Celebrating the End of Another School Year

Freddy's Steakburgers and fries. Delish.

Flooded

Our creek has had water in it for almost 2 solid months.

This Conversation Happened Today

This phone call took place as I was leaving the referenced parking lot to look for parking elsewhere.

Parking Office Employee: Auraria Parking Office, how can I help you?

Me: I was wondering if you are aware that the lift gate in the Maple Lot is not working? I've tried three times in twenty minutes to get in.

POE: Yes, there's someone headed over there now to lift the gate. We can't do it electronically right now. 

Me: Great, do you know when that person will be there?

POE: Let me check ... :puts the phone down:

POE: Ma'am, he's there right now. 

Me: Is he wearing a uniform of some sort? Or in a staff vehicle or something? Because I'm telling you I was there for twenty minutes and no one is there. 

POE: Yes, he's there because we lift the gates at 4:30 for evening parking without a pass. 

Me: But it's 5:30 right now. 

POE: Yes. 

Me: So the gate goes up for the night at 4:30 but right now it's 5:30 and no one has opened it?

POE: Yes. 

Me: :head explodes:

In Which Old Music is Revisited in New Movies

The kids returned from Albuquerque after summer break enthusing about their new favorite movie, Pitch Perfect. I had not seen it but they assured me that I'd love it. They quoted so many lines from it during the 3-hour drive, I felt like I had seen it by the time we got home. But since feeling like I had seen it and actually seeing it are not the same, they insisted we watch it. 

It is, indeed, a rather funny movie. Yes, it's a tween movie and yes, it's actually a musical. But I didn't hate it. I probably wouldn't have allowed them to see it on my watch (Uh, hello, language?! Adult situations??!!) if it had been totally up to me, but I wasn't consulted on that decision and the deed was already done.





Ace of Base's "The Sign" is performed repeatedly in this movie by the main characters, as are many other pop tunes from the 90s and forward. I didn't think much of it until the next day when that song happened to come on the radio as Miriam and I were out grocery shopping. When she recognized it, her eyes got huge and she stared at me incredulously.

I said, "You did know this was a real song long, long before that movie, right?"

She said, "Uh, NO!"

She sat in silence for several seconds and then did that whole hand-exploding-from-the-head thing that people do to signal that their mind has, officially, been blown.

General Life Update

It's finally, well and truly spring. I am loving every single second of the glorious sunshine and breathing in this amazing, fresh air while appreciating new buds and blossoms every where. The longer I live here and the more winters I endure, the more I love spring and summer.

The spring semester is nearly over. I can taste the freedom that lays on the other side of finals week. I have struggled with this semester. The work load isn't all that heavy; it just consists of a lot of new-to-me concepts. I am taking Intro to Chemistry and Biology II. I haven't had any chemistry in 18 years so it might as well never have happened. Bio II requires memorization of lots of life cycles I've never learned, cladistics (a word I did not know 10 weeks ago), and general maddening info that most people never know. In any case, I am almost finished and I am fairly confident I'll eke out As or Bs in lecture and lab for both classes.

I've enrolled in Chemistry I next semester. Originally, I also enrolled in Statistics because I found out I'm still lacking a semester of math and because statistics is integral to scientific research, which I want to do some day. But that would have required going to school 4 nights per week. There are many reasons I cannot do that: 1) I cannot handle working 4 days a week and going to school 4 nights a week while caring for kids and a home; 2) There is no way I can ask to be the early person at work all 4 days I am there so I can get to class by 6:00. My co-workers would revolt. 3) Chem I and Stats?! In the same semester?! No way, no how. Since Chem I and II are prerequisites to most of the other stuff I need for both my major and minor, I dropped Stats and will take it the following semester. This means I am only taking 1 class next semester when I've always taken 2 classes at a time. That puts me behind a bit but I think it's better to be behind than burned out.

Solomon is doing quite well. He's taking a lot more responsibility for his school work. As a third year band student, the time commitment is much heavier than it was the previous two years. His abilities are improving dramatically. He auditioned for both symphonic and jazz band for the high school and made both. He also joined the wrestling team at the middle school again this spring. Last year he won only one match out of the whole season and was pretty discouraged about it. The experience last year and hard work this year really paid off because he did so much better. He's gotten so strong and flexible! We were able to sign him up for an extended freestyle season at his future high school and he really, really loves it.

Miriam is really blossoming. She has made the honor roll several quarters in the last 2 years and that's even with taking honors reading and writing. As a result, she was recently invited to join the National Junior Honor Society. She is applying to be a WEB Leader for next school year. This is a student ambassador group which works throughout the school year to help new students and incoming 6th graders adjust to life in their school. I think she will be amazing at it. She still tends toward the quieter side in large groups of people but she can and does speak up when it's needed. Beyond school, she continues to be compassionate, sensitive, and friendly to a diverse group of people. She has a wicked sense of humor and makes me laugh all the time.

Samuel is still struggling a bit in school, but I've been able to work with his teachers and speech therapists to get more support in place for middle school next year. I have a feeling it will be a rough transition for him. I know he's tough, though and I'm sure he can rise to the challenge. He certainly is excited about it. We went to the middle school for a Sneak Peak night last week. They sent all the 5th graders on a scavenger hunt through the school to find various teachers, classrooms, and other important locations in the building. He told Miriam he didn't want help figuring things out and he ended up doing 90% of it on his own. He continues to be completely enthralled by video games and still says he wants to design them when he grows up.

Parenting, in general, is much less sucky than it was 10 years ago, or even 2 years ago. Solomon and I had a tough couple of years recently. We butted heads almost constantly over almost everything. But the last year has been much, much better. He's growing up so much and I'm learning how to parent a teenager. It's not easy -- for either of us -- but it's easier than it was. This new found peace is translating well into my relationships with the other 2 kids. I am really enjoying being a mom to older kids instead of toddlers and preschoolers. I am more and more solid every day in my decision to be done with babies. Man, that was rough.

In conclusion, life is pretty dang good and that makes me smile.

:smile:

The spring, she is pretty. In May, she is so pretty. 

:sigh:

The winter, she stinks. In April, she stinks so much. 

Misadventures in Housekeeping

I have tumbled the same load of laundry in the dryer 5 times in 6 days with the goal of de-wrinkling and hanging everything up.

I went to spot mop a sticky stain on the floor and kept right on "mopping" with my foot for about 4 minutes. I didn't stop because I got all the spots. I stopped because my foot was tired. 

I spread out a tarp in the backyard so it could dry and I could fold it and put it away on Saturday. It's Thursday. Guess who has a tarp in her backyard?

I have not retrieved mail from the box at the end of the block in well over a week. 

I've been cursing the same toothpaste splatters on the bathroom mirror for 3 days. 

The refrigerator contains leftover rice that I meant to make into fried rice -- 2 weeks ago. 

I left Scentsy wax in my warmers so long that it now contains more dust than scent. 

The whole family has resorted to picking through the Sock and Underwear Basket every morning for clean undergarments. Drawers and paired socks are for wusses.

(In other news, the Sock and Underwear Basket has been an entity long enough to warrant a proper title. If it lasts much longer it will require its own budget and board of directors.)

In the time it took to compose this post I could have remedied half of the above issues. 

Just Me & My Music

And some wine and some laundry. Miriam is in Albuquerque for spring break. The boys have gone to a Rockies game with Caleb. 

 

I am at home all by my lonesome. Except I'm not really that lonesome. I am doing about 56 loads of laundry and drinking a bottle of wine and enjoying being alone.  I'm also listening to the above referenced album. It's my favorite album (today). 

Last night my house had approximately three times as many children in it as I really want in it. That was exhausting. Today is the day I do a mental detox. This is perfect. 

My Bio Professor Rocks My Socks Off (Some of My Classmates Do Not)

I have her for both the lab and lecture portions of General Biology II. That was totally an accident but a very happy one. I like having the same professor for both lab and lecture (if he or she is good) because I don't have that frustrating situation where one of them say, "I don't know if you've covered this in lab/lecture or not yet, but here we go anyway ..." Also, I have the added bonus of seeing them three times per week and really enjoying all the time I'm actually spending in class.

During our very first lab session she said, "If you can't make it to our Tuesday night lab, I also teach identical sections on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Please feel free to make up your time then. If that doesn't work, e-mail any other professor teaching this lab and ask to sit in their session. I will not mind at all." I think she has this perspective because, as I've come to find out, she was/is a non-traditional student herself. She, too, attended this same school a dozen years ago while raising a child and continues to work now toward a PhD. She knows how difficult it is to balance a family, work, and school all at once.

In other classes, lab instructors have allowed for the making up of only one session this way. It's nice to have a semester where that isn't a problem. Consequently, I've made up three sessions this way already this semester and one of them was a lab practical.

Going to these other lab sessions has allowed me to meet a few students who attend during daytime classes. They are, generally speaking, um ... an interesting bunch. Let me explain.

I have heard several professors allude to enjoying teaching nighttime or Saturday morning classes because the students in those classes are more mature, tend to be extremely dedicated, and take their classes seriously. I hadn't given it much thought until meeting these other students. Now I know of what these professors speak.

In the first make up session I attended, I sat in an empty seat at a lab table with three other students. The table held a dozen agar plates for that day's experiment. One guy immediately picked up an agar plate, opened it, and began sniffing the agar. When the professor explained that each plate should be labeled a certain way, he again took off each lid and began writing on the plates. And he's one of those people who, when concentrating hard, sticks his tongue out. A lot. With the agar plate about 2 inches from his face.

I was cringing the entire time. One does not remove agar plate lids until absolutely  necessary. One does not place agar plates near one's face. Ever. Hello, contamination, anyone?! I didn't want to say anything though, because I was crashing their lab group. Instead, I sat and cringed and tried to pretend it wasn't happening. Finally, a TA noticed him and told him politely to stop immediately.

Later, during that same lab, another guy at the table sterilized an inoculating loop in heat, then set it down on the table top. A minute later he picked it up and was about to use it without sterilizing it again. I stopped him, saying that it had to be sterilized. He said, "But I just did that." I replied, "Yes, but then it touched the table again." He rolled his eyes at me. I just stared at him until he put it back into the heat. Geez.

This past week I attended a different lab session so I could take my first practical exam. Practical exams are not group activities and they usually require moving about stations which are set up around the room. Where one sits is completely irrelevant. I sat down at a table with one other guy and two empty seats. He gave me A Look and said, "Um, actually, someone already sits there." I said, "Oh, really? Hm. Thanks, but I don't think it really matters during a practical." Sure enough, it didn't matter.

I hope this kind of student either, a) is not majoring in biology or medicine or chemistry or anything else requiring precision, or b) if they are, they learn the importance of sterile technique and letting little things go. And no, sterile technique is, most definitely, not a little thing.

Anyway, my professor rocks. In addition to understanding the difficulty I am facing as a student/worker/parent, she is funny and has an effective and engaging teaching style. This is her last semester teaching here and I'm sad that I won't have the opportunity to take any more of her classes.

And, because I don't have any other way to end this post, here is a photo of  Ceratopteris cornuta. It's a type of aquatic fern. It's the fern we were studying during the lab session where that one guy sullied our agar plates and that other guy almost sullied our specimens of Ceratopteris cornuta.

 

 

The purpose of the lab was to sow spores from this fern onto several agar plates using a serial dilution process. We were looking at the relationship between total number of spores and gender distribution of spores. Did you know that this particular fern germinates male and hermaphrodite gametophytes? They do. The hermaphrodite gametophytes release a pheromone called antheridiogen which signals as yet ungerminated spores to become males. When there are many spores in a given area, there are a high number of them which are male. This is because the hermaphrodites can fertilize themselves if necessary but that isn't desirable. What is desirable is having plenty of males around for cross fertilization which brings about genetic diversity. Science is pretty cool.

Open Letter to the Jerkface Who Stole My Purse

Dear Jerkface Who Stole My Purse,

You have caused me an immense amount of stress and frustration in the last two days. My wallet, which was in my purse, contained most of the proof that I am who I say I am. It contained every reasonable way I have to access my money. The only way this could possibly have been more stressful is if you had also stolen my phone or if my Social Security card and birth certificate had been in my wallet. But you didn't, and they weren't, so at least there's that.

You invaded my space. You walked up to my desk where I sit every day. You went through that desk where I keep all my personal effects. You probably saw my photos -- the one of my children at Red Rocks and the one of my entire family on the steps of my parents' home. Do you know that we're all kind and generous people who would never, ever do what you did?

You had to have seen the magnet which reads, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."  Do you know that quote actually means something to me, that I really do live that way? I don't steal things or lie to people, I work hard and give as generously as I can. I do those things because that's the way I want the whole world to do things. That is my change for the world.

If you stole my purse because you needed money, guess what? I'd have given you money. 

I'd have given you more money than you got by stealing my purse. I had $2 and change in my wallet, along with a few gift cards to Target, Starbucks, iTunes. That's all you got because I canceled my debit and credit cards immediately. My bank put 'stop payment' orders on the entire series of check numbers in my check book. I'm monitoring my account for electronic check withdrawals. I hope the cash and virtual money were worth it.

You made a security guard come to my office and take a report of the theft. I'm sure he had better things to do. You made my sister drive all over town getting my spare car key for me. You made my landlord come over and re-key my front door and get new copies of all of my other keys. They definitely had better things to do. You're making me spend time I don't have to get a new driver's license, insurance cards, library cards, debit and credit cards, student ID, transportation pass, and Costco card. If you're caught -- and I hope you are -- we've both lost. That's what happens when you take things that don't belong to you.

And if you took my purse for the thrill of stealing, well then I desperately hope you find something else to give you that thrill. You're a cheap jerk and I don't have the time or energy to waste on you if that's all you're after.

Have a nice day.

The Heat is Out

I awoke this morning to very cold sheets. That was odd because, while I usually go to bed in cold sheets, when I wake up they're nice and toasty. I didn't think a lot of it until I heard the furnace try to start.

I say "try" because the blower started, I heard clicking, but the whoosh of heat never began. I'm not sure when during the night it stopped but this morning it was 52° in the house. No wonder my sheets were not warm and toasty. 

I thought maybe the pilot light was out. I looked for a bit but couldn't make sense of anything in the unit. And then I thought maybe it doesn't even have a pilot light. So I called the landlord and left a voice message for him.

And then I wondered what in the world to do with myself in a cold house. The day turned out alright, after all.

I started the self-cleaning oven cycle because that heats up a house like nobody's business -- and, let's face it, it really needed to be done anyway. I had some coffee and cereal. Then I went outside and shoveled snow. Yup, it snowed last night. It was such a beautiful day, I became inspired to go for a walk. The landlord showed up a short time after I came home.

He brought two very nice space heaters and his toolbox. He quickly determined that the furnace does not have a pilot light; it has an electric igniter and it was dead. He said it's easy to replace but the heating and plumbing store which sells them is closed on Sunday. So he's coming back tomorrow morning to replace the part. 

In the mean time, I'm snuggled up in my bed with an extra comforter, my heated rice snakes, and a book. Oh, and there's a lovely space heater in the corner of the room. 

All is well. 

Best Day Ever

I recently had the privilege of having The Best Day Ever. Okay, I probably shouldn't call it that because it's hard to determine something like that, but still. It was a wonderful day. I'll share some of it with you.

It started with this.  I call it Apple Pie Oatmeal.  It's exactly what you think -- if what you think is a cut-up apple microwaved with cinnamon, sugar and butter, then mixed with oatmeal.  And it's topped with real whipped cream.

Then I took a walk and listened to two episodes of "Radio Lab."  I love that show. It frequently makes me tear up in a good way.  It always makes me think about something I hadn't thought about before.  This killed my battery, hence the 16% in the upper right hand corner.

On my walk, I saw scenery like this.  I love living near the nature trail that runs around the metro area.

I came home and did some dishes.  I know, I know, The Best Day Ever probably shouldn't contain mundane things like dishes and laundry, but it makes me happy to get this kind of stuff done.  So there.

I played The Sims 3.  My latest Sims project is recreating the White family from "Breaking Bad."  The dad, of course, is Walter White.  He has the family-oriented trait and also the criminal trait.  This makes it so that he desperately wants children and always has desires to play with and chat with his children.  However, he also has the option to "steal candy" from his infant daughter.  So I had to make him do that.  Poor Holly White cried when her father stole her lollipop.

I had a delicious dinner.  It was a tilapia fillet baked in parchment paper with herbs and ghee.  There was some roasted asparagus, and, of course, wine.  You might see in the background of this photo that I also watched "Breaking Bad."  I've been binge-watching it because I came to the party late and I am terrified that someone is going to spoil the ending before I can get to it.  In this particular episode, Jesse Pinkman had had the crap beaten out of him and he was recuperating in the hospital.

This is the wine I had.  It's a rather sweet wine, since it's made from peaches, but it was really good with the buttery fish.

And, finally, I had hot chocolate with rum!  Yum!

Generosity

Solomon and Miriam's school had a canned food drive leading up to the holidays. I packed up a few things from our pantry for them to take to school. Solomon said he wanted to send more, to buy more. I told him that he was welcome to pick out more from the pantry because I could replace what he took before we needed to eat it but I couldn't spend money on it because the grocery money was spent. He said that he wanted to go the store and spend his saved allowance on some more food.

So he got his wallet and I took him to Target.  Considering that he had less than $15 saved up and he's been wanting to buy accessories for his PSP, I figured he'd spend a couple of dollars, five at the most.  But, no.  He picked out some cans of veggies and then moved on.  He kept adding up prices on the calculator and came to a total of $12.  I asked him if he was sure.  He said yes, with no hesitation.

As we headed to the cashier, we passed a display of DVDs.  He paused for a second and sucked in his breath when he saw that The Hunger Games was selling for $13.  He loved those books; he read them all twice.  He adored the movie.  He is dying to see the second movie.  I thought he might change his mind about spending most of his money on food for the food drive. I could see the internal conflict as his face changed expressions.  But then he let out his breath and kept walking.

That is my kid. He is amazing.

Recent Kid Quotes

Me:  Samuel, put the sword down! Put on your shoes! You're going to be late for school!
Samuel:  But ...
Me:  Put it down!
Samuel:

... later ...

Samuel:  You know why I carry around the sword all the time?
Me:  No, why?
Samuel:  It's because of the monsters and I feel a little bit safer with the sword.
Me:  So your squishy Nerf sword is going to be protection against a zombie or vampire or other monster?  How does that work?
Samuel:  Well, the monsters are imaginary, you know.

________________________________

Miriam:  I don't think medicine makers have ever tasted real fruit.  Ever.  That does not taste like grapes!

________________________________

Solomon:  I think electrons are the key to time travel.
Me:  Why?
Solomon:  Because they can move at incredible speeds and blahblah science blahblah theories about physics and space blahblah.  Doesn't that make sense?
Me:  Um, I guess?  Where did you come up with this?
Solomon:  From science.

_______________________________

Okay, so that last conversation was mostly paraphrased because my child's knowledge about space, physics and all that surpasses my own. 

Let It Be Known ...

... that on this day, Solomon discovered that he is taller than I am.

:sigh:

Investing in My Education

This is the week I have mid-terms. I have a big test due tomorrow in my online class. I also have an essay due in that class. Fortunately, I am off work today and I hope to complete both assignments now.

I have set up camp in a corner of Starbucks. If I attempted this at home, I'd likely be distracted by laundry, dishes, the dirty toilet, my cluttered desk, Sims, Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, and/or any number of other things that I can usually justify as being more important than homework I don't want to complete.  

I have a decadent slice of lemon pound cake and a simple, but delicious, breve latte. My music is in my ears and my computer is in front of me. Time to work. 

Real Talk

Solomon and I had some alone time in the car this morning on our way to a doctor's appointment.  We were listening to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' "Same Love."  It reminded me of a YouTube video we had seen over the weekend -- one where a man orchestrated a fun flash mob and public marriage proposal for his boyfriend.

When the song ended I asked Solomon what he had thought about that video.  This is the conversation that followed.

S:  I just felt really happy that those guys are being seen as humans now when before they weren't.  Now they can actually get married.  It made me feel good for them.

Me:  I still don't think I ever want to get married again but it makes me happy to see other people happy about getting married.  I thought pretty much the same thing.  Did you have any other thoughts?

S:  No, just pretty much that.

-- pause --

I told some of my friends that I support gay marriage.  They accused me of being gay.  I just said, "So what if I am?" and they looked shocked.  I told them, "I'm not, but if I was, you should treat me just the same.  It's not fair to treat someone badly because of that."

I was so choked up by that point that I couldn't speak for full minute.  I finally told Solomon that I am so proud of him.  I told him that a lot of kids would be too scared to stick with what they believe when their friends voice opposite opinions.  The fact that he stuck with it makes me prouder than anything else in my life.

Gratitude for So Much Luck

I have just spent the last 90 minutes prepping food for my work day lunches and reorganizing my refrigerator and pantry. I am tired and it's past my bedtime, but I am so grateful that I can do this. To have all this food and this space in which to prepare it -- it's so much more than so many have. I am so grateful.

We have just experienced torrential rains for the last 5 days. Thousands of people within a 50 mile radius have lost their homes to flood waters. They may be sleeping on cots or a damp floor in a shelter with a stale sandwich to eat for breakfast tomorrow. And that's nothing compared with the desperate, interminable poverty experienced by millions around the globe.

Yet here I stand in my comfortable kitchen, typing away on a $400 phone. My biggest problem is that I need to get upstairs to my bed. I need to go to bed so I can get up for my job and then go to school tomorrow evening. I have a job and I have a secondary education at my fingertips.

This is so much luck. 

Poor Baby

Today at work I brought back a 4-year-old for a check up.  He was tearful and fearful and clearly did not want to be at the doctor's office.

He asked me, repeatedly through his tears, "Are you checking me?"  Then, "Are you poking me?"  Then, worst of all, "Do you poke little babies?"  Each of these questions he asked me half a dozen times. 

I tried to reassure him that everything would be okay, that I wasn't poking him (right now) and that the babies were all okay.  He finally calmed down.  He calmed down just in time for me to come back to the room and poke him 3 times.

He might end up with some trust issues.