Oops, I forgot

Boo Y'all!

Snuffleupagus

Sick again on a Monday. It was worse today - neverending sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and a badass sinus headache. Crawled in the bed as soon as I got home and slept for about 3 hours. My evening cocktail of medicine included Brunswick stew, hushpuppies, sweet tea, Benadryl, and "rapid release" extra strength Tylenol.
Tell me why I don't like Mondays...

Act your age

You Are 30 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Say ahhhhh

Friday photo fun

Photo from the "Band Together" benefit on 9/25 in Raleigh, which I apparently forgot to blog about. Photo taken by the LMGC. I doctored it a little. See if you can figure out where.

If it's good enough for Costner

Then I reckon it's good enough for me. At least he's quoted as extolling the virtues of Airborne effervescent health formula.
I thought my sniffles and asthma problems of late were due to the dogs, but I think there's more to it. Could be a cold I've picked up along the way. Could be the rapid weather changes we've had. Saturday I was in sandals, today I was in boots. Either way, I've been sneezing, wheezing, and coughing my stuffy and drippy head off for the past couple of days.
So I decided to give Airborne a try. It's much like Alka-Seltzer, with a plop-plop-fizz-fizz effect when the tablet's dropped in water. I bought the lemon-lime flavor and it's not too bad. What I reminded myself while sipping it down was, "you made it through drinking two bottles of barium mixture for the CAT...this is a piece of cake." We shall see if it works. I dosed up with some extra echinacea as well, even though it's included in the Airborne.
Surfed to the Airborne site and I can't decide which worries me more - Mickey Rooney, Barry Williams (aka Greg Brady), or the *actual cold germs* you can see here.

Reading Witch

I have a witch/wizard's hat that I bought in NOLA that I thought I'd use during the Halloween season. Tuesday, during a workshop, I put it on and said "I'm the reading witch" and got a round of laughter.
I needed that hat today. And not for the laughter. Because I am serious. And we might just have to do a little "making words" lesson and change the "w" in "witch" to a "b" and see what new word we get.
I held a workshop today and had to deliver some unwelcome but necessary news regarding documentation of lesson plans. I have given several options for the documentation, one even being as simple as choosing food from a Chinese take-out menu....I'll have skill F6 (vocabulary) and A2 (sight words) with a little C3 (comprehension) on the side. Yet, from one side of the room, all I got were grumbles and complaints.
And these were people who had just cleaned me OUT on the snacks and drinks I had brought for the meeting, paid for out of my own pocket (no reimbursements here).
My favorite was the person who did other work throughout the meeting, and only responded when I addressed a direct question to her by name. My gut teacher instinct was to walk over, close her other book, and take it away. But I refrained.
So. No food at the next meeting. I refuse to spend my hard earned money for a passel of mealy-mouthed ungrateful heathens (and not all of them are, just some). And documentation will be the new key word. Documentation of plans turned in. Documentation when they're not. Documentation of classroom visits. Documentation of meetings.
The problem is that folks who don't want to follow our guidelines are truly jeopardizing our big-ass six figure grant money. And it's not about my job so much as it is the fact that we will lose all the nice things we have and we will be taking resources right out of the hands of our students.
I bit my tongue today during the meeting, but I'm formulating some plans to deal with these issues in the future.
Do you hear the cackling?

Fashion police

I'm all about some R.E.M. love, but the girls at Go Fug Yourself have hit the nail on the head with their analysis of Michael Stipe's outfit. Bless his heart. He still needs a hug and a biscuit, and maybe a better stylist, too.

Howloween approaches

This is one of many shots I took this afternoon in an attempt to get some photos for Cerberus' Halloween card that needs to go out this week. The cooperativity level was not very high today, making a second photo shoot tomorrow very necessary. I did like this humunga-tongue-in-mouth shot of Big Lil, though.

Update quickie

• Lithotripsy went as well as can be expected. Will give more details later. The anesthesia and sedation haze kept me from experiencing most of the procedure, but suffice it to say, when it started, it felt like someone was hammering at my back. I've passed some stone fragments, for the first time ever. It's a sad Friday night when the highlight is straining your pee.


• Recovered well enough from the procedure to meet the LMGC in Wilmington to see Tift Merritt on Saturday. She put on a great show and we had a wonderful time. Tried out a local restaurant on Sunday, Fat Tony's Italian Pub. It's near the Cape Fear River and you can see the boats go by. The angel hair pasta with alfredo sauce and chicken was divine. We had beautiful weather and it was a perfect fall day.


• Put the dogs in the fence so I could clean their room tonight. Went out to let them in and there was Lily sitting on the carport waiting to come inside. She hates being left in the fence. She's pushed the gate open before and squeezed out, so I wondered how she'd escaped tonight. When I got to the fence, I realized she'd chewed through the leash I'd used as "insurance" so she couldn't push the gate open. She is smarter and more stubborn than I thought. Plus, I think she wants to be where her mommy is, no matter what.


• For some reason, my email client, Mozilla's Thunderbird, is all wacky. My email account and saved emails didn't load when I started the program tonight. All the files are saved, though I'm not quite sure how to get them back into use again. It will take more digging through the FAQ and Help files than I have time for tonight.

Vibrating at the speed of light

At least the kidney stones will be today. I'm going in for lithotripsy in about an hour. This will be a new experience. I'm not sure yet what type of anesthesia I'll go for, given the problems that arose when I had my stone extraction procedure. I will definitely be more educated in talking with the doctors and anesthesiologist beforehand. I'm not sure what to expect from the procedure, so I'm a little wary. I'm quite tired, too, so I might get a little rest out of this deal.
Updates to come....

Barkday girl

Yesterday was Lily's first birthday. We ended up celebrating today because I was just too tired to deal with it when I got home from work yesterday. Here's a picture of the birthday girl in her "Happy Birthday" bandanna. She wouldn't keep the "Happy Birthday" hat on for long, but I did get a picture of Archie wearing it. Maggie's contribution to the party was blowing coat all over the place instead of confetti. Happy Birthday Big Lil...the smallest dog with the biggest tongue.

QOD

From an Amazon.com review of Jacksonville City Nights...."To top it off, Ryan looks and sounds like a crazy, drugged out hobo these days. I mean, he was never the most hygenic guy, but now he looks whacko."

The animal in me

I'm a bat according to this online quiz. Thanks to Steve for the great link. You can take the test here.

LOY

Keith Richards: Hey Dixie!
Me: (shouting and laughing) HEY!!
LMGC: (to me) How'd you work that?


LMGC: (as we were squished in the huge crowds leaving the stadium) Do they have this problem with crowds at Duke football games?
Me: (laughing) Hell, no! They never have this many people at Duke football games!


Folks in the crowd: (as we are squishing through the campus) TAR! HEELS! TAR! HEELS!

Communication breakdown

The LMGC is *supposed* to aid me in a review of the Rolling Stones' show from last night. I'm doing the "traffic review" on my own.
Last night was a clear example to me of how and why things went bad in New Orleans the way they did. The Duke campus police and Durham police department did NO better in the management of about 40,000 people before and after the concert. I bore witness to what can only be described as a clusterf*ck.
The LMGC and I parked in a deck about two miles from the stadium, where there was shuttle service. Great idea, we wouldn't have to walk. We boarded a school bus with about 30 other people and headed to the stadium. Our driver went the correct way, at first, but was denied entrance to any of the roads servicing the stadium. We ended up driving all over the campus in a big loop, and the clock was ticking. None of the people directing the traffic flow were of any help. Finally, a passenger began to give directions to the driver. After a 30 minute ride, we got as close to the stadium as possible. We were dropped off in a full parking area, to the consternation of a nearby police officer. Someone yelled from the bus to try to make him understand that no one was recognizing the shuttle and letting us through, but I'm not sure that he got the picture either.
After the show, the LMGC and I followed the crowd heading out, because we had no idea where we should meet the shuttle to ride back. (Note: the info was on the parking directions I'd printed from online, BUT had we been dropped off in the correct spot to begin with, we would have known where to meet the bus.) I have never felt like a rat in a maze as I did in the midst of the other 39,999 people who were squeezing through the narrow passages and walkways of the Duke campus. Apparently there was only ONE way out, and that was it. Perfect opportunity for a trampling, if I do say so.
We found some relief as the crowd spilled out onto the area in front of Duke Chapel. Still completely in the dark, we asked a safety officer where to meet the shuttle buses. He told us "right here" (in the circle in front of the chapel). So we sat and waited. And saw quite a few buses running the East-West campus route, but none back to our parking deck. So we asked a few folks standing around, and they, too, said to wait right there. We gave it about 30 minutes and began to rethink things. So we asked another officer and he said "wait right here." And when we clarified "for the Fulton Street bus?" he said, "I don't know anything about that."
DO WHAT? You are a public safety officer on a campus where you are hosting 40,000 visitors and you don't know about the traffic plans? Hell-freaking-o! Some nice concertgoers overheard our plight and directed us to go back through the rat-maze of campus dorms and frat houses and over to another traffic circle where we would meet our shuttle.
Hoping for the best, we set off, and sure enough, there were tons of other tired, sweaty folks just like us, waiting for the shuttle to the parking deck. Only, they weren't stopping. The buses were pulling through the circle and moving on. Some of the shuttles were for another deck downtown, and there were people there waiting to get on, yet the buses wouldn't stop. People were getting VERY upset.
And to our right, 20 of Durham's not-so-finest, standing around with their fingers up their asses, just watching the crowd get angrier.
We were directed towards a group of people waiting by a "to parking deck" sign. Then we were told to head up the hill to meet the shuttles. As we trudged along, we met a man in a wheelchair who was rolling himself up the hill (attention officers, you could help a fellow out) who'd been told to meet at the sign, then go up the hill, then to come back down, and now, was being sent back up the hill again. If this sounds confusing, it's because IT WAS. God forbid if any of these safety officers were to use their walkie talkies to communicate or figure out what was going on.
The LMGC and I waited about 10 minutes and saw another school bus come barrelling down the street, the wrong way, towards the line. The driver pulled a three-point turn, jumping the curb, and made his way over to the crowd. He was going to the parking garage. So with a little concern for our safety, the LMGC and I got on board.
It turns out, our driver was probably the most competent person in all of Durham associated with the concert that evening. He had recognized the situation, that the buses were not getting in where the crowds were, and came in from the other direction. As he drove, he talked to us about how FUBAR the situation was, and we all agreed. We drove past the street entrance to the road on which we'd been waiting and saw about 30 buses lined up. Going nowhere. Just sitting. And the crowds had no idea they were there. Our driver hollered out his window to other drivers to go in the other direction to pick up riders. We couldn't tell if any took his advice or not.
We were back to the parking deck within 10 minutes. "Big Mike" got a tip from me, because without him, we'd have still been stuck in the sea of lemmings waiting on a shuttle.
My analogous situation is the Katrina benefit at which the LMGC and I volunteered several weeks ago. A week before the show, organizers met with volunteers to go over their duties and plans for the benefit. The day of the benefit, organizers met again with volunteers to review expectations, "rules," and duties. Guess what...things went smoothly.
If any pre-planning or debriefing happened in Durham, you couldn't tell. None of the safety officers we encountered had a clue as to what was going on or how to help folks. I hope that heads will roll over the complete mishandling of the traffic and transportation situation. We are in no way prepared for any disaster or emergency if this is par for the course.

Humunga tongue

Steve said this picture reminded him of someone. Wonder who?

She'll be appearing all week

Email to my mother:
"I am here at the hotel with a significant gray hair population. The Senior Tar Heel Legislature is meeting and good grief, there's the smell of Geritol and Ben-Gay in the air. ;) They invaded yesterday."
Her reply:
"If you start smelling Viagra, run for your life!!!!!"

Worried

About the state of education. Or rather, some of our educators. I'm on a email list that caters to a percentage of the educator population who are seeking a certain prestigious certification (y'all can figure this out). So today, an email comes to the group that says:

I have been part of this for about 6 months and found it invaluable when preparing for the assessment center questions. I have a friend who is just starting the process. She would like to join the group but I cannot remember how I joined. Can you give me instructions? Thanks.

I am wondering just *how* dumb this person is. If she reads the list on the web, she goes to the ACTUAL SITE where she joined, and could find directions for her friend. If she gets the list through email, the name of the site is part of the email address (nameofgroup@groups.yahoo.com). Where she could then go, and you know the rest.
Maybe I'm beginning to see WHY IN THE HELL over 2/3 of the people who go through this process the first time do not certify. If you can not remember how in the world you joined an email list that HAS THE NAME OF THE SITE in the title, then it just might take you two or three times to certify. I'm not tooting my own horn (or certification), but really...I can follow directions and I remember some stuff.

Man that rocks, one week on

Last Saturday - OAK Team cd release party. For those of you unfamiliar with the Olympic Ass Kickin Team, get familiar with them. Great band, fun music. I first heard the OAK Team live in December 2004. "Daddy Had a Wreck" and "Thunderbird" became instant favorites. The LMGC and I heard most of their set Saturday, and they played from 11:30 straight through until about 1:30 a.m. The guys in the band are very approachable and friendly, and signed items for both of us.
Sunday - the Band Together benefit for victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ophelia. The LMGC and I managed to make it to the Lincoln Theatre by about 11:15. A.M. Yes, we were there early to help. One of the early laughs of the day came when we were being told about the legal drinking age....anyone born on September 25, 1984 could drink. OUCH. Collective groan from the volunteers.
Scary highlight of the day - being miked by a news reporter from a local station who was doing a piece on the benefit. I was in a millisecond of footage and my contribution to the footage is "Can I help you? Thank you!" Oh boy.
It was neat to be able to see bands like The Woods and Arrogance, whom I've heard of, but never heard, as I was too young to know about them or appreciate them in their heyday.
The VibeKillers are one of the LMGC's faves (he loves him some Chip Robinson), but I did enjoy the two, count 'em, two songs they did that I knew. The LMGC didn't know their cover of "Swingin'" was a Tom Petty song, but I did. For the record, something like that doesn't happen very often, as he is a fount of knowledge of most things musical.
All in all, a great weekend of music and fun, one to be remembered for quite some time.

Cheap drunk

Maggie went back to the vet today. I gave her the two tranquilizer pills this morning and waited for them to kick in. An hour and a half later, I couldn't really tell much difference, but we headed out to the vet's office anyway. While we were in the waiting room, she did seem calmer, and even sat on the bench beside me, with her head in my lap. When the vet tech called us in, and Maggie jumped down, she wobbled. Oh yeah, the drugs had kicked in. She was a little unsteady on her feet and walked a little crooked, but managed to get on the scales for her weigh-in and into the exam room.
I sat with the beast on the floor until it was time for the exam. I muzzled her with little fuss, and got her onto the exam table with lots less trouble than before. She wasn't happy about the vet and the vet tech coming near her, but the struggle was a tenth of what it was several weeks ago. The tech was able to hold her body and I rubbed her head while the vet drew the blood for the heartworm check and gave her the vaccination.
And it was done. Over in less than five minutes. Maggie struggled longer than that the first time. After getting the flea drops and heartworm meds for the dogs and with my checking account $200 lighter, Maggie and I headed out. I forgot to ask about her heartworm status, so I'll have to call back on Monday to check for sure. Paws will be crossed until then.
We met a little Cocker/Brittany Spaniel mix in the waiting room, and Maggie whined at her. She looked an awful lot like Lily, and I'm sure Maggie thought "Oh no! Another one!" I'm not familiar with Spaniels, so it was interesting to see one 'in real life.' Lily definitely has the Cocker coat, coloring, and 'look,' but she doesn't have the finer bone structure and build that this Spaniel had. Lily has a sturdier build (thanks to her Labrador Retriever daddy) set on the smaller Spaniel frame.
Maggie is still woozy from the tranquilizers, 12 hours later. The vet tech said it would probably last all day. I may try to clip her nails before the day is done, while she's not interested in putting up much of a fight. She's been a mama's girl all day, wanting to sit near me, with her head on me somewhere, for most of the day. I'm sure she feels very disoriented. She certainly looks that way...glassy eyed and confused.
On an unrelated note, Cerberus and I went for a ride this afternoon. Girls in the front seat, boy in the back (not quite "boys in the cage, girls up front" but close). Maggie had her head in my lap most of the ride, while Lily tried to climb over both of us. Each time we would go under an overpass, Lily would duck down, as she saw the shadow of the bridge go over the car. The first time she ducked, I didn't notice why. But after a few more 'duckings,' I realized she was cuing in on the overpasses as we would go underneath. Those sad puppy eyes looking up as she'd duck for a couple of seconds gave me a few chuckles. My crazy critters.