Jul

Governor, Frist brace for poor TCAP showing, try to lower expectations | Nashville City Paper: Nashville’s Online Source for Daily News.

So, just so we’re clear … my child took a test, upon which her entire future is based (her scores this year, the first time she ever took the test, determine where she gets to go to middle school, which determines where she goes to high school, and so on), and no one knows how to score the damn thing?!! How do you make a test without developing the standards for it?!! So basically they’re meeting later this month to “decide” how to score the test … when they will have the results right in front of them!!!

Favorite quote … our illustrious State Education Commissioner Tim Webb on the new scores … “For the first time in many, many years, we in Tennessee are being honest, truly honest with our students and our families,” Webb added, stressing the scores don’t indicate a “loss in knowledge.”

So we’ve been lied to for years with the test scores, but THIS TIME, they’re going to tell us the truth. Only, they’re not sure what the truth is, or how to find it. Are you f%#@*^! kidding me?!! No, they’re not, that’s the problem.

  

Mar

Tournament breeds loss in office productivity – 13 WTHR – Indianapolis News | < /p>

Ha! This assumes people were productive to start with! Seriously, where do they come up with numbers like this???

  

Nov

Still displeased with his intervention leading to VY being re-names QB1, and now Bud pulls this: http://mashable.com/2009/11/16/bud-adams-youtube/. Aside from the fact that an 86 year old man should REALLY know better (not to mention RETIRE ALREADY), how are you the owner of a team who’s … wait for it … 3 – 6, and feel justified in flipping off ANYBODY?!!

  

May

This week’s TOT topic made me laugh…my list is short and sweet: ALL of them!!!

I’m not much of a “celebrity” aficionado. I just don’t get why people are so obsessed with meeting “celebrities” (it’s not like you’re going to become their new BFF), trying to be like them (for most of them, it’s not like they’re good role models!), talking about them, reading about them, stalking them, etc. Just not very star struck, I guess.

And of course don’t even get me started on the truly disturbing lengths some people will go to to BE famous…

  

Mar

Okay, I know I am late, but once I got around to it, this week’s topic took me all of about 30 seconds! I tend to like all sorts of music, BUT, there are some songs that I just absolutely can’t stand. Please note, this is NOT, from my perspective, a list of the WORST songs ever. I don’t think these songs are inherently bad, of poor quality (in most cases) or anything like that … I just hate them. Even more oddly, in several cases I love other songs by the same artist/band. I have no justification, somehow they just rub me the wrong way, I guess. Anywhoo … here’s my list of 10 songs I hate (actually, I couldn’t stop at 10):

1. Hotel California (Eagles)
2. At This Moment (Billy Vera & The Beaters)
3. I Shot the Sheriff (Eric Clapton)
4. Indian Outlaw (Tim McGraw)
5. Heart Light (Neil Diamond)
6. Rico Suave (Gerardo)
7. Truly Madly Deeply (Savage Garden)
8. Satisfaction & Oops, I Did It Again (Britney Spears)
9. Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (Toby Keith) – along with any other small-minded, deliberately misleading song that equates being a good American with being a Republican
10. She Bangs (Ricky Martin … and William Hung)
11. Invisible (Clay Aiken)
12. Macarena (Los Del Rio)
13. She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy (Kenny Chesney)
14. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You (Heart)
15. Dogs (Pink Floyd) – and this one is hard because Craig LOVES this song!!!

Also, while I’m on the topic, I hate any and all song’s with a person’s name in the title … I know, very odd, but somehow I just can’t relate to them.

I also hate songs about cowboys.

And, like a lot of people I guess, I hate everything ever recorded by: Taylor Hicks, Cher, New Kids on the Block, Jessica Simpson, Kevin Federline, as well as misogynistic rap and virtually anything that has ever been part of a Disney movie.

Oh, and last thing – another oddity – I love to go and hear live music, but I CAN’T STAND to listen to recordings of live music!

I should stop now, all of this is probably just adding to Craig’s secret stash of ammunition in case he ever needs to have me declared legally insane!

  

Oct

More reasons to admire Sarah Palin … NOT!

And how Cindy McCain can say this with a straight face is beyond me! Truly. Did your husband not JUST announce over the weekend that he was turning to a 100% negative campaign strategy?!! How stupid do you think people are?!!

Okay, need to take LOTS of deep breaths between now and the debate tonight so I don’t stroke out from high blood pressure when McCain starts spewing his crap…

  

Sep

I take it back … you know, I had been thinking she wasn’t qualified for her position. But, you know, seeing how Republicans really just seem to be interested in running a racket on the American people, I am thinking she’s very qualified to be a Republican seeking higher office – the lies, the abuse of power, the scams … she’ll fit right in.

Here’s the latest … turns out public officials taking gifts is an abominable thing … except for her: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/25/AR2008092503988.html

  

Sep

Ummm…yeah…you know, it’s especially not pretty when the executive branch has been running a racket for 8 years that finally caught up with them, and then expected to be handed SEVEN HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS to bail their fat-cat cronies out, with no accountability and no strings attached.

Honestly, I don’t know how this guy sleeps at night.

At least people are noticing McCain’s obvious ploy – even his own party “supporters” are condemning this. This is the perfect example of his hot-headed tendencies to act rashly without thinking through the consequences. Not exactly what we need in a President – again.

  

Sep

Awesome new piece by Andrew Sullivan in the Atlantic Monthly on the NUMEROUS flat-out lies Palin has told since receiving the nomination: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/the-twelve-odd.html

Also a great new piece on Politico explaining how she’s been handing out in her hometown instead of … you know, being the governor she was elected to be, about 80% of the time since she took office – and that’s after accounting for weekends in holidays!

Amazing, all that executive experience…

  

Aug

This week’s topic is funnier to me now than it would’ve been when I was in school … now that I’ve become a professor, I think my opinions are skewed! Anyway, for what it’s worth, here are my top 10 things I didn’t like about school (am combining across high school and college):

1. Calculus – the thought of it still makes me want to scream – both the high school AND the college version!
2. Getting up – even then, was not a morning person.
3. Following directions – I really hate having people tell me what to do!
4. Cafeteria food – again, both high school and college.
5. Sorority girls – I know, I know, YOUR sorority was really great and none of the girls were “like that”! But the ones I knew … they definitely WERE “like that”.
6. Roommates – especially psycho ones (who seem to be drawn to me inexplicably)
7. Getting dressed up to go to college football games (especially since we pretty much always LOST)
8. I almost always had a final exam on my birthday (or worse, the day after my birthday) in college
9. Structure – I STILL hate that about school, and now I’m the professor!!! I get that things have to have specified times and last set amounts of time and all that, but I hate it. I’m more of a free spirit, schedules make me claustrophobic…
10. Going back to school in August – it’s just unnatural.

Despite the complaining here … I really liked school, both high school and college. It wasn’t perfect, but by and large I had a good time, learned a lot, laughed a lot, and made some really good friends. Can’t ask for more than that…

  

Aug

Yes, it was the most amazing opening ceremony I’ve ever seen. The firework footsteps approaching the stadium, the drum/light sequence, the ginormous LCD monitor with the elements that lifted off the screen – absolutely stunning visually. And yes, they get kudos for embracing (some) aspects of their past in the creative portion of the program.

BUT, for me it does not change a thing, or make it okay that they’re giving a political regime like they are with an opportunity like this. Can you forget their appallingly slow response to the Sichuan earthquake earlier this year? (Not that W’s response to Hurricane Katrina was any better, but that’s another story). Can you forget Taiwan? Tibet? Hong Kong? Tiennamen Square?

Or look more recently at their actions – they *literally* threw ALL of the homeless people out of Beijing – didn’t help them, just kicked them out. They also forced restaurants and shops to close if they were visually unappealing. They gave director Zhang Yimou a basically unlimited budget for the Olympic opening ceremony, while a huge chunk of their population is impoverished (especially those who were forcibly removed from their homes – without compensation – so they could build the Olympic venues).

They don’t want to OPEN themselves to the world – what all these idiot commentators keep saying. They want to paint a beautiful picture for the world and pretend that the picture if real. Unfortunately, a lot of people are buying it. And it’s just not okay.

The fireworks were wicked though!

  

Sep

Okay, thus far the year 5767 is not going so well. On our way to the Rosh Hashanah family service and Taschlich, Sami & I were in a car accident caused by some idiotic woman talking on her cell phone and not paying attention.

Our synagogue is next to a church, and someone was getting married there this afternoon. SO, in addition to the heavy traffic turning in to the synagogue, there was additional traffic turning in to the church. It was EASY to see (presuming of course that one actually notices things in the external environment while driving) that people were stopping to turn left. Two cars in front of me, someone stopped to make the left turn into the church. The car behind it stopped. Then I stopped. The car behind me also stopped, or at least was stoppING. However, the woman driving the car behind that apparently had better things to do with her time than notice the traffic around her – she slammed into the car behind me, which then slammed into me. The cop who came to investigate told me she was probably going at least 40 miles an hour when she hit us. Luckily, because I WAS paying attention to the other cars around me, I had allowed plenty of room between me and the car in front of me, so while my car did get pushed into the one in front of me, it didn’t really damage her car at all, just a small scuff on her back bumper.

My van was not so lucky – here’s a picture:

It’s worse than it looks – the whole back of my van was crushed basically all the way up to the third seat.

More importantly, Sami was not so lucky – there’s a HUGE knot on the back of her head. We went to the ER and had her checked out. She passed all the neurological tests, but will have to be watched closely for several days to make sure she’s okay. We’ll go to her pediatrician on Monday for followup.

Here’s the kicker – the bitch who caused the accident NEVER ONCE came over to check on Sami. Sami was sobbing hysterically, in pain and totally terrified, and the sorry skank couldn’t even be bothered to see if she was okay. What kind of sorry lowlife acts like that?

As for me, still in shock…

  

Mar

1. DRIVE – I seem to be one of the VERY few people on this planet who truly know how to do this… %-)
2. Call me during dinner time or while I’m putting the kids to bed (this mainly applies to telemarketers, and they really annoy me no matter when they call)
3. Stop to talk to someone at an entrance/exit of a building, blocking everyone else who is trying to go in or out
4. Talk on their cell phones in a restaurant, at a movie, or in my class
5. Flick cigarette butts out their car windows – seriously, it’s too gross for your car, but polluting the planet with it is fine?!!
6. Say they dislike or disapprove of something even though they haven’t seen/read/experienced it
7. Belittle other people to make themselves feel better
8. Have a sense of entitlement
9. Schedule meetings – why work, when you can just sit and talk about work instead? %-)
10. Say “I don’t have time to…” – this is the worst! Here’s a newsflash – we all live in the same world, and have the same 24 hours in each day. It’s about how you CHOOSE to spend your time, and the way you prioritize things!!!

  

Dec

Disclaimer: I do not celebrate Christmas, so, if my list seems a little jaded, that’s probably why. Oh, and also, I’m grading exams…

1. To be allowed to vandalize at will the property of any individual who feels the need to put his/her Christmas lights up right after Halloween and leave them up until Valentine’s Day.
2. For Christmas to become VASTLY less commercial and all-pervasive in our too-materialistic culture (and, yes, this applies to me, too).
3. For my children to stop thinking Santa Claus is a cool concept.
4. For my children to stop telling other children that there is no Santa Claus – not that I care, but it tends to make the other kids’ parents angry! %-)
5. For the radio station here that plays non-stop Christmas carols from December 1 – December 25th to go out of business.
6. For the colors red and green to never be displayed together again – seriously, who thought up this color combination?!!
7. For people to stop thinking that if they use the word “holiday” instead of “Christmas”, it makes everything okay.
8. For anyone who fights with another human over the right to buy a toy to be permanently barred from all public establishments for the rest of their natural lives.
9. For no child who celebrates Christmas to be without a gift on Christmas day, no matter how small – never is the vast gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” in our society more pronounced than at this time of year.
10. For people in my tradition to stop feeling like Chanukah has to compete with Christmas.

Now, lest anyone reading this think I am a total ogre, here is a list of things I actually LIKE about Christmas:
1. The lights – they’re beautiful, even when left up (way) too long.
2. Mistletoe – what a very cool concept (moreso when I was single, but still…
3. Extended shopping hours at all my favorite stores.
4. Parties, parties, and more parties – I love dressing up!
5. The semester ending – I love my “holiday” break!
6. Sales, sales, and more sales – combined with #3 (above), this can’t be beat!
7. The fact that people at least pretend to be nicer and more giving than at other times during the year.
8. The weather – crisp, cool air, and (sometimes) snow. Fabulous in a place where people often have run their air conditioners 10 months out of the year!
9. It is near Chanukah, which is a wonderful holiday.
10. Did I mention the sales? %-)

Oh, and while I’m on a list-fest, I’ll go along with the spirit of how this week’s Ten on Tuesday was intended, and list out the actual gifts I want for Chanukah (yes, in my house we *do* allow the holiday to compete with Christmas, even though we grumble about it! %-). This is the actual list I sent to my husband – we’ll see how it turns out. Chanukah begins this year on Christmas, which is kind of weird. Anyway, here goes:

1. A cute little carrying thing-y for my iPod: http://www.myrebe.com/shopexd.asp?id=271# . I like the blue and pink ones, or the purple.

2. There’s never enough scrapbook stuff! This is a link to my friend Lola & Kathy’s store: http://www.scrappuccino.net/ . A gift certificate from there would be awesome! If you want to get specific things, I’d like the new Simple Scrapbooks guide to digital scrapbooking, the Adirondack alcohol inks, a melting pot, …

3. Almost anything from this website: http://dontblamemeivoted4kerry.com/.

4. A massage (or spa package! from Blue River Canyon.

5. A small copper saute pan for making sauces: http://www.creativecookware.com/copper_sauce_pans.htm . Amazon.com, William Sonoma, etc. also carry these.

6. A real Kitchen Aid mixer. I specifically want the one that is copper & chrome. I’ve been coveting this forever! http://ww1.williams-sonoma.com/cat/pip.cfm

7. A mother/child necklace. There’s two that I like, I’m linking to both. In either case, remember, two kids!

http://www.redenvelope.com/re/gifts/product_display/product_information.jsp?nc=6198&BV_SessionID=@@@@0259775088.1134274519@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdaddghdgegjfcefecefedfgfdfmf.0&refPg=%2fproduct_display%2fgift_results.jsp&bct2=shops&bcp2=1&bcm2=1%24%24-8193&bct4=jewelry+%2B+accessories&bcp4=3&bcm4=1%24%24-8203&bct5=necklaces&bcp5=4&bcm5=29$$%2Fshops%2Fjewelry+%2B+accessories%2Fnecklaces@@30$$-10310@@35$$10310&catOid=-10310&oid=12564072&nc2=1

http://www.personalizedboutique.com/charms.html (go down to the “family pendant”)

8. A crepe pan, it needs to be made of steel to be authentic! Interestingly, the steel ones are also less expensive than the fancy ones. %-) They’re cheap enough you might be able to spring for a crepe cookbook, too: http://fantes.com/crepe.htm .

9. The new iPod alarm clock. Here it is at SmallDog’s new iPod site: http://www.podjungle.com/product/36220 . Also, I want the windshield mount thing-y from there, too!

10. Last but not least, I *still* want the bath caddy I’ve been asking for *forEVER*!!! They have it at Bed, Bath & Beyond: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13382999&RN=182 .

  

Dec

This one is easy – I’m not the world’s greatest housekeeper! %-) The only hard part was constraining myself to 10!

1. Cleaning the toilet – pretty self explanatory.
2. Dusting – requires an attention to detail (not my strong point! %-).
3. Folding laundry – too tedious.
4. Pulling hair out of the shower drain – this just disgusts me somehow, even when the hair is just mine!
5. Picking up the kids’ rooms – I *live* for the day they’re old enough to do this all on their own; how can two kids *possibly* have so much s—?!!
6. Changing the litter box – the smell gets me every time.
7. Cleaning the mirrors and glass table tops – there is NO way to avoid streaks!
8. Putting the trash cans out by the street, or moving them back after pickup – I actually have no idea why I hate to do this, I just do.
9. Pulling weeds from the flower beds – I like the weeds not to be there, but it really kills my back, plus I can’t really tell what’s a weed and what’s a “real” plant half the time.
10. Washing the kids’ hair – they hate it, which means I do, too!

I’m not sure what this leaves. I guess this explains a lot about the state of my home…

  

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