There is something about summer that keeps me on the go all the time. I think it's winter. When it's light outside until 9 p.m., I feel like I need to keep doing things. Only darkness lets me off the hook. Why? Because of winter. I remember during winter where there is such a small window of opportunity to get daytime things done. And it seems that the more I do (particularly around the house), the more things I find that can be done. Mowing the lawn makes me see the weeds, weeding the yard makes me see the snails, putting out snail bait makes me see that the gardening supplies in the garage need to be reorganized . . . it never ends.
I had a long weekend due to taking a furlough day and I just crammed it full of stuff. The online class that I'm taking (through San Diego State) adds greatly to my agenda. I like the mental stimulation, but the added time in front of the computer I don't like so much. And the good student in me won't let me slack. I haven't taken a class for a grade in ages. The subject is interesting (Reading and Writing in the Digital Age), but I feel a bit out of place. The communication group that I'm with (5 other students) are all younger than me (except one, I think) and all career teachers. I'm the only one who teaches adults too. There is one student who is an American teacher in Germany. He seems to have a chip on his shoulder about some things. Apparently he thinks very highly of the Internet and its capabilities and very lowly of anyone who doubts its wonderfulness. He's made unflattering remarks about the administrators at his school and referred unkindly about the author of an article with which he disagreed, writing him off as a "Baby Boomer." I pointed out to him that I am a Baby Boomer and mostly likely so is our instructor and that he shouldn't write off the whole generation. He apologized but still didn't seem to get it. In argumentation, you challenge the argument and maybe the credentials of the arguer, but not the personal attributes of the arguer. Maybe he felt that challenging the author's age was challenging his credentials. But I don't find that a very good argument.
When I mentioned some of the difficulties I have with my developmental students' being able to have computer access, this teacher/student said that the States offers too many chances for students. The students should just buy computers and conform or be left behind. He mentioned that in Europe the educational system is different. His daughter, who is at middle school level, has already been ruled out of certain Universities that offer education in some professions--like medicine. Oy! Way harsh! I told him I was glad that the U.S. offers more than one chance and that maybe his daughter will want to come to the States to obtain her education (I assume she's a citizen). He didn't respond (he might not have seen my reply). I think that's one reason why the U.S. is considered the land of opportunity--you get more than one chance here. Education is very important. Pursuing education doesn't mean that everyone is going to go all the way in any field of study. But even the garbage man can benefit from expanding the horizons of his thinking.
In honor of the CA Rodeo's 100th anniversary, Salinas brought back the Como Del Rodeo parade yesterday. Compared to the parades when I was a kid, this one paled considerably. Buuuut, it was a free event that brought people out and gave some talents a chance to shine. There was a line of customized PT Crusers that I enjoyed. I don't think I'll ever buy one, but I like them. Sooo, I was going to have dinner with my friend Terri on the south side of town (she's house sitting and offered to cook something) and she talked me into going to the parade. We only had to walk two blocks, so that was good. Anyway, I did get out and do something fun.
The work on my house is at a crawl. I'll be gone for 4 days and 3 nights later this month, so I'm hoping that Mike can finish up the last heating duct into the last room. But now I need him to put in a new cat door (I have to get it first). Two ferel cats (not mine) were fighting in my garage and busted through the door, breaking it. Sigh. For my part I've been working on the spackling and touch up painting in the rooms where the new heating ducts made an impact. That came to involve some paint matching. I haven't applied what I've bought yet, so I don't know how well I did.
And also on the kitty front, I ended up taking Tigrita to the vet on Friday. She showed signs of vaginal discharge again. This was after she apparently got caught in a fight in the house. Usually she's a good hider, but there was a bunch of cat fur on the floor in the hallway a couple of weeks ago, indicating that some kind of altercation had occurred. After that she wouldn't come to eat and stayed in the same position for hours. It took several days for her to start moving ok again, but still she could completely jump on the bed--she had to get front paws and drag herself up. It was after that that I saw the dried discharge again. Tigrita fought the vet like a demon so she couldn't have been too hurt by that point. The vet didn't see anything new, but she put Tigrita on an antibiotic just to be sure she doesn't get an infection from the fight and in case there was a vaginal infection. Now I fight with her once a day to squirt the liquid down her throat. The medicine smells like orange--a cat's favorite, I'm sure. Can't drug companies make animal antibiotics that taste like tuna?
Well, just drivel, no real theme. July is a busy month. I had my car serviced (60,000 mile check done my friend Terri's husband). Before that I had a close encounter with a post at the gas station and crunched in the rear driver's side wheel fender and snapped the rear door handle in two. Another job for Mike. He's going to try to fuse it back together. The door still opens, but oy! I have another spot on my front fender where I kissed a post at a different gas station a few years ago. It's almost the same color blue as the most recent contact. Boy, give me the streets, avenues, highways, and freeways and I do fine. But put me in a gas station and I fall apart.
Wishing you blessing!
