Four Days Straight

Attention readers! I have worked on my "book report" ~sob!~ for four straight days! Holy smokes! Please keep sending your prayers, good thoughts, brain vibes, and love this way! I have such a long way to go. ~sob-sniffle-sob~

B is for Books

My favorite memories of childhood are of reading books with my little sister, Tree. We would grab a couple of books and lay across her double bed; feet propped on the wall, and read. We would read for hours. Every so often we would stop, ask each other questions, make comments, and then continue. When we completed said book, we’d swap. When we finished both books, we’d have grand conversations. I remember being in 10 or 11 and comparing and contrasting the death of Aslan with Christ's crucifixion with my sister, two years younger.

I still have books that my sister and I purchased from Scholastic when we were in elementary school. Where did my passion for collecting books come from? I think my book hoarding stems from two separate issues. I believe that I associate books with education and intellect, thus with wealth. I also remember being traumatized by reading Fahrenheit 451 in high school; I knew it was my mission to save the printed word.

I could not possibly pick a single book to be my favorite, but there are several that I would highly recommend:

• The Fire Cat
• Where the Wild Things Are
• Stellaluna
• The Polar Express
• The Laura Ingalls Wilder Series
• The Chronicles of Narnia
• Anything by Madeline L’Engle
• StarGirl and Star Girl
• The Giver
• Just about anything by James Patterson, and
• Astronomy books by Carl Sagan

123-112-108

I had a pretty darn good night bowling! My current average is 92, so tonight's scores were great. Thirty-one, 20, and 16 points above my average! I'll take it! I hope to continue with this trend. My goal for the year is to be the most improved player. (Last year I was one point from most improved!).

There were no guesses for this week's scores, so we have no winners. Readers, care to make guesses for next week? Tree, our reigning winner should be receiving her surprise any day now!

Orion Update

The results are in! Orion's RAST test for allergies showed NO allergies! His blood was completely non-reactive to everything from dog skin to cat fur, goose down to cockroach feces (ewww!). He did get a ping on the old peanut chart, but not enough to be considered even a borderline allergy. His first question to me, after he hugged my neck in the doctor's office was, "Can we have dinner at Monetti's tonight?" I had to laugh. The boy misses his pasta and bread.

I just returned from parent/teacher conferences for the first quarter. He has shown major improvements in all areas! His grades are:

• Social Studies C
• Science A +
• Reading C+
• Spelling B
• Writing B +
• Math B +
• PE A +
• Music A
• Art A-

Celebrate the good news! Go Orion!

A is for Arkansas

(Criniod fossils at Richland Creek, 2001)

(Creek bed, Kings River Falls, 2004)

(Hawksbill Crag, Boxley Valley, 2005)

Arkansas is my home. Oh, I may have a zip code that reflects otherwise, but Arkansas remains my home. I grew up in Eureka Springs, a town known for hippies, artists, and hospitality. I spent several years in Conway and in Fayetteville pursuing higher education.

My favorite places to visit include Steel Creek on the Buffalo, Richland Creek, Hawksbill Crag (aka Whitaker Point), Beaver Lake, Blanchard Springs in Fifty-Six, Devil’s Den, and Hot Springs…just to name a few.

What do I miss most about Arkansas? The Buffalo National River and the tiny Odin Stones I find there, the fresh air, the thunderstorms, the leaves in autumn, fishing at the White River, hiking, but most of all my friends and my family.

The Encyclopedia of Me

Welcome to a new thread of posts- The Encyclopedia of Me. Over the next few months I plan to share a list, from A to Z, of not so random things. These will be items and ideas that move me, ground me, inspire me, or just plain mean something to me. I hope you enjoy!

To teach, or not to teach...

Perhaps we need to reevaluate how geography and social studies are taught and assessed in the public schools. Or maybe we all just need to READ A BOOK!

First Frost?

Our low was 37 degrees last night with a "wind chill" of 32. Was it our first frost? I am undecided. Plants seemed unaffected, however Orion did scrape the car windows for me! Brrr!

Read a Book!

I would love to know your opinions of this video. Really. Until I hear from you, I think I'll go read a book.

Orion's New Meds

Orion's new medicine is Rowasa. As I understand it, it is pretty much the same medicine that he takes orally (Colazal), in a liquid form, that is delivered via the south entrance as opposed to the north entrance.

Orion has not been overly pleased with the delivery method (enema), however we have seen an improvement that has been almost immediate!

As for our kitchen we are roughly 95% wheat free at this time. We wonder how and if this has affected Orion's health. As for me, I can say I no longer crave breads! But I wouldn't say no to a bagel (that is if Orion wasn't watching!). We will find the results of Orion's RAST test on Wednesday. This should indicate if Orion has any food or environmental allergies. As always, I'll keep you posted.

Tree-Saw Has a Birthday

Happy, Happy Birthday Little Sister!

I love you!

October 18, 1971

Happy Birthday PilDong!

Today is my brother-in-law's birthday! PD is a very special guy and I am so glad he's part of our family. These pictures were taken this summer during my visit. PD was helping me fry a million (delicious) egg rolls! I miss you lil' brother! I can't wait to see you during Christmas!

October 17,1998

Tree and PilDong were married on October 17, 1998 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I flew down from St. Louis (Orion was about 15 months old and remained in Missouri.) to join the festivities. The ceremony was held at our brother and sister-in-law's house. It was a wonderful day! It rained so hard that morning that water gushed down the hillside. It was so deep it was up to our knees! When the rain cleared, albeit briefly, we went ahead and held the wedding a few minutes early (outside, of course!). It began pouring again just after the ceremony. As you can see from the picture, Tree wore her Korean hanbok. My favorite parts of the ceremony were the vows. Tree said hers in Korean and PilDong said his in English.

Happy 9th Anniversary, Tree and PilDong! The traditional gift for the 9th anniversary is pottery; the modern is leather! Which will it be?

P.S. The children in the wedding picture are Alexa, the daughter of a friend, and none other than the coconut wearing Dominic!

Bung and Hole

Orion's Self Portrait, December 24, 2006, Nikon CoolPix

So my ten year old, rather miffed at his father and me, walks into the living room. He addresses me first, then his father. "You are bung," he gives me a regal nod, as if I am somehow unworthy of his attention. "And you are hole," he adds including his father in his contemptible glance. "I've made my point," he concludes and leaves the room with a flourish.

I tell you, it is impossible to discipline your child when you're laughing too hard to hold a wooden spoon. Suffice it to say he has yet to be chastised.

Happy Birthday

Happy Forty-first Birthday, John B.

And the Winner Is...

Last week I asked readers to post a comment guessing my scores for this week! The closest guess would receive a gift (to be named later so as not to ruin the surprise!). Two readers posted their guesses. Mom of Tampa, Florida guessed 82-115-176. (If Mom only knew how good a 176 is and how bad a player I am!) Tree of Ontario, Canada predicted a 78-103-112.

My average is 90. And today's games were: 79-105-119!

The winner is Tree of Ontairo, Canada! Tree, your prize will be mailed to you on Monday, October 15! Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.

I must point out how uncanny Tree's prediction was! She was within ten pins of my total! How does she do that!?!

Next week, October 18, I will be presenting a workshop for a local student group, so I will not be bowling. However, the following week, October 25, I'll be back on the lanes. Place your guess now! Who will win in two weeks? Everyone is welcome to play!

WTF?

So my ten year old comes home and tells me, "It's Leif Erikson Day!" "Mmmm?" I reply, not really paying attention. "It's Leif Erikson Day!" "No it isn't!" Sure that Orion's confused himself with Columbus Day. "Is it the 9th?" he asks. "Yes, and?" I attend. "Then it's Leif Erikson Day!" he demands.

Sure enough, further research has uncovered that today, is indeed, Leif Erikson Day! It seems that congress authorized this new holiday in September of 1964. I do not ever remember observing this day during my public school career (as student or as teacher). I read that it seems to be popular in the states that were settled by folks of Nordic decent. I suppose that didn't include Arkansas and Missouri!

Well, to all of you out there: Happy Leif Erikson Day! And since we're on the topic of intrepid explorers, do any of you know when Capt. Kathryn Janeway Day is?

Update

This just in! Dominic in drag! Hope you had fun at Homecoming Domino!

Happy Sixteenth Birthday

Dominic Francesco Mangione celebrates his sixteenth birthday on October 9, 2007! Happy Birthday dear nephew! I love you and I am proud of you!

74-113-125

The results are in! I started out strong in the first few frames of the first game! Then whoosh, the toilet flushed and there I went! I was lucky to pull a 74 by the end of the game. I was certain doom lay ahead. The beginning of the second game seemed like more of the same! I was ready to come home. But I spoke with Tami and Paul (wife and husband on another team) and they offered some really good advice. I was able to land a few spares and a strike in the second game. The third game was much better: a couple of spares and a couple of strikes. I am eager to see how thing go next week!

Use the comment form to predict my scores for next week! The reader who comes the closest to my actual scores for each game will win a prize! Really!

October 2, 1993

Bone Head

My little bear has a thick skull! At it seems his bones are quite alright to boot! Results are in from the Bone Density Scan- Orion's bones are "normal." (Orion and normal in the same sentences? I don't think so!)