What made you smile today?

I was subbing for a little while in a first grade classroom today when I was butted by a tortoise. This classroom is a veritable reptilian zoo. I love it! There is a roaming tortoise who where's a diaper and feeds of a heap of vegetable matter in the corner of the room. I'd seen the whole class move in waves as the tortoise made his rounds (Tortoise Alert, movemovemove!). Today I found out why.

I was trying to protect him from the overly affectionate children in the class - if Tortoise is on the beanbag chair, no one else can sit on it! Please don't lean on the Tortoise! Oh no, who left that rubber lizard on the floor! I blocked him from eating indigestible food, kept him from being squished, made sure he had his space. And I was in the process of trying to block him from a corner of the rug area where I was TRYING to read fables to the kids, when he rammed me. He looked at me, paused for just a moment, and then BAM! He moved fast, pulled his head in and did a little tortoise lunge right into my ankles. The little poopity head!

how big was the tortoise?

He's pretty big. I'd guess more than 20 pounds and about 14 inches tall and 18 wide.

That one has a mean glint in his eye...

Littlek's school stories have been making me smile! Just on their own, and also the background -- that littlek's actually so close to being a real live teacher, and doing so well with the whole thing.

One of sozlet's friend's little brother makes me smile every time I see him. I love this kid. He recently turned four, and has a wild head of bright red hair, and is constantly barreling around on churning little legs. He's got this devilish grin, and an ever-present pacifier that he treats approximately the same way as Groucho Marx treated his cigar. He'll kind of push it to the corner of his mouth and talk around it.

Yesterday his older sister and sozlet had a playdate -- I keep the side door open (unlocked) when I'm expecting someone because knocking is unreliable. I was working at the computer when all the sudden the door burst open, he came barreling in, grinned at me, waved, and then went barreling out the back door to get at the tree swing. (His mom showed up a minute or so later.)

Ha! I know little boys like that!

Wow, we didn't get to have anything as cool as a tortoise in our classroom when I was a kid!

Forgive me please! I just cannot resist it.

last weekend, Set and I were at the beach with the dogs early in the morning

at some point, a youngish girl (around 8 or 9) came over to where we were sitting and starting talking to us about the dogs

<this is a long set-up to today's smile>

her dad wandered up, started talking to Set - they talked and talked and talked - British history - wars - all that fun stuff

the girl and I talked about my dogs and her dogs, and she told me waaaaaay too much about her family - she's with her dad on weekends, she doesn't much care for his girlfriend, her mother has another ex-husband and a new boyfriend who E quite likes because he has a good dog - talk talk talk

the dad makes sure we're all properly introduced before we all leave the beach - explains where we can find him and his s.o. evening/weekends/where they brunch (I think he was trying to get us to go out with them ... weirdish)

~~~

early this evening, back at the beach

"Setanta" "ehBeth" !!!

ahh, hi "Dad" and "E"

this is S.O. and P and something and something (another couple and another girl who appears to be "E"s friend)

mmm ok

chat chat

We've gotta get to the off-leash. SeeYa!

an hour later, they all appear in the off-leash area

<I'm getting there>

the dogs are wrestling by the water ...

... and I find myself holding hands with "E"s little friend. She's afraid of romping dogs.

~~~

Only at the off-leash dog beach can I find myself holding hands with the friend of the daughter of someone Setanta has debated with

browsing in anticipation of the next set of classes

http://bellydancestore.biz/gallery.php?catId=3



and this outfit is called ...


habibihabibi

SOLD!

Which is good, because it means no more car and insurance payments...just got the company car now(and another toy coming in with no loan on).

Bye baby, you were fun to take for rides.

For the last day or so I have had this fly in my house. He (?) is quick. I have swatted at him with a newspaper, a dictionary and a world atlas. But he is quick. So this evening he got between the screen and the window and I slammed the window down. He is trapped there and he is not happy. Now what do I do?

went for a drive in the country today . when we returned , annie - our neighbour's dog - reminded us that she had not yet received her daily treat of milkbones from us .
when her owner called , she quickly snatched the last treat from my hand and appeared at her owner's door as if nothing had happened - one smart dog !

The MacAurthor Foundation selected 24 "Fellows" today. Each receives a $500,000 "Genius Grant" to use as they wish. There were quite a few scientists, and also a few artists.
Two of the recipients are from Virginia. Marc Edwards of Virginia Tech studies the safety of tap water, particularly with regards to lead poisoning. Surprisingly, this is still a problem in the U.S.
The other Virginian is Corey Harris from right here in Charlottesville. He is a blues musician who started out on the streets of New Orleans. His interest is in connecting the U.S. blues scene with its African roots through exchange programs.

Now, here's a contradiction; I had root canal done on six teeth, and it cost $5k. I have to have posts and caps done at $1k apiece. OUCH! Now, about that smile. I thought I'd be laid out for at least a few days, but I'm not feeling much pain - yet. Dr Cook did a good job. No food restriction, either.

the Pizzeria Uno waiter in newton corner who remembered our drink order from months ago, and brought it to our table without prompting...

I was in Pizzeria Uno today, but in Kenmore sq.

Had eye check up today, a complicated deal.

When I met the doc a few months ago, I saw that he was looking at a situation he didn't have control over. Among other things, he didn't have records yet. (Me, I wanted my pressure checked. Endeavored to get all the records sent once I knew I didn't despise the guy - many were, and some weren't, or didn't get to the key place, that being more likely).

I am an intimidating patient. I have, at the least (shall we not mention myopia, different eye focus, astigmatism?) retinitis pigmentosa and its travail, which I won't go into here, glaucoma - some of that post surg - and cataract(s), plus, the piece de resistance, serious eye pressure after one cataract surgery went into trouble zone three years ago, leading to three more surgeries on that eye.

On top of all that, I'm knowledgeable about med terminology and am not, in this kind of situation, shy.

The patient from hell.

He's sharp and a fussbudget (with good hands.. I watch him - I like him - this time not liking surgeons for sexual reasons).




I will probably decide to go for the right eye surgery sooner than later; he has reassured me about a retinal surgeon being on alert. (That was a problem with the first icky situation, involving a very long drive through the forest). But not for a bit, need to get some ducks lined up.

There's no hurry, but... lowering vision depresses the fk out of me.
If I feel the situation is right, I'll be aggressive.


Why smile, I smile that I will be aggressive, I have been, given info in the past, why stop now?

A lovely smile from my little girl when I got home from work this morning.

When I could get up early in the morning today.

Taking out my new car for a spin