More blah blah blah

There's an article in today's paper about the local schools and their test results under No Child Left Behind, that boil on the face of education in the United States. I was interested to see that in the paper's rather unscientific poll, results are running about two to one against testing as a reliable way to judge a school. Now if only the idiots that are running things in this country would get a clue before everything really goes to hell...

I just get so pissed at these people who seem to think the schools stink and it's all the fault of the schools when they don't bother to look in their own backyard. It's not the teachers who should be raising your child, it's you. If you value education, chances are your child will too. If you are interested in their education, they will be too. If you see to it they do their homework, if you keep on them about their test scores, if you go to their games and concerts and events, if you show your child you care about them, it will show in their learning and how they are as human beings. If you buy them stuff and hope that makes up for it, that will show as well. You reap what you sow, people. Get with it.

In the "you learn something new every day" category, I just found out there exists a professional women's tackle football league with 39 teams and 7 more in the 2009 expansion. No kidding.
National Women's Football Association
You go, girls.

Went to the dentist today and of course they had forgotten to write my appointment down and so there was no record of it. Good thing I had today off anyway; I was able to take it philosophically. The person who made the mistake wasn't in at the time but - serious points for her - called me later to apologize. Service like that is rare these days, and very much appreciated.

Side note: darn hard to do anything with the computer when the cat is using the "enter" key for a pillow.

History Detectives season premiere is tonight, which makes me pretty close to the happiest clam in existence. This just may be my favorite TV show, period.

Nothingness, really

More proof that people have no clue - I now know everything about the spat a neighbor of mine is having with her boyfriend, as does everyone else on the block. Don't have your phone conversations on the deck in a courtyard at 10 p.m., honey. And many of us would appreciate it if you'd stop dropping the f-bomb every other word.

I'm not so fond of sports in general, but the recent US Open was astounding. Wow. Occasionally, I get a glimpse of why people obsess over these things... Baseball, however, is an exception. Am heading to a game tomorrow and apparently the tickets are to the point I'd be bringing my glove if I had any idea where it was. Can't wait for the dog. Yummers.

Today was a tad entertaining. After work met a friend for coffee that I rarely get to see and then went to M's for dinner, so that was cool. M and I have decided we need to be on a diet kick, so that'll be a blast, I'm sure. Hate that crap. But.

Work today and tomorrow will be joyous - putting a bunch of data together for the Board. I spent much of today crunching numbers, which sure as heck ain't my favorite. Interesting, the data. But the number crunching part sucks. But again, it's a job. I can pay rent and buy cat food.

Flooding is bad for many of my friends. We've been lucky - nothing here. My former apartment is underwater at least a little bit - can't quite tell from the photos. My decision to move is looking better and better...

Nothing to say, really, just figured I should update. Best hit the sack. Morning has come a little too early these past few.

404 Error: Romance Not Found

I love the Internet. God, I love the Internet.

http://www.google.com/romance/index.html

There are stories to tell of things that happened today; suffice to say I don't feel like telling them right now. I'm tired and going to bed. :)

Happy Father's Day to all, and to all a good night.

Not much new

Not much new; it's nice outside for a change but I gather it's supposed to rain again this afternoon. Rain, rain, rain. But we haven't had problems with flooding as opposed to a fair amount of the surrounding terrain, so I need to just shut up.

Glad it's nice so far as it's Trench today and it sucks when Trench weather isn't up to snuff. There's likely to be Wii later tonight as well, which is always good for a laugh or two.

Spent a fair bit of time at work this past week, mainly doing training and going over test results. Not terribly exciting, but I got paid, which is always good. My colleagues were entertaining, which is also a plus. Learned a fair bit in a technology training session and got some ideas about some stuff I can do for an organization that I'm a board member of, so that was worthwhile. That and our trainer was terribly entertaining.

M and I got pedicures this past week, which was a good time. We had them done at a cosmology school, which makes the price a bit more within reach. We meandered around the mall for a while as well. Nice sale at Bath and Body Works.

Heading to a ball game on Tuesday, which will be fun although I'm sure they'll lose. Been that kind of season. Haven't hung out with that group of friends in a while, though, so it will be a good time. Headed on a road trip a few days later to visit a college roommate. Going to be a total girl thing, which will be a good time.

Best get moving so I'm not too late to Trench...

SOTD, job update, heckuva good story

• Song Of The Day: Dimming of the Day

I had forgotten how much I like this. It's just lovely. Simple and sweet and lovely. B gave me a mix tape many years ago with Bonnie Raitt's recording on it. I'd somehow never heard it before. I was reminded of it today as I heard bits of this week's PHC - go to their website to catch Ms. Raitt and what I believe is the composer himself singing the song live: http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/. That girl's got some pipes.

PHC is a grand gift to humanity. It's so good to know the old time radio variety show still exists. And with music to rock anyone's world. I laugh, I cry. Every week.

Anyway, back to SOTD: The song was written by Richard Thompson and first recorded by him in 1975, I think.
Lyrics and suchlike here: http://www.richardthompson-music.com/song_o_matic.asp?id=74

• Job update:

I found out as of Friday that I am going to be full time. My job is changing in ways I don't care for much at all, but I'll be able to pay rent and buy cat food. I have no reason to complain: we're losing 34 folks from our building alone. 34. Out of something like 70-80. Granted, some are transfers and a few are retiring, but... 34.

We had a big breakfast meeting at the OCB on Friday and among other things, my boss asked all leaving to stand and be recognized and thanked for all they've done. She read off the names of everyone who was leaving. It sounded like she was reading off a list of war dead. God. And then to make the comparison even more unfortunately apt, they showed a PowerPoint with pictures of all those leaving with some sappy song as the soundtrack. Luckily for me, the song contained Willie Nelson, so I was able to keep some perspective. Still, not my favorite meeting ever.

This whole thing has sucked for months now and even though I finally have some vague clue what's happening, it's going to continue to suck. It's just going to suck in ways I don't yet fully comprehend.

Anyway.

Not totally related, but as the job is much slower in the summer I've spent the weekend coming up with a list of summer projects. It's huge. I get so little done during the other months. Finally thought of a decent way to describe my job. Nine months of the year I belong to other people. Three months I belong to myself.

And, well, it's closer to 9 1/2 and 2 1/2, but that's another thing.

• So here's the best story I've had for quite a while.

Several of us went out after work on Thursday. We went out after work on Wednesday too, but I digress. Anyway. We started at an establishment on campus, had a couple of coneys and then wandered across the street for a fishbowl. Life was good - hey, we weren't at work. We hopped back into our cars to drive maybe 1/2 mile south to yet another establishment. It was closed, but the biker establishment next door was open, so we wandered in. What nice people. A bit of a townie (not in the British sense) place - everyone knew each other's names, they had pull tabs, everything was dirt cheap - but we like that kind of place. Everyone was terribly friendly, including our waitress.

So for whatever reason, J and K wanted to do pull-tabs. I tend to avoid that sort of thing as Throwing Money Down A Rat Hole Which I Can Ill Afford, but what the heck, it does go to charity, and we were celebrating. K calls pull-tabs "paper crack," which is easily the best definition I've ever heard. Anyway. We all chuck in a few bucks, J goes over to the booth which is in every townie establishment I've ever been in, and brings back the paper crack.

We begin to pull. Papers litter the table. I'm all proud of myself as I've pulled a couple of $2 winners, even a $4. K pulls one or two winners as well. Then J says, "Oh my God."

What? What?

He just pulled a $599 pull tab.

Then K and I say "Oh my God." ARE YOU JOKING?!? He shows us. He wasn't joking.

No. Way.

We promptly started squealing, high-fiving, taking pictures, and calling and texting everyone we could think of. We could hardly believe it. What were the chances?

So I am now approximately $200 richer than I once was, and contemplating how best to spend my windfall. K got a massage. J is considering spending it on gas, which I hope I nipped in the bud. I mean, really. At least get gas for your boat, for Jah's sake. And me? Idunno as of yet. My mother suggested a new vacuum. I, of course, laughed.

Our day continued with a trip on the light rail in the rain, more food, more drink, and a game of Candyland. In Spanish.

It was a good day.