big dogs left, so I took Wilbur over to the big dog side, and he seemed to enjoy that. Then he grew bored and we came home.
Kevin is off to service the Doll tonight. She has to borrow my blood pressure monitor, because the one I ordered for her will take a week or so and the home health care nurse is coming tomorrow to show her how to use it, and she also bought herself a new phone and can't figure out how to hook it up. So that's what he will do while Brian is at his swim practice.
In other news, I am still conducting interviews for a new best friend. Rusty is the strangest cat. He insists on being in the room while I shower, and he is in the group that comes up with me at bedtime (actually, they all are, poor Buddy was the only one not allowed in until the other non-gluttonous cats were done eating) but he will almost never purr for me, yet he purrs readily for everyone else. So I'm not sure if he wants to apply for the job. Wren purrs all the time, but is very much the typical girl cat, aloof and everything has to be on her own terms. Puff would be a great candidate, if only she were not afraid of the very ground on which she stands. And Wilbur, of course, would be an excellent new best friend, but sometimes he smells like a dog, he NEVER purrs, and once, he peed on my bed. Also, he can't get on and off without help, and that is a definite requirement.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
pardon me, could you (not) pass the fiber one?
Not for the faint of ? heart ?
So I found out that Brian has high cholesterol a few weeks ago. The recommendation from his pediatrician, as it is not terribly high, is that he should eat more oatmeal. Yes. I have been eating oatmeal every morning and am even getting used to the fact that it doesn't even begin to fill me up, but I am no longer faint and weak by 10am, and I can actually make it to lunchtime on one bowl of oatmeal now. However: trying to get Brian to eat oatmeal was about as practical as trying to feed an orange peel to a cat. He hated it. But epiphany! I discovered the greatest thing: the Fiber One bar! It is delicious, simple to pack, and has something like 9 grams of fiber PER BAR!
So I got them and served them to Brian, and Megan helped herself to a few as well. One day I decided I'd have one too. They were good! I added them to my diet, too. At this same time, I had bought a mix of all different kinds of nuts and sunflower seeds, which I was also snacking generously on throughout the day. But a problem! I could not take a step without, er, um, an indiscretion! Yes folks! What was the cause? Was it the sunflower seeds in the nut mix? It had to be. So I didn't eat any more.
Then one day, I had a Fiber One bar again. In the back of my mind, I thought, hmm. I have also been eating a lot of these Fiber one bars just prior to the onset of my flatulent fiesta ... but nah. It's a granola bar, for crying out loud. But the problem would strike at any time: in a classroom, while circling amongst the desks - in the grocery store, while browsing the shelves, visiting the Doll in the hospital ER, or even just while I was wandering around the house, where I have avowed time and time again that I, the lady of the house, DO NOT FART. Which used to be true. Before I met Fiber One.
Yesterday I decided to turn to my trusty information source, the google search bar. I typed in 'Fiber One Bars m' and to my surprise (well, or validation) the search engine automatically gave me an option of 'Fiber One Bars Make me Fart;' this linked me to the following discussion: http://www.pleasegodno.com/archives/66-Fiber-One-Bars-make-me-Fart.html It WASN'T the nut mix! The nuts are cleared of all wrongdoing! But what to do next? Amazing how the Fiber One bars were all on sale at Acme, and they keep getting cheaper and cheaper! This is not a good affliction to have when one is spending hours in a room with people whose noses are at the level of one's escaping fumes! And fumes they are! It's horrendous!
So there it is, all. Fiber One bars make you fart. I decided to ask Brian, who denied this response, but I assume that is probably just because he is a boy and they fart all the time anyway. I could tell by Megan's reaction (and she, too, is a fan of flatulence) that her body has responded in kind to these demon bars. Meanwhile, I have a pantry full of them. We won't be lighting any fires in our house for the next week or two. They taste so good, it's almost worth the risk! No wonder fuel prices are coming down in New Jersey - Fiber One bars are on sale!
Anyway, in other news, or in news that's fit to print, Kevin will arrive home from Sweden tomorrow, I have no work lined up but I am listening for the widget beep and nothing has happened for hours. I'm planning an early bedtime but I have to stay up until my strawberries ripen in Farmville, or they'll wither overnight. And the dog can't be put to bed too early, or he won't make it till morning. Otherwise, Megan is still coughing, Brian has a lot of homework, the most ever in one night so far, and we have Bruce coming up on Friday! Fun times in the House of Farts.
So I found out that Brian has high cholesterol a few weeks ago. The recommendation from his pediatrician, as it is not terribly high, is that he should eat more oatmeal. Yes. I have been eating oatmeal every morning and am even getting used to the fact that it doesn't even begin to fill me up, but I am no longer faint and weak by 10am, and I can actually make it to lunchtime on one bowl of oatmeal now. However: trying to get Brian to eat oatmeal was about as practical as trying to feed an orange peel to a cat. He hated it. But epiphany! I discovered the greatest thing: the Fiber One bar! It is delicious, simple to pack, and has something like 9 grams of fiber PER BAR!
So I got them and served them to Brian, and Megan helped herself to a few as well. One day I decided I'd have one too. They were good! I added them to my diet, too. At this same time, I had bought a mix of all different kinds of nuts and sunflower seeds, which I was also snacking generously on throughout the day. But a problem! I could not take a step without, er, um, an indiscretion! Yes folks! What was the cause? Was it the sunflower seeds in the nut mix? It had to be. So I didn't eat any more.
Then one day, I had a Fiber One bar again. In the back of my mind, I thought, hmm. I have also been eating a lot of these Fiber one bars just prior to the onset of my flatulent fiesta ... but nah. It's a granola bar, for crying out loud. But the problem would strike at any time: in a classroom, while circling amongst the desks - in the grocery store, while browsing the shelves, visiting the Doll in the hospital ER, or even just while I was wandering around the house, where I have avowed time and time again that I, the lady of the house, DO NOT FART. Which used to be true. Before I met Fiber One.
Yesterday I decided to turn to my trusty information source, the google search bar. I typed in 'Fiber One Bars m' and to my surprise (well, or validation) the search engine automatically gave me an option of 'Fiber One Bars Make me Fart;' this linked me to the following discussion: http://www.pleasegodno.com/archives/66-Fiber-One-Bars-make-me-Fart.html It WASN'T the nut mix! The nuts are cleared of all wrongdoing! But what to do next? Amazing how the Fiber One bars were all on sale at Acme, and they keep getting cheaper and cheaper! This is not a good affliction to have when one is spending hours in a room with people whose noses are at the level of one's escaping fumes! And fumes they are! It's horrendous!
So there it is, all. Fiber One bars make you fart. I decided to ask Brian, who denied this response, but I assume that is probably just because he is a boy and they fart all the time anyway. I could tell by Megan's reaction (and she, too, is a fan of flatulence) that her body has responded in kind to these demon bars. Meanwhile, I have a pantry full of them. We won't be lighting any fires in our house for the next week or two. They taste so good, it's almost worth the risk! No wonder fuel prices are coming down in New Jersey - Fiber One bars are on sale!
Anyway, in other news, or in news that's fit to print, Kevin will arrive home from Sweden tomorrow, I have no work lined up but I am listening for the widget beep and nothing has happened for hours. I'm planning an early bedtime but I have to stay up until my strawberries ripen in Farmville, or they'll wither overnight. And the dog can't be put to bed too early, or he won't make it till morning. Otherwise, Megan is still coughing, Brian has a lot of homework, the most ever in one night so far, and we have Bruce coming up on Friday! Fun times in the House of Farts.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
so much for that!
Well, when it rains, it pours. One of my faithful requesters (and not even one of the four from my previous post) must leave early today and she had them call me and ask if I could come in for the afternoon. I might as well, I have done nothing yet but shower anyway, and play with dogs. Anyway, she went ahead and automatically assigned it, so I didn't even have to worry about anyone else stealing it. So that was an ego booster, even if I may be in for a rough afternoon! It's a very large special ed class, very young. Sometimes they don't take kindly to change!
home with the pets
I am taking the day off today. Yesterday morning, again, at 7:30, I hit F5, to find a job at the school where I usually work. I hesitated, because the teacher can be very particular and usually would request certain subs only (not me!) so I didn't know if I wanted to risk it. But the job lingered so I decided it was fate, and clicked on 'accept.'
As it turned out, they were a great class, well-behaved and except for a couple of unique individuals, did their work and stayed quiet. There was another teacher in the room for much of the day, but she was the same one from last year, so I had to step back and just let her do what she felt was right, even if I wouldn't have done it quite the same way. And a couple of other teachers told me they were going to request me, or already had me on their lists, so that makes four from that school alone, although I don't know if I'm on the list for the administrators, which would mean that if the teachers don't request, or if their requests are busy, I would see the job.
One teacher told me she did request me but got a man instead, who didn't follow her directions to pack the kids up for dismissal early, and the Principal happened in at 2:55 and found mayhem in the classroom. I will sympathize with him, however, dismissal time is the most chaotic time in the day for a sub in the lower grades, in my opinion, unless you know the routine down to the last detail. Even then, it can be harrowing, especially in cold weather, when coats and hats and gloves join the daily papers and backpacks in the mix of things to do.
But last night, I was browsing for jobs, and I noticed that the district has activated a widget that will search for assignments for us! If we have it running in the background, it makes a loud ringing noise when a job is posted! Although I have a lot to get done today, and don't want to lock up the dog again since I am working tomorrow, so I haven't accepted any jobs for today. But I did see three full day assignments go by, as well as one half-day, thanks to the ringing of the alert bell. The problem is, this is a free trial I am using. If I like and want to use the service, I think it will cost me $40 per year. Of course, one half day assignment practically pays for it, but I will have to be signed in in order to get the assignments, so if I'm working, I still won't know about them. Unless I enlist help from Kevin, and he can put the widget up at work and accept jobs for me, within reason.
So another excuse to do nothing but sit on the computer all day.
In other news, Megan is still sick. She was coughing so badly at night that I didn't let her go to practice Sunday morning, then I started giving her benadryl at bedtime and she improved. However, she had a bad time at practice last night and I'm not sure what to do about it. She had a cold, but this has been going on for 2-3 weeks now. The air quality in the pool can cause breathing problems for swimmers, and this can last for the rest of their lives. They call it 'swimmer's asthma.' So I don't know if she is affected by the poor quality of the air, likely caused by poor chemical balance in the water, or if she has a sinus infection and needs treatment, or if it's a combination of both. Before practice started, the pool had to be closed for chemical adjustments, so I'm really suspicious of this. Megan rarely gets sick alone, so others are coughing as wel, indicating either something is circulating, or someone needs to check into the pool quality a little more closely.
Drop AP History and quit swimming! Stay home and play cards instead!
Tonight she has to leave a little early to get her commendation from the school board, but if she doesn't start to improve, she will have to start with the doctor and antibiotics. If that doesn't work, we will be in a tough place, because how do you deal with the sport you love, and that defines you, when it's making you sick? This morning she seemed better, so I hope she can get through it on her own. The problem is when you train so hard and get so run down, it's also hard to shake the little things and they linger. This is one of the things I hate about this sport.
As it turned out, they were a great class, well-behaved and except for a couple of unique individuals, did their work and stayed quiet. There was another teacher in the room for much of the day, but she was the same one from last year, so I had to step back and just let her do what she felt was right, even if I wouldn't have done it quite the same way. And a couple of other teachers told me they were going to request me, or already had me on their lists, so that makes four from that school alone, although I don't know if I'm on the list for the administrators, which would mean that if the teachers don't request, or if their requests are busy, I would see the job.
One teacher told me she did request me but got a man instead, who didn't follow her directions to pack the kids up for dismissal early, and the Principal happened in at 2:55 and found mayhem in the classroom. I will sympathize with him, however, dismissal time is the most chaotic time in the day for a sub in the lower grades, in my opinion, unless you know the routine down to the last detail. Even then, it can be harrowing, especially in cold weather, when coats and hats and gloves join the daily papers and backpacks in the mix of things to do.
But last night, I was browsing for jobs, and I noticed that the district has activated a widget that will search for assignments for us! If we have it running in the background, it makes a loud ringing noise when a job is posted! Although I have a lot to get done today, and don't want to lock up the dog again since I am working tomorrow, so I haven't accepted any jobs for today. But I did see three full day assignments go by, as well as one half-day, thanks to the ringing of the alert bell. The problem is, this is a free trial I am using. If I like and want to use the service, I think it will cost me $40 per year. Of course, one half day assignment practically pays for it, but I will have to be signed in in order to get the assignments, so if I'm working, I still won't know about them. Unless I enlist help from Kevin, and he can put the widget up at work and accept jobs for me, within reason.
So another excuse to do nothing but sit on the computer all day.
In other news, Megan is still sick. She was coughing so badly at night that I didn't let her go to practice Sunday morning, then I started giving her benadryl at bedtime and she improved. However, she had a bad time at practice last night and I'm not sure what to do about it. She had a cold, but this has been going on for 2-3 weeks now. The air quality in the pool can cause breathing problems for swimmers, and this can last for the rest of their lives. They call it 'swimmer's asthma.' So I don't know if she is affected by the poor quality of the air, likely caused by poor chemical balance in the water, or if she has a sinus infection and needs treatment, or if it's a combination of both. Before practice started, the pool had to be closed for chemical adjustments, so I'm really suspicious of this. Megan rarely gets sick alone, so others are coughing as wel, indicating either something is circulating, or someone needs to check into the pool quality a little more closely.
Drop AP History and quit swimming! Stay home and play cards instead!
Tonight she has to leave a little early to get her commendation from the school board, but if she doesn't start to improve, she will have to start with the doctor and antibiotics. If that doesn't work, we will be in a tough place, because how do you deal with the sport you love, and that defines you, when it's making you sick? This morning she seemed better, so I hope she can get through it on her own. The problem is when you train so hard and get so run down, it's also hard to shake the little things and they linger. This is one of the things I hate about this sport.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
weekend update
Well, I lack originality this evening. Kevin has left for Sweden, he is airborne as I blog this, due to return Thursday afternoon, in time for our scheduled Bruce concert on Friday night. I think about the day I bought the tickets, sitting there waiting for the sales to commence, hitting F5 over and over and then feeling so lucky to have gotten the ones I got.
Until several weeks later when all of a sudden tons more tickets were suddenly available. what was up with that anyway? I see that the Spectrum concerts are sold out for just a few days later. How in the world does Bruce do this anyway? He's 60 years old and playing a concert tour as if he's 20. But still, I am excited to go. even if we will probably leave early because (a) I hate crowds and traffic and (b) Megan has to be at school at 7:45 the next morning to take an SAT 2 in math. Pre-calc, to be exact. Excellent timing.
As for Buddy, clearly he is still gone, and it's still sad, but the litterboxes stink a lot less and the cat food lasts an extra day per can now. Rusty is trying to take the place of bed-warmer but he just lacks the personality and the body mass to fill those paws. Maybe in time. It's early days, still.
So yesterday Megan went down and dropped off the check at the autism walk. I brought Wilbur and he yapped his head off at first, making me realize he needs some more socialization in crowds. He loves the dog park, he knows how to act there, but he doesn't know how to walk respectably in public. Although today was the Blessing of the Animals at our church, and we brought both of them. He was quite well behaved, and only yapped a couple of times during the entire hour and a half!
Brian spent the afternoon at his school's open house, being a greeter, which was the job available to the freshmen. He had a good time, manning a table and handing out information to prospective freshmen. He really does like the school. Tomorrow he is taking a test on a case for mock trial to see if he can be a lawyer or a witness (I don't think he has studied nearly enough!) and on Tuesday he is going to Asbury Park for some sort of service project with the other group he joined. And later in the month, he's taking a trip with the Spanish and French clubs to a medieval religious museum in New York!!
Anyway, in other news, the clock strikes ten and I must head to the hay. In Kevin's absence, I have Wilbur duty round the clock, he usually keeps him downstairs while I take my little cats up and feed them in the bedroom (a tradition started so new kittens could get some nourishment, with Buddy around no food was sacred back in the day). The Doll is allegedly improving, who really knows with her what is going on ... some more changes to her medications brought about more alleged lightheadedness. But Kevin saw her yesterday and said she looked good.
Oh, and we had our driveway sealed. It looks great. We had some strange guy who kept ringing our bell, but then Kevin mentioned this to someone who knew someone who did driveways, so we were relieved to use him, and the other guy never showed up again. Ack, there goes another cough. Megan is hacking again. I banned her from going to practice this morning, after two nights of coughing all night I thought it best she not swim for two hours in the early morning. I'm drugging her with benadryl now. The claritin D might as well have been sugar pills. Hope it will do the trick. I'm trying to avoid antibiotics.
Until several weeks later when all of a sudden tons more tickets were suddenly available. what was up with that anyway? I see that the Spectrum concerts are sold out for just a few days later. How in the world does Bruce do this anyway? He's 60 years old and playing a concert tour as if he's 20. But still, I am excited to go. even if we will probably leave early because (a) I hate crowds and traffic and (b) Megan has to be at school at 7:45 the next morning to take an SAT 2 in math. Pre-calc, to be exact. Excellent timing.
As for Buddy, clearly he is still gone, and it's still sad, but the litterboxes stink a lot less and the cat food lasts an extra day per can now. Rusty is trying to take the place of bed-warmer but he just lacks the personality and the body mass to fill those paws. Maybe in time. It's early days, still.
So yesterday Megan went down and dropped off the check at the autism walk. I brought Wilbur and he yapped his head off at first, making me realize he needs some more socialization in crowds. He loves the dog park, he knows how to act there, but he doesn't know how to walk respectably in public. Although today was the Blessing of the Animals at our church, and we brought both of them. He was quite well behaved, and only yapped a couple of times during the entire hour and a half!
Brian spent the afternoon at his school's open house, being a greeter, which was the job available to the freshmen. He had a good time, manning a table and handing out information to prospective freshmen. He really does like the school. Tomorrow he is taking a test on a case for mock trial to see if he can be a lawyer or a witness (I don't think he has studied nearly enough!) and on Tuesday he is going to Asbury Park for some sort of service project with the other group he joined. And later in the month, he's taking a trip with the Spanish and French clubs to a medieval religious museum in New York!!
Anyway, in other news, the clock strikes ten and I must head to the hay. In Kevin's absence, I have Wilbur duty round the clock, he usually keeps him downstairs while I take my little cats up and feed them in the bedroom (a tradition started so new kittens could get some nourishment, with Buddy around no food was sacred back in the day). The Doll is allegedly improving, who really knows with her what is going on ... some more changes to her medications brought about more alleged lightheadedness. But Kevin saw her yesterday and said she looked good.
Oh, and we had our driveway sealed. It looks great. We had some strange guy who kept ringing our bell, but then Kevin mentioned this to someone who knew someone who did driveways, so we were relieved to use him, and the other guy never showed up again. Ack, there goes another cough. Megan is hacking again. I banned her from going to practice this morning, after two nights of coughing all night I thought it best she not swim for two hours in the early morning. I'm drugging her with benadryl now. The claritin D might as well have been sugar pills. Hope it will do the trick. I'm trying to avoid antibiotics.
Friday, October 2, 2009
success!
I found work for the day! After hitting F5 for an hour or so this morning, finally the red nothing turned into a black something ... but it was gym! I hit F5 a few more times to see if it would go away, but it didn't, so I clicked on 'accept' and my fate was sealed. I had an hour to shower and drive across town to teach gym to the elementary kids. Let me just say that my feet are still killing me!!!
I am still adjusting to life without Buddy. Admittedly, there are good things, such as I didn't have time to scoop the litterbox this morning and I don't even smell it yet. When your 20 pound cat is gone and your three others that barely equal that are all that remain, the cat intake and output does decrease significantly. But I miss him anyway, and my legs were cold in the night and I had no reason to linger in bed this morning when my alarm went off, no cat curling up on me or coming for a scritch behind the ears. :`(
So a few weeks ago, Megan decided she wanted to try to organize something for leadership hours for a National Honor Society application. So she tried to put together a walk for autism, but she is having some trouble. However, they told her (and her friend) she could do an in-house walk last week for just the juniors, during the hour before school started while the teachers were in a meeting. So they did, and they had about 70 or so participants, and they raised over $1,000! So she is getting a board commendation for this at the next board meeting, which will be Tuesday night, while Kevin is in Sweden.
Anyway, in other news, the high school won their football game against the team that beat them in states last year so that is exciting news. I guess we will have to wait and see how the rest of the season turns out, inclduing the Thanksgiving Day game, which will be more of a rivalry than usual, as the across-town team continues to strengthen. Still, ours is a force to be contended with, so there is a lot to be said for their experience ... although most of the big names aere in Megan's grade, still juniors, so next year could be their year, even if this one isn't. Time will tell!
On that note, I can barely stay awake! I think I will go up and find something boring, preferably with British accents, and fall asleep!
I am still adjusting to life without Buddy. Admittedly, there are good things, such as I didn't have time to scoop the litterbox this morning and I don't even smell it yet. When your 20 pound cat is gone and your three others that barely equal that are all that remain, the cat intake and output does decrease significantly. But I miss him anyway, and my legs were cold in the night and I had no reason to linger in bed this morning when my alarm went off, no cat curling up on me or coming for a scritch behind the ears. :`(
So a few weeks ago, Megan decided she wanted to try to organize something for leadership hours for a National Honor Society application. So she tried to put together a walk for autism, but she is having some trouble. However, they told her (and her friend) she could do an in-house walk last week for just the juniors, during the hour before school started while the teachers were in a meeting. So they did, and they had about 70 or so participants, and they raised over $1,000! So she is getting a board commendation for this at the next board meeting, which will be Tuesday night, while Kevin is in Sweden.
Anyway, in other news, the high school won their football game against the team that beat them in states last year so that is exciting news. I guess we will have to wait and see how the rest of the season turns out, inclduing the Thanksgiving Day game, which will be more of a rivalry than usual, as the across-town team continues to strengthen. Still, ours is a force to be contended with, so there is a lot to be said for their experience ... although most of the big names aere in Megan's grade, still juniors, so next year could be their year, even if this one isn't. Time will tell!
On that note, I can barely stay awake! I think I will go up and find something boring, preferably with British accents, and fall asleep!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
rest in peace, little buddy
It has been a rough week. For a four day week it's creeping by. The blasted F5, the Doll's uneventful doctor's appointment (her blood pressure is looking pretty good these days) and then the sudden and unexpected death of poor Buddy the cat due to what seems most likely to be cardiomyopathy, as his symptoms fit the bill to a 't'. Last night was a hard night, sleeping without him on my legs, and then coming down to breakfast, looking at the other three cats all sitting ON the counter because they have had to eat their breakfast there for years, so Buddy won't gobble his up and then steal theirs next. Now I'm thinking, how do I get these three cats used to eating on the floor again? And then wilbur scrabbles by and I think, what is the point?
We had Back to School Night at Megan's school tonight so we got to hear all of her teachers talk about the AP tests and how much work they are and how hard and then they have THIRTY kids in the AP English and History classes. ??? I'm not that impressed with that. But whatever. It's where she wants to be. She loves child development. It's a class for six weeks and then they get real actual children from town who come in and be in school with them for the rest of the year. They have to plan lessons, teach, and then they do a big graduation for them at the end of the year. It's a great class, especially for Megan, who is interested in going into something involving education or children.
The sad news in town is that a boy from Brian's second choice high school died suddenly over the weekend. Nobody seems to know exactly why, he had a skin infection and it must have become infected, but it isn't clear if he died from an invasive bacterial infection or something else, but he was not a sick or weak child at all. The community is shocked. We didn't know him at all, had never heard of him, but he traveled in many of the same circles so we know many people who did. The wakes are today and tomorrow, with the funeral on Saturday morning. Terrible news to start the year.
In other news, our pool was closed today. That's always a bittersweet day because while it's so sad to say goodbye to summer, it's cold, the pool is always full of leaves, and nobody has been in it in weeks, so we're tired of having to filter it and keep throwing the vacuum into the icy waters frequently enough to deter any algae bloom. I have no work for tomorrow, just a hob for Wednesday, I was actually requested!!! Finally! And I ran into another teacher at BTS night who said that their subs have been mostly unknown people, so they don't really know why that's happening. I talked to some people at my half day job today and most are just as confused and not working as I am, even the good subs who are usually in demand. We're all getting dejected and obsessed with searching for the elusive available spot.
We had Back to School Night at Megan's school tonight so we got to hear all of her teachers talk about the AP tests and how much work they are and how hard and then they have THIRTY kids in the AP English and History classes. ??? I'm not that impressed with that. But whatever. It's where she wants to be. She loves child development. It's a class for six weeks and then they get real actual children from town who come in and be in school with them for the rest of the year. They have to plan lessons, teach, and then they do a big graduation for them at the end of the year. It's a great class, especially for Megan, who is interested in going into something involving education or children.
The sad news in town is that a boy from Brian's second choice high school died suddenly over the weekend. Nobody seems to know exactly why, he had a skin infection and it must have become infected, but it isn't clear if he died from an invasive bacterial infection or something else, but he was not a sick or weak child at all. The community is shocked. We didn't know him at all, had never heard of him, but he traveled in many of the same circles so we know many people who did. The wakes are today and tomorrow, with the funeral on Saturday morning. Terrible news to start the year.
In other news, our pool was closed today. That's always a bittersweet day because while it's so sad to say goodbye to summer, it's cold, the pool is always full of leaves, and nobody has been in it in weeks, so we're tired of having to filter it and keep throwing the vacuum into the icy waters frequently enough to deter any algae bloom. I have no work for tomorrow, just a hob for Wednesday, I was actually requested!!! Finally! And I ran into another teacher at BTS night who said that their subs have been mostly unknown people, so they don't really know why that's happening. I talked to some people at my half day job today and most are just as confused and not working as I am, even the good subs who are usually in demand. We're all getting dejected and obsessed with searching for the elusive available spot.
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