Ms. E's Salon

Boy, am I prolific

2010-08-03T09:04:00.003-05:00

Well, not really. This is the first time I've posted in almost 2 years! Where has the time gone? Now both girls have graduated, Sarah will be a sophomore at Baylor University this fall, and Becca will be a freshman at University of North Texas. Now I just have to figure out what I want to do. Once they go I'm no longer tied to Conroe. Whatever shall I do? Wherever shall I go? The possibilities are endless. Unfortunately the funds are not. Need to find a way around that little limitation.

Something I've been facing recently, in light of my impending freedom to "move about the world", is how comfortable the familiar is. As unappealing as the Houston area may be, I've lived here since I was 7. The idea of starting over in a place where I know no one is scary. As much as I might like to live in a more pleasant climate, I just hate the work of making friends. Especially if you have to start from scratch. With that in mind, I could merely consider areas where I already know a few people, like the Atlanta area where Lisa lives, or the Chattanooga area where most of my cousins live. Sarah wants to go to northern Arizona, but I only know one person in Arizona.

I would love to just keep a place here, and have some kind of position that allows me to travel the world. I have yet to find the best way to do that. Travel writing is an obvious one, but descriptive writing is not something I enjoy. Tour guiding is another option I've considered, but haven't decided if I'd actually enjoy shepherding a random group of people around Europe or Turkey.

And then, there is Turkey. There are many possibilities there, but figuring out a feasible one within my interests and abilities is the difficulty. And again, even though I do have some friends there, I think it would stretch further beyond the comfort level that I could handle.

So, what can you take away from all of this rambling? I'm restless. I want some kind of change. Perhaps though, I should start with baby steps and not dive into a huge life-altering decision.

Rebecca's Tonsilectomy

2008-08-29T09:33:00.002-05:00

My younger daughter Rebecca had her tonsils out on August 8th, then on Sunday the 17th, started hemorrhaging and had to go to the emergency room. They took her into the OR around 1 am and cauterized the wounds, and she got to go home Monday evening. Tuesday afternoon she started bleeding again, so we went back, had more surgery, they also put in stitches and thought that would be it. Thursday evening, while still in the hospital, she started bleeding again. So back to the OR for more cauterizing and more stitches. It's unusual to bleed at all, rarer to bleed twice, and unheard of to do it 3 times. They gave her meds during the 3rd one to help with the clotting, and gave her a unit of blood & 2 units of platelets on Friday. We stayed until Sunday afternoon. She's been home since then, and praise God, no more bleeding. Until the current scabs come off with no bleeding, we'll keep praying and she'll stick to soft foods.

Blogger

2008-06-18T16:35:00.002-05:00

Why is this site so d*mned difficult to navigate? Why can't I just post my stupid picture from Photobucket? The picture on there right now is the only sorry picture I have on my computer at work, and I was tired of being faceless. When I tried to do Chad Darnell's 12 0f 12 last month I had editing issues. Actually, editing them on Photobucket wasn't that hard, but getting them on here was a whole different ball of wax. I'm sure if I had all day, I could read through the help sections on here, but I might or might not get what I need. I tried the "share" feature on Photobucket, which put a giant picture of my face, pores and all in a post. It took me another 5 minutes to figure out how to get to the edit post function to delete it. While I'm not as savvy as the average teenager, I'm not computer illiterate. Really.

No more attempts at simplicity

2008-06-02T12:32:00.002-05:00

I deleted my other blog. It was one where I intended to chronicle my attempts to simplify my life. I posted it on January 1, 2008...and that was the last post. So, instead of feeling guilty, I just got rid of it. You know what? Life is simply f**king complicated. (irony intended...don't think it quite counts as a pun, does it?) There are no two ways about it.

Children grow up. They're smart. They want to go to college. They start to drive. They want cars—need insurance and gas. And don't even get me started on gas prices. I'm sure there's nothing I could say that hasn't already been said.

Kids get sick, you want to go on mission trips to "do something significant....live out your faith"....but it all takes time and money.

Okay, enough ranting. The point is there is nothing simple about my life. Sometimes I wish I were a cat.

Chad Darnell's 12 of 12

2008-04-13T22:49:00.004-05:00

Finally! I remembered, had my camera available, and actually did it! So, I'm a little late getting it posted. Dial-up. Enough said.

This is the time I remembered it was the 12th. I had actually been up for about an hour.

Mmmmm. Becca, my youngest (15) made scones!

Perfect Spring day.

All that's left after paying the bills.

Time to freshen the color.

Dropped off Becca and her best friend at The Woodlands Mall.

On to Market Street to hang out. It's one of my favorite spots.

Prom night for some.

More Market Street. That's Tommy Bahama's behind the trees, and Borders to my right.

Jamba Juice for dinner. Regular Mango Mantra with an immunity boost.

The fountains with several soaking wet children playing in them. It was getting a little cool with the sun going down.

Home at last for a couple of episodes of Veronica Mars, season 3.

Fat AND Old

2007-12-13T16:53:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday night was our company Christmas party. As a party favor, they give you a posed photograph. Last year I just didn't get one. This year, I did, and had my two closest co-workers/friends pose with me. I know I'm way overweight. But what I didn't realize is how old I'm starting to look. I've taken pride in the fact that most people guess my age to be 4-6 years younger than it is. In that picture I look every minute of my age. And since both of my friends have much darker skin than I do, (in the winter, anyway) and I was wearing black,I also look very pale. I might get brave enough to scan the pic and include it here. But then again, maybe not.

Merhaba!

2006-09-27T14:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back from 12 days in Turkey. It was an amazing trip, and though I was ready to come home, I miss being there. I traveled with a fantastic, eclectic group from my church. When you spend that much time with people, they become family. I think that's what I miss the most, being home, is eating breakfast, lunch and dinner together, and experiencing all of the wonders of Turkey together.

I really have to go now....

2006-08-20T23:02:00.000-05:00

My plane ticket to Turkey is going to be purchased tomorrow. It still doesn't feel real. I've wanted to go for 3, almost 4 years now, and it looks like I'm really going!

Teaching

2006-08-12T09:55:00.000-05:00

When I talk about my job search, people frequently ask me if I've thought about teaching. Those who know me, know I've actually been a teacher - 4 years in 3 different schools. So, I'm like "Yeah...been there; done that." I've got a teacher mug, "Teachers have class" coasters, and even a denim shirt with "McCullough Faculty" embroidered on it.(which I wear to prune my rose bushes, since it's about the only thing that protects me from the thorns.)

So, what I want to know from these people, is are they just making an easy answer, or do they truly see something in me that says "Teacher"?

If it is an "easy answer," why do people think teaching is easy? Just because a person is smart, does not mean they have the gifts to being a good teacher. Good teachers are good planners. They know how to break information down into digestible segments. They vary their presentations of that information to reach each individual learner. They have the patience to re-teach. They have the enthusiasm both for their subject, and the growth and success of their students. They truly care about each and every student, regardless of background, abilities and attitudes.

There is an old snarky aphorism that says that, "Those who can* - do; those who can't - teach." Well I would also say that usually those who can*, usually can't teach.

Awake

2006-06-30T00:48:00.000-05:00

So, I'm awake at 12:43am. Unusual for me. I usually have no problem falling asleep. I tried my breathing techniques for relaxing. No dice. I finished the book I was reading, Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot. Entertaining, but not the type of thing I'd want to read all the time. Yet another chick-lit book set in New York. Are there any chick-lits set anywhere else? That would be refreshing. No offense to New Yorkers, but nothing about that city appeals to me.

Not that I want to read a book set in Houston either. My goal has always been that each move will take me a little farther away from that sticky city. (Think New Orleans without the charm and history.) Don't get me wrong, the people here are wonderful. I just don't think that there will ever be enough money, or grit and determination to make it a classy city.

There are lovely areas outside the city, but there are still the heat & humidity. In The Woodlands, for instance, there is a nice waterway, and Market Street, both of which are great for strolling around, and hanging-out. But there are only about 3 weeks out of the year when you'd actually want to do that.

Maybe I'm just ready for a change. I just can't decide where I want to go.

Happy D-Day!

2006-06-06T10:51:00.000-05:00

No, not Doomsday, as in 6/6/06. I mean how is 2006 significant? That's just stupid. D-Day. Yes, historically, it's the anniversery of the invasion of Normandy, the beginning of the end of WWII. But, for me, it's even more.

D-Day, for me = Divorce Day. Yes, on this day in 1996 my divorce was final. I have been divorced for 10 years now. I am very proud of the fact that I had probably one of the most amicable divorces in the history of divorce. My ex- and I could be poster children for how to do it. We're not only friends, but I'm friends with his wife, I adore their children, and we just work together on stuff regarding our children. Recently, my older daughter went to live with her father when he moved away to another state. She's 15. The only real worry I had was how much I would miss her. I had no worries about her being loved and cared for as part of the family.

So, happy D-Day everyone!

Don't Mess with History!

2006-06-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

I watched "Kingdom of Heaven" last night. As was my wont(don't you just love that word?), I went to my bookshelf during the movie, to check out some of the facts. Mistake. That is, if I wanted to enjoy the movie. (Braveheart was ruined for me when I came home from the theater, and went to my bookshelf*). You see, I have an avid interest in history, and really enjoy historical fiction, whether it's in novel form or film. Why does Hollywood have to ruin history just so the protagonist can have a great romance? Okay, so Balian, the hero of the story, not only saves Jerusalem from destruction, but gets the girl. Well, that would have made her a bigamist, since her husband was still alive, in fact, she pre-deceases him. He is actually the step-father of her child, Baldwin V, whom she had with Baldwin VI, who died of leprosy. Yes, that makes her Baldwin IV's wife, not his sister.

Then, there's the language problem. Saladin, and all of the "Saracens" were Turks. Actually, Saladin was a Kurd, even. So why were all of them speaking Arabic? Why not Turkish, or even more acurately, Kurdish?

Overall, it was a spectacular movie showing the harsh reality of medieval warfare, and the mixed motivations for the Crusades. And the theme of redemption by having integrity and caring about the people, not just the Kingdom. That the Kingdom of heaven is in your heart, not in the physical world.

*In "Braveheart", William Wallace could not have slept with Isabella, Edward II's wife. She didn't even leave France to come to England until after William Wallace was executed. She later had an affair with Roger de Mortimer and committed further treason (queenly affairs were treason) by overthrowing her husband.

Perfection

2006-05-26T23:45:00.000-05:00

So I started this new blog, hoping that I'd write profound or entertaining, or profoundly entertaining things. Apparently I set the bar too high, once again, and have been avoiding writing anything. I have so many brilliant ideas floating around in my head, yet they never see the light of day. And why, you ask? Because I have this impractical idea that whatever I put down has to be just right. I've read that this is not an unusual phenomenon.

So to overcome this fear of imperfection, I will just write and write and write, and hope that noone who is looking for perfection reads my blog. As noone actually knows about this blog just yet, I think it's a safe gamble.

(I'm seeing a new issue with my new, wireless keyboard....it doesn't respond as fast as I type. I can deal with this, as long as I trust that the letters will show up eventually. I usually know when I've made a mistake, and backspace to correct automatically. It's kinda funny to watch.)

I took a nap this afternoon, and so I'm not sleepy. Usually I would be asleep by 10 or 10:30. This pattern is not going to work if I get a job. At least, I don't think so. Maybe it would. Depends upon what time I get home. If I teach, I could take a nap when I get home, do Mom stuff, and then do grading and planning stuff, when my kids clear off of the computer and go to bed. Hmmmm. Will have to think about that.

Greetings

2006-05-24T10:30:00.000-05:00

This is my first post here at Blogger.com. I have had postings at LiveJournal, and on MySpace, but wanted one a little more serious - a place where I could actually put coherent thoughts together and publish them. You know, a grown-up blog! So, although I don't have anything to say right this minute, I've now got a place to do it.