Vacation's over -HW catch-up time!
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| Sat, 11-08-2008 - 12:29pm |
As usual busy here :-)
Finally made it over to watch the G'kids in So. Cal. so D32 could fly up to San Francisco to run in the Nike marathon a few weeks back. That in itself turned into an adventure as our once-a-day Amtrak thru Needles (scheduled for 1:49am) ran 7 hrs late in the getting there...(they had a delay in Colorado when someone drove into the train, a delay in New Mexico to throw off an unruly drunk, and a delay between there & here "something about witnesses to a buck getting shot?!?" Anyway was a gorgeous weekend there & we spent days in the backyard & nites w/movies & popcorn - & as long as I stayed really aware of not lifting, pushing, bending, or twisting - my back cooperated quite well. I got hold of an old HS friend who has lived in Escondido for many years now & she made it up for a short catch-up visit Sunday afternoon. Haven't seen her since her D's wedding a couple years back, and haven't sat down for a catch up visit since g'd4's baby shower couple years before that - it's been a X'mas card connection for awhile! Other than the unforeseen delays - Amtrak definitely has my vote for the trek over tho - made it in one piece plus had the added time to get ahead in my math HW for our scheduled 10 day trek back east. At least that HW ch. was on interest-, amortization-, & annuities-calculations which at this point in my life is not a new concept - so a quick once-over was doable and workwise I did get a week ahead.
Got home in time to get some sleep before accompanying S18 back to the courthouse for a 2nd rescheduled meet w/the PD to hear that the DA dropped the theft charges the farmer was trying to press from the incident back in June. So we celebrated by taking him w/us to do our early voting (we were flying home election day) - his 1st time voting! Made it to the flu shot clinic for my annual shot, the dentist called w/a cancellation opening to get me in for a cleaning/checkup, participated in our 1st classroom research lesson presentation & debrief, had the housekeepers in, and filled the fridge for S18 before we flew off Thurs.the 23rd.
Made a day-time flight from Vegas to Charlotte, NC to Portland, Maine and DH was quite enthralled w/the cold while driving to my sis's house in Raymond - had his arm stuck out the window most of the drive as it hit 30 that nite. (Gotta remember we're desert rats here in the Southwest!!) It's been 15 yrs since we were back there - sure doesn't seem that long, but we had a nice visit - and the weather cooperated wonderfully. We were fully prepared to be frozen popsicles but even tho it got to freezing or below at nite, the daytimes were quite doable even up past the 60's some days - my long wool overcoat & a scarf were quite comfortable if not too much for some of the days. Tromped around our 11 acre property next door, DH had arranged a visit to see a Deltec round home built by a lake about an hr north. We were still impressed w/them & it's sure fun thinking about putting one on that property - of course that could push back DH's retirement dreaming for awhile... Did a drive up north past Orono to have lunch w/the gal we bought the last couple pieces of property from & my sis got to do a Mom run (snow tire installation & groceries) for her S22 up there who's between jobs since his college graduation. Had to do the obligatory drive to LLBean in Freeport & DH loves the Delorme map store near there. Did a day of local touristy shops, art galleries, & winetasting. Planned a couple days in Boston/Cambridge around S21's class schedule so drove down Wednesday afternoon. Discovered exactly why he doesn't want his car there - neither did we!! Found an inexpensive motel outside Cambridge, parked it & bought subway passes... DS took us on a walking tour thru the hallowed halls & underground tunnels of Harvard Law, went to dinner in the Italian section of Boston - & ended up sleeping w/a dose of Alka Seltzer & Advil as by then had a raging sinus cold. Spent all day roaming the USS Constitution harbored in Charleston and walking the Freedom Trail starting there at Bunker Hill across the river to the center of Boston Commons. S21 met us for lunch & walked the bottom half w/us before heading back to his dorm to do laundry after he decided that we could head back to Raymond that nite rather than wait til after his Friday class. He was quite bummed when he got his mail as it was a rejection letter after his flyout 2nd interview w/a large S.F. law firm for next summers internship on which he had his sights set. He has decided he would like to end up working in the San Francisco area and apparently landing the right 2nd year internship is the way to land that job after graduation 3rd yr. It seems his class is getting hit not only w/some unprecedented policy chgs as well as by the economy all at once... Their class is the 1st that will have finals before X'mas break this year (that's a good thing :), they just got the news that starting Spring semester Harvard will no longer issue grades - they are switching to a pass/fail system (that one is questionable); & now the competition for high paying positions is that much tougher w/firms folding & money tight, etc.... Anyway we had a nice early Thanksgiving dinner Saturday. The two nephews had their girlfriends, BIL's bro & wife drove over - had a few bottles of Cranberry wine, big meal complete w/pies (made by nephew24 & his galpal), played a few games, had a nice day! Had so much fun Sunday nite when we took everyone out for a lobster dinner in Portland before we put S21 on the Downeaster (Amtrak back to Boston). Not only did we hit the 1st nite of the 2-lobster for $19.95 dinner special, but nephews girlfriend's mom was a lobster-woman growing up so she showed us the nuances of how to get into cracking & getting to the meat of the things. It was a blast :) plus it was quite delish!! Got up before the crack of dawn for a daytime flight via Washington D.C. to Vegas & was home mid-afternoon (our time).
Have spent the last couple days doing laundry, grocery shopping & sitting in my office catching up w/math HW, discussion, & 2nd midterm (thankfully it is on the computer & can re-do a second time if I choose), 2nd exam for the Lesson Study course, & this weekend will do the 3 chapters of reading, quiz, & HW for this 2-wk session of the Education Research Methods course which is due by Wednesday 9am. We are scheduled to do our re-teach for our lesson study lesson Thursday for which we have not met since before I left & I will probably do a bit of revising to our lesson template for that and begin the final report also. Both districts called me in the early am to sub the last couple days - but had to put them off til next week to play catch-up. Ran into the HS math teacher at the grocery store that day & she was taking a mental health day as her one class of freshman just did her in the day before. Probably a good thing I didn't take her class that day! Have my first "pain doctor" appt. Monday for the next step in alternative therapy for my back since the accident - tho I must admit that taking classes this semester - which causes me to stay put sitting at my desk for many hours has been an excellent move as it seems that for the most part I feel pretty good. It's only when I do things that involve those neck & back muscles (which sitting doesn't) that I get pain and stiffness, & so far living on Advil is quite helpful for those times (the occasional glass of wine helps too :).
Well now that I've wiled away this morning with my coffee and catch-up, I need to shower and start this weekends endless catchup game. So far I am on track tho.
Oh, just in case anyone out there is interested. While we were gone got an e-mail from my D32 w/a link to a video of her Powder Puff desert racecar race in October. She got 1st in her class and 4th overall this year plus they raise a lot of $$ for cancer research doing this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCx-n5b8oI4
Have a good one all - back soon (always am, just don't get around to posting much!!)




HI Jo
Good to see you thanks for the catch up. Seems you are always so busy. I am glad you got your trip back east even though as you said it was probably a bit cool for those of us who live here in the desert southwest.
Come back when you can.
HUGS
Guessing they can make wine from just about any food sorce.I havent had Cranberry wine.
A few years back my brother in law made rhubarb wine.It wasnt half bad.
Dont let your HW slide.Good for you