Stargazer

MO-*now with photos and video*

Don't worry. I think we're fairly far away from the storms and tornadoes that are devastating parts of Missouri. I've realized (shamefully) that my geography is a bit sketchy. My husband says we're EAST of all of it; it's windy and miserable rainy here, but I'm  still enjoying Missouri. It's green and beautiful like Washington, with picturesque brick buildings. Historic Saint Charles is incredible. No, I don't have any photos because no one wanted to stop to get out of the car.  However, my husband drove me and another mom down to the Arch last night in driving rain on I-70, in spite of the fact that I told him he could turn back to the hotel. Because of him (and how much he knew I wanted to see it) I  do have pictures of St. Louis and the Arch. I will share them with you eventually, but you need to realize this. They have raindrops on them because of the horrendous weather; however, every time I look at them, I'll remember how impressive the Arch was, and how excited I was to spot it. Then I'll get a vision of my husband, hunched over the steering wheel on I-70, fighting to see through the huge raindrops. And Hossie, tell your friend Dave that we made it to Ozzies; it was delicious. (they had a very nice wheat ale too!) Today is the competition, and I'll be relieved to get that over with. It's hard to wait so long (while getting more and more nervous) but I've been trying to treasure every moment. The older I get, the more I realize that although you can't stop time, you can at least be more aware of small moments, like Alison playing the piano in a restaurant, like sitting in a Starbucks reading a book, like seeing the Missouri River for the first time.

Update: For a photo tour of our MO trip, go here.(you will see my obsession with the Arch!) Western Nationals was NOT Younger Daughter's best meet, except for her  lovely 8th place on Download westerns_floor_08.wmv  with a 9.475. But she had fun, and is glad we came; that's the important part. Somehow her Regional team took a surprising second place!

Wacky woman

Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself.

-- Harvey Fierstein

My friend Sandi, new Blogger, posted about Guilty Pleasures(sounds naughty, doesn't it?) and I couldn't help thinking about how many public pleasures I have--Hef, espresso, excessive reading, but it's the first two that are adding to my middle-aged spread. I tried on some spring clothes and was... ulp...quite appalled shocked. But I actually do have a few very guilty pleasures, mainly related to weird music or books that I enjoy. So, I'm finally ready to admit them. First, I love disco music and dance music. I also enjoy classical, classic rock and some pop. In fact, I begged my Younger Daughter (possessor of I-tunes) to download the latest Madonna/Justin Timberlake song which I find very "catchy." That's the word I use when I don't want to admit that my tastes are common eclectic. It was hilarious to find out that the cat hates dance music though; she much prefers classical. She wanted to go outside when I played Queen too, so I guess her musical tastes are more narrow than mine. While I'm admitting things, I do read the occasional Harlequin or Regency Romance, but only certain authors. Sometimes I'm just in the mood for a "Brassiere Buster" with a romantic, happy ending, you know! Today at the staff meeting, our principal talked about rules and teachers not following them--cell phones, grading, required paperwork, etc...He put it this way," In 45 minutes, I'm taking my wife to her cancer treatment, so I don't really care about this, if you don't. We will support you in the admin, but you have to put in the effort to enforce what you said you wanted." I don't say it as eloquently as he did, but you get the idea. I'm hoping I saw some guilty faces! Also this week Alison is drowning in AP tests; Gov was "awful." She did write an essay that ended up being correct, in spite of the fact that the teacher decided not to teach monetary versus fiscal "because it never ends up on the test." (but it did this year!)  She felt decent about the AP Calculus test today; math is more her thing, and she thinks she passed. Tomorrow is AP English; that should be a disaster since she doesn't analyse lit well. Ironically, it's something that I love and am talented at, but then again, I couldn't do gymnastics to save my life. Older Daughter is in the midst of mid-terms at UW and I hope that they're going well. *hint:-e-mail me when you have time*  And the trip to St. Louis? I haven't packed a thing. (remember my spring clothes issue up above?) As an added complication, we had it all planned to go straight from Alison's friend's meet Saturday to the Arch, but Alison's coach has decided that she needs to practice before she competes Sunday. I am a bit ashamed of this, but I've been having a hissy fit, " I'LL END UP PAYING $2000 TO VISIT ST. LOUIS AND I DAMN WELL PLAN TO SEE THE FRIGGING ARCH!" Alison's attitude is, "But we're going there for a gymnastics competition, Mom and I have to practice" which is much more rational; however, I just don't want to hear it right now, when my clothes don't fit, and I don't have a thing ready for this trip.

Cell phone generation

Many students and ADULTS these days seem to be addicted to cell phones. This year at my school we instituted a strict policy about NO cell phones during class time or they would be confiscated with progressive discipline for each infraction. The kids can use them during passing period and lunch, just not during class time. We, the teachers, had been complaining about the distraction of electronics for years, and our admin came up with and pledged to support these rules. All of us clapped and shouted, "YAY!!" when the new policy was announced at the beginning of the year. So, what's the issue? Well, as the saying goes, "We have met the enemy, and he is us." Margaret (and many others) went off to  adhere to this rule, even when kids whined, made excuses, LIED ("It's my dad" when it turned out to be a girl standing outside) manipulated  ("I was just turning it off--NOT texting) etc... ad nauseum, barf... I've had to monitor "lap" activity, bulging hands in the pockets and other attempts to circumvent the rule, which has been tedious in the extreme. When a girl refused to turn over her cell phone to me, the administration suspended her for 10 days, or until a parent came in for a conference, so you know that they are supportive.And many of the parents don't want their children to be using their cell phones either when they are supposed to be paying attention in school! HOWEVER, many of my colleagues are too lazy, enabling or frightened to deal with discipline issues, so students are now resisting more and more. "But Mr. So-and-So gives a warning!"  "But Ms. Teacher doesn't take it away unless we 're texting, not if it accidentally goes off if I a)sit on it b)press a button that makes it talk c)don't turn it off, but have it on vibrate, oh, sorry, it  still makes a noise." The fact is that we (not me, Tough Love Teacher) are doing these students a grave disservice by enabling them because guess what? Our local businesses also have strict NO CELL PHONES policies for employees. The stores at our local mall require them to have cell phones off and away from their bodies. Coffee shops make them do the same thing. Why? Because left to themselves, many of these teenagers would spend most of their time on the phone, either talking or texting, and not doing a bit of work. It's almost like they can't help themselves; if someone texts them, they just have to know RIGHT NOW who it was, and what they wanted. Some will lie and say it's an urgent call from mom/dad, etc...It's incredibly bizarre, and sad, not to mention frustrating from a teacher perspective. Younger Daughter's cell phone drives me crazy too at times, but she is way under her minutes and texts plus her dad and I have already told her that we won't fetch it from the school office if she gets it taken away. This post is either all about Tough Love, or how to be hated by teenagers. Right now, I'm not so sure which; it may be both.

The Truth about Blogging--according to me

I think of life itself now as a wonderful play that I've written for
myself... and so my purpose is to have the utmost fun playing my
part.

-- Shirley MacLaine

Well, about my last post...it seemed to imply the wrong things. It appeared that I was castigating those who have dropped out of Blog World, and that isn't the case. I was trying to discuss my own feelings of loss when a connection that I find important is broken. Some people say, "I blog just for myself." And I say, huh? Then why not write in a journal and hide it under the bed? ALERT: YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR WORDS OUT ON THE INTERNET WHERE MILLIONS MAY READ. Probably won't, but it could happen, and does with some bloggers. So, all of us who blog are looking for others(aka readers) to share in this journey that we call "life." Don't get me started on, "I don't care about comments." Because why DO we blog except to get advice, support, and once again those connections with other people about what we write? It's not about the number of comments, it's the quality, and I've been fortunate in that respect. I have learned so much (and I can't reinforce that enough) from other people on this blog. People have cared enough to leave me remarks about parenting issues, and school problems; they have also rejoiced with me about successes and have sympathized over disappointments, while telling me about their struggles and joys. This is an internet village, and everyone knows that it takes a village, right? There have been so many times that my blog friends have made me think, "I'm not alone. Other people have problems. No one's life is perfect." For example, my 87 year old mother-in-law has been in the hospital for the past couple of days--anyone been there with elderly family members? My younger child isn't preparing at all for her three AP exams this week; who can relate to that? (teenager laziness and procrastination--who CAN'T understand that?) We're leaving for St. Louis this Friday, and whom did I contact? Of course, it was a blogger friend's son who lives there; he gave me invaluable advice about many things. And when my daughter said something about having to visit St. Louis, I replied that we are considering it a gift. We would never have chosen to visit this city, yet it appears to have so much to offer. We never knew how many interesting places there were in St. Louis until we HAD to go there. Everywhere I turn, I see another lesson that there are positives even when we don't at first recognize them. (as a financial example, the flights that I bought way ahead of time, while whining, cost us a little over $1000 and now would be $3500) Then today I was inspired to learn that my good friend Sandi, with my nagging encouragement has joined Blog World. We met through gymnastics, but our relationship has become much more than that--as often happens. And Sandi, we will certainly  miss you, and Bubba in St. Louis. xxxooo

Friday Blog Musings

I've been feeling weirded out by blogging lately. I can't really explain why; it could be because the other day I got quite morose about how many people I used to exchange comments and e-mails with who have now pretty much dropped out of Blog World. I thought they were "friends" and then they just...disappeared. And I guess it made me feel that this whole blogging thing is superficial and temporary, so why invest my emotions into it? However, I'm not that kind of person, although I wish I were at times. I care too much--at school, at home, with friends, and sometimes I feel like it just leads to disappointment. This Friday we fly to St. Louis for Level 9 Western Nationals, and I have my usual packet of flight, rental car, hotel, Map Quest and meet info. As usual, I'm starting to obsess worry about packing, the weather and why my child can't manage to get a decent vault. She said to me today that vault has been awful bad, so now I'm dreading watching that.It's hard to spend near to $2000 to travel somewhere and then anticipate "suckiness." Maybe that will make it easier for her and me to give up this whole gymnastics experience. Older Daughter called last night, and she had had a GREAT day; being her mother's daughter, it's difficult for her to admit that. And she finally, after approximately 50 applications and interviews plus much hard work and angst got a job here. It is located in a quite swanky Seattle hotel, and the menus include mostly ingredients that I don't recognize. I was relieved to read...salmon, rueben(isn't it reuben?) and veal, which were words I knew. (what are marselan syrup, tabiko, quinoa, cabales,pommery mustard, asiago, tamari, marcona almonds, etc...?) No, I don't really want to know, just in case any gourmets read this blog. Anyway, it's been a beast of a week, and I'm on to the weekend, with a good book(I hope) and a couple of Hefs. Au revoir, Blogger Buddies. I'm not yet ready to say Adieu.

The ASP Society

At home, I'm Mom, in class I'm Madame, but to a self-selected group of colleagues, I'm Viper. It all started with our admin's insistence that we take attendance, and sign blue(excuse) slips;it developed into a "mini-war" between those of us who do what we're supposed to (LIKE ME), and others who blow it all off. (too busy, rules are stupid, not enough time, etc...)Then it took a creative idea from an off the wall fellow RHS Class of '74 teacher named DeWayne. DeWayne has long hair, always wears shorts to school, even in winter, and brings his dog to work when he's having anxiety problems. DeWayne suggested that we voluntarily pledge to ask for/sign blue slips--and if someone catches us not doing so, we have to pay $.25 into our Sunshine Fund. 28 of us joined the ASP Society, and have been having a hella lotta fun ever since--with attendance, which is the bane of our existence. We all have snake names, and "bite" each other. A false accusation against another player results in a Forked Tongue. We have Parseltongue and Copperhead from the Math Department, Rat Snake and Mamba who teach business, and many from my own department--who are all enjoying this "game." Some of the students think it's silly, as do a few of our fellow teachers, several of whom as I like to remind myself, are NOT really doing what we are required or asked to do, like hold students accountable for their absences. Those of us in the ASP Society are having a great time with it, in springtime when times are tough in the classroom, with attendance which is never much fun. This time of year also means stressful class counts for next year, problems with nicer weather and scanty attire, kids burned out on school (not that many of them have worked THAT hard), kids who won't relinquish their cell phones when they're asked to(GRRRR),Senior portfolios to grade over and over again, Senior practice speeches to obsess over...I could continue, but I'll take pity on all of you. Thus, being a member of this ridiculously irreverent group has given me many hilarious moments, thanks to DeWayne and my "reptilian friends." And stories like this really make me smile.

Weekend of extremes

This was a weekend of extremes--yesterday, it was extreme displeasure at the thought of spending my Friday night dressed up at a wedding an hour away. I didn't mind driving my parents there; I actually enjoyed  blabbing conversing with people from the past(cousins of my cousin on her mom's side) and once I had put on my "social" face, things went smoothly. Being around a hundred or so people in a cramped room, most of whom I don't know, in an awkward setting made my facade necessary; I'm around so many people all day long in my job that Friday nights I would prefer to barricade myself in my house with a good book. So, I had to GEAR up, and put my "game face" on. It helped that the people who knew me exclaimed about how great I look; it made me glad I wore my lovely slimming black pants, new raspberry blouse from the Spokane Nordstrom, and a black leather jacket that my parents bought me in Turkey. And HIGH HEELS, which my feet and I absolutely hate. Cousin L. (the bride) wasn't extremely friendly(she has issues), but her new husband, his family, and my aunt and uncle seemed delighted to see us there. And Snoqualmie is beautiful! It looked like Switzerland driving through it, except for the *darned* housing developments everywhere. I never watched the program Twin Peaks when it was on, but I guess it was filmed there. Then today...oh, my was it EVER great. The lawn got mowed, and the errands were accomplished, which made me feel quite productive. Then I went out to a fabulous dinner at Marzanos with my friend Tonya, and to a talk by one of my favorite authors. My expectations were moderate (I'm picky and critical), yet he exceeded them a hundredfold. He was an incredible speaker--insightful, hilarious, intelligent and utterly amazing. Tonya and I walked away just shaking our heads in disbelief at how impressed we were. Thank you for the  dinner and evening out, dear friend. You too are quite amazing.

Dealing with people

You would think that 28 years in education would make me an expert at dealing with people, but I still end up disappointed with myself at times. Life in a school makes me often sometimes less patient with other's foibles because I've seen them ALL, heard every excuse, been at the mercy of students' and even colleagues procrastination. As most of you already know, I am a first-born child, and the only girl of my family. I tend to be ultra responsible, thus I don't understand people who aren't. For example...

• seniors who don't turn in state-required portfolios until the last moment, don't come back with their corrections, don't show up for their practice speeches, sorry, sorry, I'm so busy, etc... Well, do you intend to GRADUATE? I ask. Due dates mean nothing to them; it's all about THEM, their schedule, their job, their social life, whatever. And I have not been very tactful with them!
• a particular senior I know very well who FAILED(yes!) her practice interview, mainly from lack of preparation. A wise mother insisted on some practice the night before, stressed that she had to talk reasonably well for 10 minutes--but left it up to her. Never mind that I've listened to hundreds of these presentations and could offer valuable help and insights. I'm hoping that this unnamed senior has learned from this. Naturally, I did have a "few" things to say...
• the same senior who is starting to make the excuse of "senioritis" to miss a few assignments or do a crappy unacceptable job on them. I despise the fake phenomenon of "senioritis;" it's just a way to say LAZY. And although her grades are still good: As, A-s and one B+, I really expected better of her. *sigh* Missing assignments are one of my hot button issues! And yes, she does know precisely how I feel about this. (oops)
• a teacher who lets his students run wild in our courtyard (and in his classroom), then brags about how many classes he has of his language. I did mention to this teacher at lunch that he was very fortunate because many of us have suffered through classes of 40. (the admin gave him two 2nd year classes at 20 for next year--which is unheard of) Remember last year when I had a second year class of 45? I don't think I'm a vindictive person (ha ha) but I get discouraged when teachers are "popular" because they're easy, have few standards, and low expectations of behavior and work ethic. I guess I'm a "dinosaur" and should retire. Anyone want to give me money and benefits?
• this weekend is a mixed bag because tomorrow I'm going to my cousin's second wedding at the Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls. I don't really want to attend, since my kids weren't invited; however, my parents needed a ride, so I'm taking them. My cousin L. is 40 years old, and has an extremely negative and arrogant attitude. (everyone is stupid, people without college degrees are losers, I'm only inviting certain family members to this wedding--who cares about the others whose feelings might be hurt,etc...) However, Saturday night, I get to eat Italian food with my dear friend Tonya, then listen to one of my favorite authors at a local university. I'm very excited and am hoping he wears his kilt!

Regionals in Spokane-*now with video*

In spite of the fact that I'm walking around like a 100 year old woman, I'm back safe and relatively sound from Spokane.Five hours on my butt in a car is way too long!  It was a snowy ride over the pass Friday, but I was quite restrained(although white-knuckled) AWD or 4 Wheel Drive, honey? It was slippery, and I didn't LIKE IT ONE BIT; I mainly kept my mouth shut though. Mainly. Two hours after we came through on Friday, they closed Snoqualmie Pass due to numerous accidents; our friends left later than we did, so they got caught in the mess.  Our trip to Spokane included this:

Stopping at rest stops in desolate areas of Central Washington.

Running with the sculptures in River Front Park. (along with a lot of shopping-which netted me a cute spring coat, a blouse and some cropped pants) We won't talk about price, since I bought two of the items at Nordstrom and one at Ann Taylor. And they weren't on sale! *gulp*

Visiting the falls, where I braved a suspension bridge. It was very impressive, but I did feel a bit tense. Every time the bridge bounced, I had the urge to crawl the rest of the way. Vertigo is so irrational...

Dining at the Onion in downtown Spokane with parents, coaches and gymnasts. Excellent onion rings!

Watching gymnastics in a rinky dink pitiful locale, after paying $20 entrance per person.(outrageous!) The hundred or so people there in the facility also had to deal with only one stall in the "closest" bathrooms. It was awful for me, since being nervous always makes me...er...need the bathroom A LOT. And how did Regionals go? It was ugly at times, but they all made it and qualified for the their age groups' Regional teams at Westerns in St. Louis. (top 6)  Younger Daughter ended up 6th, her friend was 4th, and another teammate was 6th. For Alison, the ugliness meant a low score on vault, and a fall on one of the best bar routines I've ever seen her do. (and she still got 6th, in spite of the fall) Beam and floor were good, although not spectacular; she took 6th and 2nd respectively. Once the gymnastics were done, we dashed out of Spokane as fast as we could, but still ended up hitting pockets of intense snow, rain and mixed snow/rain. The pass was perfect, but the rest of the trip was sometimes nerve-wracking. It's nice to be home, even though I wish this weekend were just ONE MORE DAY LONG. P.S. I'm too exhausted to upload video, but I intend to do something I have never done before--and post a beautiful routine, with a fall. That's the way life is much of the time; you just have to get up after a crushing disappointment...and keep going.

Addendum: If you never get enough of scary (but lovely) beam, take a look at Download regionals_08_beam.wmv. If you prefer to watch a floor routine that got second place, watch Download regionals_08_floor.wmv. Although it does include a fall, bars was otherwise quite amazing, go see Download regionals_08_bars.wmv. And if you want to watch something  from Regionals that was a surprise to me and to her--plus made her grandfather nearly cry, you can listen to Download Surprise.wmv. Finally, if you watch any of this, let me know in the comments because I would love to know what you think. To Gene who will probably watch every one, you already know that I love you, dear man.

Weather forecast--a big, fat OH NO

I could cry. Although my husband thinks it's a big joke, it's supposed to snow FRIDAY. That's the day we're leaving to cross one of our mountain passes to get to the Eastern part of our state--where it's also supposed to snow. As I was whining around here to my husband, I mentioned that I would probably get so panicked and shrill that he would throw me from the summit of Snoqualmie Pass. He replied laconically, "Oh, no, I'd never do that. But better watch out at the rest stop..."I really thought we'd be safe  going to Spokane without flying; I didn't even imagine that it would do this to me this late in the year. It's one more thing to worry about...and I'm sick of worrying. Thus, I'm not going to even pretend to blog; I'm heading off to sulk in bed. *pout*