Wedding Venues #10 and #11

Okay, I admit it, I'm burning out. We have not seen the perfect venue anywhere (or for any price) we are going to need to make a compromise somewhere, but it's not an easy choice to make. When we started out looking for venues, it was fun. Now, however, it's starting to get frustrating. We will need to make a decision soon.

Skansonia--- Historical, funky, charming in many ways, but also on a not-so-lovely portion of Lake Union. Lots of old boats, junk, and construction stuff lying around. The main view is the underside of the bridge. Also, no good parking, the seating space is cut up into several different rooms, and they have a 150 minimum on Saturday evenings in summer.

Lord Hill Farms--- We went in the dark, so it's sort of hard to say what the outdoor spaces are like. The indoor part is quite charming in many ways. Big open spaces, a very nice country feel, and plenty of room for dancing, eating, etc. The in-house catering is also reasonably priced. Some details that aren't so great such as the floors, the road noise near the outdoor ceremony space, and the distance to greater Seattle. Oh yes, and the part where they have no Saturdays for all spring/summer 2008. We would have to do a Friday such as the 4th of July. Do I want my anniversary to be the 4th of July forever?

Wedding Venues #7, #8, and #9

Newcastle Golf Club--- Very pretty views, slightly musty tent smell, HUGE price tag for even the "lesser" venues. I agree that the views are worth quite a bit, but I cannot see spending that much on the whole wedding, let alone just the venue.

DAR House--- We really liked the historical charm of this old place. There was room to hold the wedding in the large living room, and then go upstairs to have the reception in the ballroom. However, there was a feeling of faded elegance about the place that almost reached the level of shabbiness. We sort of wanted to ask if they were planning to paint any time in the next year. Also, the house is located in a crowded part of Seattle and had NO parking at all. All the guests would have to pay in a lot and hoof it several blocks.

Graham Visitor Center--- This venue is located in the arboretum, and it serves as a gathering place for many local plant societies. When we arrived to take a look, there was a bulb sale set up in the conference room. This room, along with the patio, make up the wedding facility. I admit that the room is not exactly glamorous or romantic, but I do think it might be okay with some serious decoration. The patio is what does it for me. Surrounded by arbors, it is covered in wisteria vines, and it looks very lush and pretty. Downsides of this place are the room, and the tiny little kitchenette. It remains on the list.


1. No stinky venues

2. No busy roads within hearing distance

3. No ugly ceiling tiles

4. No wedding planners who can't manage their own schedules

5. No rooms without windows

6. No venues that cost the same as my car

7. No staff who just can't be bothered

8. No hideous decor

9. No venues that completely lack parking

Whirlwind Wedding (but not our own) Part 2

We were surprised (and touched) to be seated in the family pew with M's aunt and uncle, and it gave us an incredible view of the proceedings. I don't think I've attended a seriously Christian wedding (I'm sorry, but Christian-light is a whole different experience) since I was a very tiny child, so much of the ritual was foreign to me. I was later informed that we were watching the Lutheran equivalent of high mass, so the service included hymns, a homily, a number of prayers and readings, and Holy Communion for all comers. We kept watching everyone else to know when we should rise, say certain things, look prayerful (or respectfully silent).

I am not a Christian. I do not pretend to be a Christian, and most of the time this is not much of a problem. The more rational portions of the world at large are accepting of the fact that not everyone follows Christianity. However, many people do seem to have this idea that everyone will sort of automatically know the ins and outs of Christian ritual. I do not know these rituals at all because I am (say it with me now) NOT A CHRISTIAN. Sorry to get strident, but I feel I understand a little of what it must be like to be a Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist etc. in this country.

The issue of Holy Communion had me panicking. The priest announced that all baptized people in the church were welcome to come up, and that the bride and groom would serve as chalice-bearers for the wine (or blood depending on your views). I suddenly did not know what to do! M's family are dear, sweet people, and I did not want to offend them. However, the priest was very clear about the baptism part, and also I'm not comfortable doing such a ritual. Better still, he had the people coming up one row at a time. This meant that when M and I stayed seated instead of going up, the whole church was looking at us and waiting for us to move! Fortunately, Uncle J., in the row behind us, understood quite quickly, and shoved his family out to go up to the alter. M and I just sat and smiled vaguely. I'm still hoping his aunt and uncle weren't offended.

All this said, it was a beautiful wedding. The bride and groom both seemed so happy, and there is not doubt that their families were pretty ecstatic as well. The flowers were a lovely combination of roses and rosehips (to add a fall touch and great texture), and the stained glass windows of the church made everything glow. M and I certainly got some great ideas for our own wedding. However, I think we'll skip the hymns and communion for our ceremony.

Whirlwind Wedding (but not our own) Part 1

Last Friday, a friend of mine from work covered the last 20 minutes of my last class so I could make it to the airport on time. Of course, this being 2007, the flight was delayed, but we did eventually make it down to Southern California. M's aunt, uncle, and two grown cousins are also from South Africa, but they have lived in San Diego for several years now. The elder one was getting married, so we had the chance to do a little research by attending the wedding.

Of course, since our flight was delayed, we missed the rehearsal dinner, and had to go instead to an Olive Garden at 10:30 at night. Olive Garden is not a good choice at any time, but it was especially bad because they were doing their best to hurry up and get us out of there. This was the first of our unfortunate food experiences. The second occurred when we went to get breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Some buffet breakfasts are sinful but also delicious. This one was sinful and not delicious, so we did not partake all that much.

After the unfortunate breakfast, we had a few hours to kill, so we used the navigation computer M bought to find Balboa Park. The navi is called Tom Tom, and I have to say that it was incredibly useful. Even when you make a mistake, it just recalculates the route and give you new directions. In just a few minutes, we were to the park and admiring the incredibly beautiful setting. Why can't our old World's Fairgrounds look like that? Amazing architecture, lovely landscaping, and even a perfect reflecting pool with blooming water lilies! We really enjoyed our time at the park, but pretty soon it was time to head over to the church.

Wedding Venue #6

Acalia Events is a sweet LITTLE place in a so-so neighborhood. Emphasis on the world "little." The dance floor is literally the ten foot square entry hall, and you can't seat more than 40ish people in the "main" hall. I can't imagine trying to hold a wedding reception (with toasts and such) while people are all seated in different rooms! Extra credit to the owners for turning a pokey little place into a nice venue for small events. However, we will not be holding our wedding there.

Wedding Venues #4 and #5

One good and one bad this time, but neither one will work. The good one was The Edgewater hotel on the waterfront in Seattle. This is the hotel where the Beatles famously fished out of a window, and it has kept up its glamorous patina. The rooms are decorated in a funky Pacific NW meet just a hint of industrial, and the restaurant, 6/7, serves some incredible food. The actual wedding venue is a dedicated suite with one large room looking out over incredible water views. Ferries pass regularly and you can just make out the Olympics in the distance. Several smaller rooms offer space for buffet tables, a bar, and there is even a terrace for outdoor lounging. The reason we didn't sign a contract then and there?

Whoa baby did it cost a lot. The catering manager was very bright and cheerful, and she informed us that we were in luck because they had no facility fee. However, the catering minimums killed the deal. For a wedding of our size, we would need to spend a whopping $150 per head to reach the minimum, and that did not include cake, flowers, or gratuities. We had fun imagining how a person spends that kind of money on a largely vegetarian meal. Gold-plated salad anyone?

Directly after leaving The Edgewater, we hoofed it up to the ferry at Anacortes, and caught the evening sailing to Orcas Island. On the ride, we were treated to the most vibrant orange/pink/purple sunset, and it made me wish we were getting married that evening, when the weather was so perfect. We arrived on Orcas after dark, and make our way along the winding roads (I was feeling green by the time we arrived) to Rosario Resort.

We were under-whelmed by the service of the front desk, the dining room (she told us she didn't have a table available when we could see this was not the case at all), or the bar. Everyone working there just seems sort of bored and perhaps faintly annoyed at having to look after you. After a lovely dinner of salad and ginger ale (It was the road and nothing more. Don't get any ideas) for me and oysters, fish, and chips for M, we made the five minute drive up to our rooms. That's right, very few people actually stay in the historical lodge. Most rooms are located in apartment-style blocks a few minutes up the hill. When we got to our room we found it reasonably clean, but also incredibly ugly. The decor was a mishmash of rainbow striped curtains, India print bedspreads, and distressed yellow furniture. Not the sort of place you want to spend the night, let alone your wedding night!

On the whole, Rosario is just kind of a sad place. The people don't care, the buildings are sort of shabby and worn down, and it all has this air of faded grandeur. The setting and scenery are truly amazing, and if someone would just put some money into rehab (and kick the staff in their collective behind) it would be a wonderful place for vacations or even a wedding. However, as things stand now, there is no way I would even consider it as our wedding venue.

Wedding Venue #3

Okay, the first odd part about this place was that the wedding coordinator double booked herself and had two couples arriving at the same time to look at the space. All four of us were clearly confused about this, and it created an odd, stilted atmosphere. Were we competing with each other for dates? Could we ask specific questions about OUR event when the other couple was waiting to do the next part of the tour? Not a good start to things. That said:

Columbia Winery is set in a beautiful spot near Woodinville. It boasts impressive architecture, thoughtful landscaping, and an overall feel of subtle opulence. It also has a nicely appointed reception room and reasonable changing rooms for the bridal party. However, it also has a patio for ceremonies that backs onto a major road. You can't see the cars, but you can sure as heck hear them. Going there would be like getting married at a raceway. Also, they have awful acoustic ceiling tiles. I'm starting to develop an odd list of no-no items.

1. No stinky venues
2. No busy roads within hearing distance
3. No ugly ceiling tiles
4. No wedding planners who can't manage their own schedules
5. No rooms without windows

More to come I'm sure.

Women and Books

NPR had an fascinating and disturbing story about reading this morning. It seems that women read far more than men. (No surprises there!) You can read the specifics in the actual piece, but the basic questions are about why women should choose to read more than men. Some suggest it's because women are more able to empathize with the characters, while others seem to think it has more to do with the simple ability to sit still.

Who knows the actual reason, but in my personal experience, it is true. Many of the intelligent, educated men I know do not read for pleasure. Of those who do, only a handful are willing to read fiction. One of the many things I love about M is that he has a stack of novels next to his bed, and he actually moves through it at a reasonable pace. Why should we care about the fiction vs. non-fiction question? Educational research suggests that our brains process fiction as if it were actually happening to us. Therefore, my reading a moving story, and caring about the characters, is a form of emotional practice. Perhaps if more people were good fiction readers there would be a better sense of empathy in general.

I MUST Have My Frap!

No real wedding news to report except that we are continuing to search for a good venue. This weekend should be quite busy with the hunt. However, in other news...

One of my immediate co-workers (we'll call him Mr. Smith) was informed last week that a student in his class wanted to transfer out. Mr. Smith was surprised by this because he feels that he hardly knows the students yet, and they hardly know him. It took some time, but he was finally able to learn the reason for the transfer request.

It seems that last year, when the student was a 6th grader, Mr. Smith told her she was not allowed to drink her frappuccino in the hallway. This made her feel sad at the time, and, therefore, she now needs to have a different teacher for 7th grade. OBVIOUSLY she can't be expected to put up with Mr. Smith who made her feel sad before. This would be a funny story except that the parents are in complete support of the transfer request. I am delighted to say that, in spite of much parental fussing, the request was denied.

I love, love, love my school which is full of mostly great kids and mostly wonderful teachers. However, I do have just the occasional twinge of "Sheesh!" in these sorts of situations. At least the right won out in this round.

Wedding Venues 1 & 2

The search is on! The wedding advice ladies at school tell me that if we want to get married in 2008, we must quickly find a venue. It seems that we are coming late to the party already because many venues fill their summer reservations more than a year in advance. Therefore, while we can wait on many things, we must get this first detail nailed down ASAP. Over the weekend, with my mother along for moral support (and because she's fun to have around), we went out and looked at the first two potential locations.

The two venues happened to be fairly close to one another, so we were able to see them one right after the other. The first was The Plateau Club, a golf and country club in Sammamish. Driving up, it looked like most country clubs with perfectly manicured greens, imposing front doors, and special parking for golf carts. We knew going in that it wasn't likely to be a very "us," but we thought we would give it a try. Walking through those imposing front doors, I knew immediately that it was a no-go. It smelled. In fact, it reeked like a diner with a deep-fat fryer that hasn't been cleaned in decades. It did not matter the decor or the prices or the menus, we were not going to use this location. We all dutifully went on the tour and received the brochure, but when we got to the car we all agreed that it was not going to happen. We went off to a Starbucks to recover our sense of smell before the next appointment.

The next place was just about as different as you can get from the first. Located in a city park, this small lodge was just about as quaint as they come. In a beautiful wooded setting, with log finish on walls and ceiling, and windows looking out at the lake, it was a perfect picture of pacific NW aesthetic from about 1940. There were many things to love about it (including the low rental fee) but there were also some drawbacks. First, it had no AC, and the only summer date available was July 26th. Second, it had no truly private bathrooms. The lodge's bathrooms all included doors to the outside because they serve as the bathroom facilities for everyone in the park as well as wedding guests. Last, it's just not that big a space. It could be tough fitting a dance floor, buffet tables, and seating in the one room. This venue stays on the list, but we are not finished looking.

And so, the search continues. M and I would really like to find a place that feels just right. Of course, we may dither so long that nothing is left, but in that case we can just change our date to an off-peak time. Wedding in April anyone?

A Ring Pic at Last

Thanks very much for all the good wishes, flowers, treats, and wedding magazines we've received over the last ten days. It was such fun to tell all our family and friends; the looks on people's faces were wonderful. The part where my mom cried, and my friend, C, screamed and jumped in my lap were priceless.

Many of you have already seen the ring, but I wanted to post pictures for those who live far away. The center stone is a ruby, the side stones are diamond, and the setting is platinum (was that crass to tell? People do ask). I look down at it way too often just to enjoy the fact that it's there on my finger.

We still don't have any idea of dates or locations for the wedding, but I believe it will be some time in the next year. I am starting to collect ideas from various sources for how we can go about this whole thing. Two of my aides at school AND the librarian are just about to marry off their daughters, so they are most excited to share tips and ideas. It can be a little overwhelming at times, but they do mean the absolute best. As Big Niece says "all you really need for a wedding is flowers, a cake, and dancing." Now that's some serious wisdom from someone just starting the third grade.

Goodness Gracious! We're Engaged!

Note: I'm typing this post on the day (September 2nd, 2007) that we got engaged. However, I won't be posting it until most of our friends and family have been told. I really wanted to tell people in person or at least over the phone if they live far away. I'm writing this post today, though, so nothing fades from memory in the excitement that is sure to follow.

On Saturday, we went to Bumbershoot as we'd planned to do for several months. It was our first time to the festival, and we planned to stay all day to see shows, and then stay at a hotel in Seattle. The first shows of the day were standing room only and the sun was hot, hot, hot. I must confess that I was fairly grumpy through the first act (Crowded House) because of the heat and the jostling of the crowd. For the next show (The Shins) I was very happy to move into the bleachers and also into the shade. Luckily, my mood improved very much once I had my own seat.

After The Shins were finished, we wandered the festival, found some food, and took in a Can Can dance review that was a lot of fun. There is so much to see and do at Bumbershoot that you can't possibly get to it all. We saw snippets of several more shows, marveled at the length of the line for the Greg Proops show, and then finished our evening with Gabriel Y Rodrigo. They play incredible Latin guitar, and it was a shame to leave just before they finished (but I insisted because I did not want to leave with the other 79,998 people). We took the monorail back towards our hotel, and then took a short walk to one of our favorite restaurants, Lola. By this time, it was at least 10pm, but the place was still hopping.

Our meal at Lola was probably the best we've ever had there (and that's saying something). First we shared a Greek salad with the most perfectly ripe tomatoes in red, yellow, and green. Next were zucchini fritters with creamy dills sauce. Finally, I got my entree of roasted eggplant tagine with bread, onions, pickled tomatoes, and a yogurt-garlic sauce. Normally I'm not a huge fan of eggplant, but this entire dish was perfect, fragrant, and delicious. I can't speak for M's food because it was fishy, but he made happy sounds throughout. Finally, we shared a fruit tart with brown sugar ice-cream for dessert. We left around midnight, full, and very happy.

After dinner, we walked the few blocks back to the Hotel Alexis. We always seem to stay in Kympton hotels, and this was no exception. We like them because their rooms don't look like hotel rooms (hipper? less plastic? more comfortable? I'm not exactly sure what it is), they have good service, and they are a comparatively good deal. Our room was on the third floor, and we practically fell into bed after such a busy day.

The next morning, just as we were waking up, M put a box in my hand and said "I have a present for you." I didn't have my glasses on, so I really wasn't sure what it might be. It was a double box, so bigger than the traditional ring box, and it took me a few minutes to figure out how it opened. When I finally got to the ring, I looked at it, and I looked at him in complete surprise. He said "will you marry me?" and I was so amazed that all I could do was squeak "really?!" and he said "yes" so I squeaked "yes!" and then I just kept saying "really" over and over until he finally said "yes! really!" I truly could not believe it was actually happening.

But it did. It really did happen. We are engaged, my ring is absolutely beautiful (that's another post), and I'm wearing it right now. I have no idea any of the details about how or when or where, but none of that matters very much right now. In fact, it could have been a candy ring and I would still be completely over the moon right now.

Back to School 2007

Sorry for the radio silence. Life seems to have filled right up to the top again. We did finally agree to a contract with the district, so that is a very good thing. There are a few compromises, but, overall, I think it will be a workable arrangement for most of us. Also, we are still scheduled to get our 4.3% COLA in the next paycheck, so I'm really looking forward to that. Even a little bit more money is a very nice thing indeed.

School started again without a hitch. One of the truly wonderful things about being a seventh year veteran is that you just don't get so anxious any more. I slept just fine the night before school started, and I did not get any butterflies before going down to meet the kids. A co-worker and I were just discussing the amazing power of just letting go. At some point, you realize that the world will not end if something goes wrong. You can pretty much always come up with a solution.

The beginning of the school year is always an exciting and invigorating time, and this year seems to be especially good.

Finally, Results

After many months of phone calls and negotiations, our house is painted AND we have a new fence around the backyard! When I drove up yesterday I could hardly believe my eyes at the change. We no longer look like the shabbiest house in the neighborhood, and that is a very good thing. We have our privacy back in the backyard, we can let little kids out to play without fear of the road, and our kitties can enjoy the sunshine without fear of dogs. It's a pretty wonderful thing.

Home improvements are kind of like being sick. First you think you might have to do it, then you know you have to do it, they you do it and it isn't much fun, but you feel so much better afterwards.

To Shirt or Not to Shirt

Okay, so I am not exactly a fashion maven (to say the very least) but I try to present myself in a reasonably tidy way. I always set my clothes out the night before an early morning, and I usually don't have too much trouble choosing outfits that are clean (always clean!) and relatively un-goofy. Last night, however, I had a major fashion dilemma. Well, that's not quite right. Fashion choices were involved, but the real issue was about labor unions. Strange combination, I know, but I am not making any of this up.

Last night, I went to a union meeting to hear how the negotiations are going on the new contract. Some of the old issues have been worked out already (yay!), but a few big things are still causing trouble. The main issue most of us care about is the proposal to convert a portion of our weekly teacher preparation time to do district business. For example, instead of collaborating with my team, correcting papers, or planning lessons, I could be required to attend meetings, trainings, or any other district-directed activity that they choose to throw at us. We are not amused.

The negotiation team still has hopes on this issue, but they also feel that the district may be willing to go to the proverbial wall on this plan. In order to show our solidarity, the union wanted us to all wear black shirts. I was SO torn about this request. I do support the cause, but I am a big fan of the secret ballot. This, to me, was a request that we vote early and wear our opinions on our chests. One of the things that allowed us to avoid divisions during the last strike was by keeping our votes to ourselves. I went back and forth trying to decide what I should do because there just wasn't an easy answer.

In the end, the black won out. I had a colorful shirt with me, but I wore the black all day. It turned out that almost all my co-workers did the same. Hopefully none of the non-shirts (ha! ha!) will hold it against the rest of us. Even more hopefully, we will get a contract, and we can stop displaying our opinions via our clothes.

Fun With Unions

Still no contract. The old one runs out in just over a week, and things are sticky, sticky, sticky. The district has become "more flexible" on a number of smaller issues, but they are still holding fast on the big ones. I'm crossing every finger and toe that I have. As I mentioned before, strikes are NO FUN.

To answer Sabragirl's questions:

If the teacher's union goes on strike what are your responsibilities?
You don't really have too many "responsibilities" because they really can't force you to do anything. However, they strongly urge you to do all sorts of things to show your support for the strike.

Do you have to be in the picket line during the hours you would otherwise be teaching?
Again, you are strongly encouraged to "walk the line" as they say in the business. I think the only positive things about the last strike was the camaraderie we developed as a group. I really got to know my co-workers in a lasting way. After the strike was over, the normally sparse (we mostly work) lunchroom was packed for weeks.

Do you get strike pay?
Not as such, but if your employer chooses to withhold pay (as ours did last time) they send financial officers from the national union to offer interest free loans in the amount of your paycheck. The issue of withholding pay is a sticky one for many reasons.

What if you disagree with the strike; would you be kicked out of the union if you crossed the picket line?
Many disagreed with the strike last time (myself included at the beginning). You are welcome to go and speak your mind at the various meetings, but your chances of swaying anybody are slim. However, no strike can be called without a strike vote from the general membership. In other words, the union mucky-mucks can't just do this on their own. The law says they much present the district's offer to the members. Crossing the picket line was simply not done in the last strike. However, since teacher strikes are "illegal" in WA, we may face that issue this time.

If you got kicked out would you then not be able to teach? I'm very curious about how this works.
Our district is not a closed shop, so you can decline to be a member of the union. However, this is very difficult to do, and it might not make you very popular in your building (depending on the building). I don't know for sure the consequences of crossing a picket line, but I don’t think it could be used to take away your license or anything like that.

Wish us luck!

Please Not This!

Camping was, of course, a lot of fun. We all enjoyed ourselves, and we managed to avoid most of the rain. However, when we got home I had a less-than-fun email waiting for me. Union negotiations are going "very poorly" according to the teacher bargaining team. Upon return to the summer bargaining session, the teams have failed to resolve even one of the sticking points that caused trouble to the end of the spring session.

What are the issues? Surprisingly, straight-up compensation is not one of them. One of the biggest questions is the special teacher preparation time we have each week. This is a two hour block of time during the "regular" school week where teachers are left to themselves to collaborate or work individually. Administrators want to take a percentage (how much is a big part of the debate) of this time to schedule meetings, trainings, and other admin. directed activities. Translation: instead of grading papers, planning with my team, or preparing lessons, I would have to sit in some "class" or meeting that was not directly related to my daily work.

One of the other discussion points is about the amount of work done by our special education teams. The laws are so strict now about the documentation of special education students that the teachers in this area often wash out within one to two years. Some of these people, depending on their case loads, are working 60-80 hour weeks with little or no additional compensation. The district is refusing to cap the workloads of these teachers or consider extra compensation for their efforts.

There are other problems as well, but I will not go on for pages. It's been several years, but many of us have walked the line (no Johnny Cash puns intended) before. Going on strike is emphatically NOT FUN, and I am really, really hoping we're not headed there again. Fingers crossed that they work something out in time.

Camping No Matter What

In spite of all the dire weather predictions out there, we are going camping this weekend. The girls are coming along to try out a new campground on the peninsula, and we are hoping, hoping, hoping that the skies will not fall. We have marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. What more could we possibly need? It turns out that we last went camping almost exactly a year ago, so we will once again be able to celebrate Big Niece's birthday while we're there. Camp songs and s'mores here we come! Wish us luck.

The Big Picture

Several months ago, I was chatting with a friend (lamenting really) about the lack of nice, not skuzzy, lounging/gathering spots on The Eastside. Where are all the cute coffee shops, relaxed bistros, and elegant tea rooms of my youth? Part of the problem is definitely our distance from any universities. College students encourage the growth of "stop and sit a while" establishments. We have Starbucks and Tully's, you might say, but I maintain that those places were never intended for extended group gatherings. That is why it was so nice to find The Big Picture in Redmond Town Center.

This is a great little movie theater tucked away on the second floor of the mall. Who needs another movie theater when there are so many around? Well this is no ordinary theater. For one, it sometimes (not always) shows some of the more art house-type films (we've seen TWO French movies there). Second, it is a 21 only venue, so there are no crying babies and, better yet, there are no irritating teenagers talking through the whole movie. Third, it is absolutely clean. You can put your purse on the floor and not worry about pools of mysterious stickiness. Wouldn't you pay an extra dollar for your movie ticket with these amenities?

But the real reason to go to The Big Picture is the bar and lounging area. Beautifully, elegantly, decorated, the whole place really recommends itself to an hour of chatting and sipping before the show. They do have popcorn and candy, but they also serve some delicious and unusual drinks both alcoholic and non. I believe we should encourage this kind of establishment, so please consider heading down there some night soon.

Harry Potter For All!

A few weeks ago, shortly after the 7th Harry Potter book, I was in a favorite bookstore, Powell’s Books, and I happened to overhear a group of clerks talking together. They were discussing the launch party they'd helped to run, and one of their favorite topics was the derision they felt towards the teenagers who attended. "Come on, that guy had to be like, eighteen, at least! Doesn't he have anything better to do on a Saturday night? I mean, come on, it's a kids' book!" (paraphrasing heavily, but you get the point)

Now I understand that one of the ways to survive your job sometimes is to make inappropriate jokes about it with your co-workers. Goodness knows I’ve made some. However, even knowing that, I was very disappointed in that bookstore. This was not just one knucklehead spouting off, it was a group, and they were all enjoying the joke. Add to all that, they were having this conversation IN THE YA SECTION for all the children to hear. Shame! Shame! Shame!

Now, if they want to make fun of the grown up readers, they should go right ahead. I will cheerfully take on anyone who wants to berate me for reading kids' stuff (narrow-minded people do this on a regular basis), but leave the teenagers alone! A kid who is eighteen now may well have started reading the series when the first book came out ten years ago. These kids have grown up with Harry and they, perhaps more than anyone, had a right to be there for the final installment.

A recent study of 500 young Harry Potter readers found that 51% did not read for pleasure before they met Harry. I have seen this happen so many times in my classroom. Students discover the wonders of Hogwarts, and then they start to get curious about what other interesting worlds might be hidden in those previously distrusted items called books. No matter what you think of Harry or his fans, large amounts of credit are due for that effect.

Painter!

Painter! We have painter! It's such an exciting day (I'm being honest about that, and it just shows you have old we really are that we get excited about that kind of thing) There is a slim chance that we will have a fence AND a freshly painted house BY THE END OF THE MONTH! Wow! Of course now I've probably just jinxed myself, and everything will fall apart. Hopefully not though. The painter we picked is neither the lowest nor the highest bid, but we like him, and he comes with good references. Thanks again to my friend, T, who gave me the referral.

Misplaced Lavender

Normally, M and I are big fans of Tully's coffee (at least when we're choosing from the big chain stores), but sometimes they do disappoint. If you ask me, the Tully's flavor of the month plan is NOT a good one. This month is lavender which is an improvement over the previous flavors of banana and blueberry (banana coffee!?). However, they let me smell the "lavender" syrup, and I really could not detect any of the familiar aromas. A taste of a lavender/white chocolate mocha was quite disappointing as well. All in all, lavender should be left for baking and sachets.

In other lavender news, Martyr Stewart recently featured a lavender champaign cocktail in her magazine. The recipe consisted of pouring a glass of champaign and sticking in a stalk of lavender. Awfully simple and easy for someone like Martyr. Perhaps it's more about the smell?

Home Improvement Frustration

M and I have been valiantly trying all summer to get a new fence and a paint job for our house. We did not think this would be such a big deal because we plan to use the Microsoft home improvement tool (a telephone and a checkbook) to get the job done. No gathering of tools, no visits to Home Debit, and no hours and hours of hard work. Easy right? Ha, ha, not so fast.

You know all those unflattering, unkind things people say about the intelligence, integrity, and possible drug abuse of painters, roofers, and construction workers? I now believe that any and all of those things may be true. The first problem you face with these guys (they're always guys) is just getting them to talk to you. M probably called four or five different fencing companies trying to get estimates from them. You would think that a business would not survive if you completely fail to call the customers back. He finally found some companies that would come and give him estimates, but some of them were sky hi. After MANY months (and two letters of complaint from our HOA) we are FINALLY getting a fence in the next few weeks (knock on wood).

Roughly the same thing happened when we tried to get a house painter. M called one guy who said he would be out on Friday. Then he called back to say he would come at 11:30, oh wait, he meant to say SATURDAY at 11:30. Saturday at 11:30 came and went without any sign of him. He called to ask if M wanted to set up an appointment some time? Argh! Now he's supposed to come this afternoon. We shall see.

Meanwhile, I've been searching for painters too. My friend, T, very kindly forwarded several recommendations and I called three of them from the list. One called me back. He said he would call in the next two days to make an estimate appointment. He called four days later to ask if I was home right at that moment. Fortunately I was and he said he would come in an hour. Three hours later he actually appeared. If our house ever gets a paint job and a new fence I will be thrilled and amazed.

The Teeniest Tiniest Little Green Frog

Yesterday I went out into the garden to pick some mint leaves to use with dinner. While I was out there I was rearranging pots a little and admiring the flowers. When I moved one plant, I saw a brief flash of movement. A little searching revealed the cutest little tree frog, and I'm sure it could literally have sat on my pinky nail and fit perfectly. It was one of those bright green tree frogs (Hylla Regilla?) with the black and gold racing stripe along the body, and I REALLY wanted a picture. I ran inside for the camera, and when I came back out, it was still there. However, every time I leaned close to get a shot, it would jump away from me. At least M got to see it, but I don't have any great photos to post. That is so much better than being surprised by say, centipedes, in your garden!

Red Star Restaurant Review

As I've mentioned before, M and I are very fond of Hotel Monaco (formerly 5th ave Suites) in Portland. We stay there whenever we go because it's such a nice place, and also such a good value for quality. We've also enjoyed at least two good meals in the hotel restaurant. Therefore, on our last trip, we looked forward to staying the night and enjoying dinner in the Red Star Restaurant. The hotel is still very nice, however, the meal we had left quite a bit to be desired.

Before booking for dinner, I checked the menu and found that they did have one vegetarian entree. We arrived at the appointed time, were seated at a very nice table near the window, and placed our orders. I asked for beet salad to begin and the leek and morel tart as my main course. I was very much looking forward to both courses since beets and morels are two of my favorites. However, it was not to be. The waitress returned and said that the mushroom tart was "out, or actually sort of, um, unavailable" I'm not quite sure what was actually going on with that, but it was clear that I wasn't getting a tart.

I asked if there were any other vegetarian options, and while she tried to be helpful, there was not much she could suggest. I ordered one of the green salads as my main course (how exciting is that?!) because there wasn't really any choice. When the mains arrived, it took me a while to realize that she'd brought the wrong salad. Instead of greens with goat cheese, I got greens with hazelnuts. I hate, hate, hate hazelnuts. I was not feeling up to sending it back, so I just pushed the nuts to the side and ate my greens. At one point I saw that a nut was buried among a forkful of salad, but I decided just to soldier on. This turned out be a bad choice because the "nut" turned out to be a clod of dirt. I was spitting mud for several minutes.

The meal finished with a dessert billed as something like "three flavors of berry" which included a cherry sidecar so viciously alcoholic that not even M could stand it. All in all, it was NOT a good experience. As we were leaving the hotel, one of the clerks was chatting with us about our stay. M told him the truth that we love the hotel but did not like the restaurant. He explained that the chef was new and having trouble getting the hang of things. "There have been meetings!" he said severely. We sincerely hope the meetings help and Red Star gets back on its feet.

Harry Potter Mania

Ahhh Harry Potter. I love Harry Potter. To be more specific, I love the Harry Potter universe. If you are one of those people who dislikes Harry on principle, or who attempts to apply adult lit standards to a YA series, then I have nothing to say to you. I am a huge fan, and no one and nothing can change that. It was thrilling to be around for the release of each book, and I really do think that is something people will look back on as a significant event.

We were on vacation when both the movie (#5) and the book (#7) came out. Fortunately we were able to see the movie during our stay in Ashland, but I had to wait for the book until we got home. The movie was highly enjoyable (I'm doing a good job of separating the book from the movie, so I'm actually able to enjoy them both. This is a relatively new skill for me) but seeing it did not keep me from pining for the book. After all, we've been reading this story for a decade now. We want to know how it ends!

Sunday night (the day after the book came out) we got home from vacation. You might think I ripped open the box the moment we pulled up in the driveway but no. I had decided some time ago to read six again before reading seven so that it could be a single story. Therefore, Sunday night and Monday I spent on six and I'm very glad I did. My memory of the horcruxes and double crosses was not complete, so it turned out to be a good thing. Tuesday morning, I finally opened that special box from Amazon.com (customized for the purpose!) and took out book seven. It's a beautiful, thick book and I felt sort of elated and also sad to see it. Elated because I will soon know all, but sad that the ride is almost over.

The book is really everything I would have hoped. The sophistication of the plot has really grown alongside Harry. The first books are full of fun, humor, and hope. However, as time goes by, things become much more serious. By this last book, things were very serious indeed, and that is really as it should be. Rowling has said that each of her characters is defined by their relationship to death, and that is very much the central theme of this last book.

I will not offer any spoilers (yet anyway) but I will say that there are several parts of the book that are very vivid and very moving. Chapter 34 is (if you care about the characters) quite tough to read, but also heroic in an unexpected way. All in all, it was a satisfying conclusion to this beloved (by not just me) story. I strongly believe that this series will join the ranks of the major works of literature for young people, and that many generations of children are set to enjoy it for a long time to come.

The Rest of Vacation 2007

After leaving Ashland, the rainy, even stormy, weather continued. Actually, that's not quite right. The day we left Ashland, we had beautiful weather as we drove a little bit into California and enjoyed the Redwoods. It had been quite a long time since I'd visited, and I can honestly say that Ronald Reagan was wrong: you see one redwood; you have emphatically NOT seen them all. They were quite immense, impressive, and wonderful. Now I know what it's like to be an ant. Perhaps if I get my bleep together, I will put up some pictures. The problem with this is that redwoods are not impressive without context. Perhaps I will use M for this purpose.

After leaving the redwoods, we headed back into Oregon and up to the little town of Brookings. Brookings is in what they call The Banana Belt of the Oregon Coast. True to form, it was beautiful and sunny when we arrived. However, by the next morning, no bananas could save us, and the rain and fog moved in with a vengeance. By the time we'd driven up the 101 to our next stop in Newport, there was practically a tropical storm blowing in.

We arrived at The Silvia Beach Hotel in 40mph winds. This is the kind of wind you can lean into and it almost holds you up. Fortunately, the hotel made up for the less than lovely weather. At one point, the hotel was just a seedy rooming house set right on the beach. However, new owners decided to turn it into a literary-themed hotel, and the rest is history. Each room is carefully decorated "in the style of" a given author. We stayed in the Jane Austen room which is done all in tiny roses with white furniture and a huge squashy chair. The chair sits in front of the window with a view of the beach and the lighthouse, and it even has a beautiful little embroidered footstool. I think I could sit there for days.

Dinner was wonderful, served in the hotel at family-style tables, and we even enjoyed the getting-to-know-you game of two truths and one lie. Breakfast was also quite tasty and a great deal at $8. Other than the need for a new mattress in the Jane Austen room, I would enthusiastically recommend The Sylvia Beach Hotel for any bibliophile, or any person who just wants a very quiet vacation.

Leaving the stormy coast, we headed up to Portland via McMinnville, Dundee, and Tigard. We stopped at a few wineries (I'll let M tell about that) and enjoyed the pastoral scenery. By the time we got to Portland, it was time to check into our hotel. We've been going to the Fifth Avenue Suites for a few years now, but this time they'd changed name and decor to become Hotel Monaco. We still found it to be clean, very pleasant and a good value for the middle of down town. Checked in and squared away, we set out for a new chocolate place called Cacao. Oh the drinking chocolate! They sell tiny little demitasse cups which is the perfect amount because this stuff is rich and delicious beyond belief.

Finally, we visited Powell’s (the world's best bookstore!), had dinner at the hotel restaurant (that's a whole other story), tasted some wines at "our" favorite wine bar, and then had a lovely breakfast at Mother's. All in all, Portland was a great way to cap off our vacation. We were home by 4pm, and it was actually very nice to finally get here. One of the best things about vacation is the way it re-energizes your enthusiasm for your own house (at least it does that for me). Unfortunately, now that we're home it's official: Summer is now half way gone!

Back

HI HONEY! WE'RE HOME! (and it feels great to be here)

Wet Shakespeare

Yesterday, we finally got down to the business of seeing plays. In the afternoon we saw Tracey's Tiger, a new musical, and in the evening we saw The Taming of the Shrew. This was a bit like seeing a Bright Sheng premier vs. Beethoven's Third. That may not be fair to the musical, it really wasn't bad, and I even enjoyed several aspects. However, when you compare it to the incredible performance of "Taming," the difference is obvious.

We saw "Taming" in the Elizabethan theater which is the outdoor venue for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It was a classic production with period costumes and sets, and I could not have asked for a better show. I would not have changed any of it. I know some people don't care for this play because it is not exactly feminist, but I'm willing to look the other way given that it was written over five hundred years ago. It was witty, charming, and very funny with a brilliant actor doing the part of Petruccio. Every time he had a major scene, the audience would burst into applause at the end. It poured rain for the second half, but we were lucky enough to be under the covered part of the theater. Tonight, we have Romeo & Juliette, and our seats are NOT under cover. Wish us luck.

Advice for Seeing Plays at the Elizabethan Theater In Ashland

1. Get seats in the back six rows of the center section in order to be under cover

2. Wear warm, comfortable layers of clothing as the temperature varies widely

3. Bring a cushion if you tend to have a tender bottom

4. Be sure to get cocoa during intermission since you are allowed to take it back in with you and enjoy it during the show.

5. Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy! What a wonderful venue

OCF and Ashland

I think I can say without reservation that the Oregon Country Fair went very well for us this year. Business was good, everyone got along, and we were actually able to enjoy ourselves. When we arrived on Wednesday evening, it was all thunder, lightening, and rain. We had to rush to secure everything so we wouldn't have a soggy mess by morning. It rained on and off all night, but we were lucky that everything, including ourselves in the tent, stayed dry. After that, the weather co-operated beautifully. The great pleasure of the fair was having the nieces there again. They have not attended for the last five years, so their presence was a special treat. They had a wonderful time, and I absolutely loved watching them discover things that I also loved as a kid.

Fair over, we've now headed down to Ashland, Oregon, home of a wonderful Shakespeare company. The town has only about 20,000 residents, but more than 100,000 people visit every year to enjoy the plays. We are seeing two plays today and one tomorrow. Romeo and Juliette and Taming of the Shrew are both in the outdoor theater. We are staying in Ashland's Tudor House, a very nice B&B, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to others. This morning we had eggs Benedict and yogurt parfaits for our breakfast! Luckily we've been walking nearly everywhere, so hopefully we will not turn into spherical objects while on our vacation. More to come if I get another chance to use the computer.

HOT!

No, no, no, I'm not talking about M (although he is pretty cute if I do say so). Just after I arrived in Oregon, I saw a thermometer that read 102 F. This is unreal. The maritime NW is not meant to have these kinds of temperatures. We are two digit kinds of people. When I pulled off the freeway, the car died at the first light. I turned off the air-conditioning, and it started again without any trouble. I drove the last hour with the windows down. It was hot, but the valley smells like sweet new-cut hay in July.

When I arrived at the shop it was far too hot to consider going in a metal building and turning on the curing oven. Therefore, we visited for several hours, had dinner, and only started printing around 10pm. By then the heat was much less, and we printed all the "bike" shirts in only a couple hours. Today we are doing several trips out to the fair site to get everything and everyone delivered. Most of us will camp out there tonight, and tomorrow we will get everything set up. Fingers crossed that there's no rain (or forest fires) with all that thunder and lightening.

OCF Prep

Heading down to Oregon tomorrow morning with a car full of fair supplies. Hoping family will behave and "reunion" will be fun and rewarding. Vacation part after fair is bound to be good: Ashland (Shakespeare!), Oregon Caves, Redwoods, Oregon Coast, Portland. May or may not have the chance to post along the way. Happy summer everyone. We'll see you when we get back.

Kitty Again

The kitty continues to get a little better every day. I don't know if she will ever be completely back to normal, but at least she's looking more and more comfortable in her own skin. When she first came back from the vet, she would contort herself into all sorts of poses trying to find something that didn't hurt. She still wobbles and turns her head to one side when she sleeps, but at least she doesn't lay there, with her eyes open, looking pained.

Happy 4th of July

Today is a day when we celebrate something in America, but nobody seems exactly certain what. Perhaps is the festival of blowing stuff up? National Parade Day? Maybe the homage to eating too much BBQ? Perhaps it's where we celebrate getting all puffed up with an aggressive and macho form of national pride? All of those celebrations do seem to occur on this day, but, I hope it goes without saying, that they are missing the point.

Here's to all the good things about our country. All the friendly, kind, wonderful people, and the heroic and decent things that happen on a small scale every single day. Here's to our freedoms and our ideals. For those who can only see the bad in it (there is certainly plenty of that), I can only quote Max Ehrman:

"With all it's sham and drudgery, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."

Poor Kitty Update

The good news is that we have our kitty back after three nights at the vet. The bad news is that she is not quite the same as she once was. When the vet called this morning, they said that she was much better and that we could certainly come and take her home. We took this to mean roughly "kitty all better now." However, when she came out of the carrier after arriving home, she walked, if you'll forgive the comparison, like a drunken sailor.

If you've ever seen an animal with partial paralysis, you know that shuffling, uncertain gait that I'm talking about. Nevertheless, she was glad to be home. She shuffled into the litter box without incident, and M put the food and water dishes on the floor so she won't have to jump up to the usual spot. She does not look like a happy cat though. You can tell that it still hurts to move, and she does not have any of her usual sparkle. Mostly, she just finds soft places to hide, but she did come out long enough to get an ear rub and to prove that her purr box still works. All we can do now is wait and see if she improves.

Poor Kitty!

Our poor little kitty has been attacked by a mean and nasty dog! On Sunday, I heard our black cat come screaming through the open back door, and then I heard the scuffle still going on outside. When I went out, I saw the dog under a bush and I heard the cat yowling. After chasing the dog off, I could see that it was our tortie cat underneath. When I pulled her out, I could see marks on her neck, blood on her tongue, and that horrible rapid breathing that comes with shock. We rushed her off to the vet where she has stayed ever since.

They say she has no broken ribs or punctured lungs which is good. They also say that the various little wounds are beginning to heal which is also good. However, she can't seem to use one of her back legs properly. They think she probably has swelling on her spinal cord which is causing the weakness. It may or may not go away, so they've been keeping her and giving her steroids and antibiotics. Our black cat keeping wandering the house looking for her, and I can very much empathize with his distress.

Gardener's Pride

It's been such a wet June that you might not expect any garden at all. However, the plants in our backyard have been making a valiant attempt to do some growing. Our very first actual produce of the season was the lovely, rosy radish at in the picture. It was crispy and peppery and delicious; the perfect example of radishy-ness.






The second great achievement was the single red strawberry we have so far managed to produce. We are working in a single strawberry pot (you know, the ones with the sort of balconies on the sides?) so we were never going to grow bushels of them. We were just happy to get something that actually TASTES like a strawberry. I swear, they lose their flavor just a few hours after picking!





Last, but certainly not least, we actually have a pea crop. Not one or two little pods, but actual piles of peas. They were VERY slow starting out, but in the last few days they've been popping out all over. These are the pod'n'all variety, so you can literally go into the backyard and eat them off the vines. They so sweet and crispy that I haven't had the guts to cook any of them yet.

I know, I know, not exactly a replacement for the veggie section at the grocery store. Still, the satisfaction is at least as good as the actual produce. Next up, we are working on a tender and tasty-looking lettuce crop!

Birthday #29

Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! I'm 29, and I absolutely can't believe it. I'm starting to understand why older people go so wiggy about birthdays. It really does seem like I just turned 21 about five minutes ago. Oh well, there's not a damn thing we can do about it, so there's not point in getting all worked up. Just like the day I was born, it was rainy here today. We couldn't do a picnic dinner, so we just did a sort of picnic inside. My mom was here, my little brother is here, and of course M is always here. He stopped on the way home to buy me olives and dolmades and other tasties that he knows I like. He really is terribly sweet. I also got the Beatles album, Rubber Soul, two Wallace & Grommit DVD's, and several interesting looking books. I should not whine so much because I really am one lucky girl.

Lacking in Focus

Brain not focused. No creativity or drive to do much of anything. No opinion on politics or current events or other important things. Can't even concentrate on news stories or novel plots. Can hardly concentrate on what to have for lunch. All previous mental acuity waning as brain slowly turns to mush. Desire to take naps in the sunshine becoming overwhelming. Terrible suspicion that I may be turning into a cat.

At Last!

They may have taken our sanity, but now we have our freeeeeeeeeedoooooooooomm!

Field Day 2007

We won! We won! We won! Not only is my homeroom filled with brilliant honors kids, it is also filled with super athletes! Yesterday was our field day where we spend time outside enjoying many different games. The sun was shining, the kids were in a great mood, and everyone was ready to have a good time.

First we had the water relay where ten kids line up behind a jar filled with water. The kid at the front of the line uses a plastic teaspoon to scoop up water, run across the track, and dump the water in a beaker, and then he races back and gives the spoon to the next kid. We go on like this for three minutes with me yelling and screaming encouragement. WE had 49 CC's of water at the final tally, and the next closest class had only 38. It turns out that slow and very steady really does win that race. We earned four points for first place.

Next, we won the dodge ball tournament by several hard whacks of the ball. We added four more points to our total for first place. Unfortunately, we were not quite so lucky in the Over-Under Relay, but really it was not a big deal since we were doing so well in the tallies. At the end of the third even, we had eight points and the next three contenders each had five points. All we needed to guarantee a tie was one point in the final game.

Tug'0'War is not a competition you would usually think brainy kids could win, but actually there is strategy here as well. One of the boys on our team worked out the two rules to follow: First, keep your feet and hands moving all the time, and second, sync up those movements. It was amazingly successful. Our team pulled one opponent after another off their feet. I was screaming encouragement, and we ended up taking second place. The final scores were my class, eleven points, next highest team nine points. The crowd went wild. I told them they were my superlative class.

Counting It Up

Here's part of the to-do list for this week in numerical terms:

About a million--- The number of staples and pushpins to be removed from walls and boards

900--- The number of celebratory packaged cookies needing to be delivered to classrooms, by me, tomorrow during 4th period.

305--- The number of comment codes to be applied to student grade reports

240--- The number of textbooks to be inventoried and stored

105--- The number of grades to be reported

At least 100--- The number of times today I've told various kids to knock it off, pick it up, leave that alone, or stop touching him/her

72--- The number of computer parts needing to be bound, bagged, and stored in bins

65--- The number of goodbye cards I need to write to students

15--- The number of bookcases and shelves that must be fronted with butcher paper and taped shut to avoid getting industrial carpet cleaning soap on the books.

7--- The number of signatures I need on my check-out card before I can leave

31--- The number of teachers who need my signature (dept. chair) for summer check-out

2--- The number who have done this already

2--- The number of kids from my class who have already been excused (by the vice) from end of year festivities due to bad behavior

11--- The number of kid hours left in the school year

Blocking and Printing

Today has been all about the printing. I'm here in my dad's shop in Oregon, and we have been working hard all day. First I blocked and pin-holed screens, then we registered the screens on the press, and finally we played around with different ink colors. I mixed my very own not-quite-white, and it looks quite lovely if I do say so myself.

I am happy to discover that working in a print shop is very much like riding a bicycle in that you never forget how it's done. Of course, that is only true for your brain; your muscles tend to forget completely. When you go to print a t-shirt on a manual press, your fingers, arms, shoulders, and stomach muscles are all involved. These are all the places that hurt so far. Later I think my back and feet will get in on the act. Still, it's a tired soreness, not injury, so I can't really complain. I think I will skip all upper body weights at the gym this week.

Of the three designs we did this year for the fair, only the dragon has actually been printed so far. We did it as a four color with two greens, that custom off-white, and a metallic gold over print. I really am happy with the way it's turned out, and I think we might actually do well at the fair this year. I'm still waiting to see how the koi and the bicycle designs will look. I'm hoping to finish a total of eighteen dozen or there abouts.

Tomorrow, it's back to Seattle (providing I can move enough to drive). This week is the last full week of school, and then we have Monday of the following week. In only six more days, I'll be a free agent! A free agent with big muscles that is!

Country Fair Prep 2007

It's time once again to prepare for the Oregon Country Fair (for those who are not familiar, you can read the Country Fair back-story here). This whole process is always interesting, and this year is no exception. The first part is filling out the forms in April. My mom very kindly did this part, and then the rest of us just had to pony up for the fees. The next part was doing the art for new T-shirt designs, and ordering the shirts on which these designs will be printed.

New art is a question we try to consider well before the actual fair, but often it sort of gets left until just a few weeks before the actual event. This year, however, my mom and I were determined not to leave things last minute. We found several acceptable ideas, and then we pared it down to three: a dragon, three goldfish, and a bike. I know, I know, it sounds like a mish-mash, but I have high hopes for each of them turning out well. Using the old-fashioned method of knife and amberlithe, my mom cut color separations for each design. While she was working on that, I started to collect the information to put together a t-shirt order.

Going one item at a time, I used an online catalog and price list. Now this is an interesting challenge because the catalog and the pricelist are separate. The logic for this is that you, the printer, can send a customer to look at the items in the catalog without letting them know what the real wholesale price. They also say that it has to be separate because prices change a lot. These are both ridiculous arguments since this is a COMPUTER program with a user login. Updating the pricelist should take no less time just update the price IN the catalog. Anyway, I digress. After many hours of flipping back and forth, I managed to put together an order of about 200 pieces. I was all set. Now comes the farce.

I called the company to place the order. They told me I was not an authorized buyer on this account (I was using my dad's account with his permission) and hung up. I called my dad since he had not mentioned the need to be a designated buyer. He was not home, so I left him a message and headed out to do some errands. He called me back at 4:57pm. I happened to be sitting in my parked car waiting for my cel phone to charge. He said I should just pretend to be a buyer, and they wouldn't know the difference. I asked for their number as I booted my laptop. I couldn't find a pen, so I had to open the trunk and grab one from there. By the time I found one it was 4:58. I wrote down the number and opened my order on my laptop. I called the company and was very happy to get through. They transferred me to ordering, my call would be monitored..., it rang, and... I got cut off. When I called back, they were closed. Argh! For want of a pen!

My dad finally got the place the order the next day. Now I'm off to Fedex the art to the print shop so my dad can make the screens. I'm going to Oregon this weekend to actually print as many of these shirts as I can. Anything left over will have to be done in the few days before the fair. Just like old times.

Real Politics

Okay, here's your chuckle for the day.

The question (on a social studies test about state government):

7. Citizens have the right to participate in the process of making laws through
the __________ and referendum process.

The correct answer was, of course, initiative.

One girl wrote "lobbyist" in the blank. She has no idea how right she is. I gave her credit for the answer.

Root-less (I hope)

Writing about the squash yesterday made me realize that I never followed up on the "ROOTS" post I did a few weeks ago. I know my regular readers have just been on the edges of their seats waiting to found out what happened! I'm sorry, I know the gardening posts may be a bit boring for most, but I know I have a few readers who can relate. I remember, several years ago, standing over a garden box and exclaiming over the tiny green shoots. The visitor did not understand my enthusiasm, and he said "isn't that what you expected them to do?" Well, yes, but it's still a thrilling process to watch if you ask me. Therefore...

We dug all the soil out of the box and put it on a tarp. Then we clipped all the tree roots we could find (don't worry, this isn't supposed to hurt the tree since it's already very well established). Next, we lined the box with many layers of newspaper. According to several online sources, newspaper is good because it prevents the tree from "smelling" the good soil and sending up roots. Paper is entirely biodegradable, and most papers use a soy-based ink. Of course, this solution will only last one or two seasons at best. However, I'm willing to give it a try. We put all the soil back in the box and even added some rotted steer manure.

Now the garden is beginning to look like a garden instead of a sandbox. We have three tomato plants at one end (Brandy-Wine, Early Girl, and a new one supposedly bred for Mongolia), radish sprouts, red onions, and the first little nubs of salad lettuce. In the side yard are pumpkins, the famous gem squash, peas, eggplant, zucchini, crook-necked squash, and all the herbs. I still have to plant the corn which are going in the side bed along the street. We shall see if the HOA harpies have anything to say about that. I will bat my eyes and say "My yard IS maintained just like it says in the rules. I just happen to enjoy planting crops in with the shrubbery!" Wish me luck.

Illegal Squash

Last summer M's mother came to visit, and in doing so, she committed an agricultural crime. Tucked into her luggage was a single packet of squash seeds. Gem squash are not, to my knowledge, something that normally grows in the U.S., so this was a big deal to import them from South Africa. M loves Gem squash, so this spring, when the weather turned, I tipped six seeds into mounds in our garden. I wasn't sure it would even work since the seeds are now a year old, but I thought it was worth a try.

I joke with M that seeds from Africa have to be very tough indeed, and these little ones were no exception. All of the seeds sprouted after only three days, and now they are growing at an alarming rate. I think I may have to separate the little plants because they are so vigorous. With a little luck and a whole lot of sunshine and water, we will hopefully have gem squash to eat by the middle of summer. Of course, I'm not a huge fan of squash as a food, but who wouldn't appreciate the challenge of growing illicit veggies? Besides, I can always feed them to M.

When "Science" is Frightening

Peer-reviewed study after peer-reviewed study has found no link between vaccines and autism. However, talk to ten yuppie or hippie parents, and, chances are, you will find one or two doubters who may even go so far as to deny these vaccines to their young children. It's hard to believe that there are actually people out there who expose their children to the risk of serious disease simply because they've "heard something" about vaccines being the cause of autism.

As it turns out, much of the misinformation out there comes from a single source. One father/son team has done more to cast doubt on the safety of vaccines than, perhaps, anyone else. Slate's Medical Examiner has a chilling article about the "work" of these two men in "getting the word out" about the "dangers" of Thimerosal, an ingredient in some older vaccines. Even more disturbing than the misinformation campaign is the "treatment" these two ghouls have dreamed up.

As anyone working in a school will tell you, Autism is a very real, yet mysterious problem. Little is known about its real causes, and this lack of knowledge can lead to all sorts of wild speculation. However, people with Autism spectrum disorders have a hard enough time coping with life without some yahoos coming along to muddy the scientific waters and provide false hope in the form of fake treatments.

Hattie Big Sky

Mostly I don't bother doing book reviews unless it's a good book, and I want to recommend it to others. On this book, however, I can't be completely enthusiastic. To set the context, this is a YA novel about life on a Montana homestead during the First World War. The author decided to write this book after discovering that her grandmother actually held a homestead claim in Montana during this era.

Hattie Brooks was, therefore, a real person, and some of the events in the story are taken from actual events that took place at the time. The portrayal of frontier life is very well done, and you really do get a sense of just how hard it was for people to "Prove Up" (In order to keep your property, you had to build certain things on the land and lay a certain amount of fence. You also had to earn enough to afford the fees) their land claims. I was especially fascinated by the story because my own great-grandmother was almost exactly the same age as the main character, and she probably lived much the same life.

The incredibly frustrating part about the book comes with the author’s decision to veer away from the real facts. That is, she decides not to end the story as it really ended for her grandmother. Why, you might ask, if she's gone to all the trouble to be realistic, would she then slip over into complete fiction? Because, she says, she wanted to be authentic! She claims that her grandmother's story was unusually successful for the times, so she had to "correct" for that to remain realistic. Does this make any sense to you at all? Personally, I want to shake her! A completely non-fiction story about a person who perseveres against all odds is a very good story indeed! In short, this is a great read if you just imagine the ending as it really happened.

Teacher Advice on Surviving School Conferences

Disclaimer: I am decidedly a teacher and not a parent. There are many people who are qualified to give advice from the parent perspective. I have not kept count, but I would imagine that I've attended hundreds of parent/teacher conferences. This entry is sort of a teacher's wish list for parent behavior.

10.Do not wear pancake make-up--- Even if that is your usual style. You will look out of place, and if the conference becomes emotional, you may become smeary.

9. Do not wear a three piece suit--- Some people seem to think this is a job interview for the role of parent. This is not the case. Same goes for furs, extreme jewelry, and feathers (yes, feathers! Remember all this advice comes from real experience!) in most schools you will find people dressed in business casual attire (slacks and blouses for women). Go for something comfortable.

8. Try not to let your own school experience color your opinions--- Remember, that was, what, twenty? thirty years ago? Besides, chances are that this is a completely different school with different teachers in a different community. Also, your kid is not you, and may have a different view of school.

7. Try to maintain a positive attitude--- It is not the end of the world if I am calling you in to tell you that your kid has problems. An extreme propensity for fart jokes in 6th grade does not mean he won't go to Harvard one day. Most likely, with a little hard work, this too shall pass.

6. Do not threaten to tell my boss--- Or rather, go right ahead, but understand that my boss is also a teacher and is likely to support me. If you would like the principal to sit in on the meeting, that is fine with me, but do not accuse us of "ganging up on you" later.

5. Do not call me names--- Seriously! I can't believe I'm including this one, but it happens to teachers ALL the time (I'm a heartless b***c for example). Thinly veiled name-calling is also not a wise choice.

4. Do not tell me about your high-powered job--- The fact that you are a lawyer/doctor/fighter pilot has NO bearing on this meeting. (a friend of mine actually got threatened with "investigation" by a government employee) You will not succeed in intimidating me, but you will convince me that you are an ass.

3. Reserve judgment--- It is very hard for parents, especially parents who are going through things for the first time, to believe that their child could lie. However, it happens to almost every parent sooner or later. Again, this is not the end of the world, but it is also not my fault. Remember, this is not about me and it's not about you. This is about your child.

2. Reserve Judgment--- Kids will talk, and kids will also color their stories to make them more interesting, or to cast themselves in a better light. I won't believe everything I hear about you if you won't believe everything you hear about me.

1. Resist the urge to rush in and rescue--- You love your kid. You want the best for your kid. When your kid is in trouble, you have the overwhelming urge to rush in and make it better. Sometimes, though, for the sake of your kid, you must resist this urge. Personal responsibility is the single most important thing a kid can learn, and practice is the best way to get there. Let them learn from failure when the stakes are small. Do not come in and try to tell me why you need to be a helicopter parent. Your kid will thank you later.

The Historian

I've been meaning to do this post for ages! Many of my regular readers have already heard me go on in person about this book, but it really is so good that it deserves a special web mention. First of all, don't be confused into thinking that this is great literature. It doesn't quite rise to that mark. Nevertheless, it is one of the most compelling and entertaining books I've had the pleasure of reading in quite a while.

Told from several different viewpoints using mostly letters and recollections, it tells the story of a family searching for answers to its past. Many lines of connection are spun between disparate people with a single common factor, an interest in the historical figure Vlad Tsepesh, also known as Dracula. I do not want to give away any of the delicious details of the story, but I can say that it does an amazing job of evoking the places and times in which the various chapters unfold. I'm left very much wanting to visit all sorts of unusual locations across Europe just because they seem so real from the telling in the book.

Of course there are always naysayers for any novel. Some complain that the characters are thin, others that there are too many "coincidences" for believability, but I really do think these people are picking. There are some areas that could use fleshing out, it's true, but given the heft of this book as it is, I can see why the author (or perhaps the editor) chose to leave some things unexplained. On the whole, this is a very well-written story with all sorts of interesting angles to consider. Remember when you were a kid and you had a really good book that you just didn't want to put down? Your mom would have to call you three times to come to dinner, and you might even hide under the covers with a flashlight just so you could finish? This is one of those books for grown-ups.

What is the Opposite of a Canadian?

Last week we were doing an activity about the Civil Right Act of 1964. The kids studied the provisions of the act, and then they were supposed to imagine a fictional family of people who would have been impacted by the changes. I encouraged them to create a diverse family so that many different protected categories (race, religion, sex, etc.) could be represented. They had a great time inventing VERY diverse families. Soon there was a competition on to see who could come up with the most diverse family (okay, so they sometimes miss the point of certain assignments).

One girl had a Norwegian man married to a Jamaican woman with three adopted daughters from China, Russia, and India. Another played with extended family, while a third introduced the idea of steps. At one point I hear, from across the room, a girl yell "What is the opposite of a Canadian!?" That certainly stuck in my head as a very good question indeed. Tomorrow they have to turn their fictional families into narrative comparisons of life before and after 1964. We shall see how this goes.

So what is the opposite of a Canadian?

ROOTS!

Last week, I went out, in the beautiful sun, to clear away the weeds and dig my garden box. Usually this is a half hours easy work, and then I can begin to plant my spring garden. However, my experience comes from gardening in an open area. It seems that when you garden anywhere near trees, things are quite a bit different. When I dug my fork into the box I found roots. Not just a few old roots from last year's plants, but lots and lots of roots. It was as if the soil had suddenly developed a venous system.

It seems that trees, and especially cedar trees like ours, can sort of "smell" tasty soil and moisture (or so I am told by Organic Gardening Online). This means that when they find good soil they send lots of extra roots to reap the bounty. Especially rich portions of the box were literally solid with roots. I was really wondering last year why one end of the box did pretty well, while the other struggled to produce. Now I can see that the end nearest the trees is the weakest.

I started digging out the soil (and a billion little roots) last week, and then M helped me to finish over the weekend. I'd asked all sorts of people how to combat the roots, and I did all kinds of online research. The general consensus is that you can never beat them completely (unless you cut down the trees or get a concrete garden box) but you can fight them. Black plastic was suggested as well as weed barrier cloth and even fiberglass or sheet metal panels. However, the winning entry was just simple newspaper. It got the most votes from the experts, and it had the advantage of allowing drainage and promoting worm growth. Most people seemed to believe it was as effective as the other options in the long run. Did you know that the ink is made from soy, so it doesn't pose a health risk?

Ultimately, we'll have to dig up the box every few years if we want to keep gardening in that spot. The trees, it seems, will just keep working to get in to all that nice soil. This is a good workout, but it is, by no means, a huge task. However, I have high hopes that we can hold them off enough to get a few nice veggies to grow. By the way, we checked with the experts, and no trees were really harmed in the digging of this box.

Time For Tubby Bye Bye!

Millions of mommies, daddies, aunties, grandmas, and nannies are very familiar with the imported British kids show, Tellytubbies. I got a hefty dose when my nieces were small, they and loved, loved, loved, the show. I must admit, I was not thrilled by the idea of a TV program designed to hook toddlers, but after seeing several episodes, I had to admit that it's pretty cute. The quirky sweetness of the tubbies and their little, imaginary world was enough to win kids and even a lot of adults. In short, as TV goes, this one is not so bad.

Which is why so many people were so surprised to hear a stinging condemnation of the show delivered by none other than Jerry Falwell. Who knew he even watched a show intended for little kids? Apparently, he did because his complaint was very specific to the show. Falwell was convinced that Tinkie Winkie, the eldest tellytubby, the purple one, was gay. This came as a surprise to many of us who were not used to thinking of the blobby creatures as having any kind of sexuality, but Falwell was not accepting any excuses.

This is a long and rambling lead up to a single link punch line. Salon has done a wonderful article about what Tinkie Winkie thinks of Falwell's passing. I highly recommend it, even if you don't have more than a passing familiarity with the show.

Ding Dong Falwell is Dead!

Jerry Falwell, one nasty piece of work, is finally gone. This is a man who spent more than forty years spreading hatred and dissent in the guise of “Christian Love.” I can't say I'm overly depressed about his passing. Here are a few of the reasons we're glad he's gone:

"AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals"

"The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country”

"If you're not a born-again Christian, you're a failure as a human being”

"It appears that America's anti-Biblical feminist movement is at last dying, thank God, and is possibly being replaced by a Christ-centered men's movement which may become the foundation for a desperately needed national spiritual awakening”

Bumper Stickers

One of the unfortunate parts about my new car is the color. I said to M just before we set out to buy it, "I don't mind which color as long as it's not silver." Of course this meant that I jinxed myself, and the car is, in fact, silver. Don't get me wrong, I think silver is a perfectly nice car color. However, it is also the most popular car color right now. This means that I can sometimes go out to parking lot and find a row of eight or ten silver cars. Picking your car from everyone else’s takes more concentration.

My first thought to make my car more unique was to paint a wide green stripe starting at the nose, going over the hood and roof, and ending at the bumper. If it weren't for the issue of resale value, I would do it, but it's just not practical. Therefore, I'm left with the more subtle (and more boring) option: bumper stickers.

I have never been a huge fan of bumper stickers since I usually prefer to pick my battles with people. I am especially annoyed by the cars that are plastered with dozens of different stickers advocating a pile of different causes. However, I think one or two carefully chosen and carefully placed stickers might be okay. Therefore, I went on a sticker hunt to see what I could find.

One of the biggest problems is parking at school. As I've mentioned before, there are some very conservative people at school, and everyone knows which car I drive. Thus, some of my favorites become problematic due to extremely liberal or extremely anti-religious sentiments. Now I know many people are thinking that I should grow a backbone, but those people have clearly never worked in this kind of setting. For example, it would become very difficult to work with some people if I put a Darwin fish on my car. Here are a few of the good ones I did NOT choose:

"Speak your truth even if your voice shakes" (ha, ha, that is just what I'm NOT doing)

"Born okay the first time" (love this one, but can't)

"Proud of my country, appalled by my government."

"I miss Pluto" (now that's just a cute idea)

"Where are we going and why are we in a hand basket?"

"Republicans for Voldemort!"

"One nation INDIVISIBLE" (this one is set on a red, white, and blue background. Most people wouldn’t even get the joke, but if you say the pledge of allegiance every day, you understand. This is the controversial one that tempted me most.)

"Dare to keep the CIA off drugs"

"Focus on your own darn family"

I'm currently trying to decide if I can get away with a Flying Spaghetti Monster as long as it's just the outline and the initials. These people tend to be none to current on internet geek humor. My other, cowards, choice is just a sticker from my university. None too controversial unless March Madness or The Rose Bowl are on.

Trillium

One of our favorite local hikes is the trails on and around Tiger Mountain. A few weeks ago we went for a short walk around the area with an out-of-town guest. We go some great pics of spring in the forest. Finding a perfect example of a trillium was a special treat.

In Spring We Lose Our Minds

The sun has come out in beautiful force this week. It's nice to wake up with it streaming through the windows, the sunrises and sets are lovely, and I really enjoy a good walk when it's like this. However, the sun also has (pardon me for this) a dark side. All the brains in all the kids' heads quietly leak out their ears.

They run in the halls, they scream at one another, they have major girl dramas (not my term, but very apt) in the bathrooms. They also take even less responsibility than usual for themselves and their learning. Now, I enjoy seeing kids be happy and excited about spring, but I do not enjoy the excuses for laziness and lack of responsibility.

Yesterday I warned three different kids that they were in danger of failing due to missing work. All three looked very solemn, and then tried quite hard to convince me that they had actually turned in said work. Perhaps if this had been the first time missing something I might have given them some leeway, but these three are, shall we say, frequent flyers. Usually, when I remind them of something missing, they just stare at the floor. This time, however, they were feeling feisty. "No Miss L, I'm sure I turned that in." Another one tried a different tack, "Jordan SAW me turn it in so I know I did it." Given that Jordan is another frequent flyer, I didn't give this argument much weight either.

Two of the three eventually found the missing work (what do you know!) in the trashcans they call lockers. The third one did not. I took several minutes to find copies of the missing work and explain things to him. He took the packet, looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said "Are you sure YOU didn't lose it Miss L?" Must...Not...Scream...At...Children! Only seven weeks left! Only seven weeks left!

Great Quotes From Big Niece

Part One: TV

BN: Hey Auntie, have you ever seen that one cartoon with the rabbit?

Me: Which one?

BN: You know, that rabbit that walks on its hind legs and has that hunter guy chasing him? And then he gets on the guy's head and wiggles his toes.

Me: You mean Bugs Bunny?

BN: Yeah, that one. Have you ever seen that one?
Me: Um Yeah. I've seen that one once or twice.
BN: That's a good show.
Me: Yes, that's a good one.
BN: Hey Auntie
Me: Yes
BN: Have you ever seen that one show with the bird that runs around and gets chased by that dog?
Me: (Making the Roadrunner noise)
BN: Yeah! That one! That's a good one too!
Me: Yep, that one's good too.

Part 2: Cars

BN (sitting in the back of my new car): Hey Auntie, what's this?
Me: What?
BN: This thing right here
Me: What thing?
BN: This rolly handle thing
Me: That rolls down the window
BN: REALLY?!
Me: Yes. We don't have power windows in this car. All cars used to be like this.
BN: You can't lock out my window?!
Me: No
BN: Ha! Ha! (Rolls window up and down about 100 times)

Part 3: Physics Knowledge

Me: I'm not sure you should play on the tire swing since you just ate dinner.
BN: I LOVE the tire swing.
Me: You might feel sick and throw up if you spin around too much.
BN: I never feel sick.
Me: Okay, but it's your problem if you get sick.
BN: (Climbing on the tire swing) I never get sick. Spin me REALLY fast.
Me: Okay, if you really want me to... (Much spinning and shrieking follows)
BN: Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Me: (Stopping the tire swing) how are you feeling?
BN: (With a crazy gleam in her eye) my head is EXPLODING!
Me: What do you mean?
BN: My head is exploding with Physics Knowledge!
Me: Where did you hear that?
BN: (Cackles) Physics knowledge!
Me: What is that from?
BN: (Refuses to respond at any time about where she got this idea)

During Times of War...

We are currently studying Washington State history. Our topic this week was Washington during World War I. We studied the war effort, isolationists, and the response of the government war opposition. The question on the final quiz was as follows:

9. The Government passed the ____________________ Act, making it illegal for people to speak out against the war.

The correct answer was "Sedition." However, this is a word with which many students are not familiar. About half got it right, the other half gave such answers as suction, edition, sunction (?!), sedation, and my personal favorite, seduction! I suppose it is a Friday.

National Prevent Teen Pregnancy Day

What an incredibly silly idea! Or rather, what an incredibly silly way to title this idea. Awareness about the problem of teen pregnancy is one thing. Having one special day of prevention just gives me images of volunteers chasing around after teenage couples. Any sign of kissing and the Prevention Brigade will pounce! But only for that one day of course.

How about preventing teen pregnancy by giving kids real information about sexuality, health, and relationships (this only happens in some high schools, most are gagged by the federal abstinence rules)? What about having honest conversations with them about maturity and responsibility? What about making contraceptives, a wide variety of contraceptives, available to both boys and girls. The abstinence only programs are a complete joke (as that recent study showed). Teens WILL have sex (some anyway), Teens have always had sex. We have to deal with this issue realistically. We have one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the developed world, and it is due largely to the fact that we allow religious conservatives to set policy for everyone. I would like to propose National Get Religion out of Classrooms Day.

"Corruption of Blood" and Other Fun Legal Terms

Recently my class studied the constitution of Washington State. We were reading the "rights" amendments and translating them into "everyday" language. The kids were really getting into the activity, and we were humming along nicely for the first few sections. However, as we went on, some of the terminology became an issue. What is Habeas Corpus anyway? What are "emoluments"? What do they mean "by due process of the law" (hopefully we all know that one already) Section 8 was quite confusing:

SECTION 8 IRREVOCABLE PRIVILEGE, FRANCHISE OR IMMUNITY PROHIBITED. No law granting irrevocably any privilege, franchise or immunity, shall be passed by the legislature.

Then came the part that really threw them for a loop:

SECTION 15 CONVICTIONS, EFFECT OF. No conviction shall work corruption of blood, nor forfeiture of estate.

Wow! Who knew that the Washington State Constitution was so full of blood and gore! I think many of them were imagining demon blood or some sort of horrible infection. They were kind of disappointed when I told them what it really means. This lesson was so full of teachable moments that I couldn't possibly address them all. I love the fact that kids really do get excited, I mean really excited, about civics when you point out the impact it has on them. The blood and gore don't hurt either.