Northern Noise

The other day I had to use the restroom at Fred Meyer.  While I the stall I saw a pregnancy kit stuffed into the garbage can.  It made me really sad.  I remember when Bob and I took our pregnancy test with Jed.  The thought of someone being alone in a stall in Fred Meyer finding out something so important, so miraculous has stuck with me. I'm grateful for my family.

Haven't been blogging lately.  I miss the writing part but feel like nothing exciting is happening to report. My friend Sheila does this great "reasons to be grateful for" as well as blogging about important issues.  My uncle has a blog about fishing on the Kenai.  My creative friend Kathleen has, like, art and her movie trailers.  I used to have funny stories about my son, but at age 8 his smart little comments and nudity take on a tone more tawdry and irritating than cute and charming. When I was in the classroom, a thousand hilarious things happened each day.  Teenagers are funny and it's easy to feel justified in mocking them, at least a little.  During the summer I got to check out exotic locations like Las Vegas and Rockaway Beach, Oregon.  Last few weeks have been pretty tame - work, home, chores, rain, watch an episode of Lost with Bob and head to bed.  Get up.  Repeat. Maybe I need a hook - like many bloggers have.  I mean,...

Cool this morning, The light is different Yellow leaves appearing in the green Rain constantly lurking (fair is here) Sunshine in the afternoon, but not so warm Kids talking about back to school supplies Feels like fall

Well, I'm about to start a new adventure.  After being a classroom teacher since 1995, I'm about to become a year-round educational employee.  Yesterday I accepted a job as the secondary curriculum coordinator for the school district.  It's kind of still sinking in, but I think I'm excited about the change. For the past year I've been working on a Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction, so when a position came open that required this degree and would let me use what I learn, I felt like I had to apply.  I was sort of surprised to get it, but am really excited as well as flattered that my current boss thinks I can do the job. This means that I will be facilitating curriculum revisions, working with school counselors, planning professional development, organizing district-wide events such as Poetry Out Loud, and completing "other duties as assigned"  I still get to work with great people in a great department. The downside is that I'm ...

This week I've got the kids - well, Jed and Aileen - at the beach.  Yesterday was beautiful weather.  We went up to Seaside, which is a fun, family friendly tourist town.  We shopped, went to the Aquarium, did some boardwalk rides....  The Seaside Aquarium was fun.  Not too big, but nice exhibits.  Both the kids liked the octopi.  Now, before some grammarian out there protests, be advised I did some research.  According to (ahem, please don't tell anyone I cited this source) Wikipedia, the following is true: Currently there are three plural forms of octopus : octopuses [ˈɒktəpəsɪz] , octopi [ˈɒktəpaɪ] , and octopodes [ˌɒkˈtəʊpədiːz] . Currently, octopuses is the most common form in the UK as well as the US; octopodes is rare, and octopi is often objectionable. [7 ] I like octopi, so that's the one I'm using.... I mean, I can be objectionable too, right? The aquarium also had harbor seals, including two adorable babies.  There was a vi...

So my son loves video games.  And my dilemma is whether I let him play them, and if so, how much?  I admit, I use them to my convenience.  For example, when we're traveling I'm happy to let him plug into Pokemon for the long flight.  But when we're home, I don't like 'em much. On the other side, I can see him using problem solving skills to get through some of these role playing games.  He gets SO frustrated and then stops, ponders, and re-tries.  He also likes to read all the "stuff" - the intros, the discussions between characters, the Nintendo Power magazine.  I think about my two cousins who grew up on lots of video games.  They both turned out okay (well, by our family's standards anyways). It's not like all he does is play games.  He reads, he plays soccer and badminton, he plays with the dogs and his friends and runs around like a yahoo.  But on some days, like today when it's rainy and cool outside, and we were up late and I'...

I like to watch boxing, and to read about boxing.  I think part of it is that I associate boxing with my grandfather, who was a Golden Glove boxer back in his day.  I remember the cardboard cutouts of him in his boxing stance that that sat in his office.  He looked young, and tough.  It's also that xoxing is an individual sport, of toughness, speed, stamina, determination.  I admire that.  There can be no blaming a teammate in boxing, or a trainer.  It's only the boxer in the ring. There are so many good movies about boxing and, like all good sports movies, they show that boxing is a metaphor and archetype that speaks to us.  From Brando's plea to his brother, "I could have been a contender" to the family of parasites swooping into Hillary Swank's hospital bed in Million Dollar Baby, to Russell Crowe's portrayal of Depression era Jim Braddock, a symbol of the American spirit - boxing movies show us something about ourselves and our society. As...