I have been reading another book by Carolly Erickson called "The Last Wife of Henry VIII." I've read a couple of her historical biographies but I think this is the first historical fiction of hers that I've read. It's about Catherine Parr's rise to power in the court of Henry the VIII. Because I'm basically lazy and prefer to be entertained as I am educated, I have grown to love historical fiction. I have become quite well versed on the players of Henry the VIII court through reading various authors accounts of it. I'm sure this latest book will not fail me.
And I am also reading a book by Richard J. Foster called "Freedom of Simplicity." I would never have picked this book on my own. I'm reading it with some women from my church. A friend of mine invited me to attend a Mom's club at our church that meets twice a month. I thought it was just a chance to get together with some women and have lunch. I had no idea I would have to read and study and facilitate discussions of spiritual disciplines. I fear I am over my head. But I am enjoying the book. I've read one chapter. I'm looking forward to the discussion on Tuesday. I plan on doing a lot of listening.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Much Ado...
As is typical of the beginning of the school year, there is a lot of drama. There are papers, meetings, schedule changes, adjusting to new grades with new teachers and new expectations. But most of this "drama" is really quite mundane. It is truly the volume of things to do in such a short period of time that can overwhelm. But the events of the past few days in our neighborhood did truly overwhelm too many people.
On Friday, a child at my sons' school was suspended for bringing a pellet gun to school. Some 5th graders on the Safety Patrol saw the gun, immediately reported it to an adult and the situation was resolved very quickly and efficiently. This was very unsettling, especially because the school administration didn't feel it was necessary to send any communication home on Friday. We had to wonder if a bunch of ten year olds had just saved the school from becoming another story of school violence. Rumors were rampant. Calls to school went unanswered. Our neighborhood was left hanging, wondering whether it was truly safe to send our kids back to school on Monday. There was talk of a group of parents who were threatening to storm the school at 8:30 Monday morning and demand a meeting with the principal.
This didn't happen. Communication came home Monday, offering an explanation of what happened and how it was resolved. News accounts filled in a few blanks that the school didn't provide.
But still I wonder. Our principal, a woman with small children of her own, went home on Friday and left her school hanging. She had to know that kids would run home to tell their families about the incident. She had to know that those parents would call the school and demand an explanation. How could she simply leave this neighborhood for the weekend? If this incident had happened at her child's school, would she have accepted her own action? I don't want to oversimplify a complex situation. I am not a school administrator and I don't pretend to know all the rules and regulations by which schools must be run. Perhaps some school board approval process prohibited the principal from providing prompt communication. I doubt it. I do think the principal may have acted differently if she were the type of person who knew how to treat all people.
Why don't people like our principal try harder to treat ALL others the way they would like to be treated? We weigh the influence and response of authority figures and people we may want to impress as we consider what to do in our lives. But too often we ignore the concerns of people we consider less well to do, less educated, or lower in our job hierarchy. What if we simply put some thought into how we would want to be treated were the situation reversed? Our world might be a little more pleasant.
Maybe our principal learned a lesson from all of this. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. I just hope she doesn't disappoint me again.
On Friday, a child at my sons' school was suspended for bringing a pellet gun to school. Some 5th graders on the Safety Patrol saw the gun, immediately reported it to an adult and the situation was resolved very quickly and efficiently. This was very unsettling, especially because the school administration didn't feel it was necessary to send any communication home on Friday. We had to wonder if a bunch of ten year olds had just saved the school from becoming another story of school violence. Rumors were rampant. Calls to school went unanswered. Our neighborhood was left hanging, wondering whether it was truly safe to send our kids back to school on Monday. There was talk of a group of parents who were threatening to storm the school at 8:30 Monday morning and demand a meeting with the principal.
This didn't happen. Communication came home Monday, offering an explanation of what happened and how it was resolved. News accounts filled in a few blanks that the school didn't provide.
But still I wonder. Our principal, a woman with small children of her own, went home on Friday and left her school hanging. She had to know that kids would run home to tell their families about the incident. She had to know that those parents would call the school and demand an explanation. How could she simply leave this neighborhood for the weekend? If this incident had happened at her child's school, would she have accepted her own action? I don't want to oversimplify a complex situation. I am not a school administrator and I don't pretend to know all the rules and regulations by which schools must be run. Perhaps some school board approval process prohibited the principal from providing prompt communication. I doubt it. I do think the principal may have acted differently if she were the type of person who knew how to treat all people.
Why don't people like our principal try harder to treat ALL others the way they would like to be treated? We weigh the influence and response of authority figures and people we may want to impress as we consider what to do in our lives. But too often we ignore the concerns of people we consider less well to do, less educated, or lower in our job hierarchy. What if we simply put some thought into how we would want to be treated were the situation reversed? Our world might be a little more pleasant.
Maybe our principal learned a lesson from all of this. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. I just hope she doesn't disappoint me again.
Friday, September 7, 2007
More Dog Neuroses
I'm getting used to dog ownership bit by bit. I accept that the instant I steam clean the rugs, the dog, who hasn't had an accident for weeks, is going to take this opportunity to pee on my clean rug. I accept that the kids are going to chase the dog around the house in circles in an attempt to tire him out. I accept the baby gates I've installed to keep him out of the living room and dining room. Yet I still have problems with the poo.
If you recall, a few months ago, I discussed in this space the many aspects of dog walking that I have trouble with. I didn't like using plastic bags everyday to pick up poo. I did find biodegradable bags at Target, so this worry is gone. I have yet to be chased away by a neighbor who didn't want my dog laying his waste in their yard. Yet, I still somewhat fear the neighbors. We live in a community of sidewalks. This means there is a lovely stretch of grass next to the street for the dog to doo in. So why does he insist on defiling the grass on the other side of the sidewalk? I have very pleasant neighbors so this fear of retaliation is really silly. Yet here I am, writing about it again.
Speaking of fear, I fear for some of the customers at our little bakery and the repercussions of their inconsiderate behavior. Yesterday, there was a really good one. Her missteps were constant. First she asked to taste a muffin before deciding if she could buy ONE. Her muffin purchase was a complete wash. It cost us the amount of money she spent on her muffin to make her pathetic sale. Then she was interested in the sandwich special. She wanted to taste the bread. She wanted to know how long we would have the special. She asked this question 3 different ways, as if she was trying to trick me into giving her the answer she wanted to hear. Finally, she relented and ordered the sandwich but not without one more stab at my patience. She had the nerve to ask me if it was going to take me long to make her sandwich. I gave her a deadpan stare for about 5 seconds and said no. (This was not intentional. I truly was horrified by this woman's gall.) Then I walked slowly back to the sandwich station and took longer than I have ever taken to slap chicken salad on a slice of bread. Don't mess with the bakery girls. It might get ugly.
Gentle readers, enjoy your day.
If you recall, a few months ago, I discussed in this space the many aspects of dog walking that I have trouble with. I didn't like using plastic bags everyday to pick up poo. I did find biodegradable bags at Target, so this worry is gone. I have yet to be chased away by a neighbor who didn't want my dog laying his waste in their yard. Yet, I still somewhat fear the neighbors. We live in a community of sidewalks. This means there is a lovely stretch of grass next to the street for the dog to doo in. So why does he insist on defiling the grass on the other side of the sidewalk? I have very pleasant neighbors so this fear of retaliation is really silly. Yet here I am, writing about it again.
Speaking of fear, I fear for some of the customers at our little bakery and the repercussions of their inconsiderate behavior. Yesterday, there was a really good one. Her missteps were constant. First she asked to taste a muffin before deciding if she could buy ONE. Her muffin purchase was a complete wash. It cost us the amount of money she spent on her muffin to make her pathetic sale. Then she was interested in the sandwich special. She wanted to taste the bread. She wanted to know how long we would have the special. She asked this question 3 different ways, as if she was trying to trick me into giving her the answer she wanted to hear. Finally, she relented and ordered the sandwich but not without one more stab at my patience. She had the nerve to ask me if it was going to take me long to make her sandwich. I gave her a deadpan stare for about 5 seconds and said no. (This was not intentional. I truly was horrified by this woman's gall.) Then I walked slowly back to the sandwich station and took longer than I have ever taken to slap chicken salad on a slice of bread. Don't mess with the bakery girls. It might get ugly.
Gentle readers, enjoy your day.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Finished
I finished "The Piano Tuner." I enjoyed the book. The descriptions of the Burman landscape were wonderful. I was impressed with the author's work in researching Burman history, and the art of piano tuning. I'll have to see if he's written anything else. The book ends very sadly. It turns out to be a story of misunderstanding. The piano tuner and the man for whom he is hired to work are accused of being spies. With a lack of modern communication and the remoteness of the jungle, there are many questions as to what the doctor is doing in his assignment. Ultimately, the very worst conclusion is drawn. I apologize for ruining the book for you. It's really worth reading though.
And in the News...
Good stuff in the news this morning. Senator Craig is thinking about rescinding his resignation. Mattel has recalled 800,000 more toys. A terrorist plot in Germany has been foiled and Halle Berry is pregnant.
I have to admit, I feel sorry for Senator Craig. He may not have been behaving in a very senatorial way, but he denied himself the right to stand up for himself and that made no sense to me. I'm glad he's hiring an attorney to look into reversing his plea and I'm also glad he's considering staying on in the Senate. I know nothing of this man's politics but I do know that he should have been more brave and stood up for himself. We only know snippets of what occurred in that restroom in June. I for one would rather this man had his day in court before judging him wrong.
Mattel, however is wrong. They have issued recalls for 800,000 more toys. This time it's more Barbies, some Fisher Price train toys and some bongo drums. Mattel apologizes for the inconvenience. I still think Bob Eckert should have to take all the calls from all the little boys and girls whose Mommies and Daddies took away their toys. Mattel has been fined more than $2 million dollars in recent years for failing to issue recalls quickly enough. There needs to be a Congressional investigation. (Note to self, contact Congressman Cummings.)
Another terror plot has been foiled. This appeared to be quite the non-issue in the press today. I think Senator Craig's story led off the news on Good Morning America. Do we not care about terrorism anymore or is it that most Americans recognize that all these terrorists who are being arrested are amateurs who lack the technical skills and the funding to be as big a threat as the September 11th hijackers? I don't know. But I'm not losing sleep over terrorism anymore.
And Halle Berry is pregnant. Now that's just nice. Welcome to the fold of motherhood, Halle. Your baby may not be here yet, but as you find yourself eating better for your baby, not putting a knife in the toaster to dig out your stuck English muffin, and not jay-walking, you will understand that motherhood started the moment you saw the positive result on your EPT test. There may be a question as to when life begins, but there is no question about the beginning of motherhood. I wish you well.
That's all from me today, gentle readers. Enjoy your day.
I have to admit, I feel sorry for Senator Craig. He may not have been behaving in a very senatorial way, but he denied himself the right to stand up for himself and that made no sense to me. I'm glad he's hiring an attorney to look into reversing his plea and I'm also glad he's considering staying on in the Senate. I know nothing of this man's politics but I do know that he should have been more brave and stood up for himself. We only know snippets of what occurred in that restroom in June. I for one would rather this man had his day in court before judging him wrong.
Mattel, however is wrong. They have issued recalls for 800,000 more toys. This time it's more Barbies, some Fisher Price train toys and some bongo drums. Mattel apologizes for the inconvenience. I still think Bob Eckert should have to take all the calls from all the little boys and girls whose Mommies and Daddies took away their toys. Mattel has been fined more than $2 million dollars in recent years for failing to issue recalls quickly enough. There needs to be a Congressional investigation. (Note to self, contact Congressman Cummings.)
Another terror plot has been foiled. This appeared to be quite the non-issue in the press today. I think Senator Craig's story led off the news on Good Morning America. Do we not care about terrorism anymore or is it that most Americans recognize that all these terrorists who are being arrested are amateurs who lack the technical skills and the funding to be as big a threat as the September 11th hijackers? I don't know. But I'm not losing sleep over terrorism anymore.
And Halle Berry is pregnant. Now that's just nice. Welcome to the fold of motherhood, Halle. Your baby may not be here yet, but as you find yourself eating better for your baby, not putting a knife in the toaster to dig out your stuck English muffin, and not jay-walking, you will understand that motherhood started the moment you saw the positive result on your EPT test. There may be a question as to when life begins, but there is no question about the beginning of motherhood. I wish you well.
That's all from me today, gentle readers. Enjoy your day.
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