Odds and Ends

First off, I have a delinquent item. I have a nominee for a 2006 Darwin Award. You mess with wild animals, you die. This is a concept that most toddlers comprehend. Yet, Steve Irwin capitalized on his thrill seeking and guess what? He died.

Then there is the New Orleans Saints. Did FEMA pay the Falcons to look that bad? Has Michael Vick ever played a worse game? And what is with the people who don't have jobs or homes but reportedly purchased season tickets? Here's the theory. FEMA trailers suck. The Superdome is spacious. The price of a ticket, say $50, is a real bargain for the accompanying square footage. I think those people moved back in and are never leaving the dome.

I haven't read the news yet today so I don't know if the Superdome has thousands of change of address requests going out today. Likewise, I don't know what is up with gas. It was $1.97 at 8AM. Then it was $2.24 at 10AM. But only at half the stations. By noon, there was still a $.27 discrepancy. I'm just happy that I filled up yesterday for $1.98.

Timothy says "yes" cuter than any other kid ever. It sounds like "shess." He currently loves Matchbox cars, Brio trains, football and buses.

Megan wants to be sure that Santa knows what she wants and has plenty of time to fill the list.

Pretty Soon I'll be a Hermit

I guess I've always been annoyed rather easily. But to counter that, I'm determined and resourceful. Still, I find myself intentionally avoiding many things. With each passing day, the number of items on my personal banned list increases. In case you want to partake in my boycotts, I'll let you know what they are and why I hate them.

1. Walmart. Does this really need an explanation? Inferior products with horrible customer service. I'd really rather have a self-service establishment than 30 employees blocking my path while shouting cheers like a bunch of preteen girls. Every time I went there, I ended up in a rage. I've been there once in the last year and it was sheer desperation.

2. Home Depot. Specifically, homedepot.com. But once I'm offended, I don't even want an apology. I'm simply moving on. Again, lack of customer service. The straw that broke the camel's back was when they stole $204 from me. I returned a product in May and after 4 months, 4 phone calls, and 90 minutes of holding, I finally filed a complaint with the Attorney General this morning. I still want my money, but I feel better. And, I'll never shop there again.

3. E*Trade. Customer service. (Do you see a pattern here?) Yes, I know that their rates reflect a lack of customer service. To make a long story short, I can't get my money without weeks of conversation with some moron who barely speaks English and their computer system sucks.

So, I'm thinking of moving to a commune and never interacting with the outside world again. I'll grow my own food, sew my own clothes and keep my money under my homemade mattress. If you don't hear from me, one of 2 things happened. Either I did go to the commune or the Telecomm world has crossed the line. They are always teetering on the edge.

Into the Swing of Things

As of today, all the fall activities have begun except for one. It's mostly doable but it sure is nice when Andy doesn't have to work late. We're having more fun than a barrel of monkeys, including story time at the zoo to market the new PBS show.

In case our house wasn't loud enough, we've added a new instrument. The French horn is not a quiet thing. Thankfully, the teacher taught them how to use their hand as a mute before anything else.

We thought that Ellen was taking a combination class of gardening and art. It turns out that it's really just gardening, offered through the Springfield Art Association. She loves it. Today was the first day that she attended. There were only 2 kids there and she came home with a bag full of organic produce.



We're also doing sports. The girls are swimming and Drew is playing soccer.

Preschool orientation was this afternoon and classes start in earnest next week.

Timothy doesn't do any activities. I'm theoretically looking into a music class and I have good intentions for story time. But it's so tempting to just stay put and sing a few songs and read a good book. We'll see how it turns out.

Saint Louis Zoo

This is where we spent Labor Day. They early part of the day was more gray than sunny, which kept the temperature perfect for the zoo. After the first 2 hours, we had spent more time eating and touring than viewing animals. But once we had our bearings and full stomachs, there was no stopping us.

Showers make me laugh!


I just liked this one even though it doesn't scream "zoo."


Must feed Megan every 30 minutes.


Giraffes have great lashes.

Week 2 Amendment

Correction: Week 2 was not without tears. I arrived in the gym to find Ellen slumped against a wall where she burst into tears upon seeing me. She's OK and it had nothing to do with the train.

Trains

So we're on our way to collect the children from school and running a few minutes late. Imagine my frustration when I am less than a mile from home and I encounter a LONG train crossing my path. I assess the possibilities and decide to wait. We sing a song to ward off the anger. (Sung to Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No 1 Morning Mood)

Train, go faster.
Yes, train, go faster.
Yes, please, go faster
So we won't be late.

We finally get on our way and we are about a mile from the elementary school when what to my wondering eyes should appear out the driver's window, but the train. I now realize that the same train is about to cross our path again, before we reach the school. I respond with a "Doh," a la Homer J. Simpson, to which the 5 year old behind me replies:

Do, dare, dedi, datum
I give, to give, I gave, given

She is not being taught Latin, but apparently the chant CD which accompanies us in the van is sinking in.

Week 2

I chose to sit tight and patiently wait for meet the staff night before taking further action with third grade.

Things are looking brighter than last week.
1. No tears.
2. Possession of a reading text book.
3. New desks and bookcases are on order, so the loaners may be returned.

A few items became clear when I finally met the teacher.
1. Third grade education is in my hands.
2. The teacher would accept my help all day every day.
3. She found out about the job 15 hours before we knew about her.

Insightful comments from the third grader:
1. What do you want to be when you grow up? Accelerated math teacher
2. What do you hope to learn this year? Sentence diagramming
3. What do you like best about third grade? "I can't do it. I don't like anything." (Much coaxing was required from me for this written response . She eventually wrote about her specials, lunch, and recess. We had to discuss the art of telling them what they want to hear and that the question did not say the answer had to be factual.)

Important word to remember when communicating with teachers: Differentiation