Feeling Old and Boring

Life feels as if it is at a standstill around here. Even though there is always laundry or some other chore to do, it has just been us and the pets since the 26th. One benefit of no kids at home for days is the concept of leftovers for dinner. I made a huge Christmas dinner, and even though the chicken was gone that night, we've been pairing the sides with my mom's leftover ham, and have been eating quite well.

To our surprise though, the youngest wanted to come home from his dad's last night, and the step-son called last night wanting to come home today. It's kind of weird, but we've always told them, we're just a phone call away and will always pick you up. I think they are more vocal now that we both recently began defending their right not to go to BioParents houses. It's one thing when they are young kids, but they all have their own lives and friends now that they are older. Both the hubby and I were forced into visitations as teens, so we've begun letting them make their own decisions about them. We still feel they should visit, but if their schedule only allows a day rather than a weekend, well we've decided to be firm and have their backs if needed.

I continued my pattern of watching old movies throughout my Winter Break, with my new Monty Python Holy Trilogy dvd's over the weekend. Since the break I've watched the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still," the original "Taking of Pelham 1,2,3," "Elmer Gentry," and many other oldies including countless Christmas classics like George C. Scott's "A Christmas Carol," "A Christmas Story," and of course "It's a Wonderful Life." I know it sounds boring, but sometimes I'm overwhelmed by all of the special effects, and want a classic story. The hubby also got me the new books from Steven King and Michael Crichton (yes, I know he's dead, tired of hearing about it) for Christmas. I've finally got some decent fiction to read.

I know what you're thinking - nothing about the World Climate Talks in Copenhagen? No, not really. I lost hope in them when we were following the pre-political preparation in class. Our politicians, for some reason think that they can dictate policies to us and the world. But here's a clue - people react best to peer pressure, and if you want to make a real change, you need to start small and work from the bottom up.

World talks will get no where until we can figure things out at home, and that includes your city and county. I have more hope for the Puget Sound Partnership than the Kyoto Protocol. I have some nasty words regarding the new developing country fund, since we need a major infrastucture overhaul at home, but I don't want to sound too cynical. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

I'm not ready for next quarter yet, as the Amazon textbook order will be placed tonight. I feel like I need one more week off, but alas class starts on Monday. I do have a lead on a SnoCo parks internship, though. They are planning on making major changes and restorations at my old stomping ground out at Kayak Point County Park, and the Parks Department is requesting a couple of interns. I would love to work out there again, but I hope they don't get a new entrance sign. That's some great maitenance aid craftsmanship from 1996, I mean the routing and paint job is amazing! Sunshine and I worked for hours on it. :) I'll keep you posted on the new opportunity.

Watch What You Say About Old People

I got my final grades today from WWU, and did much better than I thought - 3.56 baby! The most surprising grade was my US Environmental Policy grade. I got a B+ or A- on all of my policy briefs, including a B+ on my final Drug Take-back paper and presentation. Class participation must have bumped up my grade to an A-, so maybe I should talk some more in her class next quarter for an A. It's still very strange to communicate through classroom internet and video technology.

Next quarter should be interesting, as I don't have a science class for an easy B. No, my science class is Environmental Economics, considered a mathematical science. Oh boy - hopefully Uncle D will be helping me again. I never thought in my life that I would end up taking 3 Economics classes.

On the pharmacy front, I correctly identified a tablet my cousin found in his couch in Mississippi over the phone. My sister called me on Saturday as I was leaving work. She was spending a few days at his house, and they had found the tablet earlier that day. My cousin has young kids and teenagers, so he was concerned on both fronts. She described it as a small and yellow tablet with a 7 on one side and nothing on the other.

Before I go any further, I have to explain my family history a little. I was the only product of my parent's second marriages, who had teenagers that were the same age from previous marriages. My aunt had 3 kids that were spaced years apart, so on her side, I have a cousin that is the same age as my oldest siblings, and a cousin that is only 6 years older than me. Okay enough of dysfunctional brady bunch.

Anyway, I told my sister that it sounded like an 81 mg aspirin, "the kind that we give old people." So my sister repeats to my cousin, "she said it's an aspirin, an old person aspirin." To which my cousin replies, "I have aspirin, but I'm not an old person." Then he kept interjecting old comments into the background while I told my sister I would look it up at work the next day.

About an hour later, I got a text message from my sister, that it was our aunt's aspirin that she had lost and couldn't find. And my aunt, bless her heart, is kind of old. Then on the next line, "but Wayne still doesn't appreciate you calling him old." Never gonna live that one down.