Before I fall into bed

Rebecca has learned how to do short division in her head if she can only remember it tomorrow. She's been going through this long, involved, unnecessary process for much longer than she should because she thought that she must. No wonder 50 division problems take 3 hours. She still needs to memorize those pesky times tables but that will come. In the meantime, I drew up another chart with larger numbers.

She had been drawing arrows and subracting like numbers even though she knew the result would be zero. That's fine for starting out but I kept trying to tell her she would confuse herself totally when she got to 2 and 3 digits.

Same with carrying and borrowing. Stop writing all that down and just remember it long enough to get to the next step. Eureka! Light goes on.

I finally got bright enough to put a pillow behind her on the chair. She's so little and she was sitting right on the edge. Terrible. She perked up and we may have solved another problem.

I replenished their homework supplies today when I couldn't (once again) find my stapler or paper clips. Now I'll probably locate both but it was easier at that point to replace a stapler than a broken window as a result of the hole punch I flung through it. Sometimes, I'm not a nice person.

It got me out of the house for a few minutes.

Thanks to everyone who commented yesterday and today about my contretemps with the educational system and others things.

The Principal and I exchanged a few additional emails today, each more cordial than the last. We are now on a first name basis. However, it dawned on me that my URL is at the bottom of all my email. I wonder if he'll come and lurk. At least my rant was never directed at him. It was at one individual and the bureaucracy. If you're reading this Joe, I hope you realize that.

Ray's asleep in his chair and I'm relaxing for a while. This really is relaxing although I wouldn't have believed it before I started the blog. My arm was twisted nearly from my shoulder to do it. Oops, he's awake again.

I'm listening to an excerpt from Carmen (or was, it just ended). Now we're into Tosca. I put together a playlist in no order at all so I'm constantly surprised at what turns up. I think if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Tosca. No modern soap opera can compare. Tosca has it all.

Beckster has new recipes. I'll post one or two later. It's wonderful having all these cooks around.

We have a new visitor. Hi Matthew. Matthew is the proud father of twins and I've run into him several times on Blogging Baby and some of the other blogs. His blogroll contains some names I recognized immediately. Until we can add him to the blogroll, he can be found at childsplayx2.com .

Elcie had a good afternoon and evening. Not a single snit. Rochelle is still glorying in her newfound womanhood. She's in transition - one minute playing kitty (meow) on the floor and the next carrying on an adult conversation.

One word about lurkers. No one can possibly comment on every blog they visit every time they visit - even me and Lord knows, I try. I got lots of practice on Blogging Baby. We have to eat and sleep sometime. I don't even check for lurkers. It isn't lurking to be busy, it's life. Just say hi from time to time and I'll say hi right back. On the other hand, the more comments the better.

Vicki says it's 36° (F) in Michigan. I think she's on the U.P. but I'd have to check to make sure. From what little I still remember of Detroit, that's a heat wave for this time of year. Positively balmy.

If nothing intervenes tomorrow, I'm having lunch with a couple of friends from the local moveon.org group. I wonder if we can get through an hour without politics. Probably not. PFLAG tomorrow night with a video about GLBT teenagers and the problems they face. Isolation, shame and guilt, fear, persecution, the whole gamut. I go from sad to angry and back again.

Rebecca started her after school instruction classes today. Three days a week for six weeks. She was so motivated tonight, it was frightening. She even polished the table before she began work and lectured me about a well organized work area. My tongue is still burning from biting it so hard. This from the child who reminds me of Pigpen, leaving a trail whereever she goes.

Aha - La Forza del Destino which contains what may be the only accidental death in the history of opera. It's all downhill from there. Love it.

Maybe tomorrow I can put the rest of the holiday decorations away. I said maybe.

Back to Tosca - E Lucevan e Stella. How someone can sing while they're awaiting the executioner I don't know but it makes excellent drama. He says "never have I loved life so much".

Good night everybody.