8 Crazy Nights

Sing along with Adam Sandler!

Happy Chanukah

They say chicken soup is good for the soul. And your immune system. And both could use a shot in the arm!
Yesterday started early. Too early. 5:30 the alarms went off and the three of us were up! We spent about two hours tidying up the house, getting the cats situated, and loading the truck. It was dark and about 2 degrees F. Surprisingly we were gassed up and headed south by 8:01. Right on time. We drove for about 3.5 hours; as we headed south, the sun crept up over the land, and the temperatures rose to about 18 degrees by the time we crossed the Arkansas state line around 10:45.

We met Shannon in Harrison. We had a quick lunch and she picked up a few boxes so we wouldn't have to keep up with them. We were back on the road by 1:30. Of course, we couldn't cross the Buffalo River without stopping to play, even though it was only about 20 degrees by that time. Brrr! The edges of the river were frozen and made the coolest sound as we skipped rocks across the ice.

The rest of our trip was uneventful and despite our little jaunts, we made it to Conway by 4:00.

Orion and his cousin, Tabor, made quick work of our bags while I got started in the kitchen. I spent the weekend working on my secret chicken stock. Out came the pots. In went the stock. In went the carrots and celery and chicken. I got the mixer going and got the matzo balls started.

Meme and I peeled 8 potatoes and several onions while John zipped them through the food processor (Cheating, I know!). Soon we had potato pancakes (latkes) frying up in golden oil. As the soup began to boil I dropped in my light-as-air matzo balls. I have to brag, they floated effortlessly in the chicken stock and tasted like a little bit of heaven.

John was kind enough to snap a few of these pictures. Yum! I'm wishing I hadn't frozen the left overs. I think I'd like another bowl of soup!

Bowling Update

It seems like forever since I've been bowling! What with being sick last week and missing FUN night (where strikes are gutter balls and 9s are considered strikes!) and Thanksgiving. I think it has been nigh unto forever since I've bowled. And longer still since I've blogged my shame (i.e. bowling scores!).

That doesn't mean I've not been keeping up with them. And for my dozens of readers out there who have been clamoring for those scores, here they are!

10/09 89 125 107
10/23 100 102 119
11/13 100 114 121
11/20 124 140 93

Wild Weather!

Looks like we're in for a wild ride here in Midwest!

Yesterday we experienced a WINDY (40+ mph, white caps on ponds) warm (in the 50s) day. The boys and I drove about an hour or so north of here to meet a blacksmith in Malta Bend (Orion may be the ONLY 11 year old getting 150 lbs of coal for Christmas!).

Today finds me in the office grading papers and getting ready to post final grades for the semester. I thought it might be a good idea to come today since the weather is supposed to do an about face!

It was about 61 degrees when I got here this morning. It will be about 38 when I leave around 4:00. And 11 tonight! Yes, I said 11.

Precipitation has already started and there just might be some accumulation before the sun rises tomorrow! Snow, ice, or both!

A Good Day

Wow! It's not yet noon and I have been blessed with several little happies already! First I was greeted with the weather report as I hopped into the car at 6:30 a.m. Temperatures dropping and snow coming! Woot! I hopped out of the car and raced back inside to bring a secondary set of shoes (instead of my traditional Birks) as well as my hat and gloves. I can't wait! Bring it on!

The radar pic was from 10:30 this morning. It's coming! We're only expecting one to two inches. But I can hope for four! Right?

After tossing my 'winter gear' into Grace I made my way to Parker's Grocery to buy gas. I've watched the prices dropping (with the minor hiccup for Thanksgiving) and have held out as long as I could. With my Parker's Card I paid $1.33. We get 3 cents for being customers and a penny off for ever $10 we spend over a two week period. I do most of my shopping at Wal-Mart (prices) but I love the meat selection at Parker's. So I was able to fill my near empty gas tank for no, not $40, no, not $30, no even $20! But for less than $15 this morning. I spent $14.60 to fill my car today. And did a little happy dance in the pre-dawn glow of the gas station.

I administered my second of three finals this morning at 8:00. My students shared their creative philosophies of education. Each one different. Each one personal. Each one genuine. It was sad to say "see you later." I will miss them.

For the rest of today and Wednesday I have hundreds of papers to grade and a handful of meetings (blah!). Thursday afternoon I have my last final. And Friday Orion heads to Children's Mercy South for his G.I. check-up.

Now then, I'm off to do my snow dance and grade some papers. What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Crock-Pot 365

The crock-pot is an interesting invention. Some say it is nothing more than a giant Petri dish, just warm enough to grow your favorite bacteria. Others tout its money saving capabilities! Personally, I have always been attracted to the time saving factor associated with the original "set-it-and-forget-it!"

About a year ago I found the Rival Crock-Pot Cooking cookbook on my friend Ruth's shelf. It was published in 1975 and I have found it to be most useful. So much that I haven't returned Ruth's book! Last weekend while shopping the antique stores with my friend Shannon I found a copy for my very own! I was so excited I told Ruth she could have her copy back! That's when she told me about A Year of CrockPotting!

You can find a Year of CrockPotting at http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/. I liked this blog so much I've book marked it! I zipped Stephanie, the Crock-Pot Lady, an email asking if I could link to her blog and rave about her recipes. She was quick to respond in the affirmative. (Thank you Crock-Pot Lady: for your permission and your hard work!).

At a Year of CrockPotting you will find a diary of Crock-Pot experiences for the past year. There are breakfast recipes, veggie recipes, and dinner recipes as well as several things I never thought to use a Crock-Pot to create (Soap?). I love that Stephanie begins each post with a picture of her creation. Then she lists her recipe with the steps and provides a picture of her ingredients. Each entry ends with a "verdict." I find this most helpful as there are some creations I think I'll pass on after reading about Stephanie trying them not once, but twice!

Visit the Crock-Pot Lady and let her know what you think! It's one of the best blogs I've seen!

P.T.S.D.

Post Thanksgiving Stress Disorder that is! It's the scary realization that Christmas, Hanukkah, and other winter festivities are around the corner and you've done nothing to prepare! I hope your holidays are P.T.S.D. free this year!

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving! A friend and colleague invited me to her house for Thanksgiving dinner. There I spent the afternoon with other friends, colleagues, and a group of Latino guys and gals (friends of my friend's youngest son). We partook of some seriously tasty victuals. There was shrimp cocktail, bread, crackers, cheese ball, deviled ham spread, to start us off.

From there we found ourselves at the table consuming turkey with Panchetta hidden under the skin (yum!), duck, mashed taters, candied yams, various steamed veggies, and so much more.

The most difficult decision was deciding whether I wanted seconds (more turkey and dressing) or whether I wanted to try the deserts. You may be surprised to discover that the deserts won. I had a small slice of tasty pumpkin pie and a healthy slice of some impressive cream cheese pound cake! There were really too many wonderful choices! I split a German cookie that took me back about 30 years or so. The cookie was moist, almost cake-like. But it was not sweet. It seemed to be heavy on the ginger, orange, and possibly molasses. It reminded me of a Christmas cookie my mom and grandma used to make. This one was covered in a tiny layer of chocolate, but the ones I remember as a child were covered in powdered sugar.

Mom, if you have any idea what I am talking about send me the recipe! Amber, with your baking expertise you might know what I am talking about. Readers, can you help?

By not having to shop or make Thanksgiving dinner this year I not only saved a tremendous amount of money, I had an extra day and a half that I used to clean my house. It's still not as clean I would like it, but at least now I have an idea of where things are. All it all it was a good holiday. The best part was spent with family and friends. I hope your Thanksgivings were just a wonderful! Feel free to share in the comments, especially any tasty recipes!

Birthday Goodness...

Sunday I celebrated my 39th birthday. I know... One can very easily round up to 40... Up, up, up! I have had a very good birthday and it looks like I will continue to enjoy birthday festivities throughout the upcoming week! The joy of having one's birthday so close to Thanksgiving; one can find ways to drag it out, to prolong the celebrations.

I started celebrating on November 22nd. Explaining to Orion that for a while folks thought my birthday was on the 22nd because I was born in the middle of the night, just after 3:00 a.m. EST. Sunday the 23rd was spent at Jennifer and Aaron's house in Sedalia (about 30 miles east of here) with good friends. We snacked all day on some very tasty dip and chips. And Aaron and Jennifer provided us with plenty of pizza (I had left-overs for breakfast this morning!). Next to the company, my favorite part was rockin' out to Guitar Hero with Chad and Aaron! What fun!

In addition to the weekend fun I have received a number of electronic wishes via Facebook (Who knew?!), many cards via snail mail, gorgeous flowers from my mum-in-law, a beautiful apron from my "south of the border" sister, home-made cookies, and a pair of 480 million year old earrings (no kidding). Rumor has it, there's more to come!

I promise to take pictures of my "birthday booty" and share.

Tired and Cranky

Tired and cranky. These words are almost always associated with toddlers. However, as of late, they're quite appropriate descriptors of me. The semester is winding down at an alarming rate. I have one and a half weeks of class and a week of finals; I can hear the fat lady singing in the distance. This is been a semester of 12-14 hour days: grading, planning, researching, and writing. And the most distressing thing of all is that despite all the time I've logged, I still can't seem to catch up.

There are 'virtual' piles of papers to be graded (Ma, virtual here means they're electronic, and not hard copies.), there's a dissertation that is simmering (at least it's not cold), four research papers that are in the process of being written, grades to be posted, and plans for next semester! Yee gads!

Suffice it to say I've been terribly tired and most cranky. I am tired of eating fish sticks, frozen pizza, and corn dogs (Although I do love corn dogs!). I want chicken soup with matzo balls; I want baked chicken; I want steak! But I seem to be lacking two things: time and money.

So I've hypothesized that these two factors combined with poor nutrition have only compounded the grumpy and tired factors by several degrees.

With all this said, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can count on one hand the number of class periods I have left. I will have a week during Thanksgiving to rest and write and clean. Lovely! I plan to do all three. I'll have two weeks of class in December and then I'll have another three weeks to work on research (the dissertation and the four papers).

My Niece is Better Looking than Your Niece...

Okay, okay... I don't want to start a fight! I'm just stating the facts! Ellie Jelly celebrated her third birthday this past weekend! I wish I had been there to wish her a happy day! (Photos "borrowed" from Tree's blog.)

Ellie makes school look like so much fun!

What a grown-up girl! Love the uni.

Juicy Goose loves fresh juice.

First Snow

We had our first snow on Saturday. It was more of a sneet (snow mixed with sleet) and it was not very intense. But it sure was nifty to see something other than rain fall out of the sky! Perhaps the next time it snows I can hope for some ground cover.

Long Time

It's been a week since I've blogged. But it seems longer than that! A great deal has happened in the past 7 days.

I skipped bowling for the first time this season. I was feeling puny. And I just needed a little more time to work in my office.

Halloween consisted of me sitting in the house with the lights off. Orion dressed up as a bloody army doctor and made the neighbors' houses.

Saturday we went to Wal*Mart. Orion desperately needed britches. He no longer wears "boy pants." I have to buy his clothes in the MAN section now! We got home shortly before noon; Orion had his full crank on. By 2:00 p.m. we knew why! He was terribly sick! He had a 102+ temperature and was miserable. He slept in his dad's bed for the afternoon and evening. Later I moved him to his bedroom where he convalesced the rest of the evening. Loving and hating the sponge baths I was using to help lower his fever.

Sunday I day-tripped to the big city. My highlights (aside from the company!) included "Retail Rock Hounding" (just wait for Christmas), the Half-Price Books, and Cho-ga the Korean restaurant I love in Overland Park.

Orion remained at home, napping and playing video games, on Sunday. John headed to work at 3:00. I think we all over did it on Sunday.

Monday we spent at home. All three of us. John and Orion rested and played video games. I researched, napped, wrote, and did a load or two of laundry. But mostly kept activity to a minimum.

Tuesday I spent all day in the public schools. My department chair paid a special visit to our PDS schools. I had a great time showing her the three schools I visit on Tuesdays. She bought me a lovely lunch at King Chef Buffet (Chinese). But it was 2:30 and I was in the teachers' lounge at Knob thinking I had over-done it again. I had a pretty miserable afternoon. But after a 30 minute nap upon returning home at 5:00 I felt well enough to make dinner.

Tuesday we elected a new president.

And today finds me cleaning out my office. I was a bit surprised to find over 150 email in my in box and a stack of mail on my chair (seems my snail mail box in the office was full too!). What a mess. I don't remember leaving my office in such a state; but I vaguely recall feeling rather puny on Friday when I left.

What a week! We're all feeling better and taking it easy. What have you all be up to?

Embarq Free

There's a bit of irony with a dash of sarcasm in this post's title. Embarq sucks. And they're hardly free. Oh, you've read a vent here or there about my trials and tribulations with Embarq. Suffice it to say that in the past two years and three months that I have lived here I have spent more time on the phone trying to figure out my bill, contesting my bill, wondering why I do not have service, or trying to reduce my services so that I might better afford my bill. Embarq provided three services for us: land line, Internet, and cell phone. Internet being the only one that worked consistently and was relatively affordable (compared to other options). But alas, it didn't matter how we tried to work it, our bill was always $150/month. I tried a long distance package. I gave up long distance all together. We reduced the number of minutes on the cell phone. We added minutes and bundled. We tried slower Internet. The impact was never greater than $10/month.

Finally, it became a choice between phone and Internet or groceries. We chose groceries. Those of you who have tried calling me know I've not had service since the 5th or 6th of October. It's been a quiet four weeks. And aside from my minor withdrawal from the Internet at home, I've rather enjoyed the peace. I spent two years living in Eureka Springs after graduating from Hendrix without a phone. I can spend a few years living in the 'Burg without a phone.

And so today, the Embarq Saga ends... Of course, they got another 90 minutes of my life that I'll never be able to get back!

It began at 1:00 this afternoon. I called to make a payment on my bill and reevaluate my services in hopes of lowering my bill. I made said payment (and she assured me that my payment was not enough to restore my services, and I said I understood, no problem) and when I reminded the gal that I needed to discuss reducing my services, she hung up on me.

I called back. Got another gal. Explained that I needed to ask about a $159 charge on my bill (for services NOT received) and that I needed to talk about changing up my services. She explained, very patiently, that even though I did NOT have phone or Internet services, that the $159 was my charge for October, after all they didn't give my phone number away. Something about fine print. So I asked to speak to a manager to resolve the issue. The line was disconnected.

I called back. I cancelled my services. The gal assured me that I would be "pro-rated" for October, but the bill would not come out till November. She directed me to the wireless people to cancel the cell phone (which they're planning on dropping in the near future anyway!).

There I spoke with another gal. She disconnected the service. I asked her about the bill. We got to the 'hard questions' and we were disconnected (again!). I am so not kidding.

So I called back. Spoke with another gal at wireless. She said that I indeed cancelled my wireless, but that my other services had been restored. "No, they can't be! First my payment wasn't enough and secondly, I cancelled them," I moaned. "No, I show that you cancelled the wireless, but not your other services. But you're right, your services should not have been restored" She kindly connected me with a gentleman who worked in cancellations.

He was confused. He found it difficult to believe that I had been on the phone for about 75 minutes and had experienced three dropped calls. (Note: I was being very nice. No cussing or screaming.) So he began the process and provided me with a confirmation number (!) and I asked, "Should I call wireless back to make sure I the cell phone is cancelled?" "No ma'am, it's taken care of now. Is there anything else I can help you with?" "Why yes, I need to talk to somebody about my bill. There's $159... do I need to talk to billing?" "I can handle it for you, what's the problem."

And so I explained that I was being charged for services I did not receive. That I have NOT had service in four weeks, not since October 6. That I was not going to pay $159 for charges dated 10/13 - 11/12. And I asked, the gal earlier said I couldn't not be pro-rated for those days because I didn't not "cancel" my services and you were "saving" my phone number.

Long story, longer... He agreed to stop the bill on the 6th and pro-rate from there. Of course, I forsee another call to Embarq in November when I receive my final bill.

But I will no longer be using their services.

Well readers, this means that contacting me via the phone will be virtually impossible; just ask my mom or Shannon. But you can still reach me at the office (leave a message if I am in class) and you can email me at my gmail or UCM accounts.

Bye-bye Embarq!

G.I.

And I'm not talking about G.I. Joe.

Orion had his 5th colonoscopy and 3rd endoscopy on Monday, October 27 at Children's Mercy in downtown Kansas City. At 11, Orion has been living with U.C. since he was 2.5 years old, however it was his third birthday before he was diagnosed by Dr. Sarah Barlow at Cardinal Glennon in St. Louis. Since then he's been on a variety of medicines (Pentasa, Colazal, Prednisone, Imuran, Rowasa). He's had a scope every other year; he just loves the clean out procedure. Ugh!

Children's Mercy in K.C. has an interesting approach to G.I. procedures. We were in and out in less than three hours. We arrived at 8:15 (15 minutes late due to horrid traffic!). We spent half an hour waiting, half an hour filling out paperwork, less than hour for the two procedures, and about 30 minutes in recovery. Orion was completely OUT of it after the procedure. Imagine an 11 year drunk! Not pretty. But they "needed the bed" and wheeled him out, poured him into the back of Grace and we were on our way by 11:00. He slept most of the way home and felt much better by the time we arrived in the 'Burg at Noon.

Orion had no problems (other than some noxious gas) that afternoon and we spent the afternoon reading, napping, and enjoying a small fire. Both J and I felt that Children's did rather rush us. It was difficult driving with Orion (all out of it and unhappy) till he passed out again. The doctor was busy and our consult consisted of "Orion had patchy inflammation which might indicate Crohn's instead of U.C. It will be a week before the biopsies come back. But I won't be able to call you for two as I'll be out of town next week." And to top it off, we didn't get any pictures to bring home! (Orion usually enjoys a lil' show and tell in science class!)

So now we wait. We should know something in a few weeks' time. As always I'll keep you posted.

Making the Grade

Dear Readers,

The results are in! Orion has successfully survived his first quarter as a sixth grader. I don't know if it has been harder on him or me... Probably me. Letting them grow up is hard. To start of the year John took Orion to his before school social and met the teachers. We kept parent involvement to a minimum. I didn't send my usual letter describing Orion's various learning features (C.A.P.D. & Dyslexia) or his need for frequent bathroom breaks (U.C.). I held back. I wanted to see how middle school was going to work out. All the time, ready to jump in and rescue him...

But so far, there has been no need. Each of his teachers commented on his lack of organizations skills and how that's keeping him from making better grades. Each of his teachers commented on what a respectful and good student he is. The conference was student led, so he showed me work he wanted to share, explained work the teacher wanted to share, and discussed his strengths and weaknesses. He even had an "improvement" plan for Communication Arts (since his state test was a few points below "proficient" and in the "basic" pile. I told him I wasn't worried as his score might be "basic" he was still above the state average! I'm a bad mommy!). After that, he walked us through the Book Fair (I'm glad I left my purse in the car!), we took a parent survey, and went to the cafeteria for cookies and report cards.

Orion's first quarter grades are:
2 Cs
2 Bs
2 As

I am so impressed and so proud of Orion!

For those of you who would like to read more about Orion. Visit his blog. It is no longer invitation only. The Life of Orion is open to all. Enjoy!

Curious?

Curious about what Orion and I have been up to during our evening together? Bop on over to the Galactic Apple and check out my recent post about our evening readings. We're reading Roland Smith these days. He sure does write some page turners.

October Catch Up!

October has been a busy month! I've had more meetings than I can count. I've even forgotten several meetings. I'm analyzing my data. And analyzing the data of others (various papers I'm working on). But more importantly, I've not taken the time to blog and wish my friends and family happy days!

Birthdays to Note:
Dominic is 17 as of October 9!
John is way over 40 as of October 12.
My most best special brother-in-law, PD had a birthday on the 18th!
My sister had hers on the 19th!
My other brother-in-law will be 60 something on the 31st.
My friends Jim, Danny, Eric, Darryl, and Nancy all celebrated their birthdays this month too!

Our 15 th wedding anniversary was on the 2nd. I think I actually blogged about that.
Tree and PD celebrated their 10th anniversary on Friday, October 17th.
Michael and Robin celebrate their 14th or 13th anniversary today, October 22!
My Aunt Fran (Dad's little sister) and Uncle Joe (Mom's little brother) celebrate their anniversary tomorrow on October 23rd.
Mom and Dad shared that anniversary as well.

It's been a busy month! Happy days friends and family! Happy days!

Brr!

Happiness! Joy! I slept with the windows open last night. Quilt and down comforter covering me. Naked as a jaybird. The temperature dropped to 38 or so! My bedroom was a nifty 54 degree! I slept so well. Mmmm! Autumn, bring it on! I'm read.

Sleeping Weather

Finally. Some weather I can sleep to. The temperatures have dropped a bit, particularly at night. Last night we had a low of 47. The same should be true for tonight as well. I kept my windows up and hauled out my down comforter. I slept soundly for the first time in months.

Why is it that I sleep better when the bedroom temperature is 60 or less? With air-conditioning, I still cannot get my bedroom below 75 in the summer. Thankfully we had a mild summer.

Here's to a wicked winter! I'm ready. Bring it on!

Puppy, Kitten, & Dog

Castor Cat and Satan's Littlest Minion (a.k.a. Nibblet) are asleep under the coffee table. Mom and Michael will recognize the legs of said coffee table as they both previously owned and operated the above pictured coffee table (Coffee table, Lane, circa 1961).


But back to the pests, rather pets. Castor, the kitten, named for alpha star in the constellation Gemini is our last kitten left. She will be six months old at the end of October. Castor's brother, and twin, Pollux (now Dusty) has a home with our associate department chair and Helen (completely grey) is now Sassy and lives with three college gals behind the library. Truffles, a.k.a. Mama Cat, has resumed her outdoor lifestyle and thanks us regularly for her spaying by leaving us giant rodents on our front and back steps.


Satan's Littlest Minion is a wee bit of a beagle and something else; she's not supposed to be much more than 15 pounds fully grown. We troubled over her name for several weeks- trying out names like: Lola, Lolita, Leeta (She seemingly liked this name...), Whorfie (She did not like this one...), Lil'bit, Nibblet, and Satan's Littlest Minion. It seems S.L.M, or the diminutive "Minion" has stuck. I must say, she is the devil. As wee as she is, she is nothing more than a poop factory. She also seems to be able to jump, straight up in the air, about four feet. She thinks nothing of knocking things over or climbing on top of things (Like the dinner table!) to get to what she wants. The only thing that saves her is that she's so darn cute.



Nola, pictured above, has grown into a gorgeous, well-behaved, albeit slightly neurotic, dog. She has an impressive bark. She is a good big sister to Nibblet.

Yurt

I've often thought about my 'dream home.' What would it look like? Where would it be? How would I build it? Even as a little girl I would spirit away my father's plan books for second homes, country homes, and the like. While my ideal spot for a home has remained fairly constant: wooded, mountains or hills, with a lake or river close by, my ideal 'house' has taken a variety of forms. This is one of the more unusual. A yurt.

My brother often warned against living in a circular abode, but I am fascinated and drawn to the simple complexity of the yurt. The largest I've seen offered are 30' in diameter. This would afford about 750 square feet of living space. Tight, for sure, but without interior walls, possibly more roomy than my most recent rental house at 850 square feet.

There are several places where one can investigate and shop for yurts. Some of my favorite include: Pacific Yurts, Rainier Yurts, and Colorado Yurt Company. Check them out. Let me know what you think. Until then, I'll dream about living off-grid and plan how to arrange 5,000+ books in 750 square feet.

39 Beautiful Years...

If you ask my husband how long we've been married, he gets this far-away look in his eyes, smiles, and says "Thirty-nine beautiful years..." Of course folks give me the oddest look. I know, I hardly look old enough to be married at all. Ha! Interestingly, J has been using the "thirty-nine years" line for at least four or five years. Does that make yesterday our 43rd or 44th anniversary?

Actually, it makes it our 15th (October 2, 1993). Yes, that's the "Crystal Wedding Anniversary." Or now days, the gift of watches (!). Mmmm... I hear if I make it to 25 years, I might "get out early for good behavior!"

Unfortunately, I've hardly been good. :-)

115, 85, 100

I had a great game last night. Followed by a cruddy game. And and okay game. Okay for me that is.

I'm on the verge of a bigger ball. I've been using an 11 pounder. At first it was too heavy. But I had no control with the 10 pounder. Now that I seem to be more consistent, I seem to leave ONE pin. Three suggestions were made: throw the ball harder, begin your approach one step up (or back), and use a heavier ball. I've given up on the first two. And seemed to have good luck with the 12 pounder. But lord I was hurting...

Let's see what next week looks like.

Got Game?

So I am told by others that my form is improving- that I am consistent. They see the changes over the past several years. Then why do I ask is my average dropping?

This week's games: 92, 112, 96. All things considered, roughly 12 pins over my current average.

I cannot find last week's averages. I wrote them on paper instead of my arm. They were pretty horrible. I think I had a game in the 70s.

Ah well. It's all good. I have fun with my buds.

Welcome Ike

Ike found his way to Galveston just about 13 hours ago. Since then he's scoured parts of Texas and Louisiana and most of Arkansas. Ike has finally reached us in the 'Burg. Thankfully he seems to be moving pretty quickly. I checked out the pictures from Galveston, Houston, and parts of Louisiana. Devastating. I received word from Meme in Conway. Despite the tornadoes, wind, and rain they're doing fine and weathering the storm. It looks as if we will have several more hours of rain. But there's a forecast for a week of sunshine with highs in the mid 70s and lows in the 50s. Today's high is only supposed to be 66! W00T!

Before Ike decided to visit we experienced several days of rain and some seriously oppressive humidity. Enough that the ground is saturated and Ike's precipitous precipitation is standing in puddles and mini-lakes around the house. We even have a river in our basement. Coming, from all places, the center of the foundation, beneath the garage. Thankfully there's a drain in the basement.

Who would have thought that I might actually ride out more hurricanes this season than my mum in Florida? Should we keep score? And what's up with Josephine. Lord help us if she lives up to her name!

Bowling Blues

First week back I raised my average by a pin. Second week back I lowered it by 10! Last night, who knows... But I can say, my averages were slightly better. Unfortunately I was still missing pins. 101, 108, and 88 were my offerings to the bowling gods (despite their obvious abandonment of me). I had some beautiful balls. Great approaches, smooth releases, and then blamo (!) all were done except one! I was plagued by "nines" all night. It was frustrating and depressing. Perhaps I should immolate a freshman (for the bowling gods, of course!).

Z is for...

Zaftig
Zany
&
Zealous!

103, 89, 89

Last week was a good week compared to this week. My average was 103 and some change. A good point and a half above last spring's average. Tonight I didn't do so well. By the grace of the bowling gods, I hit my average on the first game, but the last two were bummers.

It has been a weird day overall. My seniors were in a dither about student teaching in the spring and PDS this fall. I worked hard all day and accomplished nothing. And tonight, things just didn't seem to fit. The bowling shoes at the lanes are icky. The 9 1/2 shoes are tight and hurt. The 10's are inches too big and cause me to slip and slide throwing my ball every which way. I tried several things to improve my game. I changed shoes. I emptied my bladder. I rearranged by brassiere (Even out the load...). I don't know what was going on. I do know that I was preoccupied with my students, concerned about finances (Orion's glasses broke today, I need a new washer, and I have more money going out than in right now ~ Essentially I need a second job!), not feeling well (Fighting allergies for three weeks and it feels like some horrid cold!), thinking about all the work I have left on my desk, and to top it off, I hadn't had dinner!

How's that for a line of excuses? Next week I am going to hit my average! As my bowling mentor would say, "Remember... this is fun!"

Y is for Yarn...

Not the icky, prickly kind of acrylic rug yarn that is abundant in my local Wal*Mart. But the cottons, bamboos, and wools- all soft to the touch, all begging to be bought and made into something nifty, all out of my price range.

Here’s to Yarn- all I need is more money and more time!

Dear Santa,

Pretty please? I've been so good this year! I promise I'll use it every day. I'll be waiting for you on Christmas Eve!

Love, Kat

X is for Chromosome...

of which I have two!

Gorgeous Gustav

It's raining. Hard. And from the looks of it, we'll be getting even more over the next day or so. I don't mind the rain. I like it. A lot. But the 'Burg is a flat place. Water tends to sit... or seep into basements. Driving to work took a bit longer. Water in the streets was up over Grace's bumper. She did fine. I got pretty wet walking from the parking lot to the office this morning. And I waited for the down pour to let up! I even wore a raincoat. I never do that!

I had to check the weather this morning. Gustav still has form and function, it seems. It's quite impressive, really. I even caught a picture for you! I wish I had take a picture of yesterday's radar when the eye was right over Shreveport and the northern most arm was giving Conway, AR a good cleaning. Many friends have family in southern Louisiana. Some are up here riding out the storm. Others have made their way to Dallas. Hurricanes are dangerous, destructive, and devastating. And absolutely beautiful.

Be safe. Be warm. And be dry!

Strike While the Iron's Hot

Orion's been making "I wanna be a blacksmith" noises for several months now. I think our trip to the State Fair in Sedalia a few weeks ago was the final piece. Twenty feet into the fair we passed a blacksmith tent. Orion was very curious. But he was so good. He continued on with us. After a few snacks, rides, and midway games he and John returned to the blacksmith tent were they met a few guys from the Blacksmith Association of Missouri (aka BAM). They were as tickled with him as he was with them. He came home with some blacksmith tongs, a pot grabber of sorts, the newsletter, and a huge smile. For the next few days all I heard about was dues to BAM and the urge to buy pipes, a hairdryer, coal, an anvil, and a brake rotor. Honestly, I had a high doubt that these items would actually create a forge. But I said nothing. Groaning as stuff from local junk stores, flea markets, antique stores, auto mechanic shops, and the co-op started finding their way home.

This weekend Orion organized his goods and got to work. It took just about a day to build the forge. That afternoon he tried it out. He was at it again today. He's hot (no pun intended) for smithing and already has his first order: a fireplace poker for his Meme.

You can check out the step-by-step pictures and his narrative at his blog. Remember it's invitation only. If you've not been invited and you want to be, email me. If you've been invited and you've visited a time or two, you'll remember that you need

Bowling Begins

Hey folks! Schools back in session and the Faculty Staff League started tonight with a flumpwehph. Everyone was happy to be back and delighted to see one another. It was good fun. Regardless of our averages or handicaps, we all seemed to have one thing in common: stamina, rather our lack there of. By the second game several of us noted the balls seemed heavier this year. By the beginning of the third game I knew my right arm was at least four inches longer than my left. I also started weaving on the approach! We were all plum tuckered out by the end of the evening.

My friend and Fairy Godmother (Orion's name for her) subbed for Darryl this evening. She was tearing it up with some super high scores! Spare Time (our team name!) welcomed Sally to the team. I might have some competition there! And one of our new hires from the department joined an opposing team. Looks like we're going to have a fabulous season!

My scores this evening: 115, 103, and 95. A straight shot down. I was not sand bagging (purposely playing poorly at the beginning of the season to ensure a higher handicap and lower average, making it easier to raise one's average). Although I should have considered this tactic. I am pleased to say that last year's average was 102 and tonight's games averaged to 104. Woot!

Mrs. Wishy-Washy

Good ole Mrs. Wishy-Washy. She's one of my all time favorite book characters. One day she takes to cleaning all the animals on the farm. Shortly after getting them all clean, they find a nifty puddle and shout, "Oh, lovely mud!" If you have a preschooler or toddler, you must have this book. It's great for read aloud. The story pattern is easily picked up by kids and in no time they're reading on their own. "In when the duck, wishy-washy, wishy-washy." Of course, I totally identify with Mrs. Wishy-Washy on so many levels. She and I share the same buxom physique, however she has an ability to pull off fuzzy slippers where I cannot! We both find a great deal of pleasure (and perhaps self-medication) in the act of cleaning. And we are both find satisfaction in a job well done! Mrs. Wishy-Washy, I salute you!

Unfortunately, I've not been able to channel my Mrs. Wishy-Washy. My washing machine is on the fritz. It makes quite a horrid noise when one sets it to washing. I paid $60 for a wonderful man to tell me it would be cheaper to buy a new one! Oh no! Washing machines have transmissions? Well hooey! We're looking at nearly $300 to fix a $328 washing machine. The laundry mat is looking better and better. But at $1.50 to wash and $.25 for ten minutes of drying time the new machine would pay for itself in three months. But I would be right back where I am now in four to five years' time. Mr. Repairman assured me that today's washing machines have a 5-6 year life span. And I think he's right. My friend, Shannon, just replaced a switch on her 5-6 year old machine. I need a transmission on my 5 1/2 year old machine. His suggestion: Whirlpool or Maytag, and a front loading one at that.

Well, I've perused the Lowe's website and looked at several machines. And I am still uncertain. Fix the old one at $225 to $300 (depending on parts)? Purchase the least expensive Maytag or Whirlpool ($400). Or sell my first born (any takers?) and go for something a bit more expensive that is "supposed" to last 10 - 20 years ($650-$750). What happened to appliances lasting for decades?

So readers, I have to ask, "What are you washing with?" What kind of washing machine do you have? How long have you had it? Are you happy with it? What kind of detergent are you using? Does it smell good? Do you use dryer sheets, fabric softener in the rinse, or both?" Air your dirty laundry hear! I need help making a decision!

Heidi

Yesterday, Saturday August 23, 2008, Heidi Bottomley Meyer was buried in Eureka Springs, AR next to her mom, Alice. And I was not there to say good-bye or to stand with my friends as they mourned.

Heidi and I attended the same high school. It was a small school. Everybody knew everybody else. But she was my little sister's very best friend. Heidi attended Hendrix College (where Tree and I went) for a time before transferring to the University of Arkansas to complete her teaching degree. Heidi taught in our hometown of Eureka Springs. She was beginning her eighth year teaching at Washington Junior High in Bentonville when she unexpectedly died. She had a passion for the written word and shared that passion with hundreds of kids each year. She was six weeks shy of her 37th birthday.

Heidi has two siblings, Bret and Brandon. Heidi married Donovan Meyer, her high school sweetheart and friend. Her daughter Avery is just about two years old.

It is tremendously sad when someone you know dies. But it becomes tragically incomprehensible when it is someone so good and so young.

For friends who knew Heidi and would like to help, Bret has created a website memorial for her. The family is asking that in lieu of flowers that monetary gifts be made to her memorial fund.

Ten Days

I cannot believe it has been ten days since I have posted! It just might be a record! I apologize; it is simply an indicator of how busy the past few weeks have been. My absence from the blogosphere, the pile of laundry, the unmade bed, the sticky kitchen floor, and the unpaid bills all point to the same, wicked truth. School has resumed!

I have been spending roughly 14 hours every day on campus. This has been my attempt to get caught up so that I can devote more time to research. You may ask how I could be so far behind during the first week of school. I didn't even have papers to grade until Thursday! After all I went to work a week early to get things ready. Alas, I had a student that consumed a particularly great deal of my time (over thirty hours in a week an a half). This student was not prepared to enter their internship and waited until the last minute to begin making corrections to the document that would enable them to participate in the internship. Said student had nearly three months to make corrections. And while the quote "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute and emergency on mine," continually played in my head over the course of dealing with said student, I was still the one who ended up being the most affected. Who pays for a students inability to follow directions, to plan, to organize, or to write coherently? Not the student. The teacher.


That aside, a great deal has happened in the last few days.

• School started for all three of us! Orion is navigating the often choppy waters of middle school. John is taking two courses (Anthropology & Ecology) in the mornings. And I am attempting Meteorology. I say attempting because I am conducting research with the professor of the course (Sally) and hanging out. I fear that I may not have the time to dedicate to studying.
• John has returned to the late night shift of 3:15 to 12:15.
• I am teaching another full load this semester, however I have taught all of these classes before so at least I have a vague idea of what I am doing this time around!
• An old friend died last week.
• Helen, the grey kitten, was adopted by three young ladies, students at UCM.
• I've been pretty sick and I have a mild case of pink eye! Allergy related? Perhaps.
  

And this is only a sampling of what has been happening! I have decided to use my blog as an incentive or reward! When I complete a certain amount of tasks, I will allow myself to post to the blog. Unfortunately, I doubt that there will be much to report. All work and no play makes Kat a very dull blogger!

Let's hope not!

Open House

The boys headed over to the 'Burg's Middle School for Open House at 6:00 this evening. They came home with Cap'n D's and piles of instructions, schedules, and lunch menus. Woah!

Orion moves up to 6th Grade this year. He is officially a Middle Schooler. Before he went off to Camp Subi this summer he participated in three of the four weeks of summer school at the Middle School. This helped him out tremendously. According to J, Orion just marched in as if he owned the school and visited with his summer school teachers and introduced himself to his new teachers. Go Orion, go!

I've spent the past thirty minutes deciphering and copying his class schedule. Over the next nine months Orion will have 17 different classes and 12 different teachers. His core classes are Language Arts, Reading, Social Studies, Math, Science and Band. These classes will meet for an entire year. Then he has single semester classes (18 weeks) and hex classes (6 weeks). He will have one semester of Boys P.E. He also has nine (9) hex, or six week, classes. These classes will meet for six weeks and then he will move on to the next hex class. His hex classes are Technology, Art, Music, Study Skills, Keyboarding, Math Art, Nutrition, Communication, and Whizitivities (Science stuff he thinks!).

I will admit that I am wary of these six week courses. I watch college students take these one and two hour courses. They may end up with six or seven different classes in a semester. That's six or seven different professors, syllabi, assignments, etc. Too much busy work. I hope the same is not true for middle school hex classes.

I just completed writing Orion's schedule down for him. Like many middle school, Orion's school will meet on a block schedule. That means he will have Math, Reading, Science, and a hex class or two on one day for about 90 minutes and Language Arts, Band, Social Studies, and another hex class or two on the following day for about 90 minutes. The one exception is Life Skills 101 which meets daily for 25 minutes.

To make matters more interesting the schedule they handed him had all 17 classes listed, beginning with first period classes and ending with fifth period classes; this included red days and white days. It took me quite a bit of time to figure out where he was supposed to go and when! Even better his lunch period lands smack dab in the middle his Social Studies class and his Reading class. How weird!

Well, it's all straighted out! I created a list of only the essentials: locker number, combination, and class schedule.

Tomorrow is nearly here! It's time for bed! Wish us ALL luck!

Time Stands Still...

Time passes more slowly, almost seeming to stand still, when one is surrounded dark skies, bright stars, and the near deafening racket of frogs, crickets, and other creepy crawlies.

I was up late last night; in fact, I was up much later than I had expected. I was working on presentation I will give today in the Earth Science and Biology Department at UCM. Our topic is Successful Teaching (aka Classroom Management) and my presentation is for graduate teaching assistants.

I finished getting my thoughts, ideas, and activities organized at roughly 1:00 a.m. this morning. Nola and I stepped outside for a quick walk through our darkened back yard. In a matter of few minutes we saw two very bright meteors zipping across the sky. I wasn't sure but I thought that I several more, but faint in the hazy sky. Joy!

Nola and I decided that since we were already up, we would go a head and wait another hour for the moon to set. And at 2:00 a.m. I turned off all the lights in the house and we stumbled into the back yard.

It was a near perfect 65 degrees last night and the skies had cleared up considerably. I was unable to see the eastern horizon (for my house and the large trees in my back yard) but I had a good view of the rest of the sky. It was dark, but the faint haze seemed to reflect some of the 'Burg's light back to us.

Nola and I sat. And we sat some more. Quietly waiting for our eyes to adjust to the darkness. Allowing our eyes to relax. Opening our eyes to the night sky.

Quietly yet brightly, several meteors flashed across the dark sky. Most of them headed southwest. Several more, dim and stealthily meteors marked their paths through the stars. Even more appeared as faint tracers, perhaps they were nothing more than some shadow of a youthful indiscretion.

Still we sat. My back was beginning to complain from sitting too much during the day and from now being scrunched down in an unforgiving, metal patio chair. The grass was wet on our feet. The mosquitoes were oddly underrepresented. Or perhaps it was all that garlic I have been consuming?

After each flash of light I would wait. My hand on Nola's back. Just one more. I'll go inside after one more. But another would reveal itself, and then another. I stifled a yawn and considered pulling an "all-nighter." I reminded myself that I had work in only a few hours.

Slowly I got up. Stretching my back. Thinking, next time I'll put a tarp out and lay on the sleeping bag. Nola and I made our way back to the house. Carefully I shined the flashlight at the kitchen clock. It was only 2:30. I had seen over 30 meteors in about 30 minutes! And I wasn't counting the 'tracers' that I was uncertain about. How many could I have seen if I had driven 10 minutes to the south of town? Would the camera have cooperated with the hazy night? How lucky I am that it cleared up and that I was able to catch a few 'shooting stars'?

I was so excited and enthralled that I forgot to make a wish. If it's not too late for that wish: I wish for great viewing of the Leonids in November.

Misconceptions of Astronomical Proportion

What have I done? I participated in a Writer's Workshop, that's what "I done." I decided to participate for two hours graduate credit so that I may easily renew my Missouri Teaching License. Part of the requirements for graduate credit included creating, revising, and submitting a manuscript for publication. Holy smokes!

And as of today, August 12, 2008 I have completed my first book proposal. After my professor evaluates my manuscript proposal I will submit it to NSTA Press (National Science Teachers' Association) for consideration.

My proposed book is called "Misconceptions of Astronomical Proportion: An Illustrated Guide" and I will rope my friend, Sally Zellers, into being co-author. The book will target school teachers. I have suggested ten chapters. Each chapter will cover a common misconception in astronomy, provide the current scientific understanding complete with illustrations (gotta find an illustrator!), and lastly offer teachers developmentally appropriate (bases on National Science Education Standards) activities and demonstrations that teachers may implement in their classrooms. What fun!

Sally and I had often talked about writing a series of these books over misconceptions in biology, earth science, and possibly chemistry. But both of us seriously doubt our content knowledge in at least two of those areas. However, through the process of creating my manuscript proposal, I realized that Sally and I could serve as editors for books over areas that may be beyond our 'cognitive scope.'

I've not give much thought to chemistry, but for biology I will be looking for misconceptions about evolution, plant life, reproduction, and more... If you're interested in writing a chapter for my common biology or chemistry misconceptions books drop me a line. I'm so excited! Some of you may be hearing from me via email in the very near future!

Wish me luck!

Meteor Shower Blues

Well folks, it's just about 11:30 in the 'Burg and I'm thinking I just might cash it in and call it a night. The Perseid Meteor Shower really gets cranked up tonight and viewing after 2:00 a.m. is supposed to be spectacular as the moon will have set and my side of the planet will be face forward in the debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Of course, Mother Nature has other plans. Late this afternoon giant cumulus clouds started puffing up; it looks like rain is on the menu for the next seven or eight days. I'm not complaining. I love the rain. Especially mixed with loud thunder, bright lightning, impressive winds, and a bit of hail. However, I had hoped to catch a few meteors during this year's Perseids. Seems like there's only been three or four, seriously clear and successful Perseid events for me in the past twenty years. Talk about patience! Perhaps it will clear up in a day or two before the next front rolls in and I'll be able to catch a few late bloomers.

For those of you with clear skies, find a dark spot, have a seat, look up, relax, and enjoy the show.

Space, the Final Frontier

Sunday, August 3, 2008

(Air and Space Museum foyer.)

Up at 8:00 and out the door by 9:30. We were determined to get to the Air and Space Museum by 10:00. We were there by 9:50 and waited with about fifty other people for the doors to open. It was worth the wait.

(Planetarium and IMAX tickets! W00T!)

By 10:03 I purchased tickets to the Planetarium Show and a 30 minute IMAX show about Black Holes. Of course, these tickets were spaced apart throughout the day and were nothing more than thinly veiled excuses to SIT for a few moments.

(American Astronaut Space Suit, National Air and Space Museum, D.C.)

We started on the first floor with monuments to astronauts who have given their lives in the name of exploration and science. The exhibits that really got me bawling were the ones dedicated to Apollo I, The Challenger, and The Columbia. I should have brought Kleenex. Who would have thought that pictures of old astronauts, galaxies, planets, and stars would cause such a visceral reaction?

(Don't take pictures of me when I'm bawling!)

We paused for an early lunch (Closer to noon than 3:00 pm.) at the food court. We had three value meals priced at about $7.50 each. They didn’t taste any different than the $3.80 value meals here in the ’Burg. It was a chance to sit and a chance to eat.

(Orion enjoys Chicken McNuggets in style!)

Energized we returned to the exhibits and just soaked it all in. There were probably just as many folks at the Air and Space museum as there had been at the Natural History Museum the day before, I believe that the openness of the Air and Space Museum made it feel less crowded at times. There was still a great deal of ‘look and run’ which made me wonder why people even bother coming to the museum. Are they afraid they might learn something?

(Lunar Landing Module, National Air and Space Museum, D.C.)

(Orion seems a wee bit lost.)

The gift shop was quite interesting. But I was disappointed to find that they didn’t have 3X tee shirts here either! Does the Smithsonian not want fat people to sport their goods? They had an impressive toy store where Orion found a plane and a mini-kite. We left at 5:00 via a cab as I had to make my way back to the hotel, freshen up, and make it to our official opening ceremonies for the conference by 5:30.

(I thought it would a nifty treat if the public restrooms had been equipped with these instead!)

ATE welcomed new comers and then we proceeded to dine on beef, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Desert was the best. Several choices of cake or pie and some very good coffee. Dinner left me hungry. I should have eaten two pieces of pumpkin cheese cake, but I refrained.

It was nearly 10:00 before I returned to the hotel room. Orion was dying to go swimming. He and J had marched up to Union Station to have dinner. I think at a place called Johnny Rocket’s. Orion loved it. I think we may have to check that joint out together.

John escorted O to the pool and I took a long shower and then a longer bath. It was time for bed. Tomorrow we'll visit the National Gallery of Art.

(The National Gallery from the steps of the Air and Space Museum)

Things I learned on Sunday, August 3, 2008

• I miss pumpkin cheese cake. It shouldn’t just be served in October and November.
• I still want to be an astronomer.
• Orion’s head is filled with all these weird ideas for contraptions and inventions. I wonder if he will be instrumental in our colonization of Mars or the moon.
• I still hate crowds.
• Astronauts have chutzpuh.
• Calculators and slide rules played an important part in our race to the moon. I wonder what would happen if Astronauts now had to rely on Wikipedia?
  

(To the moon, Alice!)

(Yes Tree, this pictures for you!)

The First Day

Saturday, August 2, 2008

(Are we there yet? Looking down Constitution Avenue. Who said the Natural History Museum was a 15 minute walk from the hotel?)

I was up by 7:30 and dressed by 9:00. I registered for the conference and cruised by to pick up a pre-conference workshop on PowerPoint. I left early. The workshop was designed for true beginners. Much of the time was going to be spent using pre-made game show templates available online.

Around 10:30 we headed north one block and had breakfast at the Billy Goat. Well, I had breakfast and the boys had Cheese Borgers. The three of us ate for less than $20. I was most impressed by the speed and efficiency of the short order cook. Wow.

From there we headed south and west approximately one mile, it felt like three (it was already very humid and nearly 95), to the Natural History Museum. Our first of the few Smithsonians we had decided to “take in” while we were in town. The building itself is worth several days of study. And of course, there was so much to see inside too! We’d decided before we left the ‘Burg that we would NOT try to see everything. We wanted to take things slowly. Soak it all in. Appreciate. And maybe learn a little something.

(Uhm, just a tiny bit creepy?)

The stuffed animal exhibit, officially the “Mammal Exhibit” was first. And not my favorite. When I say stuffed animal I mean taxidermy. While there were many, many animals on display and the descriptions were interesting, it was a bit creepy. I kept thinking, “Is this where zoo animals come to die?”

(Orion investigates ancient sea life.)

From there we methodically walked from one maze of exhibits to another. I would have to say that my favorite exhibits included the marine life fossils (however I saw NO signs of foraminifera), dinosaurs, rocks and minerals, and the rocks and minerals gift shop (It was nice to look!).

(Cool!)

The worst part of the day had to be the throngs of people who were quite literally running through the exhibits. I would be reading an explanation of stromatolites off the coast of Australia and adult humans (using both terms loosely) would push me out of the way or stand in front of me. All in all many of Saturday’s visitors were quite rude.

(Orion inspects a chuck of amethyst.)

At one point I had had enough so we escaped out doors to a shaded part of a butterfly garden. There we consumed street hot dogs and bottled water. Just sitting and have some personal space helped a great deal.

(A piece of home. Orion and I pose in front of a giant chunk of Arkansas quartz.)

By 5:00 people started leaving the museum in throngs. I was delighted to discover that the museum stayed open to 7:30 in the summer, instead of 5:00 as the brochure indicated. There were still many folks milling about the museum, but the Ice Age exhibit was nearly empty. It was a nice way to end a hectic day in one of our nation’s most popular museums.

(This is less than half of the throngs we saw at 5:00 pushing out the doors!)

By 7:00 our feet were sore. I wanted desperately to take off my tennis shoes but feared I’d never want to put them back on. We grabbed a cab to dinner. Phillip’s Flag Ship boasts some pretty fine seafood. You can order from the menu or eat from the buffet. We chose buffet. There were hundreds of people at the restaurant- including several parties of 20 and 50. We sat out under the awning overlooking the Potomac River. It was actually cooler out there than inside the restaurant.

The buffet was impressive. They had everything you might ever want to eat: turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, pastas, roast chicken, BBQ ribs, a huge salad selection, fried shrimp, fried clams, a desert bar that was several yards in length. But my favorite part included huge copper kettles where folks lined up to enjoy crawdads, boiled shrimp, crab legs, stone crabs, steamed mussels, and more! I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed in my ability to keep up with others at the restaurant. But I have to admit that I was a bit of a light weight in the arena of consuming mass quantities. I tried. I paced myself. But it was no use. It was a great place to people watch. It was also a great place to remind me how much we have, how well off we are, and how much we waste. (Note: I saw more crab and shrimp being thrown away from folks who had eyes bigger than their stomachs. That made me sad. There was probably enough food to feed the entire homeless population of D.C. being thrown away that evening. It pleased me that even with Orion’s often odd food choices and pickiness that we threw nothing away.)

The cab ride back to the hotel was quick. I noted to myself that so far, our two cab rides were in very lean cabs. We rested a bit and the boys headed off to the swimming pool for a little bit of fun. I turned on the television to view what was on cable (something we don’t have in the ‘Burg). After about 30 minutes of flipping channels I gave up in frustration and turned it off. It rather made me glad I wasting my money in the ‘Burg with their over-priced cable packages.

(A ropey rock formation for Sally!)

Things I learned on Saturday, August 2, 2008

• I hate crowds.
• Hot dogs and water on the “front” of the museums is about $2.50 more than the hot dogs and water on the “back” of the museums. We came in the back way so we weren’t tricked.
• Humans don’t always act humanely.
• Taxi cabs can be feet savers.
• It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity.

I Really Hate to Fly

Friday, August 1, 2008

Up at 5:15 on approximately four hours of sleep. Cranky with 14 hours to go. Our boarding passes wouldn’t print last night so stopped off at campus before driving to the airport. By 6:05 we were headed north on highway 13 to catch I 70 West. It is a 90 mile drive to MCI in Kansas City. Personally I think the Kansas City Airport is closer to St. Joseph, MO.

We hit the city as the first of the commuters started their mornings. It wasn’t too bad as we went around K.C. on I 435 (Bridge construction on I70 and I29.)It took us exactly 90 minutes to make it to MCI and another 10 to get to economy parking (more construction). We parked in section C “All that Jazz.” It was the same place I’d parked on my trip to Toronto nearly a year ago!

The shuttle arrived in no time and we were on our way. But I could feel the telltale tightness in my chest and the knot forming in my gut.We checked our bags and the Northwest Airlines gal was very helpful. We had cheap tickets (Travelocity) and they bumped all three of us to different seats. We weren’t together. She got Orion and me together with John in front of us for our trip to Minneapolis. Security was a major pain and I am beginning to think that T.S.A. stands for The Security Assholes. A very long line and grumpy folks made us nearly the last passengers to board at 8:45.

The plane left promptly at 8:57. The flight to Minnesota was good. But I cringed with every cough, sneeze, or sniffle I heard on the plane. Planes are a hotbed of diseases- stir them up and spread them around. I was also plagued with thoughts that I had left the car unlocked in economy parking, that the pets would demolish the house, that the house would be destroyed by some catastrophic event. I tell you, this line of thought makes for terrible travel.

We walked the Minneapolis airport mall and split a burger and fries at T.G.I.Friday's before boarding. Orion liked the rail-tram. I liked the Body Shop. And John liked the burger!

The flight to B.W.I. left on time and arrived a bit early. We flew over a thunderstorm. That made for a pretty bumpy ride (Think: roller coaster!). Orion and I read a bit and colored a bit. I was so tired I thought I could have slept. I even closed my eyes. But alas, I could not!

The descent into B.W.I. was horrid. I always have trouble with my ears so I buy gum and chew away the entire trip. It was no use. Halfway down and I was nearly deaf and tears from the pain ran down my face, making for a most unhappy camper, rather flyer.

We finally landed and despite the antihistamines and gum, I was deaf. We made our way to baggage claim 13 and I went in search for my friend Jennifer who was arriving at the same time on Southwest- baggage claim 4. She’d already come and gone. Oh no! I ended up walking the half mile baggage claim area three times. It was only 4:55 Eastern and 3:55 Central, but my body insisted it was well after 10:00 pm and that I should be in bed.

The shuttle arrived promptly and took us to the BWI train stop where we picked up the MARC. Six dollars a ticket is a deal for the 35-45 minute trip to D.C. Cabs are $75 and the Super Shuttle would have run $57 for the three of us!

We had a bit of trouble navigating, but a kind pilot on the shuttle helped us out. My deafness coupled with unfamiliar accents distorted by poor microphones was a definite impairment. I kept asking John and Orion, “What did they say?” or “Is this our stop?” John may be a 21st century man (and possibly a metrosexual), but he still balks at asking for directions. He was happy to purchase the train tickets, but when I asked which platform he shrugged. Thank goodness for Arrival/Departure signs.

(Looking north for the MARC at the BWI Train Stop, 5:40 pm, August 1, 2008)

The wait for the train made me question the decision to travel in August. Baltimore is very humid. The heat, the humidity, my deafness, the exhaustion were all negatively impacting my already fragile well being.

(Unsure of the laws in Maryland, I use my mental powers to flip John the bird. How dare he take my picture when I'm feeling homicidal?)

The train trip was actually soothing. The temperature inside was cool and the rocking motion of the train helped me with my now foul mood. But would I be able to make it from Union Station to the hotel without murdering a stranger, or worse one of my own family? We arrived in D.C. at 6:30. We were hot, tired, sticky, hungry, and dirty… “Eat here or go on to the hotel?” I knew if we chose hotel I was not going to leaving again. We chose hotel. We walked the 2-3 blocks to the hotel with our luggage bumping along behind us. (Thank you, Jennifer and Ruth, for lending us your luggage with wheels!)

The Hyatt is a big hotel. The Capitol looms about two blocks south. The Hyatt is undergoing a seven million dollar renovation of their lobby. (Think: Plaster dust and a maze of temporary walls.) Check in took nearly an hour. No, I’m not kidding. The hotel had my reservation. No problem. The receptionist was slow. Some problem there. But when I pulled out American Express Travelers’ Cheques to pay her with she insisted she could not take them. Around and around we went. Finally the other receptionist explained that they were just like cash. Grrr! And to top it off, she insisted on keeping a hold on my credit card as well. Still not certain of the Traveler’s Cheques. Stupid bitch!

But I continued to smile. Switching my weight from one foot to the next as I stood there.

During the 50 minute process I watched the other receptionist check in six people! This was just like my luck when picking supermarket lanes. I did get to see some old colleagues and friends as I stood and waited.

The room was small, but nice. We all stripped off our travel duds and put on something clean. We found the Lobby Restaurant on the 11th floor (construction again) and it was very good. Orion enjoyed a $15.50 cheeseburger. I had Maryland Crab Penne for $19 and John had steak and roast potatoes for $22. Expensive? Sure! But not the most expensive meal we would have.

My only complaint from our dining experience would have been our service. We were seated, served water and bread, and then we couldn’t get anybody to take our order. Once we did, the server dropped bread on our table, touched J’s fork during dinner, took J’s plate while he was eating, and splashed us with coffee. It was the first time in years that I tipped somebody less than 20%. He got 15% - still more than I wanted to give. We made our way back to the room and crashed after showers. I don’t think I rolled over or stirred till a family decided to have a group meeting outside our room at 7:30 am. Grrr!

Things I learned Friday, August 1, 2008

• I really do despise flying.
• Unhappy people make the world difficult (especially at security in the airport!).
• Mean people suck.
• Stupid people exist outside of Missouri and Arkansas.
• It really is good to see a familiar face in a strange city.
• Having unlimited hot water is a dream.
• Wide bathtubs rock.
• Men don’t ask for directions.