the bithentennial

My fellow Americans, hope you all had an enjoyable 4th of July however you celebrate. 250 years young.

I, for one, am old enough to have been around and remember the bicentennial in 1976. My main memory of that celebration was that, at school, we took a special class picture in the spring. We were told to dress in red, white, and blue.

JUST prior to that photo shoot, I had broken my two front teeth in a glorious skateboarding incident. I put on a fave red, white, and blue button-down shirt and took up my place in the far right of the front row. Several of my classmates - part jokingly, but not really - gave me pointers on how to "smile" for the photo. Basically, they said not to.

I recall my two front teeth being a jagged mess. I didn't know what to do with my face for photos. In fact, other than the x-rays at the dentist, I doubt any other photos of me were taken during my "toothless era" .

It wasn't until I was seated among my classmates, facing the photographer, that I realized I should've come up with a face strategy rather than put all my efforts into what to wear. 

Then *FLASH*, the deed was done. 

The result was not awful, I suppose. My fellow middle-schoolers and I, in our red, white, and blue, flanked by American flags, holding a "1776 ~ 1976"  banner. There I was on the end of the first row, my face slightly turned, giving a side-eye, mouth slightly opened in a confused not-really-a-smile. 

I no longer have that photo, but I can picture it in my brain. In hindsight, my look was much like this now-famous meme kid, except brunette with worse teeth.

Now, here we are, 50 years later. If any kid found themselves in a similar circumstance this year, how lucky are they?? The look is all the rage.

My timing was off by just 50 years.

ex encounters, nice hands, pain

Magnum and I were out at a coffee shop this morning. I noticed a couple of women walking in, and did a brief glance up. There was a nanosecond of eye contact recognition before I quickly looked away. One of them was none other than my ex. 

Yeah, my ex hair stylist. 

Several months ago, I mentioned here about [a weird haircut experience]. It was weird enough that I'd  decided not to go back and to find a different salon, even though I'd been going only to this same stylist for over two years. I've since found another stylist - great location, easy going atmosphere, very reasonably priced - and all is well in my hair world. 

I figured the ex wouldn't really notice my absence. She has a fairly large clientele, and all I ever got were cuts. No dye jobs, no other treatments. Get in, get out, every coupla months. But in that nanosecond of eye contact at the coffee shop, I feel quite sure she recognized me and probably thought, "Hey, that's what's-her-face", and then realized "She hasn't been in for quite a while". 

Had I still been going to her for cuts, I would surely have stopped and chatted a bit this morning, asked about her holidays, the family, etc. As it was, I continued whatever I was talking about with Magnum. The ex was wearing eyeglasses, which she didn't wear at the salon. I still recognized her, but could easily feign a Clark Kent phenomenon going on. Silly, I know. But it felt good to skedaddle outta there before things got awkward, ha!

In other news, I continue to celebrate Boxing Day by cleaning out a few unwanted items. Soon, I'll have enough for a thrift store drop-off. And I took down our sparse Christmas decorations yesterday.

We watched a couple of movies this weekend. [Watching the Detectives] is just goofy and quirky, starring Cillian Murphy and Lucy Liu.

Is it a romcom? I guess it's a romcom. 

We've been watching [Peaky Blinders] and are on the final (6th) season. So it was fun and interesting to see Cillian Murphy as someone SO So so different from Tommy Shelby!

Same great hands, though. Ever noticed what nice hands Cillian Murphy has? Well... I digress.

The other movie was [A Real Pain], both in title and in watching it. Okay, it's gotten favorable reviews, but it didn't do much for either of us. 

Only about an hour and a half lost, though.

Now, we're in the lull week between Christmas and New Years. The college is closed. I will stay out of trouble. Maybe I'll schedule a hair appointment.

fake blood and a weird haircut

Well this week, she was a busy one. Nothing specific, just into the homestretch of the semester at work and the beginning of a new PEO year. But my head's still above water. 

I worked last weekend and there was  law enforcement/ EMS training event going on on campus. One those things with "trauma victims" and various simulations. We were told a flight-for-life helicopter would be making an appearance, but by the end of our shift, we realized, no helicopter. We were promised a helicopter!

Also this week, I went in for a haircut. I've been going to the same stylist for a couple of years now. She does a good job and is reasonably priced. The salon is pretty laid back - professional but not snobby.

Each stylist has their own little cubby, partitioned off from the others. And it's not uncommon for the stylists to chat with each other across partitions. Sometimes, my stylist's college age daughter drops by and catches up for a while.

But this last time - tell me if this is weird. I'm there in the chair getting my haircut. Daughter comes by with a friend and shares greetings with my stylist while going to the breakroom. Then they come back out and some other dude comes in - not a college dude, but an older guy. Someone's husband? I dunno. He wasn't there to get a cut or anything, just stops in to shoot the shit.

So it's me in the chair, my stylist is working. Her daughter, daughter's friend, and weird older dude are just hanging around. Stylist is dropping hints now and then like, "Sorry, I can't visit much today, my schedule got backed up a bit..." And I'm there like I'm having my haircut at someone's backyard barbecue.

The trio isn't taking the hint, just keeps hanging around and visiting. I still have no idea why older dude is there. Honestly, I'm not sure why the 19-year-old daughter with a car hangs out at her mom's work either. Stylist says something like, "Sheesh, I feel like I'm being graded - everyone just watching me work, heh heh" *hint*hint*nudge*nudge*, and still they stick around.

In hindsight, I should've glommed onto that and said, "How do you think I feel?!" but I just remained there feeling awkward. They probably still wouldn't have gotten it anyway.

When she finished up, and I paid, she seemed to be giving me apologetic vibes with her eyes.

But it was weird. Was that weird?

sporting

"Okay, stupid question", I began, "Which ones are the Eagles?"

And so began my experience watching live professional hockey. We went to a Colorado Eagles (farm team for the Avalanche) game yesterday and watched them lose to the Calgary Wranglers. It was much fun, I hope to do it again - maybe not the losing part, but either way...

A few weeks ago, when we got together with Meego and Wolfgang, we somehow got on the subject of hockey. They both claimed it was fun to watch, while Magnum and I had never partaken. We learned that the guy who owns Meego's company is good friends with the guy who owns the Eagles, so employees typically have a number of tickets available to them for free as well access to the company's suite seating.

So Meego invited us to yesterday's game, and off we went. I figured it would be an educational field trip, which it was. Wolfgang got me up to speed with some basic rules - as well as pointed out which team was the Eagles - and I easily got into it. We actually didn't use the suite since the owner's kid was using it for a good sized crowd, but our gen pop seats were quite good.

It was fun watching it live, and the arena was awash with lots of positive energy - never a dull moment. I knew that fights often happen in hockey, but it was a bit shocking to see players haul off and punch someone in the face, live and in real time. 

A good time it was despite the Eagles losing 5-1. But I'm totally new to this and haven't developed team loyalty yet. 

Now here it is Christmas eve already. After watching that hockey game and noticing the players with missing teeth and understanding why, I've had that song "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" playing in my head.

I've mentioned here before that I murdered my two front teeth when I was 11 years old. I won't rehash the story now, but the key players were myself, a skateboard, and the street. I remember my loving grandma singing that song to me...
Brother Guano referred to me as "toilet teeth" after I got them fixed because the crowns were ceramic - the material of toilets. 

Yes, a formative time in my life. I imagine the teeth voids are more a badge of courage for hockey players. 

Whatever wished for this season, whether having to do with teeth or not,  I wish anyone reading the happiest of holidays!

Hawaii on a budget

I live near Greeley, CO, which gets a lot of flack from the rest of the state in general. It's about a 45-minute drive east of here and is known for its aroma as it is home to a large meat packing plant.  In fact, on days when the weather conditions are right, we here in Fort Collins get a good whiff of Greeley.

I bring it up because there is an episode of South Park where Greeley is described as "the exact opposite of Hawaii"

And this brings me back to a time in high school. The small coal mining town I lived in would be more the exact opposite of Hawaii than is Greeley, I'd say. 

That 40th class reunion I mentioned is coming up, it is to take place during the high school's homecoming weekend. I don't know what the kids do these days, but homecoming week when I was there included a series of "theme" days.

During my senior year, I recall one of the days being "Hawaiian Day" where we were to dress accordingly. My friend, Carolyn, and I didn't have anything particularly Hawaiian to wear, so we got a brainstorm and decided we would both wear towels as skirts - to resemble Hawaiian sarongs?

So I found the most sarong looking towel at home, paired it with a short sleeved top, clipped a little flower hair garnish, and set off to school for Hawaiian day. Once there, I remember Carolyn, adorned in this sort of house dress, slinking up to me at my locker, saying, "My mom wouldn't let me wear a towel to school!" The house dress was apparently her mom's.

Carolyn (right) and me, not at all Hawaii

So I spent the day of school walking around in a towel - more of a Hawaiian "so wrong". To clarify, I was wearing a pair of gym shorts underneath. 

Probably the most Hawaiian of my outfit were my flip flops and my tan.

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:

2. Tell us about a favorite school outfit that you thought you nailed.

finally

"B-b-b-but I NEED a private room, or else I'll have a major panic attack...", we were thusly warned.

Yes, we survived the last and most busy day of the semester yesterday. Final day of finals. 

So, I work at a testing center located on a college campus, but only about half of the tests we give are for the students. The others are "professional" tests dealing with professional licenses and certifications. They range anywhere from paramedics to school teachers to insurance agents to cybersecurity pros and everything in between. Seriously, I never knew there were SO many licenses and certifications. 

But on the final day of finals each semester, we shut everything down except for student tests. Only students with special accommodations - granted through Disability Services - come and test with us. They must demonstrate good reason for not taking tests in the class with everyone else. It seems like the list of accommodations grows each semester. 

So yesterday was a high anxiety day. It went pretty smoothly, all things considered. We managed to provide a private room to avoid the aforementioned panic attacker, even though they hadn't made the proper reservation. Better to just find a way.

The most common accommodation is extra time - either time and a half or double. I think that's mostly granted for dyslexia, but it's not our biz to know why a student gets a certain accommodation, we just know the what. 

But some students just straight up tell us what's up. There is an accommodation that says nothing more than "alternative test location" that addresses this meme:

One poor fellow told me this is exactly what happens to him while testing with the class. God forbid someone turn in their exam and leave with time remaining.

Anxiety is certainly an underlying factor with most students who test with us. Without the accommodation(s), they are unlikely to stay in school or even enroll in the first place.

I know a few of these students from my tutoring in the math center. I feel for them with their struggles as they show up for tests with that deer-in-the-headlights look. We sometimes question how they will do once they're out in the non-accommodating working world with their fresh degrees.

On the other hand, we suspect that a small handful of them played it up for the counselors. Sold them a line to get special treatment for testing, similar to what happened with some people involved in the Varsity Blues scandal.

Maybe they'll eventually enter politics and become rising stars. 

take your time

"Whew! I made it just in time!", she breathily declared

"There was never a doubt in my mind", I sleepily replied. But in all honesty, since about 3 minutes prior, I was kinda wondering.

I was scheduled to work this morning. We all have pretty regular Monday through Friday schedules, and Boss rotates us on Saturdays, when only two people work. As a testing center, we must have at least two people in place or we can't operate. It's never been an issue for as long as I've been there until recently.

Phi, my coworker this morning, has been showing up late with concerning frequency. Like two to two-and-a-half hours late. Our part-time shifts are typically 5 hours, so showing up over two hours late is quite noticeable.

She'd told boss that she wanted to work every Saturday in addition to her couple of weekly shifts, and that was fine until she got the case of the latelies. Push came to shove, and Boss told her no more Saturdays, we can't risk not being able to open. Today would be her last Saturday, and if that were to go belly up, her employment status would be on thin ice.

I like Phi. She has a full-time 2nd shift job, plus she teaches one class at the college. She's a newish addition to our team, and to me, she seems very responsible. The late shows seem out of character, but there they are. Plenty of them. She's told me she "likes to keep busy", hence her asking for every Saturday.

Anyway, I was happy she showed up (we had a plan B in place in case she didn't). I like her and I enjoy working with her. We had a rip roaring Saturday of invigilating. I really hope she keeps her act clean, and maybe she'll get some, if not all, Saturdays back.

Some other coworkers don't like Saturday duty - treat it like a school kid having to show up for punishing "Saturday School". They were happy when Phi asked for all of them, spreading out the rotation for the rest of us. 

I don't mind working Saturdays. First, it's a short shift - we're only open 4 hours, and I don't tutor on Saturdays. Second, campus is quiet, the morning commute is nearly traffic-free, the phone hardly rings, the work is steady but not overwhelming. Since I don't have kids' events to attend on Saturdays any more, and I don't have a habit of partying hard on Fridays, what's not to like?

So Phi lives to work another day.

Meanwhile, speaking of my life in the slow lane, how is it that cats know just where to quietly sit to be most intrusive?

All, "I'm just quietly sitting, what's the problem?"

Napolion, recently working on some "Catculus". 

where'd she go?

Happy Autumnal Equinox. We're having a fitting day of grey, damp, and drizzly.

We're running a bit lean at work these days. Coworker Kat left a couple of weeks ago. She'd wanted to work from home, and got a job as a crisis hotline counselor. I think it's a good fit for her as she has some experience in that area, and it's more along her interests. Kat could be daunting on first impression - over 6 ft. tall and big boned. But she has a most calming "aura" - a nice feature at a testing center.

I worked on Tuesday, and our last tester of the day started crying when I told her her time was up. 

She hastily gathered her test papers and materials and I could hear the snot forming, and thought, "here we go". 

I mean, it was a biology test...

Eesh. We get the criers sometimes, and I always feel a bit awkward. 

I was working with Assistant Boss, and we discussed how we're never quite sure how to handle the criers. 

He and I had one a few weeks ago that was so bad, we passed the buck to one of the mental health counselors down the hall. 

Poor girl just put her head down on the desk and bawled. 

I mean, it was a calculus test...

Okay, enough of the Dad Joke Puns.

Kat had given ample notice, and Boss hired a replacement who'd begun training with us. Then *BAM*, Boss got an email on Monday, "...not a good fit...blah blah blah...". That's it, she's gone, us left in the lurch. No notice, nothing.

So it was a bit of a shock, coming from a mature "professional". I honestly didn't get a chance to know her very well - only worked a few hours with her. However, Boss put the job posting up again and also put the word out around campus. Looks like a couple of part-time instructors will pick up extra hours with us. 

Fingers crossed, problem solved.

a most absorbing read

When some mishap happens (mishappens?), I usually try to look on the bright side. It can always be worse, right? 

So earlier this week, after my initial "*GASP* sh&t!", I began picturing worse things like

• the entire cup of tea
• milk instead of tea
• the loaded potato...

Okay, so the thing what happened...

Tuesday, I'd just come home from work.  It had been a somewhat long day, and I'd ridden my bicycle home with a blustery headwind bullying me the whole way.  Earlier, I'd picked up a library book from the campus library that I'd put on hold and had come up available. 

Once at home, I settled in, fixed a pot of hot tea, loaded up a baked potato snack, and began perusing the library book.  The book is "The Child Is the Teacher:  A Life of Maria Montessori".  Earlier in my mom career, I'd learned a bit about the Montessori method and felt supportive of it (although, our kids all went to public school).  I'd also had a tutor student who taught at a Montessori school.  She had interesting things to share.

But I'd never learned much about Maria Montessori herself.  This book is hot off the press and popped up in my "suggestions", and I thought I'd check it out and was happy to see that the local library had recently procured a copy.

So there I was, chilling at home with some hot tea, a savory potato, and a newly published hardcover library book, of which I'm probably the first person to ever check out.  

I think I got a text notification or something like that, and I stood up, tea mug in hand, to fetch the phone.  In so doing, I managed to dribble a bit of tea.

A dribble is all it takes.

That dribble of tea splatted onto the open pristine virgin page of the book.  I didn't even notice right away, but I turned back around and saw the page all splotched, wet, and wrinkly... NOOOoooooo!

I took a napkin and hoped to sop up the wetness in time.  Alas, the wrinkly splotch remained.  Next, I took my hair dryer to it on low cycle.  Mmmm, maybe dried it off, but the damage was done.  I closed the book and put it under a box of about 5 pounds and left it overnight.

This is what it looks like now.

Pretty noticeable?  Yeah?

The wrinkled pages are noticeable when the book is closed too.

Now, if his were MY book, one that I'd purchased for myself, I'd chalk it up to clumsy and move on.  Or if it were an older, previously enjoyed, worn-and-torn library book - fine. But it's a brand new library book!  

But if I think about it... Maria Montessori would probably be okay with it.  

Principle 5: Auto education

Auto education, or self-education...This is one of the most important beliefs in the Montessori method. Montessori teachers provide the environment, the inspiration, the guidance and the encouragement for children to educate themselves.

Welp, I guess I educated myself.  I wonder if the librarian will be happy about that?

I'll remind her that, at least it wasn't the loaded potato.

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:
3. Write a blog post inspired by the word: accident

I don't need many words with you

My teammates and I showed up on time, looking sharp - almost unrecognizable.  Greg, a typical "granola" in t-shirt, rock climber pants, and hiking shoes, was decked out in his best interview suit.  

However, George was probably the most transformed.  George had a punk hairdo - whitewalls buzzed on the sides and forming a V at the nape of his neck, tufted bangs up front - and always wore hefty black boots, black t-shirt, and black jeans or shorts over his muscular build.  But there he was in his Sunday-goin'-to-meetin'-clothes

Then there was me.  I usually wore jeans, maybe a polo shirt, (now vintage) Reebok freestyle hi-tops.  But I wore a suit that day as well.  It was senior project presentation day, one of my final acts as a college undergrad.  

Greg, George, and I were good friends during that semester of our senior design project.  We actually had a fourth teammate, Steve - a pretty frat boy who was absent for most of the work. He might have been there on presentation day, but is foggy in my memory of it now.  I do remember him apologizing for not doing anything and offering to type up the report.  The remaining three of us thinking, "how's he gonna type up the report, he doesn't know what happened?"

Our project was a cute success.  We presented it, got our "A", and went on to graduate and do other cute things.

For my part, I sucked.  I was up there in my suit and realized I had not honed my presentation skills.  

I really shouldn't have been nervous.  We were just presenting to our professor and fellow classmates.  I got through it, but it was not a cute success.  Looking back, engineering classes in general at that time didn't require much discussion during classes, let alone presenting in front of class.

Afterwards, I realized that, up until that point, I really hadn't had much experience with public speaking.  It just hadn't come up other than maybe a handful of times in high school?  For some club fundraiser or such?  I certainly hadn't had any formal training.

Once I became a working girl after college, one of the first trainings I signed up for was "Effective Presentation".  The class lasted maybe a week, and there were about six of us plus the instructor.  We learned and practiced presentation skills, made and watched big honking VHS video tapes of ourselves, and got better.  Sheesh, if only I'd known in college.

Later, when I was busily volunteer momming in elementary school, I noticed lots of class presentation type activities required of the students.  I thought, "Oh, good they include this stuff in school now".  And I think it continued into middle school.  Hopefully high school too.

Seeing those kids up there, presenting compelling stories or describing a favorite possession calmed my nerves for their futures at the lectern. 

But at least I could play a mean game of Spanish Bingo!

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Linking up with Mama Kat this week for the prompt:

2. Tell us about something you never learned in school but should have.

from my cold dead hands

Like many others, we're in a deep freeze.  We've had a few inches of snow to go along with it, but for the most part, it's almost "too cold to snow".

Back when we lived and worked in upstate NY, some new-college hires joined my work group and a couple of them were from California.  They'd never seen snow before and were intrigued at their first "real" winter.  

It did take a while for them to acclimate as I remember them wearing long johns under their work clothes and whatnot.  During one particularly cold stretch, Lucy commented that she thought there would be more snow with such low temperatures, to which a seasoned upstater commented, 

"Nah, it's too cold to snow".

Lucy became incredulous that "too cold to snow" was a thing.  To this day, I think of her huge-eyed reaction every time it's too cold to snow.  

Despite our current low temperatures and the work of dealing with it, I felt restless (it's a day off work for me) and went out to be among the people.  I went to the university library to maybe get a book, but really, it was just an excuse to get out.  I know agoraphobia is a real condition, and sometimes I wonder if I have its opposite?  Would that be "goraphobia"?  ( I googled, that's not a word).  Recall that agoraphobia is...

ag·o·ra·pho·bi·a

/ˌaɡərəˈfōbēə/

Learn to pronounce

noun

extreme or irrational fear of entering open or crowded places, of leaving one's own home, or of being in places from which escape is difficult.

Choose languageAfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBanglaBasqueBelarusianBosnianBulgarianBurmeseCatalanCebuanoChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKinyarwandaKoreanKurdishKyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMāoriMarathiMongolianNepaliNorwegianNyanjaOdiaPashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScottish GaelicSerbianShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSouthern SothoSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTatarTeluguThaiTurkishTurkmenUkrainianUrduUyghurUzbekVietnameseWelshWestern FrisianXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu

What if I crave open or crowded places?  Leaving my home?  That "from which escape is difficult" does not apply to me, however.

Well, I wouldn't categorize my restlessness as "extreme or irrational", so I'm not concerned.  And I don't hate my home, either.  I'm just not much of a homebody, I suppose. 

One upside of campus mask mandates is a lessened chance of being recognized by any of Meego's friends who know me when I escape to the university campus.  God forbid we  have, "Hey, Meego.  Yur MOM's at school...", poor guy.

And really, it's actually quite pretty out, if one is dressed for it.  

something strange in your neighborhood

It makes sense that we call the current season "Fall".  I totally get it now.  

I was out enjoying a lovely run this morning, before sunrise.  Best time of day, right?  The trees and their ancestors cohorted to take me out.

I was loping along this particular section of sidewalk, a particular section I've walked and jogged many a time before.  But the trees, they had it in for me 

The lovely sidewalk in the friendly daylight

It was early morning, it was dark.  There are streetlights interspersed along the road, but those Ash trees are so good and providing shade...

Then there's the friendly fences that create a nice boundary between the public and private properties.  The trees talked to the fence... or the fence talked to the trees.  I dunno, but whoever's idea it was, I bit it.

I was moving along my merry way down the sidewalk, had entered the under-canopy of those tree friends.  I could make my way just fine in the temporary darkness.  Then,

wham-blam! (or something like that).  I was on the ground.

Realizing I was no longer upright, I sought the reason.  Oh fine, a slat from a section of fence had broken free and landed crosswise in the sidewalk.  A ghost of trees past, it's the only explanation.  My knobby knees and knobby shoulder we're its main victims.

In the end, no real harm done.  Coupla skinned knees, little shoulder abrasion, and a slightly tweaked rib near my right boob/underarm (heaven knows I've not got a lot of padding in that particular region). I got up and finished runnin' the route and took the "poor me" photo of the knee wounds when I got home.  

Have a nice trip, see ya next fall!

Coulda been a lot worse... as in... so glad no one saw me.

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:

6. Write about a time you thought there was a ghost.

to hug or not to hug

It's been a minute since I visited my space here.  I decided to open up my tutoring biz for a little side gig income streaming, and it didn't take long for the requests to trickle in.  I took on three students before closing the request door again.  Nice kids, all.  Two local seniors, one online junior.  Keeping me maybe a little too busy.

One of the locals, I'm pretty sure, has ADHD.  "Slow down and focus, Betty.  FoCUs!" (her name's not Betty).  I've had ADHD tutees before, and they are a challenge.  Helps me sympathize and appreciate not having that particular disorder.

But I do enjoy the work and was worried about my brain turning mushy from not doing it.  Now that COVID restrictions aren't so limiting, I like having the option of meeting in-person again.  

I don't go to people's homes and instead meet locals at libraries or such.  WAAAY back when I first started tutoring for a test prep company, we were advised against tutoring in homes.  If we did go to a student's house, a "responsible adult" had to be present because there are scammers/ opportunists who might claim something happened that never did.

Personally, I think students typically do better if they have to get their stuff together, get properly dressed, and leave the house to meet.  Even meeting online isn't so bad since they need to have their materials ready in one spot and login to an account.

So scammers and opportunists aside, the handful of times I did go to someone's home, I quickly grew tired of students who didn't have their stuff ready, who'd maybe just crawled out of bed, sat eating a meal or snack during tutoring, interacted with their pets... yeah, no.  Not doing it.

One of my coworkers has also worked as an adjunct instructor at the college.  He told me about a female student who once came to him in tears, asking if she could do a make up of a test she'd missed. With broken sentences she explained having "a lot going on right now", and feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all.

He told me he interrupted her speech and just gave her a hug "because she really seemed to need one".

And I was thinking, "Ooooh, Steve, nooooo".  

I get that she probably did need a hug, but not from her college instructor?  Her older male college instructor?  

So it got me thinking.  I wouldn't hug a high schooler, but I have had college students who were grown ass adults and nearly my age and almost on "friend" terms.  Hugs though?  Female student maybe, men, hmmm, no.  

Steve thinks it was the right thing, so maybe it was.  Every situation is different.  Steve also says he has ADHD.  

Oh, look, a squirrel!

  

advantages of social distancing

Summer is winding down.  We're getting hints of fall, then we get hit with another day in the 90s.  But at least we don't get hurricanes in these parts.

One day last summer, I noticed a new sign on one of the bike paths, showing a "COVID Bike Route ↑", and I wondered, "What the heck's a COVID bike route?"

I learned that it's a bike route that is particularly wide so we don't breathe on each other too much while passing.  I'm wondering if someday things like these signs, chains of separation on buses, etc. will end up in the Smithsonian or in some COVID museum.  

...or will they just become the usual?

A couple of weeks ago at this same intersection, I pulled up behind a couple of middle-agers on bicycles - man and woman.  I thought I recognized the man right away as the guy we bought our house from.  The woman was probably his wife.

They're a nice enough couple.  I've mentioned that the house we bought was a rental when we moved in, and we ended  up buying it from our landlords.  So we'd known them in that capacity and had a pretty casual negotiation in buying the house.  

Most of our tenant dealings had been with the wife even though her husband was the sole owner of the house.  I found her very easy to get along with.  

The husband is also a nice guy, but there's just... something... about him.  Hard to put my finger on it.  He's a bit cartoonish, for lack of a better term.  Physically big and talks a lot without saying much.  But in a very friendly way.

So I approached them from behind as they were stopped at the intersection, waiting for the signal to go.  I kept my distance as I slowed in order to politely social distance on the COVID route avoid having to chat with them.  

Yes, admittedly, I hoped they wouldn't recognize me lest I get hooked in to a long drawn out chit chat of small talk.  Honestly, I would think they preferred to avoid that too.  It was a Friday afternoon.  I'm guessing they took the day or afternoon off of work to enjoy a bike ride together.  They didn't need a rental-tenant-turned-property-buyer to interrupt their "date".  

Plus, the dude was without a shirt, which I found a bit off putting.  I mean, the guy's a big man in his late 50s/ early 60s.  There's certainly no law against it, but shirts are our friends.  Add that to his inclination toward effusive talking, and I decided I'd prefer to avoid being recognized.  

Once we got the signal to proceed, I dingled my bell and made a wide pass of the couple like any old stranger on the bike path - hoping the helmet and dark glasses make us all look alike anyways.

Glad it was the COVID route.

what I did at summer camp

It's probably been around 30 years since I was last in Winter Park, Colorado.   Well, before this week anyways.  We just got back from a few days in the mountains, and I didn't turn on a computer the whole time.  Miss me?  Even notice I was gone?

We planned a family trip several weeks ago, and the stars actually aligned so that all five of us could hang out.  So I've been in and out of a mountain cabin for the last few days.  I'd like to say we enjoyed fresh air and sunshine, but various big wildfires out-performed the fresh air part.  Plenty of sunshine, though!

Obligatory sitting-around-on-vacation pic:

Don't mind the small blemish on my left shin.  I did a much better job on the right shin when we spent the day at Trestle Bike Park.  Trestle is a mountain bike resort with miles and miles of mountain bike trails.  The nice part is, you can ride a gondola to the top, so you're mostly riding your bike DOWNhill.  Weeeeeeeeeee!

Wolfgang is the most experienced mountain biker of the bunch and has been to Trestle before.  The rest of us noobs got to experience it for the first time.  

Meego and whatsherface.  Who wore it better?

It's one thing to snap a pic at the base of the gondola, another thing to get back down the mountain.  Just call me "hashtag slow and awkward"!  Nonetheless, I've got to say, it was fun!  Magnum and I stuck with repeatedly riding on one green trail in particular, aptly named "Green World".  It was great because it went for miles and miles without getting too technical.   

One of Wolfgang's friends joined us on Trestle day, so those two did their thing on the more advanced trails.  Meego and Chaco hung out with Magnum and me for a bit, but pretty much left us in the dust and did their own thing.  

And it wouldn't be a noteworthy day at the bike park without some body damage, right?  Meego was the first of us to do an over-the-handlebars move resulting in a bit of road hash and some bike blemishes.  But he was back to it in true 20-year-old fashion.  

Later on, Magnum hit a highly technical berm and ended up flying off the bike (translation:  he tripped exiting the gondola)

Finally, I attempted a particularly gnarly feature, and ended up sending it off the trail and into the foliage (translation:  I pulled my slow @ss over to let an adolescent pass me, and ended up dumping my bike).

Successful first trip to the bike park!

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:

4. Write a blog post inspired by the word: damage

almost wordless wednesday

My face when I go to the bike shop because a lever on my bicycle is not moving and so the thing it controls is not activating and the technician pushes on the lever and suddenly everything works just fine and he says maybe it just had a kink in the cable but I think he says that to make me feel less silly and then he returns to the important repair job I interrupted and I also realize that I'm wearing a t-shirt from a different bike shop.

fashion fail?

I walked into the place, thinking I could just leave my jacket on and maybe no one would notice.  But, it was so hot in there!

Okay, screw it, I took the jacket off.  Who would care?

I didn't bring it up.  She didn't bring it up.  Did she notice?  I think she noticed.  

She reminded me that I should've been there last week.  It wasn't a reprimand.  I explained that I knew, but had a last minute thing.  Was it a reprimand?  She's usually so friendly...


I've mentioned that I get injections for my allergies.  Since we moved, the old clinic shipped my shot juice to the new clinic, and all is good. I go every couple of weeks, and the new clinic is very nice and friendly.  Yay, everyone is happy.

It also happens that the new clinic is located within a large medical complex affiliated with a specific hospital.  It also happens that I started a new job working for a competing hospital just down the road from the medical complex where I get my allergy shots.

Well, how convenient, I'll just stop in on my way  home from work to get my shots.  I planned on doing that last Friday, but alas, I had a flat tire that became the priority.  No biggie, I decided to get injected after work yesterday.

Except, I forgot to bring a change of shirt. 

See, I wear a uniform top at the new job.  Nothing flashy, but it does have the logo and name of the hospital embroidered near the left lapel, hence, me bringing a change of shirt on shot days...

... which I forgot to do yesterday.  But I still wanted to stop in for my shots, so I did, feeling a bit like that Chick-fil-A van in the Popeye's drive thru.

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:

2. Tell us about a recent mistake you made.

toilets, leaking snot, and some more ink

A few weekends ago, my P.E.O. chapter threw a highly successful wine and cheese social/fundraiser/auction.  It was a good bash with good food and wines, and we made double what we made last year.  I've got a hankering for cheese and wine as I type...

As publisher of our newsletter last month, I had intended to include a few photos of the shindig.  Guess who forgot to take any photos 😑.

Typical.  

So  I emailed all of the members who were in attendance, asking if any of them snagged some shots.  Nope.  Not a one.  Well, we just chalked it up to having too  much fun wining and cheesing and auctioning to snap photos.  

Similarly, this past weekend, Magnum and I went up to college town to visit with Wolfgang and Meego.  Chaco even joined us for a while on Sunday.  Photos of our activities?  Nope.

This was the only shot I got of our weekend away.  Yes, it's of our hotel bathroom:

I snapped it because I thought I'd record the strange layout.  See, I'm not a "statuesque" woman, but I'm also not a shorty.  At 5'5", I'm pretty average, with probably longer than average arms.  Gotta say, that toilet paper roll was quite a stretch.

So there, that's my weekend in pictures.

Actually, we had a nice time.  Weather was perfect.  College town has so many good restaurants and breweries.  It's a good thing it's rated platinum for bicycling, or several residents (and visitors) would be obese.

I did manage to stick to my vegetarian ways.  There is much more to the veggie life than salad.

My overall caloric intake was also probably helped by the fact that my mouth is still recovering from my tooth excavation of last week, so I ate more daintily than typical.  That portabello mushroom sammich was just as delicious eaten with a fork, though.  Wish I had a pic...

The oral surgeon told me I may get water in my nose when I drink or may have blood in my nose from the tooth hole since my sinus has a hole in it now, too.  He did not mention that snot would continuously seep into my mouth from the tooth hole, but that's been a LoVelY side effect as well that makes total sense.  It's still allergy season for me, and it's like my allergies know I have a tooth hole to have fun with.

Okay, this post has become way too much about toilets and TP and draining snot through tooth holes...

The other random update is that I've somehow managed to keep my head above water on the Inktober challenge of 2019.  I have to remind myself that it's not about being perfect or even great, just about touching pen to paper every day, so there's that.  Here are the latest.

Wolfgang is also participating, and it's fun to see his submissions.  He has fallen a bit behind, and that's because he clearly has more of a life than I do.

Florida man

On Friday, I went to our financial place to roll my lunch lady 401k over to my IRA since I'm not a lunch lady anymore.  The place was busier than usual, and I chalked that up to Friday being the first nice day after a string of wintry days.  At least some kids took advantage of their snow day in May...

SOURCE

... since there's a slim chance of getting another opportunity to make a "Happy Last Week of School!" snowman.

So I sat among the others - one man, one woman, both around my age I'd guess - waiting their turns.  As soon as I entered the waiting area, the man chimed up, like he was our host or something.  He announced to me and the other woman that he was there to cash in his 401K and move to Florida. 

He went on talking, without our urging him to do so, about how he'd had a "vision".  In this vision, he saw himself walking along a beach, and he was financially independent.  He had no idea how he'd become financially independent, but he was convinced the vision was true and a sign for him to cash in his savings and relocate to Florida. He was putting his "faith in the vision above his faith in the world".

As he spoke, I sensed that he was... a little off.  Maybe a bit mentally challenged?  Autism spectrum?  He made a lot of references to his parents, particularly his mom, and made it clear that he still lived with them.  Additionally, he actually told us the amount of his 401K, which was relatively small.  And I'm pretty sure he wasn't old enough to withdraw it without penalty.

Strangely, he seemed to be directing his sermon primarily to me.  I glanced to the other woman who was all

While, on the inside, I was feeling all

Eventually he was called to speak with someone.  Shortly afterward, I took care of my rollover and left. 

I'm kind of wondering if the guy will actually go through with his plan.  As he spoke, he told us he'd had a total of five visions in his lifetime.  He followed the message of three of them, and they'd all come true.  This financially-independent-walking-on-the-beach was number 5.  Okay, so what of the fourth one?

Never mind, I don't want to know.

Ever had a vision that didn't make sense?  Or an "omen" that did?  How'd it work out for you?

saving the bacon

It seemed to happen in slow motion.  My life passed before my eyes in what, to the outsiders, was probably a second or two. One minute, I was dutifully rolling a large cart out of the walk-in freezer.  The next, I was battling for my life.

Okay, that's a bit overly dramatic, but still.

I've mentioned I've been working part-time for the food service provider for our school district.   I'm a lunch lady.  Several factors landed me there:

• I took a job at a high school that assured me a math teaching spot for next year.
• During my time there, I realized I have no desire to work at a public high school.
• In the meantime, I also realized I'm getting burnt out on tutoring.
• I finished my graduate degree in 2016, but it's difficult to pop right back into the profession I left
• I haven't worked in the field for about 20 years
• The bulk of positions where we live are government defense related, in which I'm not interested, nor do I have required clearances.
• We're seriously considering moving in a year or so after our nest is emptied, so I'm not sure I want a "Real Job" right now.

So, part-time lunch lady it is for now.  The schedule is ideal, commute is great, co-workers have similar backgrounds to mine, keeps me productive, provides some fun money...

As expected, life in a commercial kitchen is quite different than the kitchen at home.  The main thing is that everything's bigger.  Bigger ovens, bigger fridges, bigger volumes of food being stored, cooked, and consumed.

Enter the freezer cart.  Put cold stuff in there, and it stays pretty cold throughout the day.  It's basically a narrow fridge on wheels

A representative freezer cart.
Our story's is about a 6 feet tall, 2 feet wide steel monster

The cart was full of bounty for the next day:  chicken patties, tater tots, french fries, bacon... typical diet of the standard North American middle schooler.  I had stowed it into the walk-in freezer earlier.  And then...

Sysco guy showed up.  Sysco guy showed up, leading to my near-demise

I was asked to remove the cart from the freezer for Sysco guy to load his delivery.  It was late in the workday, so we were hurrying... *music of doom goes here*

There is a small ramp leading into and out of the freezer.  At the top of the ramp is a strip of metal reinforcement.  A strip of metal reinforcement that has been bent upward over time, and mainly  serves as an unplanned speed bump / tripping strip.  

Because of said tripping strip, I typically back the cart out of the freezer in a slow controlled motion.  But Sysco guy showing up late in the workday wasn't typical.  

I backed the cart out willy nilly (pardon the technical jargon) rather than slow and controlled.  Freezer cart then did a nice demonstration of the laws of physics.  One wheel caught on the tripping strip and stopped its forward motion while the rest of the cart tried to continue on its way.  

This sent the whole kit and caboodle tipping over, heading straight for me in an unfriendly downward motion.  Several pounds of cart, chicken patties, tater tots, fries, and bacon.  The event took about one second, but for me, time stood still while I was all...

...except less attractive and wearing eyeglasses.

I managed to catch the cart with my hands, but also with my face, while it managed to continue to push me backwards and became free of the tripping strip.  Somehow, we both made it out of the freezer in upright positions.  My eyeglasses, however, were forced into retirement.  No damage to the lenses, just totaled the frames and left a slight war wound/goose egg on the right side of my face.  Slight goose egg was gone by morning, and I'd gotten my frames replaced.  

Like I've told my tutor students, mistakes are a good thing.  They're one of the best ways we learn.  I'm ready for that cart now.

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Linking up with Mama Kat this week for the prompt

5. Tell the story of a mistake made in the kitchen.