A Non-Happening
Mood:  accident prone
Topic: random

I was taking a shortcut through our old neighborhood after stopping at Sprawlmart, winding my way through the small streets of our quiet neighborhood. On one of the one-way, tiny streets bordering a small green space, a car pulled out from a driveway right in front of me. The driver was on his cell phone and hardly glanced my way before turning. I tapped my horn and not even half a beep sounded.  At the end of the street, he was poised to turn one way and I was poised to turn the other.

Then a funny thing happened. I turned and he was behind me. I turned a block later and so did he. I continued down my dead end street, considering my options. I should have turned into a roundabout, to evade the stalker, but ended up driving to my apartment complex. I didn't park in my usual spot, but parked where there were cars on either side. The stalker parked a couple spots over. I waited. He waited. Time passed.

I couldn't just go on sitting there forever, so I backed up and reparked closer to my door. I waited again, feeling a surge of motherly instincts. Was I just being paranoid? I watched for any movement in the other car. The man appeared to still be on his cell phone.  Another minute passed and he disappeared as quickly as he came.

Now, you don't have to have glasses from zennioptical.com to see this as odd behavior. You never know these days. I regret having even driven close to my house; I should have driven to the always teeming restaurants just two blocks away. Rahim is always warning me about strangers hiding behind bushes. Have his random daydreams rubbed off on me?

Well, I have a trunk full from Sprawlmart - baby formula, toilet paper, ice tea - but I'm going to wait for my husband to come home.

A Word on Chipmunks
Mood:  smelly
Now Playing: the sound of my sweat dripping, no a/c at summer camp
Topic: work

I just got back from the movies with my summer camp group. The feature today was Alvin and the Chipmunks. Not bad, not great. It was cute enough, since I was a big fan of Alvin and the Chipmunks when I was a kid. Of course, what do these kids know about chipmunks? Most of my students hate to even sit on the grass when we go outside, though it’s mostly due to their age. They’re beginning to be allergic to running around and just playing. Unless of course, it’s in a classroom, then chasing is totally appropriate for them.

The movies we saw the last two weeks: Mr. Magorium’s Magic Emporium (sp? I’m too lazy to check) and The Legend of the Water Horse. I was glad for the respite, but any field trip involving a hundred kids wears me out. Next week, I think we’re seeing Shrek 3, which I look forward to seeing. Enough adult humor to keep me entertained. But these days, sitting in the a/c for a few hours is worth it.

Gosh, I shouldn’t complain about the students too much. I think I should be paid more and a lot needs to be changed about the camp (hours, activities, etc.). It’s just a few bad apples that ruin the bunch really. And I like getting the chance to get to know these kids before school starts. Don’t get me wrong, I am thoroughly looking forward to the two weeks off before then. Actually, my birthday is Monday too. I need to figure out what to do.

I can’t get that Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas song out of my head. I still want a hula hoop…

Code Pink
Mood:  suave
Now Playing: Now 26 CD mix
Topic: blogness

Hey all! I spent one confusing night dealing with code and html and ftp... but finally, figured it out! Of course, I can't upload files to the server from work! But I have plenty of other things to do.

Go visit Code Pink - Kitten Cult (see my sidebar)! It's in the early stages now, but make sure you check back for some awesome writing! Yes, there will be kittens and pink themes, but also, if you have a Nikon Monarch ATB, you could spy a deeper theme of kindness and an unrelenting faith in the human race. That's right, people. Save the binoculars for hiking and birdwatching.

 

Disgruntled
Topic: blogness

I'm a bit disappointed. I checked the readability index for my blog (using several different posts) and it's between 6th - 8th grade reading levels. I'm glad some of the posts made it in the 8th grade range, or else I would have to make some drastic changes.

I know my blog writing and even my speaking aren't going to win me any Pulitzer prizes. The thing is, though, that I've got words - big words - on the tip of my tongue and in my thoughts all the time. It can hardly be avoided when you're reading D.H. Lawrence. I just need to use them more, out loud and in writing

Identity
Topic: family

How early is too early to create one of those “identity” kits for Ishmael? The ones where you get a sample of his fingerprints, blood type, and picture? It’s a good idea just to be safe. I guess we could wait until he’s at least in preschool. As it is, he is hardly ever out of our sight. The woman we leave him with during the day is Muslim and very trustworthy. She really is his second mother sometimes. Rahim still gets up many times during the night to check on Ishmael, who likes to flip over on his stomach lately. It’s a developmental stage, we know, but we also worry. R says he hasn’t gotten a good night’s sleep since Ishmael was born. I guess I’m lucky that he’s the worrier, so I can get at least 6-7 hours a night.

When you become a parent or think about becoming a parent, you read up on baby names and shop for cribs. But also, you check out those websites that list sex offenders in your neighborhood and the missing children’s websites.  The latter would be important for parents looking to find teen runaways and abductions not solved right away. Children Recovery International has a great website that details the services they offer and helpful tools for all parents. There are so many things to worry about as a parent, and websites like this give parents useful information to look for danger signs and how to best protect our little ones. I especially like the testimonials page, for familes that have been reunited through CRI's efforts. In this day and age, these stories and kids like Elizabeth Smart give all parents hope. One day, they too will be reunited with their long lost children.

Unplugged
Mood:  irritated
Topic: blogness

Technology will just suck you in and the next thing you know, you can't live without it. In other words, my computer is dead. I think it's the jack for the a/c adapter, which is loose. The battery is not recharging, and it has about 5 minutes of life left before it dies completely. I was reading about people with similar problems and the solution, I think, is replacing the motherboard, or at least sending it in for repairs.

I feel handicapped. This is my work laptop, so the school system will get it fixed. Unfortunately, during the summer, the tech guy is not here and I may have to wait until August. That's one whole month whithout my computer. Of course, we own a laptop, so it's not like I'm completely computerless. But I don't want to haul that thing to work and it's just not the same. It's got all of Rahim's settings, preferences, and bookmarks. I'm currently using a desktop in the "art" room where I'm working, so don't feel too sorry for me. I'm quite surrounded by computers, just being finnicky about it. Having your computer die is something, isn't it? Hmph. I'm bummed out.

So, my blogging and paid blogging might slacken a bit. On the plus side, I will get my head away from the addiction of the internet. I may finish some craft projects I've started lately and I may finish the Murakami book. So, maybe a break is a good thing.

Sunday Times
Mood:  energetic
Topic: books

I cast aside the Online Shopping discount coupons from the Sunday Paper. I knelt amidst the coupons for Joann's, Hobby Lobby, and other ones I'd clipped for Shopping Online, scattered on the floor. I had found what I was looking for, the books section. Not only do I enjoy reading books, though, but I also enjoy reading about books. However, newspapers all around the country are downsizing staff, article length, and the number of printed pages. Good for trees, bad for the publishing industry.

I'm only a dozen or so pages from the end of Lady Chatterley's Lover (which I regret will be over so soon) and more than half-way done with The World According to Garp by John Irving. I still haven't finished the Murakami book, since I put it down over a month ago. Maybe when summer camp is over. The next on my list is Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Of course, now I must read more by both Irving and Lawrence. It seems my reading life is just beginning, since the to-read list just keeps growing! Not to mention all that I need to write too!

Not much else is happening. I'm actually about to try to nap now. Ishmael is napping. Rahim is napping. I may as well take advantage of this opportunity.

Camp Recap
Mood:  hungry
Topic: work
Yay Thursday! I'm off tomorrow, so I have cause to celebrate. R's family is having a cook-out, which I am really looking forward to. I don't know why, since I'll just be eating salad and maybe a veggie burger. I guess I'm happy to just not be at summer camp.

It's not so bad. It can be summed up this way: the afternoon field trip was cancelled today because of their behavior. The older kids were cutting up yesterday in the afternoon (after I leave) and the sixth graders were cutting up this morning. So they have no one to blame but themselves. The camp is structured a weird way, not really the fault of the passive-aggressive organizer. It's the namesake of our school, a member of the county school board. She really insists on everyone being included and the kids being off the streets as long as possible. Of course, it makes for a long day, with kids that are probably too old for camp. For this kind of camp.

This morning was fun though. We went with the sixth graders on a field trip to a local rock quarry, so it was more educational than fun. But to me, educational is fun! The kids liked it well enough and were inquisitive and sang along to a video we watched. The coolest part was actually driving down into the 750-foot pit in the school bus, with our yellow plastic hard hats. Thank god for these small things.

I had a better day laughing and talking with my coworkers too. The non-news teacher was reading a book by John Irving, who is an author I just discovered and love! Even the lead organizer is a nice person, someone with a young son, who likes to shop online. We talked about buying plus size clothes, which was funny. I might need to do some shopping myself for work clothes. As I said before, a lot of the problems in the camp are not her fault at all. Well, I hope the cancelled field trip really sinks in and the kids come back on Monday with a better attitude. Right?

Majido
Mood:  lucky
Topic: random

One of new favorite shows is I Survived a Japanese Game Show. It is too hilarious. I can appreciate the craziness of Japanese culture, which does parallel American society in some ways. Americans have their own issues. Oh, I wish I had enough miles on my Airline Miles Credit Card to go to Japan.  I'm sure you've all seen the movie Lost in Translation. Hopefully, R and I wouldn't be so lonely there.
 

Maybe the Best
Mood:  mischievious
Topic: books
Tired of memes yet? This one is hilarious. Just keep reading! Made by Topic Drift.

What is your full name?
Baba Ganush's mom

What is your date of birth?
The Summer of Love

What four cities have you lived in?
Los Angeles, El Dorado, Gotham, Skid Row

What four TV shows do you love?
I only watch Fox News, 24 hours a day

What four credit cards do you currently use?
CitiScrew, Discardyourmoney, American Indebt, and MasterSlavewage

What are four credit account numbers assigned you, and when (month/year) do they expire?
1234567890, they never expire

Do you have four credit card pin numbers, and if so, what are they?
1234
1111
2222
ABQF

What does your mother's maiden name look like if you type it four times in a row?
If I write in cursive, it looks like a noodle trying to hump a hotdog

What are the first four digits of your social security number?
The same as my birthday! What a coincidence!

What are the last four digits of your social security number?
My lucky lotto numbers!

What number did you leave out of your nine-digit social security number? (That's your lucky number!)
Oh, that's the age I lost my first tooth!

What are the first four lines of your mailing address?
1600 Pennyslvannia Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

What are your four favorite banks?
WaMu, TrustMeWithYourMoney, FeesInstitution, Enron Credit Union

What are your four favorite bean dishes?
Crispy Fried Tofu and beans
Wet beans
Hot beans
Cool beans

What four people do you wish to tag with this meme?
George W. Bush (he owes me)
Bill Gates
that guy I sent some money to in Nigeria
the guy down the street with the mini Cooper