Random Tuesday

As I was teaching class tonight and talking about bullet-pointed and numbered lists, I realize that I really love lists. I have always been a list person. I also like alliteration, so it would be much better for me if today started with an 'L', so I could have an alliterative title. I'll work on this, though.

• I should be reading to my daughter right now, but she's chattering away to her Grandma Carolyn on the phone. We will have to pry the phone away from her.


• I spent nearly eight hours today working on user documentation. Ick. I'd rather write code.


• The lunar eclipse last week was beautiful. We started watching it outside with binoculars, but it was really cold! We moved upstairs to L.'s bedroom, where we could lie in her bed and watch it out her window. The moon was much redder with binoculars than without.


• I almost forgot one of the high points of our Body Worlds experience last week. During the Human Body Imax, when they were talking about reproduction, they showed a screenful of sperm (while playing the song, "Let's Get It On"). L. announced to all in the vicinity, "Oh, I like little sperms!" One of those moments where you laugh inside and concertedly avoid eye contact with those around, who were no doubt looking at us.


• South Africa has lifted the elephant killing laws, so they can now kill elephants. I'm beyond sick about this! Along these lines, a really good book about elephants is, "When Elephants Weep" by Jeffrey Moussaief Masson. He has written some other books, too. I read the one about dogs, but not the others. I own the Elephants book, though and would be happy to loan it out. It's extremely interesting.


• Elijah (my brother's littlest one) is a very entertaining ham, who loves to sing 80's tunes. My brother has been extremely remiss however, in that the boy knows not a single Prince tune! No "When Doves Cry", "Purple Rain", "Let's Go Crazy", "1999"--nothing! That is an egregious oversight on his part, I'm sure.


• My cats love the American Girl doll beds that my Dad made for L. for xmas! L. used some of her fabric (that we will be using to make bedding) to make canopies, and the cats love to sleep in the beds and also play on them. There are frequently two at a time in them. This is Baxter, enjoying a quiet nap.

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L., while she was supposed to be cleaning her room, created this bedroom for Piggy and Lamby (her lifelong friends). She built the bed out of her wooden building blocks and plywood. The desk is built out of her wooden blocks. Everything is super glued together, so it's permanent. She did this all on her own and told us after the fact. On the writing desk are Piggy and Lamby's pets, a piece of paper, and a tiny pencil. She made the pencil on her own as well, by cutting a piece of wicker from my woven wicker basket, cut the end to a point with scissors, and used a real pencil to color the sharpened tip gray. It really looks like a tiny little pencil!

SATURDAY

The girls and I had a quiet day in the house. Dej didn't have to work today, but since she was hoping to be allowed to go to B's house tonight, she was a sweet little chore machine for most of the day. Elijah, my brother's youngest, came over to play with L. for a few hours this afternoon. They played very nicely together. He loves to play on her dancing mat (the DDR-type thing), and they kept busy until my parents came back to pick him up. He's another one of those rarities--a little boy who is mannerly, well-behaved, plays nicely. He just turned five yesterday. He made me a lovely drawing of a Star Wars guy (maybe an Imperial Guard?? I'm not a Star Wars fan, so not totally sure). I was able to get my grading done and the week's homeschooling lessons done. The new math curriculum I ordered, Singapore Math, just arrived. I am VERY happy with, and L. will love it. She will start on it this week. Mark had to go into work today (again) as he was presenting at a gardening seminar.

We went to my parents' house for my dad's homemade pizza. Michael's boys are there for the weekend, so they were there as well. Dej had already gone to B's by then and didn't join us. L. played with the boys the whole time we were there. She also managed to eat FOUR pieces of pizza! We had lost of LOST conversation. We got home in time to get L. settled and in bed. Next up for our rockin' Saturday night, we'll watch an episode or two of Weeds, and after M. gets to sleep, I will be back online. I think I'm done researching the arrow of time stuff, and I'm going to spend tonight reading more about anti matter. I love that stuff!

FRIDAY

Friday was a mysterious miracle. The whole family, yes, even Dej, went to Milwaukee to see the Body Worlds exhibit at the museum. We also went to the Human Body Imax movie. We were very impressed by the exhibit. These are all preserved human bodies, posed in various activites and showing various systems (i.e. muscular, skeletal, circulatory, organs, etc.). It was very educational and interesting, which we expected. It was also surprisingly beautiful and artistic. I didn't really expect that. Dej was pleasant the whole day. Everybody got along. No fights in the back seat--no problems at all. That just doesn't happen when spending a full day with the queen of moods. We had a light lunch/snack at the museum's "cafe" and then saw the Imax. We had to get back after that, as D. had to work that night. We had a wonderful day! The whole family did something fun together, learned something, and our girls enjoyed their time with us. YEA!!! L. enjoyed some of it, but thought much of it was gross. She didn't find it as artistic and beautiful as we did. Dej found some inspiration for her art, so we got her a poster that she really wanted for her room. We also purchased the book, as it will be interesting for Mark & I to read and look at and will also be a nice supplement for our human anatomy homeschooling units.

Our normal Saturday night date night was switched to Friday this week, because my parents are going to some church thing in Milwaukee to hear my brother speak. M. planned another one of his top-secret date-night surprises. We went to see a play at the Broom Street Theater (Madison). We haven't yet been to any performances there. It's the oldest independent theater group in Madison. It was a very enjoyable performance. It was written by a local guy, too. It was again nice to be part of something in which people pursue their passion and aren't focused on money. We will probably attend events there in the future.

After the play, we returned home and had our typical Friday re-watch and analysis of LOST. Just as enjoyable the second time around. Michael Emerson (Ben) and Terry O'Quin (Locke) are such tremendous actors. We really enjoy watching their performances.

THURSDAY

I got to have a quiet Thursday with Colton. He's been sick for several days and wasn't well enough for daycare but his mom had already taken time off and needed to teach that day. Sick little ones need much more doting and affection than they get in daycare, and I was glad to have a little one to take care of. Despite not feeling well, he was a perfect little doll. We had a lot of cuddle time. The cats were all very affectionate with him. They would randomly walk over and rub gently against him, which he loved. Even Ivan--IVAN--came over and was really sweet and cuddly with him. He had a great time just watching the cats play.

I had class in the evening and returned home for our LOST celebration. I have to say, I called this one right. I thought Kate's "him" was a baby, not a man. It's nice to be right every now and then with this show. And, I must have been an extra good girl lately, because the gods smiled down on me with the scene of Sawyer in his white boxers and his smile. It's the dimples. And the abs. And the hair. And, well, he's pretty much got it all going on. He's deficient in tattoos, but we all have our shortcomings, I guess. Aah, Sayid last week and Sawyer this week. The universe is kind.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday evening we had an appointment for parent-teacher conferences at Dej's International Academy. We have been so thoroughly impressed with that school in every way. It's a fabulous program, and we feel that it's the best education Dej has received in her high-school career. I wish all public schools were like this, but of course that's impossible for many reasons. Her teacher is awesome, too. We receive e-mails from her at night, days off school, weekends--the woman must really live her job, because she seems to be working round the clock! Anyway, she told us what a wonderful student Dej is, she's a pleasure to have, amazing writer, good at research, one of the most responsible about turning good quality work in on time, good at public speaking, poised, etc. It was an absolutely glowing description of a young woman I have not had the pleasure of meeting, obviously. Seriously, who was this woman talking about?! I know that Dej really loves that school and her teacher, and it has been an extremely positive experience for her. I was thrilled to find out that she is such a wonderful and responsible joy to have in class. I really wish that girl lived in my house with me, but at least she has it in her somewhere. It gives me a much more hopeful attitude about her first year of college than I have been having. This was much better than my conversation with one of Dej's teachers last year about how Dej made her cry and told her that she was an ineffective teacher and should perhaps think about taking some classes on brain-based teaching methods. UGH!

Dog & Cat homes desperately needed!

After a very, very long Tuesday, I am finally home and have a few minutes to relax. Dej is at her boyfriend's (back with Brandon), Mark is teaching in Madison tonight (we passed on I90, like two ships in the night), and L. is in bed (her own!!). I fed the inside critters and the outside critters. I gave them some extra food tonight, as I have been, because it's so very cold. They need all the body fat they can get! One of our ferals is safe and warm for now, but we still have two in Beloit and one near my house that we need to catch and get care for. The girl we caught already was in bad shape, but she's improving already. She is old and has proven to be extremely sweet and cuddly. She used to be a pet, the poor thing. I really, really want to find a loving home, so the poor precious girl can enjoy her last few years, after all the suffering she's been through. We also have a dog--a very sweet, completely non-aggressive sheltie mix, who was abused HORRIBLY. He's about three years old and about 40 pounds. He's great with people, other dogs and cats. If you know of anyone who would be interested, PLEASE contact me.

As I sit here eating a quick snack, as I don't have time for dinner on Tuesdays, my cats are watching me like the little beggars (vultures) they are. Baxter has acquired the absolute cutest habit lately. I've never seen anything like it. Whenever I eat something he is interested in, he of course stares soulfully at me, but he's added the killer touch. He turns his head to the side in a very, very cute way, opens his mouth and "bites" the food with me, then proceeds to "chew" the food with me. It takes all the restraint I can muster to not just hand him whatever he wants when he does that. I have to get a video of it, because words absolutely do not do it justice. I've had him for years, but he never started this until 3-4 weeks ago.

While doing a "clean room" inspection in Dej's room, I was able to take photos of a couple of her works of art. One is a painting that she did a while ago, but I've always loved it. It's extremely detailed, which is hard to see in this photo. It's a great meditation tool for chakra alignment, as it depicts all seven chakras. The other is a sketch that she's working on. It's not nearly complete yet, but it's good. I don't get this kind of art and wouldn't particularly enjoy looking at it on my wall, but it's very well executed. It's quite a strange piece, coming from a girl raised in an extremely anti-violent environment.

Sayid rocks the tux, and the hair--oh YES!

Sunday

• All day spent on Sunday chores and getting homeschool work ready for Mon., Tues., & Weds. (when L. is at my mom's).


• Mark makes his award-winning chili.


• Clean kitchen


• Bake vegan cupcakes, as I promised L. I would make a batch for her to decorate. I made half cherry chocolate and half plain chocolate (for L.). Pastry bag breaks as I start to frost (with fudge buttercream frosting), of course. Have to use crappy spoon to put frosting on, which is so not pretty. H. was over, as usual, so they both decorated. They didn't mind working on the ugly frosting canvas. There were several decorated with little mice and hamsters, but the kids already ate those. Of the remaining designs, I see a heart, a flower, and some other things that I can't quite identify.


• Clean kitchen again


• Finish blogging, and go watch an episode of Ghost Hunters, which we rented for L., for family movie night.

Saturday

• Mark and Luciana leave at 8:30 for an adventure. They go to Olbrich Gardens in Madison, Chasen Art Museum, and had Tai food for lunch. They left me home alone (Dej was working), so I could fully enjoy the misery of:


• Spend day grading homework and peak of my year...taxes. Super, we owe federals this year. That's quite a reward after spending several hours doing something that no human should have to experience.


• Sulk.


• Leftovers for dinner.


• Perform next horrible task for the day--grocery shopping for the month. UGH! It was an absolute cluster f*ck! Between shopping, waiting in long line to check out (at 9pm on a Sat!), and putting groceries away--almost four hours down the drain.


• One of the Beloit Burger King feral cats we've been trying to trap is finally caught and turned over to RCHS. She needs immediate care and altering and no other arrangements could be made (after over a month of trying). Kris (RCHS director) promised she would work with us on our B.K. ferals (we still have two more to catch) and NO cats would be put down as a result of them coming in temporarily. Still need homes, though!!


• L. to bed and A. comes over again so at least my shitty day ended pleasantly.

Friday

• Normal lunch at El Jardin with Denny and Carrie. Orinda couldn't make it--Colton sent home sick. Food was good, my weekly Mt. Dew treat was delightful. Service sucked! That NEVER happens there. Service is beyond superb normally, so not sure what happened. I was crabby (still aware of newly discovered fat beasty status) and that did not help!


• More homeschooling--history (still on the ancients), language (action verbs), philosophy.


• Start dinner--split pea soup and bisquits. Everyone liked it; yea!!


• Family game time


• Luciana goes to bed and is STILL sleeping in her own bed. WOW!


• Allegrea comes over to hang out. It's great to have a fellow night owl to keep me company until late into the night.

Thursday

• 5:30 am - something isn't quite right; can't explain, but knew I better investigate. Found Baxter with tail hanging out of mouth. Shit! Carry Baxter into bathroom and shake repeatedly over tub, while yelling, "Drop it, Baxter!"; Baxter drops it; scream for Mark to bring a safe container while trying to keep seven nosy cats away from tub.


• Notice that precious little house mouse has a broken back leg but is completely healthy and intact other than that; Set her up in nice little habitat with food and water until I can arrange care; find out that my vet clinic is shorthanded and can't see her. Call Fellow Mortals wildlife rehab in Lake Geneva to schedule a drop-off time.


• Mark, Luce, and I take mouse to Fellow Mortals where I sadly let her go into loving hands that can fix her leg and take care of any pain she may have. She will be released in a wildlife sanctuary in the spring.


• Feel sad all the way home, because I had to break up a mouse family, and they are extremely social creatures. :( That's the reason I decided not to live trap this winter when they moved into their favorite spot. I thought if I fed them in a cat-safe area, they would never have a reason to come out and the cats wouldn't be able to get them. I was wrong. Drowning in guilt!


• Run into old high school friend on my way out of Fazoli's, where we stopped for lunch. Not much sleep and a lovely skin breakout ensure that I look like an ugly fat beast. He's been modeling since he moved away after high school, and looks perfect and young.


• Finish running exciting errands, like Menards and Target, acutely aware of my hideous, old, ugliness the whole time.


• Come home, curl up and feel lots of self pity.


• Dinner at mom's--not hungry.


• Teach class. That was fun, as usual.


• Home on slippery roads, as it's snowing, AGAIN.


• Give girls their Valentine's Day gifts.


• LOST! O frabjous day, callooh callay, I chortled in my joy!! Gets better every time!

And more snow

Well tonight makes the second night of our reduced bedroom occupancy. L. called me at work yesterday to tell me she decided to try to sleep in her own bedroom. This was completely out of the blue. We have long since given up trying to lure her into her own bed and have just been happy when she sleeps on her floor cushion in our room instead of in our bed. The cats have been very helpful with her brave efforts. Last night Petey stayed in there to enjoy the cuddles until long after she went to sleep. Much to our shock, she slept the ENTIRE night in there. Tonight when we tucked her in, Petey and Lila were both in bed with her. That takes our bedroom's night-time occupancy rate from 10 down to 7! I don't want to get too excited, since it's still very early in a process that could be reversed with one bad dream. It is quite nice, though, while at the same time being a bit sad--my baby is growing up so fast!

The pipe in our basement that froze and was fixed a couple of weeks ago froze again, split, and started spewing water all over yesterday. The plumber came this morning and fixed it again, and we will have to go to Menards to pick up some insulation and ceiling vents so it doesn't happen for a third time. What a pain! Once we get that done, we have to rip out the old, ruined carpet and put new carpeting down in the office area and then try to get the office area put back together. We currently have loads of books, from the two full bookshelves we had to move, stacked all over the family room downstairs, leaving the family room and office area complete and utter messes.

We've quite a series of tragedies in our house lately. Since our Annabelle died, we've lost Ginger (cockatiel) and Thumper (rabbit). Neither was old, neither showed any indication of illness or pending death, and both were horribly shocking surprises. They were fine when we tucked everyone in for the night and dead in the morning. I won't talk too much about them, because I am still very emotional and barely keeping it together. All three will be buried in the spring. I thinks it's time to smudge the house again. It seems like we go through these periods where tons of negative energy builds up and we are plagued with tragedies and disasters. I personally feel horrible, because I have been whining about all the time I had to spend trying to pair bond the rabbits. Suddenly that has come to a screeching halt, and I feel like total shit for complaining. I would gladly spend hours everyday on my bathroom floor if I could have my Thumpy back. I was hoping to have a necropsy done yesterday, but our vet was absolutely drowning and had surgeries and double-booked appts. all day. There's not much of a window when working with small animals like rabbits. Now I will have to wonder what happened for the rest of my life! It sucks a lot.

Okay, on a more positive note, my class seems to be going well. I'm enjoying myself and the class. The first homework assignments were due tonight, and it looks like I will be doing a lot of grading this week. That's definitely my least favorite part. I love teaching but hate grading and giving grades.

I worked from home today, due to yet another snow dump and the need for someone to wait for the plumber this morning. I had a really productive day, which was nice. I spent much of the day converting code/queries from SQL Server to Oracle. That's a pretty brain intensive activity, which involves a ton of frustration but ultimately a major sense of accomplishment when it finally works. I finished work, then went straight out to my class. When I got home (after I fed the outside critters and the cats, of course), L. and I did some microscope viewing. She enjoys making slides with saliva, cat hairs and nail sheaths, and blood (I'm always the lucky donor).


Tonight's pictures are from L's fashion show with Daisy and Jezebel. She was supposed to be cleaning her room. When she emerged, her room was actually messier, but she was quite proud to show me the photos and video she took during her fashion shoot.

Because there's a hole in my tights, Mommy.

Duh, so logical, yet I, lacking in practical logic apparently, had to ask. I noticed at bedtime, that L. had a quarter-sized black circle colored on her calf. I asked her what was clearly a stupid question. "Why did you color a black circle on your leg?" And to that question, I recieved the very logical answer above. What a clever and effective way to handle the whole stocking-hole problem. It worked, as she wore the black tights all day, and I didn't notice the quarter-sized hole in the calf!

I've been a garden-expo widow for the last few days, and thanks to even more snow that's been dumped on us, I was almost a widow! He has had to go back and forth to Madison for the expo, as he's had presentations each day. He's their best-attended speaker, by the way. Anyway, he hit some horribly dangerous, icy roads and almost died this morning on the way there. I was so mad at him for making such a dangerous trip. He's home now, thank god, but will need to catch up on rest after working so many long days without a day off. I've had a lonely weekend of housework and chores, for the most part. L. kept busy playing with H. I love that she is so social and plays so nicely with her friends whenever she can, but the selfish part of me really wants a little more time with her! I was a good mommy, though, and didn't make her feel guilty for abandoning me. ;)

We did enjoy some time with our good friends on Friday night. P.K. and Allegrea came over to hang out after L. went to bed. We actually put a movie in that we intended to watch but ended up having such good conversations, that we never made it to the movie. It's always amazing how quickly time flies when we have our good friends around. A. finished Mark's tattoo drawing--the first draft anyway. She and her partner, Austin (the tattoo artist, and also an artist) collaborated and came up with an absolutely perfect drawing. A. is going to add some more fun details to it, and then he'll be ready for the needle. I can't wait to see it. We both love it. It will take several hours, though, and may even require two sittings. Then, finally, it will be my turn again! They also made some great drawings of the dragon that L. asked for, along with a nice poster of i that Austin made for her. She was so excited to see the pictures when she got up the next day!

I had plenty of time this weekend to do some research on LOST and various theories and scientific concepts. I'm so glad it's back!

The other topic I tried to research wasn't quite as successful. I have been increasingly wondering about a specific facet of animal behavior. It's been on my mind because of the rabbits. I guess spending a couple of hours every night on the bathroom floor supervising rabbits gives me time to ponder weighty topics like why a fixed female rabbit expresses dominance through mounting and humping a male rabbit. Dogs use this gesture to express dominance as well, regardless of their gender. Cats do not. Birds do not. The thing I love about science, biology, evolution, etc., is that it's so very logical. It makes sense. There is a cause and effect sequence, that once discovered, proves to be very elegant. What bothers me is that I can't find that element in this behavioral manifestation. It's most definitely instinctive, as it occurs in altered animals of both genders, even when they have never experienced sex. Why is dominance expressed by imitating sexual penetration? Why is it not established like cats--they fight and whoever wins the fight is dominant. That's simple and elegant. What biological/evolutionary structure accounts for the link between sex and dominance? I can't help but see the parallel in humans and the use of rape as an expression of power and dominance rather than one of sexuality. Despite my excellent Internet research skills, I found nothing theorizing as to why these two are connected in certain species of animals. I'm trying to come up with a theory that adheres to Occam's Razor, as the rest of science does (for the most part), but I have struck out so far. So I would love to hear any thoughts or theories on this subject that anyone may have.

M. just returned from the pharmacy. My pain level has been hideous since last night, and I was up until after 5 this morning with pain. He sweetly went to pick something up for me, so I can sleep tonight--at least enough to safely drive to work tomorrow. L. is supposed to be sleeping. Surprise. She's not yet. She's missed M. so much the last few days, as she hasn't seen him to speak of, so when she heard him come up to the bedroom, she whispers (as if I won't notice her little voice), "Daddy, will you take some days off this week?" He assured her that he would, and she will hold him to that, should he try to wriggle out of it. Then, "Daddy, did you look in your sock drawer and cupboard?" (What she means is the armoire he keeps his clothes in). She spent some time this afternoon re-folding and re-organizing all of the clothing in his armoire for him. She couldn't wait to show him. He was appropriately excited about it. NOW maybe she will go to sleep. She is not fun to wake up on Monday mornings!

I hate snow!

I love this watch. It’s pretty and it makes me happy. It’s too pretty (and probably delicate) to take my normal everyday wear and tear, but it’s fun to wear and look at when I do wear it. It was quite the conversation piece last time I wore it to work. The women in my meeting really liked it and envied it. I just love shiny, sparkly, pretty things! They are absolutely pointless in the grand scheme of life, but I really enjoy them. I think everyone secretly does, though, even men. They just don’t freely admit to it. ;) I wouldn’t have purchased such a luxury item for myself. It was a very thoughtful xmas gift from my friend, Orinda . I admired the watch in a catalog we were looking at together, long before xmas, and apparently her steel-trap mind remembered it and got it for me.

Last night Allegrea stopped by to talk about our efforts to create a local feral cat program. As always, I was in the bathroom supervising bunny dates, so she had joined me in there. L. was intent on asking A. to draw a poster for her of a baby blue dragon that she saw in one of her books. She had asked her sister at dinner if she would draw it for her, and Dej told her she would if L. would pay her. She tried to tell her that she’s an artist and artists get paid for their work. L. told her forget it, that she would just ask A. So, she eagerly brought the dragon book into the bathroom to show A. what she wanted and ask her to do it. After a lengthy discussion, A. said she would take the book home and draw one that was completed and draw one for L. to color in on her own. L. was very happy and marched out of the bathroom to get ready for bed. A few minutes later, the door opened a crack, and L.’s little arm stuck in, tossed a $10 bill at A., said “Here, take this”, then the door closed. We were a bit confused by it, so I asked if Mark or Dej had sent L. in with money for A. It wouldn’t be unusual, because she’s like part of our family, so money tends to slide back and forth quite a bit between all of us. They both said they hadn’t and didn’t know anything about it. Then I realized what was going on. L. was paying A. for her artwork. A. wouldn’t take it of course, and left it with me to give back to L. in the morning. I asked her about it this morning. She said she wanted to pay A., because she’s an artist and should be paid for her work, AND because she didn’t ask for money. She elaborated that she likes to pay people for their work, but not when they ask for money like her sister did. She only pays people who don’t ask for money. What a girl!

On the homeschooling front, I’ve been digging around a lot lately trying to find a good math supplement for L. We are ready to start division, but for some reason, this is the one area of math that I am really drawing a blank on how to teach. I ended up finding a math curriculum that looks really good and has an intense focus on word problems. I was impressed by this, because I believe word problems to be vitally important to math of all levels. She really loves the word problems I write for her, as I tend to use our animals and little scenarios that make her laugh. I think I am going to try Singapore math though, at least for a while, to see how that goes. It looks like a very rigorous program (which I like), and I think she will enjoy it. Plus, it will free up some of the time I spend writing up lessons/worksheets every week. I’ve already picked out our Latin curriculum, Lively Latin, which we will be starting in the fall. We are both pretty excited about this. I also ran across a chemistry program, designed for kids. As chemistry really is the “mother science’, I agree that it should be introduced early on. We will be starting with the periodic table of elements, and will cover element 1, Hydrogen, this week. She likes stuff like that, and it will be a good refresher for my brain. It is really difficult to find good, rigorous, classic materials that are not religiously slanted, so I’m pretty thrilled with my discoveries so far!

Tonight I will go straight from work in Madison to my second class. I have a full class and obviously don’t really know the students yet, other than one, who I had last year in a class. It seems to be a good mix of tradition and non-trad students, and is going well so far. I’m looking forward to getting into the material tonight, now that the introductory stuff is done, and getting to know the students. I try to get everyone’s name down ASAP, and I always get nervous looking at a full classroom, wondering how I will learn all those new names/faces. I always feel so much better once I reach that point. I hate for the students to feel that I don’t know or care about them! We are supposed to get yet another snow dump tonight and tomorrow, so I’m just hoping I can make it home safely tonight. I will most likely work from home tomorrow, and Dej is hoping for another day off school.

Dej just called to tell me, very excitedly, that she got the highest score in the class on a pre-AP English test. She even got extra credit points on it. The way I understand it, it’s a real test that counts for a grade in the class, but it’s also an AP practice test. She’s really pumped about the AP test now, because her performance on this test indicates that she will do very well on the AP exam. We knew that she would, but it’s nice now that she has confidence that she will.