BACK!

By popular demand- thanks, ladies. I am happy to know that I still have a few stalwart, faithful readers.

I'm sure it's no surprise when a teacher drops out of sight for a while in August. That's really the only explanation. I can't say that I've been doing anything particularly blogworthy, but:

• another school year for Rose, another round of educate the educators for Mom and Dad.
  
• The new classroom teacher saw (catalyzed? did not circumvent?) the biggest meltdown in YEARS over a drink at the fountain.
• Poor guy.
• I'm thinking he'll learn.
• Andy's a big high school student now.
  
• Within the first week, he successfully dropped an engineering class and enrolled in tech theater without consulting us.
• Which, FAR BE IT FROM ME to steer him away from theater.
  
• After all, look how far it's taken ME.
• It seems that when you're in high school, you can make these kinds of decisions without mommy and daddy.
• And it's not like he needs to take that engineering course.
• My own job has matured enough now that I have successfully pruned away several responsibilities, and have begun to develop leadership capacity in new ways. It is a very satisfying job!
• Rose and I submitted two pieces each to a juried show, and for the first time, nothing made it in.
• Of course it's a little disappointing, but having been successful in four out of five attempts, I'm not feeling the pain. In her case, she's 50-50. And her pieces really do look like a child made them, so some judges aren't going to indulge that.
• Book club: leaner. We're going ahead, though.
  
• Last week we went out to eat and the food was f$%^ing good.
  
• The stopgap book that I had chosen was chick-lit smut.
  
• We LOVED it.
  
• (I protest: I did not KNOW it was either chick-lit OR smut until Einstein made it into the first 4-5 chapters. Then I was embarrassed. But we still loved it.)
• And next up...?
• TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES.
• argh!!!!