aggravation comes before gratitude this week

yes, yes, I'm grateful for all kinds of things, whatever. here's a list of things that aggravate me:
_teens who know everything
-running tights
-allergy induced headaches that make me want to slam my head on my desk
-tests that feel like they are tricking my students instead of just assessing what they can do
-beer that goes skunky
-dinnertimes where we reenact the "airing of the grievances" from seinfeld
-that they only keep 5 episodes of a show online
-editing a kiddo's rough draft, only to have them submit the final draft with all the same mistakes
-people who lie
-clean laundry that gets dumped on the floor, never to be put away
-papercuts
-when the bubbles wear out in my tub
So there, Universe. take that...

november, wow! really?

mooklettes update:
chris and i just got back from an extended weekend in carmel, ca. thanks to lynne we were able to turn off the mom and dad portion of our brains for a few days and enjoy some great runs along the coast, walking around without a schedule or nagging, and meandering wherever the mood took us.

joe is applying to the CSU system for college in the fall, or he may go the JC route. he is interested in becoming a lock smith, which i find to be right up his alley. he also seems to have a burgeoning career as a house/pet sitter. the kids needs dough, so call me. he is happiest about his U18 boys soccer team doing so well, and his leadership role within that team.

kate is a workhorse. she puts a great deal of effort into everything she does. have to say a big highlight was her singing to me at my birthday party. not only was she lovely, it was an unexpected treat from my gorgeous girl. kate is learning to drive and is lobbying hard for a car.

jt is addicted to anything with a screen. we are considering a 12 step program for him. he has also recently been named mayor. of our home! he keeps everything running around here: pets fed, table set, c. out of traffic, you name it and he knows what time it needs to be done and exactly to what specification.

c. is starting to print, but mostly she just wants to dance and sass. she is the champion of sass. (and coming from me? that is really saying something!) current favorite: What kind of girl do you think i am???

current life advice that i'm embracing

what is the source of your information? if it is only in your head, ignore it.
- mary karr, LIT

what i've been reading

i have come across some real treasures lately! now that i have a kindle, as well, i am actually able to read even more. no i won't use it exclusively, but i am surprised at how wonderful it is. for those who wonder, it does actually feel like a book and the type resembles a good old-fashioned paperback.

- The Liar's Club:Mary Karr. read this in advance of daughter needing to read it as summer assignment for sophomore english. i really embraced it. this gal takes some really bad situations and mines the humor out of them in order to make herself a better person. also, i was impressed with the bravery displayed by the teachers who assigned this work. surely they got complaints?
-LIT: also by Mary Karr. 3rd in the series of her memoirs. profound, changed my life, left me a different human being.(not engaging in hyperbole)there were lessons she learned that i needed to benefit from and the time was right. plus, that title works in 3 different ways, which is also an indication of the brilliance of the book.
-Particular Sadness of lemon Cake: i wanted to like this book, after all i waited for weeks for my turn at it through the library. in a word, it was awful.
-Star Island: Carl Hiassan this is one of his novels for adults and it is just fun, plain and simple. oh, and it is also filthy.
-The Red Queen and the White Queen: both by Phillipa Gregory. She is really a master of historical fiction and in this duo she backs up a generation or two from Henry the VIII and looks at those involved in the War of the Roses. Both are as wonderful and engaging as her previous works.
-Composed: Rosanne Cash. She is a poet and a true artist with a voice independent from her famous father. i have loved her music for years and this book made me love her more.
True Porn Clerk Stories: Ali Davis Um, really a little nugget of comedic wisdom and a meditation on human sexuality, feminism, and the human condition. Ali succeeds in writing about her experiences in such an arc that each chapter contains a very satisfying pay-off. (wonder how she knew that would work?)still, not for the faint of heart!
- I Remember Nothing: Nora Ephron. If there is a writer who more deserves the mantle of Erma Bombeck for truth-telling disguised with humor, I am not sure who it might be. in this slim-volume, Nora takes on aging and how she sees herself, and others, from the vantage point of 69 years old. the writing is brief, precise, moving and truly funny, no matter what alec baldwin may post on huffpo!

things that make me go hmmm

i think that people who compromise deeply held beliefs for a short term gain, wind up without either....

the big 4-0

...and the view is quite lovely. last year i talked about how i was going to keep counting the years, and not put a "hold" on myself at 39 and i still feel that way.

my sis went out of her way to surprise me with a very big party. the setting was desert-moonlight-outdoor-under the stars-amazing, and because MA organized it, everything was pitch-perfect, in one of those, *I'll never even hope to have night like THAT* kind of ways. what an evening! lots of wonderful people, whom i love, dancing and fun. it was amazing to be in the company of so many fabulous people who "get" me and love me anyway.

thanks to all of you who lift me up in so many ways!
-peace

pausing to remember

it's about more than the WTC...don't forget the pentagon and a field in shanksville, pa...and the more than 5,000 lives that followed the tragedy of 9/11...

where i've been

...or respecting the ebb and flow...
um, i've missed this space, and have tried to get back, but life just kept standing in the way of the quiet it takes to come here.

but, i'm here now and rereading some posts i've written and smiling...just like i hit a *wall* in my running from time to time, i hit a *wall* with my writing and wanting to share.

i have a good friend who blogs as part of his job, and it becomes an exhausting demand. i once referred to it as the "beast who must be fed". however, i come here by choice...

let's catch up, old friend...
still running, only sporadically. it just doesn't fit with my level of exhaustion right now. i had planned to do my first marathon next month, but my body and mind did not handle the increase in mileage well, and i am no elite athlete, so i'll do the half and be content at being out there.

teaching- still love it. i do have to admit that doing two curriculum at one time is the thing that leaves me most drained. and, as i start a new school year, the gulf between the two grades is huge and i find myself stretched way too thin.

in addition to teaching, i was elected to serve my teachers' union. it is a really interesting learning curve and i am proud of our local chapter and how hard people work for others.

the kids are great. busy, like everyone else, but still funny and rebellious and loud, just the way i like them, even when it aggravates me.

the mister is good. new school again, and trying to find his place, but always with his students' best interests at heart and focusing on doing right by them.

all in all...things are really good!
-peace