September 2004 Archives

I know your chances of seeing this are fairly remote but

Happy Birthday Anyway, Dave!

A sample from today's CrabAppleLane Blog entry

Go Saints!!!

Once again, The Washington Post published its yearly contest
in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for various words.
And the winners are...

1. Coffee (n.), a person who is coughed upon.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you
have gained.
1. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat
stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you
absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
6. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
7. Gargoyle (n.), an olive-flavored mouthwash.
8. Flatulence (n.) the emergency vehicle that picks you up
after you are run over by a steamroller.
9. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
10. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
11. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified demeanor assumed by
a proctologist immediately before he examines you.
12. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with
Yiddish expressions.
13. Pokemon (n), A Jamaican proctologist.
14. Frisbeetarianism (n.), The belief that, when you die your
Soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck there.
15. Circumvent (n.), the opening in the front of boxer shorts.

Julia came home yesterday with more complaints about Mrs. B. singling her out and embarrassing her with her abusive remarks. The day before that, Mrs. B. told her class they were the lowest she has ever had and they should come to school with their brains the next day. Then last night at open house, she actually told the 30 or so parents that showed up how worried she is about this class. In so many words she said they were all sweet, good kids, but dumb and immature. I have mixed feelings about saying anything to the principle. Julia will certainly get some seasoning this year if she sticks with the program, but I worry about the intimidation and think that is counter-productive to her getting the students to be the risk-takers she wants them to be. The impression I get is that the kids are afraid to make mistakes because of how she makes examples of them in front of their peers. I am the art-Mom and when she delivered the kids to the art room a couple of days ago, she showed up frustrated and harumphed about how her class is academically challenged and proceeded to tell the teacher and I, in front of her mortified class, what had gone down previously where it just took her 20 minutes to get out two simple instructions to the students and some of them still didn't get it. I have a feeling she was explaining it in so many ways that it got confusing to them. Kids will shut down if they feel like they can't get it. Julia told me last night that Mrs. B. told her there are two kinds of students - eagles and turkeys. Eagles go out and find their own food, turkeys have to be fed. Julia asked her what kind of student she is and Mrs. B. told her she is a turkey. I told Julia that she is not an eagle or a turkey, but a fox - fast and smart. I think Mrs. B. is giving her a complex. This is exactly why I wanted to home school. I am too lazy for that and my children love the social aspect of school, but I worried about funky teacher programming going into their being. I had a funky 4th grade teacher too. Maybe this won't hurt her in the long run. What would y'all do? Call the principle or not. I vacillate between not saying anything and asking the teacher to step outside so I can show her what-for.

Cake & Ice Cream Sunday at Mama's at 3:30. I hope to see everyone there!

I can't believe my baby is already 4. I feel like he's still my baby. I still carry him around everywhere. When Jackson was 4 he was such a big boy. Jacob doesn't seem that way to me. I couldn't wait until the boys were 4 & 6. I thought that was the magic number, where they'd need me less & play with each other more. Boy was I wrong. They still need me because they fight all the time!! It is easier to take them places now. Jacob only crawls under one dressing room door now and then he has it out of his system! Okay maybe two or three, but that's it.

Happy Birthday Ashley, my sweet 16 year old. She'll be ready to take her driver's test in a few weeks when tennis is over. She's excited, but nervous. I'm excited (not to have to drive her all over the place) and nervous (to let my baby go...). Carol

Congratulations to the Twins on winning their division.

This looks like a fun postseason with the Twins, Cardinals, and Red Sox (I hope) in the playoffs. I wouldn't mind a Twins-Cardinals World Series. The last one was great.

Top Ten Reasons Hurricane Season is Like Christmas:

  10. Decorating the house (boarding up windows)
  9. Dragging out boxes that haven't been used since last season(camping gear, flashlights)
  8. Last minute shopping in crowded stores
  7. Regular TV shows pre-empted for "specials"
  6. Family coming to stay with you
  5. Family and friends from out-of-state calling
  4. Buying food you don't normally buy ... and in large quantities
  3. Days off from work
  2. Candles
   
  And the number one reason Hurricane Season is like Chritmas...

  1.At some point you know you're going to have a tree in your house!

Mom and one of her little dogs, Liezel, is here with us for the night. Gretel is with Angela and Joey. You can see Mom’s war wound between the knuckles of her index finger and middle finger. She got that when she stuck her hand between Liezel and Gretel yesterday.

It’s still somewhat calm right now but the major wind and rain figures to start around 11PM and run most of the night. The hummingbirds are going crazy.

We changed our minds! We just didn't feel like sitting in all that traffic and driving for 6-10 hours, just to turn around the next day and come right back in all that traffic. We've been watching the storm very closely. As of 10am, the new coordinates put the storm making the projected turn north and has it headed toward Mobile. We might get some flooding and high winds, but it flooded at least 10 times this summer- nothing we can't handle! As long as I'm feeling okay we might take this opportunity to clean out the two junk rooms, making room for the baby. I also never got to my summer picture album project so that might get done as well. We're headed out for a walk before the weather gets too bad. We'll keep posted. My sister made it to Houston last night around 1:30am- she left at 2:30 pm. Lizzy is in McComb, MS instead of Dallas. Joey's parents left this morning and drove to Liberty, MS to stay at Joey's hunting camp with his two brothers.

Hi. I know most of you are on the move. Dan and I were talking this morning about the possibility of having to pack up and evacuate. We can't imagine the emotional roller coaster you must be on. We only can hope that the projected path turns and doesn't hit you. Just wanted to let you know we are watching the weather and thinking of all of you. Take Care. Carol

Haven't checked the blog for a while and I'm glad I did. Eric and I were just discussing what the LA people were going to be doing with Ivan coming around for a visit. Hopefully, the storm will turn and you will all be able to stay put. I realize you don't want to go far, but my home is also always welcome to anyone.
Our weather has been pretty coorperative. This weekend was a bit hot, but it was a welcome change. I was getting tired of living in air conditioning and welcomed the warmth outdoors. Eric has not allowed the windows opened this summer because of the plane noise. Apparently, the shifted winds of the summer and more cargo flights being flown at night have caused his blood to boil and he avoids airplane noise at all costs. Sadly, no open windows while he is home. But we have found a solution to our problem and bought a new house on Saturday as far away from the planes as he can get. We are moving out to Chaska near PJ and Terri and now Katie, as well.
Katie bought a new townhouse out there a couple of months ago and moves in next week. We are all working on strengthen our muscles for this move. I believe Katie holds the record for most moves. I'm hoping we will hire someone for ours, but I'm sure my loving siblings will answer the call if need be. We are actually building, so we won't be moving until March or April. We are already chomping at the bit. It will add a bit of a commute for both Eric and I; I work in Eagan and he works in Northeast Mpls. But it was a good compromise, no plane noise for him and closer to my family for me. I'm sad to leave Mpls and our lovely home and our lakes playground, but I am excited about the new house and hopefully not as many fixer upper projects in the immediate future, which will leave room for more cabin fixer-upper projects.

Katie started school a couple of weeks ago and has an extremely challenging class this year. Unfortunately, they all know how caring and patient she is with students with special needs and when a class comes up that has several she seems to get them all. Her patience will be tested this year and she comes home exhausted each night. She says this year may force her to a break next year or possibly a job change so she doesn't get burnt out. I'm hoping to convince her to switch to the Chaska school district so she can be Murphy's teacher in a couple of years. Eric and I call her Mary Poppins, because while we were searching for a new daycare for Murphy, Katie came to the rescue for a couple of weeks. Each day I'd come home from work, Katie had my house cleaned, flowers on the table, grocery shopping done and cookies baked for an afternoon snack. Where is Prince Charming for his girl, she is just too good to pass up!!!!!

Ivan has this city in a panic. No school for Jefferson, St. Tammany, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines. Still no word yet for my school, but I think that if the mayor is asking for a voluntary evacuation of the city of New Orleans, we can't possibly have school when we are located in the city. The lines at the gas stations on my way home were unreal! Is anyone evacuating? I don't know what our plans are yet.

We are from the north, you are from the south. Will you please educate me and my coworkers about hurricanes?

Right now you're on the projected path. How far from the coastline in LA would the evacuations go if Ivan remains on the projected path? Is Rob's house far enough, run for Sue's?

Yeah, that's right! I must of angered the computer gods with my arrogance! The very day after I made that boastful remark about beating the computer, my computer shut down! I hated to have to mail it off somewhere to get fixed so I have been trying to fix it myself ever since. Two days ago I finally threw in the towel and gave up! Even Lars, our resident know-it-all about computers, gave up! Amy however didn't know about it and yesterday morning she was on the computer and, much to my astonishement, on the doggone internet to boot! I have no idea what happened, but I'm very gratetful to my computer for putting up the good fight! (does that sound conciliatory enough? I don't want to anger the powers that be!)

I was able to take a few pictures, but that was it for me and this digital camera. Julia is having a slumber party. It will be over in a couple of hours when the 4 girls go to their own homes. It was a nice group of girls and I took pictures last night. I was going to post them, but it is not to be. I do not have the mental space to look at the directions and if I can't figure something out by looking at where components fit together, then forget about it. At least for now. No pictures could do justice to how cute girls are at this age anyway. They have been dancing and singing. Alas, the batteries are dead and I haven't any replacements. I am such a slouch. Sorry, Robbie. You try and you try to enable me, but I am as set in my ways as anybody. This old dog and this new trick are biding their time. I took pictures of myself around the store with various backgrounds the other day. I want a new head shot. I was able to erase them. That much I figured out. Trial and error. I'll stop that. Maybe I can get a passerby to show me some things. Don't make me read a manual. It makes me narcoleptic, and then my self esteem suffers because I feel so dense. What the heck? Maybe if I just open it, read some, and stop putting it off. It is never as bad as all that. I shouldn't anticipate the mental shut-down.

Where is everyone? What are you doing? Yeah, you.

Every labor day Young Life has a leadership retreat at the beach, so I was looking forward to running into ya'll in Destin this year...but that was before Frances. When our trip was officially cancelled on Thursday, we came up with an alternate plan to take a road trip to Washington DC. Allen has a friend who goes to school in Baltimore, so we crashed on the floor of her dorm room all weekend. There was no real agenda, so we got to be tourists all day Saturday, which I loved. We walked/metroed all over D.C. (not without getting lost...more than once). I had never been before, so I was trying to see as much as possible. It was a great trip, but by the looks of it I missed out on a good one in New Orleans too. Maybe next time.

Allen, Chris, & me at the FDR Memorial. I don't really know what we were going for, but it reminds me of the Beatles' Abbey Road picture. No?

I was upset I did not make it to the Korean War Memorial before it got dark, but I think it makes the statues more life like. It was really neat being there, and I couldn't help but think of Grandpa.

My in-laws left for India Saturday after a two month stay in the US. But, before they left my brother-in-law got married. It was an arranged marriage - sort of - they got to know each other over the last month. Here is a picture of his new wife - Ayesha.

Asiyah with her Uncle.

The picture below was taken by Patsy about an hour ago. Mom didn't want to be in it. I think it's great.

Patsy took the one below just before the one above.

I couldn't decide which of the two pictures below to post. Only Stephen is missing.

Small compensation for not having our Destin vacation due to Frances, we will have our fiesta tomorrow starting at 4pm. Christina is bringing taco fixings. I am making black bean enchiladas plus some spanish rice. I will buy some cerveza, maybe someone could bring some margarita mix, though either it's beer or margs. - not both, unless you want to see me do some Mexican hat-dancing with a lampshade. Oh yeah, Christina is also bringing corn salsa which is a crowd pleaser. We may have our green pool looking less green tomorrow. Sue and the gang are coming into town. Ole'. Be there or be square.

Joey's Grandmother died yesterday.

Patsy and I extend our condolences to the Hunter family for their loss.

Have a great day up there in the Big Apple.

Today is the first day of school for Minneapolis. Danny starts 5th grade today. Brian attends school in the Robbinsdale school district and starts next Tuesday, the way it's been forever, the day after Labor Day.

Danny has the same teacher as last year, classrooms are 4th & 5th grade combined. Brian had the same teacher in 5th grade and we love her. This summer Ms. H got Lyme Disease. They caught the bullseye rash early and were able to keep the symptoms down quite a bit. She does have Bell's Palsy as a result of the Lyme Disease. She said last week she had no facial paralysis but of course on Monday, when the kids met their teachers and did their ILP's, her face was droopy. She was great with the kids, telling them how much fun she's going to have on Halloween if the Bell's is still around! Gotta love those teachers... Have a great school year everyone!