Keeping busy

I have one week down and one to go before I go back to work. I've been able to keep myself fairly busy. I think the number one thing that has occupied my every waking thought (and last night made for some very odd dreams) has been stressing over lesson plans for my sub and worrying about how things are going at school. I've considered dropping by after school sometime this week to pick up a load of work to grade and record. I don't think I'm going to do that--not that at this point in my recovery I couldn't handle the drive to school and back, but I'm taking the approach of the ostrich. I'm going to keep my head pleasantly buried in the sand for a few more days before I dare to see what condition my room is in. I'm sure everything will be fine, and I trust my sub to handle things and keep the natives from tearing my room to pieces...but you never know. At least I haven't had to make any phone calls to parents this time around.

So on to other things I've done. I've read a few books. The first one I read, Martha, Inc. was very interesting. I have to say that Martha Stewart has always fascinated me. She comes across as the ultimate Mary Poppins: "practically perfect in every way" in the realm of cooking, entertaining, etc. There's also the side of her under the veneer--someone who actually isn't that perfect, and in fact can be very mean and rude. I was curious to see if the unpolished side is real, or just smear jobs from people who think a woman has be be a witch if she is successful in the business world. The book was written by someone who lived in the same town as Martha for many years, and did quite a bit of research before writing the book. Interestingly, a lot of the stuff he dug up about her were things that she wrote in her magazine, or things that she brought up during interviews with various people on TV. Some of the stuff about her childhood seemed a bit like he was piecing together things that we can "assume", but for the most part it seemed like a solid job. Although I'm sure it's not as exciting as the unauthorized biography about her published by the National Enquirer, this book is also "unauthorized" and written without her blessing. The book was published before Martha's really bad legal trouble began, but the patterns for her behavior that led to her sentencing are easy to see in some of the crazy stuff that had already gone on in her life. Anyway, I found it interesting in a morbidly curious way, and it left me pondering life's important questions: What does a person DO with billions of dollars? I mean, really! Martha isn't known for her philanthropy, and it seems like there comes a point when there is only so much stuff that you can buy once you have enough to buy a small island. And finally--how glad am I that times have changed, and the success of a girl's future doesn't hang on being nominated "best dressed college girl". Sheesh!

The next book that I read was a bit lighter: The Mysterious Benedict Society. I have a weakness for Young Adult literature, and I'm always looking for a fun read, and something I can recommend to a kid. This book was an entertaining read. Thanks for the loan, Kami! It's about a young orphan boy who sees an add in the paper for "gifted kids looking for special opportunities". It's an invitation to take a test, and Reynie (our hero) decides to try it out. He happens to be exceptionally clever, honest and good, and ends up joining a team of kids to save the world. (Side note--I thought it was kind of funny that the world was being threatened by secret messages being sent through radio, TV and cell phones. I've always known TV can turn your brain to mush. Now I can prove it!) I think young readers would enjoy this book for a number of reasons--first on the list is that the challenge facing the world is one that only children can solve (sorry, adults). Just don't be surprised if, upon finishing the book, your kid asks for a red bucket to cart around.

The other thing I've worked on this week has been making bereavement baby clothing items for Heidi's project. She has scads of things for girls--we are in the process of coming up with variations for boys. I played around with things, and she came over to visit one day and sew snaps and things.

Here's my first attempt:

I'm not making trousers anymore. What a pain.

Katie and Rachel came with Heidi. I thought this was a funny shot of Ryan with the two girls. Katie is definitely giving Rachel a run for her money in the contest of who is queen.