3 1/2 months huh? That might be a record for me. Want to know why I haven't? It's simple really. Facebook. It is much easier to update one or two lines of a status that to write a narrative. Naturally, the downside to this is that you can't be as descriptive as you would like to be. Take Monday night's status for example. It read something to the effect of "taking Tutti out for her first legal drink because she was turning 21 at midnight." What it left out was how bad of an idea this probably was. There are several reasons that this was such a bad idea. The first obviously being that it's a Monday night and I had to work the next day. Additionally, I had to be at a training that was 40 miles away. The status also failed to mention that apparently I planned on getting shit faced! Which led to my not coming home until almost 4 in the morning. Not really good planning on my part, considering I had to leave the house at 7 in the morning.
OK, all that aside, here is an update on the girl. She is amazing! She is growing so stinking fast and getting more mature by the minute. She is now wanting to shop at specific stores and buy specific types of clothes and shoes. By the way, my kid is a boot whore. She wants any and every cute boot known to man! We just had report card pick up and Caitlyn has finally achieved her goal of getting straight A's. she tried so hard for them last year and missed by just a hair. So this year, she was gung ho on getting them. And she did. For her achievements, we went out for dinner and then to the bookstore so she could pick out a few books that she wanted. It may sound like an odd reward to most. However, the kid is a reading machine. I can not keep up with her. At this point she is in fact able to read faster than me. She typically reads about 2 books a week, never less than one. And she is reading books that range between 200-300 pages. It's insanity really. But I won't complain. I have seen her vocabulary explode when she is having conversations with people. I often ask her if she knows what the word she just said even means. And lo and behold she is able to give me a very functional definition. for example, we were talking about something, I can't remember what. And it involved 2 people disagreeing, I think it had something to do with a news story. And she said "That's a schism mom." Now, I am not ashamed to say that I had to just agree with her because I was not 100% sure that the analogy was correct. However, I promptly googled to make sure that it was. When I asked her how she knew that word, she began this long diatribe about how one of the characters in one of the books she read used it to describe something that was going on. It literally took her 5 minutes to tell me how she knew the word because she loves to talk about the characters in the books.
So, she has managed to make it through the Lemony Snicket books, A Series of Unfortunate Events, all 13 of them. And she has read a few random ones in between there as well. While reading them, she tries to tell me all about them and sadly I can't participate in the conversation because I have never read them. What I have decided to do now that she has finished all of them, is that she is going to read Harry Potter. That should slow her down a bit ;) And I can talk to her about them cause I have read them all! So it's a win win situation really.
I am 2 classes and a collaborative project away from being done with my master's program. And the end can't come soon enough. I am so sick of doing homework! While I love being in school and the atmosphere of it, the homework really sucks. Luckily, I was able to register for an online class for next term. Which means that I will only be out of the house one night a week. Works for me.
will try to be more diligent about updating....but I am not making any promises!
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
You know you haven't blogged in a long time when....
You have completely forgotten your password. And no matter what you try, you can not get into the stupid thing. Obviously, I eventually got the correct one. Only to remember that I changed it at some point for some ridiculous reason. Needless to say, it has now been changed back to one that I know I can remember. That is, provided I log on more frequently than ever 4 months.
So I will make this recap pretty short and sweet.
Caitlyn made her communion, and looked absolutely stunning in her dress. Of course I cried, which means by the time her wedding rolls around and she wears a white dress just as gorgeous I should be a blubbering idiot that they have to physically remove from the church because I am frightening small children.
Dance recital was in May, and the girl was fantastic. She is looking forward to signing up again this year. We're just not sure what she is going to be taking yet though. She is thinking ballet, but that may fall on the same night as girl scouts. And she doesn't want to give that up. So she may end up in Hip Hop again for the first semester and ballet second semester. We'll see.
Once school was over (for both of us) we were in full swing with the birthday parties. She had her friends party at the glow in the dark mini golf place by our house. Everyone had a ton of fun, but I don't think we will be having another party there. I wasn't too impressed with the staff. Then the family party rolled around at our house. There were gifts a plenty.
Once the birthday festivities were over, we moved into vacation at the lake mode. It seemed we were gone for most of July. And when we were at home, my time was spent unpacking, doing laundry, and repacking for the next trip. While on vacation, Cate tubed by herself on her stomach for the first time and absolutely loved it. I am thinking that next summer we are going to have a hard time keeping her off of that thing!
By the time August rolled around, we were trying to spend some time at home chilling out and doing some things locally. Caitlyn also decided to take another trip with my mom to Wisconsin Dells at some point in there. By the time she came back home, it was just about time for me to return to school and for football practice to start up again for Matt.
Which pretty much brings us up to date. I am back in school and football is in full swing, with the season opener today (which we won!!!). In more exciting news, Caitlyn has finally conquered riding a 2 wheeler. Yes, she was late in acquiring this skill. You see, if there is one thing that I have learned about my kid, it is that she will do things when she is damn good and ready to do them and not a moment sooner. I have tried and tried and tried for the last 3 years to get this child to ride a bike without training wheels. Every attempt by me was thwarted by Cate saying "Nope. It's easier with the training wheels on." Yes, I know she is correct, but come on already, just ride the damn bike without the training wheels!! Well, apparently, she was ready to do so this past Monday. She got on the bike, Kelly gave her a push from behind, and off she went. Without any issues. So just like she did 8 years ago when she was born, she will do things at her own pace and there is nothing I can do to make it happen otherwise.
This evening while at my mother's, she was riding her bike and fell. She decided to break her fall with her face, as opposed to her hands and managed to give herself a fat lip and a chipped tooth. Of course it is one of the front teeth, and a permanent one. We should be at the dentist within the next few days. Fun. I suppose I shouldn't complain. She could have broken a bone or something right?
So I will make this recap pretty short and sweet.
Caitlyn made her communion, and looked absolutely stunning in her dress. Of course I cried, which means by the time her wedding rolls around and she wears a white dress just as gorgeous I should be a blubbering idiot that they have to physically remove from the church because I am frightening small children.
Dance recital was in May, and the girl was fantastic. She is looking forward to signing up again this year. We're just not sure what she is going to be taking yet though. She is thinking ballet, but that may fall on the same night as girl scouts. And she doesn't want to give that up. So she may end up in Hip Hop again for the first semester and ballet second semester. We'll see.
Once school was over (for both of us) we were in full swing with the birthday parties. She had her friends party at the glow in the dark mini golf place by our house. Everyone had a ton of fun, but I don't think we will be having another party there. I wasn't too impressed with the staff. Then the family party rolled around at our house. There were gifts a plenty.
Once the birthday festivities were over, we moved into vacation at the lake mode. It seemed we were gone for most of July. And when we were at home, my time was spent unpacking, doing laundry, and repacking for the next trip. While on vacation, Cate tubed by herself on her stomach for the first time and absolutely loved it. I am thinking that next summer we are going to have a hard time keeping her off of that thing!
By the time August rolled around, we were trying to spend some time at home chilling out and doing some things locally. Caitlyn also decided to take another trip with my mom to Wisconsin Dells at some point in there. By the time she came back home, it was just about time for me to return to school and for football practice to start up again for Matt.
Which pretty much brings us up to date. I am back in school and football is in full swing, with the season opener today (which we won!!!). In more exciting news, Caitlyn has finally conquered riding a 2 wheeler. Yes, she was late in acquiring this skill. You see, if there is one thing that I have learned about my kid, it is that she will do things when she is damn good and ready to do them and not a moment sooner. I have tried and tried and tried for the last 3 years to get this child to ride a bike without training wheels. Every attempt by me was thwarted by Cate saying "Nope. It's easier with the training wheels on." Yes, I know she is correct, but come on already, just ride the damn bike without the training wheels!! Well, apparently, she was ready to do so this past Monday. She got on the bike, Kelly gave her a push from behind, and off she went. Without any issues. So just like she did 8 years ago when she was born, she will do things at her own pace and there is nothing I can do to make it happen otherwise.
This evening while at my mother's, she was riding her bike and fell. She decided to break her fall with her face, as opposed to her hands and managed to give herself a fat lip and a chipped tooth. Of course it is one of the front teeth, and a permanent one. We should be at the dentist within the next few days. Fun. I suppose I shouldn't complain. She could have broken a bone or something right?
Monday, April 27, 2009
Communion Gear
The girl's big day is this Saturday. And believe it or not, we are actually ready and just waiting for the day to get here. I can't believe it to be true myself as I am never usually this organized. Though it seems that with how busy things are in our lives right now, I have no other choice but to be organized. Funny how that works out. The only thing I have left to do is pick up the dress and veil from the cleaners on Friday where it is being steamed to get all of the wrinkles out.
We found out on Saturday that Caitlyn will also be doing a reading during mass. She is a bit nervous about it, but I know she will do just fine. And I know that once she does it, she will be as proud of herself as Matt and I are of her.
We had our season opener of the fire pit on Friday and the weather could not have been nicer. Though it was a bit windy which made the smoke pretty bad at times. And on occasion would blow some cinders around. But no one burst into flames, so I consider that a success.
We are almost to less than 30 days of school remaining. I can't wait to begin my countdown here in my office. Every year, I find funny pictures on google to represent the number remaining for the day. For example, when there are 12 days left, I can put up a picture of a dozen eggs. So while it sometimes is just a picture of the number that has been made in a creative way, sometimes it is just a representation of the number. It really is fun and people are amazed at the pictures that I can find. So if you have any good ideas for numbers, pass them along to me.
That's about all I've got right now.
We found out on Saturday that Caitlyn will also be doing a reading during mass. She is a bit nervous about it, but I know she will do just fine. And I know that once she does it, she will be as proud of herself as Matt and I are of her.
We had our season opener of the fire pit on Friday and the weather could not have been nicer. Though it was a bit windy which made the smoke pretty bad at times. And on occasion would blow some cinders around. But no one burst into flames, so I consider that a success.
We are almost to less than 30 days of school remaining. I can't wait to begin my countdown here in my office. Every year, I find funny pictures on google to represent the number remaining for the day. For example, when there are 12 days left, I can put up a picture of a dozen eggs. So while it sometimes is just a picture of the number that has been made in a creative way, sometimes it is just a representation of the number. It really is fun and people are amazed at the pictures that I can find. So if you have any good ideas for numbers, pass them along to me.
That's about all I've got right now.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
I Have Returned
And I am going to try and stay returned. That is, unless life happens to get in the way....again!
Lots going on around our house these days. So I won't go into all of the gory details, rather I will just do a small recap.
1. There was a few weeks in March where we ended up with loads of rain. Lots of that rain somehow ended up in my basement. This has never happened to us before so we just assumed it was the catch basin in the back that needed to be cleaned. That turned out to be fine. However, the pipes under our lawn were not so fine and needed to be replaced. To the tune of $6700. And of course, they don't replace the lawn they damage in the process. Feels like the front porch drama all over again.
2. Caitlyn had her spring concert. It was very cute. They sang a song called Take me Out of the Bathtub to the tune of Take Me Out to the Ballgame. I am going to attempt to put a video up here. So please be patient with me while I demonstrate my lack of technology skills.
3. Matt and I flew to Oregon for Carla's wedding. We had a great time. I forget just how green everything is out there. Just so pretty.
4. I am currently in 2 classes again this term. One of which is Assistive Technology. This is the class that I tried my damnedest to get an exempt from. All to no avail. I could probably teach the class, so I think it's so silly that I have to take it. I don't mind being in the class. But I do mind paying the close to $2000 that it costs to do so. I am also in a research class. This is an online class (which I am not a fan of to begin with) and the research paper is to be completed as a group (another thing which I am not so big on). I am convinced this class is going to completely wipe me out this term. I am am just thanking God that I am taking it now right before summer break. So I will have some good down time after it's over.
5. Work is absolutely insane. I constantly feel like I am behind on everything and can't seem to catch up. No matter how hard I try. I am convinced it is because of the person that I am working with. No matter though. She will be gone at the end of this year. So I just try to keep telling myself that I am almost through it.
6. I managed to pass the Learning Behavior Specialist I test. My paper work is now sitting at ISBE waiting for them to approve everything and include that endorsement on my certificate. Hopefully it will happen soon as I have once again been riffed. Same situation as last year. Only this time, there is light at the end of the tunnel and this process is almost over. At least I hope. If not, I will in fact be a greeter at a Wal**Mart near you. So keep your eyes open for me.
7. Caitlyn is making her communion in 2 weeks on May 2nd! The dress and shoes and tights have been purchased. We are going for the veil/headpiece this weekend, and hopefully the banner will be made by Friday night. We have not yet started the banner, because I am a bad mom. But it will be made by it's due date of Friday.
8. Report cards came out and Caitlyn went from A's to B's in a few subjects. So she is beside herself about this. She can't even tolerate that she got a B. No matter how I try to explain to her that it still means she did incredibly well, this child is bound and determined to get straight A's!
9. Hip Hop is finishing up and we have the recital coming up at the end of May. So we are gearing up and practicing like crazy in the living room.
I think that's about all. I can't even believe how busy we feel these days. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be accomplished. Hopefully once I am done with school, things will settle down some and we can all relax for a bit.
Lots going on around our house these days. So I won't go into all of the gory details, rather I will just do a small recap.
1. There was a few weeks in March where we ended up with loads of rain. Lots of that rain somehow ended up in my basement. This has never happened to us before so we just assumed it was the catch basin in the back that needed to be cleaned. That turned out to be fine. However, the pipes under our lawn were not so fine and needed to be replaced. To the tune of $6700. And of course, they don't replace the lawn they damage in the process. Feels like the front porch drama all over again.
2. Caitlyn had her spring concert. It was very cute. They sang a song called Take me Out of the Bathtub to the tune of Take Me Out to the Ballgame. I am going to attempt to put a video up here. So please be patient with me while I demonstrate my lack of technology skills.
3. Matt and I flew to Oregon for Carla's wedding. We had a great time. I forget just how green everything is out there. Just so pretty.
4. I am currently in 2 classes again this term. One of which is Assistive Technology. This is the class that I tried my damnedest to get an exempt from. All to no avail. I could probably teach the class, so I think it's so silly that I have to take it. I don't mind being in the class. But I do mind paying the close to $2000 that it costs to do so. I am also in a research class. This is an online class (which I am not a fan of to begin with) and the research paper is to be completed as a group (another thing which I am not so big on). I am convinced this class is going to completely wipe me out this term. I am am just thanking God that I am taking it now right before summer break. So I will have some good down time after it's over.
5. Work is absolutely insane. I constantly feel like I am behind on everything and can't seem to catch up. No matter how hard I try. I am convinced it is because of the person that I am working with. No matter though. She will be gone at the end of this year. So I just try to keep telling myself that I am almost through it.
6. I managed to pass the Learning Behavior Specialist I test. My paper work is now sitting at ISBE waiting for them to approve everything and include that endorsement on my certificate. Hopefully it will happen soon as I have once again been riffed. Same situation as last year. Only this time, there is light at the end of the tunnel and this process is almost over. At least I hope. If not, I will in fact be a greeter at a Wal**Mart near you. So keep your eyes open for me.
7. Caitlyn is making her communion in 2 weeks on May 2nd! The dress and shoes and tights have been purchased. We are going for the veil/headpiece this weekend, and hopefully the banner will be made by Friday night. We have not yet started the banner, because I am a bad mom. But it will be made by it's due date of Friday.
8. Report cards came out and Caitlyn went from A's to B's in a few subjects. So she is beside herself about this. She can't even tolerate that she got a B. No matter how I try to explain to her that it still means she did incredibly well, this child is bound and determined to get straight A's!
9. Hip Hop is finishing up and we have the recital coming up at the end of May. So we are gearing up and practicing like crazy in the living room.
I think that's about all. I can't even believe how busy we feel these days. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be accomplished. Hopefully once I am done with school, things will settle down some and we can all relax for a bit.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Hmmmmm
I suck. No discussion about it. I just haven't had time to post regardless of all the really cool things that Caitlyn has been doing in the last few weeks. A new post will come soon. I promise.
And PS....Happy Birthday to me :)
And PS....Happy Birthday to me :)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Now This Just Pisses Me Off!!
Remember I mentioned that I was currently working with someone I felt to be quite incompetent? Well, I just received this email from her. And I would say that I am so angry that I can't see straight. But that wouldn't be a good indicator seeing as I couldn't see straight before getting the email. So let's just say I am so fucking pissed I can't even respond to the email because I will say things that I know for certain I will regret in 2 hours time.
Here's what angers me:
1. I took over some of her case load because she couldn't manage to see the kids cause she was so overwhelmed. Yet, she can manage to work a 3 DAY workshop into her schedule. (I have never taken more than a day for a workshop.)
2. When I take time off for a workshop, sick time, whatever, I make sure that I tell the teams I am working with in advance. Not the day before. And regardless of whether or not I am in the building, I make damn sure to make myself accessible to them either via email or phone during that time. As an example, I had double vision and was gone from work for 2 days because of he flu, on Friday when I saw some of my teams, they didn't even realize I wasn't there or was ill. Because I was still available to them when they needed me to be.
3. How dare she just assume that I have time in my schedule to manage any problems that her teams may encounter for these 3 days. What if I got sick, or Caitlyn got sick??? Or, imagine this, I have my own teams and their shit to be concerned with????
4. Telling me the night before you are leaving for 3 days and pushing your work off on me, is certainly not the advanced warning that I would have preferred. Had you told me this at some point last week, I may have been able to arrange my schedule to at least be available should I need to be. Now I can't. And now I won't.
Here is the email that she sent to me and about 10 other teachers:
Hello!
I will be out of district at a workshop Mon 2/23-Wed 2/25. I don't know if I will be able to check my email during the day, but will be checking it in the evenings. If you have major AT problems and need help before Thur, email Nancy W. at email.
Take care,
Danielle
Really? Just another indication that this person sucks at her job.
Here's what angers me:
1. I took over some of her case load because she couldn't manage to see the kids cause she was so overwhelmed. Yet, she can manage to work a 3 DAY workshop into her schedule. (I have never taken more than a day for a workshop.)
2. When I take time off for a workshop, sick time, whatever, I make sure that I tell the teams I am working with in advance. Not the day before. And regardless of whether or not I am in the building, I make damn sure to make myself accessible to them either via email or phone during that time. As an example, I had double vision and was gone from work for 2 days because of he flu, on Friday when I saw some of my teams, they didn't even realize I wasn't there or was ill. Because I was still available to them when they needed me to be.
3. How dare she just assume that I have time in my schedule to manage any problems that her teams may encounter for these 3 days. What if I got sick, or Caitlyn got sick??? Or, imagine this, I have my own teams and their shit to be concerned with????
4. Telling me the night before you are leaving for 3 days and pushing your work off on me, is certainly not the advanced warning that I would have preferred. Had you told me this at some point last week, I may have been able to arrange my schedule to at least be available should I need to be. Now I can't. And now I won't.
Here is the email that she sent to me and about 10 other teachers:
Hello!
I will be out of district at a workshop Mon 2/23-Wed 2/25. I don't know if I will be able to check my email during the day, but will be checking it in the evenings. If you have major AT problems and need help before Thur, email Nancy W. at email.
Take care,
Danielle
Really? Just another indication that this person sucks at her job.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Oh Where Have I Been?
I have been to the eye doctor, to the penthouse suite at a resort, to the emergency room, to the neurologist, and back again. The last week has been littered with crazy goings on for me.
I will recap for those of you who haven't followed my facebook saga.
Last Friday (the 13th) I was driving home from work. I was on the phone with Matt and mentioned to him that I was going to take a nap when I got home because I was so tired that my eyes were crossing. There were points on the drive home that things looked fuzzy to me or just a little bit wonky. So I came home, crawled into bed, and proceeded to watch 2 hours of really bad reality shows. And didn't nap at all.
I got a call from a friend asking me to go to the movies with her and a couple of other people. I told her I would go provided I didn't have to drive, cause my eyes were still being weird and I was really tired. While I was on the phone with her, I noticed that I would occasionally see double on the TV screen. Again, figuring I was just reeeeeally tired, I got dressed and went with them.
When I woke up on Saturday, there was no question that I was seeing double. It would come and go, but it was definitely obvious that something was quite off with my vision. So I called the eye doctor and made an appointment to go in. Thinking that I just needed a vision test and some glasses and all would be right with my vision again.
No such luck. It turns out I have 20/20 vision. And while this is fantastic news, it doesn't clear up the issue of why I was seeing double. The eye doc put a good scare in me by saying that the double vision could be the result of anything from extreme stress/fatigue (which I have from work) to the onset of a stroke. That's quite a spectrum if you ask me. So I chalked it up to being stressed and tired from work.
Matt and I had reservations at a resort for Valentine's Day. So we went there on Saturday, figuring the rest would do me, and my eyes, some good. The hotel screwed up our reservation, so they upgraded our room. To the penthouse suite. Which was the most outstanding room I have ever been in. Fireplace, jacuzzi, deck, and an insanely comfortable bed with loads of pillows. By the time Saturday night rolled around, there was no escaping the double vision. It was there constantly, and I was well rested at this point, and convinced there was something seriously wrong with me.
On Sunday, we decided that once we checked out, we would just head straight to the ER and have them do a CT scan to see what, if anything, was going on neurologically. After the CT scan and an entire host of blood tests, it was determined that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. At least nothing they could find. So they sent me n my way with an appointment to see the neurologist on Monday morning.
In the meantime, I can barely walk without holding onto Matt, I certainly can't drive, and I manage to get nauseous every time I am a passenger in the car. Good times.
The neurologist performed an entire host of tests. Some of which, I must admit, I found truly amazing. He also poked me again for more blood.
I decided to buy an eye patch, suck it up, and go to work on Tuesday. On the drive home, I felt sick again, and called Matt to pick up Cate because I could no longer be in the car. I barely had the car in park in front of the house before I was running in and throwing all of my crap on the floor. I ran up the stairs to the bathroom where I proceeded to.....well I don't have to go into detail about that. Let's just say that I spiked a fever, kept a pot next to the bed, and stayed in bed until Tuesday morning. I officially had the flu. Which I have not had since, I can't remember when, certainly before Caitlyn was born.
I have spoken to the neurologist and he has confirmed that there is nothing life threatening going on based on the results of my blood work. Thank God! But he believes that I have a condition called vasculitis. Simply stated, not enough blood to the eye for one reason or another. I have been instructed to take some aspirin daily and to return to him on March 3rd.
As of today, my vision is actually a little bit better. I was able to stop spewing long enough to go to work today. And I am feeling, overall, pretty good. Hopefully, the vision is on the up and up and will return soon. You can't imagine the looks I get when I am driving around with a pirate patch on my eye!!
Will keep you all updated as to what is going on!
I will recap for those of you who haven't followed my facebook saga.
Last Friday (the 13th) I was driving home from work. I was on the phone with Matt and mentioned to him that I was going to take a nap when I got home because I was so tired that my eyes were crossing. There were points on the drive home that things looked fuzzy to me or just a little bit wonky. So I came home, crawled into bed, and proceeded to watch 2 hours of really bad reality shows. And didn't nap at all.
I got a call from a friend asking me to go to the movies with her and a couple of other people. I told her I would go provided I didn't have to drive, cause my eyes were still being weird and I was really tired. While I was on the phone with her, I noticed that I would occasionally see double on the TV screen. Again, figuring I was just reeeeeally tired, I got dressed and went with them.
When I woke up on Saturday, there was no question that I was seeing double. It would come and go, but it was definitely obvious that something was quite off with my vision. So I called the eye doctor and made an appointment to go in. Thinking that I just needed a vision test and some glasses and all would be right with my vision again.
No such luck. It turns out I have 20/20 vision. And while this is fantastic news, it doesn't clear up the issue of why I was seeing double. The eye doc put a good scare in me by saying that the double vision could be the result of anything from extreme stress/fatigue (which I have from work) to the onset of a stroke. That's quite a spectrum if you ask me. So I chalked it up to being stressed and tired from work.
Matt and I had reservations at a resort for Valentine's Day. So we went there on Saturday, figuring the rest would do me, and my eyes, some good. The hotel screwed up our reservation, so they upgraded our room. To the penthouse suite. Which was the most outstanding room I have ever been in. Fireplace, jacuzzi, deck, and an insanely comfortable bed with loads of pillows. By the time Saturday night rolled around, there was no escaping the double vision. It was there constantly, and I was well rested at this point, and convinced there was something seriously wrong with me.
On Sunday, we decided that once we checked out, we would just head straight to the ER and have them do a CT scan to see what, if anything, was going on neurologically. After the CT scan and an entire host of blood tests, it was determined that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. At least nothing they could find. So they sent me n my way with an appointment to see the neurologist on Monday morning.
In the meantime, I can barely walk without holding onto Matt, I certainly can't drive, and I manage to get nauseous every time I am a passenger in the car. Good times.
The neurologist performed an entire host of tests. Some of which, I must admit, I found truly amazing. He also poked me again for more blood.
I decided to buy an eye patch, suck it up, and go to work on Tuesday. On the drive home, I felt sick again, and called Matt to pick up Cate because I could no longer be in the car. I barely had the car in park in front of the house before I was running in and throwing all of my crap on the floor. I ran up the stairs to the bathroom where I proceeded to.....well I don't have to go into detail about that. Let's just say that I spiked a fever, kept a pot next to the bed, and stayed in bed until Tuesday morning. I officially had the flu. Which I have not had since, I can't remember when, certainly before Caitlyn was born.
I have spoken to the neurologist and he has confirmed that there is nothing life threatening going on based on the results of my blood work. Thank God! But he believes that I have a condition called vasculitis. Simply stated, not enough blood to the eye for one reason or another. I have been instructed to take some aspirin daily and to return to him on March 3rd.
As of today, my vision is actually a little bit better. I was able to stop spewing long enough to go to work today. And I am feeling, overall, pretty good. Hopefully, the vision is on the up and up and will return soon. You can't imagine the looks I get when I am driving around with a pirate patch on my eye!!
Will keep you all updated as to what is going on!
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Crazy Week
What an insane week it has been! We have come to annual review and transition time at work. That is always the busiest point of the year for me. It means that my days are always longer than usual, that I don't eat lunch until at least 1:00 (which isn't horrible, but is a long ways off from eating breakfast at 7:00), and that by the time I get home I am so completely wiped out that I don't want to do anything else but sleep. Which is proven by the amount of laundry that awaits me upstairs.
Besides the point in the school year that we are in, there have been some staff changes. The person who helps me with assistive tech left on maternity leave in November (silly babies!). Which meant I was working with someone new. And I am all for that. That is, when the person is actually competent. And I don't just mean being competent in the area of AT. When you are in an itinerant position, which we are, you really have to have a handle on social and communication skills. You have to be able to walk into a classroom with a teacher and paraprofessionals and just know how to jump in and help as well as when to step aside and let the teacher handle the situation. You have to know how to prioritize your time and things on your to do list in order to be the most effective collaborator that a team needs at that moment in time. I think these are the most essential skills for an itinerant. The person I received as a replacement has none of these skills. And because of that, she has made my life a living hell. You see, because she does not have the aforementioned skills, not only do I get multiple complaints from people, but I have now had to take over one of her classrooms. She just can't seem to find the time in her day to fill the needs of the students in there. All two of them. Because we are more than half way through the year, my schedule and routine are fairly set. Trying to find the time to fit in observations of students I don't know and meeting time with the teacher in order to determine her AT needs has proven to be very difficult while still maintaining the classes that I have had all year. Add to that the mess that she has made with the parents, and it makes for a very unhappy Nancy.
In addition to the craziness at work, there are also the 2 graduate classes I am taking. Which aren't terribly demanding, but it's just another thing on my "to do" list during the week.
On top of all that Caitlyn has her extra curricular activities. Which consist of Girl Scouts on Monday, Hip Hop on Wednesday, CCD on Saturday. Matt and I also have to attend a number of meetings from now until May in order to prepare for her communion.
So needless to say, I am wiped out these days and can not wait for summer vacation. Which is really sad that I am already thinking about that. Typically the countdown does not begin until at least after spring break. But with the added stress of this new person at work, it just can't come fast enough.
Besides the point in the school year that we are in, there have been some staff changes. The person who helps me with assistive tech left on maternity leave in November (silly babies!). Which meant I was working with someone new. And I am all for that. That is, when the person is actually competent. And I don't just mean being competent in the area of AT. When you are in an itinerant position, which we are, you really have to have a handle on social and communication skills. You have to be able to walk into a classroom with a teacher and paraprofessionals and just know how to jump in and help as well as when to step aside and let the teacher handle the situation. You have to know how to prioritize your time and things on your to do list in order to be the most effective collaborator that a team needs at that moment in time. I think these are the most essential skills for an itinerant. The person I received as a replacement has none of these skills. And because of that, she has made my life a living hell. You see, because she does not have the aforementioned skills, not only do I get multiple complaints from people, but I have now had to take over one of her classrooms. She just can't seem to find the time in her day to fill the needs of the students in there. All two of them. Because we are more than half way through the year, my schedule and routine are fairly set. Trying to find the time to fit in observations of students I don't know and meeting time with the teacher in order to determine her AT needs has proven to be very difficult while still maintaining the classes that I have had all year. Add to that the mess that she has made with the parents, and it makes for a very unhappy Nancy.
In addition to the craziness at work, there are also the 2 graduate classes I am taking. Which aren't terribly demanding, but it's just another thing on my "to do" list during the week.
On top of all that Caitlyn has her extra curricular activities. Which consist of Girl Scouts on Monday, Hip Hop on Wednesday, CCD on Saturday. Matt and I also have to attend a number of meetings from now until May in order to prepare for her communion.
So needless to say, I am wiped out these days and can not wait for summer vacation. Which is really sad that I am already thinking about that. Typically the countdown does not begin until at least after spring break. But with the added stress of this new person at work, it just can't come fast enough.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
25 Random Things About Me
This has been floating around facebook and I enjoyed doing it. I saw that Kari posted it to her blog, so I copied and figured I would do the same.
1. I am only doing this because I keep getting tagged and I think I have to complete it in order to stop the tagging madness.
2. I once lived in a residential school for the blind, with fantastic girls I might add. It was one of the craziest times of my life.
3. I sleep on my stomach, with my arms at my side. If I sleep in any other position, I wake up miserable.
4. I am a night owl by nature. I loathe waking up in the wee hours of the morning, but if I am awake until those same hours, I am happy as a clam.
5. I have a tendency to cry at the simplest things that Caitlyn does. It seems every time I see her accomplish something the doctors said she never would, I get teary eyed and a lump in my throat.
6. I am married to the most amazing man in the world.
7. Matt has the most incredible work ethic I have ever seen in a person.
8. I learned quickly that I am not immortal in the 10 hours prior to Caitlyn's birth.
9. I have the best set of friends from college that a girl could ever ask for. When I am with them, I laugh harder than I ever have.
10. My mom is quite possibly the most caring person on the planet. She has a deep seeded desire to take care of everyone around her, sometimes to her own detriment, but it makes her the incredible person that she is.
11. Two and a half years ago, I came to the conclusion that God mean for me to be only Caitlyn's mom. Now that I understand that, I am truly at peace with the cards that I was dealt in the child bearing arena.
12. My job is exhausting. Even though it is exhausting, and sometimes the rewards of it are hard to identify, when I do see the rewards, they are amazing. There is nothing like seeing a child do something independently for the first time in their life.
13. I never really believed that old saying about a mom feeling her heart burst with love until I brought my fragile girlie home from the hospital and watched her sleep peacefully. I came to realize that the feeling is one that can not be described in any words.
14. Despite hating my brother for the first 18 years of my life, I now realize that I love him with all of my heart and that we are more alike than I think even he realizes.
15. I miss my grandma and grandpa every day.
16. When Caitlyn was born, I learned that the strength of a person's spirit, no matter how small, is far more strong than any doctor or medical procedure.
17. I find myself criticizing other parent's style of parenting far too often. Matt often tells me that it must be hard to be as perfect a parent as I am. I need to be more understanding of individual differences in how people raise their children.
18. I wish with all of my heart that Caitlyn would have had the opportunity to meet her grandfather. I know Matt would have loved to see her sitting on his lap snuggling with him.
19. I am terrified of loud noises. Almost to the point of making me cry. If I her a motorcycle outside, I have brief moments of heart palpatations and get shaky.
20. I am fascinated by children who have Autism. If there was anything I could do for one day, it would be to change places with a child with Autism. Just to see what goes on in their head.
21. I worry that Caitlyn is going to struggle with some type of eating disorder when she is older.
22. I hate cooking.
23. If there was one thing I could hire someone to do one thing everyday for the rest of my life, I would hire a dentist to clean and floss my teeth everyday. There is nothing better than the feeling of a completely clean mouth when you leave the dentist.
24. I have never believed that parenting is the hardest job one will ever do. I believe most of it is common sense. However, I do believe that the emotional side of parenting is the most difficult part of parenting.
25. I eventually want to teach at the college level. You know, to impart all of the wisdom I have acquired ;)
1. I am only doing this because I keep getting tagged and I think I have to complete it in order to stop the tagging madness.
2. I once lived in a residential school for the blind, with fantastic girls I might add. It was one of the craziest times of my life.
3. I sleep on my stomach, with my arms at my side. If I sleep in any other position, I wake up miserable.
4. I am a night owl by nature. I loathe waking up in the wee hours of the morning, but if I am awake until those same hours, I am happy as a clam.
5. I have a tendency to cry at the simplest things that Caitlyn does. It seems every time I see her accomplish something the doctors said she never would, I get teary eyed and a lump in my throat.
6. I am married to the most amazing man in the world.
7. Matt has the most incredible work ethic I have ever seen in a person.
8. I learned quickly that I am not immortal in the 10 hours prior to Caitlyn's birth.
9. I have the best set of friends from college that a girl could ever ask for. When I am with them, I laugh harder than I ever have.
10. My mom is quite possibly the most caring person on the planet. She has a deep seeded desire to take care of everyone around her, sometimes to her own detriment, but it makes her the incredible person that she is.
11. Two and a half years ago, I came to the conclusion that God mean for me to be only Caitlyn's mom. Now that I understand that, I am truly at peace with the cards that I was dealt in the child bearing arena.
12. My job is exhausting. Even though it is exhausting, and sometimes the rewards of it are hard to identify, when I do see the rewards, they are amazing. There is nothing like seeing a child do something independently for the first time in their life.
13. I never really believed that old saying about a mom feeling her heart burst with love until I brought my fragile girlie home from the hospital and watched her sleep peacefully. I came to realize that the feeling is one that can not be described in any words.
14. Despite hating my brother for the first 18 years of my life, I now realize that I love him with all of my heart and that we are more alike than I think even he realizes.
15. I miss my grandma and grandpa every day.
16. When Caitlyn was born, I learned that the strength of a person's spirit, no matter how small, is far more strong than any doctor or medical procedure.
17. I find myself criticizing other parent's style of parenting far too often. Matt often tells me that it must be hard to be as perfect a parent as I am. I need to be more understanding of individual differences in how people raise their children.
18. I wish with all of my heart that Caitlyn would have had the opportunity to meet her grandfather. I know Matt would have loved to see her sitting on his lap snuggling with him.
19. I am terrified of loud noises. Almost to the point of making me cry. If I her a motorcycle outside, I have brief moments of heart palpatations and get shaky.
20. I am fascinated by children who have Autism. If there was anything I could do for one day, it would be to change places with a child with Autism. Just to see what goes on in their head.
21. I worry that Caitlyn is going to struggle with some type of eating disorder when she is older.
22. I hate cooking.
23. If there was one thing I could hire someone to do one thing everyday for the rest of my life, I would hire a dentist to clean and floss my teeth everyday. There is nothing better than the feeling of a completely clean mouth when you leave the dentist.
24. I have never believed that parenting is the hardest job one will ever do. I believe most of it is common sense. However, I do believe that the emotional side of parenting is the most difficult part of parenting.
25. I eventually want to teach at the college level. You know, to impart all of the wisdom I have acquired ;)
Friday, January 23, 2009
A Whole New Respect
I had to take a sick day today because the girl is sick. However, I worked from home most of the morning. Then I had to pack her up into the car, runny nose, coughing and all because there is a new student coming on Monday and I wanted to make sure that he had a communication device when he walked in the door. So much for a sick day!
While I was there, I took a device that a student is no longer using. It is a Dynamyte, which is a dynamic display device. Whenever I bring these home, Caitlyn is head over heels crazy about them. All she wants to do is play with them and see what they are capable of. This particular device is a touch screen and depending on what button you press, the screen can change in order to open up a new page of choices.
Caitlyn asked me a billion times during the day if she could play with it and I kept telling her no. Then I picked it up to see what had been programmed in to it and she asked again if she could please play with it. So I gave in and told her she could. But first I had to explain what some of the functions on it were. She took to it immediately and figured it out right away.
She then asked if we could have a conversation using it and we weren't allowed to use our voices. Nor were we allowed to look at what the other person was saying until the entire message was spoken. Naturally, I was able to create messages much more quickly than she could as I am familiar with how the pages are programmed. She, on the other hand, could not create them as quickly.
And this is what leads me to the title of a whole new respect. Very often I forget how difficult these devices are for children. And that they are even more difficult for a child who is not neurotypical. I am also reminded of how patient a parent must be to hear their child utter a simple phrase. One of the first things Cate wanted to say to me was "I love you mom." It took her no less than 5 minutes to say something that she can usually say in a matter of milliseconds. It also reminds me that these are the kinds of things that kids want to say, and that parents want to hear. They could care less about the messages that we program in that revolve around what they are learning in school. They want to hear their kids say "I love you" and other things like "I like the color orange."
It's little moments like these that remind me that I love what I do. It also reminds me of how and where I can improve in my job. Last but not least, it reminds me that I am so very thankful for the things that my daughter is capable of that other children struggle with on a daily basis.
While I was there, I took a device that a student is no longer using. It is a Dynamyte, which is a dynamic display device. Whenever I bring these home, Caitlyn is head over heels crazy about them. All she wants to do is play with them and see what they are capable of. This particular device is a touch screen and depending on what button you press, the screen can change in order to open up a new page of choices.
Caitlyn asked me a billion times during the day if she could play with it and I kept telling her no. Then I picked it up to see what had been programmed in to it and she asked again if she could please play with it. So I gave in and told her she could. But first I had to explain what some of the functions on it were. She took to it immediately and figured it out right away.
She then asked if we could have a conversation using it and we weren't allowed to use our voices. Nor were we allowed to look at what the other person was saying until the entire message was spoken. Naturally, I was able to create messages much more quickly than she could as I am familiar with how the pages are programmed. She, on the other hand, could not create them as quickly.
And this is what leads me to the title of a whole new respect. Very often I forget how difficult these devices are for children. And that they are even more difficult for a child who is not neurotypical. I am also reminded of how patient a parent must be to hear their child utter a simple phrase. One of the first things Cate wanted to say to me was "I love you mom." It took her no less than 5 minutes to say something that she can usually say in a matter of milliseconds. It also reminds me that these are the kinds of things that kids want to say, and that parents want to hear. They could care less about the messages that we program in that revolve around what they are learning in school. They want to hear their kids say "I love you" and other things like "I like the color orange."
It's little moments like these that remind me that I love what I do. It also reminds me of how and where I can improve in my job. Last but not least, it reminds me that I am so very thankful for the things that my daughter is capable of that other children struggle with on a daily basis.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
It Has Finally Warmed Up
Thank goodness for that. Like I said before, I really like the cold weather, prefer it actually. But when you wake up in the morning and the temperature is 17 below and it feels close to 30 below with the windchill, that's just a bit much. I couldn't even believe when I woke up on Friday, looked at the temp on the TV and realized that I hadn't gotten a call saying there was no school. I guess it's not all bad though (remember, silver lining, eternal optimist) since we won't have to tack on those days at the end of the school year.
I will say that there is going to be an uproar from the parents of one of the schools in my district though. Seems that shortly after the start of the school day, the ladies in the kitchen were using some cleaning agent to clean the ovens. This agent reacted with something and began to smoke. This smoke resulted in the fire alarms sounding. Which, of course, caused he entire school to evacuate. In the 17 below weather. With no coats or anything. Cause remember, they are not allowed to stop at their lockers in the event of a fire alarm. I have been told that they were only outside for 7 minutes. Regardless of the amount of time, if I was a parent of one of those children, I would be irate. It's specifically reasons like this that cause schools to close when the weather is as bad as it was on Friday.
I am back in classes, and driving myself crazy with homework already. I have to keep reminding myself that I only have about 7 classes left and a practicum. Then I am finished. Hopefully by next spring. Which isn't too long. At least that's what I keep trying to convince myself of. So when I start to rant here, just remind me of that fact please.
Caitlyn is getting ready to make her first reconciliation (confession). She is a little nervous about it. She just doesn't know what sin she should confess to the priest. As if she has a slew of them in her short 7 years?? The teacher mentioned to the class today that often times, parents take their children out to dinner after the event. So when she came out of class, that was he first thing she asked me about. Now that she knows she is going to get a good meal out of the deal, she is a little more excited about the whole thing!
I do have a rant about the birthday party that we went to this afternoon and the out of control children that were there. But that will have to be another post. Cause I have a lot to say from up on that soap box!
I will say that there is going to be an uproar from the parents of one of the schools in my district though. Seems that shortly after the start of the school day, the ladies in the kitchen were using some cleaning agent to clean the ovens. This agent reacted with something and began to smoke. This smoke resulted in the fire alarms sounding. Which, of course, caused he entire school to evacuate. In the 17 below weather. With no coats or anything. Cause remember, they are not allowed to stop at their lockers in the event of a fire alarm. I have been told that they were only outside for 7 minutes. Regardless of the amount of time, if I was a parent of one of those children, I would be irate. It's specifically reasons like this that cause schools to close when the weather is as bad as it was on Friday.
I am back in classes, and driving myself crazy with homework already. I have to keep reminding myself that I only have about 7 classes left and a practicum. Then I am finished. Hopefully by next spring. Which isn't too long. At least that's what I keep trying to convince myself of. So when I start to rant here, just remind me of that fact please.
Caitlyn is getting ready to make her first reconciliation (confession). She is a little nervous about it. She just doesn't know what sin she should confess to the priest. As if she has a slew of them in her short 7 years?? The teacher mentioned to the class today that often times, parents take their children out to dinner after the event. So when she came out of class, that was he first thing she asked me about. Now that she knows she is going to get a good meal out of the deal, she is a little more excited about the whole thing!
I do have a rant about the birthday party that we went to this afternoon and the out of control children that were there. But that will have to be another post. Cause I have a lot to say from up on that soap box!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Today is....
Hmmm?
Time: 10:45 am
Condition: -2° F
Feels Like: -25° F
Forecast for tomorrow
Time: 7:00 am
Condition: -8° F
Feels Like: -25° F
Time: 10:45 am
Condition: -2° F
Feels Like: -25° F
Forecast for tomorrow
Time: 7:00 am
Condition: -8° F
Feels Like: -25° F
Monday, January 12, 2009
Is it June Yet?
I'm just wondering because I think I am done with the snow. Like I said, I generally really enjoy the winter. But I don't like all this snow that we are getting. This weekend we acquired about 7 inches. Up to 12 in some places. I have shoveled my arms off. I have pulled Caitlyn's sled more than I care to mention. And I have scraped my car off only to find it completely covered every time I come out of a store. So I am done. But Mother Nature is not.
It would seem that the strange amount of snow that Chicago has seen is not enough for the evil woman. We all know that when it comes to Mother Nature, she and I don't see eye to eye on things. I firmly believe that she has always had it in for me. Caitlyn's birth is a prime example of that, as are the events that transpired in the years after that child was born. So I know that she and I will never be fast friends. In her glee, she has pronounced that we may get up to another 9 inches of snow in the next couple of days. If you are no mathematician, I will assist you. That means there will be approximately 16 inches of snow in front of my house and about 21 inches of snow in the suburb in which I work.
Before you think I am a grouchy lady, I want the kids to have fun in the snow, I want to witness the beauty of a fresh fallen snow on the street. What I don't want to deal with are the idiot drivers (see previous post) and the snow once it is no longer freshly fallen and pretty. You know, when it turns into that grey, black, yucky slush stuff? I could do without those things.
There is a silver lining to all of this. (I am the eternal optimist.) This storm is supposed to hit between midnight and 9 AM. Should the weather men be predicting accurately (aren't they always?) this storm could peak during rush hour traffic. Now why is that a silver lining you ask? Because if it hits hard enough and at the right time, there is a snow day in my future. And we all know that is the real reason that I became a teacher. Well, that and summer vacation.
So please everyone, all 4 of you that read here, cross your fingers, toes, whatever and pray to whomever you care to that we get enough snow for a snow day.
It would seem that the strange amount of snow that Chicago has seen is not enough for the evil woman. We all know that when it comes to Mother Nature, she and I don't see eye to eye on things. I firmly believe that she has always had it in for me. Caitlyn's birth is a prime example of that, as are the events that transpired in the years after that child was born. So I know that she and I will never be fast friends. In her glee, she has pronounced that we may get up to another 9 inches of snow in the next couple of days. If you are no mathematician, I will assist you. That means there will be approximately 16 inches of snow in front of my house and about 21 inches of snow in the suburb in which I work.
Before you think I am a grouchy lady, I want the kids to have fun in the snow, I want to witness the beauty of a fresh fallen snow on the street. What I don't want to deal with are the idiot drivers (see previous post) and the snow once it is no longer freshly fallen and pretty. You know, when it turns into that grey, black, yucky slush stuff? I could do without those things.
There is a silver lining to all of this. (I am the eternal optimist.) This storm is supposed to hit between midnight and 9 AM. Should the weather men be predicting accurately (aren't they always?) this storm could peak during rush hour traffic. Now why is that a silver lining you ask? Because if it hits hard enough and at the right time, there is a snow day in my future. And we all know that is the real reason that I became a teacher. Well, that and summer vacation.
So please everyone, all 4 of you that read here, cross your fingers, toes, whatever and pray to whomever you care to that we get enough snow for a snow day.
Friday, January 09, 2009
You Would Think
...that since I was on Christmas break, that I would have been able to get some pictures up here and some updates right? Not so much. Not even a little bit. My intentions were good. I had planned on making an elaborate post about Christmas and New Year's and even including a fancy little slide show. and suddenly here we are on January 9th. With no elaborate post or slideshow to speak of. I could bore you with all the gory details of Caitlyn opening up the hundreds of presents that she got on Christmas morning, or how long it has taken me to take down the decorations (yeah, the tree is bare and everything is put away, yet it continues to stand in my living room naked). Or I could go on and on about playing Guitar Hero on New Year's Eve and consuming far too much Watermelon Vodka and Sprite (which I might add really tastes like a Jolly Rancher).
But, alas, I will not do any of those things. I will, however, complain about the weather here in Chicago. I am sick of snow. REally, I am. Winter is usually my favorite season. I love cold weather. There is nothing better than walking outside and feeling the snot inside your nose freeze. But all this damn snow, I could do without it. And it's not so much the snow that bothers me. It's the fact that people who have lived in Chicago for all of their natural born lives suddenly forget how to drive in it. Seriously. Either they have forgotten or every damn person on the road this morning just moved here from California. I can think of no other reason for the person in front of me to be driving 7 (SEVEN!) miles per hour on a plowed street that has nothing but slush on it. The temperature is high enough that the slush is not freezing. Essentially, it is nothing more than rain. So why does this driver feel the need to drive slower than most people ride bikes? We will refer to him as Slow Driving Asshole for the duration of this post/complaint.
In addition to Slow Driving Asshole, we have the people who think that it is a good idea to slam their foot on their gas pedal as soon as the light turns green. (We will refer to him and his friends as Gas Pedal Asshole). Do you know what this results in? It results in their car fish tailing, which causes their car to suddenly be perpendicular to the cars around them. This then results in the other cars slamming their foot on the gas pedal. You know what happens then? Their cars also fish tail and.....you see the pattern right? Inevitably, the light changes from green, to yellow, to red. And I have not moved. Instead, I am sitting behind Slow Driving Asshole as well as Gas Pedal Asshole. And not just for one light. For two.
And finally, I would like to introduce you to the funeral director who decided that it would be a good time to begin a funeral procession onto Skokie Blvd t approximately 8ish in the morning. And it was for a city worker to boot, which meant no less than 100 cars. Under normal circumstances, I have the utmost respect from any funeral procession. But when you are foolish enough to think that pulling out 100 cars onto one of the busiest streets in the area, during rush hour, with Slow Driving Asshole and Gas Pedal Asshole on the road was a good idea, then my respect for you has dwindled. Just a little bit. In the future, Funeral Director, could you please wait until at least 9:00 to begin your procession? It really would have helped my day start off a little better.
All that pissing and moaning aside, I can't believe the amount of snow that we have managed to get this year. Let's just hope that it's enough to help out my lawn and the portions of new sod that were dying towards the end of last summer. Because if I have to replace that, there is a good possibility that I will remove all of the grass and replace it with something fancy....like mulch.
But, alas, I will not do any of those things. I will, however, complain about the weather here in Chicago. I am sick of snow. REally, I am. Winter is usually my favorite season. I love cold weather. There is nothing better than walking outside and feeling the snot inside your nose freeze. But all this damn snow, I could do without it. And it's not so much the snow that bothers me. It's the fact that people who have lived in Chicago for all of their natural born lives suddenly forget how to drive in it. Seriously. Either they have forgotten or every damn person on the road this morning just moved here from California. I can think of no other reason for the person in front of me to be driving 7 (SEVEN!) miles per hour on a plowed street that has nothing but slush on it. The temperature is high enough that the slush is not freezing. Essentially, it is nothing more than rain. So why does this driver feel the need to drive slower than most people ride bikes? We will refer to him as Slow Driving Asshole for the duration of this post/complaint.
In addition to Slow Driving Asshole, we have the people who think that it is a good idea to slam their foot on their gas pedal as soon as the light turns green. (We will refer to him and his friends as Gas Pedal Asshole). Do you know what this results in? It results in their car fish tailing, which causes their car to suddenly be perpendicular to the cars around them. This then results in the other cars slamming their foot on the gas pedal. You know what happens then? Their cars also fish tail and.....you see the pattern right? Inevitably, the light changes from green, to yellow, to red. And I have not moved. Instead, I am sitting behind Slow Driving Asshole as well as Gas Pedal Asshole. And not just for one light. For two.
And finally, I would like to introduce you to the funeral director who decided that it would be a good time to begin a funeral procession onto Skokie Blvd t approximately 8ish in the morning. And it was for a city worker to boot, which meant no less than 100 cars. Under normal circumstances, I have the utmost respect from any funeral procession. But when you are foolish enough to think that pulling out 100 cars onto one of the busiest streets in the area, during rush hour, with Slow Driving Asshole and Gas Pedal Asshole on the road was a good idea, then my respect for you has dwindled. Just a little bit. In the future, Funeral Director, could you please wait until at least 9:00 to begin your procession? It really would have helped my day start off a little better.
All that pissing and moaning aside, I can't believe the amount of snow that we have managed to get this year. Let's just hope that it's enough to help out my lawn and the portions of new sod that were dying towards the end of last summer. Because if I have to replace that, there is a good possibility that I will remove all of the grass and replace it with something fancy....like mulch.
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