November 28, 2008

1. Thanksgiving day was panic trip to church, thinking I might be serving.  Then leisurely trip home when it turned out I was not.  Coffee and watching a little of the old Battlestar Gallactica (not yet sure I want to commit to that) and then back to church for the 10.
2. Got a little teary singing America on the “O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife.”  That always gets me, but since our boy is over in liberating strife, especially tender.  He is well and sent a picture of the fancy display that was made for the Thanksgiving feast at Camp Phoenix.  Chris, of course, noted that they were Plains Indians, not Eastern Woodland Indians, as would be appropriate for Thanksgiving.  How can you not love that guy?
3. I’m extremely concerned that the locals who put it together will not get credit for the time and attention they put into that display.  Had I the power I would pencil a citation at once.
4. At thanksgiving dinner we were with a fun crowd.  The coffee shop gang.  The four kids danced and tumbled in a fabulous show.  They are all so unique and fun!
5. It’s been a tough day for me and the service industry.  Not feeling the carpet was thouroughly done, nothing fixed by the plumber, but the 5 minute diagnosis cost $78, and the computer guy, who said he would be here wednesday, finally arrived, changed then rechanged the mother board, and now the strip at the top of the computer is clearly not posititioned correctly.  All these people seemed very nice, but my milque toast attitude makes me too accepting of work that is not to par. 
6. Note to self, write about the lady and her shopping cart full o yarn.

November 23, 2008

1. Had lunch with the previous easter president and another previous president yesterday.  She handed over 3 ginormous binders full of stuff, which will definitely be helpful and certainly interesting to read through.  But of course the whole concept is a little scary.  But it was great to talk to them, and I’d like this whole experience to be fun and interesting, rather than scary and stressful, so the lunch set a good tone.
2. Went to a party for a friend last night.  Haven’t seen her for a while, and she has gone through a painful year, with a divorce.  So frightening to see how quickly things can change, but so impressive to see how resilient people can be.  She had a ton of loving friends there, including some of the former in-laws.  Oh, and awesome food, which of course I had too much of.  Those little sandwiches lay me low every time.
3. Came home from the Altar guild crew to a lovely surprise.  Beautiful flowers from Melissa.  Nice big sunflowers and yellow roses.  Nice treat!
4. Getting squared away to head out for a day at church.  Going early to recheck yesterdays checklist.  I do love a checklist.  Seriously I do.  Everything should have one.
5. The heater on my car seems to be giving up, which is not a treat in this cold weather.  The heater going was the death knell for my other car. (that and the entire electrical system.  It could be a loooong winter.  Come on little car!  Hang in there!

November 21, 2008

1. Day school meeting last night.  Budget cuts I don’t like.  And there is talk on the vestry about cutting a scholarship. This kept me tossing and turning last night.
2. And I guess we won’t be playing secret word at the next vestry meeting after all.   Because someone complained about the bingo.  Don’t know who.  Wish they had just told me.
3. I am feeling complicated and unsettled.
4. But I will say that Paul and Ali and Mommy are great people to have around.  Paul makes me laugh at myself.  Ali is a good personal theologian.  And mommy is so supportive.  Blindly and unconditionally, as a mother should be.  And I ran into AB online, and she is awesome because she always agrees with a big “Hell Yeah!”
5. I am crew leader this weekend, and while counting communion, I shall endeavor to sit quietly and unobtrusively this weekend like the manual says.  One should try to not to be noticed.  Just quietly sit, clicking my clicky thing.(The counter).  I shall practice this behavior.

November 18, 2008

1. I am not entirely competent.  I needed to go to another school to get some extra sociology textbooks, and I went to the wrong school.
2. Of course, I am always about the thrill of the vestry budget meetings, so I thought I would embellish the proceedings by creating “Vestry Budget Bingo.”  I went to a site where you can generate bingo cards, and put in a bunch of vestry words, like “mission” “youth” “surplus” “pledge” and “Stewardship” and of course the ever popular “Appalachia and Indian Reservation.”  I passed them out and this seemed to entertain some of the folks.  When we had a winner, I promptly handed over a large ceramic chicken that I have had around the house for some time.  That was pretty exciting.  Next time we are going to play “Secret Word”  where I will have secret words or phrases and who ever says them first gets a prize.  Fortunately, I have another ceramic chicken.
3. I found the ceramic chickens at the yard sale a year ago, and my originial intention was to glue gun them to AB’s front porch, much like the lions at the New York Public Library, but then she went and got a new front porch, and I didn’t want to mess it up.  Also, I kept forgetting.
4. I’ve been trying to be more cheerful with the children, and have the goal, overall, of bringing joy to those around me.  Very difficult sometimes.  I mean, the ceramic chickens are very joyful I think, but of course I found several opportunities to be contrary at the meeting tonight.  But hey, I gotta be me.  I hope that I am working some sort of principle within myself, not just being contrary for contrary’s sake.
5. I know I said this last year, but I must again state that daylight savings time is awful and should be abandoned.  No transition period towards the dark.  Terrible.

November 16, 2008

1. A little preliminary Christmas shopping last night.  Fun to think about the coming holidays, and thinking about presents a little earlier helps me think of some ideas for people ‘cough’ daddy ‘cough’ who are hard to shop for.
2. I’ve got  ideas about stuff to make, but I neeed to get on that.
3. Helped mommy and daddy with the annual field artillery party last night.  Then we took away all the red and the cannons, and replaced it with little rubber ducks for the baby shower today.
4. I need a plumber.  Leaky sink.
5. This week will be the first five day school week in a while. Three tuesdays ago – sick, two tuesdays ago, the election/teacher workday, last tuesday, veterans day.  next week – wed, thur fri off for Thanksgiving.  So 5 days is a real change!  And it is vestry on Tuesday and School Board on Wednesday! 

November 12, 2008

1. I resolved that I should drink water today.  “If nothing else about my eating is under control,” I reflected, “At the very least I can drink my water.”   When I got to school, I relized I had forgotten my   water bottle.  I found a venti starbucks cup and filled that.  As I placed it by the computer I thought: “Now be careful with that.  You’ve got to watch out with water and this new laptop.”  Approximately 1 hour later, wanting to keep up with the water drinking, I picked up the cup.  As I lifted it over the top of the laptop, the bottom of the cup hit the edge.  The drink titled forward and sloshed onto the keyboard.  Less that a 1/2 cup, but more than the teaspoon I would later describe.  I quickly picked up the computer, flipped it over to prevent the water from sinking further inside, dried it with napkins.  Just a little water.  No problem.    But two hours later that son of a bitch coughed up the blue screen of death and died.
2. So I have now, in the course of my school career, killed three laptops (two with water, one just because)  Fortunately, I am at a school that doesn’t know my history.  They think this is the first time.  Of course they will be making an example out of me.  She says she won’t use my name, but it will get out.  It always does. She was very nice about the whole thing.  In my defense, I do normally use a water bottle that is capped, and of course, shouldn’t these things be tougher?  But I know this is all hollow excuses.  I am idiot.
3. And of course, I had a bunch of stuff on the drive.  Not my 3 vital class files, but stuff I know I’ll miss.
4. It’s very sad, because I am considered to be somewhat of a computer whiz at school.  Oh the shame.  They handed a new one right over.  Fools.
5. This and other stumbles make me think the wheels are coming off the Eleanor wagon.

November 11, 2008

1. My joy at a day off today is quite unseemly.  I really must discover some sort of fortune and be able to stop working and run my little coffee shop for a few hours a day, and spend the rest of the time futzing around.  You know, doing crafts and good, that sort of thing.
2. Speaking of fortune, I called the insurance company, and indeed they had made a mistake on that check.  They had already realized it and stopped payment.  I kind of hoped they would give me some sort of “Honesty Bonus” for calling, but alas, they did not.
3. I got a couple of requests from people and finally made the jump and joined facebook.  Frankly, it makes even less sense to me now than it used too, but I have talked to 3 people today that I haven’t had contact with in years, and that is nice.  If I can limit my use of it to a little bit of time a day (beacuse I can see how you can get lost clicking around in it) it might be fun.  Or at least not annoying.
4. In respose to this rush of high tech, I am glad that today is letter writing day, in my organizational crazy fest.
5. Almost caught up on “Heroes.” 

November 10, 2008

1. I’m grumpy.
2. The children are ON my last nerve.  I’ve been sounding just like my mother the last few days.  “I am not just talking to hear myself talk, the things I am saying are important and you need to listen!”  Pitiful.
3. Chaperoned a dance Friday night.  Saucy boys from another school kept giving me lip when I asked them to back up on off my girls.  I do not like myself very much at those dances.  I’m dropping too a commitment of two next year instead of three.
4. Auction at the church Saturday night.  Very tiring but fun.  It would have been more fun if I ad had money to spend, but I spent it all (besides the cat and the car and my political investments) on donating items.  So I didn’t even get a number.  Because I?  Am broke.
5. So why did the health insurance company send me money?  I do not know, and of course I want to deposit it, but I don’t think it is really mine….

November 5, 2008

1. What a night last night.  I’m exhausted!
2. What a day today.  A new day.  I was so touched seeing people crying and praying with joy as Obama spoke.  I cried myself.  I know he is not perfect, I know the road will not be easy, but I truly believe he is the right man at the right time.
3. I though John McCain made a eloquent and gracious concession speech.  In the first in a series of what I am sure will be called “Letters from a Crazy Lady to the President” I want to ask President Elect Obama to truly Honor John McCain’s service by making his (Obama’s) first executive order the same as John McCain said his would be:  The banning of torture.  And he should have McCain right beside him as it is signed.
4. I loved seeing people in Kenya running through the streets waving the American Flag.
5. So beside peace love and democracy you know why I love America?  Because they (specifically the Army) recognized the genius of the Big Bro and are going to promote him to colonel.  Hooray!

November 4, 2008

1. You got to VOTE VOTE VOTE like a baby stoat!!
2. I voted!  Got there at about 5:30 and was about 50th in line.  The doors opened at 6 and I was out by 6:20.  I did a paper ballot too!  They had about 10 electronic machines and 4 paper ballot stations, and one of those was free so I did it.  I am all about the paper ballots, mayn.  I think it is a good move to go to those.  You could fit 30 paper stations, maybe more in the place of those 10 electronic machines.  You feed it, yourself, into a big reader.  So the count is quick and you have a paper trail.  I was also really pleased to see was that they had electronic check in.  Now that makes sense!  No more big book, where you have to get in line by alphabet.  If you have electronic check in and paper balloting, I think that will pick up the speed substantially.
3. Put the car in the shop, so I took the bus to school today.  Timing was great, only had to wait about 15 minutes for the bus, and the stop was right outside the polling place.
4. Teacher workday today.  Almost done with my grades so I can spend most of the day working on planning.  Sociology and Ancient Civ need lots of attention.
5. AB talked me into going to a Marker’s Mark happy hour last night.  I just have to say that bourbon is poison.  I didn’t have that much, but I could actually feel it trying to crush my synapses (and subsequently, my potential superpowers.) Poison I tell you!