Under Attack in the Snow!

So last night was supposed to be the Blizzard of '09. And it happened, all right.  I had a bit of deja vu in the midst of it. This happened to me the last time we had a big storm, but at the time, I didn't remember it. I've even written a blog post about it. If you've read it, it's just the same story. If you haven't, here's what happened.

I kept hearing this loud noise, half asleep, and I was thinking, "I've seen the Stealth Bomber before, I know what it sounds like. I wonder why it's flying right now?"

5 minutes later:

"It's the Stealth Bomber again. What's going on? Is there some winter show?"

10 minutes later, the "Stealth Bomber" "flew overhead" again, but this time, there was a big boom sound right in front of my house. That's what woke me up at 3 AM. I thought, "There's the Stealth Bomber, and...Oh my god, we're being bombed!"

I freaked out, and woke up, and looked outside to see...a snowplow. I don't know what it kept hitting, but right in front of my house there was a pothole, or a manhole cover, or something, so that you'd hear the loud roar of the snowplow (which sounds exactly like the Stealth Bomber, by the way), and then a huge boom, as it went over the hole right in front of my house. And a snowplow went by every 5 minutes--I timed it. I should be happy that my town is so vigilant about keeping the streets cleared, but my god, it was a pain in the ass at 3 AM. I had a hard time falling asleep again, but eventually I did.

And that's the story of how we got bombed in Brookline in the snow.

Shelby's Sleeping Lean

This is Shelby, leaning on a pillow made by my friend Amy. Watching Shelby sleep is one of my favorite pastimes. How cute is she? No, really, I'm asking. I want to tell you that I hope you have someone in your life that makes you feel giddy inside when you look at her/him, like I feel when I look at Shelby sleeping. Warm fuzzies.

Pure Love

  One of the last times I went to New York City, I had this for lunch. I've done this post before, with a different burger and shake. I said it then, and I'll say it now. Ain't nothing like a cheeseburger and chocolate shake from a coffee shop (aka, a diner) in New York City. You can't get a meal like this anywhere else. It brings tears to my eyes, and saliva to my mouth.

I Love When Stuff Like This Happens

The other day at school, a parent came in with his baby in the baby carrier. He had to take his older child to the bathroom, so he said to me, "I'll just put the baby here in the corner.", and he put her down. And that's right, Dirty Dancing fans, I said it:

"No one puts baby in a corner!" Thank you, Jennifer Grey.

Things Kids Say in Preschool

Vic: Mama says, "Touch your own winky!"

Saoirse to me: Do you know how to say "hi" in African?

Me: No.

Saoirse: Me neither.

Letter to Dad

Dear Dad,

Recently, I've come into a little bit of money. I can now afford to pay for you to come to Boston and stay in a nice hotel for the weekend. I'm going to the opera tonight, and I'd like you to go with me. It's Carmen, my favorite. I think I've seen it with you twice. You know how you always tell me the plot of the opera on the way over to the Met, in the cab? Even though I've seen it twice, I want you to tell me again. You're a good plot teller.

I'll pay for you to take the Acela train over here. It's comfortable, especially in business class. I've made a bunch of trips back and forth to NYC over the past two years.

So, whaddaya say? Want to come to Boston? I have the money. Oh shit. I just remembered something. I have the money because you died. Fuck.

Quotes of the Day

I was at the Science Museum, and a volunteer was showing a kid, about 8 years old, a model of the human skeleton.

Volunteer: Now, look at this...

Kid: You kill people?!

***************************************************

Kaden, 4, was telling me about sports teams his dad liked:

The football team that my dad votes for is The Patriots.

***************************************************

Madeline, almost 4, told me about a new member of the family for one of her friends:

My friends rented a baby.

Alex: What's that?

Madeline: It's when someone else had a baby in her tummy, and had the baby, and gave it to them.

Halloween NIght 09

Last night was one of the best Trick or Treat nights we've ever had at our house. We got lots of big groups of kids, and lots of older kids (i.e. high school), which I don't mind at all. They're fun to mess with. My three favorite costumes are pictured above. First, there's Obama, with his Obama mask and blue Oxford shirt. I said to the kid, "Oh, you're Obama?", he nodded, and without missing a beat, the kid in the Jason mask said, "I'm a Republican." Oh god, gotta love those liberal parents!

The Facebook page needs no explanation. Love it!

I had some 12 year olds come to our porch with cell phones, digging into our candy bowls while on the phone. I put a stop to that. I said, "You better say 'hold on' and say 'Trick or Treat to me!'" They did, and I emphasized the rudeness of being on a call while taking candy from strangers.

Seems like people really got into the Halloween spirit this year, maybe because it was Saturday night? While running around during the day, I saw a lot of adults in costume on the subway. Saw a couple of Willy Wonkas, some really great Oompah Loompahs, a Mad Hatter, and my favorite on the subway: The Man with the Yellow Hat and Curious George.

Happy post Halloween, everyone! No candy left, and an extra hour of sleep. Things are lookin' good.

Happy Halloween!

That's Why They Call Me The Enforcer

My good friend Emily and her son Sumner were having a conversation. Sumer's a former preschool student of mine. I'm a teacher at Corner Co-op Nursery School, and Rosie is the Teacher/Director, i.e., my boss.

Sumner: Mom, Alex is in charge of the Corner Co-op, isn't she?

Emily: No; actually, Sumner, Rosie's in charge.

Sumner: Alex kind of acts like she's in charge. But I always thought that Rosie should be in charge.

CVS--Cashier Very Sad

I just had a depressing visit to CVS. I had to make photo prints for school, and I had to get milk. I made the prints at the NEW PRINT STATION!, where they print out your pics immediately and then give you a receipt that doesn't have the price on it.

I got the milk, and noticed that they also had yogurt and eggs.  I need breakfast for tomorrow, so I got those too. It depressed me to buy my eggs at CVS; call me a snob.

So I went to the register and I handed the cashier guy my receipt. This guy seems depressed. He's one of those quiet, greasy haired lonely guys who doesn't like his job. I asked him how the new system worked--did I give him the receipt and he'd tell me how much it was? He said, "No, just tell me how many prints you made." I was trying to remember, but then he scanned the receipt and told me how many. I told him that it was an "interesting" system; I mean, theoretically, I could make 50 prints and tell him I made 10, or not say anything, and walk out of the store. He said, "You wouldn't do that, would you?" Of course I wouldn't, but..."I'm just telling you, for your design system." He replied, "If I designed systems, I wouldn't be working the cash register."

To which I said, "GOT it!" and beat it out of there. Oh god. I'm glad I'm a happy person and that I love my job. This particular CVS has so many characters. There's the pharmacist who looks like early man, the mousy depressed cashier, and a new cashier/manager guy who reminds me of the "bad" brother from Slumdog Millionaire. He's very nice, but just a little too slick. Thing is, this CVS is 2 blocks from my house, so I go there all the time. Never a dull moment, I guess.

M.I.A. - Paper Planes

I just got the soundtrack to Slumdog Milllionaire the other day. One of my favorite songs is "Paper Planes" by M.I.A. I played it for the kids at school over and over, until I brought it home and really listened to it. I realized that part of the song is the sound of gunfire followed by a cash register. Oops. Not a lesson I'd like to impart to my little ones. But I still love the song.

Heinous Halloween

What? You didn't want to just get rid of the tree???

I can't wait to see what it looks like at Christmas.

Puzzled

We have this puzzle at school. I call it "Breaking and Entering". You'll notice that the chain slide lock on the top right was totally broken off. Who knows where the kid who did that is now. Hopefully not in the Big House; maybe he or she is an engineer.

Sweet Enough?

Last night I had dinner with my friend Melissa. She had made cookies from the South Beach Diet book; they only had 3 ingredients: peanut butter, Splenda, and an egg. The cookies came out sort of crumbly, and by the time they reached me in a Ziploc bag in Melissa's purse, they looked like the topping on a sundae. She asked if they were too "Spelenda-y", and I didn't think they were, though the aftertaste was a little reminiscent of artificial sweetener, which I dislike.

I told her no problem, we'd go over to the local ice cream joint and I'd sprinkle the peanut butter crumble on top of some frozen yogurt, which I figured would be healthier than ice cream. I ordered some NS vanilla yogurt, and asked, after I placed my order, what the "NS" stood for. I was told "no sugar", and Melissa asked what it was sweetened with. We were told, "Splenda, and sometimes NutraSweet." Great.

I got home and ate most of my dessert. Tonight I think I'll have one of the Fudgsicles in my freezer.

Soak

I went into the kitchen to wash some dishes, when I accidentally came upon Fork taking a bubble bath. Sorry, Fork, I didn't see nuthin'. Sponge, on the other hand, was definitely trying to sneak a peek.

Whoops-the fur edition

The other day I took out the rubber kitty brush/massager and gave Shelby a good treatment. She loved it. After awhile, there was a huge pile of fur collected, enough to maybe knit a sweater. Her fur was so soft afterwards. The next morning, as Shelby was eating her breakfast, I noticed a bald spot on her back. Oops. Guess I got a little too into it. Sorry, Shelby, hope it grows back soon!

Post #600!

I found this photo while looking through my photo library, and I don't think I had posted it. My friend Courtney and I like leopard print. A lot.

In Sync on iPods

Today a guy on a bike passed me as I was crossing the street, and I realized we were both listening to George Michael on our iPods at the same time. I was listening to a ballad, "John and Elvis are Dead", and he was listening to "Flawless". I knew, because he was singing, "You've got to go to the city..." I thought that was pretty cool. And random. We love you, George!

It's Fall

Important Call

Today I heard an interesting ring tone. It sounded almost like an ambulance siren; it was called "Alarm". I commented on it to the man whose phone it was, and he said that was the special ring tone assigned to his wife. I had to keep my laughter to myself as he answered the phone. I almost had to go into the next room.

Shelby's Sleeping Safety Spots

Shelby often likes to sleep with at least two body parts touching an object. Here are some examples:

From the top: This is her special corner. I had put the fan there after I took it out of the window, and she immediately used it as a napping leaning place. Back touching the fan, feet on the books and table leg.

Next: close up of feet touching books and table leg. They must touch.

Next: Face mushed into green chair.

Next: Paw touching corner of loft.

Next: Face mushed into loveseat.

South Beach Diet in Pics

Big ass salad (and yes, I like to eat my salad with chopsticks), oatmeal with blueberries, walnuts, and cinnamon, NO sugar, sirloin burger w/grape tomatoes & onions instead of ketchup (and yes, I like my burgers well done), grape tomatoes w/mozzarella & balsamic vinegar, and my first shopping cart full of SBD food. It's expensive, and time consuming, but it's made me a better cook, and I take time to prepare food instead of whipping something up in a microwave or going out. AND I've even learned to like V-8 juice. A lot!

South Beach Diet--Wanna Try It?

I haven't even talked about being on the South Beach Diet. I started it on June 29th, when I weighed an average of 115 pounds. I've weighed myself every day for the past 2 years or so. Back in...hold on, let me get my calendar. Back in January of 2007, I weighed an average of 107.5 lbs. December 2007? 112. June 2009? 115. You see where I'm going with this. I know, at 41, that I can't eat whatever I want anymore. Metabolism has slowed. Took me about 3 years to accept that. When I saw 117 on my scale one day, I decided that enough was enough, it was time to get drastic. Plus I had just gotten a back tat, and back tat + back fat = ick. And muffin tops should stay on baked goods.

Now listen, I know this is all relative. I know most people would kill to be 117 lbs. But I'm 5'1", I'm very small. Curvy, but small. I didn't feel good at 117. Or 115. I wanted to lose 10 lbs. and be 105, which is not unheard of for a woman of 5'1". I went through my 20's at an even 100 lbs., and I thought that was my adult weight. HA!

A friend of mine told me she lost 25 lbs. on the SBD. I was inspired by her tale, and got the book. I was mentally prepared, and I did it.  I've been 108 for about a month, and only have 3 more lbs. to go. If you're intrigued, buy the book. I just wanted to say a few things about what I've learned.

*Phase 1 is very very important. It helped me to kick (actually, greatly reduce) my muffin/cake/cookie habit.
*In order to keep weight off, I believe you must eat at least one big salad every day; it helps to have a small salad with dinner, too.
*Another tip to keeping weight off--eat sweets once a week. See how nicely that flows off the tongue? Any more, and you'll gain. I know how to gain and lose half a pound like a pro. And when you eat a sweet, make it only a little bit. Like half a muffin. Or a few bites of whatever.
*Nuts, lowfat cheese, and Fage yogurt with fresh fruit you add to it are great snacks for mid-morning and mid-afternoon (note, one of those, not all three).

I also workout with a personal trainer semi-regularly, and I walk everywhere. I don't drive. Good luck to you, if you want to do this, and thanks for reading. Leave a comment if you need support/tips.

(to my special friend who almost passed out in the mall after being on SBD, I wish I had been there for you)

Even a Three Year Old Can Do It!

I played charades with a 3 year old. His mom said, "We went to New York City and saw...", and Rowan made one movement with his hands, pushing them down forcefully. I guessed, "Stomp!" I was right. I'll remember to bring Rowan as my partner if I'm ever on a game show.

Flight of the Conchords: Cello Tape

Here's that song about how love is like tape, by Flight of the Conchords.

Tell Me, Teller

At my bank, the tellers wear name tags with personalized messages on them. They're conversation starters; "I love football!" "I have a cat", etc. Today, my teller's name tag said, "I collect clowns!" I asked her, "How many people tell you that they're afraid of clowns?" She said that all of them did. Poor woman. She asked me if I was afraid of clowns, I told her that of course I was. She asked me why, and I said, "Simple. Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Childhood." and I made a creepy clown movement with my hands. I said it was the makeup. She understood. I didn't even go into harlequins, eww.

I told her that the clowns at the Big Apple Circus were actually very funny. Grandma the Clown? Outstanding. She said her kids were grown, but she could take her grandchild. The line behind me was growing, so I had to finish my transaction, but it was a nice conversation. Good idea on those tags.

The funniest tag I ever saw at the bank was a guy who had "Pog ma thon" on his tag, which means "Kiss my ass" in Gaelic. I only knew this because I had dated an Irish guy. I laughed at the tag, and asked the teller what he told people it meant. He said he told them it meant, "Have a nice day". LOL! Unfortunately, I guess some higher ups knew what it meant, because that teller didn't last long at the bank. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!

A Sticky Situation

Today at school I gave a spontaneous lesson on the different kinds of tape there are. When I went to get tape for something, I noticed we had four different kinds, and I thought it would be fun to talk about. Turns out, the kids were riveted, and we grownups learned a thing or two also!

I began with Scotch tape. I told the kids that it was clear tape that was best used for putting pieces of paper together. Jo, a mom, and new member of the Co-op from England, piped up that in England, Scotch tape was called cello tape. So now we say Scotch or cello tape. Of course I had to add that it's also called cello tape in New Zealand, which I learned from watching Flight of the Conchords. They have a whole song about how cello tape is like love, sticky, but it holds people together, etc. Then Jo, who is a CSI in England, said something about using cello tape to lift fingerprints with the dusting powder, etc. I said we'd talk about that later, and quickly moved on to the next roll of tape.

Which was masking tape. Same thing in England. A little stronger than Scotch tape, I like to use it when hanging the meeting chart each day to show where each grownup will be at school. I'm usually at the art table. I noted that with Scotch tape and masking tape, you can rip it by yourself.

Next, we moved onto packing tape. We had a clear roll. Well, here's where it got interesting. In England, if it's clear, it's still called cello tape. If it's packing tape in America but it's brown, it's called parcel tape in England. So, any clear tape in England is called cello tape. Brown tape for wrapping parcels is called parcel tape. Makes sense. In America, it's the type of tape, not the color, that determines it's name. Clear or brown, it's still packing tape. I told the kids you had to use scissors to cut packing tape, because it's really strong.

And then the granddaddy of them all, duct tape! Which I told everyone was duct, d-u-c-t, but lots of people thought it was "duck" tape (several adult heads nodded), and then one company capitalized on that mistake by naming their company Duck Tape, so it was very confusing. Anyway, it's duct tape in England too. I told the kids duct tape was the strongest tape we had, and it had all sorts of uses. I asked Rosie to bring me the crayon basket, and explained that years ago it was a woven basket that had gotten holes in it. Instead of throwing it away, I wrapped the whole thing in duct tape, and it's lasted for years. I pointed out that duct tape could be seen all over the Co-op, we liked it so much. Mom Trish pointed out that duct tape now comes in designer colors! Tomorrow I'll have to bring in my roll of hot pink duct tape. Which I really have.

That concluded our lesson on tape. I love spontaneous lessons. And tape.

Leaf

First fall leaf of the year.

Wood You?

I was at Walden Pond recently and came across these cards posted on a tree. "Corey and Tiffany, Best First Date Ever! 8/30/09" Awww, how sweet! I told my friends I hoped that they had been friends before their first date, because I certainly wouldn't go to the woods with a stranger on my first date. I know, I'm a romantic cynic. What can I say?

Self Portraits w/ Cat, 9/12/2009

Me and Raizo, cat of my brother and sister-in-law.

Buzz a Bush

Guess I picked the wrong time to take a shortcut.

Shelby's Big Adventure

Today at 10:10 AM some Bible thumpers came to my door. I was standing there, being polite, talking to the guy. He said something about times are hard, and people are having a hard time keeping a positive attitude. I said that I had a positive attitude, and he asked why. I said, "Because Barack Obama is President." He was surprised that I said that, and laughed. I told him that I had faith, and he said, "Do you have faith in the Bible?"

And right then, Shelby decided that she didn't have faith in the bible, but she had faith in the outdoors. She went out the door, on the porch, and down onto the lawn. She'd never gotten that far. I told the BTs that I needed to go, and they stood around for awhile. Shelby went to the right, and then disappeared. I walked around the block a couple of times, to no avail.

I called my friend and around the corner neighbor, Carin. She walked with me because I really needed the company. After awhile, I told her she could go, and I came home, posted an announcement on Facebook, and made a few signs. My computer ran out of ink, so I only got 4 made. I told a couple of people that I saw to be on the lookout, and I emailed my immediate neighbors.

Now, Shelby isn't the most adventurous of felines; I didn't think she'd be too far, but she wasn't crying when I called her. I looked behind every bush, under every car, and circled the block numerous times.

Two hours later, I went out with a small container full of dry cat food. I shook it and called her name. When I got about three yards away from the house, where a driveway is, I shook the container, called her name, and there she was. She poked her naughty little head out from under our community grill, that has a cover on it that goes all the way to the ground. I had looked under the car that was right next to it about three times.

I cooed to her, then grabbed her and brought her in the house. When we got close, she started squirming. I knew she wanted to get inside, and she would have gone that way, but I didn't want to take any chances. I grabbed her tighter, and she started wheezing. What a drama queen! I put her down in the entry way, and she started panting and breathing fast like she was gonna pass out from the adventure. Oh, please! I laid down with her and gave her a gentle talking to, and then let her in the apartment and fed her. Poor thing, of course she went right to her default mode: sleep. I think that's the last time she'll be so adventurous. And the last time I'll give any of my time to those who are holding The Good Book. I have faith in myself, my cat, Barack Obama, and my own version of God; I don't need to read a book to have faith. Listening to George Michael circa 1987, maybe.

Self-Portraits for a Year

I had this great idea. I'm going to take a self-portrait once a month for a year, and post it here, and then maybe make it into a book. Maybe I'll do that every five years or something. What's today, the 12th? I took a bunch today, but I can't post them right now because I'm not at home. Posting starts tomorrow. I think everyone should do this. Do we all look different in a year?

New York State of Mind

I'm in NYC, arrived here yesterday, on 9/11, coincidentally.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I love the people here. On the subway platform yesterday I witnessed a street musician, a black man, helping an old white lady with directions. He had been setting up for his performance; he had a mike stand, and a plastic laundry basket lined with a blanket that had seen better days. He was in the middle of setting him self up, and this older woman, well dressed, was standing at the subway map, trying to figure out where to go.

I don't know if she asked him for help or if he volunteered, but when I looked at them again, he had his hand over hers, guiding her finger along the map to show her how the subway traveled. She asked a couple of questions, he answered, and she was on her way. You just don't see that anywhere else. Races mix here,  and old, and young, and black, and white, rich and poor. It's not like that where I live now. I miss it every time I come here.

I also miss people being real. I passed another scene while walking down the street. Two people, a man and a woman, came out of a store. They had been arguing, and continued the argument outside--they didn't know each other. The woman was cursing the man out, gesturing with her hands, and the man dismissed her with a wave of his, like she was some pesky fly. People tell it like it is in NYC, and if you don't like it, too bad. I love that. I miss it. I'm really glad I grew up here.

Birds on a Wire

I love listening to birds. Here's a video I came across recently:

http://vimeo.com/6428069

LOVE it. Wish I could get it on iTunes.

And here's my own birds on a wire photo.

Blob in the Dark

This morning I woke up in the dark and saw a shape on the floor. It looked like a huge mass of something really disgusting. I thought, "Oh my god, Shelby's really done it now. She's gone and thrown up and pooped, and coughed up god knows what, and I almost stepped in it! It was the biggest blob I had ever seen. Was Shelby okay??

I carefully leaned over the mass to turn on the light, and then saw...my leopard socks. WHEW!!!! I had a good laugh, and Shelby sat there looking at me like I had lost my marbles. Once again.

Frosty Font

I love "cold" font, with snow on top.

May I Help You?

Look at this bunny. Is it even real? Those ears are reeeedonkulous!!!!

Mini Challah

The other day I went to Japonaise, a Japanese bakery. It is soooo good! I bought a mini challah loaf. It was as big as my sunglasses.

Bathtub Blunder

I taught my cat Shelby how to drink from the tub faucet. She jumps in the tub and waits for me to turn on the faucet, and when she's done, she jumps out. The whole process takes about five minutes.

Shelby had a little "accident" outside of her litter box today, so I had to clean the plastic litter mat that is right outside of her box. It's a plastic grid tray, and to clean it, I have to fill up the tub with a little water and soak it.

Well, I left it to soak, and forgot about it. Poor Shelby jumped in the tub as she usually does. I heard a noise, and then I saw a shaken Shelby, limping with very wet feet. Oh, the poor thing! I have never seen a cat look embarrassed, but I swear that is how she looked. I wiped her feet off and apologized profusely, and she did what she usually does in great times of stress: she fell asleep.

I cleaned out the tub, and in a few minutes I'll show her that it's okay. I hope she's not too traumatized.

Success!

Guess what? The dishwashing liquid totally worked! Remember that next time you have a grease stain. Or Lestoil. Or Pine Sol.

Voiceover--Do-over!

I just saw a preview of a piece that was coming up on my daily morning new show. They announced, "What to do with leftover frozen embryos, coming up." The unfortunate thing was that during the voiceover, they showed a family cooking in the kitchen. Ewww.

False Advertising

"Does your shirt stink? Wanna make something of it? Come to this dry cleaner, and get it cleaned!"

This picture is supposed to advertise a clean shirt, but to me it looks like a stinky shirt. P.U.!

Grease Monkey

Yesterday I walked past a bicycle, just as the wind knocked it down. Trying to be helpful, I picked it up and righted it, and went on my way. When I got home, I noticed that I had bicycle grease on my pants, grrrr! I looked up "removing bicycle grease" on Google, and soaked my pants with dishwashing soap overnight. I'll wash them today to see if the grease came out. They were old pants anyway.

Strawberry Tooth

The other day I got a strawberry that looked like a tooth. I think it needs a filling.

Visit from Venezuela

About 11 years ago we had a family at my school from Venezuela. They were here for one year; Vicky, the little girl, was four years old at the end of the year when they moved back.

A few months ago, we got an email from Vicky, saying that she didn't know if we remembered her, but she was 15 now and was coming to visit Boston and wanted to see us (my boss Rosie and me). Of course we remembered her! She was a quiet girl with a big smile, and her mom made us a cassette tape of Venezuelan songs when they left.

The other day Rosie and I met Vicky and her family at our school. They had had two more kids since we had seen them, so we got to meet Julio, 10, and Beatriz, 8. When Vicky hugged me, it was a real hug, tight, and not quick and perfunctory. The younger kids got hugs too, and I wasn't sure if it was their Latin culture or the culture of our school that made it so natural. It didn't matter.

Whenever we get visitors from long ago, it seems as though time stands still. Suddenly, we were back in 1998. I went over to our music cabinet and in about 3 seconds put my hands on the Venezuelan tape and passed it around. We got out the photo album and found Vicky right away. She and her mom sang bits of some songs they remembered, and we all sat down for a pizza lunch.

The conversation turned to their hometown of Caracas, and they mentioned how dangerous it was. They told me that you couldn't ever take the subway or walk down the street, because you might get shot or kidnapped. Vicky's mom told me about something called "Express kidnapping", and Vicky explained what it was. She said that someone would get kidnapped in the morning, the kidnappers would demand ransom from the family, the family would get them the money in a few hours, and by nighttime, the kidnapped person would be returned. Express kidnapping. I remarked about how sad it was that a 15 year old girl was telling me this, that she knew things like this happened. The younger kids nodded, because they knew it too.

It seems that Boston, while a dreamland compared to Caracas, wasn't the safest place either, at the end of their stay. Vicky's dad told a story about how they were trying to sell their car before they moved. They had a sign in the window advertising $500 for the sale of their clunker.

One day the dad got lost driving in a sketchy neighborhood and was stopped in the middle of the street by a man with a gun. He demanded the car, but said that he would pay for it. The dad was, of course, shocked and scared, and told the guy if he had the money, he could have the car. The guy gave him the money, and the transaction was complete. Rosie asked, "How did you get home?" and he replied, "Crying."

Despite sad stories of violence, we had a great lunch and a wonderful visit with Vicky and her family. We learned that the trip was a present for Vicky's 15th birthday that she requested, with our school listed as an important stop among their travels. I told a friend about the visit, and he remarked, "Your school is like a friend factory." It is. And a family factory too. We are a family, and visits like these only reinforce the feeling. I work at a very special place.

Half My Paycheck

I just came back from a weekend away, and I went up the block to CVS to get some milk. Saw some yogurt while I was there, and figured that might be a good thing to have in the morning.

At the register, the yogurt didn't scan, so the cashier asked me to go over to the scan machine and tell me what price it gave. I scanned the yogurt, and came up with $999.99. I told the young pimply faced man behind the counter, "It says nine hundred ninety-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents. Man, that's expensive yogurt!" He didn't really laugh, just smiled, and looked frustrated. He asked me how much yogurt usually cost, so I took a guess and paid $1.39. Was I close?

Smells Like Trouble

Yesterday I saw a guy come out of the ATM. He had his money fanned out in front of his face for all to see, and he smelled it as he was walking by me. He made sure I saw and heard. He had a sort of menacing look on his face. Ewww, creepy.

Going Postal in Brookline

I love my town. A couple of weeks ago, I went to the post office in Brookline Village to mail a package of returned clothing. I stuck the label from the company on the bag and brought it to the counter, where the mail woman told me I was all set, no charge.

About an hour later, I got a phone call from the woman, saying that she had made a mistake, and actually it would cost $4.90. The post office was closing in an hour, and if I couldn't make it back, the package would be returned to me. I couldn't make it back in time. Sure enough, the package was delivered to me with the amount owed written on it.

Yesterday I was running errands in Coolidge Corner, the location of the other Brookline post office. I brought the package in and waited in line. Unbelievably, the same woman from the Brookline Village post office was one of the three people behind the counter. I tried to guess my chances of getting her. Amazingly, I did get her.

I put the package on the counter and told her I had been at the other post office...she totally remembered, and said she was sorry, and sort of new at this and thank goodness she was able to find my phone number to tell me. I told her it was okay, and that at least we had come full circle and could have closure with this package.

We laughed together, and I got to know yet another Brookline postal worker. I already know one who shares my birthday, another who used the same physical therapist as me, and another who is also a tattoo enthusiast like myself. Here in Brookline, I want to "go postal"!

Let's Play Mafia!

A kid brought this car to school, and this is what it looked like at the end of the day. Looks like Dr. Jones won't be writing prescriptions for much longer...

MJ for the next generation

Since Michael Jackson died, I've been bringing in The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson CDs for the kids to listen to at school. I think it's important that they know his music. One day Claire came up to me and asked if we were going to listen to that guy again. I said, "Who?" She replied, "You know, Eee hee!", doing a perfect MJ impression. I assured her that yes, we would.

Red light--there's a rainbow!

It has been so rainy for the past month and a half. Sometimes you get something good out of it. I caught this rainbow on my way to a friend's house during a torrential downpour. By the time he came to rescue me from the rain, the sun had come out. Rainbows are so magical.

Doh! Time to pay the bills!

Whenever I go to the post office to get new stamps, I always ask to see what the latest ones are. These looked like a lot of fun. I enjoyed putting the Homer one on bills. You could use the Marge one on a belated birthday card.