I did this, then I did this

10 Things I Did Today Before Noon1. I let my son sit on my lap and eat my Cinnamon Life cereal. 2. I got annoyed when I was suddenly wearing milk on my work dress. 3. I changed my work dress. 4. I yelled loudly for everyone to get in the car. 5. I apologized to Baby Girl for yelling loudly. 6. I felt proud of the work my students were producing in Pub Tools. 7. I called my husband to ask him to take me home after class. 8. I felt happy I watched some Thomas the Tanker with Little Man. 9. I read part of the Atlantic article on Rahm Emmanuel. 10. I lied down for a nap.

10 Things I Did Today Before Six O'Clock 1. I called my husband a butthead. 2. I changed my sweater. 3. I said "Everyday we're newsletterin'" in Pub Editing; a student laughed. 4. I listened to Loverpants' theories about people who don't return e-mails. 5. I dropped Loverpants at work. 6. I took my children to Coolidge Park. 7. I bought them shaved ice. 8. I laughed with them on the carousel. 9. I got them back to the car 3 seconds before the rains came. 10. I ordered a roasted garlic pizza from Lupi's. 10 Things I Did Today After Six O'Clock 1. I confirmed a payday pedicure with my colleague for tomorrow. 2. I got a rumbly in my tumbly from the garlic pizza. 3. I played some Mario. 4. I got Little Man into his pyjamas and rocked him to sleep. 5. I watched the Anthony Bourdain "No Reservations" where he looks back at where the Kitchen Confidential journey all began. 6. I thought about class tomorrow. 7. I thought about dishes in the sink. 8. I listed some Baby Girl clothing on e-bay. 9. I consulted with Loverpants about our taxes. 10. I got an idea for a blog post.

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Power to Read

The note we received on the nightly read-along book for Ms. Thang.

We are so proud of her progress with literacy, and so thankful for her wonderful teachers.

Speaking of reading, I finally managed to finish reading my first book of the year. The first that did not include the character of Adobe Creative Suite CS5 OR Fancy Nancy OR Sam I Am. A groundbreaking feat for me.

Twice Upon a Time is the true story of the Christian conversion of two straight-edge punk rockers whose lives are unknowingly entwined in a number of marvelous ways. I had been wanting to read this book as Pastor Asscherick's preaching has had a profound effect on my own conversion. I knew much of the Cliff's Notes of the story, but little details that each man remembers about their childhoods (e.g. their grandparents' homes, the first time they saw a grown man cry) add to the robustness of the retelling.

The writing throughout the book is consistently beautiful, and the way the story is organized is engaging, even if you have no investment or knowledge of Asscherick or Renner. I would have liked for a little bit more first-person narrative. The third person works but it is hard to really get to know the characters from the jump. By the end, one has a well-rounded understanding of the men's characters but it was an uphill climb. Haha, you will understand that shameless pun if you read the book :)

Sprain, Lack of Strain

Once upon a teenage religious retreat, I broke my leg after I hung from some rafters above a staircase and landed with a thud, followed by a pop. Since then, the leg has been susceptible to many injuries, and now I am once again sounding like a blue-haired betty, rattling off my medical history unsolicited.

I provide this preface, however, so that you can understand how I was trying to get my punks into the car the other day and I unwittingly stepped down off an awkward curb and lo! Again with the epic pop.

I proceeded to ask my children to do the most kind and merciful thing that could be rendered from one human to another at that moment, which was to stop talking. "Okay, mama! We won't talk. See? I'm not talking, Mama. Tatum, no talking, okay? Mama said no talking."

I then, with the help of God's angels seen and unseen, strapped 2 punks into carseats and heaved a double stroller into my trunk. I then drove to pick up Loverpants from frisbee and the pain emanating from my ankle was, straight-up, worse than labor. I can say that on good authority. The shooting pain that was causing me to sweat like a girl scout at overnight camp at Jurassic Park was INTENSE. Fortunately, there was an ER down the road from the frisbee field, which is where we all spent Sunday Funday as a family, all lovin' on each other in the ER waiting room. Awwwww!

Wanna see how gross my ankle looked?

So gross. Turns out it was merely a sprain, so I'm rocking the aircast and the crutches, and the pain meds that make me feel tired and loopdaloop.

The next day I got to board a fun bus and venture on a recruiting trip to speak with several students at a couple of Christian academies in the Asheville, NC area. I do so enjoy speaking with the young'ns who are not afraid to share their dreams of becoming an author clown dentist that also operates a law office on the side. And works at camp every summer. Their idealism is awfully much refreshing.

Also refreshing was sleeping in a hotel bed all to myself!! Even though I couldn't jump on the bed per tradition since, hello, hard out here for a gimp. I also enjoyed unlimited HGTV and not having to fight anyone for the remote. Decadence.

I think I am becoming increasingly more extroverted. Most people would likely peg me as a natural extrovert, but it is not my default setting. I'd much rather be like Frank Sinatra whom I read was someone who "liked to be alone but with people close by." But my kids have cracked me open to delight more in the company of people, to seek it out even (rather than muddling through all the mingling and merrymaking until I can paddle my way back to the island of solace).

That's a load of blather about the happenings here. Also want to add that I adore my husband who rocks the fort while I am away, and love my kids whose video I watched many times while on my little junket away from home.