SonicVision

I had made wonderful plans for myself today. After a morning tutoring session, I was going to catch a train in Poughkeepsie, down to New York City. I would spend the evening with my brother-in-law Jonathan and his girlfriend, Lauren. I would be at their disposal, as I know Jonathan usually comes up with some pretty good ideas.

My train was to leave at 4:35. I arrived at the train station at 4:35. Not a good idea! Before I could unbuckle my seatbelt, the train had started to move. Chasing it down, waving my arms, and yelling all proved useless. Great, now what was I going to do? The next train to the city was an hour away and then add on the hour and 45 minutes it takes to get there, and my night is shot. At that time I got a phone call from Jeff, checking to make sure I made my train. Surprise, surprise, I didn't!

Jeff suggested that I drive the hour and a half. He mentioned that Jonathan had tickets to a show, but wouldn't give me further details. All he said was that Jonathan was going to be mad that I missed my train. I cringed at the thought of facing the wrath of Jonathan. The thing about Jon, when he gets upset, he doesn't forget it. Not an hour later, not a day later, not ten years later. He never forgets!

I took Jeff's suggestion and drove myself to New York City. I would have done anything to have Jeff with me. But, I took the second best thing as he coached me along on the phone. He knew exactly what lane I needed to be in and where I needed to turn. My own personal GPS.

I was curious what show Jonathan had lined up. Jersey Boys, Wicked, maybe Menopause. To my delight I was way off. We wondered over to the American Museum of Natural History. Maybe we were going to the planetarium. I love the planetarium. I haven't been since I was a child, but I had always wanted return as an adult. This was finally my chance.

To both my disappointment and delight, I was wrong. We were in the planetarium room, but not for your traditional planetarium show. It was something called SonicVision. Way beyond planetarium! The show was set to the music that boomed throughout the museum. Never did think they would play music so loud in a museum that the floor shook. It was fantastic. Here is the link to get an idea of what it was like. I highly recommend it if you have the chance: http://www.amnh.org/rose/dome/

With a wonderful show, a nice dinner, and now a comfy sleeping place, I am as content as a girl can be without her husband next to her. Tomorrow I run Yankee Stadium!

Asian Persuasion

Shea's obedience lesson was scheduled for this afternoon. To my dismay, I received a call from the trainer canceling. She cut her hand and had to get stitches. So much for that! I guess we will have to wait another week before Shea turns into a great dog!

To compensate for the missed training lesson, I brought Shea to the dog park for a bit. It's the best way to get him tired fast. The dog park was packed this beautiful Friday afternoon. Twenty-plus dogs. Shea was busy chasing the ball around. He sniffed other dogs and ran after them a little bit, but always came back to play ball. I noticed, at that moment, that Shea is a lot like me. He likes to interact with other, but he also like to run, play, and be somewhat of a loner at times. Yep, that's me!

With that revelation, I began to evaluate the other people at the dog park. It was no surprise that the big, chunky, rather masculine woman had an extremely aggressive dog. Her dog was the one that got others to lay down on their backs as if to say, "I surrender." He did this by biting at their necks. I can picture this woman dressed in a sumo wrestling thong, going after her opponent with the same gusto.

Then there was the lanky man dressed in a retro jogging suit. I found it very fitting that he had the super hyper dog that had bundles of energy. The dog that was sprinting in circles. He obviously had the same personality as his owner who watched while pacing and fidgeting.

Maybe I'm being ridiculous. It's not like dog owners pass their genes on to their dogs, so why would they have similar personalities? I must be imagining it. I had convinced myself until the lady of all ladies stepped out of her car. The lady who wore the stiletto's, black pants, black jacket with the collar up, and her sunglasses so perfectly propped on the top of head. What kind of dog would this kind of lady have? What do you think? Out of the trunk jumped a black poodle. The two of them pranced to the fenced in area with the prissy gait. Once inside, the dog raised it's nose to the rest of the dogs. It looked to me like the club-ready owner did too. She must have thought I was so low-class wearing sweat pants to a dog park.

From this, I was completely convinced that dogs take on their owners personalities and habits. I took notice of the dog that was running around trying to hump all of the other dogs. Sometimes successful, other times not. Either way, the dog had a mission. I scanned the crowd trying to place this dog's owner. Hmmmm, was it the young guy in the North Face fleece? Or was it the twenty something girl texting on her cell phone? Nope, it was neither. It was the little asian lady. This threw me for a loop. That little asian lady didn't look like she would be running around trying to hump everything in sight. I pictured her more sitting on the floor indian style making paper cranes.

But, according to my new, and seemingly proven theory, she is doing much different things with her time!

Baby Steps

Many teachers I know dread parent conferences. They just don't like to sit down across for a student's parents and critique that child. Me, I enjoy it. I love to tell parents how their child is growing and maturing. I spent much of my doing that, to come home and realize that, I too, am growing and maturing.

I am beyond fifth grade math and science, and I am beyond puberty. Not growing and maturing in those ways! Without Jeff around, which don't get me wrong, I do not like one bit, I have been forced to do things for myself. There were a lot of things I didn't have to worry about because I knew Jeff took care of them.

This is being brought to my attention at this time because, I am planning my trip to New York City for my run at Yankee Stadium. By the way, did you donate yet? https://www.drcrf.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=447&frsid=7095 Normally I would go to New York with Jeff. He took care of everything. All I had to do was pack my stuff and go along for the ride. Jeff would lead wherever we went, and without a care in the world I followed. It's kind of pathetic when you think about it.

Without trying to sound to idiotic and naive, I am proud to say I figured out my trip to New York all by myself. I know when I need to be in Poughkeepsie to catch the train. I know what time I will arrive at Grand Central Station. I know what time I have to be at Yankee Stadium for my run. I am beaming with pride. Little old me, did that all by myself! Well, there are a few details still lingering, like how to get from Grand Central to Jonathan's apartment. And believe me when I say, I have no idea how to get from Jon's apartment to Yankee Stadium in the morning. Good thing Jon will be there to lead me!

When you think about it, it's amazing that I am able to live my everyday life, isn't it? Considering my inattention to details, I have made it quite far. Wow, Jeff, you must be thinking about what a lucky guy you are right now.

I'm on my way out to basketball. Surprisingly, I know exactly how to get there and back.

Veteran's Day

I had time to read the newspaper today, since I had the day off. I found a local race for a good cause and decided that I would head over and give it a go. It would be a good way to see how ready I am for the Yankee Stadium race on Sunday. (By the way, did you donate yet? Probably not.   https://www.drcrf.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=447&frsid=7095)

The Veteran’s Day Dash was set off by a cannon.

It was a flat, fast route. I ended up finishing fourth overall for women, and second in my age group. I was very happy with this as there were over 1,000 people running.  My time wasn’t all that great and I don’t feel like I am in the best shape, but apparently everyone else there is in worse shape!

The race got me thinking about what today is really all about. Normally I would enjoy my day off and not really pay much attention to the reason, even though it is such an obvious reason. Veteran’s Day, hmmm, what could be the purpose of this day off? I spent much of my day thinking about a veteran that meant so much to me; my grandfather.

He was in the Navy at the time of World War II. He was involved in an accident that involved glass puncturing his eye. With that, he lost his eye and got a fake one. Many people would sulk and let this be a handicap. Not my grandfather! He did what any proud man would do, he used it to torture his family. My mother claims to this day, that she did not know her father had a fake eye for years and years. When she was a child, he told her he always slept with one eye open. And, well, he literally did, so she believed him.  This came in especially handy when his daughters started dating. While he fast asleep on the couch, they thought he was watching them arrive home. Nobody dared come home past curfew!

He was such a, I’m not exactly sure what to call him. He wasn’t the most loving man, in the terms that he wasn’t going to be hugging and kissing you, or saying, “I love you,” very often. But, he was a tough loving man, who made sure his family was taken care of and living life the right way.

I learned a lot from my grandfather, in what seems like the short time I knew him. I never leave the door open too long, for I used to hear, “go in or go out, choose one!” All the bugs that could get in the house, and all the warm air that could escape during the few seconds the door is open, I don’t have to worry about it. I never slam doors, for fear of hearing a haunted yell of, “don’t slam the door!” This has helped save my eardrums. And possibly most useful, I learned, at a very young age, to never eat the last bit of cereal out of the box and to never eat the last cookie in the cookie jar. This is way beyond rude; it is a death wish! Wouldn’t you say, I am a better person because of my grandfather?

I often wonder how my grandfather would like Jeff. I think they would have gotten along wonderfully! Although men aren’t usually classified as nags, my grandfather and Jeff would both qualify! I can just picture them critiquing my every move together. They also both have a tendency to pick things up off the ground and keep them! My favorites being the Bruce Springsteen shirt my grandfather found for me in a ditch, and the Burberry scarf Jeff found for me on the side of the street. Picking junk up off the ground isn’t really my thing, but I do enjoy reaping the benefits!

Aside from all of this, I hope you take a moment to reflect on the meaning of Veteran’s Day and to honor those, like my grandfather, who have fought for our great country.

Thumbs Up

A student came in yesterday with a broken thumb. He worked very hard, but struggled through the day.

With his bulky cast, it is difficult for him to write. Nearly impossible really. A normally neat kid, could not produce the same results. His model hand writing turned into that of a first grader. In the time it normally takes him to write two pages, he got out two sentences. The difference is clear!

Watching him reminded me of sixth grade. One of the best teachers I have ever had got talking about broken bones. He spoke of how when in college, he broke his thumb. It turned his world upside down. Think about your thumbs. Really think about them! They are so important! We are so lucky to have thumbs. That teacher explained the importance of our thumbs. He challenged us to try to open our locker without using our thumbs. It seemed simple and easy. Being a student to The task seemed nearly impossible. Turning the dial with your pointer and middle fingers was tough. So, to put myself in my student's shoes today, I decided to go through my day without using my thumbs. Bad decision!

It is beneficial for children to have a teacher that can write legibly on the chalkboard. It is nice when a teacher can shuffle and pass out papers, a task that becomes nearly impossible without thumbs. I nkow, because I dropped a stack full of papers all over the floor. Maneuvering a computer mouse was extremely difficult. It drew mocking as we played through a review game on the computer. Holding a book is not easy. Turning the pages, ever harder. In fact, I can't think of one thing that was easy to do without thumbs.

On top of that, we play a lot of review games by passing a ball around. Wouldn't you know, the kids wanted to pass to me more than ever today! Catch a ball without thumbs. Try it. The first few times, it didn't work. The ball bounced off my hands, then it slipped through them and hit my stomach, then it slipped through and grazed my face. This threw my class into a frenzy. Eventually, I figured it out. Catching with two hands, closing that gap where the missing/unusable thumbs are. I felt very adaptable, like a cavewomen.

Try it. Don't want to do it for a whole day? Try it for fifteen minutes. You will hate it, but want to try it longer for some odd reason. Some suggestions on things to try: eating a bowl a cereal, unscrewing a bottle cap, changing the channel on a remote, turning a door knob, and holding a bar of soap. Let me know what you find hard.

I'm sure glad my hands don't look like this,

Life would be much harder. And, I'm pretty sure Jeff wouldn't be too fond of holding my hand! He hates it as it is, thumbs and all.

Obedience

About a month ago I was in Petsmart with Shea. I used to like to make fun of people who brought their dogs to pet stores. I thought it was ridiculous. Now, it seems like a enjoyable outing for Shea. Anyway, while at Petsmart that day, we ran into a lady with a german shepherd. Shea got extremely excited, as he does whenever he sees a dog of similar size. I made sure I had my feet planted stably as he pulled toward the german shepherd. The lady minding the dog said, "stay!" in a strong, authoritative voice. Miraculously, in my world, the dog stayed. With great exasperation, I commented on how I wished Shea would do that. She proceeded to hand me her card. She is a dog trainer, and I could plainly see that she is good at her job!

Shea is a very smart dog. He knows all the basic commands and then some. Sit, stay, lay down, roll over, play dead, stretch. He can speak, he knows drop it, and he knows leave it. He also pees on command, whether he has to go or not. He's a talented dog!

Wow! He looks like such a good boy, doesn't he? He is. Really he is. So, why would Shea need a trainer? Because this is what he did to the card the trainer gave me at Petsmart that day.

That shouldn't be happening! On top of that, Shea sometimes picks and chooses when he listens to his commands. For example, if there is another dog, he chases after him. When he is mad, he may try to run away. Those are the moments he doesn't respond to "come!" Jeff and I want him to respond all of the time.

Shea's other hang ups are stealing food off of the counter and laying down in the middle of the street when I try to run in a direction he doesn't like. Some would say he is stubborn.

So you see, in order to keep our food safe, and in hopes that we will at some point in our lives, be able to have house guests over for dinner, we are seeking additional training for Shea. I would also like to be able to go for a run with Shea in any direction I'd like. The pointing and laughing when people see him lay down with nothing but dead weight is not amusing to me.

Our first lesson will be Friday. The trainer let me know that she may bring her lab so I can see what is possible for Shea. Jeff doesn't think this is a good idea. Not only because Shea will want to do nothing but play, but because it will make me see how utterly embarrassing Shea's behavior is. I think Jeff has a tendency to overreact; the drama queen that he is!

I know he just misses his best buddy!

Hairday

On this gorgeous November day in upstate New York, I decided to spend it outside with my pup; running around, playing, and watching Shea swim. Running and playing, for me, it always includes thinking. Maybe it is because although I am in the great company of Shea, I don’t necessarily have anyone to talk to. So, instead, I think.

As I was running around, my hair was flopping all over. First flopping in my eyes, then flipping toward my mouth, just wild and crazy gorilla hair. Completely out of control. I start thinking how it’s okay to have this gorilla head of hair while I’m running around with my dog in the privacy of my parent’s backyard. But, I should look a bit more respectable when out in public, or at my job.

In fact, I remember reading an article proposing the first step towards looking good is your hair. The alien gorilla coif you see above, is not quiet cutting it! So, I decided it was absolutely pertinent that I get a haircut today. Thinking about the hair I want, and the current length of mine, I decided I wanted this Jessica Alba look. Jessica Alba is the definition of complete package.

Her hair looks great. I want that hair. Sure, her face is a little part of what makes that hair look so great. If only I that face came with the haircut. Oh well, I will have to stick with what is possible.

I left the salon happy. This doesn’t always happen. I liked my new haircut. Not exactly Jessica Alba, but looking good. I felt as though my overall appearance had improved tenfold. I looked forward to heading back to my parent’s house and getting a reaction.

My mother, of course, loved it. I could have ran into a weed whacker and she would love it. A mullet, a shaved head, blonde braided pigtails, she would have expressed how wonderful all of these looked. She is very subjective. I am her baby and all hair looks good. My father, on the other hand, wouldn’t notice if I came home with a purple mohawk. He’s that observant!

This makes me miss going home to Jeff more than anything.  You see, I am a lucky girl. My husband, secure in masculinity, has noticed every single time I get a haircut, no matter if I get five inches cut off, or a trim. Even more impressive, he notices if I get my eyebrows done. It must be because he loves to study my face. While this is as far from the truth as Elvis spottings, I like to think of it that way!

Anyways, here is my haircut. I tried to use my photobooth to take these pictures. Photobooth is another great application Apple has out there. However, it has brought me to the realization that I am the most un-photogenic person alive. Props to my wedding photographer, he had a very difficult job and somehow chose the right angles.

What do you think? Better than the alien gorilla hair at least, right? I think so. The only thing I was disappointed with was how fast the haircut was over. I love getting my haircut. It feels so good. Apparently Shea feels the same way.