Found this hokey test at my friend Identity Mixed's blog....check it out here
I had theological issues with 1/2 the questions, I clicked "strongly disagree" so many times that I'm surprised it didn't come back saying I was Jewish! :) HA!
Here are my scores....doesn't appear that I'm "spiritually gifted" - oh well. There are worse things!
Following are the top three results of your Spiritual Gifts Test:
Score Spiritual Gifts Scripture Reference
67% Servant/Helps Acts 6:2-4
67% Leadership Hebrews 13:7
67% Hospitality Acts 16:14-15
This test reminded me of a conversation I had with a pastor of church in OK. We were both serving for a week as chaplains at Dwight Mission, a PCUSA Camp and Confrence Center in Sallisaw, OK. This was my 3rd summer at Dwight and it was his first. He was an oldish guy - prob in his 50s. A few weeks after camp I was moving to Northern VA to go to grad school to get my masters in Education. We were discussing this move and he said "I really think you need to stay open, I think God is going to call you to the ordianed ministry" I replied "God is calling me loud and clear, he wants me to teach in America's public schools. God calls people to things other than ordained ministry." I don't recall his comment after that, I think he just shut up. I mean really, who the h*ll is he to tell me what God wants? I know he's a pastor and all but really?
Maybe my "spriutal gift" is pissing off people with spiritual gifts?
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Theses are the Cars of our Lives
My blog buddy Tal
wrote a post all about his history in cars so, since he asked about his readers cars and my comment got out of control so I decided to make it's own post...
When I was a kid we had a 1974 (I think...might have been a different year) Navy Blue Volvo Station Wagon then when it was worn out (I believe it had 100,000 miles on it, or close to it) we bought a 1986 Navy Blue Volvo Station Wagon - nearly identical to the old one except that the new one had AC and a tape deck. We were so excited when we got it my grandparents came up and we drove it Maine (from NYC area)! So my grandpa could make a religious pilgimage to the LL Bean store in Freeport.
When I turned 16 (1992)my mom bought a Lexus - and I got the Volvo tank which I drove until it got totally in an accident in 1996 - just a couple hundred miles shy of 100,000! It was a chain of event accident - there were 3 cars traveling to an Alpha Phi Omega service project. I was in the middle and the guy behind me hit me with his Jeep Wrangler at 45 mph, hurling me (I was stopped or close to it) into the Ford Taurus sedan driven by another of our friends. Thankfully, no one was injured. I attribute that to the fact that the Volvo tank was in the middle. Both my Volvo and the Ford Taurus were totalled.
For my replacement car I got a green volvo station wagon that I was never a big fan of....I wanted a Saturn (they were new at the time)but didn't feel like doing the research my parents would have required, I wanted a new car more so went with a Volvo because the purchase process would be faster. While we were shopping for my car, my mom found a purple Volvo sedan, it was too expensive for me, but she traded in her Lexus for it, this car is still in the family, it lived with me for almost a year when my parents were motorhoming and now my grandma owns it, but it lives at my uncles house.
I moved to OK in 1998 and decided I needed an American car because there were no places I could go to get the Volvo fixed. I couldn't afford a Saturn on my own and I ended up having an unfortuente encounter with a Chevy Cavalier which I sold after about a year and got finally got my Saturn.
My 1st Saturn was a 1999 Navy Blue sedan. In fact it was the last of a "dye lot" and the next set of "blue" saturns was a swimming pool blue - not pretty. I dubbed my car "Old Blue" after my Grandpa's Cadillac - it was a 1960 something blue boat, when he wasn't able to get parts for it anymore he bought an identical car to keep in the yard for part (Old Blue 2). He lived in KY and grew up in West VA.
I drove that Saturn for about 6 years and had over 90,000 miles on it. Right after I bought my Saturn the company came out with the Vue and I wanted one so in 2005 Saturn was running some good deals on trade ins with incentives and things so I traded in my sedan for a....you guessed it...Blue Vue. Pacific Blue to be exact. Very bright, in your face blue, but I like it. I have loved this car from day 1! I have had it about 2 and 1/2 years and already have close to 50,000 miles on it, and frightenling enough I have only driven it in 4 states!
As you can see I like my blue cars. I'm also one of those people who finds what she likes and sticks with it.
wrote a post all about his history in cars so, since he asked about his readers cars and my comment got out of control so I decided to make it's own post...
When I was a kid we had a 1974 (I think...might have been a different year) Navy Blue Volvo Station Wagon then when it was worn out (I believe it had 100,000 miles on it, or close to it) we bought a 1986 Navy Blue Volvo Station Wagon - nearly identical to the old one except that the new one had AC and a tape deck. We were so excited when we got it my grandparents came up and we drove it Maine (from NYC area)! So my grandpa could make a religious pilgimage to the LL Bean store in Freeport.
When I turned 16 (1992)my mom bought a Lexus - and I got the Volvo tank which I drove until it got totally in an accident in 1996 - just a couple hundred miles shy of 100,000! It was a chain of event accident - there were 3 cars traveling to an Alpha Phi Omega service project. I was in the middle and the guy behind me hit me with his Jeep Wrangler at 45 mph, hurling me (I was stopped or close to it) into the Ford Taurus sedan driven by another of our friends. Thankfully, no one was injured. I attribute that to the fact that the Volvo tank was in the middle. Both my Volvo and the Ford Taurus were totalled.
For my replacement car I got a green volvo station wagon that I was never a big fan of....I wanted a Saturn (they were new at the time)but didn't feel like doing the research my parents would have required, I wanted a new car more so went with a Volvo because the purchase process would be faster. While we were shopping for my car, my mom found a purple Volvo sedan, it was too expensive for me, but she traded in her Lexus for it, this car is still in the family, it lived with me for almost a year when my parents were motorhoming and now my grandma owns it, but it lives at my uncles house.
I moved to OK in 1998 and decided I needed an American car because there were no places I could go to get the Volvo fixed. I couldn't afford a Saturn on my own and I ended up having an unfortuente encounter with a Chevy Cavalier which I sold after about a year and got finally got my Saturn.
My 1st Saturn was a 1999 Navy Blue sedan. In fact it was the last of a "dye lot" and the next set of "blue" saturns was a swimming pool blue - not pretty. I dubbed my car "Old Blue" after my Grandpa's Cadillac - it was a 1960 something blue boat, when he wasn't able to get parts for it anymore he bought an identical car to keep in the yard for part (Old Blue 2). He lived in KY and grew up in West VA.
I drove that Saturn for about 6 years and had over 90,000 miles on it. Right after I bought my Saturn the company came out with the Vue and I wanted one so in 2005 Saturn was running some good deals on trade ins with incentives and things so I traded in my sedan for a....you guessed it...Blue Vue. Pacific Blue to be exact. Very bright, in your face blue, but I like it. I have loved this car from day 1! I have had it about 2 and 1/2 years and already have close to 50,000 miles on it, and frightenling enough I have only driven it in 4 states!
As you can see I like my blue cars. I'm also one of those people who finds what she likes and sticks with it.
Good Morning!
So it's about 4:50 am and I'm sleeping away, having a lovely dream, and suddenly I'm woken up by a horrible loud "aggghhhh" noise from somewhere in the house. By the time I'm awake there is no sound anymore, so I get up to investigate....nothing out of the ordinary upstairs, nothing strange downstairs, nothing strange in the basement....then I hear it again....it's clearly the upstairs hardwired (ie wired into the electrical system of the whole house) smoke detector!!!!!! And it's clearly malfunctioning - the house ain't on fire and it's only going off intermittently....my 1st thought was "crap, I can't call the FD at 5 in the morning!!!!! They will come in a fire truck and wake the whole neighborhood!". It went off again for about a sec - then I remembered what the FD does for this problem* - shoots compressed air into the offending sensor, sometimes they get dusty - so a whole house search for the canned air I bought just for this purpose ensues. I finally find the canned air - having not heard the alarm for a good 15 mins - I spray the air into the sensor on all sides, get it good and "airy". Then I read the can.....do not spray in enclosed spaces as vapors may ignite. Great. How will I know, I just sprayed it into the smoke detector!
I guess the good news is that I know the smoke alarm will wake me up!
Here's hoping it won't go off again, only thing is that now, I'm up for good.
*About 5 years ago, on the 4th of July, I was polyurthaning a rocking chair I was painting for my classroom, and the same thing happened, only it was the one in the basement, I was pretty sure it was the fumes from the spray on poly but it kept going off after I stopped the painting. Finally, about 8:30 in the evening, just as it was getting dark, I called the FD, what else are you going to do? I can't just take the batteries out! Every townhouse in this area has the same system so I knew they must know what to do. They came, with their truck and full gear, and took their big FD fire extinguishers, and shot air into it and whala silence.
I guess the good news is that I know the smoke alarm will wake me up!
Here's hoping it won't go off again, only thing is that now, I'm up for good.
*About 5 years ago, on the 4th of July, I was polyurthaning a rocking chair I was painting for my classroom, and the same thing happened, only it was the one in the basement, I was pretty sure it was the fumes from the spray on poly but it kept going off after I stopped the painting. Finally, about 8:30 in the evening, just as it was getting dark, I called the FD, what else are you going to do? I can't just take the batteries out! Every townhouse in this area has the same system so I knew they must know what to do. They came, with their truck and full gear, and took their big FD fire extinguishers, and shot air into it and whala silence.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
I Fought the Billy Goat and....
The Billy Goat won! The Billy Goat Trail that is, at Great Falls NP in MD.
I'm running out the door now, no time for comments, will add later...
It's later....We have had a rare stretch of cooler/lower humidity days here in Northern VA and since the pollen is finally gone so yesterday I went out to Great Falls NP. I have veen out there a few times but mostly on the VA side and I'd never done much hiking there. There's a very popular trail called The Billy Goat Trail. It boast fabulous views of Mather Gorge on the Potomac River, however those views come at a price - lots and lots of rock scrambling. I'm not big on rock scrambling but I thought, it's only 1.7 miles, how bad can it be?
After I left the visitor center I headed down the C&O Canal towpath to the trail head and I saw another side trail/boardwalk so I headed out there to see what was there....plenty of photo ops...
This is the view from the 1st bridge. There was a barrier and when I leaned on it gently it swayed!!!! yikes! Luckily it only moved a fraction of an inch!
Another view from the bridge.
At the end of the boardwalk you could see the falls - an into VA! This heron was posing right by the water - I took many pictures but these were the best.
Another shot of the heron.
This is the "offical" Great Falls. Imagine the early settlers coming up the river thinking they could take a boat all the way in and then "wham!" they hit this!
On the way back to the toepath there was a bush of these cool white ball things...they must be flowers. I was trying to photograph the flowers when the cool butterfly showed up. I had to "stalk" the butterfly for about 10 mins in order to get these shots. It kept moving and then the wind would blow, but I think you'll agree, it was worth it! :)
This is one of my fav pictures, I think it's got a future on my wall! I't going to look pretty cool against the purple!
Once on the Billy Goat trail I stopped for lunch at the 1st overlook I saw, which I dubbed "picnic rock". From my lunch spot I could see a kayaker on the river and....
Rock climbers on the VA side of the river!
As I went along the "easy" part of the trail I saw a lizard! Again, a little "stalking" yielded a cool shot, I actually have a few cool shots of him, he prob won't make it to the wall, but the pics are still cool!
This is where the rock scrambling started! You can see the blue blaze on the rock in the middle of the picture. This part wasn't so hard.
The rocks opened up and this was the view! Pretty cool.
Then we got to this part. Yes, that is the trail heading up that steep rock face. Yes, those are people on the rocks "hiking". It was here that I realized why I'd never hiked this trail before. You can't see it in the picture but the 1st person at the top has a baby in a backpack!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I could barely hike the trail myself and there was a woman with a baby.
It wasn't long after I made it up the steep rock face when I saw this sign! I was thrilled! No more rock climbing! I could get back to the nice, flat toepath!
I was so giddy, I had to try a self-portriat!
As I was walking by the sign I heard a huge rustle in the leaves and looked over and there was this black snake slithering his way through the leaves! Again a little "stalking" and I got some cool pics!
Back on the nice tame toepath there was still lots to see - big flowers....
little flowers (those white dots weren't visible with the naked eye! Go digital zoom!).......
dragonflies (or is it a damselfly?)........
And finally turtles....lots of turtles but I only posted the one picture!
Next time I think I'll hike on the VA side, I think there is a trail that also has great views of the gorge, but no rock climbing! Or maybe I'll try one of the "tamer" sections of the Billy Goat Trail.
All in all though, a nice day! :)
I'm running out the door now, no time for comments, will add later...
It's later....We have had a rare stretch of cooler/lower humidity days here in Northern VA and since the pollen is finally gone so yesterday I went out to Great Falls NP. I have veen out there a few times but mostly on the VA side and I'd never done much hiking there. There's a very popular trail called The Billy Goat Trail. It boast fabulous views of Mather Gorge on the Potomac River, however those views come at a price - lots and lots of rock scrambling. I'm not big on rock scrambling but I thought, it's only 1.7 miles, how bad can it be?
After I left the visitor center I headed down the C&O Canal towpath to the trail head and I saw another side trail/boardwalk so I headed out there to see what was there....plenty of photo ops...
This is the view from the 1st bridge. There was a barrier and when I leaned on it gently it swayed!!!! yikes! Luckily it only moved a fraction of an inch!
Another view from the bridge.
At the end of the boardwalk you could see the falls - an into VA! This heron was posing right by the water - I took many pictures but these were the best.
Another shot of the heron.
This is the "offical" Great Falls. Imagine the early settlers coming up the river thinking they could take a boat all the way in and then "wham!" they hit this! 
On the way back to the toepath there was a bush of these cool white ball things...they must be flowers. I was trying to photograph the flowers when the cool butterfly showed up. I had to "stalk" the butterfly for about 10 mins in order to get these shots. It kept moving and then the wind would blow, but I think you'll agree, it was worth it! :)
This is one of my fav pictures, I think it's got a future on my wall! I't going to look pretty cool against the purple!
Once on the Billy Goat trail I stopped for lunch at the 1st overlook I saw, which I dubbed "picnic rock". From my lunch spot I could see a kayaker on the river and....
Rock climbers on the VA side of the river!
As I went along the "easy" part of the trail I saw a lizard! Again, a little "stalking" yielded a cool shot, I actually have a few cool shots of him, he prob won't make it to the wall, but the pics are still cool!
This is where the rock scrambling started! You can see the blue blaze on the rock in the middle of the picture. This part wasn't so hard. 
The rocks opened up and this was the view! Pretty cool. 
Then we got to this part. Yes, that is the trail heading up that steep rock face. Yes, those are people on the rocks "hiking". It was here that I realized why I'd never hiked this trail before. You can't see it in the picture but the 1st person at the top has a baby in a backpack!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I could barely hike the trail myself and there was a woman with a baby. 
It wasn't long after I made it up the steep rock face when I saw this sign! I was thrilled! No more rock climbing! I could get back to the nice, flat toepath!
I was so giddy, I had to try a self-portriat!
As I was walking by the sign I heard a huge rustle in the leaves and looked over and there was this black snake slithering his way through the leaves! Again a little "stalking" and I got some cool pics!
Back on the nice tame toepath there was still lots to see - big flowers....
little flowers (those white dots weren't visible with the naked eye! Go digital zoom!).......
dragonflies (or is it a damselfly?)........
And finally turtles....lots of turtles but I only posted the one picture!Next time I think I'll hike on the VA side, I think there is a trail that also has great views of the gorge, but no rock climbing! Or maybe I'll try one of the "tamer" sections of the Billy Goat Trail.
All in all though, a nice day! :)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tag, I'm it!
Susan tagged me a few days ago and I'm finally getting to this....enjoy!
What was I doing ten years ago?
June 1998 - I'd just moved to Norman OK a few months earlier and was navigating my 1st summer as a Christan Ed director for a smallish church. That was one of the hottest summers on record in OK - lucky for me I got to go on a 2 week mission trip with the youth to Mendocino CA where it got to 60 degrees on a hot day!
What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:
"Work" is so pervasive these days - only 2 more days with kids - that it's hard to come up with anything "not work"....I'm scraping bottom, but I will be doing work stuff all day....
1. get my allergy shots
2. pay the bills
3. read for my summer class (that's close to "work" related, but not quite)
4. Feed the dog
5. take a shower
5 Snacks I enjoy:
* The Wegman's Bakery - pretty much anything, cookies, lemon squares, elcairs, carrot cake....
* Chocolate - any type...mini candy bars like butterfinger and Nestle Crunch
* Ice cream - to counteract all the other stuff I get light ice cream!
* Kashi Dark Chocolate and Cherry granola bars
* Jello with light cool whip (for when I'm feeling guilty about all the other stuff!)
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
I'd move in to Susan's development so I could be around my friends and have the support of a great community!
I'd apply to all the foster care agency's and get my name on the list to take every baby and toddler that the state needed a temporary home for.
Foster Care alone should suck up a billion dollars pretty quick, but if there's money left over, I'd start my own school and only hire teachers who will teach within my philosophy...
Places I have lived:
In chronological order,
Alexandria, VA 1975-1979 (Waynewood area, new Mt. Vernon)
North Tarrytown, NY 1979-1987(home of WAshington Irving and the Headless Horseman)
Cincinnati, OH 1987-1993 (Indian Hill area)
Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA 1993-1997
Greenville, PA 1997-1998
Norman, OK 1998-2000
Alexandria, VA 2000-2002 (Rose Hill/Springfield Area)
Woodbridge, VA 2002- present (Lake Ridge area)
Jobs I have had:
Babysitter
Camp counselor
Arts and Crafts Director
Resident Assistant
Head Start Volunteer
Children's Colthing Expert (aka Customer Service at the Osh Gosh Bgosh factory store)
Substitute teacher
Christian Education Director
Day Care teacher - all ages
Filing person for a lawyer (lasted 3 days)
Tutor
Kindergarten Teacher
1st grade teacher
Only a few folks left to tag....Identity Mixed, Drew, and anyone else who might be reading this!
What was I doing ten years ago?
June 1998 - I'd just moved to Norman OK a few months earlier and was navigating my 1st summer as a Christan Ed director for a smallish church. That was one of the hottest summers on record in OK - lucky for me I got to go on a 2 week mission trip with the youth to Mendocino CA where it got to 60 degrees on a hot day!
What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:
"Work" is so pervasive these days - only 2 more days with kids - that it's hard to come up with anything "not work"....I'm scraping bottom, but I will be doing work stuff all day....
1. get my allergy shots
2. pay the bills
3. read for my summer class (that's close to "work" related, but not quite)
4. Feed the dog
5. take a shower
5 Snacks I enjoy:
* The Wegman's Bakery - pretty much anything, cookies, lemon squares, elcairs, carrot cake....
* Chocolate - any type...mini candy bars like butterfinger and Nestle Crunch
* Ice cream - to counteract all the other stuff I get light ice cream!
* Kashi Dark Chocolate and Cherry granola bars
* Jello with light cool whip (for when I'm feeling guilty about all the other stuff!)
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
I'd move in to Susan's development so I could be around my friends and have the support of a great community!
I'd apply to all the foster care agency's and get my name on the list to take every baby and toddler that the state needed a temporary home for.
Foster Care alone should suck up a billion dollars pretty quick, but if there's money left over, I'd start my own school and only hire teachers who will teach within my philosophy...
Places I have lived:
In chronological order,
Alexandria, VA 1975-1979 (Waynewood area, new Mt. Vernon)
North Tarrytown, NY 1979-1987(home of WAshington Irving and the Headless Horseman)
Cincinnati, OH 1987-1993 (Indian Hill area)
Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA 1993-1997
Greenville, PA 1997-1998
Norman, OK 1998-2000
Alexandria, VA 2000-2002 (Rose Hill/Springfield Area)
Woodbridge, VA 2002- present (Lake Ridge area)
Jobs I have had:
Babysitter
Camp counselor
Arts and Crafts Director
Resident Assistant
Head Start Volunteer
Children's Colthing Expert (aka Customer Service at the Osh Gosh Bgosh factory store)
Substitute teacher
Christian Education Director
Day Care teacher - all ages
Filing person for a lawyer (lasted 3 days)
Tutor
Kindergarten Teacher
1st grade teacher
Only a few folks left to tag....Identity Mixed, Drew, and anyone else who might be reading this!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Wegmans
Today was the big day! Our brand new Wegman's opened! :)
I'd been looking forward to this for almost a year!
My friend Susan and I met each other over there - we were going to get stuff for book club, only I'd decided to skip out on book club (yesterday I was at a friends cook out and twisted my ankle and while it's not bad, I didn't want to overdo things, also it was a tough week at school and I wanted a low key day anyway so I was glad for the excuse for book club!) and she decided to bring left overs for book club so we just browsed.
Just getting in was an experience - it was like Disney World - there were SOOOOO many people. Traffic was backed up on the road in! This is DC after all so of course anything worth doing involved sitting in bumper to bumper traffic! The parking lot resembled Tyson's Corner on Christmas Eve, but I managed to get lucky and quickly scored a parking spot, a close one no less, and a shopping cart! Woo-hoo!
Upon walking in I realized that our Wegmans is much nicer than the one in Fairfax! We have 2 hot food bars, a salad bar, a whole section od pre-packaged prepared food! The whole story was wall to wall people though. I picked up some lemon squares, an eclair, some bagels - they didn't have the veggie cream cheese that I like, :( but I found some that might be good, they also didn't have the hummus I like on the Mediterrian Bar.
As we were checking out we learned that the Woodbridge Wegmans is the largest store to date!!!!! :) I'm so thrilled that I finally have an AWESOME grocery store right in my backyard! I can't wait to go back one day next week when school's out and everyone else is at work!
YIPEEE!!!!!!!
I'd been looking forward to this for almost a year!
My friend Susan and I met each other over there - we were going to get stuff for book club, only I'd decided to skip out on book club (yesterday I was at a friends cook out and twisted my ankle and while it's not bad, I didn't want to overdo things, also it was a tough week at school and I wanted a low key day anyway so I was glad for the excuse for book club!) and she decided to bring left overs for book club so we just browsed.
Just getting in was an experience - it was like Disney World - there were SOOOOO many people. Traffic was backed up on the road in! This is DC after all so of course anything worth doing involved sitting in bumper to bumper traffic! The parking lot resembled Tyson's Corner on Christmas Eve, but I managed to get lucky and quickly scored a parking spot, a close one no less, and a shopping cart! Woo-hoo!
Upon walking in I realized that our Wegmans is much nicer than the one in Fairfax! We have 2 hot food bars, a salad bar, a whole section od pre-packaged prepared food! The whole story was wall to wall people though. I picked up some lemon squares, an eclair, some bagels - they didn't have the veggie cream cheese that I like, :( but I found some that might be good, they also didn't have the hummus I like on the Mediterrian Bar.
As we were checking out we learned that the Woodbridge Wegmans is the largest store to date!!!!! :) I'm so thrilled that I finally have an AWESOME grocery store right in my backyard! I can't wait to go back one day next week when school's out and everyone else is at work!
YIPEEE!!!!!!!
More Eat-n-Park Blasts from the Past
A few years ago Christine sent me this picture of some of my friends at Eat-n-Park with our favorite waitress Pixie!
I thought it would have been a great addition to my post below about Smiley Cookies, however at the time it was stuck on my broken computer! I since was able to rescue it!
Bottom Row (l-r): Chrstine, :?
Top (l-r): Drew, Pixie, Sean, Amy(?), Andy
I thought it would have been a great addition to my post below about Smiley Cookies, however at the time it was stuck on my broken computer! I since was able to rescue it!
Bottom Row (l-r): Chrstine, :?
Top (l-r): Drew, Pixie, Sean, Amy(?), Andy
Friday, April 25, 2008
Eat-n-Park...A Trip Down Memory Lane
This afternoon after school I found a plastic clamshell box of what looked to Eat-n-Park Smiley cookies just sitting on the table in conference room in the office. I was baffled. Eat-n-Park is a Bob Evans type family resteraunt in PA - there are a few in OH and WV but mostly in PA. The nearest one is probably at least a 3 hour drive. Yet those cookies had that distintive Eat-n-Park Smiley Cookie Smile. But where did they come from? And could I have one? Or 12?
I walked away thinking I'd go talk to one of the other 1st grade teachers who is from PA, maybe she'd know if they were genuine and where they came from. As I was heading down the hall I saw Renee - a 2nd grade teacher who is also from PA and that reminded me that her parents were here for the weekend! Aha! So I ask, did your parents happen to bring some Eat-n-Park Smiley Cookies? The answer...."yes"! Oh joy! She had some with her and she gave me one and gave one to Nicole - the other 1st grade teacher! Made my Friday!
Later I walked through the office - that same dozen cookies was still sitting there untouched. So I helped myself to a 2nd cookie. It occured to me that it was after 5:30 on a Fri - no one was likley going to eat them and I almost took the whole thing. But I didn't. :( I wish I'd had!
Eat-n-Park was a staple of my college experience. We always went in the middle of the night and always stuffed ourselves with baked ziti, grilled cheese, and the famous "fishbowl sunade". We went so often to the Eat-n-Park in Hermitage, PA that we made friends with the waitress - Pixie. She always worked the night shift and we got to be her favorite customers. She was even invited to a few weddings of the core Eat-n-Park crowd!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Random Thoughts on Monday night
First of all....in response to last Monday's "Who's Senile Now?" post...it's not me and no I didn't let the dog in, my next door neighbor did! Apparently when I was out back in my purple penguin pajamas with my flashlight my dog was rooting around in th bush in front of the house and since the door was open my next door neighbor let the dog in!!!
This morning I was working with my kids (1st graders - 6 and 7 yrs old) on some word study - they all had small dry erase marker boards and markers and had all written "rock". I asked them to make "clock". Many of my kids have a developing awareness of blends and left the "l" out of "clock - that's right, I looked down and about a 1/3 of my class had written "cock" on their marker board. Lucky for me a cock is also a rooster.
My 15 year old dog walker came over yesterday to tell me that she can't stand to see Daisy in pain. I inquired as to how she knew Daisy was in pain - because she moves slow and she bumps into stuff (she is blind, however last I checked blindness did not cause pain - the dog is not really aware of what she's lost in terms of sight) and that reminded her of her dog who died 5 years ago and she was afraid that Daisy was going to die soon. Well, she's 10, so the end of the road is probably fairly close. I told her that I was taking Daisy to the vet today and that if she was too upset about Daisy being old she didn't have to walk her. This afternoon I came home and there was this note:
"Please make shore that later when her nails are cut that they are filed smoothly. She has a tendency to scratch"
WTF? Who made her in charge?
I have no response for this....any thoughts?
Tomorrow night - 9pm EDT - Deadlist Catch season premier!
This morning I was working with my kids (1st graders - 6 and 7 yrs old) on some word study - they all had small dry erase marker boards and markers and had all written "rock". I asked them to make "clock". Many of my kids have a developing awareness of blends and left the "l" out of "clock - that's right, I looked down and about a 1/3 of my class had written "cock" on their marker board. Lucky for me a cock is also a rooster.
My 15 year old dog walker came over yesterday to tell me that she can't stand to see Daisy in pain. I inquired as to how she knew Daisy was in pain - because she moves slow and she bumps into stuff (she is blind, however last I checked blindness did not cause pain - the dog is not really aware of what she's lost in terms of sight) and that reminded her of her dog who died 5 years ago and she was afraid that Daisy was going to die soon. Well, she's 10, so the end of the road is probably fairly close. I told her that I was taking Daisy to the vet today and that if she was too upset about Daisy being old she didn't have to walk her. This afternoon I came home and there was this note:
"Please make shore that later when her nails are cut that they are filed smoothly. She has a tendency to scratch"
WTF? Who made her in charge?
I have no response for this....any thoughts?
Tomorrow night - 9pm EDT - Deadlist Catch season premier!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Book Quest
Have you ever had something that you just had to have right now?
That happened to me today.
Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors and her brand new book was to be released today. Borders was having their Educator Appreciation Week and with my teacher ID I could get 25% off and today was the last day. I had it all planned out - after school I'd head over and get the book and maybe a few other things. I was so excited because I never buy brand-new hardbacked books - I almost always use the library or wait till it's in paperback.
I got delayed leaving school so it was after 6 before I got to Borders and I went in on a quest - I scoured every table for the book - it's not there. I finally find the New Releases and scour it...no book. I'm getting a bit worried - maybe it didn't come out today. I then think to go to the shelf - maybe it's not on a special display? I get to the shelf and no new book. :( I find the one we are reading for book club in May, Blackbird House, which I was planning to buy so I get it and continue my quest. I'm not having any luck so I go to the "Title Sleuth" and type in the title and author. It says that it's "on reserve and will be here soon". What? I finally ask the man at the info desk and he looks in his special computer and tells me that the book was "in transit" and would be here in 4 or 5 days. What? The book was released today, I should be able to buy it today. The guy said that the shipment must have been delayed or something and that I could check back in a few days. Not going to happen. I didn't "need" the book, but suddenly, just because I couldn't get it probably, I had to have it. Now.
I did browse the pathetic children's section and got some EyeWitness books that were on sale and then took off...
I decided to check Costco - they sometimes have new books and I could pick up a cheap dinner too! They didn't have it, but they had some great pizza!
When I got home I went to Barnes&Noble.com and low and behold it said that the closest B&N to me had the book. I called them up and asked to be sure. Yes, they had the book and they'd place one on hold for me! It was 8:15 and they closed at 10. I was on my way!
I get to B&N about 8:30 and headed to the children's section, which was amazing comapared to Borders! There's just something about hanging out in a book store late at night (ok 8:45 is prob only late to me) and having the place pretty much to yourself! I found 7 other books that I needed, including some that were buy 2 get one free! I finally headed over to the checkout to get my book and see how much damage I'd done.
I was chatting with the check-out gal and told her I was a teacher. Did I have a B&N teacher discount card? No I didn't. Well, she could hook me up - even took my word for it when I didn't have my ID badge on me! She even gave me 25% everything - not just the stuff for my classroom! That means I saved $5.00 on my hardcover book!
Book Quest successful! :)
That happened to me today.
Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors and her brand new book was to be released today. Borders was having their Educator Appreciation Week and with my teacher ID I could get 25% off and today was the last day. I had it all planned out - after school I'd head over and get the book and maybe a few other things. I was so excited because I never buy brand-new hardbacked books - I almost always use the library or wait till it's in paperback.
I got delayed leaving school so it was after 6 before I got to Borders and I went in on a quest - I scoured every table for the book - it's not there. I finally find the New Releases and scour it...no book. I'm getting a bit worried - maybe it didn't come out today. I then think to go to the shelf - maybe it's not on a special display? I get to the shelf and no new book. :( I find the one we are reading for book club in May, Blackbird House, which I was planning to buy so I get it and continue my quest. I'm not having any luck so I go to the "Title Sleuth" and type in the title and author. It says that it's "on reserve and will be here soon". What? I finally ask the man at the info desk and he looks in his special computer and tells me that the book was "in transit" and would be here in 4 or 5 days. What? The book was released today, I should be able to buy it today. The guy said that the shipment must have been delayed or something and that I could check back in a few days. Not going to happen. I didn't "need" the book, but suddenly, just because I couldn't get it probably, I had to have it. Now.
I did browse the pathetic children's section and got some EyeWitness books that were on sale and then took off...
I decided to check Costco - they sometimes have new books and I could pick up a cheap dinner too! They didn't have it, but they had some great pizza!
When I got home I went to Barnes&Noble.com and low and behold it said that the closest B&N to me had the book. I called them up and asked to be sure. Yes, they had the book and they'd place one on hold for me! It was 8:15 and they closed at 10. I was on my way!
I get to B&N about 8:30 and headed to the children's section, which was amazing comapared to Borders! There's just something about hanging out in a book store late at night (ok 8:45 is prob only late to me) and having the place pretty much to yourself! I found 7 other books that I needed, including some that were buy 2 get one free! I finally headed over to the checkout to get my book and see how much damage I'd done.
I was chatting with the check-out gal and told her I was a teacher. Did I have a B&N teacher discount card? No I didn't. Well, she could hook me up - even took my word for it when I didn't have my ID badge on me! She even gave me 25% everything - not just the stuff for my classroom! That means I saved $5.00 on my hardcover book!
Book Quest successful! :)
Monday, April 07, 2008
Who's Senile Now?
For those that don't know I have a dog. An ancient (10 years), blind, arthritic beagle-basset-bulldog. She's a pound puppy - I adopted her about 2 and half years ago and she's a great dog. Low key. Low maintenance. Sleeps a lot.
Usually in the evenings I go downstairs and let her out in the backyard - it's fenced and the gate is usually wired shut so she can't get out - while she's out I check e-mail and stuff and she comes to the door when she's ready to come back in. My computer broke about a week and half ago so I'm using my laptop upstairs so there's nothing to do in the basement so I go down let her out and go back upstairs. I can usually hear her scratch to come back in.
This evening I let her out and then went back up to finish my dinner. About an hour, maybe more, after I let her out I realized I had no recollection of letting her back in. So I went down to get her. She wasn't by the door and in the late day light I could see that the gate was open. Oh. No.
Oh no my blind, arthritic ancient dog was out in the world. And it was dark. And cold. And muddy. And I was in my pajamas. As added drama, she wasn't wearing her tags, so if she wandered over to someone no one would know who she is, unless they know her.
So I put on shoes and a coat - I zipped it up so maybe no one would guess that I'm wearing purple penguin pajamas (but the pants prob gave it away) - and grabbed a flashlight. I set out the back shining the flashlight in the woods and calling her name. The other times this has happened I have found her pretty immediately, but today nothing. She was no where. I had no idea where to look. Even an ancient hound dog has a powerful sense of smell she could have found something interesting and she could be anywhere.
I walked all around my row of townhouses, then around the back and up through the common area to a neighboring court and walked all around that. No Daisy. I walked back around. No Daisy. I'd been out about 25 mins. It was very dark by now. I had no idea what the next step was. I couldn't go in and hope she found her way home, however, I didn't know where to keep looking. I walked back home wondering if she had come home on her own (when she could see she would do that...I wasn't sure if she would now that she was blind).
I was standing outside contemplating what I should do when I heard that familiar clickity click of her too long toenails on the laminate floor. I thought "Oh no now I'm hearing her." I heard it again - this time there was no mistaking it. I went into the house and there was my blind, ancient, arthritic dog right there in the kitchen wagging her tail at me!
I must have let her in. I still have no recollection of this.
Who's senile now?
Usually in the evenings I go downstairs and let her out in the backyard - it's fenced and the gate is usually wired shut so she can't get out - while she's out I check e-mail and stuff and she comes to the door when she's ready to come back in. My computer broke about a week and half ago so I'm using my laptop upstairs so there's nothing to do in the basement so I go down let her out and go back upstairs. I can usually hear her scratch to come back in.
This evening I let her out and then went back up to finish my dinner. About an hour, maybe more, after I let her out I realized I had no recollection of letting her back in. So I went down to get her. She wasn't by the door and in the late day light I could see that the gate was open. Oh. No.
Oh no my blind, arthritic ancient dog was out in the world. And it was dark. And cold. And muddy. And I was in my pajamas. As added drama, she wasn't wearing her tags, so if she wandered over to someone no one would know who she is, unless they know her.
So I put on shoes and a coat - I zipped it up so maybe no one would guess that I'm wearing purple penguin pajamas (but the pants prob gave it away) - and grabbed a flashlight. I set out the back shining the flashlight in the woods and calling her name. The other times this has happened I have found her pretty immediately, but today nothing. She was no where. I had no idea where to look. Even an ancient hound dog has a powerful sense of smell she could have found something interesting and she could be anywhere.
I walked all around my row of townhouses, then around the back and up through the common area to a neighboring court and walked all around that. No Daisy. I walked back around. No Daisy. I'd been out about 25 mins. It was very dark by now. I had no idea what the next step was. I couldn't go in and hope she found her way home, however, I didn't know where to keep looking. I walked back home wondering if she had come home on her own (when she could see she would do that...I wasn't sure if she would now that she was blind).
I was standing outside contemplating what I should do when I heard that familiar clickity click of her too long toenails on the laminate floor. I thought "Oh no now I'm hearing her." I heard it again - this time there was no mistaking it. I went into the house and there was my blind, ancient, arthritic dog right there in the kitchen wagging her tail at me!
I must have let her in. I still have no recollection of this.
Who's senile now?
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Spring Break!
Spring Break was crazy early this year - the 3rd week in March! This is not really a good thing as we have nearly 3 long months of school left with only 2 days off - 1 teacher work day the 1st week of April and Memorial Day. The distinct advantage to an early break though is low pollen counts and this week anyway near perfect hiking weather! I got out 2 days over break!
On Mon I went out to SNP and hiked a 3 mile (6 miles round trip)section of the AT. The hike itself was not all that scenic and I didn't take any pictures, however the trip back up Skyline Drive presented many photo opportunities! The clouds had begun to build to the west (it had been crystal clear and sunny the whole hike!)and made for interesting light with the sun and the mountains! Many of my pictures are repetetive, but I think they all came out pretty cool! There was no traffic whatsoever on Skyline Drive since it was essentially still winter in the mountains all the lodges, campgrounds, and waysides in the park were closed, effectively keeping out the riff-raff! This lack of traffic made it very easy to stop in the middle of the road to snap pictures whenever I saw something interesting!
On Friday I drove north to Catotcin Mountain Park - another small National Park. It's a neat little park! And another stamp in my National Parks Passport! The park borders Camp David and frequently parts of the park are closed. On Friday the mid-section of the park was closed "by order of the secret service" so I was limited in my exploration a bit, however the main features of the park - Chimney Rock and Wolf Rocks were still accessible. The hike was relatively short but delightful! I'm looking forward to heading back and exploring the rest of the park!
Check out my pictures!
On Mon I went out to SNP and hiked a 3 mile (6 miles round trip)section of the AT. The hike itself was not all that scenic and I didn't take any pictures, however the trip back up Skyline Drive presented many photo opportunities! The clouds had begun to build to the west (it had been crystal clear and sunny the whole hike!)and made for interesting light with the sun and the mountains! Many of my pictures are repetetive, but I think they all came out pretty cool! There was no traffic whatsoever on Skyline Drive since it was essentially still winter in the mountains all the lodges, campgrounds, and waysides in the park were closed, effectively keeping out the riff-raff! This lack of traffic made it very easy to stop in the middle of the road to snap pictures whenever I saw something interesting!
On Friday I drove north to Catotcin Mountain Park - another small National Park. It's a neat little park! And another stamp in my National Parks Passport! The park borders Camp David and frequently parts of the park are closed. On Friday the mid-section of the park was closed "by order of the secret service" so I was limited in my exploration a bit, however the main features of the park - Chimney Rock and Wolf Rocks were still accessible. The hike was relatively short but delightful! I'm looking forward to heading back and exploring the rest of the park!
Check out my pictures!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
VENT
I have horrible allergies. Most of you know that. My allergies are so bad that I get allergy shots. 3 a week in fact. My allergist is about 30 miles from my house so I take my allergy serum and get my shots at another allergists office. My allergist is not really a very nice person, she's not someone I'd want for a friend, but it's not her job to be my friend, it's her job to fix my allergies and she's very good at that. Her office staff shares her lack of interpersonal skills. But again, my life is so much better after having started treatment with them that I was willing to put up with it.
The rule is that when you need new serum you have to fill out the order form that was given to you when you got your serum (they have blank forms on thier websit but I got yelled at for using them) and fax it in about 2 weeks before you need it. Then you have to call to get an appointment to come in for your 1st shots.
Being as the dr is in Reston getting there and getting home is an issue - always involves leaving school early and getting home almost after bedtime - so I was thrilled that my need for new serums and my spring break concinded and I could go to Reston mid-day and then I could even run the serums over to the place where I get my shots so it doesn't have to live in my fridge for a week and risk me forgetting it.
So today I met a friend for lunch at 11:30 and then my appointment was a 3:15. I ended up with about 2 hours to kill. I wandered Barnes and Noble and Wegeman's but neither was really where I needed to be today. Then made my way over to the dr.
They call me back and the gal (I "affectionatley" call her the shot Nazi...seriously she's just mean)says "you have your serums right?" Ummm....no, that's why I'm here. She then asks when I faxed the form in....ummm..2 weeks ago. Well, we didn't get it. She then searches the pile and low and behold there's my form. She then debates the date that is conviently stamped at the top by the fax machine - doubting that I could have possibly sent it that day. She then informs me that SHE was on vacation and she mixed all the serums she had before she went and mine obviously wasn't in there and I'd have to come back next week. WHAT???????
No I'm sorry.
I'm beyond pissed. You see I basically wasted a day of my vacation waiting for my appointment and then drove all the way to Reston and now I have to do it again next week. Next week when I have to leave school early and deal with traffic. And not only that this gal made it out like it was all my fault! grrrrrr.....
The rule is that when you need new serum you have to fill out the order form that was given to you when you got your serum (they have blank forms on thier websit but I got yelled at for using them) and fax it in about 2 weeks before you need it. Then you have to call to get an appointment to come in for your 1st shots.
Being as the dr is in Reston getting there and getting home is an issue - always involves leaving school early and getting home almost after bedtime - so I was thrilled that my need for new serums and my spring break concinded and I could go to Reston mid-day and then I could even run the serums over to the place where I get my shots so it doesn't have to live in my fridge for a week and risk me forgetting it.
So today I met a friend for lunch at 11:30 and then my appointment was a 3:15. I ended up with about 2 hours to kill. I wandered Barnes and Noble and Wegeman's but neither was really where I needed to be today. Then made my way over to the dr.
They call me back and the gal (I "affectionatley" call her the shot Nazi...seriously she's just mean)says "you have your serums right?" Ummm....no, that's why I'm here. She then asks when I faxed the form in....ummm..2 weeks ago. Well, we didn't get it. She then searches the pile and low and behold there's my form. She then debates the date that is conviently stamped at the top by the fax machine - doubting that I could have possibly sent it that day. She then informs me that SHE was on vacation and she mixed all the serums she had before she went and mine obviously wasn't in there and I'd have to come back next week. WHAT???????
No I'm sorry.
I'm beyond pissed. You see I basically wasted a day of my vacation waiting for my appointment and then drove all the way to Reston and now I have to do it again next week. Next week when I have to leave school early and deal with traffic. And not only that this gal made it out like it was all my fault! grrrrrr.....
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Dead Skunk
This morning I was driving to school and a very odd, catchy song came on the radio. It was about a dead skunk in the middle of the road. I instantly liked it. I'd never heard it before and figured I'd never hear it again but it made me laugh and that was enough. Then this afternoon I was driving to my allergy shots and channel surfing and what comes out of my speakers but the "Dead Skunk" song!!!! I was able to listen to it all this time and it cracked me up! At first I'd thought that it was new song (and that was going to take away some of the charm) but then I glanced down to see what station it was on....I was listening to my XM radio and it was on the 70s channel!!!! It was a funky, old, rare song! Even cooler! I googled it when I got home and of course it's on YouTube!
I also found the link with the words...and someone else's story about the song....http://www.cwu.edu/~raug/deadskunk.html
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Movie Review
I actually went to the movies. In the theater. That alone is worthy of a post, considering that in the last 5 years the only movies I have seen in the theater are: Finding Nemo, The 40-Year Old Virgin, Happy Feet, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Needless to say I have been enormously disapointed by my choices in movies to see in the theater! This weekend I had some down time - had planned to go hiking but the weather had other plans - so I decided I'd catch a movie.
My 1st thought was that I'd see "Fool's Gold" simply because it starred Matthew McConaughey and he's such a hunk. Even if the movie sucked, at least I'd have eye candy. As I read through the movie listing though, I saw that Juno was still playing. I'd heard a little about that one and really wanted to see it so I bought my tickets and off I went.
What a fabulous movie!!!!! I LOVED it! It's kooky and cheesy and totally sarcastic! It's also very real and deals with some controversial issues. I laughed so hard at many of the fab quotes! Unfortuently I can't find my favorite quote online - I'm going to have to buy it on DVD so I can get that quote. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! If you liked "Little Miss Sunshine" you will love this one!
Allison Janeys - from West Wing - plays Juno's wiseass mother - she totally rocked!
The guy who plays Dwight on the Office played the part of a droll store clerk which got the movie off to a hysterical start!
It also starred Jason Bateman - you might remember him from Valerie's Family or was it Hogan Family? I think the show changed names a million times - it was a late 1980's sitcom about a family and the mom died and the dad was a pilot and there were 3 kids...you basic straighforward cheesy sitcom. Anyway, Jason Bateman starred in that show as the protective older brother and boy did I ever have a crush on him! Him and Michael J Fox were my dream boys!!!!! I was thrilled to see that he was in Juno - I had my eye candy after all!!!! It was good to see him again as he hasn't been around.
My 1st thought was that I'd see "Fool's Gold" simply because it starred Matthew McConaughey and he's such a hunk. Even if the movie sucked, at least I'd have eye candy. As I read through the movie listing though, I saw that Juno was still playing. I'd heard a little about that one and really wanted to see it so I bought my tickets and off I went.
What a fabulous movie!!!!! I LOVED it! It's kooky and cheesy and totally sarcastic! It's also very real and deals with some controversial issues. I laughed so hard at many of the fab quotes! Unfortuently I can't find my favorite quote online - I'm going to have to buy it on DVD so I can get that quote. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! If you liked "Little Miss Sunshine" you will love this one!
Allison Janeys - from West Wing - plays Juno's wiseass mother - she totally rocked!
The guy who plays Dwight on the Office played the part of a droll store clerk which got the movie off to a hysterical start!
It also starred Jason Bateman - you might remember him from Valerie's Family or was it Hogan Family? I think the show changed names a million times - it was a late 1980's sitcom about a family and the mom died and the dad was a pilot and there were 3 kids...you basic straighforward cheesy sitcom. Anyway, Jason Bateman starred in that show as the protective older brother and boy did I ever have a crush on him! Him and Michael J Fox were my dream boys!!!!! I was thrilled to see that he was in Juno - I had my eye candy after all!!!! It was good to see him again as he hasn't been around.
Monday, January 21, 2008
The Wall - Before and After
Over Christmas break I finally decided to paint the living room! I'm finally getting around to posting before and after pictures! Here is the living room wall and couch before I painted. Scroll down to see the after...
Here is the wall after I painted it with my pictures of Denali. The Alaska in the middle is made from old Alaska liscene plates! I bought it at the Bizare Bazzar - see more liscene plate art here
Here is the wall after I painted it with my pictures of Denali. The Alaska in the middle is made from old Alaska liscene plates! I bought it at the Bizare Bazzar - see more liscene plate art here
Cross Stitch Projects
I have a few projects I have recently finished - all were gifts so I was waiting to post until all have been given! :)
My friends Kris and Amanda had twins in July! I made these 2 samplers for the girls. I ended up having to paint the frames myself too as the ones I'd wanted had been discontinued! AGGHHH!!!!
My friend Rachel got married at the end of October. I bought her the breadmaker she wanted so decided to cross stitch her a breadcloth to go with it. This looked like an easy enough project, however the repetition proved to be very tedious and the whole project felt more like an endurance test than a creative venture! I was glad when this one was done!
One of my fellow 1st grade teachers at school got married in October also. I decided to make her some "Apples for the Teacher" kitchen towels similar to the ones that I have in my own kitchen.
I have 2 baby bibs that I have been working on. One for baby's 1st birthday and the other for a new baby due in May. I'll post those when I take a picture of them!
My friends Kris and Amanda had twins in July! I made these 2 samplers for the girls. I ended up having to paint the frames myself too as the ones I'd wanted had been discontinued! AGGHHH!!!!
My friend Rachel got married at the end of October. I bought her the breadmaker she wanted so decided to cross stitch her a breadcloth to go with it. This looked like an easy enough project, however the repetition proved to be very tedious and the whole project felt more like an endurance test than a creative venture! I was glad when this one was done!
One of my fellow 1st grade teachers at school got married in October also. I decided to make her some "Apples for the Teacher" kitchen towels similar to the ones that I have in my own kitchen.
I have 2 baby bibs that I have been working on. One for baby's 1st birthday and the other for a new baby due in May. I'll post those when I take a picture of them!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
States I have Visited
create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide
Monday, January 07, 2008
How Ridiculous is this????
This is beyond ridiculous - be sure to read the whole thing...the mind-boggling bit is at the end...
I'm starting my next grad class next Wed the 16th. Over break I ordered my books from Amazon.com. I ordered them on Thurs December 27. I chose "free shipping" since I wanted more books rather than paying for shipping. Basically this means "get them to me whenever you freakin' feel like it." Part of my order arrived on Saturday Dec 29 via US Postal Service. I was very pleased, however this portion of the order contained simply a few kids books I'd ordered "because I was ordering" not my books for class that I was thinking I'd get a head start on reading. I assumed that the rest of the order would soon be here. Wrong. Part of it did arrive on Wed the 3rd - again, not the part that included my books, well one of the books, but it's not the one I need to read 1st.
So when it didn't show up on Thurs or Fri I started wondering. Why did 2/3 show up but not the part I actually wanted? So I went to "track my package". Well, it's being shipped via DHL so I go to their site - it says "arrived in Alexandria, VA, out for delivery" on Fri evening. I was expecting it Saturday. no. I thought surely by today. no. WTF?
I got back on DHL's site. It appears that it is being taken to a post office for the USPS to deliver to me. Ok, good, they have their shit together and can actually deliver a package (as a side note I mailed a package to a friend in central PA after noon on Dec 31. She had the package before lunch on the 2nd of Jan. See what I'm talkin about...less than 48 hours, with a holiday and I didn't pay extra. But I digress). Well, the PO is closed for the night so DHL will try again tomorrow.
The TRULY ridiculous part.....you aren't going to believe this one....seriously....it will blow your mind...I scanned the whole "tracking" page and my package of books that I have now been waiting over a week for was sent from CHANTILLY VA!!!!! That's 30 miles from my house. That's right folks. The return address on the DHL page says "Sterling, VA" My box of books has traveled from Sterling (30 miles from my house) to Wilmington, OH (DHL's hub - near Cincinnati), then to Allentown, PA then to Alexandria VA and now it's being delivered to some PO. WTF??????
Here's proof:
http://track.dhl-usa.com/TrackByNbr.asp?nav=Tracknbr
I'm just blown away. I could have seriously driven over the warehouse and picked it up myself. I guess then I would have had to pay for the gas to get me there. Somehow, I doubt that this is the cheapest way for Amazon to get me my books.
I'm starting my next grad class next Wed the 16th. Over break I ordered my books from Amazon.com. I ordered them on Thurs December 27. I chose "free shipping" since I wanted more books rather than paying for shipping. Basically this means "get them to me whenever you freakin' feel like it." Part of my order arrived on Saturday Dec 29 via US Postal Service. I was very pleased, however this portion of the order contained simply a few kids books I'd ordered "because I was ordering" not my books for class that I was thinking I'd get a head start on reading. I assumed that the rest of the order would soon be here. Wrong. Part of it did arrive on Wed the 3rd - again, not the part that included my books, well one of the books, but it's not the one I need to read 1st.
So when it didn't show up on Thurs or Fri I started wondering. Why did 2/3 show up but not the part I actually wanted? So I went to "track my package". Well, it's being shipped via DHL so I go to their site - it says "arrived in Alexandria, VA, out for delivery" on Fri evening. I was expecting it Saturday. no. I thought surely by today. no. WTF?
I got back on DHL's site. It appears that it is being taken to a post office for the USPS to deliver to me. Ok, good, they have their shit together and can actually deliver a package (as a side note I mailed a package to a friend in central PA after noon on Dec 31. She had the package before lunch on the 2nd of Jan. See what I'm talkin about...less than 48 hours, with a holiday and I didn't pay extra. But I digress). Well, the PO is closed for the night so DHL will try again tomorrow.
The TRULY ridiculous part.....you aren't going to believe this one....seriously....it will blow your mind...I scanned the whole "tracking" page and my package of books that I have now been waiting over a week for was sent from CHANTILLY VA!!!!! That's 30 miles from my house. That's right folks. The return address on the DHL page says "Sterling, VA" My box of books has traveled from Sterling (30 miles from my house) to Wilmington, OH (DHL's hub - near Cincinnati), then to Allentown, PA then to Alexandria VA and now it's being delivered to some PO. WTF??????
Here's proof:
http://track.dhl-usa.com/TrackByNbr.asp?nav=Tracknbr
I'm just blown away. I could have seriously driven over the warehouse and picked it up myself. I guess then I would have had to pay for the gas to get me there. Somehow, I doubt that this is the cheapest way for Amazon to get me my books.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Are you a lesbian?
A good friend of mine bought me the coolest ABC poster for Christmas. It's called the Alternative Alphabet for Little and Big People. It's prouduced by group the specializes in cultivating peace and social justice. The poster features each letter with a word and a picture then each picture has several other words around it that start with the letter. The cool thing about this poster is that it brings big idea and important people (K is for King Jr as in Martin Luther)not usually mentioned. It's bright and colorful and I was egar to find a special spot for it in my room this afternoon (a big statement as most stuff that goes up on my walls is either county mandated or child created). As I was hanging it up I noticed that one of the small words on the L was lesbian.
Hmmmmmm....a general rule of the thumb is that if you don't want to explain it to a six year old don't bring it into the room. I wasn't sure I could explain what a lesbian was on 6 year old terms. I wasn't sure if I should explain it. Finally I decided: who cares. When (and if) a kid asked I'd figure it out. I was not going to be afraid of a word or an idea, even if it is controversial. L is for lesbian just like L is for library or lollipop or leaf. Children need to learn about these things. We have a 2nd grader in our school who has 2 mommies - they are both very active in the PTA and very well accepted in the community - so it's actually something my kids might encounter.
The poster came with a teachers guide that explains all the words. I looked up what they had for lesbian and the definition read:
"Women loving other women however they wish."
I liked it. Simple. Non-sexual. Easy for a child to understand.
My only question is, doesn't that make us all lesbians?
Hmmmmmm....a general rule of the thumb is that if you don't want to explain it to a six year old don't bring it into the room. I wasn't sure I could explain what a lesbian was on 6 year old terms. I wasn't sure if I should explain it. Finally I decided: who cares. When (and if) a kid asked I'd figure it out. I was not going to be afraid of a word or an idea, even if it is controversial. L is for lesbian just like L is for library or lollipop or leaf. Children need to learn about these things. We have a 2nd grader in our school who has 2 mommies - they are both very active in the PTA and very well accepted in the community - so it's actually something my kids might encounter.
The poster came with a teachers guide that explains all the words. I looked up what they had for lesbian and the definition read:
"Women loving other women however they wish."
I liked it. Simple. Non-sexual. Easy for a child to understand.
My only question is, doesn't that make us all lesbians?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
