Recent books

Blood of the Fold
The Day of the Storm
The End of Summer or Summer's End
Tara Road

Me at my favorite coffee shop in my favorite vacation location in the world. Later in the day, I'll
watch Hamlet in the Angus Bowmer theater - take a walk in Lithia Park, and -- after dinner --go to another play on the outdoor Elizabethan stage! But for now, coffee, warmth, and a good book--The Lacuna- by the author with the best last name ever: Kingsolver.

Back from Ashland, starting to plan for the school year. Using Feldman's ideas for academic sentences, vocab, and oral speech.

Les Blumenthal

Dan and I had coffee at Starbucks and looked through the Sunday paper. He had received a call from TNT reporter, Les Blumenthal, who was doing research on SBA loans in D.C. Dan came up in the data as having received an SBA loan.

What followed were several phone interviews about Dan's business (Skelley Piano) and an hour-long photo shoot with a News Tribune photographer.

We don't know what or when (or even if) something will appear in the paper about Dan, but we don't want to miss it.

10 days to my birthday. . .got some cosmetic procedures, saw the eye doctor, ordered new glasses at a different location from doctor, stained the deck, got the car serviced, met with the accountant, will take the dog to the vet tomorrow, called the car insurance co. and got the annual premium reduced $1500, and have a physical scheduled for my birthday date - - - is that enough to justify the week? =)

Went to Primo Grill last night with Dan. Bought some veggies at the Proctor market first and left them in the car. Now, sauteeing summer squash, onions, celery, and tomatoes to eat over whole wheat pasta.

2 more days of Summer School.

Spent some time with new asst. principal Steven Mondragon discussing the sped team for next year.

Starting the last week of summer school. These students who have finished 8th grade and should begin high school this fall (in one month) are way behind in age appropriate school behavior.

They talk back to the teacher, argue with simple directions, shout across the room, and seem to not understand that the teacher is in charge.

No wonder they have landed in their one last chance to be promoted to high school.

However, we can't afford to keep them in 8th grade- - -where would we find 50 (yes 50!) additional 8th grade slots when we have already paid for one entire 8th grade year for each of them and we have a lot of students coming up from 7th who are regularly scheduled into the 8th grade slots these students are supposed to be vacating. It would mean hiring 2 additional teachers. . .at great cost to the taxpayers. . .to accommodate students who are being held back primarily because they are comfortable yelling in school, telling the teachers to shut up, throwing objects in class, using curse words toward staff, etc.