August 30, 2006
Back to School Pt.2/More Mystery Thrillers
Today Heidi started classes at the community college. It's such a dreary day I didn't take any pictures. Sorry, kiddo--she doesn't really like to have her picture taken. On Friday, she's going to make an attempt at passing the written driving test and then we can get her lessons on the road. Soon she'll be able to drive the car she bought from Gram! Today she's got a math class--that's it. Not too bad.
I was so happy to hear from my cousin Anne. She and her husband Gil came down from Long Island to NJ so that she could attend a company conference. They arrived the day before and so TB and I met them for dinner. We had such a wonderful time. I was glad to see them again--the last time was right before I married TB so it's been more than 4 years! We're planning to go up to LI to visit them in October--after Parents weekend at RPI.
I've been so busy it's been hard to find time to read, never mind write, but I did manage to finish 3 good books recently. This summer, I wanted to keep it all "light" and so I've been reading mysteries and thrillers. I enjoyed Cabinet of Curiosities so much I decided to go back and read all of Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child's books featuring the charmingly weird Detective Pendergast. The very first one was Relic and I was not disappointed, although Pendergast was a secondary character in this one. Still, I found myself turning the pages and reluctant to put the book down until the end. What a twist--I was expecting some kind of weirdness with the killer character but certainly not what happened! A very good read.
Next, I read Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz. He is another favorite of mine because of the frequent twists and turns he takes and because of his wacky humor. This was an absolutely amazing story of two families intertwined together in a series of predictions made by a dying grandfather. Well, it was really hard to keep up with all the twists in the book but I was determined to do it because it was so good. I spent a lot of time laughing. This is a great book for someone to read who is always waiting for the other shoe to drop...that is, someone who wonders what bad thing is around the corner even when things are going well. It's a good book to read if you've got a family member with an illness and you're just not sure what's going to happen or when. I've read a review that says it's a good book to read to teach you how to cope with unexpected tragic events like 9/11--well, I don't know about that. All I know is, it's a great book. Read it!
Lastly, I read Dr. Death by Jonathan Kellerman. I'm not all that fond of the Dr. Alex Delaware character but I have several of these group of books through Paperback Swap. I'm going to read them and then pass them along. They've been just so-so, not so terrible I'm going to put it down but not so great that they'll be stories to remember. In this one, the mystery surround the murder of a doctor who's been notorious for "euthanizing" his patients--kind of a fictional Kevorkian. It turns out an obscure, never seen serial killer is the culprit and I just sort of shrugged. So it goes.
Two out of three ain't bad.
August 28, 2006
Back To School Pt. One
TB and I drove Billy back to Troy last Wednesday and today was his first day of classes. I was impressed with his efficiency apartment--he's got so much more room than he had last year!
His building isn't terribly far from his classes or from shopping. He can walk, bike or take the bus. I remember I had an efficiency in Baltimore City when I was his age and it's nice to have your own space like that. One of his roommates last year was a frequent drinker and often came in while Billy was trying to sleep. Now Billy can keep his own hours, make his own meals and go about his business. He's met some of the folks in his building--one is a foreign exchange student from Italy. Here's hoping Billy has a wonderful year!
For more pictures, go to Billy's Apartment.
August 21, 2006
Garden State Museum
What a great place to take a kid--actually, kids of all ages. TB, Heidi, Kristin and I took T to this museum yesterday and it was so much fun I think it would be well worth it to get a family membership and come back again and again!
August 16, 2006
Rules Kids Won't Learn In School
Boy, this is so true. Why do we have to learn the hard way?
Rules Kids Won't Learn in School
Rule #1. Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teenager uses the phrase "it's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they started hearing it from their own kids, they realized Rule #1.
Rule #2. The real world won't care as much about your self-esteem as your school does. It'll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain that it's not fair. (See Rule No. 1)
Rule #3. Sorry, you won't make $50,000 a year right out of high school. And you won't be a vice president or have a car phone either. You may even have to wear a uniform that doesn't have a Gap label.
Rule #4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait 'til you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he is not going ask you how feel about it.
Rule #5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity. They weren't embarrassed making minimum wage either. They would have been embarrassed to sit around talking about Kurt Cobain all weekend.
Rule #6. It's not your parents' fault. If you screw up, you are responsible. This is the flip side of "It's my life," and "You're not the boss of me," and other eloquent proclamations of your generation. When you turn 18, it's on your dime. Don't whine about it or you'll sound like a baby boomer.
Rule #7. Before you were born your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning up your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. And by the way, before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents' generation try delousing the closet in your bedroom.
Rule #8. Life is not divided into semesters, and you don't get summers off. Nor even Easter break. They expect you to show up every day. For eight hours. And you don't get a new life every 10 weeks. It just goes on and on.
Rule #9. Television is not real life. Your life is not a sitcom. Your problems will not all be solved in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to jobs. Your friends will not be perky or as polite as Jennifer Aniston.
Rule #10. Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them. We all could.
Rule #11. Enjoy this while you can. Sure, parents are a pain, school's a bother, and life is depressing. But someday you'll realize how wonderful it was to be kid. Maybe you should start now.
You're welcome.
August 15, 2006
Another Chaotic Month
There have been ups and downs all month, lots of stuff going on. Tomas and Linda are living with us, part time at first and now full time. Linda's got a job and so TB and I are watching our little T when she's away. We've been to lots of places and had lots of fun and probably the best I can do is post a couple of pictures and links to the pictures in our gallery:
We went to Adventure Aquarium again last week and had another wondeful time. I know TB's been longing to tour the Battleship New Jersey and so we got combo tickets. What an impressive ship! Pictures from that day are in this album:
Day Trip
Kristin got a pair of bunnies from her best friend. She and TB worked together on building a hutch for them and then she painted it so they'd have a nice home. She did a great job--got all paint spattered!
I've been uploading albums whenever I had some spare time and here are the links for the most recent ones:
Smithsonian Air & Space Museum">