I'm · Not · Crazy...

Happy Birthday, equus_sb!!!!!!!

I love you!

Updates, for those who are staying tuned:

The Wannado City trip was a mixed bag. The boys had fun, mostly. They got to 'work' in a hospital, as police officers, made bracelets in a jewelry store, made cookies, and AngelBaby got to be a fireman (PreciousPumpkin chose to sit that one out). It is definitely NOT a family place to go... parents are 'encouraged' to stay outside while the kids do their things... sorry, not gonna happen when one of mine is only 4 1/2. Maybe when they're older, if the rates don't continue to climb, and if we go back without a field trip so we get the tracking bracelet thingies.
AngelBaby liked the science thing, though I shouldn't have taken PreciousPumpkin on the nature trail during the lecture part... we returned to AngelBaby being 'babysat' by one of the other moms, much to my mortification. But it was OK, considering it was his first time in a 'classroom' setting, and considering that he was expressing a desire to not have a teacher.
The boys both liked the hockey game, too. AngelBaby has said he now wants to play hockey, so we may be looking into that. Yeah, it's rough, but I'd still rather he play that than football. Plus, he seems to think it's really fun to play rough (the worst behaved and roughest kid at park group is the one he's invariably drawn to play with... I noticed a BIG attitude difference when the kid wasn't there last week...), and maybe getting knocked around a bit in a legitimate setting can show him that there is a responsibility that goes with being rough and strong. Anyhow, it was a pretty good game, and the Panthers beat Chicago - and of course we missed it... we left after the 2nd when the Panthers were down 2-1.
We got our tadpoles, but not when we expected to. They're getting legs now (most of them, anyhow - some still only have toes, and a few don't have any), which is rather amusing - they look funny swimming with tucked up legs. I see a couple with bumps where their front feet will be. It also means I should get a cover for their fishbowl soon... I'm not sure what to expect, but since they're tree frogs, they'll be able to suction cup their way out once all four feet develop. Some will end up in our backyard, others are destined to be released in the butterfly garden across the street. No replacement fish for me yet, which is fine. Climber the hamster is annoyed with me - I cleaned her cage last night, which she dislikes. She did get a consolation prize, though, of half a dozen cotton bolls I'd picked from my dad's garden. Our cotton is blooming, but I'm not optimistic about any bolls setting since it was so rainy when the blossoms opened. We'll see.
The rest of the garden is pretty much the same. No news.
Yesterday was the beginning of week 4 in school. I think I'm doing OK this term, though one of my profs has been ill and is thus not keeping up with grading. I'm doing well on the quizzes in there, and got a solid C on my cup & saucer drawing (not as good as I was hoping, but not as bad as it could have been) which was raised to a C+ because I actually did follow instructions, despite initial thoughts otherwise. Another one is not giving grades for individual assignments, which is not making me very happy, but whatever. It's interesting stuff, and I'm finding myself even more drawn to the Arts & Crafts movement than I was before. The other class is going well... have to finish my preliminary drawing in there, and hopefully I won't have to do any lettering assignments after this week (though they're easy - but I just don't like having it hanging over my head). One of my next assignments is dependent on the one I need to finish, and then I'll be good to go.
So, that's what's up here. How about with you (two?)?

And they've flowed like my brain cells out my ears.

Anyhow, equus_sb got me onto Facebook. Like him, I also don't quite get it, but whatever. An upside is that I made contact with a friend from high school that I haven't seen since equus_sb & I got married. Very cool, since there are only oh, 7 or 8 (too lazy to go back & re-count... kinda like the current admin...) people of the 330 I graduated with that I'd care to find.

Let's see... random updates, in no particular order:

Homeschooling:
Has gone well the last couple of days. I'm going to have to modify our math program a bit, if I can't get hold of the company that sent it to see when our teddybear counters will be arriving. No big deal, I think. We've been alternating math stuff anyhow... someone turned me onto a Hungarian program by way of Great Britain that's free, and pretty fun, and AngelBaby seems to like it, so we've been taking turns. The Saxon program (waiting for TBs) only has 12 lessons for September anyway, and he really likes math.
What he doesn't like is cutting out pictures & pasting them into his alphabet & number books. I realize he's gonna have to learn to do stuff he doesn't like, but I also don't want to fight with him to get stuff done. So, today, instead of C&P, he wrote some words for his alphabet book. Gets done either way. He also doesn't like to color very much, but he will draw occasionally.
We've got a bunch of extracurricular stuff coming up - will be way fun! Friday is a trip to Wannado city (we've never been), and equus_sb is going, too! Then we've got a science thing at a county park, AngelBaby will be learning from the people there while I take PreciousPumpkin & wander around. Then, on the 25th, we'll all be going to the boys' first hockey game. It's a preseason, home game at noon, and the Panthers are hosting an "educational" thingamabob, so it should be fun. And hey, we get CHEAP tix! Yo, dynamojoe, wanna tag along?

My school:
I've got all but one of my assignments done for this 'module' as they call the weeks of class. I've begun the readings for the second module in the interiors class (and plotting out which interior I'll choose for the assignment there). I've got to draw a coffee cup & saucer for Sketching... waiting for a reply to a question before I begin that. No big deal. And I've got to start reading for Module 2 in Construction Documents. Also need to figure out how to stop scrambling names of stuff... always been a problem for me.

Garden:
Still the same... cotton may or may not have blooms on it. If they ARE blooms, they're tiny compared to the one behind my dad's house. If they're just leaves, I'll be moderately disappointed - Climber the hamster wants cotton! Saw some ladybugs out there, though, finally... we've had aphids since the cotton was only 8 inches high (it now is about 8 feet), and the black ants have been milking them. Kinda cool.

Miscellaneous:
I'm hungry, because I've had pot roast going all day in the oven, and it smells Yummy. We'll see if I can get AngelBaby to eat any of it - not likely, but worth a shot.
The goldfish (Zebra) kicked off on Saturday. Not sure when/if I'll replace him/her, and if so, with what. The boys have already been asking what fish I'm getting instead. We are going to be getting tadpoles when we do our veggie pickup this week... for Cuban Tree frogs. Yippee.

I think that's it for now...

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Sounds about right.

And yeah, I can still slack. Classes don't start for me 'til Thursday.

OK, I found THIS while checking the news this morning (though admittedly I mostly troll entertainment & science stuff... politics & events/sensationalism just get depressing.

Anyhow, go watch for a good laugh, and I sure wish I spoke Japanese...

Got it from dynamojoe.

Sounds about right. Pun intended.

It's hereditary... Mom's from Ohio, Dad's American half is from Michigan, other half German.

Your ideal man should be Real like James Bond


How Does Your Ideal Man Stack up to James Bond?

Brought to you by Tickle


Yeah, I'm still slacking...

What of it?

There's a Witch/Warlock lurking inside of you!

What's Your Monster Match?

Brought to you by Tickle

Two in a row I wouldn't mind...

What Fantasy Archetype Are you?
The Seasoned Veteran Friend You are the Seasoned Veteran Friend! You resemble Aragorn (Lord of The Rings), Merlin (Arthurian Legend), Han Solo (Star Wars), The Marquis (Neverwhere), Sirius Black (Harry Potter) and Chase (Wizard's First Rule). You are exceedingly loyal, tricky and hardy. You regularly pull the Unlikely Hero, Mentor and Pillor-of-Strength Love Interest out of trouble and into safety. Beware The Traitor, who will make your job intensely difficult. And don't coddle the Unlikely Hero too much, he has to learn how to fend for himself. Anyway, everyone admires you and your resourcefullness / reliability - good going!
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

For once, I'm who I'd LIKE to be...

Star Wars Horoscope for Leo

You add a whole new meaning to self-assurance. You are a nurturing person with great physical strength. Like many Leos, you will see that your mission for good is completed. You are very optimistic about the future. Star wars character you are most like: Princess Leia

So, the bug I had in the last post never really went away. It really blossomed while we were on vacation (of course), and I wasn't the only one who got it. PreciousPumpkin got the worst first, then me, then equus_sb. Fortunately, I made it to the Magic Kingdom after staying in bed & missing breakfast that day. Then the drive to Tampa was bad, but I recovered enough to take the boys to the Florida Aquarium while equus_sb had the worst bit.

We got to all four parks at Disney, which was nice. I still am not really into MGM, but it was nice. It will be better when the boys are older and can appreciate more of the stuff there. They love Animal Kingdom, and the Magic Kingdom, and there is lots at Epcot to keep them busy. We got lots of pictures, and we even 'showed' the parks to our Flat visitor from England. (We joined a group sort of like pen pals, where you exchange flat versions of yourself or whatever you want to represent you, and you become a guest of the person, and they send themselves to you - much fun!) And we had dinner with draxzaster & his lovely lady, too, so that was an extra bonus!

The boys had earned their trip to the Florida Aquarium, but unfortunately, we didn't get more than a glimpse of the penguins that were the reason they wanted to go back. But, we did find out that you can get on the roof of the Aquarium, which is very cool.

School is interesting this semester. My writing prof is kind of a jerk. Instead of offering helpful advice, his posts are full of chastisement for not writing as much as he'd like to see. Lovely. The Survey of Traditional Interiors is interesting. Very full of new information for the most part, and it's a lot of fun to read about historical stuff. Construction Documents is a very intensive class. I'm waiting for clarification before the next step of my project (we are redesigning a kitchenware store & cooking school - neat!), and depending on that clarification, might have to redo the last step. But, I have a Plan B if I need to do that, so no biggie.

The garden has pretty much been managing without me. We've had a steady trickle of tomatoes, and that's been nice. Other stuff hasn't started producing yet... I really need to work on timing for planting, and get the worm bin I've been talking about for 2 years or so going. The mints need repotting, I need to trim the tarragon again & plant some of the basil seeds from the plants I let bloom & seed, then pull out some of the old plants (many of which still have the black spot on them, so I'm not using them for anything). The dill is doing OK despite being in the Tomato Tangle, and the lemongrass & oregano are doing pretty well. The one little spot that doesn't do much is finally doing something... the cotton plants are taller, the green pepper plants have blooms on them, the pandan is going to pull through, and the Vick's plant & sage are doing well. The herb patch is still doing well. I acquired & planted out a lavendar plant, which has finished blooming (it had buds when I bought it), and it's so far surviving next to the rosemary. The tarragon is still flourishing, and blooming like mad. I've gotten a couple of self-started cutting plants from it, so those may go either to the landlord's grandson or to the herb society (or one to each, likely).

Speaking of the herb society, I should get some stuff made for the booth at the Fruit & Spice park's next event. The Asian Culture Festival is one of their largest events, if not the totally largest. They always have a lot of neat stuff there. We will be selling stuff, so I need to look for some Asian-type things to make & sell. I also need to finish the newsletter. Herb of the month is Vick's plant, and it's a booger to research.

The boys are doing well, aside from PreciousPumpkin's trying to kick the strep (like me... we were both in urgent care clinic this weekend). The worst part is stomach upset from his medicine, which keeps him awake & cranky. Poor baby. AngelBaby is doing well, though, reading up a storm!

Enough blabbing, though, time to be productive. Or something.

sumimasen_kiyo gave me a nudge, so here I am. Apologies to those who care... I lost track of time (not hard for me, just ask equus_sb).

So, updates, in no particular order...

School begins again on Monday. Last semester was a pretty good one, considering my hiatus, complete major change, and getting back into the swing of things. I got a C in my drawing class, no surprise there. I got a B in Conceptual Design, and a B+ in the killer class, Materials. That was a pleasant surprise since I missed a couple of minor assignments and was late on a couple of biggies... and there was a whole Grading Policy of Doom thing about missing ANY assignment will mean automatic FAILURE. So, all in all I was pleased.

I got my troublesome wisdom teeth pulled, finally. The dentist didn't have much of a sense of humor, but he did a pretty good job. Follow up was scheduled for today, but I've got a bug and so equus_sb called to cancel for me.

Pretty much given up on the local homeschool group up this way. There were some nice kids there, but then there were others I could cheerfully do without. Moms, too. Most of the kids are older than AngelBaby & PreciousPumpkin, and unfortunately didn't know what to do with them. It also seemed less like a socialization vehicle and more like a 'workbook competition' - a bunch of the kids would bring their workbooks/notebooks/texts/etc. and work in them instead of having fun. Maybe it's just me, but I AssUMed that the reason for the group was for social stuff (as well as banding together to get better rates for field trips & all that...). So, we will just step up efforts to get together with the buddies from Homestead. I may go back a couple times again, but not counting on it.

The garden is doing pretty well. There's one area where I haven't gotten anything to grow, but I'm hoping that whenever I get off my butt & get the worm bin up & running, that I'll be able to amend the soil with something more than just coffee grounds (which the plants are loving). Mints need some work, likely needing repotting. I have a bunch of baby pomegranate trees (the result of my "save some seeds & see what happens" experiments), so those might do something, too. I really really would like to have more of a food garden, but realize it's not likely to happen.

I guess that will be all for now. This flu is kicking my butt.

Along with the requisite pleas for money, too.

Funny stuff here...

Gift ideas here

Dedicated to dynamojoe.

Now I gotta do some cinematic research...

Carole Lombard You scored 9% grit, 19% wit, 42% flair, and 33% class!

You're a little bit of a fruitcake, but you always act out in style. You have a good sense of humor, are game for almost anything, but you like to have nice things about you and are attracted to the high life. You're stylish and modern, but you've got a few rough edges that keep you from attaining true sophistication. Your leading men include William Powell, Fredric March, and Clark Gable. Watch out for small planes. Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the Classic Leading Man Test.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on grit You scored higher than 99% on wit You scored higher than 99% on flair You scored higher than 99% on class

Link: The Classic Dames Test written by gidgetgoes on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test