Bacon, Unicorns and Costumes

My, oh my.

I do love me that kid.

She is Magic.

So, as reported, The Girl Who Has My Heart spent the night.  And so did a VERY noisy thunderstorm with 50 mph winds.  The result of which was not a lot of sleeping and my Wish that I had a bigger couch so we could have snuggled more.  In the end, she took the love seat and I got the couch.  And neither of us got much sleep.

But that was not going to stop us.

We started the day (or continued the evening, depending on your perspective) by drawing unicorns.  Wait - no.  We started the day with bacon.  THEN we drew unicorns.

Bacon + Unicorns =

Pretty much

The. Best. Day Ever. 

And it wasn't even 7:30 am.

It turns out that I am not so hot with the Chocolate Hair/Vanilla Care thing.  But I think that the above picture demonstrates that I kind of managed a simple mini-Macy Gray homage.

Bruiser's surgery went well.  I don't have the details but D-Gang said "the poor kid was a wreck but is fixed".

YAY.  I like it when kids get fixed.  Especially by good doctors.  

Meanwhile The Girl Who Has My Heart and I had an excellent day which culminated in a trip to one of my favorite costume places.  The Costume Goddess saw me and said "Oh - what show are you working on now?"

I laughed and took a step back to reveal my friend who was carefully considering her choices. I said,  "No shows.  Just looking for something awesome."

Costume Goddess laughed.  We pulled several elaborate outfits out.  Glitter, wings, big fluffy appointments.  

TGWHMA wasn't really inspired.  

Until.....she found this thing that can only be described as Little House on the Prairie meets Quincenera at a Steampunk gathering.  And she lit up like a pinball machine.

"Is that the ONE?"  I asked her.

She solemnly announced, "It is the ONLY One."  

(She has a GREAT solemn face.)

Done.

I hope that when D-Gang's world calms down (ha ha ha) that she will send me a picture of My Friend in her Very Interesting Dress.

I hope that D-Gang and brood get some sleep.

I hope no one hits anyone on the head with the Yo Yo that I slipped into her suitcase.

sigh

Logic only gives a person what they need.
Magic gives a person what they want.

The Barbie, The Pony and The Yo Yo

EXCELLENT  night at Chez Loco.

D-Gang brought the Chaos to ME.

(A good time was had by all.)

Bruiser has surgery tomorrow morning.  That kind of blows.  Anesthesia can tank you if you are 3 years old.  Plus surgery is stressful.

I am confident that all well go well and all will be well.

As the appointed Fairy Godmother of this tribe ( an appointment that I take quite seriously.....), I want to sprinkle some fairy dust, grab the nearest unicorn, ride off to the rainbow and make it all go away.

And actually I could probably do that but that isn't going to fix some physical fixes that need fixing.

sigh

So I do what I can do.....

According to The Girl Who Has My Heart (and the girl who grabbed my camera) I can do this:

 Make dinner.

Have a monkey on my Fridge.

Wear a bracelet that she braided for me.

Tomorrow we will have adventures.

Bruiser will be fine.  

Bipppity Boppity Boo.

Another School Shooting

Another School Shooting

That is what the headline said.


And my very first thought was: Where?
Then followed by the proverbial question:  Why?

"He was a nice guy."

"He was bullied."

"He recently went goth."

"He [insert social media format here] about this."

"I never would have expected this."
"He was quiet."

"He seemed normal."

"He was troubled."

These are the answers given thus far.

I am sure that we will find out where he got the gun.

We will, as a collective community, ascertain that he was "troubled".

Depending on the extent of his "troubles" and the spokesperson of the organization that is speaking and the people who grant interviews, we will get a small grasp of what went down today in Chardon High School in Chardon, Ohio.


In fact, most of us don't have direct knowledge about what went down in Chardon, Ohio.  Most of us, until today,  didn't even know that there was a place called Chardon, Ohio.



For now, this is what troubles me the most:

HEADLINE:  Another School Shooting

"Another" School Shooting?  Are we that cavalier?

Do we graze the quotes, calculate the body count, make a decision and move on?

Do we roll our eyes and go to bed and say a silent "Well....at least it didn't happen here" prayer?

Do we wait to understand where a system went wrong, where a parent went wrong, where a society went wrong?

Or do we think about the children 

(dead, wounded, troubled, scared and scarred)?

Personally, I have done all those things today. 

And now I keep wondering why we accept "another" as a means to describe what happened at Chardon High School in Chardon, Ohio.  Another thing that, gratefully, didn't happen to us today.

Unless we live in Chardon, Ohio.




sigh

And The Oscar Goes To

So I had an Oscar Party.   I made food.  I tried to provide paparazzi.  There were ballots.

But apparently the STAR of the show
was the Dog We Named After A Porn Star.  

Many were enamored about how cute and smart she is.  Those same people overlooked how much she sheds.....

She was invited to go "running...or jogging....or whatever......".

She was told that she is the Best Dog Ever.

And she is ok.  

I mean she farts and sheds a lot.  A LOT.

She isn't terribly profound.  

She is rather a dufus.

I MADE FOOD.  

I PRINTED OUT BALLOTS.  

I HAD VEGETARIAN OPTIONS.

I HAD A PLAN

And I had fun.  My food and fellowship was well received.

But the Oscar goes to........

Best Canine With Follicular Issues In A Leading Role:

 

Yep.

Another Oscar Night at Chez Loco.

S-A-TUR-DAY NIGHT!

Seriously

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH

Oh did I love me some Bay City Rollers.  And a trip to Target to spend some hard earned allowance money on their latest 45.  Or a Teen Beat magazine with them on the cover.

For the life of me I can't recount any of their names nor can I recall another song other than "Saturday Night" and although I could Google all of that, it really isn't all that important.  

And frankly neither is anything I did today.  A bit of homework.  A bit of catching up on shows that I DVR'd (if you watch Top Chef, Lindsay was robbed) and I made a delicious dinner:  Filet mignon roast, truffled madiera cream sauce, asparagus, garlic potatoes with haricot verdes and bread.  Big Funny Kid had a friend over and she liked my cooking and since I like cooking for people who like my cooking, it was a rather win/win situation.

 

 

After she left I sat down to watch last week's "Glee".  I was half-watching and half playing with a graphic organizer tool when BFK comes running down the steps and throws himself onto the couch next to me and puts his arm around me.

 

"Whassup, kid?"
"You are going to cry."

Well I suppose that is always a distinct possibility given this week but I feel I am fairly stoic.

"Why.  What did you do?"

"Just watch."

And indeed the ol' "Glee" got really heavy and I don't think I am spoiling the episode but some gay teen bullying got really bad.

And I cried.  Well, just in that leaky way.  I mean it *IS* a TV show.  But yeah - that topic runs a raw nerve with me.

When the episode was over (and another character gets hit by a car for texting while driving), BFK said:  "Also I wanted you to see that part."

Yes.  Point taken, BFK.

So that was my Saturday Night.  Tomorrow are the Oscars and I think I am going to make a party out of it.  Even if no one comes but me.  Actually, BFK will probably join.  I told him that Billy Crystal was hosting and he said "Who?"

Oh, dear.  I bet he doesn't know who the Bay City Rollers are either.

Storm

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24th

I have been sooooo looking forward to this week getting over.  Even if it means the issues that it brought with it are still ongoing.  I need to have a "no alarm clock" night.  Even if it means that I get up at the crack of dawn.

I had a great class.  It was intense and I am easily getting buried under that proverbial paperwork but I plopped down for some frozen macaroni pasta product when D-Gang texted me from Faculty/Staff Appreciation lunch.  She said the food was delicious.  I told her that mine was too.  She said she never wins the door prize but since I was home being a student that wants to be a teacher that I should have a moment of appreciation......so she announced that I had won a pretend door prize:  "Go outside!  It is beautiful!"

She was right.  It was downright nice outside.  

Maybe this winter thing is over with!

 Bring on the chickens and the eggs!

And I took off to get an estimate on my car (Lord, that is a blog that I am just not blogging about right now) and to runs some errands and to pick Big Funny Kid up from school.

AND THAT IS WHEN 

THE SNOWSTORM STARTED

I am not kidding.

Would I kid about such a thing?  

Suddenly this super freak snowstorm started.  And as I sat outside BFK's school waiting for him to finish speech practice, my car was literally being covered in snow.  I wasn't even wearing a coat.

But fortunately......Big Funny Kid was wearing his Beard Beanie:

He makes me laugh.

He is the port in any Storm.  

Occasionally the calm before any Storm.  

And yeah - he is a teenager so sometimes he is the Storm itself.

Looking forward to our "stay-cation" next week.

Chaos? I Didn't Notice

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD

This has been an emotionally draining week.  So while Big Funny Kid took a study break to go to dinner with Dad, I slipped over to D-Gang's house for a visit.  I brought 2 chickens and some brown rice and some quiche and some cheese and some flatbread crackers and some pita and some hummus and some salami and some noodles and some vegetables and some dip and some bread.

The strange collection of food was rather symbolic of my scattered mind - and the goal of the visit which was to spread all kinds of things that were rolling around in my head and offer them up for us to graze upon.  And of course we did.  While her 5,000 children and 3,000 dogs ran around the smorgasbord of food and conversation.

There were 2 bodily fluid accidents (thankfully neither of which were mine) and a couple of time outs.  Dogs were let in and let out.  And so were thoughts and opinions and kind words.

I know *I* felt better.

When I got home she sent me a message - "Sorry there was more chaos than usual."

Psssht - I hadn't noticed.  I was there for the company!  And I left with the re-charge that I needed.  In fact, I think chaos may be a part of why I like these little visits.

My Day As An 8th Grade Boy

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22ND

So today I was an 8th grade boy.

OK, not really.  But today I shadowed my ELL student from class to class.  And it turns out that although HE is very proficient at being an 8th grade boy, I apparently am not.

There were three highlights to this day:

1.  Going to Industrial Arts class.  Yes, apparently that is what they call Shop these days.  And my student did fine but the kid next to me almost took me out with a belt sander.

2.  I pretty much almost totally fell asleep in Algebra.  And it was TOTALLY in the same classroom that *I* had Algebra in oh so many years ago.  My teacher at the time spent most of her day in the "Smoking Lounge" (and yes, dearies, there was a time that teachers had a smoking lounge in school).  She reeked.

3.  I had no problem going off campus for lunch.  I didn't get a demerit or anything.


D-Gang messaged me and asked if I had gotten a wedgie or been shoved into a locker and to be honest I think that I came close to both, if it weren't for the fact that the student that I was shadowing kept a sharp eye out for me.

By the way - passing periods are really, really short.  One cannot saunter.  One cannot even mosey. 


I sincerely appreciate the fact that my school is having me do this case study and I also sincerely appreciate that my student and his family agreed to let me do this.

But the smell of a middle school hallway - didn't appreciate that so much.

Ninja Time

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST


Aaaaah.....The Cake Ninjas.  The Motley Crew of people insane enough to turn up with me at the crack of dawn to serve cake to 300 people in 15 minutes.

If you don't know the history of the event you can read this past post.  

And the one before that.

But if you want this post 

served up to you in LESS than 15 minutes of your time, 

read on.

Awesome School does Faculty/Staff Appreciation Week and I get all lit up on the inside to help out.  I usually do the graphics, the printing, etc.


But I really love gathering the Cake Ninjas for this event.  Our role is messy, crazy......cakey.

(Shout out to Hutch who had never cake ninja'd before

.....and apparently can't sit still.....

remind me to NEVER attend a ceremony with her again.)  

In spite of Hutch's figitiness AND the fact that we had new cakes (Peanut Free kitchen issue) and several new Ninjas.....I still think that dollars to donuts (I have no idea what that idiom means....but I am sure that no peanuts were involved)  the best part of this ritual was that we get to chill and watch the honors for the Faculty and Staff.

I heart his tradition and I heart the people at this school.

And I gotta tell you ONE thing.  I was the FIRST person to start a Standing Ovation for this guy.

15 years at Awesome School 

and, as far as I am concerned, 

he is a Major part of the Heart and Soul.

Cheerful, caring and patient.

And (MORE IMPORTANTLY) he is not burnt out.  He doesn't rest on his laurels.  He isn't coasting.

hmmmmmm......

I think he might be a Sensei.  

Thanks to the Cake Ninjas for another fine event.  And thanks to the folks at Awesome School - especially those of you who carry on the good fight.


 Like a Ninja.

Ketchuping

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH......

I hate being behind a day in my blog.  Because each day of my life makes sense and gives me lessons.....

So Monday's lesson was......Trust.

I had my monthly lunch with My Wife and Cathy Ribgy.  Our restaurant of choice was closed so we ended up a a lovely place that we Trust.


We had my All Time Favorite Waiter.  (Seriously - I love this guy.  He wouldn't even give me the Special because he said it was yucky......I Trust this guy.)

Anyway.....I broke down a bit.

"Look, Ladies......I know that we go dutch but my ATM card is trapped in a parking garage thingie.....I just got a crappy email from BFK, and another crappy email from other people.....and I don't feel like talking and I certainly feel like crying so can you please cover my lunch and let me .....you know.....talk it out????"

This was actually uttered from me in one singular breath.

Of course they said yes and I felt sooooo much better knowing that I can Trust that they are ready for me to Vent.

Oddly I ordered a Spinach Salad.  Not that I don't like a Spinach Salad......but I oddly ordered it.  Cuz normally I am all about the cheese and fries......

And I vented.  And vented....and vented.

I vented so much that my soup got cold 

(and I LOOOOOVE soup)

I vented and vented and vented.....

And My Wife and Cathy Rigby hung in there.  One (or both) of them actually said ...."Hey - this is cool. YOU actually have a problem."  

They offered solid advice, personal experience, and they teased me for being a slow eater.  

I apologized up and down for being so needy.

They made me laugh.

So anyway, have you ever had the craving for ketchup?  My friend Reinhart used to say that French Fries were just an excuse to eat ketchup.  (Or Catsup as some people spell it....those people are weird...I don't Trust them.) 


I certainly needed to catch up with these ladies.


I Trust them. 

The Things We Do For Love

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH


So Big Funny Kid's band had their first paying gig tonight.  Yeah - on a school night.  This did not make me happy nor did the fact that I was not consulted prior to the booking but I let that one go.  But there totally was this little voice in my head that was telling me that these kids are a little out of their Zone of Proximal Development to be putting together such a real event. 

So the day of the gig, BFK texts me asking if I know where a person could find a notary public - today.  Now that is a very odd question.  I said "Probably not on a Sunday".  Well, it turns out that the kids landed this gig in a bar and although it was an all-ages show, the venue requires underage patrons to be accompanied by an adult.  Or have a consent form signed AND NOTARIZED.   And although I was definitely going to accompany him on this adventure I wasn't planning on being there until they hit the stage.

So I set out to find a notary public.  On a Sunday.

And I found one on this website called notary rotary.  So I texted the individual and asked if he could do a notary pretty much right away.  He said yes, $20 or $10 if I come to him.  And I was just about to ask for his address when that SAME LITTLE VOICE said - "Dude.  Seriously?  You found a phone number on the internet and you are going to go to some stranger's house?  Or have some stranger come to your house?  Seriously?"

So I suggested that we meet at a very public coffee shop and it turns out that he was a very nice person and I did not get hacked up into tiny pieces.  And I got the stupid form signed. 

And notarized.  

On a Sunday.

When I got home I waved the paper around BFK's head, fairly proud of finding a solution to this little emergency.  UNFORTUNATELY all of his friends and his friends' parents were not nearly as resourceful and as such 90% of the ticket holders didn't come to the show.

I *KNEW* this was not a super great idea.

But I didn't kick the kid while he was down.

And the fact of the matter is that for those of us who DID go see the show, we had a real treat.  The boys were tight, professional and OVER THE MOON with excitement.  

I tried very, very, very hard not to be the only person twirling around on the dance floor and screaming.   Because even though I was very proud of them and having a very good time, the little voice in my head told me that I am apparently a Mom and shouldn't embarrass them.

Man that little voice in my head worked overtime today.

If you have time and want to see a very crappy video of the band, you can do so here.  They are pretty talented!

 

Funeral One Day, Wedding the Next

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH

Tonight I cleaned up nice and shiny and went to a wedding.  And it turns out that nothing really soothes the soul as well as seeing friends and dancing like a buncha white women (plus an Asian).  Although I did NOT do the chicken dance and I did end up twirling about to "We Are Family" with these ladies.

It was just what I needed.

The Ritual of Closure

" His smile walks in in woolly socks and suspenders 

and asks to borrow the funny papers." 

- Tom Robbins

Today I went to PJ's funeral.  Dad and My Mother saved me a spot as I was racing from a class.  I was dressed in black because that is usually how I dress.  I realized as I ran up the hill towards the church  that I was wearing my combat boots with glow-in-the-dark Skull shoe laces.  Ooops.


My Mother said they were left of the altar.  My theatre mind pondered "Stage Left or Stage Right" but I didn't trouble her with that question.  I found them and slipped into the pew - making an extra effort to tuck my feet under the thingie so My Mother would not be mad at my footwear. (Frankly, PJ would have been amused.)



Funerals are for the living, in my opinion.  The living need closure.    And ritual is a major part of this process.


Oh - and singing.


I liked the singing part.  Cuz everyone sang or mouthed the words.  The songs were not familiar to me but I did my best.    And I think it is pretty cool for a whole group of people who may or may not care for singing to stand up and sing together.

I just didn't like the sadness part.

I didn't like looking at the back of his lovely wife's head while she stoically held it still or the sight of My Mother's bony hand clutching a kleenex or the thought of how many people hadn't yet had the opportunity to feel the REASSURANCE that this man exuded.


And how ironic it was to be at this sad celebration without the ONE guy who would have quietly lowered his eyes and lifted his smile and would have INSTANTLY made you feel like  it was all gonna be okay.


Stupid cancer.

No Stress For You

Dad is out of town (duh!).  My Mother fixed her iPod all by herself (huh?).  And I had a FULL Freaking Day.  But my timing was good.  I didn't fall behind.  I got it all done.  And even the things that didn't work out as planned, still went according to plan.

And then I stopped by My Mother's house.  

She was feeding one granddaughter with one hand and one granddaughter with the other hand.  (I was starving and helped myself to Spaghetti-O's.)  I told her that I was there to help with the little ones.  And she "accepted" the help but kept interrupting it by interjecting complicated plans (i.e "let's make smores and I will make jammies for your favorite bunny while I create overly complicated scenarios with a multitude of toys")

*I* on the other hand was going all Vygotsky on my nieces.  I just wanted to watch them negotiate their world.  I wanted to observe their "play".  I WANTED TO HONE IN ON THEIR ZONE OF PROMIXAL DEVELOPMENT!!!!!!!

I finally got the kids to myself and was thoroughly enjoying my observations.  Seriously.  It was so cool to watch them at play.  Only interjecting or intervening when absolutely necessary.  Watching a 3 year old negotiate with a 1 year old.  Watching a 1 year old model behavior at times and at other times, carving out her own choices.  Fascinating stuff.

All of the sudden My Mother pops into the room.
"Who wants a Spa Treatment?"

(Somehow I got the feeling that she wasn't talking to me.)

So off she went with Cupcake for a "Spa Treatment" which instantly concerned Barf Vader who ambulated (with my minimal assistance) towards their voices.  And when Barf Vader saw Cupcake getting her hair washed, Barf immediately got agitated.  As far as she knows that is HER sink.  She bathes in it.

All hell broke loose.

It is a well documented fact that I like Chaos, but when Cupcake demanded on getting INTO the shower AFTER her bath AND My Mother indulged and got in there with her clothes on while I held an increasingly ticked off Barf Vader in my arms, I decided that Enough is Enough.

"HALT" I yelled.

"You - stop spraying your grandmother with the shower nozzle.  You - get out of the shower.  You are soaking wet and you are going to break a hip.  And You - stop the crying.  It isn't going to get you any closer to your goal."

All three of them stared at me.

Finally, My Mother said "I like this.  It takes my mind off of things."


sigh


My Mother texted me later this evening and said Thank.You. (she hits the punctuation button accidentally all the time.)

I texted back No More Stress For You.

She texted back Promise.??.?.?

psssssht


A Promise is a Wish that Your Heart Wants to Keep.

I can't promise her no more stress any more that she can't promise me to not overdo things.



Love you, Mom.

The Sympathetic Heart is a Vulnerable Heart

OK so remember yesterday's blog wherein my family lost a very dear friend on Valentine's Day of all days and wherein My Mother and Dad were attending their annual Valentine's Day dinner?  Here's the link if you need to catch up. 


WELL - apparently immediately upon arrival at said dinner, My Mother was hospitalized with chest pains.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????

I found this out this morning.  

Tests were more or less inconclusive.  She spent the night and was released today.  And upon reflection it occurred to me that I think her heart was breaking.  It is well documented that My Mother has a pre-existing condition:  Sympathetic Heart Syndrome.

And it is genetic.    I had a BUNCH of leaky eye moments today.  

 (To add to the heart aches, I think Big Funny Kid had a minor heart break today.) 

sigh

Shout out to D-Gang who snatched me up for 45 minutes and listened to me and did that Head Nod/Eye Blink Thing that she does.  I even got some snuggles from The Girl Who Has My Heart, who let me help take beads out of her braids.

 I think she hit me up for a trip to Chuck E. Cheese.   

Clearly, I am feeling vulnerable.

Speaking of vulnerable, Child #1 (MurrBeth) asked me if I would be auditioning for "A Streetcar Named Desire".  Oh lordy do I want to play Blanche Dubois.  But I told her that I am not physically vulnerable enough.  I told her that no one would buy ME as a person having issues with aging.  I am just too Jessica Rabbit/Sid Vicious looking for a casting director to take a chance.  They will cast a 30 year old with an eating disorder.

 (Blanche DuBois: I know I fib a good deal. After all, a woman's charm is 50% illusion.)

sigh

 

 Here is to another day.

Not Totally My Story to Tell

But somehow I have to tell my part of it.


Yes today is Valentine's Day.  And my parents get together with their friends every February 14th.  They wear red or pink or white.  They have a delicious dinner.  And they celebrate Love.  Being that all these people have been married for like 40+ years, I find this event to be remarkable......inspiring....and pretty much super cute.


Today there was an empty chair.  One member, as his wife puts it, "gave his last checkmark" today.  He exhaled and didn't inhale.


Stupid cancer.


PJ was a very close friend of our family.  He was especially a close confidant of Dad.  His wife is a Smile on Legs.  Frankly both PJ and his wife cornered the market in Sparkling Eyes and even More Sparkling Hearts.

And it is a well known fact that I like shiny things.  

So this morning one of those shiny things went dark. And I can only imagine that a shadow has been placed on his partner, his lover, his wife.


Many people go through their lives making poor use of their talents.  Many others go through life without doing what they love.  Many people endure but don't enjoy.

PJ was NOT one of those people. 

I have no idea why but when someone amazing gets taken by cancer, I always think of the song "King of Pain" by The Police.  Seriously - I have no idea why that song comes to mind.  I guess it just makes me think of souls and pain and the world turning circles around my brain.

Or maybe it is just the opening line:

"There's a little black spot on the sun today"

If you want to hear the song that haunts me, I  like this version.  In this particular moment, I think of Sting as PJ, his co-singer as his lovely wife.  I think of Dad as the conductor.

I think of the Orchestra as All of Us who have ever been smacked upside the head by by Cancer - the True King of Pain.

Geeky Stuff

Yeah, I am a Geek.

But today before I was a Geek I was a taxi cab - driving Big Funny Kid all over hell's half-acre so he could procure some items of a Valentine's Day nature.  Oh and he had a ripped pair of pants from the One I Want To Hug that he thought My Mother could fix.

So eventually headed to her house and I was STARVING.  BFK had already eaten and My Mother was cooking something that looked like a football in the oven.

And it was at that point that she mentioned that she screwed up her iPad and her new iPod.  Big Funny Kid got on the case, while I tried to fix her phone (which was a WHOLE other issue).

Turns out that the iPad is a SUPER hot mess.

The iPod is BRAND NEW and already she had programmed it in German and even BFK couldn't even restore factory resets.

The phone was an easier fix.  That Woman has been on the 4G network since Thanksgiving.  Uh - we don't have 4G here yet.  Good lord.

I fixed her phone, chatted a bit with Dad who was choking down that meat product that she created, ate some frozen peas and headed home.  (After making yet ANOTHER Valentine's Day stop for BFK.)

I finally sat down and was putting some finishing touches on my big ol' final presentation for tomorrow.... a few moments later I came upon an education "unconference" that is going be held here next month.  And I literally got fixated on this thing.  Here is a link about one that was held last year in Berkely.

I totally registered.  

I am totally going. 

I am totally going to throw my hat in the ring as a presenter.

I am TOTALLY geeked out about this thing.  Not actually because of the technology that will be present, but because it seems like a real time forum where a mere educator-elect like myself can feel comfortable in a room full of people who are actually in classrooms. 

Cuz here is the deal:

There is a shit-ton to be said about what is "wrong" in education.  

This EdCamp is a collective of people 

who want to discover and promote what is "right" 

and what CAN BE EVEN BETTER.

Sweet!

Humanity....(and Zombies)

photo courtesy of Street Artist @Free Humanity

I ended up going over to D-Gangs for the hugs that I needed 4 days ago.  She was pretty vigilant that I come get those hugs.

The kids asked me if I was there for Valentine's Day or just to bring over food.  One kid said "You are here! Are you leaving?"  

I dispersed the crowd with a simple announcement:  "My Fair and Lovely People.  I am here for hugs.  Hugs that I was promised from your Management.  Line up for hugs or I will leave with all these snacks with me.  And I will be forced to report back to the Fairy Counsel that you did not cooperate."

I got hugged.

I came home and Big Funny Kid and I settled in to watch some Zombie Action.  Popcorn, Thin Mints, Canned Pasta Product.  Da works.

About mid-way through the show I yelled out (with my mouth full of popcorn) "OK - no.  No WAY are we spending that much time burying our dead.  Get our Journal out and write this one down.  NO BURYING THE DEAD DURING THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!"

Big Funny Kid stopped mid-crunch and pushed the pause button.

"Mom?  Really?  What about humanity?"

"Dude, there is a difference between humanity and being human and the undead know that."

We sat there in contemplation.

Because we both had a pretty good point.

I broke the silence and said, "OK....ok.....OKAY......we will bury our dead.  Even if we don't have a lot of time.  But keep in mind that the zombies are just gonna dig them up and eat their brains. Or they are gonna become zombies and try to eat OUR brains.....Either way we need to keep a tight hold on the shovel."

Big Funny Kid thought about that for a bit.

And then he said, "Well....at least we would have done the right thing, right?"

I smiled.

I took his hand and said "Yep."

He squeezed my hand back.

No Need For Alarm

With such a big day ahead, it was no wonder that I flew out of bed when there was a knock on the door and the sound of some kid saying something about an "alarm".

Knowing that it was UBER important that I get up at 5:00 am to get Big Funny Kid off to a speech meet, I freaked. (I literally was sleeping on top of the covers, fully dressed.)

Pssssht.

Turns out it was Small Fry at the door and the alarm in question was the battery to the Fire Alarm outside of his door.  It was dying so the stupid thing was beeping every 60 seconds.

Not my department.  I kicked at That Man I Love and said "You need to go fix something."

That was 3:30 am.




At 5:00 am I was singing my usual non-sequitar wake up song to Big Funny Kid.  I started his shower and reminded him:  "If you fall back asleep you will miss the bus and if you miss the bus you will screw over the entire speech team."

He glared at me with one open eye.

"I got this mom.  Oh - the fire alarm is messed up."

It certainly was.  I sat in the kitchen listening to every ring....while also listening for signs that Big Funny Kid was moving.

We got to the pick-up spot with a few minutes to spare.  He was nervous and I was a spaz.

12 hours later he brought home the bling.

And the fire alarm battery was finally replaced.


Whew.

Grrrr...YAY.....Let's Do This

I gobbled up this day.

Sometimes I choked.



sigh


Yay

Tonight was the Cast Party for "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown".  D-Gang showed up later than me with her 3,000 children.  Cuz she was at a basketball game for one of her other 3,000 children.


The cast had fun.  They ate tacos and goofed around and it amazes me how "intimate" (can't think of a better word) they are.  These kids are actually good friends....and are part of a community that they keep defining.  4 of them are in a band together (Big Funny Kid plays drums) so they performed for us all.  The kid who played Linus is TOTALLY crushing on the kid who played Lucy and he dedicated a song to her.

I stood behind the crowd and danced with a blankie just to make him laugh.

Oh - Sure I was super disappointed that the band didn't ask me to sing.  But I am sure that they got so caught up in their moment that they simply forgot that a Vocal Stylist such as myself was in the room......


sigh

Big Funny Kid (and Yours Truly) are getting up at 5:00 am.  Big time speech meet. That means probably 18 hours of me pacing the floor while My Mother texts me every 15 minutes asking if I have heard anything.

Let's do this.

 

Persepctive

 

Up is Down and Down is Up.  

And the dog pooped in the Hallway.  

(No really.....she did)

Today I had The Stormy Eyes.  I have no idea what that actually means.  Well, I do but I don't know how to explain it.    I have been told I have hazel eyes and sometimes they get very grey. Often times, I can actually feel them go grey.  Today was one of those days.

Yes, I know that makes no sense.

BUT

My eyes went back to hazel (whatever the hell that is) at lunch which I shared with my ELL case study student.  He is SUPER polite.  He is pretty shy. 

Eduardo (not his real name) is in many respects a typical 8th grade boy.  He likes music (Green Day and "old music like Nirvana" - OMG he seriously said that!).  He likes video games.  He has braces on his teeth and his feet are big and clunky - like all boys that age.

He blushes when he speaks.  

Visibly.

I like this kid.  He has a sparkle in his heart.  (Even with Stormy Eyes, I can always see a sparkle in a heart.)

Eduardo has been in the United States for 2 years.  That also means he has been immersed in the  English language for 2 years.  And like all ELL students, he is expected to be learning at "grade level"  in a language that he is just now learning.

I will be following him around now several times a week to gain some perspective into his world. 

sigh

I leave you with this quote from My Main Ginger - Tom Robbins:

             The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, 

                            no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion, 

                                  and the tyranny of the dull mind forever threatens 

                                          -- but our lives are not as limited as we think they are, 

                                     all things are possible, laughter is holier than piety, freedom is sweeter than fame, 

                       

and in the end it's love and love alone that really matters. 

I am not a fan of my Stormy Eyes.  But I love what I do.  I love the people that I meet.

And I Double Dog Love the people who support me.

Dinner With the 'Rents

Once again, this image is called Birth of A Star.

And I love it.

This was yet again a whack-a-doodle day.  And somehow I ended up standing in My Mother's kitchen in the guise of returning a borrowed object but mostly cuz I wanted to stand there.

She was apologetic because she was dashing off to dinner with Dad.

So I boldly said "Can I come with??"

She was super excited about that and offered (insisted) on driving.

I figured that I had nothing to lose 

......so I put my seatbelt on and closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes and checked my vital organs , I found myself outside this crappy steakhouse Dad likes.  And when I say crappy, I don't mean crappy-good.  I mean crappy-crap.   Like the food sucks.


BUT!
I was having dinner with my folks.
Just the 3 of us.


Dad said "It began with Her (nodded towards My Mother) and then went to You (nodded towards me).......and now I am surrounded by my favorite Reds."

(Dad calls Gingers "Reds")

Anyway.....an impromptu moment turned out to be delightful.

The food sucked.

We heart-to-hearted.   We played off of each other.  We bemused.

My parents are adorable.

They keep making me feel........better about myself.

I have no idea why they keep doing that.



I was a TOTAL pain in the ass as a child.

Nope

My Day.

Today was a jumbled mashup of events.

My ELL mentor was ill, so no lunch with my student.  That was a bummer but so is being sick.


I spent most of the morning trying to straighten out a tax form that has the wrong Social Security number on it.


I have literally been buried under school work/paper work for 18 hours straight.

Progress was made.

Things got more complicated.

(Shout out to Dad who picked Big Funny Kid up from school and took him to dinner.)

ABSOLUTELY NO SHOUT OUT to The Dog We Named After A Porn Star  who ate my breakfast sandwich off of my plate while I went to the bathroom this morning.

That was the only actual meal I had for the day.  Only I didn't have it.  She did. 

(And yes, Hutch, she had water.)


sigh

Tomorrow is another day.

I am gonna make sure that my study group's Popplet got uploaded. 

I am going to consider making my Pecha Cucha a stupid old PowerPoint (ala 2007) even though I want it to be a Prezi.

I am going to cut out 150 Faculty/Staff appreciation itineraries by hand. 

I am going to prepare for my Big Thingie meeting wherein I will explain that a carousel can TOTALLY dangle from the ceiling. 

I am going to make sure that lunch for 300 will take place on Valentine's Day.

But for now?

This moment?

........I AM GOING TO FIND MY iPOD AND LISTEN TO ABBA!!!!!!!

sigh


iPod is dead.


I am just going to suck my thumb and stare into the abyss.