Cuddling with Blaine

Blaine doesn't cuddle often, but once he was in his jammies, he was ready to cuddle with me.

I found out that cuddling with him can be quite violent--he nearly ripped a hunk of hair out.

Finally, he calmed down and I got a kiss from my nephew.

Oahu's North Shore

Rainy Day

Here's what I did yesterday while it was raining on Oahu: took pictures of rainbows, and loved on my nephew. We also went to the North Shore to see the surf, and I'll post pictures later as the internet connection is freaking out. Tomorrow I go home...sad!

Christmas on Oahu

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hawaii is...well, awesome. It's not unusual for me to be away from home on Christmas day, but today was an unorthodox Christmas day for even me.

While most spent Christmas morning opening gifts near the Christmas tree, I spent mine waiting for antibiotics in a Long's drug store, after failing to will away whatever's been making me sick. Then, a few hours on the beach and in the ocean, followed by dinner at Planet Hollywood and then a funnel cake. Top it off with watching some Mythbusters in a hotel room, and that's Christmas.

I even got a gift--the hotel gave me the ornament in the picture. Whoo-hoo!

Aloha from Hawaii!

Baby on the Beach

This trip to Hawaii will be the first time I'll get to hang out with my nephew Blaine on the beach. Every time I think about him hanging out at the beach, I'm reminded of something Anne Lamott wrote. She was writing something about being on the beach near San Quentin, and her description of two babies in the sand was outstanding--she said they were lurching around like 20-pound drug addicts, rolling in the sand until they looked like little breaded veal cutlets.

The description is perfect for Blaine. I've been calling him my little crack baby ever since he was born since he's constantly shaking and waving his hands around like he needs a fix.

The other fun thing about the trip is that Blaine will be wearing this. Hilarious. Back to laundry and packing.

Yesterday I felt horrible with the flu. I didn't want to miss the ballet though, so I still went to the Nutcracker and today I feel all better. It's a Christmas miracle!

Festivities

I was home this weekend for the first Christmas with the babies. It was crazy. Having 2 new babies in a family is sort of like having students in my classroom with ADD. No one can pay attention to any 1 thing for any length of time. And the toys...I have made it my mission as an aunt to buy the noisest toys possible, along with any types of embarassing outfits.

This Christmas however, I knitted for the babies. I forgot to take pictures when I was finished, but there were blankets for both babies. I also got to hang out with Dave which was a lot of fun, especially registering at Target. Oh, and Inca! I hadn't eaten at Inca for a very long time, and it was well overdue.

Now I'm back in CA, getting ready to go to Hawaii. Actually, today I'm still trying to get over the flu I got this week on my way back from IA. Then this weekend it's off to the islands. It seems like everyone is going there this Christmas, maybe I'll see some of ya'll.

Now it's off to the fabulous library to stock up on books. And just maybe I'll finish Anna Karenina.

No snow???

First, a seventh grade moment of brilliance. Some boys decided it would be a good idea to steal matches from the school office, burn another student's sweatshirt, and then lie about it to the principal in front of the 43 other seventh-graders, of whom probably 90% actually saw it happen. Boys and their fires...

So I'm home, navigating the family holiday maze, and I'm thoroughly disappointed that there is no snow. There is a weak promise of snow today, but I'm not counting on it. I'll blame global warming, and the poor judgement of 7th graders.

Civic Duty Complete!

So only about an hour after my post about civic duty, I was called in to jury duty. I was excited about it in the same way I get excited about voting--such an interesting process. It was a lot of waiting, during which I met a dental hygienist student who said she tried to get off jury duty by saying she doesn't believe in judging people. weak.

She didn't get to go. So after the waiting we went into the court room and the judge was great. She took the time to explain things, even the history, and according to her, privelege of doing jury duty. She said that up until the late 70s women weren't guaranteed the right to serve on a jury.

Somehow my number was called in the first group to be questioned. I got dismissed ono a hardship, since I have a trip planned starting this weekend. Though I was happy not to have to miss the trip, I was a little disappointed to leave the process so early. I think the strangest thing about it though was that when asked about a hardship I had to explain myself in a microphone, to the judge, in front of 60 strangers.

My Civic Duty

This is the first time in my 9 years of being a legally-registered voter that I have been assigned jury duty. I'm more than happy to do my civic duty, but I have to say that being a teacher on jury duty sucks. Each night I can check directions for the next day, but not until after 5pm. That means that before I leave school I have to have a plan in place in case I won't be there the next day--extra "emergency" plans in case the sub. can't actually teach English, etc. Probably an extra 1/2-1 hour of work each day. Then, when I check the website, I may have to call back between 11am-12 the next day, during the school day. If I get called in, I may have to quick whip up some plans for a sub for that same afternoon. Oh, and I have to call the poor woman who arranges subs every night to let her know my status. Friday we're going on a field trip and I have to arrange extra drivers in case I'm stuck in a court room instead of ice-skating. What a lot of work!

Thanksgiving

Most of you posted about your Thanksgivings a while ago now. It took me a while to process mine. I had many, many things to be thankful for. My eagle nephew wore an outfit with a bowtie for a picture, and his cheeks are so big they hung down and covered the bowtie. I also got to pick out a Christmas tree with Ang and her little cousins (or were they nieces and nephews?) and unborn baby KV. The little people in her family all wanted to take home part of the stump of the Christmas tree, which was cute.

I also had friends and family to be thankful for. Without getting into too much grotesque (and that word SO applies to my family) detail, there was much strife. I was thankful to fly back home and leave it all after the few days I was there.

Usually, I like airports because they're an emotional no man's land. While I'm there I don't feel attached to either where I'm going or where I came from, or anyone in the airport for that matter. It's nice. Until this trip. If you're familiar with the Minneapolis airport, there are what seem like miles-long stretches of moving walkways, particularly between concourses A and C. I was walking down one, enjoying anonymity, trying to figure out what had gone on while I was home when my senses were assaulted by figures in green velvet. I have never seen it before, and never since, but it was a group of Christmas carolers, riding the moving walkway in the opposite direction. There was no where to go, and nothing to do but look at them, with their smiling, singing faces as they rode by. They made me angry.

So, the good and bad, I guess that's Thanksgiving. Or maybe just the facts of life...the facts of life. you take the good, you take the bad, you take them all and there you have the facts of life, the facts of life.

Tongue in Cheek

Congratulations to Dave, who after a devestating apartment fire in which he lost everything, has just announced his engagement to Zooey Deschanel, and subsequent Target registry.

But seriously, check out the registry. And Zooey Deschanel. She's hot.

The Right Image?

The speaker at our teacher's convention the past few days was quite compelling. He did use one metaphor I can't quite get out of my head. He said that we as teachers should reflect Christ so that when "students rub up against us they smell Jesus." Eeeewwwww.

Speaking of children, I get to babysit the nearly-named-after-an-eagle nephew next week when I'm home. whoo-hooo!

Worth the chance?

It's teaching days like today when having kids seems a lot like playing Russian roulette. There are the kids about whom I think "That is the sweetest, kindest child I've ever seen." Then there are the ones who I swear I will never, ever, in a million years, name any child after. How do people get pregnant when you have no idea what you're going to get?

Back Off!

I love shopping. I admit it, fully and openly. What I do not love is the zealots that run the mall kiosks. I've tried being nice, but it gets me nowhere. They don't take no for an answer, though I've told them endless times I'm not interested in pink straightening irons, bulghur-filled neck pillows, or (gasp!) moving printed beach scenes in a lamp/picture/keychain.

So last night I'm in the mall, trying to finish Christmas shopping so I don't have to go anywhere near the slow-walking crowds who will soon descend. I'm walking past a kiosk. Now, when I walk past kiosk, I make some deliberate "Don't talk to me!" moves and use as much body language as possible. First, I look at the person in the eyes, look down, and purposefully break eye contact. Next I visibly veer off my path toward the edge of the mall, away from the shady gift-monger. Appearantly this is not enough.

Despite my dodging the guy last night verbally accosted me: "Ma'am, can I ask you a small question?" Instead of self-proclaimed witty banter of how many letters are included in a small question, I said forcefully "No." Still, he did not relent. And this almost made me laugh out loud. He said "Ohhh" like he was sad. "It's a really good one."

Now, what might be a really good question from a man standing in front of a kiosk selling pink and white zebra-printed straightening irons? I guess I'll never know. I kept walking.

Cats + Stuff

Cats with Stuff on Them is capital "H" Hilarious! Thanks Panda!

Those Good Iowans

I was watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition tonight, and was reminded of an episode a few weeks ago. The family was from Iowa, and had moved from the city out to the farm because they thought it would help their kids to grow up "right." The reason they got a home makeover was that they had a fire and their house burnt down.

They built them a beautiful house, had a few sentimental moments, and the obligatory Iowa activity--a combine derby. Even having been a trophy girl at a tractor pull this summer, I didn't know combine derbys existed until a fellow Iowan at school told me.

Anyway, after the house was built the Extreme Makeover team kept talking about how friendly and caring the Iowans were, helping with construction, moving furniture, etc. And I couldn't disagree more.

The episode came up in the teacher's lounge the next day, and I was surprised that we all agreed--this shouldn't have happened. In the towns where we grew up, no one would have let someone's house burn down without rebuilding it. A good neighbor and a good small town pulls together to get families through those times. There are soup suppers and pancake breakfasts and change cans at Walmart to help raise money. People give money for their school tuition and donate clothing.

Elections: Whoo-hoo!

I love election day! California's proposition makes me feel like I'm really participating in democracy, though it's not quite as hopeful when you realize all the stupid people participate too. Regardless, my usual cynicism about politics seems to take a back seat to the actual process on election day. Too bad they don't give out the "I voted!" stickers to people who vote absentee.

I put up my Christmas tree tonight. Yep, skipped straight from Halloween to Christmas. Being gone for Thanksgiving though makes me feel like that's okay. There's that, and the fact that I do not own any cornucopia decorations.

I do, however, own a Christmas tree. It's one of the easy ones, already strung with lights. Managing to drag it up from the basement storage was not easy, but definitely worth it. I didn't put it up last year, so it was a surprise to open the boxes with the decorations.

I'd forgotten how many ornaments I have, and I thought I would never be taken with a sentimental, schmaltzy attachment to decorations, but I was wrong. The tree skirt my grandmother gave me and the disco ball ornaments I brought to Haiti brought back the fondest memories.

My grandmother has made stockings and tree skirts for my family as long as I can remember. She embroiders all the sequins and stitching on them, and personalizes each one with a name. Right now there are four generations in my family who all have stockings and tree skirts made by her.

The disco balls are great because they remind me of our Haitian Christmas tree: a dead tree, painted white, cemented into a paint can. I'm confident that Charity is decorating hers as I write. Anyway, the disco balls have lasted from that sad little Charlie Brown tree all the way to my grown up, already lit tree. Yea for them!

Happy Belated Halloween!

Happy belated Halloween everyone! Last year I said Reformation Day because I planned the R-day celebration at school. This year we took a field trip to a science museum. I liked Martin Luther better, personally.

And a huge THANKS! to Dave for the fabulous costume idea. Though my embroidery skills are obviously not as stellar as Hester's, it won me third place at a Halloween party last night. I think it could have been higher if the other party-goers knew who Hester Prynne was and why I was carrying a Cabbage Patch Kid around. Then again, I didn't know who the one-armed drummer from Def Leppard was. Oh well. I did win orange hot chocolate, so that makes up for it. Thanks for that, Chef Mayhem!

For Charity, and anyone else who finds it funny

I was watching the TLC show "The Monastery" yesterday, and one of the participants made this comment:

The only person who would break in through a skylight and steal beer from monks is either an alcoholic...or a marine.

I need some help: Is it insulting to give the children's book The Ugly Duckling as a baby shower gift?

The Need for Hobbies

At some point last school year I decided I needed to get some hobbies. The nature of teaching is that you are never finished with anything, and I was finding that incredibly frustrating. I just wanted something to be able to hold up and say "I'm finished!"

So, I took up the viola and started knitting again. Both are going better than I expected them to. I'm about halfway through the first Suzuki book for viola, and here are some of my latest knitting projects:
This is a baby blanket I'm knitting for one of my nephews. I started it in August, when I was sick at my parents' lake house. Each square probably took about 4-5 hours worth of knitting, maybe more at the beginning when I wasn't as quick.

After this photograph I wove in all the ends you see hanging out at the edges of the squares.

The next step, which I've just started on is to sew the squares together with yarn and a plastic yarn needle--quite tedious in my opinion. But after that, it's finished!

My next project is a technicolor cell phone cozy. I know it doesn't look like a cell phone cozy quite yet, but it will be. It'll have some fancy shmancy finishing touches like velcro and a button to accent the green and fuschia.

So, friends and family, I hope you all like knitted goodies. I'm thinking that I may knit some or all of my Christmas presents this year. I saw a pattern tonight at a bookstore for a beer bottle cozy. What could be better than a knitted beer bottle cozy?

Strangest sign I've seen today: Bruce Lee Hair Salon

Hint: If you are going to have high school kids do Shakespeare, do not ask them to speak old English with a Scottish brogue. It doesn't work, as was proven by today's field trip.

The happenings

So one of the little munchkins gave me a present last week--cold germs. Getting sick on a Friday afternoon is just about as disappointing as getting an oatmeal raisin cookie when you're expecting peanut butter chocolate chip.

I was just pissed off enough about being sick to still go to Donna's Sat. night for dinner. Calling it "dinner" at Donna's house just somehow seems inadequate...it's really more of an event...an affair, perhaps. Yummy, whatever you call it.

So I went out, giving the sickness the middle finger, and then felt worse on Sunday. Silly me. So I decided to stay home from school today. One of the sucky things about being a teacher is that being sick is more work than being at school. So I spent time yesterday working on sub plans, and then decided at noon today that it was just better to go in and make sure things got done right.

Anyway, boring what's going on kind of stuff. And, the most exciting news of all--check out Angela's blog!

You're joking, right?

Today in class one of my eighth grade students had one of those dollar coins with Sacajawea on it. Appearantly, she's not big with eighth-graders. Here's how our conversation went:

Student 1: Hey, Ms. D, who is the woman with the baby?
Me: Uh, you mean Sacajawea?
S1: Yeah, the lady with the baby.
S2: Wait, isn't she the first woman to vote?
Me: NO! She was not the first woman to vote.
S3: (Laughing) Ha! The first woman to vote...duh, Sacajawea was the lady who wouldn't get out of the back of the bus.
Me: (while banging my head on the chalkboard) Okay. First, Sacajawea is not the lady on the back of the bus, and second, Rosa Parks did not sit in the BACK of the bus.

Then, after school one of the kids was asking about my Halloween costume. I said it's a character from the Scarlett Letter, and she asked "Oh, is that a Nancy Drew book?"

Sheesh.

Middle School Love: If Only It Stayed This Easy

Sappily sweet and funny, this is a note I confiscated this week, from a 7th grade boy to the love of his life:

Whatever N says 2 U is not true. I love U, and I care about U! I'm not using U 2 Kiss U and then dump U!! And I'm not going to dump U don't worry. N is just being a jerk, I don't Know why he would say that about U. So don't listen to anything he says. I really do love U and care about U. OH and here is a picture of me I might get my picture retaken so if I do I'll give U another. I still want 2 kiss U. How about tomorrow behind the tree in the corner, eather one. OH, and A said that N was saying that stuff because he likes U. But I don't know if that is true or not.

LOVE,
S

Some days, in the midst of psychotic family drama and kids thinking it's a good idea to lift one another on to the roof to get a football down, there is a student who gives you hope. Today an 8th grade girl came in and said that after studying Romeo and Juliet in school last week, she and her friend watched the movie 8 times over the weekend. I was so happy to hear that because the week before, when I mentioned how interesting it is to think of Shakespeare in modern times, she said she had started to watch the movie, but hadn't understood it. Hooray for kids who learn things.

The theme of today's parent meeting:

All Families Are Psychotic

school, school, school

My time is being consumed by school. We've had 2-3 parent meetings per week after school, both helpful and destructive. The one night I didn't have anything this week I went to a party with some colleagues and talked about school. This weekend there's a school event, and I'm babysitting kids from school.

What do people who have normal jobs do with their time?

I am craving snow.

Alas, there is no snow in the forecast for the Bay Area.

Now appearing on Oprah and South Park

I admit it...I love South Park. And every now and then there's an episode so outrageous, a story so ridiculous, that it can't possibly be true. I figure they must be using some incredibly fabricated plot to poke fun of a truth that's a little less ridiculous.

Then, days or months later I find out that the plot actually IS true.

This has happened to me at least three times so far: an episode about Christian scientists, an episode about the foundations of Mormonism, and most recently....an episode about NAMBLA.

Couldn't be real you say? There couldn't possibly be something out there called the North American Man/Boy Love Association. Not so. Not only is it on South Park, today it's also on Oprah.

This is so much fun!

Teaching Sucks Sometimes

This week, and I know it's only Tuesday, has made me want to quit teaching very badly. I woke up in a good mood yesterday, but the day just went downhill. First, a parent who wants me to figure out why her daughter doesn't have friends, and to help her make friends. Okay...manageable though not really what I want to do. Then, yesterday after school a mother yelled at me.

Not a discussion, or rational talking, but YELLING. And in front of other people on the parking lot. Over something ridiculous. I don't mind parents disagreeing with me or asking me about why I choose to do what I do. But this was nothing like that. She was just M-E-A-N.

I need a mental health day and soon. It's only September... The bright light in all of this is that the Gilmore Girls' premier is tonight. Whee.

Camping

The camping is over for another year! Yea!

It actually wasn't that bad. The worst part was sleeping on a barely there mattress thrown over a hunk of wood. The cool night air was actually nice. I told the kids I think there is nothing better than being cozy warm in bed with the air all cool around you. I also let them know they are the only people I go camping for, and only once a year.

In terms of the actual activities of the trip, the zip line and "flying squirrel" were the most fun. I was nervous about both because I'm afraid of heights, but I couldn't not do them in front of the kids. The flying squirrel is this cable that's attached to a pulley high in the trees. A person is harnessed to the cable on one end, and a bunch of people pull the cable on the other end to hoist the person high in the air. The kids decided to run super fast so that I shot up into the air very quickly. Well done, 7th graders.

I also learned "what's going on" in the 7th grade. My cabin wanted to talk about....what else? The boys. They were shocked to learn that I have some vague ideas of what goes on their social lives. They went around the next day saying "Watch out...Miss D knows everything about us." Rock on.

We're going camping now, we're on our way...

Does anyone remember that song from Psalty? The big blue songbook and the kids go on a camping trip...there's a little girl who gets lost from the group and sings "I cast all my cares upon you."

Well, I'm going camping. Not exactly by my choice, but rather with my middle schoolers. This weekend is our "spiritual retreat." I did not name it that. Last year we California camped, in cabins with bathrooms and electricity. This year it's tent cabins for us...cabins sans real doors and windows, only canvas coverings. Have I mentioned I don't really love nature?

I love walking around in nature. Looking at bugs, trees, and caves even. Hiking? Nope. Going to the bathroom far away from where I'm sleeping? Nope. And if I'm going to go without electricity I want it to be somewhere tropical.

So I'm curious to see how this all will go. If it gets awful I'll teach the kids the Psalty songs and make them sing. Somehow I don't think they'll get the humor in it though. This class is strange that way. My colleague Becky and I have talked about it, and they just don't "get us." The other day I was telling a story about getting sick on a plane, and at a part where kids usually laugh, they didn't. So I said "Wow, you guys never smile or laugh, what's up?"

And one kid raised his hand, and with a straight face said "Miss De? We don't think puke is funny."

Okay then...

Today the same kid was fishing a "cool bottle" out from behind the neighbor's fence, bordering the playground. It turned out to be a Bombay Sapphire bottle, though I didn't share that with him. I asked the rest of the kids if they were putting anything OVER the fence, since the neighbors often call the school and complain. They said no....and looked guilty. I asked again, and one kid said:

"Um, well, just some poo."
Me: What? Poo? You threw poo over the fence?
Another kid: No, we didn't throw it. He had a pretzel and he dipped it in and threw it over

Well, now that's much better, isn't it?

Another Reason to Love the Grey Psalter Hymnal

It seems silly to be sad about it, but today was my nephew's baptism. I had wanted to be home with my family for it, but it didn't work out for various reasons. I thought about the baptism briefly when I woke up, but I wasn't going to dwell on it.

Browsing through the bulletin at church, I realized that there was a baptism scheduled this morning. It was the child of a German couple who are studying here, who had no family with them to witness the baptism. And as we read the form for baptism out of the grey psalter, I realized that although my family is far away, as is the family of the child baptised here, we were reading exactly the same form for baptism and making the same promises here and there.

I think that's what I love about tradition and churches with history--you are always liturgically connected. It made me feel a little better about missing my nephew's baptism.

Poo

The show is off....someone in it had a family emergency and this weekend's performances have been cancelled. That means no Amanda and Jason. Rats!

It did cheer me up though that tonight, while having dinner at the pastor's house, his son said goodbye to me by saying "Bye, Brandon!!!" I guess it's his middle name and is close enough to mine to pass...

Funny

A girl in my class asked me today how she should write an answer to a question. She said "Miss D, should we write it in a complete sentence, or can we use bulletin points?"

Jason Comes to My Town

This weekend was so much fun! It's been forever since I've seen Jason, and he happened to be in the neighborhood and came to visit.

Not only did he grill and drink Sofia Coppola's wine from a pink can as evidenced by the pictures, he also talked to my kids at school, and learned about where to buy real clavicles in the Bay Area.

The school thing was a riot. The kids absolutely loved him. He talked about how he uses reading and writing as an actor, and they asked questions....lots of questions. I think they knew that if they asked questions we wouldn't have to do anything else in class.

I was surprised at some of the really great questions they asked, like how he becomes inspired for a role, what director he'd like to work with, etc.

They also asked him to sing and act, which was great. He
did a Shakespeare monolgue for them, and sang a bit from Kiss Me Kate. Probably the best part of his visit was when they asked for his autograph. One girl had been folding a paper fan during his talk, and she asked him to sign her fan so that she could sell it on Ebay if he becomes famous. He said "If?" and she replied "Well, yeah....you know...." all practical and all. Another girl had him sign her vocabulary worksheet. What could be cuter than that?

Next weekend: Amanda and Jason, whoo-hoo!!!!!

School has been exhausting. This week has been full of drama, unfit for posting publicly. Suffice it to say seventh graders don't always consider the consequences of their actions. Or rarely. Maybe never.

I have collected a few funny kid stories so far this year. First, a conversation taking place outside my room. The kids are two fifth grade boys.

Kid A: Hey, man, in 5th grade everyone gets girlfriends!
Kid B: Girlfriends? No way! All they do is take all your allowance.
A: No they don't. Not that much...maybe 2 dollars a week.
B: Two dollars? I only get five! It's not worth it.
A: But everyone has one. I bet you can't get one in a month.
B: A month? You only start to make a friend in a month. I just met you three weeks ago and we're barely friends.

I tried to laugh quietly so they wouldn't get embarrased.

This morning I saw kid B again...to preface this story, our school has outdoor hallways. Each hallway has an overhang held up by poles. So I'm walking to my room, and Kid B is with another fifth grade boy by one of the poles. He's putting his left foot right next to the pole, so that the outside of his leg and foot are touching it. Then, he puts his right foot in front of that one, and grabs onto the pole. As I walk by I hear him say "And that's how you do a sit spin. You just grab onto the pole and do that."

I'm not sure if he was actually trying to teach the other kid pole dancing, but I was laughing so hard I couldn't have asked him if I wanted to.

I've wanted to see the movie Hardcore for a long time, but for one reason or another never got to it. When I was in college I saw the writer/director, Paul Schrader, speak at a Faith and Writing Conference. He was interesting to listen to because he was born into the CRC in Grand Rapids, and ended up leaving.

In the movie, Jake Van Dorn is looking for his daughter who has run away from a Young Calvinist convention to work in the porn industry. Along the way he meets a stripper who helps him look for his daughter. A lot happens, but what I really thought was funny/poignant/interesting was this: Jake and the girl are sitting in the airport, waiting for a flight. They start discussing beliefs, and he explains TULIP (major tenets of Calvinism) to her. Her reaction? No wonder you're so fucked up. Brilliant.

Does It Make You Chuckle?

So Dave and I have been having a conversation lately about what's funny, and if it's different for men and women. Mostly, it comes up because there are certain things I just do NOT think are funny, but most guys do. Like The Big Lebowski (or any other Coen brothers movie, really), and Monty Python, and Mr. Show.

We both like Ali G, but different parts, and for different reasons. So we've been talking, and I've been thinking about what gender has to do with humor. Some other friends hypothesize that women like humor where they can relate to the situation, and guys like more detached, absurd or physical humor.

I'm not sure though...I'd love to hear what other people think. And is there anything out there that most women find funny that men don't?

First Happy Child Moment of the New Year

This morning two of my now eighth grade girls came in and said they had a present for me. I was a little surprised, but thought it would be fun. It turns out they finished a story they had started writing with another friend during seventh grade, last year. They must've finished it over the summer, photocopied it, and gave me their first copy. They told me not to read the last page until I was finished with the whole book, but I couldn't stop myself. It was so cute! They thanked me for taking away their first book during class last year because it gave them ideas for this one, and thanked me for my "support" and help. How sweet! Oh, and when they become published and make gads of money they promised to remember me.

Jetta Report

As a Jetta owner, I find the Jetta Report really interesting. And darn good marketing.

Uh, Really?

Here's some text I found in a news article about Pluto's demotion to "dwarf planet":

"The shift will have the world's teachers scrambling to alter lesson plans just as schools open for the fall term."

Give us some credit. As a middle school teacher, counting out eight planets instead of nine does not top my list of current crises. The girl whose lace bra is on display? There's a crisis.

Bulletin Board

Here are some pictures of my bulletin board. The one on the left is a close-up of one of the postcards--this one is the immaculate coneption. The flash got a little weird. The blob in the upper left hand corner of the bulletin board actually says "What's your story?"

hip, hip, hooray!

The first day of school was a smashing success. My homeroom is fun, and they laughed at my jokes. No funny kid stories yet, but I'm celebrating the day with some great pinot grigio. Whoo-hoo!

First Day!

Tomorrow is our first day of school, ahhhh! No, actually, I'm feeling quite ready. The difference between last year and this year is amazing. It really helps seeing friendly faces around, and knowing some of the parents. My homeroom parents seem overwhelmingly supportive. I even had a few offer to grade things and help out. There is one psycho mom who will send me to an early grave, but overall I'm impressed.

I've never been a bulletin board person, but I'll have to post pictures of one I made this year. I guess "made" might be a little strong. I was at the Christian bookstore (yes, again there were crazies there, raving against the American Girls books carried there) and I found a book of the "postmodern Bible." It's a series of postcards by different artists and their interpretations of different stories in the Bible. They turned into a very fun bulletin board--not too cheesy, but colorful and intriguing, in my humble opinion.

I also completed a task today that was supposed to be finished before school started LAST year--I got a TB test. Seeing as how the clinic is about 300 feet from my apartment, I should have had it done a long time ago. I guess late is better than never though, at least when it comes to TB.

Score!

Finding devotional books for my middle schoolers is difficult. Either they're too childish (Does your brother or sister ever say mean things?), or they're way too mature (Maybe your friend has been raped). I have one book that I really like, Devotions by Dead People: Secrets from Beyond the Grave. Kids like it because it's kind of quirky, with little epitaphs after each devotional. I also like it because it goes a little deeper into the lives of the "dead people."

Today I found another score--Taming a Liger: Unexpected Spiritual Lessons from Napoleon Dynamite. The kids at our school LOVE Napoleon Dynamite. It doesn't matter that the movie is now getting old, they love it. There's a kid who looks just like Pedro. So yeah, score.

Children at Church are Funny

Church today was pretty funny. The children's message was about the Tower of Babel, and the kids were great. The person leading the message asked the kids if they could explain what happened at the tower. One kid raised her hand, and gave a very succinct, accurate answer. Once she was done, the adult leading it moved on. However, a very persistent kid kept his hand in the air. The leader finally called on him, and the kid said "Um, Jesus went on the cross!"

Then, after church, I was chatting with some people outside. I was catching up with one woman when her granddaughter walked up to us. I said hello, but the kid wouldn't reply. So I said "oh, she's being shy." Her grandmother said no, no way, she's not shy. She tried to get her to say hi, but the girl only stared at me. And kept staring. Her grandmother asked her a question, but the girl just kept staring. It was starting to get weird. The others standing there said she was entranced...weird.

Nellie's daughter also acted like she's never seen me before.

Lesson learned? I scare children. Strange.

Oh, So Your Kid Is Special Too?

Here is the most difficult part of my job for me: the parents.

Tonight a new student and her mom stopped by my room, while I was on my cell phone ordering takeout for dinner. The girl really didn't say anything, but the mom told me her daughter is very advanced in lang. arts, and is reading at a college level. In the seventh grade...

So she wants me to make special assignments for her, of course. This makes me really nervous at the first meeting because I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to satisfy this mom. She said her daughter reads 4-7 books per week, and that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...At least I know what I'm getting into I guess.

I know that as a teacher you're not supposed to take stuff so personally, but I can't help it. It's so hard to try to be exactly what each parent wants. Ugh.

Size Comparison

3 weeks versus 4 months

He's surprised to find out he has a cousin!

The Apocalypse Is Near

Dave moved to OK and has internet at home, a cell phone, and (gasp!) text messaging.

And I've started running. Slowly. And not very far. Yet.

Welcome Home

I'm back. I was welcomed home by a flooded bathroom this morning at 5am. For a while now there's been a tiny little bit of water that leaks from the toilet tank. I've opened it up a few times, and when I do that, and flush the toilet at the same time, a geyser of water comes from the top of the tank. I suppose most normal people would have called maintenance a long time ago, but I always just repositioned the lid so that the leaking stopped.

This morning, it didn't stop. What a warm welcome home. Now I'm nervous to go down to the parking garage for fear my car windows have been smashed and/or my car won't start because rodents have once again invaded.

I've been...

Earlier this week a friend wrote and asked if everything was okay, since I haven't posted in a while. Yes, things are fine. Mostly I haven't posted because I've been at my parents' lake house with only a dial-up connection. We spent the week because my dad loves the Okoboji Bible Conference. It's not really my thing, but a week at the lake is always fun.

I also took a trip up to Minnesota for Heather's wedding. She and her husband got married outside, under a gorgeous grove of trees. It also happened to take place near a corn field, so we took a group photo.Donna and I drove up to the wedding together, and spent some time hanging out with everyone. We met Megan's kids, Cristina's husband, and Kristin's Italian fiance.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the MN trip was that we went with Megan to a county fair and a tractor pull. I think I've been to a tractor pull long, long ago, but I didn't remember how crazy it was.Not only did we get to watch the tractor pull, but we actually handed out the trophies. I guess Megan's family has been doing it for years, so we helped her hand out trophies with tractors and pickups on the tops. It was actually a lot of fun!

Tomorrow I head home. Donna and I actually both fly back tomorrow, but 12 hours apart. We've talked about leaving notes or other items in the airports, but I'm sure that would be frowned upon in the current situation.

tee hee

Tonight we went to the golf course for dinner and listed on the menu was a "breaded tenderlion sandwich." My sister-in-law had it and said it was quite good.

Bebe and Me

Bebe!!!!!!!!

My visit to Minneapolis has been put on hold because the newest bebe arrived this morning at 2:12am. Yea!! His name is Talan James...yes, like Talan on Laguna Beach. My sister-in-law and brother said that's not where it's from, but yeah...Anyway, he's adorable. 6 pounds and 10 ounces, 19 inches long. I think it's weird that they measure babies in lengths. It's also weird that both of my younger brothers have babies. I do love being an aunt though. Isn't he cute?

Talan, mid-yawn

Talan, post-yawn

Blancs have more fun

Thanks, Tara, for the title. I actually think it's hilarious. For those of you who haven't heard, a "blanc" is...well, it's not so clearly defined. Literally it means "white" in Creole. In practice, it often means anyone who's not Haitian and has some money.

Anyway, this is probably the last of the Haiti posts as I'm leaving for Minneapolis tomorrow and will have other things to post about.

So being a blanc in Haiti has its perks, like first class airline seats. But, it also invites some...interesting situations, particularly involving men. Let me give a few examples. First, men feel like they can walk up to you and just say "I love you baby, marry me!" I used to think this was just for blancs, but after watching "I Love You Anne," a Haitian movie, it may also be for Haitian women.

One night Charity and I went out for dinner at the restaurant at a hotel. While we were eating we saw a group of guys come in. We were laughing at them because they looked like they were trying to dress "American," and going just a little too far. And one of them had huge, disgusting muscles, like he was on steroids. So the muscley one sits down at the table next to us, and a tall one (probably 6'3" or something) walks over and plants his hands on our table. Oh, and he thinks he is smooooooooth. Here's his introduction:

Him: Hello. What's your name?
Charity: Charite. Char-i-te.
Him: Oh, do you do it a lot? (Confused stares from me to Char and back)
Charity: Do what?
Him: Charity. Like your name.
Him: I saw you Wed. night. I know where you were.

Uh....what? Okay, this was starting to get creepy. It turns out that he had seen us at the Petionville Club. You kind of stand out as a blanc.

So it went on. Introductions were made, and then he told us, seemingly as part of the introduction, that he is the director of special operations for the police force, as if that should inspire awe and fawning. Anyway, he was a total jerk and interrupted our dinner for about 10 minutes.

Strangely, the next day we were sitting in a burger place waiting for our order, and we saw him (the police chief), and the muscley guy on tv. It turns out there was a body building competition at the beach and the police guy was promoting the body builder. Haiti is strange.

Though I often find the...wooing tactics, to be slimey and humorous, all the attention is fun sometimes. But here's the point of my post--I think Haitian men have the best of the whole situation. From what I've observed and have been told, they get to go around wooing from woman to woman (and often much more than wooing), and most Haitian women don't blame the men--they blame each other!

If you ever want to see a cat fight, let me tell you...insinuate, in the slightest way, that someone is stealing a Haitian woman's man, and it's on.

Another reason blancs have more fun. :)

The Baptist Mission

One afternoon while I was in Haiti, we went up to the Baptist Mission. I went with Charity, and another friend who is in Haiti with MINUSTAH.

The mission is all the way up a mountain, hence the beautiful views (there are pictures in the previous post). It's also nice because they have a restaurant and bakery with amazing food. It's also just peaceful there, a welcome repreive from Port-au-Prince.

I had been to the mission before when I lived in Haiti. In fact, there was a teacher at Quisqueya who married a man that works at the mission. but until this trip I did not know about some of the, um, eccentricities of the mission.

For one, they have a "zoo." I put it in quotes because it's, well, a very sad zoo. Charity pointed out though that it's probably the only zoo some Haitians will see. We saw this monkey, who looked like he's had much trash thrown at him. Either that or he's been binging on candy lately.

There was also an alligator (with a little boy poking him with a stick), peacocks, and a whole slew of rabbits. No wonder, since they had more than one in a cage. Sadly the American Raccoon had died, but they still had a couple of snakes.

Somehow even stranger than the zoo was the mission museum. I'm not sure what qualifies as a museum, but if a few animals qualify as a zoo, I guess this qualifies as a museum.

Some background first--missionaries are weird. Granted, this is my humble opinion. But, in my experience, missionaries are strange, and have to be to do what they do. So the missionaries who started the mission had some crazy ideas. And, they have a whole wall of the museum devoted to their family and their photos. A friend told me that the Haitians actually call the mission "Kay Wallace," which means the house of the Wallace's, the people who started it.

So keeping in mind that missionairies are somewhat eccentric and bizarre people, here's
some of what was in the museum. Notice the fossilized dinosaur manure, and the Indian pottery--the sign is my favorite. And, possibly the most hilarious part to me is the, well, let's call it "slant" on most of the sign.

Like this sign to the left. It says "They ate all of Haiti's monkeys, but still liked to picture their faces!" Weird!

The blue wall below is a group of pictures of different groups of people around the world. So the museum had some Haitian history stuff--Duvalier, money from of old, some old armaments, etc. It also had the customary missionary versus voodoo display, and then it got weird.

There were some posters of old cars, then a few walls displaying clothing and customs of people around the world, and the whole wall about the people who started the mission.

I mean no disrespect to missionaries, but in my personal experience, this museum exemplifies what missionaries can be like. Self-absorbed, judgemental, and not always very accurate about things like fact and truth.

Like I said, not all missionaries, but many.

If you don't believe me, read The Poisonwood Bible.

One thing I learned though living in Haiti is that you just have to LAUGH out loud at stuff like this--it's funny!

Haiti is messed up. Laugh when you can.

Pictures from Haiti

The road to Ft. Jacques

The view of Port-au-Prince from Ft. Jacques

An inverter, which stores electricity when it's on (1-2 hours/day) so it can be used later

A Flamboyant tree we saw from the road

Another view of Port-au-Prince

More of Port-au-Prince

Driving down Delmas

Things that go bump in the night

I've decided to post stories/pics. from Haiti in different posts, mostly to help me organize my thoughts on this trip. This one is dedicated to the Olaffson Hotel, featured in Graham Greene's The Comedians, and all things dark.

Charity and I had drinks at The Olaffson during the week I was there. It's interesting to actually see the hotel after reading Graham Greene's novel. In the novel, the Olaffson is alternately a bastien of safety and a den of inquity.

Today, it's a shabby, rambling hotel that desperately needs a renovation. The paint is flaking, the foliage overgrown, and the tile chipped. It also has the feeling that it's almost deserted as you walk in, and you don't see any guests walking the grounds.

There was a Graham Greene room, on the room he supposedly stayed in while he was in Haiti.

In many ways, the hotel reflects the dark days of the Duvalier years, which have morphed into the dark days in Haiti now. The threat is no longer Papa Doc and the Tontons Macoutes, but now it's kidnappings and all manner of corruption.

While I was in Haiti I learned about many kidnappings, and one of a former student of mine. The girl was in 7th grade when I taught in Haiti, and is now high school age. I was horrified to find out that she had been kidnapped, but even more horrified to find out that people think that she was kidnapped by a former classmate at the school. Though this is all passed by word of mouth (the only reliable means of communication in Haiti), and may be more or less true, it's very disturbing.

The last Sunday before I left we learned of another kidnapping at church. It's hard to explain the level of fear that instills in you, to hear that people you know are being taken off the streets. And what's even more amazing to me, is the dedication of people working there that doesn't waiver. Though most people understand they're at risk, it doesn't stop their belief in making Haiti a better place, though the US Ambassador has as much as admitted that Haiti is a failed state. Interestingly, some Haitian-American friends said that what Haiti really needs is an act of God--an earthquake, hurricane, etc. to just start over.

I wasn't lying!

I've mentioned to a few people my memories of having "pet parades" at the nursing home in town when I was little. We would dress up our animals (my cat Jeffy and my rabbit Sport) in Cabbage Patch Kid clothes, and parade them around for the residents to see. Each person I've said this too found it unbelievable that this would happen. Here's proof: an article from the local newspaper, detailing this year's pet parade. I wasn't lying!

Safe and Sound

I am home safe and sound, and so is my computer! Yippee! That means pictures and stories from Haiti later tonight!

No Man's Land

I am home! Sort of...I'm actually in Miami, a no man's land on this trip. I have lots of pictures to post, and stories that are hard to believe, but that will have to wait until I'm home and can hook up my camera to my newly-repaired laptop (yea!). I guess I'm exchanging a now-working laptop for sunglasses I broke in Haiti--smashed them in the gate of Charity's house...oops.

Anyway, the airport ordeal is over. I can't tell you what a relief it is when leaving Haiti to actually be seated on the airplane. Let me back up though...We left the house at 7:25am this morning, and I didn't actually sit down in the gate area until 10:20am, and the airport is probably 5 miles from Charity's house.

The line at the airport was a mile long, and I had three guys ask me if I would like to "check in real quickly!" Well, yes, I would, but not for what they were asking. If any one of them thinks I'm going to give my passport up to some stranger in the airport to avoid standing in line, think again. Even though the line was hot, sweaty, and stinky. I was standing with the pastor of Charity's church though, which was a little reassuring.

Not quite as reassuring was the baggage "inspector." He put his hand in my bag for about five seconds, sort of moved it around, and then asked me if I was married...ugh. Thankfully my Creole isn't good enough to know what else he said. He did give my bag back though.

Here's the part of the experience this time that I find hard to swallow--I had waited at the gate to be one of the last people on. It's not like I could've pushed through the rushing crowd even if I had wanted to. So I'm standing in line, and a nice Haitian guy behind me is chatting with me--he lived in the states and was just being friendly--no marriage proposals. All the sudden everyone is pointing at me and saying "madam." The gate agent wanted my attention. I look at her, and she asks for my boarding pass. I give it to her, and she tears it up! I was about to say something when she printed out a new one...for first class.

Slightly confused, I take it and get on the plane. The pastor and his wife have also been bumped into first class. I hear the flight attendants talking about how the flight is oversold. Here's what gets me though--it's only because I'm white. There was no other explanation--I had a seat assignment already, I was in the middle of the line with people all around me, and the gate agent picked me.

Haiti's got some issues...

More stories soon!

The rain in Haiti

This is what happens when it rains in Haiti.

Miss Charite and a few other random thoughts about Haiti

Bon jou! Computer access again, it's amazing. Actually, I'm at Charity's office where they have wireless...a lot sure has changed since I was here last. When I first arrived for my teaching job in 2001, we had the worst internet connection and would wait nearly an hour to read or send one e-mail.

So anyway, Charity is the reason I'm back in Haiti. When I came here to teach, I lived with her and another roommate. She helped me adjust to Haiti, having already lived here a while--one year out in an orphanage in the countryside, and many more in Port-au-Prince.

I promised Charity that I would write a post about her, picture and all. So what really impresses me about her, and many others in Haiti, is her dedication to this country and the people. She's worked here for I think 5 or 6 years now, and just became the country director for the Mennonite Central Committee. They work here in Haiti on reforestation projects and human rights. I've been teasing her that she is now the "gwo chef" or head honcho, but she's very humble about it all.

Okay, a few other random thoughts about Haiti since yesterday's post--first, you will never see a night as dark as night in Haiti. Without electricity or many street lights, stepping out of someone's house at night is like stepping into another world. I remember reading a great description of the darkness in Edwidge Danticant's book "Breath, Eyes, Memory."

Another random thing--Nearly everyone in Port-au-Prince is now carrying around 2 cell phones. It either attests to the disorganization present in daily life, or the ingenuity of Haitians. A new cell phone company came in recently offering lower rates and charging by the second instead of the minute along with better international rates. However, their network does not interface with the existing cell phone company, so everyone carries two phones with two numbers.

One last random thought--I went to a Bible study last night with Charity, and was impressed with the sharing and study of the Bible in so many different languages. As the study began, the pastor asked us to read the last chapter of 1st John, taking turns reading around the circle. As the verses were read, each person read the next verse in his or her own language, encompassing at least three or four lanuages by the time the chapter was done. There is beauty in the diversity of the body of Christ.

I'm in Haiti!

I'm here, in Haiti, yea! Charity and I are sitting in a coffee shop in Petionville, the first of its kind in Port-au-Prince. It's amazing. A lot has changed since I was here last, in 2003 I think.

The airport scenario did not play out quite how I thought it might. First, we left about 30 minutes late from Miami. This was because someone checked in, and checked baggage, but never showed up for the flight. So, they had to rifle through the luggage to find this person's stuff and get it off the plane. And Haitians take their right to baggage seriously...most people carrying suitcases equivalent to their body weight or size. I saw someone taking on board a full-size keyboard, many boomboxes (80s style, all square), plants (yep), and the woman seated behind me had a gigantic plastic bag, at least 4 feet tall. She also had a roll of packing tape around her arm during the whole flight, and when we landed started to tape up the bag...why when we landed? I have no idea.

So we land in Port-au-Prince, and there are a few sprinkles coming down. They turn off the seatbelt sign, and everyone jumps up. There's a mad rush for the door. Then, the flight attendants tell everyone to sit down. For those of you who have been on one of these flights, you can imagine what happened. If you haven't, here's what happened--no one paid one bit of attention. They kept shoving toward the door. It took the Creole-speaking flight attendant barking for people to sit down before anyone moved. It became apparent that it was raining outside, along with thunder and lightning, and they said we would have to wait for 10-15 minutes before we could get off the plane. Well, 10-15 became about an hour and a half, during which one guy tried to start a riot, a pastor tried to calm him down, and a whole group of people started singing hymns and having a party in the back.

Then, and this is the best part, they told us that they would take us off in small groups with umbrellas and a small van, but we would need some patience. HA! The mad rushing of the door continued, and American Airlines actually ferried us individually into the airport under umbrellas.

I got through customs and immigration easily, but when I came out of the airport, was again pursued by many, many men wanting to help me with my luggage or give me a taxi ride. I exahusted my knowledge of Creole with "M'pa bezwen" and "No, mesi,' I don't need it, and no thank you. Trying to keep some space, I acted like I knew exactly where my ride was, even though I wasn't quite sure. Making a fool of myself, I actually tried to wade through the now rushing river accumulated in front of the airport from the rain. A wave of laughter rose from the crowd as I was almost up to my knees in what I can only imagine was some sort of sewage/trash/rainwater sludge. Eventually I found my ride, but lost any sense of dignity. Ah, Haiti.

Anyway, the rest of the trip so far has been great. Charity and I have been hanging out, eating all the wonderful Haitian food, and playing Scrabble. Mangoes, baguette, diri, etc. have been so good. I'm hoping for some banan peze at some point and then I'll be set. I've spent a lot of time reading outside on the porch while Charity works, and generally taking in Haiti again.

I'm not really sure how to describe Haiti...it's the same as it was, but a lot has changed. And you forget how much it can assault your senses. As I was sitting outside one morning I realized how much I was being bombarded with--I could alternately smell trash and someone cooking breakfast, I could see the street with its masses of people walking to and fro, the birds flitting tree to tree, and the neighbor's kids playing on their steps. Possibly the most assaulting, at least in Port-au-Prince, is the noise. That morning I could hear the birds, loud trucks on the street, people walking and yelling, someone selling mops, a radio playing loudly somewhere, and a couple somewhere arguing. Amazing.

Church on Sunday at the Fellowship House reminded me of other realities of Haiti. The sermon was about fear, and after the sermon the pastor asked for anyone who wanted to to share about how they had been delivered from fear. 3 different people spoke, 2 sharing stories of loved ones or friends who have been kidnapped in the past few weeks. It's a reality here. One of my former students, now an 11th grader, was kidnapped, and thankfully returned.

Being here makes you much more thankful for the small things. This morning the electricity was on for about a half hour, which meant I could shower with good water pressure--I was elated. You get far more excited about just hanging out with good friends and having dinner with people.

Anyway, I'm having a good trip, despite a few pesky mosquitoes. Hopefully non-malaria and non-dengue mosquitoes, though that remains to be seen.

I may or may not have a chance to update again while I'm here. Hope you all are well! Bon Swa!

The nightmare that is the PAP airport

So my friend Charity gave me this advice about arriving at the Port-au-Prince airport: Walk through like you own the world. She's so right. She's been trying to reassure me about the experience for the last day or two, but I hate it.

This may have something to do with the very first time I flew in there--I had been in Amanda and Jason's wedding the night before, got up at 3am, forgot to wear deodorant (oops!) and arrived on a day when the luggage carousels were not working and they were unloading everyone's luggage (at least 3 flights full) by hand. It took about 3 hours for me to get out of the airport with my luggage.

If you look at the picture I snagged from the internet, you can see the crowds outside. This is a normal day. The crowds inside are much the same, with everyone asking you, no, more likely demanding that they help you with your luggage. It's really quite a daunting experience. If you're lucky, you can walk out of the airport not only with a porter or two for your bags, but likely with a few marriage proposals. A favorite compliment/insult that I got while I was in Haiti was that I have a "good form," which means something like good birthing hips crossed with an hourglass figure....hmm, I'm not sure about that.

Anyway, if you're praying people, think about me Sat. afternoon. And the masses of people who travel to and from Haiti everyday. For an insightful story into the horrors of the Port-au-Prince airport, check out this story from a missionary who lives there.

Frantico

There are so many things I'd like to write/post about, and so little good computer access and time in which to do it. I dropped off my laptop today in Sioux Falls, hoping that it can be salvaged. Then Dave and I had drinks tonight at the Blue Mountain Club in OC, which was a really good time. Tomorrow my nephew will be here to be babysat, and Friday I leave for Haiti. I also have been thinking a lot about the grotesque in N'west Iowa (more to come later), and what makes me go back to Haiti (other than Miss Charite). I also detest slow computers, and lack of wireless internet access. I'm also lamenting the loss of the SJ libraries for the summer...they're so awesome. The Hull library had exactly 2 books on CD, and stacks of Christian romance novels, ick.

So I don't know when I'll blog again, whether or not I'll have access in Haiti, etc. Wish me luck on the journey--it's pretty much a quest since it'll take a full 4 days to get there and back. Hooray for having bought books in preparation. This will be the month I finish Anna Karenina.

Ack!

I just got back from a great visit with Sara and Jeff, and was excited to post a picture of Sara with her new short hair. It's cool. But, to my shock and horror, my laptop will not turn on. This is horrible. My only comfort is that I started backing stuff up on an external hard drive at home, but this is still quite disturbing... At least my parents' computer still works.

Not a lot else going on...lots of chatting and hanging out with Sara and Jeff. I also leave for Haiti this weekend, then see Ang and Ryan after that, and hopefully a few days visiting camp. It all makes for a pretty boring blog during the summer I suppose. If you're bored reading, check out Donna's. She's got a fun summer activity going on right now.

Back to the Blogosphere

I feel like I've been gone forever, but I guess it's only a few days. It feels like more because this place is so different than where I came from. Yesterday a neighbor lady was talking about somebody's farm operation, and she was telling my mom who worked there. She said "They've got a De Jong, a Groeneweg, and a Mexican."

I've mostly been relaxing at the lakes with the family. I can't say we've really done a whole lot. We spent some time out on the boat, laid out on the dock, and ate at the obligatory restaurants--the Inn and the Wharf. We did make a trip to Walmart, where I saw a curly mullet, and we've all been spending a lot of time ogling this guy:

The plans for the week are pretty sparse. I set up the wireless router I bought my dad for father's day (thanks, Jeff!). I've spent a lot of the morning playing my parents' piano and hanging out on their back deck. It's a nice view, actually. They live on the edge of town, so there's a big backyard that backs up to a cornfield. Very Iowa. Oh, and there's a kid mowing our lawn...someone my parents know, I hope.

Later on in the week I'll get to see Nellie and her girls who are coming back to the motherland. Yea!