You won’t believe this. Seriously.
It has been a year and a half since I last seen/spoke to my father. A couple of days ago I found a voice mail message from him on my phone. Sadly, my grandmother had passed away. When I called him back, I was told something much more surprising. I have an 8 week old sister. For clarification purposes: Yes, my dad is in his early 50’s. Yes, my sister is his daughter. Needless to say, hearing that you have a new baby sister when you are 27 years old is quite a shock. I’m sure most people in normal father-daughter relationships would have known about the pregnancy, but my father and I have never had anything close to a normal relationship.
So now I’m going through sadness over the loss of my grandmother, shock and some excitement over a new baby in my life (hey, I love babies!), and curious as to who this baby’s mother is. Oh yeah, I should have probably mentioned, I never met my dad’s fiancee.
Well, until tonight that is. It was the viewing, and although certainly not the best time to meet your dad’s fiancee and your new sister, that was the hand that was dealt. I just hope I handled it ok!
My sister is beautiful. She has brown eyes, and the trademark family dark hair. And I held her for pretty much 2 hours straight. I even got to feed her! (Uh, I did say I loved babies, right?) Anyway, she is my sister and I love her and she is little and cute and oh-so awesome. (LOVE babies.)
Her mother, my dad’s fiancee, seems pretty nice. I like the fact that she gave dad, my kids, and my brother space. In fact, she, and my dad, seemed surprised when I came over and started talking to her. But 1. She was the key to the baby and 2. I’ve been curious for the last couple of days thinking about what she would be like. Admittedly, I’ve been VERY curious about her age. Although I didn’t ask her directly, it came up in a round-about way and I did find out that she’s 25. Which, well, is weird for me. Not necessarily a bad weird or a good weird. Just weird. (But hey, my sister is an Aunt to my children which are older than her! Why not add more weirdness to it?) Obviously, I don’t think I’ll ever really see her as a “mom” figure. We discussed birth and babies mostly. Usual only-women-can-understand bonding stuff, so I guess for now I see her more as an “equal.” It will be interesting to see what type of relationship we develop.
My life sounds like a soap opera or reality tv now, doesn’t it?
More posts like this:
- Aidan’s obsession with the bathroom. - November 9, 2007
- Baby fever. - February 5, 2004
- Remember this the next time you blog. - November 2, 2007
- Falling in love. - November 22, 2004
- I’m going away. - December 21, 2003
Math class homework.
It’s been awhile since I’ve taken a course with weekly work given that is actually called ‘homework.’ Normally the professors use what I refer to as college-speak. They give us ‘assignments’ or ‘papers’ or ‘investigations’ or ‘projects’ or ‘observations’ or ‘reports’ or, well, you get the idea. But no matter what the professors call it, it all adds up to the same thing: stuff that has 1. a due date and 2. has to be done on your own time before said due date. Or if the class if late enough or taken online, on said due date.
Anyway, I walk into math class this morning and sit down at my usual table with my usual math partners. Young College Guy (Y.C.Guy) says to Young College Girl (Y.C.Grl) “Did you do your homework?” Y.C.Grl: “Nope.” Y.C.Guy: “Good, me either, there was just so much of it so I didn’t do it.” Y.C.Grl: “I never do homework.”
And this is where I chime in: “Why not? There isn’t anything to it. You do the work, and right or wrong he gives you full credit. Easy points.”
And then I hear the words every mother dreads to hear. Y.C.Grl: “Oh my god! My mother says the same thing! She is always like if it’s easy and doesn’t take much time, why don’t you do it?”
GREAT. Not only have I become like MY mother. But I have become like other people’s mothers too.
So, to save face, I say “Well, don’t forget I am a mother. So yeah, I have the experience and knowledge that comes with that and one day you will too. Besides, if it comes down to 10 or less points between an A and a B or worse yet a D and a C, wouldn’t you feel pretty crappy if you didn’t have those 10 points all because you failed to complete an easy free point assignment?”
I don’t think she bought it.
Of course, at some point during class we got into a discussion again about school and how Y.C.Guy has failed a few classes, and Y.C.Grl has never gotten lower than a C. Anyway they looked at me, and so I said “And I’ve never gotten lower than an A.” Both there mouths dropped open. So I explained that yeah, I’m a nerd when it comes to learning. If I could get paid for being a full time student and just go from semester to semester taking classes I totally would.
Unfortunately you just can’t do that. And this probably explains my choice of career…teaching.
More posts like this:
- I always get labeled the “smart” one. - February 4, 2009
- And the first school week is over. - August 28, 2008
- Snow seriously messes up my day. - January 27, 2009
- How my planner reads: - August 15, 2008
- Now final grades are in. - December 19, 2007
I always get labeled the “smart” one.
Every single semester, without fail, I get labeled the “smart” one. Last semester it was most clear in my biology class. I’d be sitting at lab quietly doing my work, and in many cases correcting my lab partners work cause she couldn’t even do basic math correctly even with a calculator in hand, and next thing I know everyone at the lab table is asking me questions. Can you show me how you did this, Amy? Amy, I don’t understand this, can you explain it to me? Amy, ok I get that this is what I’m supposed to do, but what does that have to do with what we learned in lecture?
And yesterday in physical science it happened again. It was our first day in lab and I was sitting there minding my own business doing my own work, when I hear those oh-so familiar words “Amy, what does the negative position and velocity mean?” And so I answer. And as soon as I do, the two other members of my lab group chime in with other questions. “Amy, I know I have to put this in for acceleration, but what do I put in for the velocity?” “What does it mean when the graph goes down like this, Amy?”
It was our first class, people. I haven’t so much as said two words to any of them before in my life. So why do they all just start asking me questions? Do I have some tattoo on my forehead which reads “This girl is smart so ask her to explain shit to you.”
I must, because it is also starting to happen in my math class too. Not as suddenly as physical science, I might add, but every now and then as the professor is lecturing one of the people at my table will whisper to me a question about what this or that means. There is a group quiz on Thursday. I’m totally dreading it.
More posts like this:
- Math class homework. - February 5, 2009
- And the first school week is over. - August 28, 2008
- The course catalog arrived! - November 3, 2007
- How my planner reads: - August 15, 2008
- I do mind-numbingly stupid things. - November 10, 2007
Snow seriously messes up my day.
I had a huge day planned today. Today is the second day of the semester, and I had two classes today. One from 9:30am to 10:45am, and another from 12:30pm to 3:00pm. Aidan and Zoe were supposed to go to daycare. Alex had school. After school, was the homework hour, and then dinner, and finally we had a pack meeting today. This pack meeting included the cub scout cake bake raffle. Alex and I spent HOURS working on this cake. I mean we worked on it Thursday night, Saturday night, From noon till night on Sunday, and we finally put the finishing touches on last night.
And then it snowed. First the public schools were closed. Since the pack meeting is at a school, the pack meeting/cake bake was canceled. Daycare and FCC was still open, so I got the kids ready to go. Since Alex isn’t enrolled in daycare, he would have to come with me to my classes. But just as I was putting on Zoe’s shoes and putting lunches in the book bags around 8:30am, I got a text. FCC was closed.
And now? Now I sit and do nothing. Well, not nothing exactly. I came up with the idea to host an ‘online’ cake bake, so the members of the pack are emailing me pictures of the cakes the scouts made and I’ll post them on the pack site so everyone can see, and the cakes can be judged. I’ve gotten a couple already, and I’ve started organizing them to make uploading them to the website easier. I’m happy I can help to make sure the scouts still get recognition for their hard work. It isn’t as ideal as going to the cake bake, but it’s better than doing nothing at all.
On another note, I did have my first class yesterday. I think it will be a fun course. What class where you need colored pencils and scissors to do some coloring, cutting, and pasting wouldn’t be fun? That really takes me back. I also have an excuse to take my family to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in DC. If they can bare with me while I do my assignment (answering about 4 pages worth of questions based on a tour of the exhibits), it should be fun for them. But the best part? The extra credit assignment. All I have to do is volunteer 5 hours of my time for others in the community and talk about it with the class. Um, yeah, with my involvement in the cub scouts I can do 5 hours standing on my head.
More posts like this:
- Happy Thanksgiving Prep Day! - November 26, 2008
- And the first school week is over. - August 28, 2008
- The course catalog arrived! - November 3, 2007
- Gonna kick some pinewood derby butt. - January 9, 2009
- Math class homework. - February 5, 2009
The one where I admit I’m proud of him.
Though my husband would disagree with me, I still say that he hid the fact that he was a ham radio operator from me until after we were married. And it isn’t any secret that his volunteering for everything can drive me batty, to the point where I’ve screamed and cried at him “But we never spend any time together!” And just last night he came home from his ham radio club meeting and said “Well, the club doesn’t have a president and they tried to convince me to do it.” And I was all “And you SAID???” By the way, his answer was no, because in my book being treasurer of one club and assistant coordinator of another is enough thank you very much.
But then the Frederick News Post comes out and says this about him:
“One Frederick resident could be spending most of the inauguration on a bus.
Joseph Durnal is a local amateur radio operator who volunteered to provide communications on the less-used amateur radio frequencies during the event.
He’s assigned to RFK Stadium to help coordinate shuttle buses. Shuttle bus drivers can’t rely on cell phones because officials expect massive crowds will congest those frequencies.
Durnal became interested in amateur radio in 1993 while in high school. A Scoutmaster was a licensed amateur radio operator and encouraged the Scouts to try it out.
Since then, he earned his own license and started talking on his commute to work and to people around the world when he is home.
He also became involved in an organization called Amateur Radio Emergency Service, which is how he got involved in inauguration communications.
“It’s an honor to serve the office of the president of the United States,” Durnal said. “I wouldn’t say I’m politically warm to the incoming administration, but it’s certainly not about politics.””
And I couldn’t be prouder of him.
Damn, I must be a sucker if all it takes is a news article to get me all happy about him being gone ALL. DAY. LONG.
More posts like this:
- What would your custom license plate say? - November 6, 2007
- A letter to the Press RE: the Inauguration. - January 19, 2009
- Happy Mothers Day! - May 14, 2006
- Randomness. - September 23, 2004
- What the hell was the mva thinking? - September 12, 2007
