💔 maine

Naively, I expected Maine to be safe.  

My takeaways:  

1. I've said it multiple times--military weapons do not belong in the hands of civilians.
2. The person of interest has a history of mental health issues.  I carefully explained to my classes that having mental health issues DOES NOT CAUSE this type of behavior.  There are millions of people, like me, who have mental health issues but do not commit major crimes.  Mental illness might provide a vulnerability especially if he was hearing voices, as reported.  We must not let his mental health issues be the primary description of this man's actions.

It's been a long and stressful day.  Heightened awareness, vigilance, and increased security measures are tiring.

ten things tuesday

My heart is too heavy for the ten things that are really on my mind.  So I'll go easy.  FYI--we had  a "soft" lockdown at my school today and it wasn't a drill.  Soft means there was no imminent dangerous threat.

Ten reasons I'm looking forward to spring:

1)  No socks.

2)  No heavy shoes.

3)  No winter jackets.

4)  No chapped lips.

5)  Elbows and knees and heels aren't as dry.

6)  Pedicure season!

7)  Dresses--without needing layers for warmth.

8)  Linen pants.

9)  Birds singing.  Now I can only hear crows fighting.

10)  Closer to summer vacation!

spectacular view

 So, the trip to Central Maine for dad's surgical procedure was a bust--he didn't have the procedure done after all.  His afib is acting up and his cardiologist put him on new medication earlier this week and the anesthesiologist decided not to proceed with the surgery until the new medication has had a chance to work on the afib.  (The surgical procedure is not associated with the afib.)  Because my parents rely on their landline and infrequently use their cell phone, the surgeon's call cancelling the procedure came after we'd left town and they obviously didn't get the call in time.  We don't know when it will be rescheduled.

At least the leaves are almost at peak peeping.  This photo does not come close to capturing the glory.

happy day 10

 I had a great day working at school.  When I got home, I was talking to a colleague who told me about a conversation that the administration had regarding the hybrid model of teaching and the expectations around it.  Instead of totally freaking out and getting riled up, I joined my colleague and a couple of others to set up a meeting with the principal to discuss our concerns.  So, although there was some stress and negativity in my day I am happy that I am letting it roll off my back and taking steps to address it in a proactive manner.  I didn't lose my shit.

it's time

I have work to do. I live in the whitest state in the nation, at 95.5% white folx. Maine is also the state with the highest proportion of residents over the age of 65. I am a privileged middle-aged white woman. I have work to do.

I'm compiling a list of books to read: This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell; So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo; White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo; How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi; Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad; and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi.

I'm compiling a list of Anti-racism resources.

happy day 8

8/8:
My book group met for lunch--lasting longer than two hours! We love Cafe Sorpreso. And we had quite a lively discussion about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. For the most part, we enjoyed the writing and the book; not high literature but a great summer read.

I love being part of a book group because I end up reading books I never would have chosen on my own. I read outside my usual genres. And I think about how other group members will analyze or even enjoy the books. I posted the image below on my Bookface page and got a lot of shocked responses.

nailing jello

I don't like confrontation but it's a necessary evil. I would rather address something face on than live in a passive-aggressive tug of war. My dad turns 80 this year. I'd like to plan a nice family gathering. It's like herding cats. Two sisters and their families are traveling substantial distances to be here, but their trips overlap just a few days. The third sister is making snarky, passive-aggressive remarks. No one is agreeing on the simplest details. And poor Dad is left wondering if there's going to be a family celebration.

I'm not sure why I'm taking the lead on this. I think I might have a blowout with my snarky, passive-aggressive sister. She pushes all the wrong buttons.

not again...

And because I'm obsessed with how much I hate winter, I'll share two terms I learned from the weather forecast:

Cyclogenesis is the development or strengthening of cyclonic circulation in the atmosphere (a low-pressure area). Cyclogenesis is an umbrella term for at least three different processes, all of which result in the development of some sort of cyclone, and at any size from the microscale to the synoptic scale.

Bombogenesis is defined as a mid-latitude cyclone that drops in surface barometric pressure by 24 or more millibars in a 24-hour period. The height contours pack around the center of rotation and the number of height contours increases rapidly in the developing stages.

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM SUNDAY TO 5 AM EST

TUESDAY...

The National Weather Service in Caribou has issued a Winter

Weather Advisory for snow and blowing snow...which is in effect

from 7 PM Sunday to 5 AM EST Tuesday.

* LOCATIONS...Northern Aroostook and Northern Somerset counties

* HAZARD TYPES...Snow and blowing snow.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...6 to 10 inches.

* TIMING...Sunday night through Monday night. The worst conditions

are expected later Sunday night through Monday.

* IMPACTS...Snow and blowing snow will reduce visibilities and create

hazardous travel conditions.

* WINDS...Northeast 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

* TEMPERATURES...Through the teens to the lower 20s.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Weather Advisory for snow means that periods of snow

will cause primarily travel difficulties. Be prepared for snow

covered roads and limited visibilities...and use caution while

driving.

this could be nasty...

conferences

I have a love-hate relationship with conference days. Because I teach several Advanced Placement classes, the students are top achievers; their conferences are relatively painless and an opportunity to showcase the progress they are making. I love laughing with parents about how well their student is doing. I hate that the parents it would be helpful to meet with don't usually come to conferences. I love discussing strategies for performance enhancement and improvement and ultimately leading those students to academic success.

Part of it is that we have online grade reporting. So parents can, at any time, get a peek at the grades and teacher comments on those grades. It deters a lot of parents from coming.

I'm expecting to have a slow evening tonight and a slow afternoon tomorrow.

Of course, I'm counting down to Thanksgiving Break, so that helps the time slow down.

move along... it's time

So, I've been thinking about current events. Many monumental issues right now, how can I not think about them? What it boils down to for me is this: I'm a lifelong northerner, living in the nation's least ethnically diverse state. I don't know and can't relate to the African-American struggle. What I can relate to is the culture of hate. Historically, the "Stars & Bars" represented Civil War era soldiers, however, after the Civil War, several white supremacist groups (the White Knights, the KKK, and others) used the flag as their symbol, distorting an honorable war memento into a symbol of repression.

I get why people are riled up. For a lot of us, removed from the deeper meanings of the flag, it seems like a symbol of "good ol' boys" and "redneck culture," relatively meaningless and harmless. But historically, it's got more meaning than that. Many southern states began including the flag at state and federal buildings during the Civil Rights Era, making a statement that not everything would change. I do think it's time the government shed itself of the flag and all it has come to represent.

We've prided ourselves as being a nation based on freedom and liberty for all and it's time to ante up and be that. If we are a nation of inclusion, of freedom, of liberty, of justice, then we need to move on from the symbols of a bygone era. And I don't think it's living in a culture of political correctness, as others have argued. It's acknowledging the history of our nation and moving forward. It's not erasing the past or covering it up, it's acknowledging and moving on. And it's time. It's time for Americans to live up to the ideal the Founders set forth, they certainly acknowledged their own hypocrisy--although most people are unaware of the Commerce (Slave Trade) Compromise and other ways the slavery issue was skirted at the formation of the nation. The teacher in me could go on and on, but basically that's what I've got on the flag issue.

gah

Beyond frustrated that I can't simply add a .net blog to my blogroll. I don't want to try to navigate the Blogger Help Forums. Oy. That just added to my frustration.

gotta try again

click the image above for the prompts

June 28: A note to someone.

Dear Amazon Third Party Vendor,

It's rather hinky that the iPad I ordered was stolen after it had been issued a tracking number. No, I don't want you to get a replacement. I want a full refund. Immediately.

Sincerely,
This Disgruntled Shopper

it's annoying...

It's obvious this particular class didn't bother to study for their final exam. One of the girls is very dramatically turning the pages of the test booklet and snorting. One of the boys didn't know the answer to the essay so he is choosing to leave it blank. Why did I spend days reviewing? Another girl really looks like this:

this just in...

Being annoyed at not sleeping is not conducive to sleeping.

whoopee... or something...

So this Teacher Appreciation Week has been a terrible let down. Nothing special has been done. I've been spoiled the past couple of years when I had students who were excited to do something fun for me (remember last year's post it notes?). Whoopee! Really, I've gotten one appreciative email from a parent. One. I have 80+ students.

I'm feeling unappreciated by some of my colleagues, too, that's probably what prompted this grumpy rant/whine.

rantish

Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)

It's time to get out of my own way and seriously get to work. I need to stop procrastinating and work on final exams. I need to write the exams for three classes and write the study guides. And the clock is ticking. The end of the school year is in sight. For that I'm glad. But I've got some work to do to get there.

rant...

Something very strange is happening with my blog. I can create new posts but I can't seem to read my own blog. Gah. I need to figure it out. Before it drives me nuts.

another thursday bug...

My Thursday bug really ought to be the amount of gray hair I am getting. Oy, I went to my Hair Goddess this morning and when she combed it back... sigh. So, I'm adding a second Thursday bug:

Gray hair! I'm too youthful for this!!!

whining...

I can't believe how early it gets dark out. This is going to be a long winter.