maddox

A coworker lost one of her twin boys. The smaller baby, Maddox, had his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. Despite an emergency C-section, he was stillborn. The other twin, Mark, is recovering well and should be able to go home soon.

The mother, who is a twin herself, sent photos out on the school's staff email list. One of the photos showed the two babies side by side.

I wish I'd never seen it.

project programmer

Although there are reality tv shows about filmmakers, fashion designers, chefs, rockstars, nannies, and even boxers, I doubt you'll ever see a show featuring computer programmers.

huh

Looks like I got an interview after all-- Monday, 3 p.m.

Almost as surprising as seeing Musharraf on the Daily Show.

Hey, why not.

owies

So we're in the doctor's office--I mean, literally we just got shown to room #1 and we're waiting for the pediatrician--when L starts spinning around, bumps into a chair, and gets a black eye. After that chair incident, the finger pin prick to test her hemoglobin, the blood test to verify an iron deficiency, and the Hepatitis A shot, it's a wonder she didn't need crutches to get out the door.

combinatorics

How many ways are there for a teacher to obtain some (nonempty) subset of college classes that will lead to an intellectually stimulating and fulfilling career?

I'm toying with the idea of becoming an actuary. Natural progression from middle school English teacher, isn't it? There's still a lot more I'd like to learn about the profession, questions I have about the job prospects for someone switching careers, planning to account for background coursework and actuarial test prep, not to mention the seven more problems of homework due tomorrow.

At worst, I'll get certified to teach math and learn the recurrence relation to solve the Tower of Hanoi.

birthday girl

graphic detail

Despite my initial skepticism, I think this graphic novel adaptation of the 9/11 Commission's Report is a really good idea.

I want to post a page from the story, but I respect their copyright too much. So go check it out.

junk mail

I received an invitation to a TRUMP conference on how to become a real-estate billionaire that advertised, "All speakers LIVE and in person!" Very impressive.

James McGreevey

I heard his interview with Terry Gross on NPR. (The New Jersey governor who resigned from office with the famous words, "I am a gay American.") He's extremely charismatic and seemingly honest but wow, has the guy done some despicable things. To her credit, Terry Gross interviewed two investigative journalists who researched the story extensively and broke the news about the unethical appointment which led to McGreevey's resignation. It was a good interview, despite the sordid content.

the lives of little ones

If you're smiling at a baby upside down, does he interpret it as a smile or a frown?

It's L's second birthday on Sunday. It will be a small shindig--just the four of us, some balloons, a cake with sprinkles, and many oddly shaped presents.

opportunity for self-reflection

I didn't get the job. I didn't even get interviewed. I'm beginning to wonder if I want to be a teacher for the rest of my life. What kind of a profession is it when the more experience & education I have, the less likely I am to be hired (because I'm too expensive according to contract laws)? Damn that Master's degree.

wildfire

Not what you like to see from your backyard.

Benedict doesn't mean "good sayings"

Much as I like his hat, the pope needs some work as the servant of the servants of God. He may have been quoting a 14th century religious scholar, but his remarks about Islam were decidedly not very helpful in today's world. So much for humility.I think it is safe to say that his point about peaceful religion was lost.

frozen in time

My application is gathering dust at the local school district. I finally gave in to curiosity and called to find out what was going on. Apparently they are still accepting applications. Of all the times in my life to wait for a job, this is pretty ideal: I'm already employed, I'm on maternity leave, I'm in no rush. Still, the waiting is killing me.

What bothers me most is the urgency of everyone who spoke to me about the job. According to the HR secretary, they needed a teacher in the classroom "today" back on Aug. 28. So I scrambled and sweet-talked my kids' daycare into reserving a spot for them to come back early (not easy with a 2-month-old baby). And now, after all that scrambling and rearranging, I wait.

I think it's a California thing. Or maybe just an evil employer thing.

In the meantime, I uploaded our first home videos to Dropshots. Cool site. The grandmas love it.

taking work home

... or so my husband tries. I think it's a tossup between me, the kids, and ESPN as the greatest distraction.

people to celebrate

My dear friends Kari and Randy just became parents to a beautiful baby boy, Evan. They hope to travel to Korea in time to bring him home for Christmas. Such wonderful, wonderful news for such wonderful, wonderful people.

Congratulations, too, to United We Lay on the birth of her new son! No doubt he will grow up with a very open mind and a big heart.

My former coworker just arrived home with her new baby girl, Sofia. It was a difficult delivery and the baby had to stay in the hospital five days to recover from pneumonia. Luckily, she and her mother are doing well and enjoying their new lives together at home.

Apropos, happy birthday, mom! I love you.

quiet thoughts on a Friday morning

We're approaching the 5-year anniversary of September 11th, and I don't know what is the best way to remember it.

2001 was the year I first started teaching. I remember the boy who interrupted my class to tell us we had to turn on the TV because "This is as big as the Kennedy assassination." In retrospect, it's amazing what that meant to us even though Kennedy had been shot long before either of us were born. I imagine my post-9/11 children talking about that day in history and trying to comprehend the terror we all felt, the significance of the attack, and the way it changed our world.

For the sport

Great birthday, great 5-day weekend.

Thursday morning we went to Newport Beach where L learned what saltwater tastes like. She liked watching the waves (from afar) and building a modest sand castle. Afterwards we headed to a sports bar & grill for lunch. I counted no less than 23 big screen TVs from where I sat on the astroturf.

Spent the rest of the weekend bumming around, watching cable, and competing to see who could get J to smile the most. L is the reigning champion. Due to all the rain at the US Open, we've been able to watch Agassi's wins and losses multiple times over. I'm especially impressed by the Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who showed a lot of heart.

In anticipation of football season, we fired up the grill and ate brats and saurkraut. The culture (or should I say cult) of sport is fascinating to me. Too bad I never went to a Vikings game at the Metrodome when I had the chance. Then again, you don't have to be in a parking lot to enjoy the concept of tailgating. My favorite sports are the ones I've played: soccer, cross country, and rowing. Rowing above all. (I'm a starboard.) I wish everyone could have the chance to go to a regatta.

We weren't the only ones enjoying our Labor Day weekend. My husband's boss went dove hunting. I didn't realize that the symbol of peace was a game bird. Granted they're pretty small, so people hunt them mostly for sport. Does anyone else find that ironic?

Play on.