How I spent my summer vacation

This was truly the best of times worst of times summer for me and the kids under the umbrella. . .and I have chosen to focus on the good, which was MUCH more fun, and when I think about it, this was probably one of the. best. summer. vacations. EVER!

As a family, over trials and tribulations, we were able to overcome many of them, and deal with what could not be overcome, we were strong, we grew, and we loved much more than any other time in recent months. . .and I can honestly say I am happier now than I have been in ages. My kids will be fine, this past year was rough, but we have grown as a family and as people. . .and that is the best thing about this summer vacation!

Anger and Flow

Vanir's Left Fist of Brutality


As noted earlier, I have been reassigned to the basement, for office space for my adjuncting position. The room is reported to be "a nice space" well, as a nice a basement space can be next to the custodian's closet and the boiler. . .it stinks like a basement, it is dark like a basement. . .it IS a BASEMENT!

So, I thought that would be the worst of it. . .I was wrong! My contract was not drafted, for some reason, until all hopes of getting paid today were gone, and the reaction of the person giving me the news was not all that encouraging. She was, of course, busy helping more important people with THEIR work. . .and the fact that STUDENTS are the most important part of a college or university, without them there is no school, and as someone who has a primary focus ON students, my work should be pretty important too. . .not so much. No apology, no sympathy, no emotion, just a "well, sucks to be you" kind of attitude. And that was going to be it. . .BUT

I have a car payment at the end of the month, and I was freaking out, the money just runs out of the bank. . .and I did not know what to do.

I showed up to teach for the first day of class. . .with no contract, just signed it today, after teaching classes without one. . .and the department heads were all there, and I asked if the contract was there-nope. They were very nice, but I explained it felt like a huge sting to have something so vital to my family, my paycheck, be treated so lightly, and how was I going to make my car payment. . .I was really really upset.

I was able to get some help from the school, and I really appreciate it. . .I was just so stunned that the work of an adjunct is so low on the scale of importance. . .

So, I will hang on until the 15th. . .DAMMIT!

HELLO!!!

Wow! I admit, I am BLOWN away by this choice! I did not think it was possible for the GOP to go to these lengths to shake off any residual taint of the same, but this is a truly REALLY choice for change. I have to give him props, only Leiberman would have locked my vote- but this is giving me pause. . .

Consider;

The Changling picks the MOST unchanged pol of the decade for his VP. Biden is a blowhard and a professional politician who would not know change if it bit his ass with all 32 teeth.

The changling's mouthpieces release this statement about Palin "“Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. " Zero experience is suddenly a liability? THAT was your whole POINT, you hypocritical A-HOLES!!!

Is the Obama camp really considering counting his World Hype tour as "foreign policy experience"? You have GOT to be joking me. . .are the Changlings REALLY that stupid as to spend the first half of the primary touting "change you can believe in" as a response to questions about his knowledge base, and now appears poised to attack someone. . .just . . .for. . .that. . .same. . .reason!

Palin has plenty of experience in many of the matters that Obama has not even addressed, executive time on the job that is a matter of public record, unlike Obama, who has his people shouting down anyone who DARES to ask what he and Bill A did with all that grant/tax money in Chicago.

So, a very interesting turn of events. . .suddenly my cynical nature is heartened that a mom of 5, with a special needs kid was NOT overlooked for this spot!
M

I know you have been waiting for it

and since I hate to disappoint. . .

The most overhyped convention of the decade kicked off, which will result in the nomination of a person that will set the chances of EVER electing a progressive canidate back at least 10 years.

Ted Kennedy, the one who's horrific history has been wiped clean by terminal illness, starts the show OFFICIALLY, however, the true debacle is yet to come. Wait until the Clintons get there. In this mismanaged charge for "change" there is now a person in contention with zero credibility with swing voters, radical positions that he is CONSTANTLY backtracking on, and without the backing of the Clinton voters, the house is divided, and in November, it will fall.

At that moment, after months of negative ads, and the words of Clinton ringing in their ears, about how we, the people do not even know THAT much about him, combined with the constant
need to "clarify" and the million and one other reasons. . .people will vote for the war hero who bumbled and stumbled, rather than the one who kept telling them they did not need to hear his plans just yet.

Don't believe me? Ask Gore and Kerry if that has ever happened. . .

I find it even more unfathomable that he picked the guy who said Obama was so "bright and clean" as his VP. . .and that Hillary was not vetted, and that Obama continues to act like a rock star that wants to dazzle rather than articulate anything about his plans, how he will pay for any of his grand promises. . .

Retch, my stomach just turned- the guy who left a young girl to drown in his car is getting a standing ovation. . .

So the weekend. . .

We went to the water park on Saturday, and Precious and the rest of the gang had a GREAT time and the fun was just getting started. . .

Sunday it was Six Flags, and we had an AMAZING time. KIA, Muffin, Butter, Cocoa and Precious and also KIA'S girlfriend went and Butter went on his first upside down roller coaster! Big day!

The park was pretty empty, the local kids had started school already. . .too bad. . .for THEM.

We laughed and rode rides, and over all had the MOST excellent time. . .what a great weekend!!!

Oooops. . .

KIA was rear ended yesterday. . . OMG!!!!!!! The guy was talking on a cell phone and was cited for following too close.. . .my BABY

Holy crap what a fright!!!! HE HIT MY BABY WITH HIS CAR!!!!!!!

The REALLY funny thing? He is the husband of Cocoa's teacher for the coming school year. . .I think!

KIA is ok, his car is a wreck anyway, so no big whoop. . .I am STILL wanting to "meet" the guy that hit my kid. . .with his CAR!!!

Dane will make it better!!

Dregs of summer vacay. . .NOT

We are off to Six Flags this weekend. . .we have so many things planned for these last few days of summer vacay- Waterpark tomorrow!

Of course pictures will be posted. . .but for now, here are a few more from the summer. . .

An Ode to my Beloved Co parent. . .

Ok, not quite a CO parent. . . but the link to the outside adult world is sustained through the occasional glass of wine after the kids are asleep cannot be under appreciated, even if mothers can be on a regular basis.

As I get ready to go back to the adult world, to discuss adult things, with other adults, I have this link on occasion to remind me that there are a TON of people in my life who know how to use the bathroom all by THEMSELVES, who do not take the last cookie and taunt the rest of the department with it, do not lick it and put it back to "keep everyone off it" and many MANY people are totally willing to listen to what I have to say WITHOUT rolling their eyes. . .a lot!

I know- an ode to the hooch is probably going to earn a wagged finger or two, maybe even a bird in the hand. . .BUT, what the hell, I am never going to get mother of the year, because THAT award doesn't factor in how parents express their love for their kids. . .just how they "act."

With KIA about to start college, I have had a ton of thoughts on the whole parenting experience, and of course, I have been wondering for a loooooong time "how am I doing" in the parenting department. . .and trying to articulate that to some new parents who have asked me about my "feelings" on "the subject". . .

First, maybe because I was young and stupid, I never really had a chance to think about what kind of parent I would be- I knew what many of my family thought about my chances of parenting "well" but I did not really begin with any of the reflections of how and what parenting would be and what my kids would be like. I had no time to ponder and formulate the parenting path I would take- I read Dr. Spock to keep them healthy and well fed, and got them all of their check ups and such. . .but I never read any of the "buy this book to be a better parent" maybe I feared that I was going to find out how messed up I was gonna make these kids. . .because I am a reader, even my reading for grad school is/was a joy. . .so I suspect that I avoided these parenting books, and believe me, I got some for EVERY gift giving occasion. . .

I also never learned that whole "I am the parent and I never admit failure or weakness" lesson. My kids have seen me angry, freaked out, sad, depressed, and wrong, but they have never heard me lie to them and they never had to wait for an apology from me if I did something wrong, got the wrong information, or if I was just plain in the wrong. I always considered it important to be honest with them, about everything they were asking about, they know about my younger years, and about my mistakes and my modest victories. . .hey there were some:)

I shared my music with them, and did not limit theirs, they were allowed to listen to all the Parental Warned lyrics, and well, none of them worship Satan, though KIA does have intense fondness for Buckethead and Iron Maiden. . .we go to the concerts, we see the fans, and I am never their buddy at these events, I am always mom. . .but I am mom at Ozzfest or Mayhem fest- I am not ever a different person when I am with them, I am always me. . .

I also realize that those promises that I made to my future kids were pretty lame. . .and I only kept 1. . .remember those promises? When I have kids I am not going to make them/I am going to let them/They will not have to. . .yeah, and the check is in the mail! The only promise I kept? They get all the crap cereal they can hold. . .most as dessert, but still, all the crap that is kosher? They get it. . .

I realize that I do not see my kids as extensions and reflections of myself- I love them for the people they are, and do not really worry about how they seem to others, well, except the whole criminal/thug aspect. . .they ARE required to be law abiding for goodness sake! But they are not expected to follow a path I set for them, it is one of my better moments, the point that I saw my kids as people in their own right, not little robots that I was supposed to program in any fixed way. I sent KIA and Muffin to camps for weeks at a time, and encouraged them to travel at every chance- KIA went to Houston for Forensics, and he also went all over the state competing in meets. . .he has really grown up this past 2 years, and I am really proud of him.

Muffin is also growing up fast, this past summer and his camp experience was very good for him- and unlike my camping, Facebook has made it really easy to stay in touch with his camp friends. . .

The younger ones are also growing up fast, and since it seems to be working, I will keep up the same methodology. . .

But about the wine. . .the adult beverage of choice, well, as a person heavily into ritual, the whole EVENT itself is the coolest part- my glass, the kind of wine, the music, the setting of sitting on my porch and quaffing the elixir of maturity. . .sigh, adult ritual HEAVEN- I am alone with my thoughts, my music and my wine, and I am a woman who also happens to be mom.

Ahhh, my co parent. . . .Cheers!

"I only like the Jewish guy I pray to. . ."

Ok, so, the religion thing raises its ugly head. . .again.

As stated before, we had some family members pass away recently, and the question as to "what happens when you die. . ." becomes very VERY critical. . .and it is here that the religious differences really show between their dad and I. . .so

My mother in law, and all of Chris's family believe in that wonderful heaven place, which is currently being cared for by. . .wait for it. . .a Jewish guy! Which is ironic, because Jews do not have a heaven- we do not have a pat answer for the what happens when question. . .but our idea about life after life differs greatly in location as well. . .Jews believe that the next world, the "World to Come" stays Earth bound- Tikkun Olam- repair the world, because THIS is where the Messiah will establish it, not some city in the clouds. And the World to come is for those who lived well, it is not reserved for only those who are/were good Jews, there are no magic prayers into this, you either lived a good life or you did not. . .no "I know I sinned, and I feel really bad. . . and well, it is square with Jesus" kind of thing. . .

Why does this surface now? Because the recent deaths have spurred things in my kid's OTHER side of the family. . .why do they not go to church? (they are JEWISH) Why are they not aware of who Jesus is (STILL JEWISH) When will they be confirmed, take communion, and start Sunday school (Never, they are STILL Jewish!)

So, I am left with the question, what will I now do? Answer, sign them up for Hebrew School of course! Found a good one, got the papers, so I will have them in classes by fall. . .L'Chaim!

Sigh, another time, I will tie this up with why I am so conflicted with the Jewish religious institution aspect of being a Jew. . .

But, the quote? Angry about my position on the grandkids. . .because they are, well, going to hell for not being baptized. . .and I said being Jewish was not a go to Hell card, it was who the kids and I are. . .and the Title of this blog was uttered, with complete ironic delight. . .

MAYHEM TOUR!!!!

Slipknot!

Dragonforce!!
Disturbed!!
More Disturbed!

How SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET!

So, yeah

Some of my New England adventure pictures. . .Salem, Maine, New Hampshire and Boston. . .

Some of the lighter moments this summer. . .

Zoo Trip Summer 2008!!!!

The Boston Ordeal. . .

Alllllllrighty- this one goes under so TOTALLY not my fault!

So, I have been trying for HOW long to make the ASA presentation grade? A looooooooooong time! Boston bound, I am brimming with anticipation and daydreams about how I will dominate the session (oooh, I totally got someone worse than you think I got you at MSS, Georgianne!) But I digress. The session was ok, but I was stopped in my tracks by the most unBELIEVABLE event. . .I was almost killed by my hotel room.

I was staying at the "Scarriott". . .and I was scared. . .a LOT

I spent the day and night before Sunday preparing, I was ON POINT, and ready to go. I carefully packed up, and in leaving reached to turn off the light switch. . .when it EXPLODED in my hand, sparks and smoke, and a shock up my arm and across my chest. My hair stood up, and I was slightly burned on my right hand. . .WTF????

I grabbed a towel, ran across the hall to the ice machine, and put it on my hand, and put in an urgent call to the desk "at your service". . .Cry Havoc!!!

The woman on the phone, once I got through to her that the light switch blew up in my hand, that I was not calling to ask her to turn off my light, sent a very nice repair man to my room. . .in this whole thing, he was the only one who seemed to care if I was ok. . .in a nice human kind of way, not an OMG what if she sues us kind of way, but I digress. . .

So- The very nice repair man sees I am hurt and calls to get advice about who to call, and security, rather than the manager, was the verdict. . .enter "The Security man"

He brings up a cameraman, and takes pictures of the outlet, and my hand (not the part that is burned, but rather the top of my fingers). . .and begins to question rather bluntly "who gave her ice?!" in a tone that sounded like " I will kick your ASS for giving her ICE, Fie your Ice giving SOUL!!!" and when I explained that the light in question was still on, meaning that the power was still running to the now burned outlet, he stated it would be fixed, and when I asked about safety, he said "See that pen over there? Go ahead and take the cap off and use that if you are still worried about the light". . .he gives me his card. . . and out I go to present my research. . .in a dazed and slightly singed condition. I give the presentation and go back to the hotel. . .and am freaked out.

As my baby book can attest to, I have been afraid of fire all my life, the fear is panic worthy, complete with the "is this or is this not a heart attack?" laundry list of conditions that appear at the mere thought of fire in my presence. . .so I am just wrecked. I tell the night manager, and against my better judgement, I agree to go ahead and eat dinner out, and change rooms when I get back. I get back and guess what? No one knows what is going on and the hotel is full. . .you know, there is a CONVENTION going on. . .duh!

So, I am up all night, and Monday is my last day, and oh I so wanted to see the city of Boston! I am a major history geek, and while I was able to fall asleep for a few hours, the day manager called me bright and early to discuss the situation. . .which we eventually did. I explained that in the course of going out to eat last night, I must have lost the opportunity to change rooms. . .she told me to go ahead and eat breakfast at the hotel, and she would take care of the room change, if I still wanted it. I was just drained, and decided it would be worth it, for one night, to switch, if for no other reason, to be well rested for my return to motherhood. . .and in the course of 15-20 minutes, I again encountered the most rude and unhelpful people in the customer service industry. . .this one was named Andrea, and when I asked to see the manager, she nodded her head to her left and said, "knock yourself out, she's right there". . .guess what? IT WAS NOT THE SAME PERSON!

It was now after 10am, and I was leaving early Tuesday, and I wanted to see SOMETHING in Boston. . .and I am just so SICK of this situation. . .so I did not linger, and went out to see some of the sights. . .and wrote a letter to customer care BEFORE I LEFT THE HOTEL. . .which in my travel to 35 of the 50 states, and 4 other countries, IS A FIRST.

My presentation was not exactly what I thought it would be. . .dammit!

Time we have wasted on the way. . .

So, my summer with the kids is near closing- as evidenced by the annual registration rite for all 4 of my returning students, with KIA all set already. . .we have had a rather intense few weeks.

Case in point, in the span of 2 weeks, the kids lost the last of their grandfathers, Chris's dad, and my mother's dad.

Chris took the loss very hard. He and his dad enjoyed a comfortable, if not close relationship, yet while they were able to make peace with one another before he passed away, the kids were not able to see him before he passed away. He was only 68, and the speed that he went left Chris a bit shocked and stunned. Directly after the funeral, I left for Boston to present at the ASA, more about THAT in another post. . .but for now, Chris is dealing with this as well as the gendered American male can. . .

My grandfather is another story, and of course not without some freaky detail, this IS my blog;)

See, in the religious tradition I was raised in, when I married Chris, I transgressed in a most EXTREME way. . .and my grandfather decided to sit shiva for me, making it rather difficult to keep in touch. . .seeing how I was, well, you know, dead. Yep, dead, because I got pregnant and then went on to marry a non Jew. . .so his death is rather complicated to mourn. How can I mourn him? I feel that was already done, in the aftermath of my "death", and well, until the day she died, my grandmother refused to play along, and she left things from her childhood to my kids, but until he died a few weeks ago, he never acknowledged me, my kids, and spoke about me in the past tense. . .even when I was in the same room!

I did stop going to functions I knew he would be at, but always managed to see my Bubbe as much as I could, whether he was there or not, but what a strange thing to have to explain to your kids. . .they are used to older sibs and friends pretending to not hear them, in the context of a game or just messing around, but this was an adult, who never stopped the game. . .and Zayde never gave in, no matter how cute the child. He refused to look at pictures of the kids, and never ever called them by name. His "heart" stopped at the start of August, but I really think his heart stopped a long time ago. . .