What Tickles Your Funny Bone?

Well, it's movie night again, and I had decided to actually read a little instead of watch a movie, so Little Sir was watching Alice in Wonderland (the Disney version) on the computer. I wasn't paying much attention, until I heard him giggling. The giggling soon turned to full-throated laughter (which always makes me laugh for some reason, it's contagious or something.) So, I went to see why he thought it was that funny.

He had reset the language button to French. I can't really tell you why it's funny, but the scene with Alice and the white rabbit arguing in French, quickly followed by her growing huge inside of his house and destroying the whole thing was very funny.

So, the next time the kids get bored, try resetting the language on a movie they already know...see what happens, and let me know!

Gardening Update

Well, the mystery-peppers, that I was really hoping were bells, seem to be turning out to be jalepenos and another hot variety. Not much of a hot pepper type, so I guess these'll be lots of give-aways. Figures. The most prosperous part of the garden!

The eggplants have gorgeous lavender flowers, and the cucs came back after being pillaged by the woodchuck. (Thanks, Anon. Blogger, for the tip on cayenne pepper...seems to be working there!)

Unfortunately, he seems to be willing to brave the cayenne to get at the tomatoes, tho'. They just start getting about fist-sized, still hard and green, when I find them half-eaten on the ground. sigh. Think I'll double dose the cayenne...

The strawberries were an absolute flop. I'll never buy from that company again.

Ticks seem to have been losing their side of the battle, altho' the weeds are suddenly growing very quickly and I'm gonna have to tackle them before they become hiding grounds. I'm pushing back the borders, in regards to the poison ivy. Seem to be making some headway there, too.

All in all, I like the progress we've made and have been able to maintain. I'd like to conquer new yard-territory, but the work schedule has been too all-consuming lately. As long as we maintain, I'm ok with it.

Now, I am waiting to actually EAT some of these rewards (...um...except for the hot peppers.) Anybody want some?

Quotes For The Day

Gottfried Leibniz
(1646-1716)

(German philosopher, mathematician, and diplomat, he invented the binary system—the foundation of modern computer architecture—and accomplished major breakthroughs in calculus.)

"Music is a hidden arithmetic exercise of the soul, which does not know that it is counting."

Sir Francis Bacon
(1561-1626)
(English philosopher who established scientific empiricism with his method of observation and experimentation, which laid the foundation of modern scientific enquiry.)

"Knowledge is power."

Phish Food

I love how Natasha says she's a "Wine connoisseur. Gourmet coffee drinker. Chocoholic. Cheese snob. "

For many years I've thought of myself as all of the above, plus a list of other-snobs, insisting on the freshest fish, freshest local veggies, etc., as well as something of an ice cream snob. For years, I was a Breyers-only (all natural ingredients!), then graduated to Haagen-Dasz when the budget allowed. I'd heard about Ben & Jerry's, but quite honestly, the names of the flavors sort of turned me off, and I didn't check them out any further. I assumed that with names like those, they had to be full of all sorts of chemicals, blah blah blah.

Well, the other day, we had a play date at the beach, which went all wrong...as soon as the blankets were all spread out right, everyone properly sunblocked, toys sorted, etc...it started getting dark, and there was this ominous booming, and then the lifeguards blew the whistle and people swarmed to their cars, getting pelted with cup-sized drops of rain. I had to quickly come up with a Plan B for two 4/5-year-olds and accompanying grown-ups. Hmmm...came up with a picnic in a place that I knew had covered tables. Then, the other mom offered ice cream, and a particular one was reccommended, which, I discovered when delivered, was B & J's. Huh. My first try. Ok. I'm a sport.

And I was hooked.

So tonight, DD and I had a movie night, first one in ages and ages, and she wanted B & J's. So, I actually went to the grocery store and bought some. Coffee Heath Bar Crunch for me (mmmm) and Phish Food for her. Now, again, thrown by the name originally, I wouldn't have tried it. But I did. And it has actual fish-shaped dark chocolate chunks. I loved it. Delicious! And then, I read the label ('cause I read absolutely everything) and found out all kinds of other stuff, like, what percentage of sales went to what charity, and how they came up with the name, and that the coffee extract was Fair Trade Certified. Very cool.

Ok, so, this mom, always struggling with the weight loss thing, now has a new secret-treat love...for that once a month movie night when ya gotta have something other than salad...it's B & J's.

4th of July Weekend

We have been enjoying the goings-on this 4th of July weekend, Little Sir and I. I didn't want to
travel all the way to Southampton or Southold for fireworks on the ACTUAL Independence Day,
but we did have a leisurely breakfast at Bagel Lovers on Main St., in Riverhead, followed by East Enders for coffee, where we met an old friend of mine, did a little shopping and general putzing
around, followed by a fun play day. Eventually we checked out one of the local free outside
concerts. Then, on July 5th (why did they do that???) we made the choice between the fireworks
on the riverfront and the ones at Riverhead Raceway. We shared a blanket under the cloud-
canopy (as opposed to the stars) with some old friends and their visiting relations, and ooh-ed
and ah-ed in all the appropriate places. (I personally think they should have collaborated and
had the river front fireworks after the free outdoor concert on the Arts Council grounds on the 4th, but I wasn't asked...) It would've been nice to have 2 nights of fireworks!

Today, the 6th, the last day of the weekend, Little Sir came teaching with me in the morning,
and then we dooziebotsed around...went to East Landing for a few hours, then Stotsky Park,
then to our favorite local farmstand for fresh corn and tomatoes for dinner, and home again.

So, happy Independence Day weekend. I hope you got to do some fun local things.

Biography: Robert Redford

In my latest library movie hunt I found a new purchase: from the program "Biography" (I think from A & E) they had a few in the series, so I picked up the one on Robert Redford. I learned so much about him I didn't know, and was glad to see it wasn't full of things I already DID know. I like him even more, now, after watching it. If you like Redford, this is a good summer movie watch.

The Mod Squad

Since I go to the library once a week for my Sat. movie night dose, I'm always looking for a little variety. I like to see new movies with favorite actors, older movies with favorite actors, discovering new actors, sometimes foreign films, sometimes off-peak type films like Sundance festivals and such, some documentaries, even DVDs of seasons of old t.v. shows. (They have new ones out, too...I've seen a few of the latest ones that way so I'm not completely out of touch.) But every so often I find a real treat...an oldies t.v. show.

One of my favorites in elementary school was The Mod Squad. I thought Peggy Lipton was the coolest, hippest thing...and the guys were great, too. I wanted to be part of that team! Well, the library had the first season on DVD, so of course, I checked it out. I got to see the very first episode, which I don't think I ever did before...how the Mod Squad got to be.

Those of you who were fans...ya gotta check this out!

My next one to track down is the original Mission Impossible series. I think that was my absolute favorite in elementary school. I definitely wanted to grow up and be one of them!

More Battles With Nature

So, I had decided to make our poor, sad neglected yard prettier this year, safer to play in, and more productive! It's been a battle with the various creatures and nuisance plants, but we've carved out a few garden areas with some veggies and flowers, and it's starting to look like we've done something!

Well, 2 nights in a row, I heard distinctive munching noises outside the window by my computer, which just happens to overlook a garden. I turned on the outside lights, and it stopped. Another time, I actually went out and yelled and lectured. I had pretty good idea it was the woodchuck that had taken residence under our porch...hibernated for last winter, I think, and decided to stay.

So, this morning, I went out to water, and noticed my 2 biggest tomatoes, still very green, were half eaten. Then, I saw ALL my beautiful cucumber leaves...the best part of my garden so far...they were perfect, and just starting to flower...had been eaten off. All I have is a sad empty vine!

Grrr!

So, I went through the phone book for nuisance animal pest control. The town doesn't deal with woodchucks (didn't think so,but it was worth a shot.) The other guy who called back said it's about $550 to remove it.

$550 to be able to grow my own veggies...do I really think I'm gonna raise $550 worth of vegetables? No.

Ok. On to plan B.

I don't have a plan B.

Does anybody out there have a plan B?

(and please don't suggest I buy a dog or cat. No thanks.)

I just want to keep my garden that we've worked so hard on.

Anna and the King

My, but it's been a long time since I've written here. The end of the school year rush, summer preparations, and still rounds of interviews, waiting to see where I will be in September.

Tonight, I gave myself the evening off and borrowed the DVD, "Anna and the King." I've wanted to see this since it was originally in theatres, 9 years ago! It was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. Absolutely beautiful, and touching, and thought-provoking on so many levels.

If you haven't seen it in a long time, or never did in the first place, check out "Anna and the King." You'll be glad you did.

Public Service Announcement

We regret that the Gardening and Back-To-Nature moment must be interrupted...
by Nature.

Grrr...

Let me explain.

Little Sir and I have been happily puttering around our little garden, and trying to get the rest of the yard in shape, little by little. I'm always careful to take the necessary precautions, as is DH, to wear long pants, have socks pulled up over the pant legs, and spray us with Deep Woods Off, even all over the shoes. I am not messing around with ticks and all their little friends. (We have found about 10 so far this year, but none actually biting us.)

DH does the mowing and heavy stuff, Little Sir and I are exploring our garden. We've also done a little spring/summer cleaning, bringing out mattresses to be aired out and all that. Cleaning out the shed. Fun stuff, let me tell you. (The garbage men must really love us by now.)

Well, Saturday I found 3 ticks...one on a mattress I was bringing in (...unpleasant thought...), one crawling up the front door, and another on a shirt. One of these was a lone star tick (those are the bearers of Rocky Mt. spotted fever. I thought they didn't come this far north!)

Then, Sunday, Little Sir and I are out erranding and he says, "Ow Ow!"

"What's the matter?"

"Something's biting me!"

"Biting you where?"

"Inside my underwear!"

I quickly pulled over, told him to get out of the carseat, come up front, pulled down his pants. Yup. A deer tick. In a very sensitive area I was not about to attempt tweezers on.

Ok, gingerly pull back up the pants, leave the fly open on the shorts, gently get rebuckled into the carseat, and head for the emergency room..
That adventure went better than most of its kind, and we were on our way, with pages of instructions on follow-up.

I noticed today my left elbow has soreness I've never experienced before..for about 3 days, now. Might as well get a Lymes test for me too. Tried to do that today, got a nurse on the phone who argued with me, trying to tell me I just have a virus that's going around,blah blah blah. (Why do they have these posters up in the doctor's office about the symptoms of Lymes, etc., and to contact your dr. right away, if they're just gonna pooh-pooh you when you call?)

Anyway, today it was too beastly hot for DH to mow before his evening shift at work, so I decided to tackle it when I got home around 7:30 pm. Did the regular tick preventative measures, just like always. I took the recyclables to the street first, pulled some more stuff out of the shed to go out, and noticed a wasp buzzing around my head. Further investigation found a new nest just above the shed door. Very nice. Carefully inspected all around the perimeter of the house, and found a few more. Lovely. Made a mental note to deal with that tomorrow...suypposed to get thunderstorms again tonight. Don't want all that lovely poison to wash away.

Got the mower going (we have a new-to-us antique mower which needs a little coaxing), and busily roared along, semi-uneventfully...

And then I noticed it.

Creeping along the borders of the property where it wasn't before...and in a few places I did spot it last year and tried to hard to get rid of it...


poison ivy.


sigh.


Will we ever have a yard that's safe to play in?

p.s.
Oh, and, the house is over-run with ants, of various sizes, inside and out. Bought some special traps today, set them up tonight after everything else was done for the day. Then I noticed in fine print, "not effective against...carpenter ants..." Great. So I'm only killing 2 of the 3 kinds. How do I kill carpenters, short of an exterminator, which I can't afford right now, what with tick spraying and all.

Gardening

I keep promising myself that I will successfully have a little garden this year...haven't had a decent one in a few years...lots of obstacles, including t-i-m-e. But I hate weeds and areas of no flowers or anything. So, today, after previous prep work, Little Sir and I got the patio tomatoes in the ground, and some bright yellow marigolds, which, I hear, keep the rabbits from eating your veggies. Hope that's true.

The hanging strawberry plants I bought at a fundraiser haven't shown signs of life yet. It sounded like a good idea, but what arrived was a bag of dead-looking plants and this tablet of instant peat-moss or something, that, with a period of watering, grows up to fill the basket with potting soil of a type...including some stuff that looks like what's inside disposable diapers...those silicone-looking beads that absorb the liquid. Hmmm. We'll see.


We have a groundhog, or whatever you call those beaver-otter-ish looking rodents that pop up on the side of the road, eating grass and stuff, that hibernated the winter under our front porch. I only discovered it in early spring, when at dawn, he was out scrounging around for something green to eat in the lawn. Periodically he can be seen at dawn or dusk, but quickly scuffles away back under there whenever something startles him. Anyway, I hope he doesn't like my garden, either.

Concerts In June

I just read the upcoming events at Stony Brook for the beginning of the summer season. The Emerson String Quartet is sponsoring an intensive week-long program for 3 winning string quartets, which includes full tuition, room and board, travel expenses. The intensive study includes some events open to the public, and "culminates in a pair of free public concerts in which the young performers will have a chance to show what they've learned." (according to the SBU blurb.)

This is a great opportunity to bring the kids (or just go alone!) to see and hear some amazing music, and perhaps broaden their horizons a bit. Some of my students have been so inspired after these performances, to take up a new instrument (particularly cello, for some reason.)

Friday, June 6, Stony Brook

8:00 pm	PUBLIC CONCERT, Staller Center Recital Hall

Saturday, June 7, Southampton

4:00 pm	PUBLIC CONCERT Duke Lecture Hall Southampton

I'm planning on taking Little Sir on Saturday, perhaps after a picnic lunch at Agawam Park. You should come! (It's free!)

No Assembly Required

Ok, so, I just spent about an hour and forty-five minutes helping Little Sir put together some of the many little pieces that came with the accessories to his new castle. (The castle itself is mostly assembled, with the exception of the drawbridge, flaming torches, flags, and a few other sundries.) Normally, this would be fun. Except that some of these little pieces don't exactly fit where they're supposed to, and some things just don't go the way they look in the pictures. (The brackets for the flaming torches keep popping off the wall, the armor rack doesn't hold the armor the way it's supposed to, etc.) The visors were pretty easy to snap onto the helmets, and the horse's gear went together fairly easily.

I haven't even attempted the catapult yet. I need a break. Mostly because, I have learned, that these new "green" lightbulbs don't give off enough light to work by. I haven't had to do any real close-up work since we've started using them, so I've put up with the annoyance of never feeling like I have enough light (except for in the kitchen, where it drives me crazy. I want to SEE what I'm chopping!) But now it's really starting to bother me. I even checked the closet to see if we might have any of the old lightbulbs left.

Of course not.

Ok. Enough venting. Back to the world of knights.

Happy Birthday, Little Sir!

Well, it's official. Little Sir's name must change again. He is no longer Little-Sir-4-Year-Old. He is now Little-Sir-5-Year-Old. Somehow, it just doesn't sound as cute as "3" and "4" did.

I loved him being 4. It was perfect. Potty trained, semi-independent, yet still snuggly and I-love-you-y. 5 seems so old. sigh.

So far, the birthday week has been a success. (Yes, "birthday week." We are rarely all together at the same time, so events seem to come in increments.)

Monday was the parent-gift, a day at the Bronx Zoo with the two of us, complete with camel rides and everything.

Tuesday and Wednesday, mostly uneventful.

Today, he had a little time with DD before work, and spent half the day with his big brother, getting spoiled, getting to choose their activities...he chose:

1) a few rounds of Rock Band (he likes to play guitar AND sing at the mic)

2) breakfast at the bagel shop

3) then, Number-One-Son took over the choosing and surprised him with
a trip to Toys-R-Us where he was allowed to pick his own gift. (He picked the first thing he saw, a Spiderman swim set: goggles, fins, and gloves that shoot water instead of webs.) Number One encouraged him to tour the entire store carefully before making his actual selection. He ended up with a Playmobil castle...and the Spiderman set. (I guess
that's what big brothers are for.)

4) then, I picked him up after work and we had play time before picking up a pizza and meeting DH at the park for dinner al fresco.

5) now, he's in the tub with the Spiderman gear.

What a day!


I kinda wish I could be 5 again. Just for a little while.

Quote of the Day

Just read Msn's "75 Skills Every Man Should Master." (I know, I know...I am not a man...but I had a tiny bit of downtime at work, and it was on the cover page , and I was a little bored, and curious, sooo...) Mostly, I agreed with things on the list...and many things woman should master as well. I just happened to like this, so here's the quote:


Describe a glass of wine in one sentence without using the terms nutty, fruity, oaky, finish, or kick. I once stood in a wine store in West Hollywood where the owner described a pinot noir he favored as "a night walk through a wet garden." I bought it. I went to my hotel and drank it by myself, looking at the flickering city with my feet on the windowsill. I don't know which was more right, the wine or the vision that he placed in my head. Point is, it was right.

Memorial Day

I realize the solemnity of Memorial Day, and I do honor those to whom honor is due.

But, this year, contrary to my normal practice, I think I will actually take some time off. Not the whole 3 days, but at least one. I'm cooking up a plan...
I'll keep ya posted.

What are you doing this weekend? (And please, don't everybody say "working"!)

Characters and All That

We had an interesting experience yesterday, that gave me one of those deja vu-ish moments. Chase bank on Rt. 58 (Best Buy shopping center) was having their grand opening, and I had one of those coupons that came in the mail, offering a nice bonus for opening a new account. So, Little Sir and I traipsed off, coupon in hand, to do our banking business, and see what the "grand" opening had to offer.

The young "personal banker" I was directed to, Heather, was very sweet and intelligent and managed my various money issues efficiently. Meanwhile, several layers of "manager" came over into the little booth where her desk was to introduce themselves and shake hands. Little Sir was inundated with balloons (both the regular helium kind and those made into little animal and toy shapes by a clown lady, with minimal make-up and normal hair,) pretzels, hotdogs, juice boxes, cookies, you name it. There was a bouncy house, which was quite a hit. Great free fun.

Everything was fine...until...

enter "Chase", a 6' 5"-ish adult in a blue dog costume, the kind of costume one sees worn by someone standing on the side of the road in front of some business, waving as the cars drive by. Seemingly innocent, non-verbal, waving in a friendly manner, when "Chase the Dog" was brought over to my son, fear instantly registered on his little face. He tried to be brave, and when the lady who was doing the introductions asked if he'd like to shake "Chase's" paw, he very politely, with quivering lip, said, "No, thank you," turned to me and said, "Can we go home, now?"
I picked him up and he was shaking from head to toe.

And I remembered. DD had similar reactions to clowns when she was little. (Still doesn't like them, actually.) I was instantly transported back to Disney World where I witnessed a surprising melt-down in my normally courageous little girl.

Shortly thereafter, I saw another child freak out when approached by Mickey Mouse.

So, what is it about people in costumes? I explained to Little Sir that it was really just a person in a costume, just like when he puts on his Spiderman costume, or his Eeyore. Do these costumes instantly give him the ability to swing from skyscraper to skyscraper by webs, or make him a literal donkey? No. Logically, he understood, and even asked to be taken back again a little later, to try to approach "Chase" again. We tried again. He still shook. Couldn't do it.

Why do costumes thrill and excite some, and terrify others? I just don't know. What do you think?

Leave Replacement

Under the category of "Be Careful What You Wish For," I'll now enter, "wanting a FT job in my new certification."

I haven't been blogging, or doing much of anything else, since I started my new job, sort of suddenly.

I should back up. After "Enough is Enough!" and my speaking blessings and positive things, we had a wonderful trip to sunny Florida to go to DD's college graduation. Everything I'd been dreading, fearing, things that potentially could go horribly wrong, did not happen. We, and our luggage, all arrived at the right places, at the right times, together! Amazing. Never had THAT happen before. Our ride was there to pick us up, after a minimal baggage-claim wait. Weather was perfect. We had some R and R time and good visiting time with family and friends. I got some excellent one on one time with DD, and got to see some of her special places (and, we being the crazy ones we are, decided to alter her graduation dress the night before!!! Shoulda taken pictures of that!) I didn't get lost on the long drive from our friends' house to her school and back again, and Little Sir was a real trouper (even when he got sick. Apparently, croup likes to travel, as well.) Thank You, God, for a reprieve from horribleness and giving me some blessing time to bask in.

As soon as we got back, I signed a contract, and Boom! Life as I knew it changed dramatically. I am now a FT ESL teacher. No more subbing. (Yay!) I am in the same school every day, teaching my own students, making my own schedules, learning the ropes of this particular place. But it was definitely diving into the deep end of the pool. I was handed quite a mess, with multiple problems of all different kinds, seemingly right from the beginning of the school year. I am attempting to salvage what is left of the school year, straighten out the mess, assess all those in my care, get them services they've been lacking, target what skills each individual student needs to focus on to be academically successful, and give meaningful instruction. It ain't easy. (Plus, I seem to have picked up a bug early last week, which is hanging on, leaving me drained and with little energy left for the rest of my life, after school.)

Still teaching my private music students, most of whom are headed to NYSSMA. Some are doing excellently, sure to score well, others haven't put in the time they should've and scores will probably reflect that, too. After a frustrating day at Job #1, it is often pleasurably relaxing to sit beside a music student and help them tweak their pieces. There are many times where I think, "I get paid to do this???" Which is good, because it balances out the other, which makes me think "I am not getting paid enough to do this!"

And so goes this next little phase of my life.

How's yours?

Enough is Enough

Right after my last blog post, a series of really crappy incidents occurred...a sort of ratwheel of unpleasant events that just keeps spinning and spinning. I've thought about different ways to blog about it, and have come up dry. So, I'll just gripe a little.

It all started when my dear friend/surrogate mom, Carole Rucci, finally lost the ultimate fight with cancer. I will write another whole entry devoted to her, as befits the absolutely incredible woman she was. But for now, suffice it to say, the night I got the call that she was really at the end this time, was the beginning of the dominoes going down.

One thing after the other, until tonight, when the carwash guy drove my car off the carwash machine-rollers and slammed it into a 5-day-old Prius. Yeah. Insurances companies are gonna have a field day with this one. (And, it was only a few weeks ago, I had to call mine to tell them I'd been smashed by a hit-and-run while in the pediatrician's office.)

So, I am now officially saying, Enough Is Enough! I am ready for the next phase to begin, the one that brings positive events, thoughts, feelings, blessings, you name it. It's time, already.

My To-Do List

I suddenly feel the urge to make a to-do list. Not the kind of errand-ing to-do list...you know, "pick up the dry cleaning, get milk, go to the post office, clean the oven, fix the screen door..." kind of list. I mean, an Eventually To-Do List. Things I've always wanted to do but either couldn't afford, or didn't have time for yet, or needed the right person to do it with, or some other qualification. So, I'm gonna start one right here. It may be updated periodically. Feel free to start your own here, or add suggestions to mine. It's so much fun to share.

1. Go cross-country skiing (Always wanted to do this...actually, when I was younger I wanted to do downhill, but after back injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome, I figure cross country is safer, and better exercise...and easier to share with.)

2. Scuba dive in Hawaii

3. Really learn Turkish well (have made so many half-hearted attempts...)

4. Get back the French and Italian I've lost, then increase fluency

5. Get published in a scholarly journal (maybe TESOL???)

6. Learn how to reallly play "Blackbird" (Paul McCartney)

7. See the Swiss Alps

8. Finally reach my ideal weight/fitness level




ok. your turn.