no degree for me yet, but I least I got stuff!

Another semester of classes has come to a close.  When I last spoke with Chaco, he couldn't WAIT to be finished.  That was on Sunday.  He and Wolfgang actually came over as a sort of Mother's Day... thing.  Which was nice.  We just kinda hung out as we don't usually do anything special on Mother's Day, so that was special.

Whee!  I'm in college!

I was thinking about back to nearly four years ago when Chaco was just moving into the freshman dorm - how excited he was (and how rather traumatized I was).  It's been a good four years for him, and it's time to move on.

Graduation is tomorrow.  We left it up to him as to whether he would do the whole cap'n'gown thing as we're pretty ambivalent when it comes to all that pomp and circumstance biz.  We told him we'd be there with bells on if he wanted, but Chaco didn't feel a need to sit through graduation in a funny hat.  YAY.



I went to the university today.  I noticed right away that I didn't feel as old as I usually do.  There were quite a lot of "older than usual" people on campus - parents in for graduation or packing freshmen and/or sophomores out of the dorms.

As for me, I was not there to collect any degrees or any children, but rather to cash in!

Remember a little while back?  I mentioned this "Spring into Wellness Challenge" the graduate school was throwing?  I was drinking a bunch of water for that first challenge?  Sure ya do!

Anyway, the challenge took place over the final six weeks of the semester, with a different challenge each week.  We were to complete the challenges and take part in discussions with other participants.  I thought it was fun.  The challenges weren't too difficult, but made me think about "wellness", and I enjoyed the discussions with grad students other than those that are in my program.

"Prizes" were vaguely mentioned early on, and lo and behold, they awarded nicer than expected prizes to the top three participants.  And I got top prize!  Yeah, moi!  Fifty bucks at the university bookstore.  Surprise!

So I went today to cash in.  I did NOT spend it on textbooks.  (1) the bookstore book prices are ridiculous, and (2) sorry, but a textbook doesn't feel very "prizey".

I got an Under Armour ColdGear 3/4 zipper pullover.  It's fun just to say it!  This will be nice for those cold-weather rides and runs.  And yes, so far, it is "sparking joy"

As I was perusing all the paraphernalia, I was surprised to not see any reference to the university on this particular pullover.  Then I turned it around and saw this rather inconspicuous blurb

Well, okay then!  I didn't need it today as it's lovely out and I rode in single layer short sleeves.  I just put it on for blog quality - sacrifices I make.  I like the thumb holes in the sleeves.  I wish we could actually go back to winter right now!  No I don't!

I was also due for Pedal Perks from April, so...

I know they look like pretty boring socks from the tops, but the material is nice lightweight moisture whicking stuff.  And they're actually quite flashy.  Plus... free!




So that's it for now - top to bottom.  What's new with you??

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coming at you live from the internets!

My ex is sitting here, not speaking to me.  Fine.

Yup, got a new computer.  A shiny new desk top that Chaco built.  The old one, she had been fading for a while. 

Perhaps the worst thing was that, one by one, all of my USB ports shut down.  Not only would they not respond to devices plugged into them, but the mere act of plugging anything in caused a plethora of error messages and then *CRASH* followed by very colorful language.  ahem

For several weeks, I worked around it, thinking, "Boy, sure would be nice if I could upload photos / sync my ipod / copy files / etc."  But a big bummer was that I could no longer do online tutoring.  No more webcam, no more microphone, no more Wacom.  Sigh.

I discussed this with my IT department (Chaco), and he... er... the department concluded that the ex was beyond repair.  I needed new hardware.

He ordered.  He built.  I paid.

Today, I went to visit my online classroom and...

Although, it's pretty lonely there right now.

And in the meantime, my ex sits here.  There are a few files I want to get off of her, but... well, she won't speak to me.  I need to get with the IT department for a cable or two.  But he... er... the department isn't here right now. 

I know help is one the way, though, because Chaco says he's got plans for the ex.

Wait... didn't he say it was beyond repair...??

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are you sure that's a good idea?

It was a 50K bike ride.  That thing.  On Sunday.  Magnum found it after my fail.

It was an event to support [THIS] very friendly looking group that provides services and activities for autistic children and their families.  I'd never heard of them.  I never heard of the event.  Had I known, I would've very possibly done the bike ride.  Maybe next year?

I often hear about these worthwhile events after the fact, much like the Doggie Dash the previous weekend.  But although China's come a long way since her shelter days, she's still not that comfortable in a crowd, so maybe no Doggie Dashes for her.  But I know Alice and Bella would both be up for a Pedal Through the Puzzle!

In the meantime, we have our own interventions to be concerned with.  It's Meego.  He's kind of started hanging with a different crowd.  Magnum and I aren't too concerned as we trust he has a good head on his shoulders, but Chaco's big brother engines are revving.

Last night, he drilled Magnum and me.  Did we think it was a good idea to allow Meego to do these activities?  What about peer pressure?  He's at that susceptible age.  And just what are they teaching him?  And how?

See, Meego's gone Biblin' again.  He's volunteering all this week at a VBS down the street.  Recall that he did similar volunteer work last summer, but that was at a different church.  That was at the Methodist church UP the street, not the church DOWN the street.

SOURCE

The church DOWN the street is a relatively large evangelical/born again church.  At least it's not THAT Big BIG evangelical/born again church in our fair city that attracts all the (well deserved?) snarky publicity.  If it were there, I might honestly have some motherly concern.

I won't get into a long, drawn out biography of my own church experiences and opinions.  Suffice to say that, like many others, the hypocrites drove Magnum and me away from church.  Suffice it further to say that the biggest examples of the hypocrisy have been a couple of neighbor families who claimed both the most blatant bullies and the most disrespectful kids I've ever known.  This along with both families' hateful stances against homosexuals.  One family went to that big BIG crazy church, the other, the church down the street.  And there've been other examples along the way.  I do get along fine with the families, one has since moved.  Just let's not talk religion, and don't expect me to be best buddies.

And now Meego is a VBS volunteer down the street and I'm fine with it.  Two of his good friends are at the upper age limit and are attending.  They don't belong to the church, they're just doing five fun days of 3-hour VBS, so Meego and another friend his age from the neighborhood decided to volunteer.  The whole gang will likely do similar at the more-acceptable-to-Chaco church UP the street later this month.

"Of all the things a 14-year-old kid could be getting into, I'm okay with it being VBS volunteering", I told Chaco.

But it's nice to know that Chaco cares.
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one does not simply...

Like The Incline, the story doesn't necessarily end when you reach the top.  It's all...

"Yay, we made it!"

"Look how purdy!"

and soon becomes...

"Okay, now we gotta get back down"

But, what to do?  Because...

Incline people are typically a courteous bunch, watching out for each other because of the common bond formed from climbing over piles of trash together.  One unwritten rule is that, you climb up, but you don't climb down The Incline.  It's just common courtesy to the suffering souls going up.  

The way down is the Barr Trail, which is the trail that leads to the summit of Pikes Peak.  The top of The Incline hooks up with the Barr Trail, and there is also an outlet about two thirds of the way up The Incline for bailing out, for those who are so inclined (see what I did there?)

So the process of cancelling out all of the gain in elevation of The Incline is going down a three-mile stretch of loose gravel switchback trail.  Many Incliners like to run back down the trail.  That's kinda what we were doing, peppered in with some walking, chit chatting, and enjoying the views.

Halfway down Barr Trail
Chaco says, "Take our pic, the more Mom smiles the bigger I will frown!"

We were about two feet from the end of the trail with Ellie Mae in sight - me in the lead, Chaco behind me, and Wolfgang bringing up the rear.  We were strangely discussing anesthesia and pain killers (foreshadowing?) when I sense this slight ruckus behind me.  

I turned to see Chaco writhing on the ground, gripping his ankle.  Wolfgang explains, "Yeah, he rolled it", showing me the side of the trail that fell away making for perfect ankle-rolling.  

So I'm thinking, "Great, we make it UP The Incline, DOWN Barr Trail, and he breaks his ankle in the parking lot"

But he didn't.  Break it, that is.  Just a sprain leaving him a bit of a gimp. 

And it didn't foil his photography skills.  He got more nice shots of the Thunderbirds later that day during USAFA graduation. 

I put together this little video which features some of his photos, the YouTubization of which doesn't do them justice.  There's also some shaky video coverage of graduation practice that I take full blame for.  I mean, I could totally make a blooper video from the footage, but it would run twice as long at least.

Turn up your volume, Sound o' Freedom!

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fun with Rick and Hilda

As planned, Chaco and I went out for a little clothing makeover adventure.  He asked, and Magnum and I agreed that he needed a decent suit for interviews for jobs that call for a decent suit.

He and I headed on over to Men's Wearhouse.  Other than renting a tux for prom, I've never been to such a store.  Wall-to-wall suits and separates.  How to choose?!

Luckily, a very dapperly dressed young man employee approached and let us know someone would be with us shortly.  That someone turned out to be Rick, suit man.

Rick measured, inquired, figured out that I was the wielder of the credit card, then started whipping out jackets.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that suit prices haven't changed a whole lot since the days I was in Chaco's position.  Either that or I paid to much for my Brooks Brothers.  Yeah, prolly.

We settled on an appropriate style/brand/color/price.  Enter Hilda, alterations woman.

Hilda, all 5 foot nothing of her, walked up with her chalk and took charge.  While she did so, Rick informed me that the store had 20 tailors and Hilda was about 90% of them.  I had no doubt.

Then I asked, "Is Hilda Filipino?"

"Yes, she is", Rick confirmed.

Hilda and I bonded a bit over our Filipinoness - where's my mom from, etc.   Unfortunately, I don't understand a word of tagalog other than a few choice body parts, so we had to stick to boring English.



Chaco chose some shoes, then Rick picked some shirt/tie combos for us to mull over.  We figured two shirts, two ties.

While Rick fiddled with the ties he'd chosen, Chaco and I looked at the shirts he'd chosen.  We didn't think much of a couple of them, but we'd let him go through is spiel.

Then he started tucking the ties around their respective shirt mates.  Then he tucked the shirts with their ties under the jacket.  Dang, they ALL looked great!  How did he do that?!

As he fiddled the ties and shuffled the shirts, he explained that he also teaches "Dress for Success" classes at a couple of local military bases, for guys making the re-entry to civilian life.  It's amazing what a difference seemingly subtle adjustments can make.  I'm impressed that choosing a tie to go with a shirt to go with a suit is a real art.

So it was fun AND educational, as well as being productively consumptive.

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Silver Liningness Sunday

Another lovely week down.  It's a wonderfully warm morning outside.  I'm actually looking forward to going out there and cleaning China's bathroom in a little while.

Chaco  dropped in for a visit this weekend, so it's nice to get caught up with him.  He's got a new roommate after one of the guys in their four-bedroom dorm dropped out last semester.

New guy is a criminal justice major - gonna be a cop.  Chaco says "he's shorter than me, but huge" because he works out a LOT.  And apparently he's very tidy. Let's see...
He gets up early to work out, makes huge breakfasts and cleans everything up spick and span, and he fights crime.

What more could a mom ask for?

In entertainment news, Magnum and I watched  Dredd.  I surprised myself by liking it!  It's definitely not for everyone, and not my typical fare.  It's violent and dark with not a whole lot of character development.  It's a comic book movie, after all, and it has grit and edginess to it that was well done from an artsy standpoint.

Two severed thumbs up for Dredd.

Yeah, we watched it on Valentine's Day.








In other violent news, Napolion has been venturing outside more lately.  He's proving himself to be quite the mighty hunter.  Yesterday, he brought down a prize gopher.  It must have taken extreme skill and patience to bag that one, as the gophers tend to stay underground most of the time.

Like any proud hunter, he brought his gutted trophy right to the back door for all to see.  Thing was HUGE!  Magnum suggested a photo for the blog.  Be glad that I refused.

Silver Liningness Sunday

Whew, I'm a little late with the silver liningness post this week.  I've been "travelling".

Who can even guess what we got him?

But first, top billing this week goes to Chaco.

Today's his birthday, so Mother's Day in January for me.  We've had a nice weekend.









And Napolion is thrilled with "his gift".

So today was pretty much filled.  Meego returned to school this week, and Magnum back to the office, so it's starting to feel a little like back in the groove, which is a good thing.  

I managed a quick visit with Top Secret brother Hagrid and his wife this week too.  No photos, or else I'd have to kill ya.  

I see the Broncos won today, so the orange hype will continue for at least another week.  Looks like I picked the wrong year to retire from being a crossing guard, that orange vest would be in high fashion.  

We were rebels and, instead of watching the game, we went to see The Hobbit in 3D at the IMAX theater.  Yee - EESH, I'm still coming down from my travels to Middle Earth.  Good movie, I liked it better than the first, but I saw that one on our 2D very non-IMAX television, so it's not really a fair fight.  

And now... the laundry.

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Silver Liningness Sunday

I just got back from grocery shopping.  I usually try to avoid it on the weekends because of the crowdedness, but figured if I got there before noon on a Sunday it wouldn't be too bad.  But then again, I hear the Broncos have a big game later today.  Everybody and their grandma was getting groceries this morning.  Everybody and their grandma wearing a Bronco jersey.  I'm grateful I made it out of there.

This was another good week.  I'm realizing that this back-to-school business isn't so bad, and I've settled into the whole routine of it.  That's not to say I'm not anxious to be finished, but it's doable.  I like my classmates, many of whom are also *COUGH* older and on second (or third...) careers.

ReptiCon Denver was fun.  It's usually good to get out of our own backyard and partake of these things, even if we're not looking to bring anything  home.  In addition to the creepy crawlies, there were plenty of fun people watching opportunities.

On Friday afternoon, I was all caught up after a busy week and plopped onto the futon for some potato time with my current novel, ready to settle into the weekend.  Next thing, Chaco popped in to pick up some provi$ion$.  We got to just talking and catching up on general things:  school, his roommates, cooking, our teachers, bicycles, bronies...  He ended up missing a class and stayed for dinner.  He said his class instructor puts all the lectures online anyway, plus he had a good excuse, he was visiting his mom.

He also covertly asked, "When are you going to cut Meego's hair??", to which I could reply, "It's on our list of things to do... see?

It might just happen later today!  Crossing my fingers.

evacuated!

"There.  Right there!  TAKE  IT... TAKE  IT!!"  He gestured, pointing maniacally as I steered.

I pinched the vehicle perfectly into the squeeze, secured it, and we were off.  Mayhem surrounded us as we dove into the nearest building.  We made our way up the stairwell among a cacophony of popping, scraping, ripping noises.

As we climbed the endless stairway, I took in the sights.  Discarded food, clothing, and what could only be described as shrapnel.  What was that odor?  I decided I didn't want to know as I chastised myself for forgetting the gas masks.  We would have to work quickly to get out in one piece.

When we finally made it to the top, we emerged into a tight hallway of more noises, smells, and indeterminate matter.  Moving quickly, we passed several small openings off of the main pathway.  I glanced in a few of these chambers and saw various stages of disarray.  I saw human forms in slumped positions, barely moving.

We entered a room at the end of the hall.  I vaguely remembered being there before.  Before the collapse.

We began grabbing anything we could carry.  Anything that looked familiar and useful.  Once our arms were full, we headed back out into the fray, pushing our way back to the stairwell.  More popping sounds, more ripping, more scraping.  A blur of bodies moved against us, issuing intermittent incoherent screams.  And the smells, oh the smells.

We carefully but swiftly moved back down the littered, contaminated stairwell.  I tried not to breathe... I tried...

How many trips did we make in total?  I can't remember.  The heat, the adrenaline, the chaos made the entire episode blend into one.  We were halfway down the stairwell on our last trip.

"The burn!  THE  BURN!!"  I shouted to him.  "My left arm!  It  BURNS!!"

He urged me to just keep going, be tough.  His load was heavier.  But then, he wasn't a 48-year-old woman, I reminded him.  The banter helped me make it all the way to the now stuffed vehicle.   I checked my watch. The pilaging had taken us just about an hour.  Now for the getaway!

Traffic back to the compound was thankfully light.  I backed into the docking bay where some of the others came out to help retrieve the goods and secure them into the hideout.  I pulled on the hideous vest and dashed to the crosswalk just in time, to keep up the suburban housewife deception.

Within a relatively short period, the Command Center was up and functioning.

Operation CHC (Chaco Home from College) accomplished.  

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Silver Liningness Sunday

First of all, a big shout out to Mother Nature.  The weather is Gor-jous, just GOR-jous!  I ran yesterday morning OUTSIDE... in SHORTS!  SQUEEEEEEeeeeeee!

Chaco literally dropped by yesterday.  I was sitting here drawing shoes when I thought I heard Wolfgang return from his run.  Instead it was Chaco.  Apparently the March of Dimes was having some event on the college campus and decided to start by blasting through the speakers at 7:30 am right next to the dorms.  A local news personality purposely fired the crowd up to "wake up the college kids on Saturday morning!".  SO not nice.

It was such a nice day out, though, so Chaco thought he'd go for a hike (since he was awake at such an ungodly hour), and then he just ended up at our house.

Hung out, got sunburned, got me to take him shopping, played with the pets...









Magnum and I watched "Bridesmaids".  I grabbed it off the library DVD shelf.  I thought it might be too chick flickish for Magnum, but I've watched my share of guy movies in the name of motherly sacrifice, so I invited him to watch with me.

I would say that the movie as a whole is just okay, but there are some hilarious moments.  Melissa McCarthy steals the show.   I later learned that the guy who plays the air marshall is her husband in real life.





Wolfgang had another track meet where the relay team set a new PR.  Meego had his first track meet with the middle school.  They've hardly had any practice at all because so much has been cancelled from the weather.  They just sort of winged it.  Gotta start somewhere.

The rest of the week was good and productive.  I'm thinking the wintry weather is behind us?  Is it safe to say that now??
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Silver Liningness Sunday

Happy St. Patrick's Day,  I've just done a quick inspection and realized I have absolutely nothing green on!

Many nice things this week.  For one, I actually got to break out shorts and short sleeves and leave the long underwear behind on a couple of days.  Aah, so freeing...

ACT camp was fun.   Well, for me anyways.  Four fun-filled mornings of EnglishMathReadingScience.  I met some nice kids and teachers, and I think we're all happy with how things went for the most part.  They better go kill that test now.

On that same note, ACT camp meant that I was away from the crosswalk on those mornings, but I was there for the afternoons.  Some of my little charges and their parents actually told me they missed me in the mornings.  I'll chalk that mostly up to a cross guard reservist who really didn't want to be there...

On Friday, Chaco and I finally went vacuum cleaner shopping.  I think I have now seen every vacuum cleaner on the north side of Colorado Springs.  We settled on a cute little portable that totally sucks.  Plus, it was nice to spend an afternoon with him as he realized he was short on some other things,  including but not limited to a few toiletries, lunch, general fun money...

drama, inverted

We returned to the dorm and not a moment too late.  I was rendered queasy by treated to the effects of four guys who know that a vacuum cleaner is on the way so they can slack on cleaning the floors.  Let's just say I'm glad I thought to buy a 12-pack of extra bags.

Luck of the Irish to all of you!  Well, except the bad luck stuff like great famine and peasant violence and political unrest...

sorry officer, apparently the rug is dirty

**Ring**Ring**Ring**

SomeGuy:  Hamanah hamanah hamanah hamanah village mayihelpu?

Me:  Uh.. Uhm.. yeah, I was just trying to call my son's dorm room, but I don't know the number.

SG:  You don't know his phone number?

Me:  Well... yeah... I know his number, but the cell phone is dead, so I thought I'd try calling the room, but I don't know the number.

SG:  Oh.  Mkay.  Hold on... shuffle shuffle muffle muffle shufffle muffle

*pause*

SG:  Okay, what's your son's last name?

Me:  [Last Name]

SG:  Okay, last name [Blast Name], and what's his first name?

Me:  No, it's [Last Name]

SG:  Okay, his name is [Last Name] [Blast Name]??

Me:  No... his last name is [Last Name], not [Blast Name].  His first name is Chaco.

SG:  OH, okay.  I thought [Last Name][Blast Name] was kinda weird, but people can name people whatever they want I guess.

Me:  Yeah... heh.

SG:  He's in room [Room Number].  We'll send someone up and have him call you.

Me:  Oh, well I thought they had a phone in the suite.  Can you just connect me or give me the number?

SG:  Oh, no.  Those phones aren't hooked up.

Me:  Oh. Okay then.


---------- About 15 minutes later -----------


**Ring**Ring**Ring**

Me:  Hlo?

Chaco:  Hi, it's me.

Me:  Yeah, I been trying to call you.  Did you lose your phone?

Chaco:  Uh, no.  The battery died and I didn't know it.

Me:  Oh okay, I thought maybe you'd lost it.  I've been trying to call you since yesterday.

Chaco:  Yah, I don't really use my phone much?

Me:  Especially if it's got no battery...

Chaco:  Heh...

Me:  I thought you guys had a phone in the room.

Chaco:  Yeah, those aren't hooked up.

Me:  That's what the desk guy told me.  He said they would send someone up?

Chaco:  Yeah, the cops came *snicker*

Me:  WHAT?!

Chaco:  I guess it's considered a security issue when someone doesn't answer their phone.

Me:  Oh sheesh.  Well, there's a lesson for you to KEEP  YOUR  PHONE  CHARGED.

Chaco:  Yeah.  Heh

Me:  So, when you wanna go vacuum cleaner shopping?

...........

I talked with Chaco on Thursday and he mentioned wanting to get a small vacuum cleaner for the area rug he recently got.  I thought this weekend would be a good time, so called him.  Or tried.  Those guys communicate through their computers.  I don't know how.  It's not skype.

Maybe I should find out.
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Silver Liningness Sunday

It was a busy, relaxed, snowy, cold, warm, sunshiney week.  Good thing I like variety!

As I mentioned, I got to "closure" this week on the teacher licensing program I was considering.  Next steps are to sign up for Old Lady classes for summer and hunt around for some scholarship/grant money.  I plan to cut back on the tutoring and just do test prep tutoring once I finish up with the couple of non-test prepper students I currently have.  On that note, I'd like to give a shout out to my crossing guard job, which does provide a steady trickle of cash flow and allows me to be picky on the tutoring jobs.

I'd been wavering between going down the teaching path or back to the engineering path for a couple of years now.  Either way, I knew I'd need some supplemental schooling and wanted to make the "right" decision, hence the wavering.  Earlier this year, I started doing some tutor related work in cahoots with a local high school assistant principal.  She's probably the one to thank for "showing me the light". When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.  Literally!

In other somewhat related news, looks like Wolfgang is honing in on his post high school plans.  The applications went out, acceptance letters returned, and he's opting to attend the local university where Chaco is.  Can't say I'm disappointed in his choice.

But enough with higher learning!  The week started out cold and snowy, then March came in like a sweet cuddly lamb.  I'm able to get around quite gleefully on the bicycle without worrying too much about the embarrassment of a crash, because really, it's all about the embarrassment of being seen crashing and not the physical ramifications!

In movie news, Magnum and I watched Safety Not Guaranteed which we both liked.  It's quirky, and the characters are fun.  It's lighthearted but also makes you think.  If you could go back in time, within this lifetime, where would you go?  Why?

more cat to love

So another good week gone by.  Spring will be here soon.  Relax in a good place.









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Silver Liningness Sunday

Another good week is in the books.  It started out with arctic temperatures, but ended up in the 50's with us wanting more snow.

Yesterday, I was sitting here drawing and Magnum kept rounding people up to go see a baby golden eagle out behind our house.  I was all, "pffffftttt... baby eagle.  Probably just a hawk".  Finally, I had to go check and By Gum!  I think he was right.



Not quite a baby, but not full grown either.  Probably an adolescent recently booted from the nest.  We could see it really well with the pornographic binoculars, but my camera is crap.  A non-crap camera is tops on my "want" list.




And speaking of kids booted from the nest, Chaco FINALLY goes back to the dorm this weekend.  Was that a long break or what?!  He's been out since mid-December, and has been climbing the walls the last couple of weeks.  We had to knock him out and remove four big teeth just to liven things up for him.  So, once again, I'm glad his university is right here in town and that getting him back there is relatively easy.  I'm also glad he badly wants to go back.  So far, so good grade-wise.

Also this week, one of the local high schools contacted me about doing some training for their Juniors.  This school is in an "underprivileged" district, and it was so refreshing to meet with educators and administrators that really have a passion for their work. On top of that, one of the teachers I met ended up hiring me to tutor her daughter over the next few weeks.  Cool!

Over the last few weeks, I'd been buried in paperwork dealing with rewards programs, changing insurance agents, rebates, and the like.  This week, all of our refunds, rewards, and rebates came flooding in.  Yay for fat checks!  Sometimes, I think these companies bank on people just not wanting to do the paperwork.  Sorry to disappoint them.  Not.
.

visions of sugarplums

Aaahh, I think our cold snap has finally snapped.  For now.  It was a balmy 25 degrees this morning at "The Office", and it felt like about 50 after the last couple of days.

Yesterday afternoon, during a blustery 20 degree commute, Meego came walking by the crosswalk on his way home from his bus stop.  He was wearing his typical "uniform" of cargo shorts and light pullover.

"Where's your big jacket?", I asked, thinking he must've left it at school.

"At home", he answered while hopping around.

"Well, you're supposed to wear that stuff on days like today.  Long pants might help too", sarcastically.

"This morning, the thermometer said thirty-seven degrees", he replied.

"Thirty-sev...?!?  This morning it was three  POINT  seven degrees!", I clarify

Then he did that perplexed look, eyes up and to the left, that says, "hmmm... that's entirely possible".

Sheesh, this from the kid who got the math award last quarter?  Oh well, he survived.  Meanwhile, it's probably too late to head off the calls the middle school made to Child Protective Services.

In other survival stories, we seemed to have successfully pulled off Operation Wisdom Teeth Liberation for Chaco yesterday.  I was cast in the prestigious role of Designated Driver.

They'd said that the entire appointment would last about an hour, and that was surprisingly accurate.  Since I was "required" to hang around, I brought my work bag along with the novel I'm currently reading.  I pretended to do a bit of work stuff, never cracked open the novel, and mostly just caught up on waiting area Reader's Digest.

After the procedure was finished, I was led to a groggy Chaco who said, "MMF FFFMM  MFFFMMMFFM".

"I can't understand a word your saying", I answered.

"FFMMM WWFFMMM  FFFMM IFFF  FFMMMWFW", he continued.

"I still can't understand a word you're saying", I continued.

"MMMMFF FFMMWWMMM...."  and so on...

Eventually, his speaking ability returned.  Everything seems to be healing up as expected.  We went shopping for "old man food" last night.  He's not pleased that the pound cake he was so looking forward to is mostly gone already.

Having never been "under", I asked him about the anesthesia experience.

"AH WOE  UH EN..."  Oh never mind that, I'll just translate what he sort of said.

He said he remembered waking up in the middle of the procedure and could feel a sensation of one of his teeth being removed.  The ceiling tiles (white) were blue.  The light was blue.  The people standing over him were blue.  Then he went back to sleep.

Made me wonder.  Were The Smurfs inspired by a drug high?
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Silver Liningness Sunday

Another great week down!  This week, top billing goes to Chaco.  He turned a whopping 19 yesterday.

How can it be that he's 19 already, and yet I haven't aged one bit since his arrival?! (SHUT  UP).

However that works, Happy Birthday!!






In other weekly good things, it was nice to get back to being a responsible citizen after the long winter break.     To help commemorate, I finally got around to getting a much needed haircut.  Gads, the feral woman look is not a good one for me.

And I've been making strides at clearing out old stuff and getting somewhat organized.  Of course, that's an ongoing hobby of mine, but the Christmas season always spurs some good activity.  Nice to have sold the cargo trailer too.  To a nice artist, no less!

And I think Wolfgang and Meego were glad to get back to school.  I know that January is technically the beginning of the year, but my year tends to go on the school schedules, both at work and at home.  Winter break marks the midpoint, and each kid is enjoying the school year and holding his own grade-wise.

In a somewhat related note, remember my student with dyslexia?  I was working with him to prepare for his college entrance exams, and I learned quite a bit about dyslexia while doing so.  He got his scores back last week, and he did GRRREAT!  I knew he had it in him.  Ha!  Take THAT, dyslexia!

Have a great week, and stay warm!
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wisdom of youth

Our family dentist is a hoot.  If I were to meet him somewhere outside of dentistry, I doubt I would guess that as his profession.  I know that there are several hoops to jump through just to get IN to dental school, then one must get THROUGH it.  The dentists I've known before, while friendly, have been rather serious types.

But our current dentist is Extrovert with capital "E", fast talking about nearly everything under the sun.  A little over a year ago, he was giving me a crown.  Just before he popped the thing into my head and sealed it there for all time eternal, he dropped it on the floor!  Utilizing the 5-second rule, he quickly plopped it into some sort of solution and affirmed, "Don't worry, this stuff kills everything known to man, I'm surprised it's even legal!", in his characteristically entertaining way.

I've never had troubles with that crown.  I guess there was nothing unknown to man on that procedure room floor.

I've gotten used to his goofiness and find it refreshing in a dentist, because he's also shown himself to be quite competent.  I just have to listen carefully since he talks so fast and so much.  Last summer, he was telling me about his reactions while watching the latest Batman movie and asking me about my shoes when, somewhere in the middle of all that, he recommended that Chaco get his wisdom teeth pulled very soon.

Oh... what?  Dental stuff??

We didn't get around to the wisdom teeth extraction in time for the start of classes, so one of the "bucket list" items for winter break is to get 'er done .  This morning, Chaco and I spent about an hour at the oral and maxillofacial place doing consultation and consent stuff.

As is usual, a portion of that time was spent just waiting.  I decided the view out the window was nice so captured it here.


Find The Element?


I suppose the mountains were pretty too, burn scar and all.






I've never had my wisdom teeth removed.  It seems to be nearly a rite of passage for the college-aged, but I'm keeping mine!  I need all the wisdom I can get.
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Silver Liningness Sunday

The air is still heavy with Sandy Hook, but it does help me to feel gratitude.  For one thing, the universal shock, disbelief, and sense of tragedy is in itself a good thing.  It's when this sort of thing is no longer so shocking that we've really lost our humanness.

So, I reflect on the goodness of the week just past.  For one, Chaco is home for his long winter break.  Evidence abounds:

"Chaco Central" was quickly set up in the ManCave, pretty much taking up the entire surface of the project table... and a few square feet of floor space.

And we can't overlook the obstacle challenge of getting anything out of the coat closet.













The Ellie Mae has been with us for one week now, and I continue to just love her.  What a fun and friendly little vehicle!  One of our bargaining chips was that she needed some new tires.  I took her to our shop of choice to get her all decked out.  Those guys down there know me all too well, greetings of "Hey (cashflow) Abby!" when I step in the door.  It's a wonder they haven't gotten me one of those lovely shirts with my name on the lapel with all the time (is money) I'd spent there with the Subaru.  No offense, but I hope to be seeing much less of them now.

My tutor matching service did a "Twelve Days of Christmas" promo for the first 12 days of December.  Each day, one tutor and one student that had a lesson that day were chosen for something from the gift shop.  Well, I didn't win, wasn't chosen on any day, but it was still fun to check each day.  They're an enjoyable and user friendly group to work with, and I don't need a water bottle/t-shirt/hat/other propaganda anyway.

In other employment gratitude, I'm grateful for my crossing guard job.  As far as "moonlighting" activities go, it's a privilege to work with the elementary kids and their families, as reminded from Friday's events.  Friday afternoon's traffic was solemnly well behaved.  I guess drivers realized, for a while anyway, that maybe an elementary school crossing isn't so inconvenient after all.

I also got a small raise.  Don't tell them, but I'd do it for free.
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the more they stay the same

I had to go to the Principal's office this morning.

It was time to review for the mid-year employee goals review.  A review review, if you will.  As many I'm sure can imagine, this is a rather lengthy process for crossing guards.  SO many different areas to cover.  I must have been there for 12 whole minutes!  Seven hundred twenty +/- seconds of my life, including the idle chit chat.

Since I don't work on actual school grounds, I think of myself as more like a moon of the school.  When I do go a-visiting, I need a little recalibration to get into disciplined school mode rather than that of the ruffian outpost.

A highlight component of these visits is to play "What's In Abby's Mailbox Now?", since I check the thing 3, maybe 4 times a year.  Let's have a look!

Aside from various pieces of paper with boring but required text for public employees, I managed to find a few goodies.

First was a sweet birthday card from the Principal and Vice Principal.  Then was a very mass-produced looking but still appreciated birthday card from the district Superintendent.

Finally, a large bar of chocolate fell on my head (my mailbox is top shelf), labelled "First Aid Chocolate". Along with that came tumbling down a lovely resistance band as "Thank you for promoting a drug free and healthy school", complete with instructions for use.

My job-related goals have not changed from last time.  Keep the school kids from being threatened or maimed on the way to school, all the while exuding a cheerful and helpful representation of the school.  Sign here, date there.

In other midyear news, I must retrieve Chaco later today.  This could be titled "The Retrieval of Chaco in Two Acts", since the first act was Wednesday.  His finals were over, and he wanted to pack up and ship off most of his stuff so as to clean the dorm room as required.  Once again, I'm glad for the convenience of him going to college so nearby.  What is an all day or more event for some college parents is just another errand for us.

The Ellie Mae and I arrived ready for whatever he had to dish out, including much teasing of The Ellie Mae.  

Act I was a success, and I will return for the final act later today.  While it's been several years since I was in college, I can report that, if Chaco's University is any indication, the "happy penis" remains the college campus snow sculpture of choice.

The more things change...
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moving day

The eagle has landed.  Or something like that.

We packed Chaco off to college today.  It seemed somewhat less traumatizing than others I know doing the same thing with their little freshmen.  Chaco's campus is about a 15-minute drive from our house.

Wolfgang came along, maybe to get a feel for college life, so I was banished to the small space in the backseat among the bags, boxes, and baskets o' stuff.

Once we arrived, we needed to hike up to the check-in building...

... where there was the inevitable line.  At a university so known for it's state-of-the-art tech, why were we still having to do the stand-in-line-to-get-a-bunch-of-paperwork bit?  Oh well, we compliantly fell in.

It wasn't all that bad, and once we made it through the check-in, things went relatively quickly.  We were able to pull the car up closer to the dorm to unload.  Thank GOD, because I thought we would have to lug stuff up that hill like Sherpas.

Another nice surprise were volunteer students hanging around waiting to help people carry their crap.  I took all my inner whining that I did while standing in that check-in line back.  I hung back with 3 girls/beasts of burden that seemed to be carrying the most heavy things.  I decided I wouldn't mention to Chaco that his hard drive had been lugged to the dorm by a couple of girls in flip flops.

Two of Chaco's suite mates, including his buddy Andrew, were already getting situated.  The second guy was pleasingly nerdy from a mom point of view.  While I was wondering about when, where, and how they would eat, their main concern was the TV situation and what gaming platforms they had at their disposal.  I don't expect much rowdy partying from this bunch.

So, we've made it passed phase 1, and things seem to be going according to plan.

I miss him already.
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