A Colossal Failure of Leadership
Discuss.
first day of school
Ever.
Jake’s first day of kindergarten was today. Brian managed to work at home so he could see him off. I was already working at home. Pappy Law also stopped by. The bus was 15 minutes late, though I was warned that the buses tend to run late the first two weeks. Neither Brian nor I were sad to see him go to school. Maybe it’s because he’s been in daycare for the past few years. I’m not sure. I do know that now we’ll be able to take all of that money we’re saving on daycare costs and buy gasoline with it. Good timing.
Here is a picture of the happy kid waiting for the bus. He wasn’t so happy this evening. Brian asked him if he had an assigned seat to sit in at school. Jacob didn’t understand the question. Brian rephrased it and asked if he had to sit in the same seat when he goes to school tomorrow. Jake was like, “But, Grammy is watching me tomorrow.” Brian told him yes, but that he still had to go to school in the afternoon. After a few rounds of this, Jacob’s response was, “Oh.”
nola
The hurricane and consequential disaster that has taken place in New Orleans and the surrounding area really saddens me. This has the potential to be one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. While it pales in comparison to what happened to the tsunami victims last year, it has really hit home with me.
Back in 1998, Brian and I went on vacation to New Orleans. It was the best trip either of us have ever been on. It has become a measuring stick for all other vacations. I don’t know what it was about the place, but we felt at home there. I think that’s the most relaxed I’ve been in the past seven years (maybe it was all the alcohol). Brian is always threatening to move to New Orleans, even now (well, up till the hurricane, anyway). One of the highlights of our trip was a ghost tour. We had this cool tour guide named Bloody Mary. We got to cruise the above ground cemeteries and check out a voodoo museum. I was delighted to see her on a Discovery Channel special about New Orleans a few years ago. The trip frequently comes up in conversations between Brian and me.
Anyway, if you have the means, please help these people out. Make a donation to the Red Cross or The Salvation Army. These two organizations seem to be doing the bulk of the work down there–throw them some cash so they can continue their good works.
mary had a little lamb
And two helpings of corn.***
After years of trying different varieties, I finally got some good corn from my garden. This evening, I was pondering what vegetable to make for supper when I remembered that my corn looked like it was ready. So, I picked a few ears and was pleasantly surprised that it appeared to be edible. I cooked it up and we had it along with some grilled leg of lamb and couscous for supper. Dee-licious.
I guess this means I should plant the same corn again next year so I can determine if this year was a fluke or not. Conveniently enough, I am currently plotting next year’s garden, so I guess this was a good time to find out about the corn. I was figuring this year was going to be a wash, so it looks like I have some rearranging to do. In case you were wondering–yes, I do like to plan ahead. I used to wait until winter to plan the next year’s garden. But, I like to do it at the end of the gardening season now–while everything is still fresh in my mind. e.g. Under no circumstances do I want to plant two zucchini plants again next year. This thought may have been forgotten if I waited till January to do my planning, you see?
*** paraphrased from one of my favorite The Far Side cartoons
company picnic
This afternoon, my company picnic was held at Idlewild Park. It was more on the idle, versus wild, side. Somehow we managed to miss the rain. It was raining on our way there and it was raining on our way home, but only drizzled a few times at the park. Jake had a really good time playing with my coworker’s children. This was his second trip to Idlewild this year, so he’s practically a pro. He also went with his daycare earlier in the summer. He was hoping to hit the SoakZone today, but it was not warm enough to do so. I’m sure Brian was relieved because there was no way in hell I was going to do that, so he “volunteered” for the duty.