It's Me, Back Again.

Yes, it has been awhile since I wrote a blog. Once school gets going, I get too busy to do many fun things. But today I somehow had a "day off." Yesterday I went in to school and planned out the next three weeks - including making all the copies. I left a little undone when at six pm I wanted to go home. We have a teacher inservice day on Monday, so I'll finish up then. I'm trying to switch off weeks with one week planning and the next grading, so even with papers to grade I left them for next week. So I did a little cleaning, but otherwise have had a very restful day. Lots of Words with Friends and Hay Day, and a little knitting, and old movies on TCM.

Went back to the surgeon on Oct 2, expecting it to be the last visit. He had a whole group of medical students with him, and one came in to take my history and do a preliminary check up. Since he was new, he asked lots of questions. I talked about the difficulty swallowing, wheezing, and the fact my voice has not yet returned. When the doctor came in he decided to do another test, an endoscopy. Since I'll need tobe anesthetized, it's another trip to the hospital. It was supposed to be this Friday, but I've had a cold, so it will probably be postponed.

And guess how much fun it was trying to talk with a cold on top of my already horse voice? Yeah, about that much fun.

Cheerios Undead

Need a laugh? Go here, and watch this: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/429130/september-17-2013/soul-rending-cheerios-ad

Two Weeks

Went in to school today to get ready for next week. After two weeks basically indoors, I was surprised to see the seasons had changed from late summer to early fall.

I plan to go back to work Monday, even though I still can hardly talk. I wonder how that will work. Today it felt like someone had jabbed me in the neck with their elbow. But mostly there is very little pain.

The worst part is not being able to sing. I wonder how long it will be before I can join the choir again.

"To the Moon, Alice!"

A e-mail from Theresa prompted me to stay up late last night to see if I could spot the rocket LADEE as it took off from Virginia for the moon. I walked out to my street where I had a pretty good view east and there it was! It was so cool! Of course it didn't look rocket-like from where I stood. More like a bright red light. It lasted about two minutes, disappearing once, maybe that was a stage burning away? It was much better than I expected, having watched satellites with Matt that were just distant moving dots.

I'll use my kids favorite word - Awesome!

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

It's been a week since my surgery. I'm doing ok, except I still can't talk much. I just took a phone call during which I wheezed and coughed all the way through it. And I've about gone through every shirt with a neckline that doesn't rub against the suture area. It was a relief to get the staples out.

So no cancer, but what I have is Hashimoto's thyroiditis. You can read more about it here. Basically it causes both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. The best of both worlds! Sensitivity to heat and cold! Muscle cramps and weakness! Anxiety and depression! And on and on. I'll have to be on meds, but no one has prescribed them yet. Have to see about getting that done.

Mary left her hat making looms with me. When I went to get the staples out, we also went to Walmart and I got all kinds of yarn. So I'm making hats. If you have a request, let me know. Merry Christmas - you are getting a hat.

Halloween

I know everyone else is celebrating Labor Day, but it feel more like Halloween to me. And I'm dressed as Frankenstein's monster.

I have a seam around my neck, complete with staples. I have bruises everywhere. Now I can't turn my head much, so I even move like Frankenstein's monster. My voice is raspy and hoarse, and I have a cough like an old man. I just need the green skin to make it complete.

The surgery went well. In fact, they found no cancer, just an inflamed area. So the surgeon didn't even remove the whole lobe of the thyroid. We'll have to wait and see if I need to be on thyroid medicine now.

This Thursday is:

The liturgical commemoration of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist is almost as old as that commemorating his Nativity, which is one of the oldest feasts, if not the oldest, introduced into both the Eastern and Western liturgies to honor a saint.
The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the feast on August 29, as does the Lutheran Church and the Church of England, including many other national provinces of the Anglican Communion.(Wikipedia)

It is also the day I get my throat cut open. OK, you can call it "thyroid surgery" if that makes you happier. I think it is funny the two things are on the same day. That's my sense of humor for you.

I realized I didn't get my throat blessed on the Feast of St. Blaze this year. Let that be a lesson to you all!

First Day Back

First day back to school - not too bad. My surgery is so much on my mind, I forgot to feel first day jitters, or excitement, or anything. So I just came in and did my job. Done and done.

The kids did have their first day good behavior faces on. One kid went home sick (already?! on the first day?! I smell an epidemic this year.) My autistic kid got a little loud a few times, but he shushed easily.

It did rain, so we had indoor recess. I had set up a "container-o-rama" of indoor recess stuff to promote a smooth indoor recess time this year. I even donated all my Legos (yes, I had some Legos) and a precious few of my Playmobil toys (I had some extra knights to go with the new castle blocks) to the cause. And it went really well. Funny story - one girl playing with the Play-Doh said, "I'm going to make you, Ms. M-----." After she made me she took the plastic knife and cut off my head and cut me to bits. Hmm, what did I ever do to you, R----, that you cut me to bits on the first day? Gonna have to watch that one.

Spent some time after school covering their journals with clear contact paper. About half finished with the project. See, I let them decorate their journals with stickers, and without the contact paper it'd all be ruined in a few days. I forgot to buy any this year, but I had two rolls and a little bit more in my cupboard - just exactly enough for 19 journals. Now pray that I don't get another kid!

Once more unto the breach

So I haven't written in a while. My thyroid is making me exhausted; meanwhile I have had to get ready for a new school year. Those two things together have not left me energy to blog.

So sorry you missed the whole flea invasion. They infiltrated my luggage during our vacation at the cabins, then began to eat me alive. I believe I have killed them all, but there is always a chance there may be some eggs out there waiting for a counter-attack.

Tomorrow is our first day of school. The two other teachers from my school got other jobs, leaving just me. One new teacher has been hired; the other classroom will start out with a sub - the very sub I want for my room when I'm out for surgery. And the school board is starting action to close our school due to the levy failure. This may very well be the last year for our school to be in operation. Oh, and one of my kids has a new diagnosis - turns out he's autistic. I have 19 kids total, heavy on the boys. All my 'good' kids have moved on to fourth grade. Yeah, it is shaping up to be a funfunfun year.

I'm not sure how I'm going to get through these first 8 days of school before my surgery. Yesterday I went in to school, making copies and trying to get everything ready to start. I had planned to then go into town and pick up a few things, but I was just too tired. Did the grocery shopping today, and a load of laundry, but the rest of the time I'm been napping or resting.

I hope I'll be up for a big day tomorrow.

Head, Thyroid, Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes

Results of the Head MRI: I do have a brain.
Also: There is nothing going on there.

Maybe I couldda phrased that better. There is nothing wrong with my brain. (My mom had me tested. - Sheldon.)

Yesterday I met with the surgeon about the thyroid tests. He used the word carcinoma. Yeah, that's right. Cancer. So now I'm going to have surgery. Oh, goody.

At this point my main concern is - How much is all this going to cost?? I have insurance, but still. Just got another bill today for $78 bucks. Being sick sucks.

Almost no one dies from thyroid cancer. They don't even want to call it cancer anymore. I saw that story before I went to see the surgeon, so I guess that helped.

I was hoping to get this taken care of before school started, but no deal. Surgery date is August 29. That means I get a whole month to wait. Oh, goody.

MRI

When I went yesterday to get my test results from my doctor, I got to meet with, holy smokes!, my doctor! The PA I usually see was out sick. So Doc said, yes there was something going on with my thyroid, but he wanted a biopsy of the non-working part before putting me on medication. So that is scheduled for next week.

When I mentioned my headaches, Doc got concerned and ordered a head MRI. He wanted me to have it before a long drive to Ohio, so it was scheduled for this evening at 7. Weird, huh? But an MRI takes so long to do, I'm guessing, that is why they schedule into the evening.

Have you ever had an MRI? This was my first. I was uncertain about being stuck in a machine for 30 minutes because I do have a little claustrophobia. The technician asked if I wanted a washcloth over my eyes, and I said yes. Then she put head phones on me ( I chose pop, which was a meh choice.) then into the machine. Almost immediately I started trying to figure out how much time had passed. The noise, even with the headphones, was scary, strange, and loud. Then I started to get a little panicky. I felt trapped. I didn't think I could make it the whole 30 minutes.

That's when I got inspired to imagine I was sleeping in the back of my parents' station wagon on a long trip across Michigan, just like when we were kids. The noises, I said to myself, were the tires going across the metal plates on a long bridge, maybe the Machinac Bridge. Then I talked myself through all the steps of putting up our old fold-down camper. I continued on, remembering all the details I could about camping when we were kids. When the noise got too loud, I would picture our car stuck in traffic next to some big truck with a loud, idling motor. I was just starting to "travel" to the copper mines in the U.P. , when the whole thing was over.

Then came the kicker - my Doc would not get the results for 2 or 3 business days. So, what was the rush? I guess if there is an aneurism about to bust, my Doc would get an emergency phone call.

Time to crawl back in my coffin.





From GoComics.com

Long Hot Day

Yesterday I got up at 4, to meet Linda by 5, so I could drop off my car at the shop by 5:30, so we could get to the hospital by 6:45 for my test at 7. In the summer I am not normally up by 7, so this was a lot to have happen so early in the day. Linda was driving her husband's truck, which is a trick to climb into because it sits so high, and has no AC. Yes, the hottest day of the summer and no AC. Lucky us.

There was nobody at the hospital so early in the day. The first thing I had to do was swallow a pill with the tracer in it. Then we had six hours to kill before the actual test.

So we went to Cracker Barrel and we each had a breakfast fit for a lumberjack. (Luckily, I was given permission to eat. I had to fast before taking the pill.) It took two people with trays to bring everything for just us two of us. It was fabulous. I ate every bite.

Then we went to (cough) Wal-Mart (cough). Normally I don't shop there, because they are evil, but for back-to-school, when I have to buy so many supplies, they are the only store with truly cheap prices. I got 20 composition books for 50 cents each, and 21 notebooks for 17 cents each. I got some glue, too. I am thinking I don't have too much else to buy this year, I have quite a bit left over from last year.

I also got root beer in bottles, because it is better in bottles.

Linda picked up a few things too.

And there we were with 2 and a half more hours to kill. So we went back to the hospital with the idea that we would sit in the waiting area and read. But first we stopped by the fountain and then we started talking. As the sun moved, we moved to keep in the shade. Finally it was time for me to check back in.

The next part of the test they called "taking pictures." I joked with Linda later that they must have been using old-fashion glass plate technology, because each picture took ten minutes to take during which I had to lay perfectly still with my neck stretched out. It seems it would be easy to just lay there, but have you ever tried to hold one position for ten minutes? It's pretty hard. Plus, I was so tired by that point that, even though I was in an uncomfortable position, I kept nodding off. Just as we started the last picture, another technician came in and started to roll the machine back, so we had to start that one all over again!

After that I was taken to another room, where they pointed some sort of scanner (it looked like a telescope) at me to read the radiation.

That was it. Except,  oh, yeah, didn't anyone tell you? You have to come back at 7:00 tomorrow morning for Part 3 - the 24-hour reading. See you then!

We went out to the blazing parking lot, got into an oven on wheels, and drove for an hour 'over the mountain' without AC back home. As Linda dropped me off, she said give her a call when my car was ready. As soon as she was out of sight down the road, the phone rang and my car was ready.

It was not brakes, as I thought. My mechanic used the words 'axle' and 'exploded.' I'm still not sure what happened (isn't the axle the thing that holds the wheels together? How could it explode? How could I even drive with an exploded axle?), but he told me I'd have never made it to Ohio with the car in that shape.{ok, 'axle shaft' is the term on the invoice, whatever that is} He also changed the oil, cleaned the brakes (he said they looked like new), and really went over it with a fine tooth comb. So that really relieved my worries.

So I called Linda and get her answering machine. It is a couple of hours before we go pick up the car, during which I just collapse. I am worn to a frazzle. I manage to nap a little.

Finally Linda comes, and I get back in her hot, hot truck. But soon I'm back in my own air-conditioned car with my own music playing and the car rides like a dream. Even on those back country roads, I don't think I've ever had a smoother ride in that car.

My instructions were to not add any salt to what I eat before the next test in the morning. I try to pick low-salt things to eat, but ja-ever notice how salt is in everything? I settle on baked beans and a chicken patty sandwich.

This morning I did not have to get up quite so early, since I was able to drive myself. I was the only person in the waiting room when I checked in, and was quickly taken to do the 'telescope' test again. Then I had my ultrasound test of the thyroid. I tried to look at the screen while she was doing the test, but I could make out nothing. That took maybe 10 minutes and I was done. It was not even 7:30.

Having come so far, I didn't want to waste the trip to M-burg. I wanted to buy a shower gift, look at school supplies, and pick up stuff for camping; but nothing opened until 8. So I sat in the lobby and read my book for 20 minutes.

Then I went to Kmart and Target. I got most of what I was looking for, and a few new treasures. I think I may be done with back-to-school shopping, unless I come up with something else I need.

They said the test results would be sent to my doctor in the next 2 or 3 business days, so I'll just have to wait until then to know anything.

Go Here, Read This

Missing the 'recommend' button from Xanga. So I'll just have to post the link: http://someordinaryreaders.blogspot.com/2013/07/happy-first-birthday-baby-j.html

Gas Prices

I was watching the movie "Guarding Tess" the other day. They stopped at a gas station and I couldn't  help noticing the gas price - $1.24. That seemed reasonable to me.

Until just now, watching "Father Knows Best." Bud got a job at a gas station. I saw the gas price sign, but really had trouble interpreting it. It just said 24. That couldn't mean 24 cents a gallon, could it? OK, I think I'll chose that instead.

I remember when I used to watch The Waltons. Sometimes John-Boy would have a 'dollar for gas.' In one episode Ike said gas was 14 cents a gallon. I guess those old cars went further on just 6 or 7 gallons of gas. But I'd be Ok with 14 cents a gallon.

I remember when gas prices hovered around 97 cents a gallon. I could fill up my old truck for under 20 dollars. I'd take those days back, too.

What gas prices have you seen recently?

Select All / Copy

I got up and mowed before it got hot. Usually I don't like to mow when the grass is that wet, but it was worth it to beat the heat. Cleaned the undercarriage before I put it away - what a mess of wet clippings!

Then I called Randy and he came right away and fixed the toilet. Yay!

I also called my friend Linda. She is going to drive me to my appointment on Wednesday, so I don't have to drive with bad brakes. We are also going to drop my car off at the mechanic's that morning, so two birds with one stone. It means leaving home at 5-in-the-before-the-sun-comes-up am. And I can't eat or drink that morning. But I'll be glad to get it over with.

Taking some action on all these issues has made me feel better today.

In between the phone calls, I decided to copy all my old Xanga files to a flash drive. It took for-ev-er. I'd open a file, copy it, paste it into a word document, then save that to the flash drive. Repeat. And repeat. And repeat. The files were monthly, so guess how many I had? OK, I'll tell you. 73!! I kept getting distracted into reading some of my old posts. Some I couldn't remember posting. Like, I don't remember taking sixth graders to the ballet as a substitute teacher. Maybe it was so awful I wiped it from my brain.

The file were arranged by year, but then by month alphabetically. The posts in each file were most recent first. When I saved the files I just numbered them - Xanga1, Xanga2, Xanga47. So finding anything in particular would be a trick at this point. One day in the far distant future I'll have to go through them and put everything in order. But for now it is nice to know I have everything saved and in one spot.

BlogSpot seems to organize by month as well. If I am smart, I will start saving my monthly posts starting right now.

So the question is, am I smart?

Having a Horrible Time, Be Glad You're Not Here

This has been a really terrible summer. I've tried being positive when I talk to people, but the truth is, it has been a truly awful time. And it keeps getting worse.

It started with the levy not passing, meaning I'm now on the job hunt track. Not fun. In fact, pretty stressful. My original plan for the summer had been to start writing a book I've had in my head for a while, but I haven't had any time to work on that at all. I also want to complete and try to sell a supplemental text for teachers. I've only been able to work on that once.

One of the main reasons I can't get anything done is the headaches I've been dealing with. Some days it is like a pressure from the middle of my head forward. I also get a lightheaded or 'swimming' head feeling. I feel a little muddled in my thinking, and I am always just so tired. I sometimes even feel nauseous. My doctor ordered tests, which I'll finally do this week. I am hoping it is hypothyroidism, because it would be an easy fix. I'm worried that it might not be that, which would be more tests, and who knows what else.

So you can see it is hard to work on anything feeling so bad. I've pulled back on the job search. My hope is to get certified in some other states and really start looking in January.

I do not need another problem, but I now have two. My toilet has started running and running. I tried to fix it myself with no luck. So I'll have to call my landlord tomorrow. Then, leaving church this morning I heard an awful noise from my breaks. They held, but there is definitely a problem with the left rear brake.

I can't get my car in this week until at least Thursday because I'm going to need to drive to M-burg for my tests on Wed. If I don't get it in until next week, and they don't get it done, there goes the family vacation for me. If I even feel up to driving.

Not even mentioning the cost of tests and brakes.

And the stupid mower needs fixed too.

You can understand why I just keep crying today.

Almost No Photos

I was supposed to have my diagnostic tests today, but since I ate tuna over the Fourth, it had to be rescheduled. You can't have tuna before a thyroid test, just so you know. I'm bummed to have to wait to find out if my thyroid is the cause of my troubles. Now my tests are on the 17th.

I spent the day moving files around. This computer belongs to the school, so I want to take my files with me when I leave. I downloaded tons of pictures onto flash drives, as well as important word documents and other files. I also moved pictures into files with labels like "School" and "Family" to both reduce the number of picture files I have and so that I can find photos when I want them. Like this photo of the double rainbow I promised you:

 

I would add photos of Mary's visit this weekend, except I only took one, and Mary is in her pajamas, so I thought I'd be nice and not post it. She took more and has sent some to me, but I'll leave it to her to post them. I think they had fun.

 



I also changed out my answering machine. I had been using one that Mom and Dad had given me, and it was eating messages - but only the most important one. I discovered an old answering machine when I was cleaning, so I finally switched them. I hope this one works better (not that I get that many messages.)

There's an App for That

I'll not be going to any fireworks tonight. I could watch them on TV, but that is nothing like the real thing.

But I discovered an app on the iPad that is a pretty good imitation of fireworks. Now I can't wait for it to get dark to try it in the dark.

Pretty cool.

Glorious Fourth

Happy Independence Day, everyone.

My plans for the holiday got cancelled because I didn't feel we'll enough yesterday to drive three hours to visit Mary and her family. They really do The Fourth big there in B-wood, but here, eh. Not so much.

I was feeling better this morning, so I got out and mowed before it got too hot. Then I was too hot from pushing that lovely machine. I may have finished just in time, for it looks like it's clouding up. Rain, maybe?

So now I'm deciding which marathon to watch. TLC's Cake Boss doesn't seemed to fit the spirit of the day. History is running The Story of Us and History 2 is running The Revolution. SyFy has a marathon of The Twilight Zone, which is a true American Classic, I suppose. Even Animal Planet has North America. Or I could just watch the patriotic movies on TCM today. They aren't showing 1776 until midnight, however, which would be my favorite.

So many choices. And that is what America is all about, boys and girls.

Good news/bad news

The good news is I got my laptop back. They had to - - do something - - I forgot what they said. It involved downloading all my files, wiping everything, and restoring it, maybe?? Anyway, good news is my files are saved! including the last document I created, my resume. Bad news is, my settings were all gone, including all my saved passwords. I had an account on lumonsity - you know, that site to improve your brain function. Well, I can't remember my password. So much for improving my brain function.

Finally got in to the doctor's today. I've been feeling exhausted and lightheaded, with lots of headaches, which I think maybe related to thyroid problems. My numbers on that were not that bad, but he ordered tests anyway, based on my symptoms. So the "bad" news is, I don't have any answers yet. And I have a headache right now.

So I've spent the whole day running around and didn't get any cleaning done. I might just take this empty box and scrape the table and this desk into it and just go through everything later. Hey, that's a good idea! Just so don't lose any bills I gotta pay.

Still gotta clean the bathroom. Well, that's why God made tomorrow.

A Rare Sight

I'm sitting here, annoyed by the sun right in my eyes at this time of day, when I here rain tapping at the window. Sun, rain, there ought to be a rainbow. I step out on the porch and see one of the boldest rainbows I've every seen, with a second, dimmer rainbow above it. The main rainbow arces  from ground to ground; the second rainbow goes about halfway up the sky. It's colors are in reverse order of the main rainbow.

I grabbed my camera and went out in the street to try to get a photo. Normally, I wouldn't have tried, because I know most rainbow photos I've taken haven't turned out. But this one was so brilliant, I think I may have gotten a good picture or two. Once I get my laptop back, I'll try to post one.

Be Prepared

Yesterday I took a CPR/AED/First Aid course at the hospital. It was a foggy morning and I left later than I had hoped. When I got to the hospital, I realized that I had arrived at the old hospital and the class was at the brand new hospital, which I had never been to and, further more, I had no clear idea where it was. I just continued to drive past the old hospital, and soon saw a blue sign with an H on it. I drove on and on, too far I thought, until the big hospital sign loomed up out of the fog. I turned in, parked, and went in the first door I saw. There was a piece of paper hanging up with "CPR" and an arrow on it. I went through one door and there was the classroom. People were inside, but the door was locked. I was early. There was another meeting going on. I still don't know how that happened.

Finally we got in the room. I turned out that my friend Linda and I were the only ones to show up for the class. The instructor was a friend of Linda's and a pretty funny guy. We had to practice with these dummies on the floor. Now I'm no spring chicken and my knees are not that great. I sometimes say that the reason I'm a teacher is that it enables me to have lots of little people around to pick up stuff I've dropped. But Linda is 20 years older than me. We made a pack to help each other up off the floor, so it worked out. I was glad when we got to the baby dummies, which we could do on the tabletop.

Linda and I went out for lunch, then in the afternoon we did the first aid part. Another student joined us for that part, but she must have been even older than Linda! Luckily no more getting down on the floor. But it was hard to stay awake after lunch. When I got home I started to feel all the aches and pains from moving my body in ways it is just not used to moving. And my knees are still sore today.

In two weeks I'll have the card that says I completed this course, which is required for Indiana Certification. One more step down.

I'm trying to get my house cleaned before Mary and Family visits next week. I'm also working on leveling books for my classroom library. In between naps. If you wanted to know how my doctor's appointment went, too bad. It was rescheduled to Monday.

Is the Universe Conspiring Asainst Me?

This morning, after running up to the doctor to get my blood drawn and then having breakfast, I had to get out and mow the lawn. I started on my usual route - street side, backyard, back, then the front - when I notice just how hard it was to push the darn thing. So I did something I never do, I let the mower stop to take a look.

Just as I suspected, the "self-propelled" part of my mower is broken. It is just one small cable that is not connected, but it needs to welded back together, a fix I am unable to make. So I continued mowing, using my own strength to push it. It is amazingly heavy when running.

As I mowed, I thought, "Is the universe conspiring against me?" My summer has not been going gangbusters. I've been sick (more about that tomorrow, after my doctor's visit) and haven't been able to get a good start on all my thousand summer projects, and what with the failure of the levy my future is uncertain, my laptop is out of commission, and now my mower is having issues. Woe is me, I thought.

Even though it is a hot day and you are supposed to let the mower cool down before you put it away, I didn't wait and just loaded the mower back in the shed. I was tired, and took a minute to rest on the back porch, standing with my arms resting on the rail. Seconds later, surprisingly, birds returned to the feeder. It was three common chipping sparrows, like this:

picture credit: http://www.roysephotos.com/ChippingSparrow.html

I stayed as still as possible to watch them. Two, it turned out, were fledglings. The mother, or father, would fly up to the feeder, take a bite, then fly down to the fledglings and feed them. After a while, the father (I can't help think of it as the father) hopped a little further away, gathering wild seeds or insects, or just letting the little ones be on their own a bit. One of the fledglings tried to fly up and land in the Rose-of-Sharon bush, but the Rose-of-Sharon is full and leafy, and has slender, unstable, twiggy limbs; and the little guy couldn't figure it out. So he flew straight at me and landed on a lower step. And still the family stayed around. After a bit, he flew back to the feeder area. The father flew to the middle of the yard and seemed to look right up at me on the porch. The little ones (not that little, really. If I hadn't seen them being fed, I wouldn't have guessed they were juveniles) flew over, one trying to land on the porch rail next to me. That was the point they all realized I was there and took off for the trees.

Somehow, this display of nature at it's finest helped me start to count my blessings. There is less yard to mow since the two houses on either side are empty and management is generous in mowing their yards. They weed-wacked around the fence as well. The nurse found a vein on the first try this morning, which is unusual with my arms. And we'll have the old levy in place this next year, giving me a whole year to get another job. I'm trying not to put myself under too much pressure on this one.

Trying to keep a positive outlook.

Dee

The FBI is on to me . . .

My laptop has a virus. It's the one where a page covers up everything else and tells you the FBI has locked your computer, and if you put in your credit card number, you can have it unlocked. Since I'm not a dork, I knew it to be a bug and took the laptop into the computer wizards at the board office. Poor smucks have to work summers.

I was at school when it happened, printing some resumes and stuff. I thought, I've got the iPad at home, I won't need to bring the other laptop home. Dumb, dumb, dumb. The next day I went back out to school and picked up this, ye olde ThinkPad. (hate the ThinkPad.)  There is just somethings that work better on a laptop - like typing. I posted that last post with the iPad, but I couldn't make it look like I wanted.

So that got me thinking, iPad or Laptop - which is better? First of all, the iPad COMES RIGHT ON. You pick it up or touch it and it is on AND connected. My laptop, I turn it on and walk away. When I come back, I tell it to connect to the network. I could fix this for the summer, but because it usually connects to two wireless networks it won't automatically connect to either.

The ThinkPad, on the other hand, I turn it on and go do a load of laundry, mow the lawn, read several chapters of a good book, then come back. It also needs confirmation to shut down. "Did you want to shut me down? Really? But I've been so awful good . . . " Shut down already!!

The iPad, on the other hand, shuts down if you look away for two seconds. You must keep touching the pad! "Oh, you're done? OK, goodbye." It is only not annoying because it comes back on so quickly. Well, it is a little annoying. The laptop shuts down when I tell it to. Of course, half a minute later I remember something I wanted to look up, and it is too annoying to start the beast back up. With the iPad, no problem. Wake up, answer my question, go back to sleep.

Blup-Bleep! The iPad just called out. Every e-mail, every game update, and the 'sleeping' iPad wakes enough to alert you. I had the iPad in the bedroom the other night, trying to get my riverboat loaded before it left my farm (yeah, way too hooked on Hay Day), and left it beside my bed. I woke frightened from a dream in the middle of the night, I think from the blup-bleep. It's weird to have something else talking in my house. And yes, I know I can turn off this feature.

Despite being called a laptop, I rarely use the laptop on my lap. I find it awkward. Especially when typing. I use it at the desk. The iPad I use wherever, including the bedroom, which is bad. It shows how addicting it can be. And, unless you have the clever folding cover (I don't), you must hold the iPad. I have propped it up on a pillow, but mostly I have to hold it, which can be tiring. (Is this a little petty? yes, I agree with you. After all, I have an iPad - I should be happy. However, this is a comparison post. Go with it.)

I miss my laptop. All my stuff is stored on it - music, photos, resume, links. It has my own special wallpaper. I hope it gets fixed real quick.

What type of devise do you use? What are its failings? good points? If you had your pick, in all the world, what type of devise would you like to have?

Celebrate

I forgot to post yesterday:
Happy Birthday West Virginia! We are 150 years old, the only state born out of the civil war.

And while sending birthday greetings:
Happy Birthday today to Lucy!
And
Happy Birthday tomorrow to Raiden!

For the Birds

I went to Ace Hardware today. Bought a trash can. All the time I've been living here I've just been putting my trash bag, naked as it were, out on the "curb" (no real curb, but you get the idea.) But I'm tired of picking up the mess.

Dogs? you ask. Raccoons? Bears? No. Crows. The crows wait in the trees until I go back into the house, then they fly down and tear open the bottom of the bag and pull stuff out. I've tried spraying the bag with ammonia and bleach, but they've not been discouraged. So, gonna try some durable plastic. It should keep them out.

The other thing I got was bird food. I've stopped using loose seed, and only use seed cakes. It makes less waste, thus attracts fewer rodents. Except squirrels. I've watched a squirrel hang by it's back feet to gnaw at the seed cakes in my feeder.

I saw this seed cake called "Hot Pepper." Most are, you know, "Peanut" or "Song Bird's Favorite" or "Orange." So, I thought, this must be the one that wards off squirrels. I bought one, just to try it.

I have a double feeder, just like this one.

Picture credit: www.birdfoodsdirect.com

 

I put the hot pepper one on the side the birds like to eat first, the side by the pole, and a regular flavor on the other side. I didn't see any squirrels this afternoon, but all the birds I saw actively avoided the hot pepper side. So, another failed experiment.

 

Meanwhile, I applied for a position at New Albany (near Columbus), mostly finished the on-line application for Fort Wayne, planted some flower seeds, and collected about a thousand eggs on my farm game. They still won't let me buy more sheep.



Summertime, Summertime, sum sum Summertime

Last day of school was June 5th, but it wasn't until last Friday, the 14th, that I finally felt that school was truly out. We had the "End of School Ceremony," or whatever they call it, on Thursday. It was rather sad this year, what with the levy failure. When they honored all the people retiring, I was thinking about all the other people who would be leaving within the next year.

Then last week I had Common Core training for two days. Finally, second and third grade is going Common Core. I feel like the last teacher on the planet to be starting with Common Core - "Everyone is doing it!" For those of you not in the know, Common Core are the new nation-wide standards. Most states just started the new standards for everyone all at once, but WV has been rolling them out s-l-o-w-l-y, a few grade levels a year. The reason is that our test isn't changing until 2014-2015, so idea is to continue to prep kids for the test they are going to take. But in trying to get a job in another state, this may count against me.

That left just four days to undo my classroom. Which would be more than enough, except I was going though most everything, deciding what was mine and what was Title 1 or belonged to the school. Just in case I get a job this summer. But last Friday I just quit. There was one whole section of shelves left to do, but I was too tired of the whole thing. And, anyway, I don't imagine I'll get a job this summer. Too little time to get my name out there, ya know?

And I'm finding it hard to focus. I get a couple of good hours in on the job search each morning (except this morning, since I chose to do this instead), then I feel the pull of Naptime. Yesterday I also spent a few hours labeling books for my classroom library, a job that will take weeks, I think. The rest of the time I spend playing Hay Day.

We got new iPads - for school. Yes. For doing school stuff. Like, I don't know. DIBELS. Except we're not using DIBELS next year, the license is too expensive. So we got new iPads for DIBELS just in time for us not to use DIBELS anymore. But with Common Core, there are a lot of performance goals, so I can use the camera feature to record that, I guess. I'll think of some why to use it. I guess.

So, anyway, as Tech Coordinator, I signed the iPad out to myself for the summer. Then I downloaded some games. Well, what do you do with your iPad? One is called Hay Day. It is a build-your-farm type game. I am totally hooked. If you are on Facebook, you can play this game too. Look for me as dmmabc at Twin Oaks Farm.

The game is a little disturbing, however, to one who really knows where food comes from. Bacon, for example. In real life you have to kill the pig to get bacon, not put the pig in a steam chamber. And why does fruit take so much longer to grow than grain? And how do they make a hamburger out of bacon? Plus, who would want a bacon pie? or a carrot pie? Why not apple pie? And why do the apple trees die after just three harvests? And why do you have to mix the grain together for so long to make animal feed? You know, they will eat straight corn or wheat or soybeans if there is no "feed." And why can't I buy more sheep? I want more sheep now!

But it is a fun game anyway. I just hope no kid playing it is getting his whole knowledge of farms from this game. Most farms do not have diamond mines.

Hi, I'm new here . . .

With the closing (maybe) of Xanga, I've come here to continue writing my semi-worthless ramblings. Over there I had the uninspired name of DMMeyer. I wanted a better name here. I tried a lot of names. They were ALL taken. I got out my Mother Goose book for inspiration. I tried a lot of names. They were ALL taken. Until I came up with this one. Hope you like it.

I am a teacher of a combined class of second and third grade in West Virginia. For now. Our levy didn't pass, so now I'm looking for another position. Hopefully back in the Midwest, where I'm from.

I read a lot, mostly children's books. I like to watch the birds outside my window. I have lots of sisters, some brothers too, and a growing number of nieces and nephews. That's my nephew Simon with me in my profile pic. My parents are still in good health even though my Dad is 80. Eighty! Can you believe it?

I like summer because I don't have to get out of bed at any given time; but I hate the heat. I prefer fall and winter. My favorite food is Yes, I'll have some of that. I like most music, except rap and opera and the dogs barking Jingle Bells (if you can call that music.) My favorite constellations are Orion and Cassiopeia. What's you favorite constellation?

Anything else you want to know?