math and a half

Welcome, Martin!

2008-08-17T12:33:00.003-05:00

Here's what I've been up to since the last post...

Martin joined our happy family in June. We didn't know there was anything missing, but he sure has completed our puzzle. He's just right!

Martin was a big guy from birth; he eats and sleeps well. He's a happy baby most of the time.

I can't promise frequent updates. You wouldn't believe me if I did, since I haven't been diligent in my posts. But, I'll try!

Holiday gifts for teachers

2007-12-12T19:28:00.000-06:00

Recently, a friend asked what would be a suitable and welcome gift for her son's preschool teachers. Now, I don't teach preschool, nor do I ever want to, but I have received some pretty poor, well-intentioned gifts from students and their families. As a service to all blog readers, please allow me to make some suggestions.

You can buy supplies for the classroom...new books, construction paper, ink for the printer (if they have one), a Staples/Office Depot gift certificate.

If you want something specifically for the people who teach your child or children, I'd suggest nothing that lasts...soaps, lotions, coffee, Starbuck's gift cards, etc. They don't need or want another coffee cup, figurine or paperweight.

Something you make with your child to give to them: Christmas cookies, a homemade ornament, get butcher paper and make stamps by cutting sponges so you can make homemade wrapping paper, a simple card with a picture from the student and a note from you, the parent or parents.

Hard for a working mom with two more little ones, but: you could volunteer time in the classroom, helping out with an art project that requires more hands, organizing a field trip or assembly. Write out an I.O.U. and give times that might work for you, e.g. Any Thursday or 9:00 to 10:30 on three mornings of your (teacher's) choice, whatever you can do. If your child is a bit older, you might even be able to volunteer at home. Certain assignments are easy to grade, but 30 at a time takes a while. Write a note to teacher that says you could grade one assignment a week if she sends it home with an answer key. (Be sure you can get them back to school in a day or two, though.)

Cash is always nice, especially if you team up with another parent or group of parents. It sounds crass & unfeeling, but you'd be shocked at how little these teachers make and how much of it they put into their classroom supplies, especially in Catholic schools.

Happy gifting!

How to make 35 days go quickly

2007-04-19T19:22:00.000-05:00

I have to go to school 35 more times before we're out for the summer. I can't wait.

For a while now, I've been counting down the days. I want to be enthusiastic about my work. I want to like going to my job. I am having a really rough time keeping up appearances. I just don't want to do this anymore.

I have been making lots of plans to keep myself really busy outside of work. I am making social commitments left and right. Oh, and job interview appointments, too. But more "stuff" on the calendar gives me more things to look forward to, other than the day when the countdown of school days left is zero.

Any suggestions?

What Red Tape?

2007-03-05T19:36:00.000-06:00

So today I spent many hours in service to the government.

At the risk of sounding downright Seuss-ian...

I changed my name. I changed my name with Social Security. I changed my name with the United States State Department. I changed my name with the Secretary of State. I changed my name with the State Board of Elections. I changed my name with the State Board of Education. I changed my name at the bank. I changed my name with Blogger. I changed my name at the grocery store. I am not finished changing my name.

Even after having spent all day changing my name, I still have some faith in our government. No one made me wait in an extraordinarily long line. Each transaction was pleasant...except the DMV guy who changed my birthday to make me nine days older. It was just a mistake, and quickly corrected. But still, couldn't he have made me YOUNGER?!

All in all, it was surprisingly easy. I guess people change their names every day.

Things I Love About Christmas

2006-12-21T03:39:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. I have been remiss in my postings. Sorry.
So, I thought you all should know why I love Christmas. Maybe the holidays have got you down & you need a reminder what the fuss is all about. We need this special time of year to bring out the good in people.
- Many people who aren't too generous the other 11 months of the year give around the holidays: to local food pantries, in lieu of gifts to loved ones who already have enough (I love this idea!), to churches they ignore the rest of the year, and one of my very favorites, sponsoring a family's Christmas meal and gifts anonymously. I used to know a lady who took her son to pass out gloves and hats and scarves to the homeless each Christmas Eve. What a fantastic lesson for her son!
=I love that people go out of their way to be with family at Christmas. Those frazzled travelers at airports and cars loaded up for roadtrips to grandma's are beautiful to me. Go to the trouble to be together. It's worth it.
-I love that people give to coworkers at Christmas. Even if it's just a card, it means that somebody who sees you as a (fill in job title here) most of the year, recognizes you as a whole person, at least for the short time it takes to write and deliver that card.
-I love Christmas cookies and cookie exchanges. So does my honey! He's a cookie monster. I love baking all year, but there's something extra special about baking at the holidays. This year my niece was a big help with the cookies. Baking with children takes a little extra patience, but what fond memories it creates for adult and child. I have fond memories of my mom coming home from her annual cookie exchange with a box full of colorful yummy cookies. She has a friend who is the daughter of Japanese immigrants. She'd make these snowflake cookies I looked forward to every year. I don't have any idea if these were Japanese in nature, but I thought they were because I knew the lady who made them was. I'll have to ask her.
-I love giving the unexpected gift, the gift idea mentioned in passing months ago, logged in a memory bank and found, purchased, wrapped and placed under the tree without a whisper. I especially love the surprised, grateful look when it's opened.
-I love that people still remember the reason for the season and go to church. I wish they'd go in August, too, but Christmas is better than not attending at all. Note to all the Chreasters out there: Your kids would be better behaved in church if you brought them more than twice a year. It's a struggle, I know. Try.
-I love Christmas carols. I know all the words, even second and third verses. I never forget them. I love new carols, too.
-I love squinting at a lighted Christmas tree in a darkened room. Try it. You can achieve the same effect without squinting if you have tears in your eyes. Tears of joy, I hope.
-I love wishing people Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas!

Scary

2006-10-03T17:55:00.000-05:00

No, not Halloween kind of scary. This is REAL scary.

School shootings in Pennsylvania and again in Colorado.

MamaChristy wrote a comment that got me thinkin'. As a teacher of adolescents, I suppose I am in a position to "finger" some kids I feel might be at risk. I have. Well, not in so many words, but I do point it out to our school Social Worker if I notice a pattern of bullying, playfighting, aggressive tendencies. I don't say, "Student X may bring a weapon to school soon if you don't talk with him/her." I wouldn't say anything at all if it was just a student having a bad day. Lord knows I myself have those, too. But when one or two students stand out, angry at the world, yes, I have an obligation to bring them to the attention of someone more skilled in counseling than I.

Thank goodness for school social workers. They provide a tremendous and tremendously needed service. Shouts to Miss Helen (wherever you are) and Miss Sloane.

In what I've heard and read, I don't think anyone is ready to blame teachers for not spotting kids who could potentially come to school with firearms. On the contrary, I think most people have the notion that teachers are doing everything they can for their hormonally challenged and mixed-up kids. In these most recent unfortunate incidents, the teachers were just as scared as the poor students under attack.

I hope I never have to feel what they felt.

Underway

2006-09-09T13:45:00.000-05:00

So, school has been in session for two weeks. It's about what I expected. Seventh and eighth graders can't be THAT much different from school to school, can they?
One room of eighth graders has really given me a hard time about the fashion in which I teach mathematics. I take a problem-solving approach. In a 45-minute period, we may solve only one or two problems. This is very much unlike any math class these students have experienced before. They are accustomed to a style I call "plug and chug." Computation problems are given and answers are expected, typically 50 at a time on a worksheet. Learn a skill, apply it a hundred times, then forget it, or get it confused with another skill you have memorized.
The difficulties here are two-fold. 1) This method relies heavily on memorization of steps, and not the concepts underlying the steps. 2) Most teachers in the United States learned this way. They figure that if they learned by plugging and chugging, it must be effective. Not so.
Today, I read on another blog, that bloggers are narcissistic. So, here, I toot my own horn. I have had several students in my three-year teaching career thank me for making math understandable for them. They hated math because they never understood how or why it worked. This proves my point. Once they understood WHY the steps worked, they had a much easier time remembering them.
The problems I pose require deep thinking and multiple mathematical skills. They allow for many different, but equally effective solutions. The idea is, after a while, students get comfortable with many problem-solving approaches, and they get a feel for which strategies work best in various types of problems. They get pretty good at recognizing patterns. Their estimation skills improve.
I suppose I could go on and on about how much more effective this style of teaching is, but the blog's personal, not professional. I will merely say that I bet this particular class comes around soon. I'm the only math teacher they've got, so they had better get used to me!

Sexy Name Decoder

2006-08-23T19:03:00.000-05:00

Click here to have your own name decoded. Thanks, Tonito, for the link!

Back to Work!

2006-08-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

And so ends another summer. Ahh, it was a good time. Outings with family and friends included Six Flags, picnics, boat rides, Navy Pier, an NFL training camp, a camping trip, road trips, and beach days. There still may be some revelry, but as of tomorrow, it's back to work. I guess I'm ready. There will always be more to do. There will be friends I didn't visit, but wanted to. There will be appointments that must be made and kept that would have been much easier to schedule if there weren't work added to the mix. However, I am grateful for the time I did have. Not many other professions have so much time for rejuvenation built into the regular work hours. It is not a perk; it is a necessity, my friends.
A superintendents group in Minnesota wants to add more school days to the year so as to have teachers work a schedule that more closely resembles the work schedule of most other people. How about this? Let's give the other professions MORE time off, not take some away from the teachers. Who wouldn't support more time for vacations, relaxing, spending time with family and friends? The governor, so far, is supportive of the proposal. Where are this governor's advisors? Doesn't he know that teachers are a powerful voting block? Good luck to this guy in the next election! Yes, there are advantages to children spending more time in school. I just ask two things: 1) If you want the children to spend more time in school, do not add more learning standards. Let the students master the ones you've already given them. 2)If the lawmakers decide to increase the number of working days for teachers, can they also extend the work calendar for legislators? That seems fair to me.

Warm Fuzzies All Around

2006-08-02T16:05:00.000-05:00

Mama Christy found this on The Delaney Diaries, who got it from The Pajama Mama and thought it sounded like a great idea:

“Bloggin’ Good Blogger Days
Your mission, shall you choose to accept it (and you will), is to go to as many blogs as you can and point out at least one good thing about the author of that blog. Do your best to give them a warm fuzzy feeling. Show your appreciation, admiration or plain old joy.

Tell them why something they did touched you, why a choice they made shows the true fabric of their moral being. Just go BE NICE to every blogger who’s blog you read today. And don’t be shy, either!!

Plus, post an entry similar to this one on YOUR blog and ask people to leave warm fuzzies in your comments. Spread the love, people!

Maybe if we take a week to engage in warm fuzzies, they will become a more permanent part of our daily lives, both on and off the computer.

In review:

1. Leave me a warm fuzzy in my comments.

2. Post a similar entry (or copy and paste this one, giving credit) on your own blog.

3. Leave a warm fuzzy on every blog you visit today.

4. Sit back, read your own warm fuzzies and feel, well, warm and fuzzy!

Enjoy!"

This sounds like a great idea to me. Let's get all warm and fuzzy on each other!

Update

2006-08-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of you who prayed and worried with me. I have secured a new position for the coming school year, teaching 7th and 8th grade math. A new adventure!

More: I just finished reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Interesting, for sure. At times, the details were so intense, so real, that I had to check on whether it was fiction or non-fiction. No one could be this messed up, right? Right?! Right. It's fiction.

This Saturday is my family's annual Cousin Picnic. Yowzers. While I was in college, I spent a summer in Pennsylvania, far away, but I just HAD to come home for The Picnic. Mom suggested I bring a friend so that I wouldn't have to drive alone. So Brenda came along. As we parked the car and approached the picnic grove, she picked her jaw up off the grassy plain and said, "All of these people are related to you?? This is bigger than my church picnic!" Yes, there are that many of us. I can't wait to initiate The Boy this weekend. He thinks he is prepared. He is not. No one could be.

I joined a gym yesterday. I am very excited. I haven't been a member of a gym since I quit the corporate job in 2003. Teaching doesn't pay too well, especially at the beginning. My (free) personal training session is tomorrow, 10 am. I already attended a class for abdominal work and ran on the treadmill today. Yipee! With dangerously hot weather in Chicago, the outdoor running was mighty taxing on the body. Now I can run in the air conditioning, or as the months pass, in a heated gym. Although I would prefer to be outside, this option will likely get me more toned, due to the availability of weights, and make me work out for longer periods of time, because classes tend to be 45 to 60 minutes. Hooray!

Hot, hot, hot

2006-07-18T08:06:00.000-05:00

Many thanks to Stolie, my inspiration for this post.

The other day the boy and I were debating the delta value vs. the conversion rate between Celsius and Fahrenheit. (He's a chemical engineer. I'm a math teacher. We do this for fun.)

Well, I'll tell you the difference between 75 degrees Fahrenheit and 89 degrees Fahrenheit. Yesterday was 89 when I ran; today it was 75. The following is based on anecdotal evidence and is not to be confused with actual science.

75 - A two-mile run feels good. 89 - 1.5 miles feels like it may land you in the hospital.

75 - People smile at each other. 89 - A nod of the head seems like SO much effort.

75 - Dogs play. 89 - Dogs play dead.

75 - I'm planning a beach day with my cousin and her three little girls. 89 - I still spent most of the day outside, but most people think I'm crazy anyhow.

ISTJ

2006-06-23T11:10:00.000-05:00

Well, according to this test I shouldn't be a middle school math teacher. Maybe that's the problem.
Nope. I am not willing to give up so easily.
I am more introverted than extroverted, that's true. (That's the I part in the post's title. It stands for Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging.)
I think there must be a lot of overlap between Sensing and Thinking. They seem to me very much interrelated.
As for judging, yes. I admit it's not the most attractive side of me, but I do tend to make up my mind and stick to my guns. I don't have a huge amount of tolerance or patience for those different from me. You're entitled to make your own decisions, just don't expect me to back you up.
Care to take the test? Follow the link above. Harry S. Truman (pictured) was also an ISTJ. I knew I liked that guy!

Keep 'em coming!

2006-06-22T14:13:00.000-05:00

I need more cheers! I went to what I THOUGHT would be a job fair today. The card announcing the event said 11am-4pm. Would you believe that whoever organized the event was deliberately sabotaging those who dropped off resumes before 1 pm? Those resumes were thrown in the garbage. Seems counterproductive for a Job Fair. Am I wrong?
I am a prompt person. I arrived on time. The parking lots were full to overflowing. The organizers shooed us into the stadium to listen to the speaker, a well-known author. He's great, but 1) I've heard him speak before. I own at least one of his books, which I had to read for a class. 2) We're all here to get a job or fill open positions. I don't need a speaker! I need a job!
Please. If you're organizing and advertising an event, be honest about when it will start and end. Don't waste people's time.

I forgot "Depressed"

2006-06-21T12:36:00.000-05:00

My list of D words from my last post left out Depressed. I am officially, now, unemployed, and I don't feel that euphoria a teacher is supposed to feel when school finally lets out for the summer. I feel lost and unmotivated. I know I have work to do to find a job for the fall, but I am having a hard time getting off my duff to do it.
Help me with words of inspiration, please.

My meme

2006-06-11T10:08:00.000-05:00

As defined by Wikipedia:
The term "meme" (IPA: [mi'm]) refers to any unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea or concept, which one mind transmits (verbally or by repeated action) to another mind.

But what a meme is really is a game, of sorts. It's a little task that is all about you and it can take many forms. Lists or lies, it's all in good fun.

My bloggin' friend MamaChristy posted a list of 10 words whose initial consonant was the letter L, then described why this list applied to her. If you'd like to play, you ask for a letter. I asked. She sent me D, so here I go.

1. Dating Dave. I think this should count for two, since I used alliteration.
2. Deborah/Debra. A family name, my great-grandmother, aunt and sister all have this name.
3. Daring. I'm not as daring as I might like to be, but I am surely bold.
4. Dynamic. This is a pet peeve of mine. Dynamic means ever-changing. Some people use it to mean vibrant. Not the same. Life is always changing, as am I.
5. Dublin. A famous seaport city in the land of my ancestors, Ireland. I've never been to the Emerald Isle, but, boy, do I want to go!
6. Dance. I love to!
7. Dairy. I did, for a short time, live in Wisconsin, the Dairy State.
8. Denominator. The "bottom" part of a fraction. I had to get a math word in here somewhere.
9. Diligent. Constant in effort toward a goal. I like to think that I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to do, and so far, it has worked.
10. Denouement. The final resolution (untying) of a story or plot, as in a novel. My favorite French word, thought I never studied the language formally, and a fitting end to my list.

Please! Enjoy your Memorial Day holiday

2006-05-26T16:24:00.000-05:00

I love this holiday. It's one of the few I think that has as its celebration, a fitting tie to what we're supposed to be celebrating. What do our soldiers fight for, and what have all the soldiers who came before them fought for? They secure our liberties, true. But if all of our liberties are secure, what would MOST people like to be doing? They'd like to enjoy friends and family with a backyard barbeque and maybe a parade. That sounds like Memorial Day to me.
Please do take a few quiet moments to remember why most of us aren't working on Monday. Then, go outside and enjoy yourself! That's what all those soldiers, airmen, and sailors up in heaven would want you to do, right after you say a prayer for their families and in thanksgiving for your freedom.

A teacher's paycheck is never her own

2006-05-23T19:35:00.000-05:00

As I begin to pack up my classroom for the eventual departure from my current school, I am realizing just how much of my own money I've spent on "school supplies." The sad thing is, I am not alone. Teachers don't make a lot of money; that's common knowledge. The crime is that, of the little they do bring home, they spend so much on making the classroom welcoming.
For instance: I love to read novels aloud with my class. The school has some novel sets. But I have spent upwards of $1,000 on novel sets alone. I hand them out to my students and HOPE they return them when we're finished studying the novel.
Another example: My classroom library does not contain any novel sets. Those are separate. I have already packed up four enormous (nearly too heavy to carry) boxes of books. These I may have one to four copies. Again, the students check them out of my classroom library, and I HOPE they return them when they're finished.
More: Science experiments. I don't teach science anymore, but when I did, there were always supplies I needed for which the school didn't pay: aluminum foil, paper towels, plastic cups, light bulbs, squid. Yes, my fifth graders dissected squid last year. We had lots of fun. I went to a grocery store in Chinatown and bought the squid, refrigerated them overnight, then carried them to school in a cooler. It was fun, but expensive.
Every job has these little irksome truths. Teachers have settled for low pay for generations, because most of us are so dedicated to our students and want them to have the best educational experience we can provide. As a society, though, we undervalue education. When we shortchange those who provide our future with the discovery-based lessons they need, we shortchange the whole country's future.
Aside: This practice is not limited to "underprivileged" schools. Teachers in some of the richest districts in the nation have thousands of their own dollars pouring into their classrooms.
Hidden benefit: As I pack up my classroom, I hope my principal is walking by and noticing how bare it is becoming. Yes, you axed me. I'm not leaving a poster, a paperback or a marker that doesn't belong to the school. I'm taking it all...along with my pride.

City neighbors

2006-05-09T17:33:00.000-05:00

inspired by Stolie's post today
So, why is it that cityfolk don't know their neighbors, even though they live so close to each other? I propose that it is precisely because they live so close to each other that they CAN'T know too much about one another. Because they live in such close physical proximity, they can't allow themselves to know each other intimately as well.
I am friendly with lots of people in my building, but I wouldn't call any of my neighbors close friends. Also, I live in a building with fewer than 20 units. My friends who live in huge highrises know even fewer of their neighbors by name than I do. Now, I do live in the Midwest, so we tend to be a friendlier bunch than, say, New Yorkers. Even so, there's a distance that most cityfolk like to keep. Maybe those who live far away from each other (countryfolk) crave the attention of their neighbors, and so seek it.
I'm not anxious to hear more details of my neighbors' lives than I already do!

Talent coming out every pore

2006-05-07T16:35:00.000-05:00

Wow! Went to a very fun wedding reception in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Saturday night. The band was phenomenal. Eight members in the band, and I think all but the drummer played more than one instrument. That just blows me away. I don't play any instruments, and I don't really read music. It's all a mystery to me, really. They were fantastic. I danced all night.
Hearty congratulations, Kari & Chris. Best wishes for a happy, healthy lifetime together. Oh, and super job choosing the band!

Thanks for Nothin'

2006-04-30T12:51:00.000-05:00

Well, I suppose that blogging about another Chicago teacher tossing his career out the window was bad karma. I lost my job, too. I was one of 1,100 Chicago teachers not renewed for the fall. I still get to work until June, though. Hooray. Please send Chicago-area teaching job postings or job search advice!

2006-04-23T13:33:00.000-05:00

I don't know a whole lot about blogging, but I do know it's in poor form to blog about your workplace. Someone should have mentioned this to a certain Fenger High School teacher. Interestingly enough, my mom was a teacher at Fenger a hundred years ago. (Sorry, mom, it's just a colloquialism). Even his principal admits that some of the comments in this teacher's blog were valid, but, really, didn't he know that this would definitely be the end of his career at Fenger and probably the end of his teaching career? If one desires to criticize one's boss or employer, it might be best to do complain to a tight-lipped bartender instead of griping to anyone who wants to read it on the internet. Shheeesh!

My image

2006-04-11T11:18:00.000-05:00

Those of you who have been with me from the beginning of this blog may know that for a brief time I posted a photo of myself, taken in Australia. A friend and fellow blogger advised me to take that down & instead find an innocuous image that could substitute, for security reasons. I couldn't argue with her logic. So, I removed that photo, but it has taken me until now to find an image suitable to represent my online persona, "Math and a Half." (Please note in the image that there are mathematical symbols flying out of the magic pencil.) I don't wear glasses, and I hope I don't look quite this goofy, but it fits, sort of. Should I find a better image later I can change it, but for now, it'll do. I am willing to look at any suggestions you might have.

Who's the audience?

2006-04-08T15:45:00.000-05:00

Just another random wondering...
Who is the intended audience for lingerie like that pictured? Of course, this is not intended for wearing to work underneath your best interview suit. In fact, it is not intended to wear UNDER anything. It's not technically UNDERwear anymore.
Is Victoria's Secret, or any similar company, trying to get women to buy their product, or men? I think I'd like to see the market analysis numbers on who purchases stuff like this.

Rude

2006-04-03T21:28:00.000-05:00

What's the most rude you've ever been?

What's the most rude act you've ever witnessed?

I take a class (well, sometimes more than one) at the University of Chicago. Tonight, as has become customary, several of my classmates came to the class tardy. Several left early, some right in the middle of the lecture. Some brought young (school-age) children, who sat down and did their homework. Cell phones rang repeatedly. Some students found "other work" to do during the lecture. Then, there's the old standby: talking while the teacher is talking.

Admittedly, this may bother me more than it would most people because I teach to a somewhat disinterested audience of seventh graders daily. Truly, though, do these classmates of mine get their manners out of Cracker Jack box?

A poll was released recently about cell phone manners. Lots of folks recognize rude behavior but don't admit that they sometimes exhibit it. If you feel like confessing some bad manners yourself, please use the comments section to proclaim to the world your shortcomings. Then you can go forth without guilt to try to do better next time. Consider it the online version of Catholic confession.

Whoa, was that blasphemy? I didn't mean anyone any harm.

Red, red wine

2006-03-27T17:12:00.000-06:00

I'm feeling better now. Thanks for your concern.

A big, hearty thanks to Kristine for her suggestion of red wine to break the streak. I took your advice over & over this weekend & today wasn't so bad.

I know the photo is blush wine, not red, but it was a darned interesting photo, so I rewarded the creativity with more publicity.

Time heals all wounds, they say, but it is also a good teacher. I know I learned some things by dwelling on the string of bad days.
1) Dweling on the bad doesn't make things better, but it forces the thought train onto the track of fixing or changing what caused the bad.
2) Punk kids are just that: punk kids. They cannot help themselves from punk kid behavior.
3) It is not necessary to rehash any of the bad days or events. Show up on the doorstep (or caller ID these days) of someone you know and trust & just BE with him/her/them. Kudos to Paul and Meghan. You were instrumental in my healing.

Mamachristy, if you're reading, I haven't given up on the spa idea. Far from...

The opposite

2006-03-24T16:09:00.000-06:00

Why don't we notice a string of particularly good days?

Perhaps I should spend more time concentrating on the good things in my life.

A list:
I have a family. They love me.
I have a boyfriend. He loves me.
I have friends in Chicago and in many other places. They love me.
I have a home. I love it.
I am not unemployed.
I am not allergic to chocolate.
I am (relatively) young and healthy.
My faith guides me.
I got paid today.
I like to exercise.
I can read and write. Many people helped to teach me how.
I'm getting better at the technical side of blogging.
My computer hasn't crashed in almost a year now.
Spring Break is coming soon.
It's Friday.
The sun is shining.

I'm sure there's plenty more for which I should be thankful. That will have to do for now. I'm going to bake some chocolate chip cookies and drink red wine while I do so. (Thank you, Kristine.) Maybe tomorrow I'll go to the spa (Thank you, Mamachristy.)

Bad days?

2006-03-23T16:19:00.000-06:00

A question for my readers (both of you)...How do you deal with not one, but a series of bad days? What can you do to get out of the slump? I am anxious to read your home remedies for a string of everything coming up whatever-the-opposite-of-roses is.
I promise to try just about anything within reason and let you know how it worked out.
Before you get carried away, though, I must say that I don't like to shop. Many women would tell me to go blow a wad of cash on myself, but I don't enjoy shopping, so that won't work. Any other ideas?

I wonder...

2006-03-20T16:34:00.000-06:00

Ever wondered how streets get their names? Yeah, me, too.

I don't have any answers. I just find it a little curious that some street names are very popular; nearly every town has a Main Street or a Third Street. How many Flournoy Streets are there? There's a Flournoy Street in Chicago, but I never saw it anywhere before or since.

2006-03-16T19:56:00.000-06:00

Always around December we get all mushy and talk about the joy of giving. Yes, true, it is a season of giving, but how about a little giving in a non-holiday sort of way? Support your favorite charity year-round, please. They need all the help they can get.
I made a special family recipe and brought it to my physical therapist and her receptionist/office manager. What a hit! They were genuinely pleased and grateful. How nice. It didn't cost me anything but a little time. I had all the ingredients in my home so it didn't mean a special trip to the grocery store. I didn't really go out of my way to make it, but the payoff was grand. Smiles all around: the real kind. (Thanks to Stolie, funkybrownchick, for the link.)

I hate Toys 'R' Us

2006-03-14T18:35:00.000-06:00

It's been a long-standing hatred. In fact, I think it may be genetic. My mother despises Toys 'R' Us, too. Her story is funnier, so I'll tell that.

My mom is 12 years older than her sister, who had Bridget at age 40 (I think). So, mom is an older aunt, very out-of-touch with the hot toys of the day. Bridget was turning three and wanted a Barney doll.

Mom went to Toys 'R' Us quite unwillingly. She begged her sister to suggest another gift, perhaps clothing or college tuition for Bridget. Anything but Toys 'R' Us. Mom lost.

So, she was on a mad dash, trying to locate a Barney doll and get the Sam Heck out of that store. Unfortunately, mom's kids were young in another era. She was searching the aisles for the doll that would be a companion to Fred Flintstone. (Ha!)

Having no luck, she flagged down an employee who seemed more interested in popping the zits on his face than helping her find the item she needed. Desperately, she relayed her need for a Barney doll. The kid took her to aisle 9 where they usually stocked purple dinosaur Barney dolls. No stock today, lady. But, he explained that if Bridget liked Barney, she'd probably also like a doll they did have in stock, Baby Bop.

My mom called the young man several nasty names under her breath and stormed out of the store. On her way out, though, she caught a glimpse of a Barney video cover, with a photo of Barney and Baby Bop together. Boy did she feel, uh, foolish.

My trip to Toys 'R' Us today wasn't quite that bad, but I did need help from an employee who wasn't much interested in the notion. Then, as I paid for my nephew's gift, a man came up to the counter equally as perplexed and confused as my mom had been on the infamous no-Barney trip. Poor guy.

Let's clarify: I'm Irish-American.

2006-03-12T11:16:00.000-06:00

This time of year, especially in my beloved Chicago, it's fashionable to be Irish. Tracing my own bloodlines, all roads lead directly to the Emerald Isle. However, I don't claim to be Irish. I'm Irish-American. I've never been to Ireland, but I hope to go someday. Soon.
Those lucky ones who made it out of Ireland, back in the potato famine times or more recently, were those willing to take risks, be bold. Therefore, my own sociological reasoning leads me to the conclusion that Irish-Americans are so much bolder, louder and more obnoxious than our roots. My parents have been to Ireland, and they say the Irish pubs are not raucous houses of debauchery. Patrons sit quietly and enjoy live music and talk only between numbers. They clap calmly to appreciate the musical talents of the performers.
Americans love to hang out in pubs, but the music is merely something to shout over. They may or may not pay any attention to dancers, singers or musicians. It's rude, but it's accepted behavior. Too bad.
Blessings to all in this time of St. Patrick. Could we possibly be a little more responsible and a little less drunk to celebrate this peaceful people's heritage?

Welcome in

2006-03-10T21:52:00.000-06:00

I choose this title, math and a half, to keep out the mathphobes. You know the ones. You tell them you teach seventh grade math for a living and their immediate response is, "Ohmigosh. You have to teach area and stuff?! That must be hard!"

I have little sympathy.

Actually, that could be said about so many things; I guess I wouldn't say I'm a very sympathetic person. I live by the "too bad, so sad" rule. If part of your life is tough, you've got two choices: learn from it or change it. In most cases, that is easier said than done. Who said life was easy?

So, the photo I plan to post was taken in Australia in 2003. I hope I can figure that out technically. If I run into trouble, I will call upon the expertise of the funky brown chick. She's a friend of mine with an excellent, award-nominated blog. I aspire to such greatness. Little by little, I plan to learn how to blog. Lucky you who are getting in on the ground floor of such learning. You can come along for the ride. Welcome.