Appreciation

This was my view as I walked into my building at work this morning. I have added that to my list of things to be grateful for today. May you all find something beautiful in your life today.

Weekend Ramblings

At our school last week we were honored to spend time with Justices O'Connor and Kennedy. It was an amazing experience that I want to memorialize in a post that is worthy of the event(s). However, it is a busy Monday, my mind is going in several different directions in a sort of non-distracting, functional way, and I'm just not feeling a deep post happening. It will come, just not today.

The weekend was good, but short. Had my first paper of the semester to write, which I need to polish and print today. It didn't put me too far behind since I put a bit of reading off for between classes today. It was grocery shopping weekend, which is hard on us all. Since I study Saturdays, about half the day, that leaves Sunday as our family day. Saturday we generally do something fun, or get a couple errands done - but big errands or big fun must wait for Sunday. Grocery shopping is an all-in-one trip involving two shopping carts(includes things like heat pump filters, kitty litter, medicinal supplies and this weekend, a new - and the first - booster seat for our Little Princess who is about to outgrow the car seat in my car), and about two hours. Then we have to come home and put it all away. Overall, very time and energy consuming! We spent the remainder of the day visiting family and delivering coupon books that were a fundraiser for Boy Wonder's school. (Hopefully, the only selling event that will happen since this year's PTO is against it. Yeah!)

Wife and I both had memory stick-related issues this weekend, which raises data back-up issues. Our external hard drive is full and we need to get another. I wonder, do any individuals use tape drives, or is that more of a business thing? No idea. We'll probably just look for another external hard drive.

So, that was our weekend! (Except the good part about family movie night and pizza - something we did a bit over the summer, but may try to fully embrace this year in order to keep our Fridays calm and predictable for tired kids - and their moms!)

What Do Alaska Women Think of Palin?

Even though it may not have gotten much press, The Alaska Women Reject Palin Rally was Huge.

The link above is from a blog of a woman who lives in Alaska and attended the rally. In case some of you believe it is a fraud, here's the Snopes verification, including video footage. The women of Alaska who are most familiar with Sarah Palin's experience and leadership are very worried about the possibility of her becoming the Vice-President, and let's face it, McCain's health is in question so, she could easily become President.

The video posted on Snopes has interviews with the attendees who speak up about why they do not support Palin and how she is severely under-qualified for this potential position.

Palin - Feminine Power with No Clout

This is an amazing article by Rebecca Traister of Salon.com.

Here are a few really insightful excerpts, and I hope it will make you want to read the whole article and forward it to your friends:

What Palin so seductively represents, not only to Donny Deutsch but to the general populace, is a form of feminine power that is utterly digestible to those who have no intellectual or political use for actual women. It's like some dystopian future ... feminism without any feminists.

Palin's femininity is one that is recognizable to most women: She's the kind of broad who speaks on behalf of other broads but appears not to like them very much. The kind of woman who, as Jessica Grose at Jezebel has eloquently noted, achieves her power by doing everything modern women believed they did not have to do: presenting herself as maternal and sexual, sucking up to men, evincing an absolute lack of native ambition, instead emphasizing her luck as the recipient of strong male support and approval. It works because these stances do not upset antiquated gender norms. So when the moment comes, when tolerance for and interest in female power have been forcibly expanded by Clinton, a woman more willing to throw elbows and defy gender expectations but who falls short of the goal, Palin is there, tapped as a supposedly perfect substitute by powerful men who appreciate her charms.

But while the Republicans would have us believe that Palin can simply stand in for Hillary Clinton, there is nothing interchangeable about these politicians. We began this history-making election with one kind of woman and have ended up being asked to accept her polar opposite. Clinton's brand of femininity is the kind that remains slightly unpalatable in America. It is based on competence, political confidence and an assumption of authority that upends comfortable roles for men and women. It's a kind of power that has nothing to do with the flirtatious or the girly, nothing to do with the traditionally feminine. It is authority that is threatening because it so closely and calmly resembles the kind of power that the rest of the guys on a presidential stage never question their right to wield.

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To all of my friends out there who are women, lawyers, future lawyers, moms with daughters, moms with sons who want more from our culture - is this really what we stand for, what we are willing to have represent us just to see a woman in the White House? I think NOT.

The Ignorant or the Enlightened?

The world is full of bad things. This has always been true, but it seems like more and more we hear about devastation caused by both man-made and nature-made catastrophes. Not only do we have hurricanes (arguably increasing in intensity due to global warming - hence man-made) and drought, but some of our biggest, most stable financial institutions are crumbling, gas will probably be near $5.00 a gallon again soon, and American women seem to actually be stupid enough to fall for the Republicans' gamble on that very thing in the form of Sarah Palin. Really, people? Really?

It is hard not to be negative sometimes; hard not to focus on what is wrong with the world instead of what is right. Yet....there have always been tragedies, wars, economic crisis, and stupid people - and some people through all those times have remained optimistic. Does that make them the ignorant, or the enlightened?

From a Toshiba Satellite laptop I can pull up all sorts of information about how beneficial it will be to my life, my career, my health, my family, my friends and my community if I focus on what is good in life. If I am grateful for my children, for sunsets and for hot showers maybe that is a way of holding onto how much I really have. Yes, we have serious problems, but getting mired down in them so all I can feel is hopeless will not help anyone. I choose to be positive, happy and grateful. If nothing else, it will make me and my family feel better, and those at work more likely to enjoy being around me.

Ramblings on food and such

Wow - what a busy week!
Not only are classes in full swing, but I'm in the midst of a huge project at work that has been taking up all my time! Said project will be completed by tomorrow. I have a feeling that being as busy as I have been could have been a better weight loss method than the best diet pill in the world, except for the fact that there has been free food available. I actually consider it a perk, but were it not so handy, I wouldn't be eating it. Good lesson for life, I guess. I have found that I am drinking a yogurt drink and munching a breakfast cookie during break as my dinner for my back-to-back-to-back class night. Pretty low-call dinner, really. Easy and reasonably healthy and filling.

I don't know why I am posting about food, other than I am really, really tired, and there are two beautiful muffins on my desk waiting to be taken home for my lovely wife who has been incredibly supportive during this crazy-busy time. In fact, it is time to head home! Yeah!

Three Day Weekends - More Please!

Let's have more three day weekends! It is not quite 12:30 Saturday afternoon and my homework for next week is already done! Cutting out Monday classes makes my reading load much lighter :)


Right now I am out in our garage, sitting at my office furniture (OK, a card table and a dining room chair) getting ready to pack up my school work and listening for a car in the driveway telling me my family has arrived home. They went out to run errands and play at the mall, both to occupy themselves, and keep the house quiet so I could work faster. We are all about me getting my work done so we can all have family time together. I think the sun is even cooperating so we can have a pleasant afternoon outside, if we so choose.

Wow....only 12:30 with 2 1/2 days of free time left ahead! Right now, that is sounding like pure bliss :)

Week 1 - Complete

Well, at least I have gone to all of my classes, including the extra one that I registered for in case I decided I didn't like one of my classes. I did like the class I was unsure of - Legislative and Political Process - so now I get to drop the spare.

I think it will be a good semester, and I am especially happy that our Crim Pro prof, a prosecuting atty and first-time faculty member, seems like he will be very good. Quite entertaining and clear, plus the polish one might expect of a TV prosecutor. I really appreciate that during a twice-a-week class that runs from 8-9:30. As I have said many times, I pay good money for this and I want to be entertained. Some people just really want a sharp professor that will teach them the law in a way that challenges them. I want an entertainer that can also educate me. Better chance it will stay in my memory that way.

I only have classes three nights a week, leaving other nights for homework, which is good. I anticipate my stress level being relatively low this semester, so perhaps I should save the wine of the month club membership for my last semester. I am already not satisfied with my class schedule and I will be fully into the stress that is the bar exam - applying for, prepping for, and eventually taking. Ugh. "Go to my happy place." "Go to my happy place."

Advice for First Years

As I sit in my office at work, enjoying the sun shining through my window, avoiding starting a new project because there are only 13 minutes left before I leave for school, I consider that it is the time of year when new law students tend to find my blog. So, if you are a new reader, welcome!

I am a 4L or 4E (4th year evening) or some simply lump me into 3L, but I know I've already been doing this for three years, so that doesn't sit well with me. I work a full time job by day, play law student at night, and try to keep in touch with my family - my wife and 2 children - during the early morning, late evening and weekends. It's been a tough gig for us all, but the light at the end of the tunnel looks to be daylight. We're going to make it!

(By the way, Wife's blog has all the family stories and pictues. When would I upload photos?)

Each fall I like to give out a few tips that I've learned over the years that I wish I'd known when I started. If you do a word search on this blog for "first years" you will probably come up with posts from years past. I could look back through those, but I would really like to offer something fresh and insightful. I've been doing this for three years. I should have accumulated some great tips, right?

RIGHT! Unfortunately, they may be muddled up with some mediocre tips, so you may have to weed through the junk. Very much like reading a case. Hey - there's a tip already - sometimes you have to wade through a lot of junk to get to the good stuff.

It may feel wonderful, or terrifying, or both, to be starting law school. It is probably both, but remember, ultimately, it is just school, and if you are in law school, you probably figured out already how to do school. Only this time, keep up on your reading. Really. You don't want to get behind and think you will make it up later.

Sometimes you will be on top of everything, sometimes you will feel lost and wonder what you are doing. You will wonder what you were thinking - going to law school! Crazy! Everyone I've talked to about this subject has gone through feeling this way at some point during their first year. It is OK.

Take advantage of career workshops, speakers, receptions, all of the extracurricular opportunities you can manage and still do what needs to be done. It is so useful hear from lawyers in your community about what they do, what their path was, what advice they have, and you never know who you will meet that might be able to help you out later. For those who don't know what they want to do when they get out of law school, these are great ways to become familiar with some options.

Grades matter, but they really are not everything. There is more to life than your GPA. For many of us, this is the first time we experience not being at the top of our class. In a class of formerly A students - suddenly we are divided into A, B and C students. It's a forced curve and it is reality. It's going to be hard for a while. Ultimately, it will be OK. After your first legal job, no one will care what your GPA was, at least, that's what I'm told :)

Lawyers like to help law students. Most are very willing to do informational interviews, or less formally, have coffee or lunch, with a student who wants to talk with them about their field of expertise. This is a great way to get relevant advice, figure out what a typical day is like for that person, and maybe even make a connection that will help you land a summer or full-time job. Your career services folks, and your professors, can usually provide a list of people or even make introductions for you.

Make friends.

Share notes - especially when you miss a class.

Don't worry about the "right" way to do a case brief, or any other notes. Figure out what works for you.

Try not to play too many online games or surf too much during class. It is really distracting both for you and the people behind you.

Have fun. This is just 3 or 4 years of your life, and it is an opportunity most people never get. Enjoy it!

First Day Back to School

....but not until 4:30. So, here's what I have today:



I wish my camera phone took better close-ups. This snail was absolutely beautiful. I sent a picture to Wife's cell phone, and minutes later I got a call from Boy Wonder.

"What's up with the snail picture, Bro?"


Such a silly boy!

End of Summer

We are in mourning today. Although we tried to enjoy our last pre-back-to-school day as a family, we were all sad that this is the end of summer. It will be four nights a week that I do not see my kids and they do not see me. I will see Wife for anywhere from 30-minutes up to maybe 90-minutes before going to bed on those nights. We'll both be too tired to really do much more than pack my lunch and dinner for the next day and catch a little TV. Friday nights will likely mean homework, as will a good part of Saturday, leaving Saturday night, and all day Sunday as our family time. *sigh*

On the bright side, we go into this time with a much more organized garage, thanks to Wife. She did some serious cleaning up/getting rid of this week - organized the extra shoes, beach toys, Halloween costumes, CAT6 cables, old CDs and assorted other stuff that takes up room in our garage. It looks better. Still not what we hope it will someday be, but much better. We also have a new bed set - a really, bright colorful set that reminds us so much of a beach towel that we bought some fun beach-themed bathroom accessories to compliment it. Wife then got a beachy-looking basket for misc. hair products that sit on the counter, and has started replacing dark picture frames with white ones. What a refreshing change that we are both enjoying! We are well on our way to having a tiny little beach oasis in our very own home. It will be nice to come home to everyday.

Last Minute Beach Trip

Wife and I got in a last minute family trip to the beach this past weekend. Yippee! When we found out it would be over 100 degrees at home, we lucked onto a place at a beach about two-and-a-half hours away. We were only going to stay Saturday and Sunday nights, but were having such a great time, we opted for another night! Yeah, us! We stayed at a condo two nights, which was nice, but not quite on the beach. For our bonus night, we stayed at a nice hotel right on the beach - a quick walk down two flights of stairs and we were in the sand :) The view was spectacular and we will definitely stay there again.

Besides the ocean, what made this trip especially fun was that we found out the local casino has a child care center that you can drop your kids off to have fun while you go and gamble. Well, at least I believe that is the intent. We've barely even walked into a casio, but imagine our excitement when we found out you could leave their resort and go wherever since the center gives you a pager! There was lots for the kids to do and they loved it so much wanted to go back, so we let them go two days in a row. Mommies got to have a child-less breakfast and lots of shopping at the outlet mall. Way fun! We managed to get some clothes for the kids, a purse for Wife, hand soap from Bath and Body works for me, and while we did not see any Clarks shoes, there were many shoe stores to check out, too. Big fun was had by all.

This weekend I start on my homework for next week, but the last HURRAH sure was worth it!

Stumbled Upon a Great Read

I've been reading a really good book called The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. It was a book I found in the out-of-the-way trading library in a lunch room at work. The description caught my attention, and since I'd been hopping from one book to the next for the past few weeks, nothing grabbing me, I figured it was worth a shot.

From The Publisher's Weekly review: "Caldwell and Thomason's intriguing intellectual suspense novel stars four brainy roommates at Princeton, two of whom have links to a mysterious 15th-century manuscript, the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. This rare text (a real book) contains embedded codes revealing the location of a buried Roman treasure. Comparisons to The Da Vinci Code are inevitable, but Caldwell and Thomason's book is the more cerebral-and better written-of the two: think Dan Brown by way of Donna Tartt and Umberto Eco." It's been fun to delve into the Princeton atmosphere through the eyes of college kids young enough to still be dealing with acne and first love, but also deeper issues such as the nature of friendships and the paths chosen throughout life.

The Da Vinci Code was more of a heart-pounding, page-turner than The Rule of Four, but this book is nearly as enjoyable in that it works on different levels. The relationship between the characters is almost a story that could stand alone without the mystery element. Fun stuff! I'm not really ready to trade in my fiction escapism for case law books. Oh, well, ready or not, here they come!

Family Fun Can be Exhausting!

Wow! What a week it has been! Starting last Saturday we've been on vacation. Our activities included the opening of a local park (which included a dog park opening, agility course for dogs, kick ball and parachute games for the kids and a free BBQ), visiting Wife's family 4 hours north of home for more park fun, a petting zoo, two family birthday parties and BBQs, a few kidless hours of outlet mall shopping for Wife and I, a nice morning on a beautiful beach, games at Chuck E. Cheeses, and after three nights, back home for the Children's Museum, a local park which included a 1.2 mile hike around a lake (Princess spent about a quarter or so of it on my back), and going to see Wall E. Oh - and camping out in the backyard. We are on our third night :) Whew! At this rate of activity, there will be no need for diet pills. Family fun is quite a work out for us all!

The kids are finishing up videos while Wife and I blog, and soon we'll tuck them into their beds in the tent, pop our own DVD in the laptop, and settle in for 2-3 episodes of Boston Legal. Neither of us is ready for vacation week to end, but we are squeezing in every last bit of fun we can!

Boston Legal - Seaon 3 - What Happened?

So, any other Boston Legal fans out there? I know there is at least one of you who lurks. What the heck happened with Season 3? After two sharp, tight, witty seasons, the first couple of episodes of Season 3 feel almost like a different show. My first guess is a new set of writers. There are two new characters which I hope I grow fond of because right now, I only kind of like the woman, but not so much the man. I don't expect this tv show to provide the secrets of the universe, or even an acne cure, but I do
want my old, familiar characters, challenging situations and witty banter, thank you very much.

We will continue Season 3 tonight and hope it gets better.

Guilty Pleasures

This summer we discovered Boston Legal. Oh, I know we were not the first to discover it, but like our ancestors before us, things are not truly relevant until we are involved. We are now involved. Deeply, passionately involved.

I love the relationship between Denny Crane and Alan Shore. Denny is so wonderfully unpredictable and does not hesitate to use his money and power in inappropriate ways. His republican stances are ridiculous enough, though played completely straight, that there can be no mistaking where the writers' political preferences lie. Alan is pure brilliance in human form. Wife was in love with him from nearly the beginning, wanting to somehow heal his wounds. I enjoyed his boldness, but was not a true devotee until season 2 episode 6, "Witches of Mass Destruction." In this episode, Denny is very angry with Alan for taking a case that calls into question governmental activities in the war. Denny believes that good Americans always support their government in times of war. Alan says some profound things to Denny including that as loyal Americans, we have to start talking about the war, even if we don't agree, we must not remain silent.

This show is filled with social and political commentary, but in such a way that it is blended in perfectly with what is really a character-driven series. It is smart, sexy and very funny.

Being a William Shatner and Candace Bergen fan, I always figured I'd enjoy Boston Legal. Wife has friends that have told her we should watch it. Still, we just never made the time, plus, it is hard to start a show mid-season. Thanks to Netflix, this summer we've made it most of the way though the first two seasons, and hope to have watched season 3 by the time I start back to school at the end of August. Good times!

I Love Al Gore

I just watched a video of an amazing speech given by Al Gore. In it, he poses a challenge to the American people:

When JFK challenged America to put a man on the moon in a decade, many called it impossible, but we did it. Today's challenge: power our nation on clean energy in 10 years.

The devastation being caused by climate change, by our economy, by our reliance upon carbon based fuel sources is bleak, and only getting worse. Al Gore addresses the harsh reality head on, but then also proposes a solution and his reasoning for why it will work. Moving to clean energy NOW is our chance to save our environment, bring good jobs into our economy and become a true world leader again. Check out the video.

Camping Adventure Games

This past weekend we set up the tent and had a camping adventure right in our own backyard. While we did not manage to sleep outside as a family, we still had loads of fun! (Night #1: Boy Wonder could not sleep with the neighborhood noises still happening, so he and I went in while Wife and the Princess slept outside. Night #2: Neither child could calm down enough to sleep outside, but were out within minutes once we retreated to their own bedrooms.)

As a fun thing to do, I bought a bunch of inexpensive party prizes, plus a few large water blasters as "end of the game" bonus prizes, and set up a bunch of "camping" games. We had an adventure trail, complete with a stop where we saw a snake and had to balance on one foot for the count of 10 before proceeding, an obstacle course, a river crossing that looked remarkably like a slip-n-slide, two fishing holes and a treasure dig (prizes in the sandbox). We also did a 3-legged race (I agreed to hop on one foot so they would have someone to compete with), a potato sack race, a knock the cups down with a ball game, and a game I made up called "Bugs and Bats" (Boy Wonder wanted to be able to imitate a bat...so I went with it.) that allowed the kids to move forward a certain number of spaces based on whether the bug named crawls or flies, with bats thrown in occassionally for fun.

Below are a few pictures of the fun. If you check out Wife's blog, she is likely to post more about this within the next few days. (The first picture is their adventure map of where all the games were located.)

Mid-summer scramble for plans

Wife and I have realized we've reached mid-summer, and though we'd not planned on any significant vacation are both desperate for an escape from our normal routines. I've been scanning all travel and other web sites for great deals both near and far and though I've found some crazy airline prices, ads for cheap Phentermine and ways to lose 10 lbs in 10 days (Why is it that diet ads are everywhere?), I've found nothing that we feel good about spending too much money on. While Disneyland is the preferred destination, it is also quite costly. Park Hopper tickets alone for a family of four, for five days runs over $700! Ouch. Maybe something that won't require driving for 14 hours with two kids is a better bet.....So, now I am seeking a closer destination with a view and maybe a hot tub. Might settle for two beds anywhere far away from the household responsibilities and within easy driving distance of shops and parks to explore. Stay tuned!

New TV!

We went out and purchased a 26" LCD HD TV last night. Name brand for $424 including tax; beat the Costco price by $75. I don't want to do any research on the exact model in case there are bad reviews. Wife made me promise not to be so uptight about checking reviews before buying since we've had great luck in the past with both name brand and never-heard-of brands. I really wanted to get a name brand though, which worked out well, since the best sale we found was on a name brand.

Our previous TV was a 19" tube TV, so this is quite a change for us. So far, we are enjoying it, though we've not gotten to watch it much, yet. Our Princess fell asleep while in the car last night shopping for TVs, stayed asleep in her stroller while in Costco, and then was good to go until 10:00 last night, when we insisted she go to sleep with us because it was Mommys' bedtime. Picture is crisp with good color, as long as you are not sitting too close. Good clarity from the side angles, too. I can't wait to try a movie on it :)

We can't really take advantage of the HD TV capability yet, since our Dish Network receiver is not HD. I guess if it ever becomes terribly important to us, we will do something about it. I can't really see that happening though. It just isn't a priority for either of us.

So, there is one task taken care of - and we did it before the other TV totally stopped working. Yippeee!

Personalized Books

I wrote the other day about our weekend trip to the bookstore and how much our kids love books. We have read our Little Princess both of her new books several times each day, as well as reading her this week's new library books many times. Each child is part of our library's summer reading program where they get a prize for each 5 hours of reading completed. We can read to them, or them to us, or them to each other. Is is a fun program and the kids like the prizes. I think they have just about earned their second prize. We can probably get it this weekend - even though they just picked up a prize last weekend. Yes - we do a lot of reading!

This week I came across a web site with personalized children's books. These are the ones that are printed with the child's name, hometown, best friend and such throughout the book. They have quite a good selection of books with characters children will know, like Dora, Barney and Spiderman, plus generic things like dinosaurs. For a customized, hard back book, the prices are not bad - in the $15 range. They also have customized CDs and DVDs. The DVDs are a bit pricey at $30-45, but I have to admit, would make a great present. These are ones that they put the child's information and picture into the music or movie. There is a Christmas one about a child saving the holiday from Jack Frost's attempt to ruin it that I am sure Boy Wonder would LOVE! The technology is like the dancing elves website that gets passed around at Christmas - where you paste your photo onto a body, so it may be a little disturbing for adults, but I am positive our kids would go nuts over it. Surely these are not everyday kinds of items, but as special presents, I think they would be big hits!

More demands for clean air?

Is the allergen level really higher than before? Seems like more people are talking about their allergies bothering them this year than previous years. I'd say it started around spring and is still happening. Certainly it could be true; I've not looked up any data. Maybe our mild winter combined with a late start to the hot summer weather increased and expanded the normal spring allergies for people. Lots of stuffiness, red eyes and drippiness (I know, "gross".) with speculation of cold vs. allergies.

Is an increase in allergy symptoms the reasons more people are investing in indoor air filters, like Blueair, or is it just that we are more aware that our air could be cleaner? With the technology available, and somewhat affordable do we NEED cleaner air to breathe as we sleep or mostly just want it "in case" it helps? Certainly there are those with medical conditions that need it, but what about everyone else? (I guess it depends on where you live.)

More folks are putting in hard wood or tile floors and giving up the cushy carpet - mostly a designing trend or mostly that carpets hold in dirt, dust mites, mold and assorted other nastiness? I personally prefer the look and feel of carpets so choose to not think too much about them.

How about it? Are we worse off or just more aware? Probably both.

"Just Moms" Seek More

As I've mentioned, we had friends visiting from out of town this past weekend. It was really nice to have so much interaction with other adults. On the rare occasion that Wife and I see other adults together, it is usually only for a couple hours at a family event, and doesn't resemble daily life since we are together to "do" something - like celebrate a birthday. These friends just came to our home to hang out - we sat, we talked, we interacted with the kids, we ate, we sat and talked some more. Low pressure - no expectations (Thanks D & L!) - just like daily life - only better because we didn't have to do our regular chores since we were entertaining guests :)

Wife and I noted that we barely have real friends anymore - she has play group and mom friends (and computer friends) and I have work and school friends, but they are really context specific, and not people we just hang out with on a Friday night. There are a lot of reasons for this, I suspect - partly, the kid factor, partly the lesbian factor, partly the being exhausted at the end of the week factor and partly the being social sounds like a lot of hassle factor (even though it is so well worth it). Besides, I suspect once we know people well enough, neither of us would mind if the house was not spotless and we didn't have proper food and beverage to offer. (OK, OK, so our house has not been spotless since....uh...probably 2002, before we moved in!)

We are a couple who has slipped into being "just moms," operating mostly on a functional basis that involves child care, dog care, house care....but guess what? We are actually well-rounded adult human beings! I know - crazy right? We have interests, thoughts, are capable of reading books, partaking in computer rentals, playing a rousing, drunken game of Pictionary or Cranium, and interacting with other adults. I think we have decided we should try out the whole well-rounded adult thing, which includes getting together with friends, more often. Heck, it might even be fun!

The TV Blues

I fear the sad day is approaching when we must say goodbye to our current television. It is a big 19" screen TV that we bought to watch the summer Olympics on in 1996. Yes, I know 19" is not big, but it was a significant leap from the 13" screen we had at the time. Our picture is disappearing more and more frequently, caused most likely by some simple loose part, juggled loose from the kids jumping around so much in the living room.

There was a time, mostly during my childhood and before, when it was worthwhile to have things like televisions repaired. Not so much anymore. It would probably cost us at least a third of the cost of a new TV just to have someone look at it. So not worth it for a 12-year old set that will probably have other things giving out on it soon.

So now, we must consider our next move. Sometimes, I really like doing research before a big purchase, but right now, I am just not that interested in finding out about LCD HDTV, flat screens, resolution, warranties, reviews..blah, blah, blah. I just want a good TV for a really low price that is easy to use. I want it to magically appear in my house, connected to all the crazy cables upon which our happiness depends, and with a sleek remote control waiting on the coffee table strategically placed next to an icy, cold margarita.


*POOF*

Oh, sorry, I was gone for a moment there.

Guess I should start doing some research...

Books and More Books

Our family loves bookstores :) Not such a bad thing to be encouraging in our kids, really, other than it can get expensive. (We use the library a lot, too!) This weekend, while some friends were visiting us, Boy Wonder convinced us that it would be a good idea to go to a bookstore to buy him some more beginning reader books. Well, what parent can argue with that? We all headed to the local Borders since our friends were also interested in getting a book on CD for their RV trip home.

The Princess immediately found the two books she wanted to take home - one called I Wear My Tutu Everywhere and another that is a Dora book about visiting the dentist. Boy Wonder went through many wants - including some dog and dinosaur books that were not age-appropriate - and finally was happy with Invisible Stanley and a series of easy readers called Animal Antics - 10 small books in one pack. Our friends ended up indulging each child with a gift as well, finger puppets for the Princess and a Coloring Book/sticker/ penguin set for Boy Wonder. The kids really made out during that trip!

Moms did not manage to purchase anything for themselves, passing by the books on pop stars, politicians, meditation, natural acne treatment
, castles, and various paperbacks that appeared to be light summer reading. Oh, well, we're each already working on previously purchased books, and have both been enjoying the kids' books - some of them over, and over, and over.

Did I really just say that?

Crazy the stuff that just comes up in conversation, isn't it? When talking with adults without kids it might be about a kitchen gadget or politics or a sale or the best diet pills that work, but when the focus turns to kids, the conversations are really odd. I am often amazed by the things I have heard myself say (note I have not included the ones that include reference to bodily fluids or body parts):

"Don't lick the grass."
"Yes, his underwear is on backwards, but at least it is on."
"Don't paint your face with ice cream."
"Did you say your face is blue because you colored it with chalk?"
"No, use your napkin, not the dog's tongue."
"You need to believe me when I say that big rock will hurt if you drop it on your foot."
"How did you get yourself in there? Maybe if you straighten your leg and twist your head this way...No, that's not going to work."
"I don't care if she did start it - stop licking the dog!"

Ah, kids, a constant source of amusement...

Brief Weekend Update

Our nice long weekend was enjoyed by all, with somewhat less enthusism shown by the dogs than the humans. Loud fireworks - oh, heck, even quiet fireworks- are not something either of our dogs apppreciates. Maddie did not bark at them until Jordan started, but then it turned into a regular barkfest with neither dog pleased about the noise at all. I finally figured out I could distrct them by feeding them popcorn. Hey, whatever works :)

I am sure Wife will go into more details about the adventures over the past few days, but I will say the blow up pool, sandbox, swingset, colorful golf bags and assorted other kid toys were big fun for our kids, their cousins, and the family and friends who enjoyed watching them play. We did have some rain, which cut down on a few hours of outdoor time, but afternoons generally ended up sunny. As a bonus, the rain did mean less chance of fires from the fireworks, and no need to water the lawn. Good all around!

Ready for the 4th?

Is everyone ready for the three-day weekend? I know I am! While I am looking forward to spending some extra time with the family, and catching up with some old friends that will be visiting, I am not looking forward to the neighborhood sounding like some sort of battle zone. On the 4th of July itself, I get it. I really do. I even enjoy the pretty fireworks in our neighborhood at night. What I do not get, nor enjoy, is that our neighborhood has already been "celebrating" for a week. Last night was already so loud and constant that we had trouble getting the dogs to go out to do their thing before bed. All that noise makes them nervous. So far, Maddie only barks at them if Jordan starts it. She is a good dog, but she is easily led astray. He has already taught her to howl when we leave the house, and bark at the neighbor's dog at our back fence. Nice. Perhaps he should use his powers for good :)

We'll just be keeping it low key, hanging out in our backyard, having a few family members over for some food, and watching fireworks from our own backyard, probably long after everyone leaves. Hmmm....maybe I should have made up a nice gift basket for us all to enjoy as the evening winds down....some dessert, a bottle of wine, toys for the kids...Yes, that would have been nice. Maybe I will do that as a surprise some Friday night, and include a new movie! What a great idea!

Enjoy!

The Beach Test

Thanks to Lynilu for this fun one:

What the Beach Test Says About You

You like people, but you're careful about who you get close to. Friendship is important to you... so important that you aren't just friends with anyone. You fall in love with ease and confidence. Even if you've had bad experiences in the past, each new love is a reason to start completely over. You are a passionate person. You are free wheeling, fun loving, and ruled by your emotions. Your sense of humor is very physical. Your facial expressions or spot on imitations of people are hilarious.

The Beach Test

Just Hangin' Out

We had a really nice weekend just hanging out at home. After the grocery shopping was done, we had no more "have to-s," which was really nice. We filled the blow up pools for the kids. Yes, pools, plural. There are two since they are both small and this allows them to play together, or separately. It is important to have lots of room if you are practicing your surf board moves, you know!

In between supervising pool play, computer games and reading lots of princess stories, Wife and I actually got to read a little bit of our own books while sitting on the back patio. That was nice. Wife got in a bit of rest time since she was not feeling well much of Saturday, but on the mend by late morning on Sunday. By Sunday afternoon, we were all tired, but content. It wasn't exactly the stuff of Orlando vacations, but a good time was had by all none-the-less!

Summer's Heating Up

Summer is here! Can I get a great big, "Hallelujah!"? The warm weather and blue skies are making us all feel happier and more cooperative. I know weather is crazy everywhere, and considering we've not been hit by anything catastrophic, I have little room to complain, so I will just make an observation. We have gone from highs in the low 50's about two weeks ago to a possible 98 degrees this weekend. It might be nice to have had a real spring and eased into the high temps, maybe hung out in the 70's or low 80's for a couple weeks, or so. Anyway, glad both of our cars have air conditioning and that we should not need to replace the a/c compressor in either vehicle. We did some costly work to Wife's AC last year, I believe it was, plus had a heat pump installed in the house a couple summers ago, so we are ready for the heat! Get out the kiddie pool and bring it on! (Though I would be happy to not experience a true heat wave....just putting it out there....)

Shifting from School to Summer

I wonder how many of my classmates are good at switching from academic mode to real life. I am doing quite well. I am feeling really good about not reading 200+ pages of case law each week and struggling to stay awake during night classes. I am loving driving home in the sunshine and seeing my family during dinner.

What I have discoverd is that my creative self starts getting very loud and demanding. Wife and I have both noticed this pattern. Once I can turn off a big piece of the regimented, linear thinking, my mind goes wild and wants to create - on the computer, in the garden, on the digital camera, on paper - anywhere, everywhere!

I don't want to think about serious things like politics and the economy, talk to mortgage lenders, or read the paper. I want to be surrounded by positive things, have fun with my family, spend time in the sunshine, and focus on creating rather than worrying about all the things in life there are to worry about.

Boy Wonder's last day of Kindergarten was yesterday. (How did that happen?) We celebrated with a trip to Red Robin last night (his choice), today is a gorgeous, sunny day, and it feels like summer can really begin. Though it is supposed to be a wet weekend, maybe by next weekend we can set up the tent in the backyard and really welcome summer with a backyard camp out, completed with campfire and S'mores!

I'm Baa-aaacck :)

I have battled a cold for about three weeks. At the end of last week it turned into a horrible sinus infection and possibly pneumonia. It wasn't such a great weekend, with my head feeling like it would explode every time I bent slightly to one side, but it was gorgeous weather! I got to spend some time with Wife enjoying our outdoor furniture, and watching the kids play in the yard.

This week, though feeling like I was successfully beating the sinus infection, we were unsure about my lungs and some other symptoms, so finally I went to the doctor. She agreed my body was fighting successfully, that I possibly had "pre-pneumonia" and to come back in two days if I was worse or not at all better. Fortunately, today I feel better than I have in weeks! I am still a bit drained, but in comparison with earlier this week, feelin' great! Wife and kids seemed to have avoided the worst of this, so we are now ready for a fun and healthy summer!

The Sun is Here!

Being deprived of the sunshine for so long makes it that much sweeter when it finally arrives. People are leaving my work building in droves to soak up a little happiness. We are literally going outside, turning our faces skyward, and basking in the glory shining down upon us. This morning - gray, gloomy, cold (in the 40's). This afternoon - beautiful, sunny, blue sky, temps in the 70's.

LOVING IT!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

My sweet little princess was trying to trace her hands a couple nights ago. I was cooking dinner, and when she asked for help, I hurried over between tasks, traced her hands, and went back to what I was doing. She took the pencil and tried to do what I had done. I heard a few sounds of frustration and then "Damn it! I can't do this."

It took all I had not to laugh and to tell her that was an adult word (Damnit - one word?) and she was not to use it. I think she settled on "nuts" instead. As I was trying to recover, I ventured towards the back of the house where Wife was folding laundry or cleaning slipcovers, or something. We met in the hall since she had heard part of the conversation, and both of us burst into laughter when I told her what our darling daughter had just said.

I have to admit, I was very impressed with her proper use of the word, and perfect inflection, expressing her defeat and frustration. Too cute.

Free Time?

I was just talking to a friend/co-worker who asked what I was doing with all my free time now that I am not in school. I just laughed and referenced my kids. By the time I get home, spend a little time with them, make dinner, play a bit more, do baths, stories and bedtime, it is about 7:00 or 7:30 and I am wiped out. It occurred to me last night that normally at that time I would still be facing an 8:00 class. There are so many summer projects I'd love to tackle - gardening, reading some mindless summer books, perhaps a writing project, and I won't even go into the disaster that is our garage, but wow, after working all day and only spending a couple hours with the kids, I am exhausted. Thank you, Wife. I know you do this every day, and I totally see how by the end of the day all you have the energy left to do is read or write blogs. At this rate, I'll need to go back to school to get some rest! I think, with the sun coming (yes, it is coming!), that should increase my energy level. I hope!

Helicopter Seeds

I love the little helicopter seeds from maple trees. You know the ones - you throw them up in the air and they spin back down like, well, little helicopters. A couple days ago I was out on a walk (trying to pretend it was a nice, sunny day, suitable for a walk) and the wind blew this down nearly in front of my face. I'd never seen a bunch of the seeds still hanging on the tree. I thought this was pretty cool, and I love how sharp the picture turned out despite the fact I used my phone to take it.

Not about the weather

I am guessing my readers would like to read about something other than me griping about the weather, which was my first thought. Out of sheer determination, I am avoiding that topic. I feel like I should write about something a little deeper than the weather (or the snow expected in the mountains today). Maybe I should discuss my thoughts about the meaning of life, what our purpose on this planet is, and how it is not about material possessions or power or who makes the most money. Sure, it is nice to buy expensive cars and jewelry and go on exotic vacations sunny locales, where there is not rain and temperatures in the 40's in June. Life is about feeling good about who we are and who we love and how much we enjoy spending time with them out in the backyard, huddled in our winter coats, using our umbrellas to block the wind as we plant our tiny tomoto plants which will nourish us in the fall (if they survive the cold temperatures and rain). It's not about the weather. No. Not about the weather.

Email Intruders - Spam and Such

Is there something about me that screams that I need Viagra? I think I've gotten about 50 email solicitation for the the little blue pill in the past 3 days. Is is so hard to believe I am not worried about improving my performance and increasing the size of my you-know-what in order to "make chicks go wild"? (Yes, pretty sure that was one of the headlines.) Do subject lines on emails that start with "You are stupid..." or "You are ugly..." really make so many people rush to open that email that it is profitable?

My email filter catches a ton of spam, but clearly, not everything. I recently found out I'd been spamming myself. (Yes, a dirty little secret I'd been keeping...) I got a sordid email, actually, several emails, and started clicking away in order to block the sender from sending more messages to my email box. Imagine my surprise when my own email address popped up under "sender". Great. Apparently my email address had been hijacked and was now being used to send nasty emails to half the population of the world. There goes my next job interview...

It is easy enough to delete the emails not caught by spam filters, but I am still bothered with wondering if so much money is made on spam ads that it makes them worthwhile, or if it is more along the lines of a virus? Do people just enjoy clogging up the email systems with junk? I don't know, but seems likely these people could use their powers for good and we'd all be a lot farther ahead. At the very least, maybe I'd be better informed about a kitchen gadget that slices, dices, makes dried fruit, creates the world's best smoothies, opens any can without creating sharp edges and comes with a fine set of knives if I order right away.

Trying to Embrace the Weather

The weather has me down. It has been a hard week for both Wife and I....not interpersonally, but rather hard mentally due to lack of energy brought on my the cold cloudiness. She heard that out of the past 4 months we have had only 5 days that were sunny all day long. That is a lot of cloudy days.

Yesterday afternoon I thought, "I'm going out on a walk anyway!" If it was a sunny day I would surely take a walk on my break, so I decided to go anyway. I walked. I took a few pictures on my camera phone. Am thinking I may need to stick a real camera in my work bag. I know we have a spare, just no memory card for it right now. Anyway, here's what I took. Notice that the one looking up through the trees makes the day appear to be sunny. It was not. At approximately the same time I was looking up, rain drops were trying to make their way down on top of my head.





After about 10 minutes, or so, my hands were freezing, and I was cranky that it had actually gotten so cold that I could see my breath. The moss on the tree was pretty cool though, so all was not a total loss. See the beauty where you can.

Take Another Look

I took a fresh look at my word cloud today, and the phrase that jumped out was "kids law." Pretty funny!

Oh, see Wife's Blog for the lastest our Boy Wonder's big accomplishment! We are so proud!

Law School Mama's Word Cloud

Here is the current word cloud of my blog. I love the way some of these phrases flow together, like "fun garden getting girl" (that would be our little Princess), "weekend wife" (sounds abour right during the school year, right Honey?, "exicted family feel" and "workyear zoo."

beach being bit blog boy cats class click comments dakota dogs envelope everyone excited family feel friend full fun garden getting girl going graduation happy kids law life mama nice night posted probably really school send shopping summer sun things today trip until week weekend wife wonder work year zoo

created at TagCrowd.com

Growing Things

Despite the lack of sunshine, it is finally almost feeling like summer. The past school year is behind me, I can register for the last section of my classes for next year today, we've already had a mini-vacation to the beach, Boy Wonder is almost out of school, the garden is underway, the sandbox is built, we've been to our first garage sales, and the propane tank on the barbecue is full. (I know this because I had to fill it after some hot dogs ended up conspicuously under-cooked last week.)

I feel myself taking nice, deep breaths and contemplating more than just getting through the next task - work, school, home/sleep, work, school, home/sleep. It feels like I have a life to live for a bit. Not that I am unhappy or not living life while at school, but summer is different. It is full of possibilities. It consists of my family, of days that last longer as the sun (?) stays out until late, of weekends that last for 2 whole days - not study day and then one other day to cram in all the chores and fun we can.

It is during this time that I feel the need to feed the non-academic side of my life. I want to let the artist roam free - create art in some manner - through writing, through gardening, through whatever strikes me. Wife asked me last night, after I'd decided to give up on the book I was trying to get into, if I'd like to read the one she'd just finished "unless I didn't want to be in touch with what everyone is reading and expand my mind."

Hmmm....actually, no, I don't want to expand my mind. I want to be entertained. She assured me the book was an easy read, requires little brain-power to get through, but does make you think. OK, I could probably do that, but it might have to wait until I get through the Kinsey Millhone alphabet mystery I picked up. No, I am not a big mystery reader - I like Alex Delaware (Jonathan Kellerman's creation) and Kinsey Millhone(Sue Grafton). I mostly stumbled upon each of them by accident many, many years ago. Still enjoy them when the mood (and time) strikes.

So, my mind is wandering to fun projects today - what I can create, what I can read, what I can grow. Now where is that sun??

Summer Update

We've gotten a few occasional glimmers of the sun over the past couple of weeks. Enough to make us hopeful that it is coming, but not enough to prevent the bitterness that it is not already here.

I'm working full time at my normal day job - up from the 32 hours I usually work during the school year. I've picked up a few hours from a local law firm that I am THRILLED to be working with. They are allowing me to do project work as they need it and as my schedule allows, which is perfect for me. So, I did not actually have to say good-bye to my laptop this summer. I don't exactly need more ram to keep up with all the work, but I've gotten a project or two a week so far. Nice people - fun work - great experience.

Started digging out a new area of the yard for a vegetable garden. Most of the plants are sitting in tiny pots waiting to be planted.

Built a sandbox (with benches!) for the kids. They have had a couple of "beach parties" despite the fact of no sun. They are adorable - and living testament to life being better at the beach :)

Last night we went to Pride Night at Boy Wonder's school. It was a chance for the kids to show off what they had been doing "all year" (but really only the last couple of weeks). Our son had a couple really nice books he'd made to show us - one on farm animals and one on zoo animals. We were really done in about 5 minutes, but encouraged him to give us a tour of the school to make it seem more of an event. He also got to demonstrate recess to us, so that was fun for the kids. It was really kind of disappointing that there was not much going on. Not sure what we expected, but we all left feeling that something was missing. Maybe some music, entertainment, games, refreshments...something would have added to the experience.

Anything else? Boy Wonder is rocking his swimming lessons! We are so proud and he is having a great time. They end this week, and it looks like the next class is already full, so he may be done with lessons for a bit. At least it has been a good start and he has had a successful experience.

We've just about got the new night-time routine down. Think we are mostly settling in to being a family with two parents home at night. I forget how much of an adjustment it can be - but sure is worth it for all of us!

Graduation - Not Mine

This morning I clicked on the video link to my law school's graduation, held this past weekend. The music was not recognizable, nor were most of the faces. Still, watching everyone march in, proudly wearing their caps and gowns, full of smiles and relief made me cry. I was struck by the huge significance of this event for all these people, many of whom were my day-student classmates (day program is three years, evening is four, but we attend some classes together). I was struck by the huge significance this will have for me and my family next year. It symbolizes four years of sacrifice and hard work, huge loans, and the start of a new career. In many ways, it is the passage from one life into another.

Next year, at this time, instead of tending my garden with the kids and hoping I am getting as good of a workout as if I'd trained on ellipticals, I will have just graduated and will be stressing about taking the bar. There probably won't even be time for gardening. Oh, surely I will be able to at least put in some beans, tomatoes and a few flowers, right? Especially with the help of my little Gardener Girl/Princess/Ballerina :)

Strange to consider. One more year. One more year. In one more year I will be the proud bearer of a Juris Doctorate degree. One more year. We can do this.

What about the zoo?

You will all be happy to know there was no need for gps tracking on Boy Wonder! He arrived home safely and excited about what a great time he'd had. Yippee!

"So, what was your favorite thing about the zoo?'

"Collecting things at the information center."

The boy is a paper products junkie, and brochures are just the thing to feed his habit. He will carry them around in a plastic grocery bag for the next week, along with anything else deemed particularly special right now, and may or may not ever look at them. Odd? I don't know since I've never had a six-year-old boy before, but seems a bit peculiar. Harmless enough though, and soon he will realize he can actually read those brochures. Way Fun!

Boy Wonder's Big Field Trip

Today our son is on his first big field trip - the first time out in the real world, under someone else's care, where there are a lot of other people, too. He is at the zoo. Last summer, with his day camp/kindergarten prep class he went on local field trips, but they were about 10 minutes away. Today he is at the zoo, over 30 minutes away. Actually, at work, I am quite close to him. That's kind of nice to think about.

Realistically, we know all will be fine, but still, seems like putting a gps tracker, like used for vehicle tracking, might have been a good idea. What if he is put into a group with the parent of one quiet, well-behaved child who won't have a clue of how to handle rowdy kids who don't listen? Will he wander off and get lost? Will someone take him? Last night, wife reviewed with him, once again, all of the rules about strangers and what to do if he gets lost. We felt better when he told us that their teachers will be at the front gate the whole time. So, there should be no kids from their class passing through those gates until they are supposed to!

Boy Wonder is very excited and I think will do well. We are excited for him, too, but still, just another step for us - especially Wife - of having him out of our control and at the mercy of the world. Hopefully, it will be a wonderful day!

2 parts fun, 1 part crankiness, mix until chilled

Remember the Facts of Life theme song? OK, some of you may be too young, and some of you may not be freaks about remembering the lyrics to theme songs (I am). It starts, "You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life.." Well, that certainly is the truth! Wife summarized our weekend quite well in her post today, and was actually able to leave it feeling way more positive than we felt by the end of it yesterday. As always though, looking back, there were many good times.

I took both kids to Home Depot on Saturday morning for over 2 hours and they were really good. We had fun pricing lumber and other building materials for some garden projects, then picking out some veggie plants and seeds. We chatted about things we saw, watched a forklift, and generally had a nice, easy time. Another shining time was taking our Princess out for a bit of grocery shopping on Sunday morning. We managed to be gone for two hours because that seems to be how long I take to do any shopping no matter the size of my list (right, Wife? *grin*). Our girl is just so sweet and funny - she is wonderful to spend time with alone. We bought a little doll for under a buck - and a few bathtub turtles - on the way home she took such good care of them, introducing them to each other, sharing her slice of cheese with them....just too much cuteness :)

We don't seem to have our summer groove as a family going very well, yet. It i probably partly because we haven't yet had a "normal - no real plans" weekend yet, and also, we have not had reliable summer weather. The gloom is getting to us. Yes, it was about 100 degree last week at the beach, then we had highs during the week that were in the 50's. Crazy. (Side note: grass is growing like crazy, but is too wet to mow. Not looking forward to tackling that job when it does finally dry out a bit!) Now, the Princess and I both have colds..and I know colds are not caused by temperature....but I'll blame the weather anyway. It just feels like the right thing to do.

Come on summer sun! We are ready for relaxing nights in the backyard and some barbecue weather! How about some high 70's/low 80's...perfect!

Beach Report

Many of you will have already seen pictures on Wife's blog. Our trip to the beach was fun, and naturally, we wish we were still there. It was very hot the day we arrived, so as soon as we checked into our hotel, we headed for the beach. We'd not been to this particular beach before, and found there was a tiny stream running from the shore (probably from the mountains) to the ocean. It was perfect to be able to play in safely away from the unpredictable surf. It didn't take long for the kids to find they could lay down in the water, and were soon soaked and caked with wet sand. Perhaps some swimwear would have been a better choice than their clothes, but truthfully, we don't get too uptight about those kinds of things.

After fun on the beach, we all cleaned up (way necessary!) and headed into town for a bit of shopping and dinner. After than, we got the kids to sleep at a reasonable time and then were very grateful for some wonderfully quiet time spent reading on the balcony to the sounds of the waves until the sun went down. Ah....Perfection!

We stayed three nights - with the days filled with shopping, eating, playing in the arcade, riding the carousel, and other typical beach fun. The evenings, I must confess, were my favorite times. I love it when the kids are safely asleep, exhausted, and Wife and I can read and talk with the sounds of the waves in the background, and a beautiful sunset looming on the horizon. That is some seriously good R & R. Where do I sign up for more??

Easing into the summer

So, I have been officially done with my third year of law school for just over 2 weeks now. Mostly, I am beginning to feel more relaxed and into the swing of family life, but not entirely. We've been out of town for the past two weekends, which has been fun, and exciting, but hardly "normal." The kids are getting more used to me being home, but the household still erupts into chaos the minute I walk in the door. It is fun to be greeted enthusiastically by everyone, including the dogs, but after that, the kids tend to spin a bit. We are working on normalizing this, but as I said, being away from home has prevented a certain degree of that. Oh - and the kids have started swimming lessons, and I feel so lucky that so far, I have been able to be home in time for them! That could never happen when I am in school. Boy Wonder is doing fantastic - and the Princess is a natural in the water. Swimming is such an important skill, and Wife and I are thrilled they are having so much fun.

So, I am feeling more relaxed, but finding it takes some time to come down from the internship/work/school/home to sleep mode. If only we had some extra cash and a week's worth of vacation we could do some retail therapy - preferably in and near Disneyland - new clothes, a new watch, designer jewelry, maybe some shoes, and something fun with Stitch on it :)

Short of that, it will be gardening, barbecuing and playing in the sprinkler in the backyard. Not a bad way to spend a summer :)

Happy Mama Gets Help from Gardener Girl

Ah.....relaxation and happy mode have begun to sink in :) I am sure it doesn't hurt at all that we leave for a three-night trip to the beach tomorrow. Yippeee!!

This has been a fun week (filled with the challenges of everyone getting used to a new routine and acting out accordingly) of being with my family and dreaming about the summer. A very good friend sent me a wonderful birthday present called an EarthBox, which is a self-watering container garden - great for growing veggies! My little Gardener Girl, who has been dedicatedly watering her marigolds since even before they were planted (or existed except in her imagination), was very excited for us to put it together. We haven't bought the tomato plants, yet, but we are ready for them!

In addition, we are going to try some container-grown potatoes,snap peas, green beans, maybe cucumbers and/or zuchini in the garden I hope to put together soon. Ah, yes, and a new sandbox. Lots of building and digging and good physical work for me - and not a single bit of case law reading!

Here are some pictures of our EarthBox assembly project. My girl always has her tools at the ready (the same tools were favorites of Kelton's until we started letting him occassionally use real ones)!

Mother's Day and Wanting What is Best

All you bloggers out there probably know this feeling far better than you wish - you know you had at least three really great blog topics you wanted to cover, but when you finally sit down at the computer to write, they are gone. That is what I am faced with this morning. These were actually real topics requiring almost deep thought and everything......Oh, well, guess I could surf the net for movie trailers, reviews of generic Phentermine, and best ways to make a child-friendly garden.

Ah-ha! I remember one of them - Wife and I spent Mother's Day evening doing a task in the best interest of our son. We filled out a form and composed a letter requesting a boundary exception for our son so he can go to a different school next year. Not just a different school - a better school; the school with the highest test scores in our district and the lowest percentage of students in the free/reduced meal program. We found out from a teacher friend that there is a very direct correlation between the free meal percentage and test scores - meaning a very direct correlation between income and test scores.

Our son's education has caused us to come face-to-face with our own prejudices, level of snobbery and cold-hard reality. The idea of our son being educated in a school of children with mixed economic backgrounds, race, languages...etc. seemed like it could have its benefits. It could, but the reality is that in this school, whose boundaries include a lot of apartment complexes and judging by the number of late registrations, maybe people who either move a lot, or just have no clue how to find out how, or that they even should, register their child for school BEFORE the first day of school. So, what I am dancing around is that there are a lot of people with low levels of education or low understanding of English language and/or "customs." I am voting primarily for poorly educated, possibly struggling to make ends meet and not being able to take time to consider their children's schooling, OR way too involved in partying. We met a few of those parents.

Wife was only kindergarten parent volunteer, and noticed many students never turn in their weekly homework. At this age, that is a parental responsibility even more than one of the students'. There are many areas we are concerned about, and we really want something more for our kids.

My point, if I had one? We realize on some level we are being snobs by wanting our child educated where parents will take a more active role in their children's education and where behavioral problems starting at home to not leak into a large portion of the classroom. More importantly though, we want Boy Wonder to get a good education and have every advantage possible. Being in a classroom where the teacher has to spend a lot of time dealing with kids with behavioral problems, or working on basic skills that the kids should have known coming into kindergarten is not giving him any advantages at all. He is definitely not having the same experience as his friend that is going to the better school that we would like to get him into.

Of course, many people want their child to get into the "best" school, and only so many boundary exceptions can be made. Will Boy Wonder be one of them? If not, what are the other options? We intend to find out!

So, there you have it, a Mother's Day evening spent doing what Mothers do - loving their kids, and wanting what is best for them.

Target or Ye Olde Drug Shoppe?

Remember when all towns did not look alike? Every corner did not have the same dozen franchise stores in the same strip malls? You could drive for more than five miles without coming across a Starbucks or a McDonalds? Towns had character back then. Gosh, am I sounding old or what? I will admit, when driving into a new town, or visiting friends, it is good to know where the local Target is, or that I can grab a familiar burger late at night if their food was weird and we didn't eat much of it. Still, when I think about trips I have enjoyed, and some of the best, but less obvious things I like about the beach, or any vacation destination, it is the uniqueness. It is not knowing what is in Randy's Drug Store or if the Hungry Bear burgers are good that make the experience less like home and more like vacation. Most of us like, even prefer, the "mom and pop" stores, on some level, but the convenience and lower prices of the big names are a bigger draw. Strange times we live in.

First Night Home As Summer Mama

Finals are exhausting. Maybe it is the end of the year that is exhausting....or wait....here we go....it is the rest of the year that is exhausting! School would be somewhat better if my mind was more like computer memory, but even then, just the number of hours spent at work and school would be draining. Now I can finally slow down, take a breath, and regenerate with my family for the summer. I am very happy about all of that, but it is such an unfamiliar feeling - like I should be doing something that I am not. It takes a while to gear down, I guess. Granted, I have been free for less than 24 hours.

I went home and we had a nice evening yesterday, which was my first day home for dinner on what would normally be a school night. I made tacos, since Boy Wonder had been begging Wife for them earlier in the week. She doesn't cook tacos, so her answer had been no. I personally am thrilled that my boy likes Mexican food. One of our first signs that Wife was pregant (the first time - with Boy Wonder) was that she had a craving for Mexican food. That NEVER happens. I knew that had to be MY BABY causing that craving :) Anyway, we ate tacos, played outside, did baths and bedtime stories....a good night.

Done!

My last final was turned in at 1:00 yesterday and I am done!!! School is out for the summer!! Yipppeeee!!

Now I am completely exhausted. I totally feel like a zombee, staring at my computer, reading my emails, trying to think about work, but finding it hard to focus. I think a nice vacation is in order! Heck, even just a trip (without the kids!) to a local mall would be nice - I could browse through Bath and Body Works, Yankee Candle, get a slice of pizza, gaze a the beautiful mens gold watches at the jewelry stores, maybe look at some new clothes for the summer, then take in a movie. Sounds relaxing, doesn't it?

Vacation from my Laptop

Odd to think that I bought my laptop computer three years ago this fall. I wonder if I need to increase my laptop memory? I suspect it is woefully outdated by now. Although, for what I do, it suits me just fine. If it will hold out another year, it will have served me well.

I rarely see my laptop over the summer. I have a few projects I may need it for this summer at work (for use during lunch), or at home while Wife is on the big computer. Strange, as I mentioned last year around this time, how it is such a big part of my daily life while at school, and then it just disappears for three months. Right now, not needing to be on the laptop for a while sounds pretty darn good!

Training Ethical Lawyers?

Last final - today - 24 hour take-home - done tomorrow.

Am I happy or what? Not so happy about the exam, but happy that the end is so close I can taste it! I feel somewhat prepared for the test. I am not sure how prepared one can feel for an exam in a class where we read over 1000 pages. Public Lands - open notes, closed book. Odd right?

Here's an interesting topic - honesty. In my naivete, and dedication to the honor code, I just believe everyone will follow the rules and not open their book. Wife thinks I am cute to be so trusting, but that I am out of my mind and will be competing with those who are cheating. She points out that lawyers are not exactly known for their trustworthiness. I suppose that is true. We talked about how people will justify it to themselves - those extra few points on an exam score might put them right over the line to get a scholarship or win a job interview so they can pay back their student loans....blah, blah, blah. I feel like we are at a really ethical institution preparing very ethical lawyers, but maybe I really am terribly naive. Ultimately, I can only control my own behavior and do what I know is right for me.

I know what is right for me now is a vacation!!!! *grin* I need info on cheap flights to Disneyland! I also need to stumble upon a few extra thousand dollars to pay for such a vacation.....Maybe I will just be satisfied with some tropical drinks and T-ball in the backyard with the wife and kids :)

Drinking and Law School

There are a lot of events at our school that involve alcohol - lunchtime parties with kegs, evening receptions with wine and beer, and sometimes, we just bring our own to dinner. I wonder if it is this way at all law schools, all graduate schools, maybe just private schools?

I think it may be no coincidence that many professional publications for lawyers include ads about alcohol rehab programs. They apparently train us early to imbibe. (Like any of us needed training at this point....)

Mostly, I don't think it is a problem, especially among the older students that know how and when to stop. A glass of wine or two at dinner can be really nice, but I've watched some of the younger students drink way more than they should prior to going to class, or while attending a professional event. As we are constantly reminded, our reputation starts the minute you enter law school. Do you really want people to remember you as that guy who drank too much at the Blah Dee Blah Dinner?

On the other hand, this post is a little heavy. Heck - school is out, or almost out, and I know that I am thinking a bottle of wine with my sweetie during backyard cookouts sounds like the perfect way to end a summer day! I won't be trying to impress anyone or learn anything, other than maybe how to get the kids to bed more expeditiously. Pop that cork!