OK, so a fellow RIer got a wonderful, crazy idea one afternoon to spoof the whole global warming debate. His youtube video is shown on his blog post titled "an uncomfortable fact" . Only a couple minutes of your time, provided you have a fast Internet connection. Which I don't. So I rely on the library's! Speaking of global warming, I love spring. I'd give you a blow-by-blow account of the new flowers sprouting in our yard, but I think that would bore you immensely. And, I have just started homeschooling. Yes. Seriously. I'm teaching Bee to read. I can't believe it! She's a wonderful little friend of mine - I've known her since she was born, and she happens to pick me as her "favorite" - and we had our first bit of a session today. Poor thing, she was sight reading! Imagine trying to learn all the English words that way... a hundred thousand at least, I think. So I'm going to start on phonics tomorrow. Worked for me and my siblings, o

I've decided to do my project on skyscrapers. You know, every time I think that word, I imagine these tall, sharp needle-like buildings poking long gashes in the clouds, letting the bright blue sky show through. Like something from a cartoon. Carissa had the 175th comment, and by extension, essy had the 176th! Aren't you so proud of yourselves? :-P Ah yes, now I remember what I was going to post! I've been sorting through all my old school stuff - from 2nd grade to 10th, so far - yes, it comes close to filling one of those big plastic bins that hold toys so well - anyway, I've been sorting through it to put together a scrapbook or two of my interesting stuff. (I'm not putting in the gazillion book reports!! Only a couple, one because it's Pride & Prejudice, and the other because it's sorta interesting slash funny.) One of the first things I found was a hilarious writing assignment from 2nd grade. It is here reprinted for your enjoyment: Life Wit

As I mentioned, my sis sent a letter to the President. Here it is for your (possible) enjoyment. For best results, picture yourself as an aide to the President, assigned to reading all his unimportant mail, mostly boring. Then picture yourself reading this: Dear President Bush, Well, I shall start onthe assumption that you, the reader, are not the president because, one - the president couldn't possibly read all his mail and two - this is obviously an unofficial letter to aforementioned being. That aside, I am a 4-H'er and I am taking a 4-H project on collectibles and one of the activities is collecting autographs (I bet you see where this is going), assuming you can't have the president sign the enclosed index card, I'll settle for the normal mass-produced letter and "signed" picture. And, if you wouldn't mind could you autograph the index card (on the blank side) then print your name on the back? Please? If you see the president, tell him that we are pra

My sister ("mafia") is taking a 4-H project this year on collectibles. One of the things she is therefore collecting is autographs. Who better to ask for an autograph than the President of These United States? So she sent him a letter yesterday - or, rather, she addressed the letter to him, but wrote it to the aide who reads all his letters for him. Unfortunately, I cannot replicate it here quite yet (she's not got it with her here at the library), but I will as soon as ever I can get an Internet connection and her first draft together in the same place! On another note, I'm playing Little Red Riding Hood today, as it is raining outside. I got a burgundy rain cape from my grandmother for my fifteenth birthday, which comes in handy in the spring. Oh yeah - I think spring is on time for once!

OK, I hate bureaucracy. Mom and I spent a ton of time filling out this FAFSA thing, and the little guidebook - actually eighty pages or something - didn't mention a few things: 1. It takes at least a full day to get your PIN. Up to three. And you don't have to wait till you're ready to fill out the FAFSA to get one. SO GET ONE EARLY! 2. One of your parents had better get a PIN while you're at it, because chances are one will have to "sign" the FAFSA, and using the PIN is the fastest way. 3. PINs don't work if some of your info, or your parent's, is incorrect in either the FAFSA or your PIN application. As in, READ YOUR FAFSA PRINTOUT CAREFULLY in those parts to make sure you didn't mistype a DOB or something. 4. Live chat actually helps with the above problem, should you have made a typo and not caught it in time! So that's what kept me up till about ten-thirty (maybe eleven) whatever night it was that we filled it out....

I recently lent the old Fantasia to a little friend of mine (Bee, in fact) to pacify her incessant boredom. (Not chronic boredom.... just every day.) It came to mind because of some of my new CDs - I now own Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, which I have forever associated with flying unicorns and merrymaking fauns (and was probably my favorite from Fantasia , or second favorite at least). The CD reminded me of how much I liked Fantasia . Of course, Bee and Banana didn't watch the last song - Night on Bald Mountain - which would have scared them to death. (If you've never seen this movie, watch it and you'll understand why a seven-year-old and her five-year-old sister would have nightmares from it.) Nothing like thinking of dancing hippos and leaping crocodiles when you hear "Hello mudda, hello fadda, here I am at Camp Granada..."

I just saw "The Music Man" on a high school stage last Saturday. I love that musical. On another note, I just babysat a particular family today. I've done it every Thursday for a few weeks, and this was my last day. The children are disappointed, since they like me and I always brought over interesting things for them to play with (capes, hats, books such as the Just So Stories and The Children's Book of Virtues). I think their favorite was the burgundy cape, my cape with the pink ribbon that the boy used as a Star Wars costume every time. Of course, when little Bee could get a hold of it, she pretended she was a princess (and I was invariably the queen). Banana (the youngest) never seemed too interested in that; however, last week when I brought a red-and-black jumper and a black beret, she wore those nearly the whole time (four hours) and painted several pictures. Making up code names for these kids is fun! The trick is to get ones that, though singularly non

....er, I mean, George! (Dang presidents always get mixed up. Eh, they're a bunch of dead guys anyway.) We found a dollar bill today with www.wheresgeorge.com written all over it, but since it wasn't ours, I can't put it in the database. Oh well. I did that once.... many, many years ago.... probably in 2003, actually. So while I can remember the password I picked, I cannot figure out what e-mail I used.