Every so often, my grandmother sends me something that makes me smile. The following is the full text of the screwy little thing she spammed me with. I swear, some days the invention of email was a bad idea. Usually it's after I realize that my inbox is utterly full of email from her random forwards. I suppose I should go back to cleaning it out on a daily basis.
THE DILLARD'S THIEF In San Antonio, Texas.
This is too funny! This could only be true, you can't make this stuff up.
Clutching their Dillard's shopping bags, Ellen and Kay woefully gazed down at a dead cat in
the mall parking lot. Obviously a recent hit---no flies, no smell.
What business could that poor kitty have had here?" murmured Ellen.
"Come on, Ellen, let's just go..."
But Ellen had already grabbed her shopping bag and was explaining, "I'll just put my things in your bag, and then I'll take the tissue." She dumped her purchases into Kay's bag and then used the tissue paper to cradle and lower the former feline into her own Dillard's bag and cover it.
They continued the short trek to the car in silence, stashing their goods in the trunk. But it occurred to both of them that if they left Ellen's burial bag in the trunk, warmed by the Texas sunshine while they ate, Kay's Lumina would soon lose that new-car smell.
They decided to leave the bag on top of the trunk, and they headed over to Luby's Cafeteria.
After they cleared the serving line and sat down at a window table, they had a view of Kay's Chevy with the Dillard's bag still on the trunk.
BUT not for long. As they ate, they noticed a black-haired woman in a red gingham shirt stroll by their car, look quickly this way and that, and then hook the Dillard's bag without breaking stride.
She quickly walked out of their line of vision. Kay and Ellen shot each other a wide-eyed look of amazement. It all happened so fast that neither of them could think how to respond.
"Can you imagine? " finally sputtered Ellen. "The nerve of that woman!"
Kay sympathized with Ellen, but inwardly a laugh was building as she thought about the grand surprise awaiting the red-gingham thief. Just when she thought she'd have to giggle into her napkin, she noticed Ellen's eyes freeze in the direction of the serving line. Following her gaze, Kay recognized with a shock the black-haired woman with the Dillard's bag, THE Dillard's bag, hanging from her arm, brazenly pushing her tray toward the cashier.
Helplessly they watched the scene unfold: After clearing the register, the woman settled at a table across from theirs, put the bag on an empty chair and began to eat.
After a few bites of baked whitefish and green beans, she casually lifted the bag into her lap to survey her treasure. Looking from sid e to side, but not far enough to notice her rapt audience three tables over, she
pulled out the tissue paper and peered into the bag. Her eyes widened, and she began to make a sort of gasping noise.
The noise grew. The bag slid from her lap as she sank to the floor, wheezing and clutching her upper chest.
The beverage cart attendant quickly recognized a customer in trouble and sent the busboy to call
911, while she administered the Heimlich maneuver.
A crowd quickly gathered that did not include Ellen and Kay, who remained riveted to their chairs for seven whole minutes until the ambulance arrived.
In a matter of minutes the curly-haired woman emerged from the crowd, still gasping, strapped securely on a gurney. Two well-trained EMS volunteers steered her to the waiting ambulance, while a third scooped up her belongings.
The last they saw of the distressed cat-burglar, she disappeared behind the ambulance doors, the Dillard's bag perched on her stomach.
My mom always taught me if it doesn't belong to you don't touch it, guess she didn't have a wise
mom like I do. Serves her right, God does take care of those who do bad things!
ARE YOU LAUGHING????
roses
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Hopes and waiting
INFANT JOY
~ Wm. Blake
'I have no name;
I am but two days old.'
What shall I call thee?
'I happy am,
Joy is my name.'
Sweet joy befall thee!
Pretty joy!
Sweet joy, but two days old.
Sweet joy I call thee:
Thou dost smile,
I sing the while;
Sweet joy befall thee!
I will have to wait for that joy. Test results say not yet.
On the one hand, I'm a bit disappointed. Partly because I was hoping to be pregnant. Partly because I was hoping for a simple explination for the odd behaviors of my anatomy.
On the other hand, I'm some what relieved. Financially, things are not easy right now for my beloved Husband. Summer's coming up and I need to find a summer job. Pickings are somewhat slim right now, but we do what we can. I just hope that I won't have to go and suffer in a factory job. I absolutely detested doing that. It was one of the most painfully boring jobs I ever had.
In it all, I have but two fears.
1. We will not beable to adequately provide for our children when they are born.
2. Our children may have some of the severe genetic problems that are present in our family.
I generally do my best not to think about the things that scare me. Most days, it doesn't go through my mind more then once or twice. Other days, like today, I can't hardly stop thinking about it unless something distracts me. Like a rough day at work. :p
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Quizzez .... because my mind has little room for anything else now..
So there!
| The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic |
 Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few. But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky. Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski |
| Your Theme Song is Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd |
 "There is no pain, you are receding. A distant ship�s smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves." You haven't been feeling a lot lately, and you think that's a good thing. The comfortable part is nice... but you should really work on numb. |
| Your Observation Skills Get A C |
 You tend to notice the big things in life... But the details aren't exactly your forte |
| You Are 60% Weird |
 You're so weird, you think you're *totally* normal. Right? But you wig out even the biggest of circus freaks! |
| You Are a Learning Cook |
 You've got the makings of an excellent cook, and the desire to be one. But right now, you're just lacking the experience. You couldn't be a top chef yet, but you could be an apprentice. |
| You Are Scooter |
 Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick. You're always willing to lend a helping hand. In any big event or party, you're the one who keeps things going. "15 seconds to showtime!" |
| Your Ideal Pet is a Cat |
 You're both aloof, introverted, and moody. And your friends secretly wish that you were declawed! |
| You Are a Prophet Soul |
 You are a gentle soul, with good intentions toward everyone. Selfless and kind, you have great faith in people. Sometimes this faith can lead to disappoinment in the long run. No matter what, you deal with everything in a calm and balanced way. You are a good interpreter, very sensitive, intuitive, caring, and gentle. Concerned about the world, you are good at predicting people's feelings. A seeker of wisdom, you are a life long learner looking for purpose and meaning. You are a great thinker and communicator, but not necessarily a doer. Souls you are most compatible with: Bright Star Soul and Dreaming Soul |
| Your Deadly Sins |
| Wrath: 80% |
| Gluttony: 60% |
| Lust: 60% |
| Envy: 40% |
| Greed: 40% |
| Sloth: 40% |
| Pride: 20% |
| Chance You'll Go to Hell: 49% |
| You will die, after conquering the world as an evil dictator. |
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Reprise: Like minds.
I must first apologize for the confusion that I created with this post. It was not one of my best bits of writing. I think I could say my rambling was almost embaressingly disorganized. So, I'll attempt to summarize and clarify my points with this post. I also must apologize for any offense I may have caused with this exceptional example of poor planning in writing.
Apologies stated, let's see if I can correct my imperfect statements earlier.
Me re-reading my ramblings. ---> S: . o O (Boy, this was poorly written. Sr. Margaret Ellen would've had my hide if turned this in for homework.)
Ok, I have a few points that I was trying to state and perhaps if I phrase them as short and sweet as I can, it will convey them better then when I ramble on the soapbox.
1. Learning disabilities and autisim are two different things. I can not argue with this point of fact. Autisim, however, is viewed as a learning disability by the New York State educational system (or at least that's how my employers have explained it to me).
2. A very high percentage of people with learning disabilities are frighteningly intelligent. Many of the geniuses of the world have some type of learning disability. While I'm not a neuro-physiologist, I'm inclined to suspect that they are intertwined and probably a situation where you can't have the brilliance with out the brain being wired differently then everyone else. This will lead to differences in learning modes.
3. All people with learning disabilities deserve to be adequately educated. They should have every opportunity to reach their fullest educational potential as a student.
4. The learning needs of all students must be met in a manner that encourages them to continue learning and growing intellectually. I belive that this is key to the success of a person, any person. Nothing is more vital to you then your ability to think.
5. Learning disabled students need their learning needs met in a fashion that is supportive to the way they learn. Thus, visual learners need information presented in a fashion that allows them to learn visually. Students with A.D.D. need their environment such that will allow them to focus on their lessons and remain fully engaged in the task of learning their lessons.
6. Mainstreaming learning disabled students enmass into the current educational system will create an environment that is not helpful most of the students. Teachers that do not have the skills or the flexibility to accomodate a wide range of learning styles in their teaching methods will be rather obviously ineffective in coping with the range of needs presented to them.
Now, I feel that this is not a problem due strictly to mainstreaming LD students. I did not intend to present the idea that LD students would slow down classes at large. I actually think that LD students can benefit a class, but not in the present educational system that we have now. Our current educational system is focused heavily on rote learning of facts and the ability to regurgitate said facts onto a standardized test.
The flaw in our current educational system is that it fails to give all students the aid they need. Either you are brilliant and they press you into the more challenging classes (usually taught in the same format as the ones with less sophisticated material) or you have "special needs" and are shipped off to the Resource room. Once in the "special education" system, you may get lucky and have a teacher that works well with you. Usually, you get teachers that are:
1. harried by the wide range of material they need to handle;
2. struggling to keep up with the myriad of students that are about them;
3. attempting to mitigate the chaos of interacting with peers that are ignorant about learning disabilities;
And 4. are forced to keep up with the administrative hell of
the various forms, paperwork, and simmilar materials that need to be attended to for each child.
The teachers that are being pulled in these different directions may get a little bit of time with their students to focus individually on their needs, but not as much as the student needs or the teacher would like to give. It is a problem in the special education portion of the nation's educational system, but it typifies the problem that is epidemic through out the entire system.
Teachers that are being called on to do things outside of their scope are unable to do their job: teach. On any given day, I see the teachers I work with spending at least a third of their day on just the pain of keeping up with the latest administrative nightmare that the district/the state dropped on them. I think I have lost track of how much time my co-workers spend getting ready for the newest state requirements for their area. Sometimes it seems like the NYS educational department changes their standards for teachers on a weekly basis. This creates the problem of arranging for what ever training that needs to be done to keep up with the state requirements on underwater basket weaving materials, for example, and takes the teacher away from teaching the students how to just do simple weaving.
And then you have the insanity of expecting that if you have an educational degree that you can teach any subject. If you have a great deal of difficulty in Mathematics and you chose to get your teaching certification in English in recognition of your limitations, shouldn't it stand to reason that you won't necessarially do well teaching Math? Then why do schools expect for the proverbial English teacher to be teaching Math? And this is a daily expectation for the teachers that work in special education departments.
The population of teachers at large are not trained on how to work with students that have learning disabilities. It's a sad thing because I'm certian that the population of "borderline" learning disabled students is alot higher then the education system officials are willing to admit. If you applied many of the techniques used to help learning disabled students, which generally boil down to working within the learning style of the student in question, I'm certian we'd see an incredible flourishing of successes. Instead, teachers are given a large stack of information that will be on a state test at the end of the year and are expected to push the students through it. No consideration given to if these students master the subject or not.
That callous lack of concern for the mastery of subject matter is part of the cancer in the educational system. That is why students with learning disabilities are given aides that are unprepaired to work with them, often only having a cursory glance at an IEP before they are sent out to work with the students. That enormous level of disregard for the student's needs is what prevents the educational system from focusing on taking time to make sure that the students truly understand the concepts, rather then parrot the answers and forget them a month later.
I think that the whole thing could be summed up by this:
The educational system is severely broken. It disregards the needs of the students in all areas (ranging from the most "gifted" to the most severely learning disabled) in favor of turning out a set of numbers they can uphold as progress in the form of test scores. The needs disregarded are: the development of the skill set required for learning, the mastery of subjects taught, and the the development of rational thought. If children were taught in a fashion that meshed well with their learning style and encouraged them to explore the inter-disicplinarian elements of the subject matter, I believe that they would be highly successful. If subjects were taught for mastery rather then accomplishing the minimum required to pass a test, the students would be able to build off their skills and succeed. If students were taught how to think critically and rationally in a given situation, they would be able to confidently handle almost any situation presented to them.
If you've made it this far through my ... tract, thank you for being so patient with me. Please accept my humble apologies for the confusion I created with my earlier post, for any offense I may have committed, and the proliferation of spelling errors.
My next goal is to stop typing when I only have 3 hours of sleep. :) Thank you, again, for reading and keeping me honest. :) Constructive criticism is the writer's best friend. As per American Literature's 1st day with Sr. Margaret Ellen @ CND & the entire English department.
PS: I'm sorry for all the grammar mistakes. :)
Apologies stated, let's see if I can correct my imperfect statements earlier.
Me re-reading my ramblings. ---> S: . o O (Boy, this was poorly written. Sr. Margaret Ellen would've had my hide if turned this in for homework.)
Ok, I have a few points that I was trying to state and perhaps if I phrase them as short and sweet as I can, it will convey them better then when I ramble on the soapbox.
1. Learning disabilities and autisim are two different things. I can not argue with this point of fact. Autisim, however, is viewed as a learning disability by the New York State educational system (or at least that's how my employers have explained it to me).
2. A very high percentage of people with learning disabilities are frighteningly intelligent. Many of the geniuses of the world have some type of learning disability. While I'm not a neuro-physiologist, I'm inclined to suspect that they are intertwined and probably a situation where you can't have the brilliance with out the brain being wired differently then everyone else. This will lead to differences in learning modes.
3. All people with learning disabilities deserve to be adequately educated. They should have every opportunity to reach their fullest educational potential as a student.
4. The learning needs of all students must be met in a manner that encourages them to continue learning and growing intellectually. I belive that this is key to the success of a person, any person. Nothing is more vital to you then your ability to think.
5. Learning disabled students need their learning needs met in a fashion that is supportive to the way they learn. Thus, visual learners need information presented in a fashion that allows them to learn visually. Students with A.D.D. need their environment such that will allow them to focus on their lessons and remain fully engaged in the task of learning their lessons.
6. Mainstreaming learning disabled students enmass into the current educational system will create an environment that is not helpful most of the students. Teachers that do not have the skills or the flexibility to accomodate a wide range of learning styles in their teaching methods will be rather obviously ineffective in coping with the range of needs presented to them.
Now, I feel that this is not a problem due strictly to mainstreaming LD students. I did not intend to present the idea that LD students would slow down classes at large. I actually think that LD students can benefit a class, but not in the present educational system that we have now. Our current educational system is focused heavily on rote learning of facts and the ability to regurgitate said facts onto a standardized test.
The flaw in our current educational system is that it fails to give all students the aid they need. Either you are brilliant and they press you into the more challenging classes (usually taught in the same format as the ones with less sophisticated material) or you have "special needs" and are shipped off to the Resource room. Once in the "special education" system, you may get lucky and have a teacher that works well with you. Usually, you get teachers that are:
1. harried by the wide range of material they need to handle;
2. struggling to keep up with the myriad of students that are about them;
3. attempting to mitigate the chaos of interacting with peers that are ignorant about learning disabilities;
And 4. are forced to keep up with the administrative hell of
the various forms, paperwork, and simmilar materials that need to be attended to for each child.
The teachers that are being pulled in these different directions may get a little bit of time with their students to focus individually on their needs, but not as much as the student needs or the teacher would like to give. It is a problem in the special education portion of the nation's educational system, but it typifies the problem that is epidemic through out the entire system.
Teachers that are being called on to do things outside of their scope are unable to do their job: teach. On any given day, I see the teachers I work with spending at least a third of their day on just the pain of keeping up with the latest administrative nightmare that the district/the state dropped on them. I think I have lost track of how much time my co-workers spend getting ready for the newest state requirements for their area. Sometimes it seems like the NYS educational department changes their standards for teachers on a weekly basis. This creates the problem of arranging for what ever training that needs to be done to keep up with the state requirements on underwater basket weaving materials, for example, and takes the teacher away from teaching the students how to just do simple weaving.
And then you have the insanity of expecting that if you have an educational degree that you can teach any subject. If you have a great deal of difficulty in Mathematics and you chose to get your teaching certification in English in recognition of your limitations, shouldn't it stand to reason that you won't necessarially do well teaching Math? Then why do schools expect for the proverbial English teacher to be teaching Math? And this is a daily expectation for the teachers that work in special education departments.
The population of teachers at large are not trained on how to work with students that have learning disabilities. It's a sad thing because I'm certian that the population of "borderline" learning disabled students is alot higher then the education system officials are willing to admit. If you applied many of the techniques used to help learning disabled students, which generally boil down to working within the learning style of the student in question, I'm certian we'd see an incredible flourishing of successes. Instead, teachers are given a large stack of information that will be on a state test at the end of the year and are expected to push the students through it. No consideration given to if these students master the subject or not.
That callous lack of concern for the mastery of subject matter is part of the cancer in the educational system. That is why students with learning disabilities are given aides that are unprepaired to work with them, often only having a cursory glance at an IEP before they are sent out to work with the students. That enormous level of disregard for the student's needs is what prevents the educational system from focusing on taking time to make sure that the students truly understand the concepts, rather then parrot the answers and forget them a month later.
I think that the whole thing could be summed up by this:
The educational system is severely broken. It disregards the needs of the students in all areas (ranging from the most "gifted" to the most severely learning disabled) in favor of turning out a set of numbers they can uphold as progress in the form of test scores. The needs disregarded are: the development of the skill set required for learning, the mastery of subjects taught, and the the development of rational thought. If children were taught in a fashion that meshed well with their learning style and encouraged them to explore the inter-disicplinarian elements of the subject matter, I believe that they would be highly successful. If subjects were taught for mastery rather then accomplishing the minimum required to pass a test, the students would be able to build off their skills and succeed. If students were taught how to think critically and rationally in a given situation, they would be able to confidently handle almost any situation presented to them.
If you've made it this far through my ... tract, thank you for being so patient with me. Please accept my humble apologies for the confusion I created with my earlier post, for any offense I may have committed, and the proliferation of spelling errors.
My next goal is to stop typing when I only have 3 hours of sleep. :) Thank you, again, for reading and keeping me honest. :) Constructive criticism is the writer's best friend. As per American Literature's 1st day with Sr. Margaret Ellen @ CND & the entire English department.
PS: I'm sorry for all the grammar mistakes. :)
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Quz thingy filched from hubby. :)
Comment and…
1. I’ll respond with something random I like about you.
2. I’ll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I’ll name something we should do together.
4. I’ll say something that only makes sense to you and me (or just me).
5. I’ll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I’ll leave you a quote that is somehow appropriate to you.
7. I’ll ask you something that I’ve always wondered about you.
And as I promised my husband... here's my replies to him.
1. The fact that you'll attempt to laugh at my jokes
2. Metallica's nothing else matters.
3. Take over the world. :)
4. Doctor Chicken :)
5. I'll go for clearest memory. :) You walked up behind me as I was doing some classwork in Typing class in Mr. Bellaire's rm and whispered something in my ear. I completely lost track of what I was doing and didn't hear what you said. But ... I couldn't help but close my eyes and shiver because of how wonderful your voice sounded.
6. What the hell?
7. How do you manage to put up with me?
1. I’ll respond with something random I like about you.
2. I’ll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I’ll name something we should do together.
4. I’ll say something that only makes sense to you and me (or just me).
5. I’ll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I’ll leave you a quote that is somehow appropriate to you.
7. I’ll ask you something that I’ve always wondered about you.
And as I promised my husband... here's my replies to him.
1. The fact that you'll attempt to laugh at my jokes
2. Metallica's nothing else matters.
3. Take over the world. :)
4. Doctor Chicken :)
5. I'll go for clearest memory. :) You walked up behind me as I was doing some classwork in Typing class in Mr. Bellaire's rm and whispered something in my ear. I completely lost track of what I was doing and didn't hear what you said. But ... I couldn't help but close my eyes and shiver because of how wonderful your voice sounded.
6. What the hell?
7. How do you manage to put up with me?
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Blogging... or should I journal?
Well, this has recently replaced my journal. On one hand, it is a easier format for me to express my thoughts. I don't get cramps in my hands from typing quite as fast as my hand cramp when I'm writing by hand.
At the same time, it is difficult for me to preserve the memories I express here for when I'm a doddering 85 years old and suffering from Alzheimers. I won't always have the ability to pop onto a computer and look this up. So, I will probably take some time over the next few days to write in my journal.
It may lead to more things posted on the blog. I'm not sure yet. One thing I can say, I've done more "creative writing" since I've started blogging then I did before. It's allowed me to write in more then one area at the same time. Now, if I can only manage to get my math skills honed and start work on my pysics theory I'll be happy. My brain is getting more work now, so I'm not *quite* as crazy.
well... maeby. ;)
At the same time, it is difficult for me to preserve the memories I express here for when I'm a doddering 85 years old and suffering from Alzheimers. I won't always have the ability to pop onto a computer and look this up. So, I will probably take some time over the next few days to write in my journal.
It may lead to more things posted on the blog. I'm not sure yet. One thing I can say, I've done more "creative writing" since I've started blogging then I did before. It's allowed me to write in more then one area at the same time. Now, if I can only manage to get my math skills honed and start work on my pysics theory I'll be happy. My brain is getting more work now, so I'm not *quite* as crazy.
well... maeby. ;)
A poem I adore.
Lady_Cinnibar, I owe you one for getting me hooked on Robert Herrick's poetry.
Here's one that I absolutely adore and I simply must post!
Here's one that I absolutely adore and I simply must post!
Title: To The Virgins
GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying :
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer ;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may go marry :
For having lost but once your prime
You may for ever tarry.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Quizzes because i have no motivation to write... :p
| You Are Midnight |
 You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends. |
Find your Celestial Choir
School Smart You're more of a 'school smarts' kind of person. You are best with the theoretical things, and your intelligence is both natural and learned - a blend of personal, experiential knowledge and book learnin'. 40% theoretical intelligence 20% natural intelligence | ||||
| ||||
Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com |
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Update on the Job Front...
I forgot to post this earlier:
I still love the job. Though I'm getting more then a little irritated with these people I work with. I know that horse-sense isn't that uncommon!
That said... I'll continue on too kill m'dizzy brain with dopey games on yahoo ... or take a nap.
I haven't decided yet.
PS: To the gals that I've become high priestess too... yes, I am going to be blunt in here. I also hope that you see that I said I care about y'all! :) You want a peek into my brain, look here. otherwise, don't look. :)
I still love the job. Though I'm getting more then a little irritated with these people I work with. I know that horse-sense isn't that uncommon!
That said... I'll continue on too kill m'dizzy brain with dopey games on yahoo ... or take a nap.
I haven't decided yet.
PS: To the gals that I've become high priestess too... yes, I am going to be blunt in here. I also hope that you see that I said I care about y'all! :) You want a peek into my brain, look here. otherwise, don't look. :)
Dizzy spells, apathy, and computer... yay!
I've been having horrid dizzy spells all bloody day. End result, I've been alternating between being so dizzy I have a hard time sitting upright in the chair and nausea. I'm feeling apathetic about keeping home clean.
I've such a guilt complex... if I'm ill, I feel like I need to be cleaning and making sure the home is spiffy.
"It's only dizziness... I can work through it..."
Then I nearly fall out of the chair for the ... well, umteenth time today. :P
So.. I've been using the computer to entertain me. I slept most of the day..
Oh yeah, one other fun thing, I used my last sick day today. I'm not expecting to be doing much better tomorrow. Thus I start on my unpaid leave from the school. *And* we've got to wait until Friday to schedual an appointment with the doc to see what I've gotten sick with. :p
Some days I really do despise my luck.
I've such a guilt complex... if I'm ill, I feel like I need to be cleaning and making sure the home is spiffy.
"It's only dizziness... I can work through it..."
Then I nearly fall out of the chair for the ... well, umteenth time today. :P
So.. I've been using the computer to entertain me. I slept most of the day..
Oh yeah, one other fun thing, I used my last sick day today. I'm not expecting to be doing much better tomorrow. Thus I start on my unpaid leave from the school. *And* we've got to wait until Friday to schedual an appointment with the doc to see what I've gotten sick with. :p
Some days I really do despise my luck.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
untitled due to author apathy
It's been a long day and I'm blogging to avoid doing dishes, laundry and any other sundery chores.
It's not a good sign when I'm doing this to avoid stuff. especially when there isn't that much stuff to do.
I came to the conclusion that I'd make a better witch then a catholic. It took alot of debate, examination, introspection, and other stuff like that. The revelation that the peace I felt was from no longer questioning if I would be impressing the right people made me understand that it wan't the peace of Christ that I found.
Throw that together with how I kept twitching towards the whole doing the witch thing to solve problems, it's kinda obvious that I'd do rather poorly.
*****
And then I had a conversation with my sister in law. The one who was my self styled cheerleader for conversion. Yeah.. that went real well. She's mad at me and feeling some what betrayed, I think. I'm torn between feeling angry with her, upset with myself, or just ... irritated. I wasn't turning Catholic to make her life easier. I wasn't doing the witchcraft thing to make my friend's lives easier.
She seems to think that if I don't do things her way or let her have her way that I'm a bad person. It's the only thing that shines through in her reactions to me since the wedding day. She hadn't had the nerve to complain that I was making her brother's life miserable because I wasn't allowing him to go visit her. But that's because the phone call didn't last long enough and I kept the topic well away from my husband.
What is it going to take to get this girl to understand that the world doesn't revolve around her? She's so focused on having everything happen just the way she wants to see it happen, that she ignores the damage she does to all of her other relationships. On one hand, I"m angry with her for all of her ... well... her poor behavior. On the other hand, I want to help her see just what's wrong and help her fix the problems, this way she can succeed in life. And another part of me just wants to walk away and say "Ok, it's your life. You know what's best, and I'm not going to stand in your way. You must know what you're doing."
I just can't do that and watch her go down in flames. But I had that happen with a friend a few years ago. And she turned into a pheonix. So.. maeby there's hope.
I'm not so sure about this one, though. She keeps cycling farther and farther down.
It's not a good sign when I'm doing this to avoid stuff. especially when there isn't that much stuff to do.
I came to the conclusion that I'd make a better witch then a catholic. It took alot of debate, examination, introspection, and other stuff like that. The revelation that the peace I felt was from no longer questioning if I would be impressing the right people made me understand that it wan't the peace of Christ that I found.
Throw that together with how I kept twitching towards the whole doing the witch thing to solve problems, it's kinda obvious that I'd do rather poorly.
*****
And then I had a conversation with my sister in law. The one who was my self styled cheerleader for conversion. Yeah.. that went real well. She's mad at me and feeling some what betrayed, I think. I'm torn between feeling angry with her, upset with myself, or just ... irritated. I wasn't turning Catholic to make her life easier. I wasn't doing the witchcraft thing to make my friend's lives easier.
She seems to think that if I don't do things her way or let her have her way that I'm a bad person. It's the only thing that shines through in her reactions to me since the wedding day. She hadn't had the nerve to complain that I was making her brother's life miserable because I wasn't allowing him to go visit her. But that's because the phone call didn't last long enough and I kept the topic well away from my husband.
What is it going to take to get this girl to understand that the world doesn't revolve around her? She's so focused on having everything happen just the way she wants to see it happen, that she ignores the damage she does to all of her other relationships. On one hand, I"m angry with her for all of her ... well... her poor behavior. On the other hand, I want to help her see just what's wrong and help her fix the problems, this way she can succeed in life. And another part of me just wants to walk away and say "Ok, it's your life. You know what's best, and I'm not going to stand in your way. You must know what you're doing."
I just can't do that and watch her go down in flames. But I had that happen with a friend a few years ago. And she turned into a pheonix. So.. maeby there's hope.
I'm not so sure about this one, though. She keeps cycling farther and farther down.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
More quizzes. :)
What type of Fae are you?
| Your Stripper Song Is |
 I'm a Slave 4 U by Britney Spears "I'm a slave for you. I cannot hold it; I cannot control it. I'm a slave for you. I won't deny it; I'm not trying to hide it." You may seem shy, but you can let your wild side out when you want to! |
| You Are 50% Addicted to Love |
 Might as well face it, you're addicted to love. You've been a fool for love many times - but are you the wiser for it? Your needs should come first, both in and out of relationships. Because you're the only one who can look out for yourself! |
Your Personality Profile |
 You are sexy, powerful, and bold. You're full of passion and energy... Sometimes this passion has a dark side. You feel most alive when you're seducing someone. You never fail to get someone's attention. Quick minded, you're also quick to lose your temper! |
| Arty Kid |
 Whether you were a drama freak or an emo poet, you definitely were expressive and unique. You're probably a little less weird these days - but even more talented! |
Enough for now... brain is melting. :p
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Ok, I finally gave in....
I now have a LJ. It's an on-line version of my reading journal. Thus... all the blogging goodness still remains here. :)
http://cydira.livejournal.com/ <-- That's the link! Enjoy.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Why am *I* Den Mother?
I'm going to go absolutely batty!
I have acquired some friends that are younger me and are turning me into Den Mother!
Ok, angst purged, for the most part. It's really creepy when I have these friends of mine calling me as the second person on their list when the proverbial fecal matter strikes the artifical wind machine. (Thank you Dr. Vicchio for that wonderful statement!) I suppose my husband is right and I am a sucker. I just can't let people flop about in agony, I have to try to help them get up on their feet, dust them off and set them back on track. One of these days I'll probably go nuts. :p
Let's look at what the last 2 1/2 weeks have brought me:
Oh, and for my friends that will understand the following: These girls are new to the craft and are looking to me to be High Priestess. If this happened 2 yrs ago, I'd probably jump right to it.. but why now? Ever get the impression that God has a really warped sense of humor? And all of that stuff for baptisim and what not has been put off for another year due to ... chaos and schedual problems.
Pardon me... I'm going to look for the wall I'm to beat my head against. :P
I have acquired some friends that are younger me and are turning me into Den Mother!
Ok, angst purged, for the most part. It's really creepy when I have these friends of mine calling me as the second person on their list when the proverbial fecal matter strikes the artifical wind machine. (Thank you Dr. Vicchio for that wonderful statement!) I suppose my husband is right and I am a sucker. I just can't let people flop about in agony, I have to try to help them get up on their feet, dust them off and set them back on track. One of these days I'll probably go nuts. :p
Let's look at what the last 2 1/2 weeks have brought me:
- "Men suck, I'm going to break up with him!" 4-6 x as of today's date, and this hour
- "I'm sick, what do I do?" every other day last week
- "My mom is going to kill me because of [insert crisis here]! What do I do?" 4-6 x as of today's date, and this hour
- "How do I fix [name broken item/problem here]?" 4-6 x today, lost count over the last few days
Oh, and for my friends that will understand the following: These girls are new to the craft and are looking to me to be High Priestess. If this happened 2 yrs ago, I'd probably jump right to it.. but why now? Ever get the impression that God has a really warped sense of humor? And all of that stuff for baptisim and what not has been put off for another year due to ... chaos and schedual problems.
Pardon me... I'm going to look for the wall I'm to beat my head against. :P
As from wiccanlily's LiveJournal
Post anything that you want, and post it anonymously.
Anything. A story, a secret, a confession, a fear, a love -- anything. Be sure to post anonymously and honestly.
Post twice if you'd like. (or more!)
Then, put this in your LJ to see what your friends (and perhaps others who you don't even realize read your LJ) have to say.
Replace LJ with blog and proceed with this exercise! My inquiring mind wants to know!
Post anything that you want, and post it anonymously.
Anything. A story, a secret, a confession, a fear, a love -- anything. Be sure to post anonymously and honestly.
Post twice if you'd like. (or more!)
Then, put this in your LJ to see what your friends (and perhaps others who you don't even realize read your LJ) have to say.
Replace LJ with blog and proceed with this exercise! My inquiring mind wants to know!
I refuse to rant about work!
I got severely irritated with some behavioral problems on the behalf of my coworkers and a child in the classroom today. I'm refusing to allow myself to dwell on it. Thus...
Some questions filched from: LadyCinnibar & Wiccanlily :) Thanks, girls! Now it's your turn! Ha ha! You didn't think I would do this! :) I will be posting my answers to the questions in your blogs, btw. :)
1.Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
2. Am I lovable?
3. How long have you known me?
4. When and how did we first meet?
5. What was your first impression?
6. Do you still think that way about me now?
7. What do you think my weakness is?
8. Do you think I'll get married?
9. What makes me happy?
10. What makes me sad?
11. What reminds you of me?
12. If you could give me anything what would it be?
13. How well do you know me?
14. When's the last time you saw me?
15. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
16. Do you think I could kill someone?
17. Describe me in one word.
18. Do you think our friendship is getting stronger, weaker, or staying the same?
19. Do you feel that you could talk to me about anything and I would listen?
20. Are you going to put this on your live journal and see what I say about you?
Some questions filched from: LadyCinnibar & Wiccanlily :) Thanks, girls! Now it's your turn! Ha ha! You didn't think I would do this! :) I will be posting my answers to the questions in your blogs, btw. :)
1.Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
2. Am I lovable?
3. How long have you known me?
4. When and how did we first meet?
5. What was your first impression?
6. Do you still think that way about me now?
7. What do you think my weakness is?
8. Do you think I'll get married?
9. What makes me happy?
10. What makes me sad?
11. What reminds you of me?
12. If you could give me anything what would it be?
13. How well do you know me?
14. When's the last time you saw me?
15. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
16. Do you think I could kill someone?
17. Describe me in one word.
18. Do you think our friendship is getting stronger, weaker, or staying the same?
19. Do you feel that you could talk to me about anything and I would listen?
20. Are you going to put this on your live journal and see what I say about you?
Monday, March 13, 2006
I feel like my brain is melting... time for stupid quizzes!
Here's one:
You will fall off a cliff. (wow, I got nothing to
say to you about that)
How will you die?
brought to you by Quizilla
There's another:
![]()
src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/angel_luna13/angelsad.jpg>Your
angel is darkness. You are shy and quiet and
you keep everything to yourself. Some people
think you are stuck up because you dont talk
much. But that isn't true. You're just shy.
You love animals and you'd rather be with
them than with people. (some people
anyway)
Element:
Darkness Birthstone: Diamond
What Angel Represents You? (Breathtaking Anime pics) ^_^
brought to you by Quizilla
And last one of the night:
Hopeful and intelligent. You are very clever and
almost always come top in class. Teachers and
your parents love you and say you will go far
however you don't have much self-confidence
and that could hold you back.
Your element is darkness.
Your colour is violet.
People percieve you as a swot and too clever. They
don't take the time to understand you as
think that your life consists only of
schoolwork and you are very boring. This
makes you unconfident.
How do people percieve you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Here's hoping insomnia doesn't kill me. :p I'm off to try to sleep.
You will fall off a cliff. (wow, I got nothing to
say to you about that)
How will you die?
brought to you by Quizilla
There's another:
src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/angel_luna13/angelsad.jpg>Your
angel is darkness. You are shy and quiet and
you keep everything to yourself. Some people
think you are stuck up because you dont talk
much. But that isn't true. You're just shy.
You love animals and you'd rather be with
them than with people. (some people
anyway)
Darkness
What Angel Represents You? (Breathtaking Anime pics) ^_^
brought to you by Quizilla
And last one of the night:
Hopeful and intelligent. You are very clever and
almost always come top in class. Teachers and
your parents love you and say you will go far
however you don't have much self-confidence
and that could hold you back.
Your element is darkness.
Your colour is violet.
People percieve you as a swot and too clever. They
don't take the time to understand you as
think that your life consists only of
schoolwork and you are very boring. This
makes you unconfident.
How do people percieve you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Here's hoping insomnia doesn't kill me. :p I'm off to try to sleep.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Thoughts one new Job (run # 2)
Ok, let's try to be happier this time. :p
Oiy, now I sound like I'm trying to cajole people into smiling for a camera. Mental note, never open with that statement again. Ick... way too perky. And I know several of you know my feelings on perkiness. :) It was banned from the dorm room and it is still banned from my apartment (or at least in a few spots, can't alienate all of my guests). Just way too cursedly cheerful. It's right up there with toddlers jumping on your bed at the butt-crack of dawn singing "Sun's up, time to get up!" By the way, I have confirmation on a statement of mine. It is now official, all toddlers will do this to the adults they can get to at that time.
Well, my last post told you about the first two days of my shortened week. I started on Tuesday thus I have two more days to relate. Thursday was quite busy. I found myself just about running to keep up with this little boy's schedual, not even knowing what was when. As of right now, I am his 1 to 1 aide. It makes things interesting at times, because he thinks I know the school as well as he does after a few jaunts. So, at times he will "test" me on where we're going. He managed to almost lose me on our way to the cafeteria. His teacher was amused, fortunately.
Thursday was also the day of the monthly staff brunch. Once a month, the staff get together and do a pot-luch brunch on the first Thursday of every month. They try to work with a theme for each one, this month's happened to be St. Patrick's day. To say the least, I was surprised and delighted. I have a rather enormous weakness for all things Celtic, doubly so if it is of Irish extraction. So, I was thrilled to see the photo album from one of the math teacher's trip to Ireland. Overjoyed to listen to some fine fiddle work and a bit of bagpipes, even if a few of my co-workers were not so thrilled by the bagpipes. And then I had my first bite of that apple cake. Oh my goodness, was it delicious.
Now, if you must know anything major about me, I am infamously picky about my cakes. As a girl, I would only eat the birthday cakes baked by my great-aunt Eileen. sometimes I would eat Mom's, but only if she used Eileen's recipie. Then, great-aunt Eileen passed on and I had apple-crisp for the majority of my birthday parties at my grandmother's house. So, I'd cut the cake baked for me and then nibble a bit of crumb with gobs of frosting before digging into the apple crisp. It has been counted as a minor miracle that we were able to find a wedding cake that I enjoyed.
I was in absolute rapture over that apple cake. It was moist, delicious and it turns out baked from scratch. I've come to realize that if the cake is home made I'm more inclined towards it. Those box mixed cakes are like so much sawdust to my palate. I'll be getting the recipie on Monday. To put it lightly, I'm looking forward to sharing it with my husband and the family. Thursday was also the day that this little boy really set to task. Apparently the cake was amazing to me and the boy's sudden sense of work ethic was amazing to my coworkers.
He was so determined to finish his English assignment that he forgot about lunch. That made Social Studies a little tricky, because he needed to eat. Arrangements were made for him to do his Social Studies assignment in the Resource room as he ate his lunch. Which he worked on until he became fustrated with it. At which time we set to work on catching him up on his Science class. As of right now, he is almost 3 weeks behind due to being suspended from school for a month.
All day Friday, I had the teachers that worked with him in the past and his current teachers coming up to me and saying "We don't know what you're doing but keep doing it." At lunch, I even had the principal walk up to me and say the same. Apparently this little boy had hated doing his work and fought with everyone over it. I've had my immediate supervisor watching how I work with this boy and she's been surprised by what I do. Let me give an example:
Coping with Visual problems while reading:
This little boy has trouble with reading things because he gets lost as he's reading. He has alot of difficulty visually, though it's not dyslexia. Usually, people will read his assignments to him. His reading is focused down to reading what he writes and a few sentances here and there through out the school day. I have been sitting down with him, giving him a choice to try to read his assignments himself. 90% of the time, he chooses to try.
When he get's fustrated, my first responce is not to redirect, like about 95% of my coworkers. Instead, I try to find a tool or a method to work around the problem. Thus, we use sheets of paper to block the other sentances when he gets confused. Or we break words down into their syllables to read them. Wouldn't you know it, this little boy is feeling more confident in his home work. He got his first 100% ever on a spelling test.
These aren't difficult things to do. I'm dumbstruck that these professionals don't do this on a regular basis. You're a teacher who has specalized in working with kids that have learning disabilities. These techniques I'm applying are some of the most simple and basic tools for working with learning disabilities that are visually related. Why in God's name are you not using them? Instead, they try to cajole, negotiate, or other wise talk their way out of a problem that can be solved by just doing things a little differently. It's ... brain bending at best.
Now that I've got the reading issue pretty well nailed, we've got the math one to take on. He as alot of difficulty with mathematics too. So... let's see if we can't find something else that works just as well. Perhaps if we're lucky, we can manage to boost his reading level up from that 3rd grade one by the end of the year. And get him feeling more confident in himself and his ability to learn. No.. I'm not looking forward to this, really.
As of today, I can honestly say that I love my job. Let's see if this happy feeling stays.
Oiy, now I sound like I'm trying to cajole people into smiling for a camera. Mental note, never open with that statement again. Ick... way too perky. And I know several of you know my feelings on perkiness. :) It was banned from the dorm room and it is still banned from my apartment (or at least in a few spots, can't alienate all of my guests). Just way too cursedly cheerful. It's right up there with toddlers jumping on your bed at the butt-crack of dawn singing "Sun's up, time to get up!" By the way, I have confirmation on a statement of mine. It is now official, all toddlers will do this to the adults they can get to at that time.
Well, my last post told you about the first two days of my shortened week. I started on Tuesday thus I have two more days to relate. Thursday was quite busy. I found myself just about running to keep up with this little boy's schedual, not even knowing what was when. As of right now, I am his 1 to 1 aide. It makes things interesting at times, because he thinks I know the school as well as he does after a few jaunts. So, at times he will "test" me on where we're going. He managed to almost lose me on our way to the cafeteria. His teacher was amused, fortunately.
Thursday was also the day of the monthly staff brunch. Once a month, the staff get together and do a pot-luch brunch on the first Thursday of every month. They try to work with a theme for each one, this month's happened to be St. Patrick's day. To say the least, I was surprised and delighted. I have a rather enormous weakness for all things Celtic, doubly so if it is of Irish extraction. So, I was thrilled to see the photo album from one of the math teacher's trip to Ireland. Overjoyed to listen to some fine fiddle work and a bit of bagpipes, even if a few of my co-workers were not so thrilled by the bagpipes. And then I had my first bite of that apple cake. Oh my goodness, was it delicious.
Now, if you must know anything major about me, I am infamously picky about my cakes. As a girl, I would only eat the birthday cakes baked by my great-aunt Eileen. sometimes I would eat Mom's, but only if she used Eileen's recipie. Then, great-aunt Eileen passed on and I had apple-crisp for the majority of my birthday parties at my grandmother's house. So, I'd cut the cake baked for me and then nibble a bit of crumb with gobs of frosting before digging into the apple crisp. It has been counted as a minor miracle that we were able to find a wedding cake that I enjoyed.
I was in absolute rapture over that apple cake. It was moist, delicious and it turns out baked from scratch. I've come to realize that if the cake is home made I'm more inclined towards it. Those box mixed cakes are like so much sawdust to my palate. I'll be getting the recipie on Monday. To put it lightly, I'm looking forward to sharing it with my husband and the family. Thursday was also the day that this little boy really set to task. Apparently the cake was amazing to me and the boy's sudden sense of work ethic was amazing to my coworkers.
He was so determined to finish his English assignment that he forgot about lunch. That made Social Studies a little tricky, because he needed to eat. Arrangements were made for him to do his Social Studies assignment in the Resource room as he ate his lunch. Which he worked on until he became fustrated with it. At which time we set to work on catching him up on his Science class. As of right now, he is almost 3 weeks behind due to being suspended from school for a month.
All day Friday, I had the teachers that worked with him in the past and his current teachers coming up to me and saying "We don't know what you're doing but keep doing it." At lunch, I even had the principal walk up to me and say the same. Apparently this little boy had hated doing his work and fought with everyone over it. I've had my immediate supervisor watching how I work with this boy and she's been surprised by what I do. Let me give an example:
Coping with Visual problems while reading:
This little boy has trouble with reading things because he gets lost as he's reading. He has alot of difficulty visually, though it's not dyslexia. Usually, people will read his assignments to him. His reading is focused down to reading what he writes and a few sentances here and there through out the school day. I have been sitting down with him, giving him a choice to try to read his assignments himself. 90% of the time, he chooses to try.
When he get's fustrated, my first responce is not to redirect, like about 95% of my coworkers. Instead, I try to find a tool or a method to work around the problem. Thus, we use sheets of paper to block the other sentances when he gets confused. Or we break words down into their syllables to read them. Wouldn't you know it, this little boy is feeling more confident in his home work. He got his first 100% ever on a spelling test.
These aren't difficult things to do. I'm dumbstruck that these professionals don't do this on a regular basis. You're a teacher who has specalized in working with kids that have learning disabilities. These techniques I'm applying are some of the most simple and basic tools for working with learning disabilities that are visually related. Why in God's name are you not using them? Instead, they try to cajole, negotiate, or other wise talk their way out of a problem that can be solved by just doing things a little differently. It's ... brain bending at best.
Now that I've got the reading issue pretty well nailed, we've got the math one to take on. He as alot of difficulty with mathematics too. So... let's see if we can't find something else that works just as well. Perhaps if we're lucky, we can manage to boost his reading level up from that 3rd grade one by the end of the year. And get him feeling more confident in himself and his ability to learn. No.. I'm not looking forward to this, really.
As of today, I can honestly say that I love my job. Let's see if this happy feeling stays.
First week at new job & no ranting! Yay!
Well, what problems there have been this week were mainly a result of my own making or ignorance. Thus... I can say today that my co-workers are a joy. Perhaps this feeling will persist, we shall see.
My first day started off 5 min late, a bit embaressing but not utterly catastrophic. Turned out that my immediate supervisor didn't even know that I was going to be there. Thus, it proved a non-issue entirely. I shant argue with good fortune. The day went well and I met the child that I will be working with. He is a spooky little thing, the exact temperment and personality of my youngest brother at 5th grade. Down right creepy, he even has some of the same physical mannerisims. If his hair was brown, his eyes brown, and his skin coloring a shade darker, I'd be inclined to say the boy could pass for my brother's son. Down right spooky, no?
My second day went much like the first. Except for I was 15 min late. Quite embaressing, but my supervisor just laughed it off. A plesant surprise and one for which I was quite thankful. Perhaps my embaressment helped in that perspective. I'm not entirely sure. That was a very busy day, for we had a field trip. Off to the Challenger learning center! To put it simply, I thought it was just wonderful.
The mock up of Mission Control was plesantly done. As was the mock up of the work space of a space shuttle. The entire experience, while it was plesant, did make me feel old. Was it really that long ago that the Challenger tragedy happened? It occurs to me, as I type this, that these children have their own version of Challenger that they witnessed. The loss of Columbia. Perhaps this entire experience will help them understand what happened with Columbia and why it is important that we don't give up. I present my thoughts on that entire topic later.
[... pause for a moment of silence in memory of the astronauts who died in mission accidents ...]
Ok, let's get back to happier topics. I have to say, however, it is hard to do so. It's a more then sobering thought. What struck me in all of this, however, was how many of these kids were moved to compassion for the families of the astronauts from Challenger. Several of them wanted to know if their families were all right even though the astronauts were gone. Hence, the lesson focus on the background and purpose of the Challenger learning center. It makes me feel a bit of hope for these kids, perhaps we're not as screwed as it seems some times. Maeby the vast majority of the kids that are rushing towards adulthood have a hope of understanding that we are each valueable people.
... ok, I'm going to stop that morose rant before it even starts. Please forgive me, but I'm feeling a tad depressed. The Challenger incident impacted my life rather deeply. I'm not related in any way shape or form to the fallen astronauts, save by being of the same species and in a few cases gender. At the time of Challenger's demise, however, I was deeply in love with the space program. I planned on growing up to be Christa McAuliffe, except I'd have a writing career too. Then, as I was walking down the hallway, the shuttle launch was announced over the school's p.a. system. Televisions were in various hallways and just about every class room so the whole school could watch it.
I stood and watched as one of the people who had become a hero of mine died. Of the other kids around me, I was one of the few that knew the moment of the explosion that the shuttle was lost. It was a hammer of clarity that struck me, even now, as a thought that was beyond my years. I was also the only one to have voiced it in that stunned silence. Other kids and a few teachers were saying in rebuttal "Well, perhaps it was just the tank. If the smoke clears, then we'll see it, I'm sure."
That moment has haunted me for years, it is also the primary reason why I abandoned my dream of becoming an astronaut. Years later, it became apparent to me that I wouldn't have had a chance anyways due to health conciderations but... [insert tired sigh and long pause as author runs to fetch a cup of tea] I hope that bit of depressing reverie doesn't diminish your day as well. But... now you know what I wanted to be when I grew up.
... You know, this isn't working too well to snap me out of this funk, let's try this again. (see next post!)
My first day started off 5 min late, a bit embaressing but not utterly catastrophic. Turned out that my immediate supervisor didn't even know that I was going to be there. Thus, it proved a non-issue entirely. I shant argue with good fortune. The day went well and I met the child that I will be working with. He is a spooky little thing, the exact temperment and personality of my youngest brother at 5th grade. Down right creepy, he even has some of the same physical mannerisims. If his hair was brown, his eyes brown, and his skin coloring a shade darker, I'd be inclined to say the boy could pass for my brother's son. Down right spooky, no?
My second day went much like the first. Except for I was 15 min late. Quite embaressing, but my supervisor just laughed it off. A plesant surprise and one for which I was quite thankful. Perhaps my embaressment helped in that perspective. I'm not entirely sure. That was a very busy day, for we had a field trip. Off to the Challenger learning center! To put it simply, I thought it was just wonderful.
The mock up of Mission Control was plesantly done. As was the mock up of the work space of a space shuttle. The entire experience, while it was plesant, did make me feel old. Was it really that long ago that the Challenger tragedy happened? It occurs to me, as I type this, that these children have their own version of Challenger that they witnessed. The loss of Columbia. Perhaps this entire experience will help them understand what happened with Columbia and why it is important that we don't give up. I present my thoughts on that entire topic later.
[... pause for a moment of silence in memory of the astronauts who died in mission accidents ...]
Ok, let's get back to happier topics. I have to say, however, it is hard to do so. It's a more then sobering thought. What struck me in all of this, however, was how many of these kids were moved to compassion for the families of the astronauts from Challenger. Several of them wanted to know if their families were all right even though the astronauts were gone. Hence, the lesson focus on the background and purpose of the Challenger learning center. It makes me feel a bit of hope for these kids, perhaps we're not as screwed as it seems some times. Maeby the vast majority of the kids that are rushing towards adulthood have a hope of understanding that we are each valueable people.
... ok, I'm going to stop that morose rant before it even starts. Please forgive me, but I'm feeling a tad depressed. The Challenger incident impacted my life rather deeply. I'm not related in any way shape or form to the fallen astronauts, save by being of the same species and in a few cases gender. At the time of Challenger's demise, however, I was deeply in love with the space program. I planned on growing up to be Christa McAuliffe, except I'd have a writing career too. Then, as I was walking down the hallway, the shuttle launch was announced over the school's p.a. system. Televisions were in various hallways and just about every class room so the whole school could watch it.
I stood and watched as one of the people who had become a hero of mine died. Of the other kids around me, I was one of the few that knew the moment of the explosion that the shuttle was lost. It was a hammer of clarity that struck me, even now, as a thought that was beyond my years. I was also the only one to have voiced it in that stunned silence. Other kids and a few teachers were saying in rebuttal "Well, perhaps it was just the tank. If the smoke clears, then we'll see it, I'm sure."
That moment has haunted me for years, it is also the primary reason why I abandoned my dream of becoming an astronaut. Years later, it became apparent to me that I wouldn't have had a chance anyways due to health conciderations but... [insert tired sigh and long pause as author runs to fetch a cup of tea] I hope that bit of depressing reverie doesn't diminish your day as well. But... now you know what I wanted to be when I grew up.
... You know, this isn't working too well to snap me out of this funk, let's try this again. (see next post!)
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