So, I was working at the Distribution Center Saturday night and got one of the biggest laughs of my life!
Being a church-owned place, we play music from the Tabernacle Choir over the PA system. Saturday night, they played a CD from the "Legacy Series" (meaning OLD, LOL) called This is Christmas from 1990. I was working one of the cash registers along the wall and the closing manager commented at one point, "Oh, this is the COOL Twelve Days of Christmas." I had a hard time hearing the familiar tune, but eventually picked it up. Then after awhile I thought it must be over because all of a sudden "Stars and Stripes Forever" was playing and I thought, "What on earth is Stars and Stripes Forever doing on a Christmas CD?" when all of a sudden I heard, "And a partri-idge in a peeeear treeeeeee." ?!?! Shortly after that I was in the back closing my till down and two of the other managers there were as baffled as I was. It turned into the biggest mock session!! I was like, "Is it OKAY for church employees to mock the Tabernacle Choir?" :) One them asked if Mack Wilburg did that arrangement, and if he did he must have had a little drinking problem back then. They then found the CD jacket and read the title and description. Here is what it said:
A MUSICOLOGICAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
Music and Text: Craig Courtenay (My comment here is okay, so Mack Wilburg is off the hook for this one)
Commissioned by the Columbus Symphony Chorus for their 1990 Holiday Pops Concert, Courtenay's piece takes the venerable Christmas song through a sampling of musical style periods beginning with Gregorian chant and progressing to the turn of the century in America. As the music and listener move from one day to the next, the parody becomes more and more evident until there is nothing to do but become immersed in the humor and craftsmanship of the composition.
As Karla was reading this out loud, Joy (another manager) kept interjecting, "But it's a musicological journey!" I have not laughed so hard in a group of people for a very long time. When Karla got to the end where it says "there is nothing to do but become immersed in the humor and craftsmanship" I told her I thought she was going to read "absurdity" instead of "craftsmanship."
This piece lasts for about 11 minutes. I bought the CD so I could remember this night of laughter and that real people work for the Church. Also because the piece is so mockable, and there is nothing Brittany and I love more than a good mock session sans Gilmore Girls. This gave us some great material and I had Brittany laughing so hard we had tears streaming down our faces. Really.
We thought it was so funny that we played it for Kelly after church. He was furious. It made me wonder if the 1990 Columbus Symphony Chorus was furious, too! It really is the strangest thing I've ever heard.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
The blonde is back! (Well, almost)
So we finally have our blonde daughter back. She naturally has very beautiful blonde hair, the shade that a lot of people pay a lot of money to get in a salon. In June I got a call from her at a sleepover asking if it was okay if they dyed her hair brunette. I, wanting to be an ultra-cool mom, thought, "Well, you're only a crazy teenager once, so go ahead," and told her okay. Next morning I was greeted with almost BLACK hair. It's faded over the months of washing to a kind of light-brown with some red in it.
I didn't realize when I said, "Sure," what kind of cost I was looking at to get it FIXED. I knew highlights are around $80.00 so with that in mind, called the salon to make an appt. Friday. I told them I wanted to get her hair restored back to its natural color, and they told me it would end up being around $160 freaking dollars because of having to strip it first. What we ended up doing was highlights matching her natural color (quite a lot has grown in so they could match it) and it was $65.00. There was a scary moment when her hair started to go PINK because the dye from the sleepover had a red base to it and it reacted to the chemicals at the salon, but they were able to fix it.
It's not completely back but it's a lot closer! There is a bit of a pinkish tinge to it--lessons learned are NEVER use haircolor in a box from the store, and have all your facts in line before saying YES to something like this. I've never colored my hair so didn't know what I was in for. :) I told Brittany that for future reference the answer is NO as long as we're still supporting her financially. If she wants to spend money on that later, more power to her!
I didn't realize when I said, "Sure," what kind of cost I was looking at to get it FIXED. I knew highlights are around $80.00 so with that in mind, called the salon to make an appt. Friday. I told them I wanted to get her hair restored back to its natural color, and they told me it would end up being around $160 freaking dollars because of having to strip it first. What we ended up doing was highlights matching her natural color (quite a lot has grown in so they could match it) and it was $65.00. There was a scary moment when her hair started to go PINK because the dye from the sleepover had a red base to it and it reacted to the chemicals at the salon, but they were able to fix it.
It's not completely back but it's a lot closer! There is a bit of a pinkish tinge to it--lessons learned are NEVER use haircolor in a box from the store, and have all your facts in line before saying YES to something like this. I've never colored my hair so didn't know what I was in for. :) I told Brittany that for future reference the answer is NO as long as we're still supporting her financially. If she wants to spend money on that later, more power to her!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Well, THAT was stupid
So my brother Greg told us this true story at Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. He is a firefighter and this is a call he went on recently. He said it was the only time he's ever lost his temper on a call.
They got a call saying there was a 23 year old white male on the floor of his house who couldn't move. This was interpreted as him being passed out or some other medical emergency, so they rushed over to the house with lights and sirens. When they got there, the mother opened the door and took them downstairs where her 23 year old son was sitting, Indian-style, in front of his Xbox. He said, "I can't move." He had been sitting there playing his Xbox for 6 hours and his legs fell asleep. THAT was the reason they called the fire department. My brother said, "Get up," and the "kid" said, "It hurts." Greg got really firm and told him again to get up, which the guy did, moaning the whole time. Then Greg made him walk around, which he finally did while saying "It hurts." Well, der. Greg then explained to them that based on the call they thought this was an emergency and used lights and sirens, and how this not only ties them up from a possible real emergency call, but that it is a hazard to other vehicles when they have to drive that way. After all that, his mother still wanted him taken to the hospital to be checked out by a doctor and asked how much an ambulance ride was, and since they didn't seem to get how ridiculous the situation was, Greg said, "About 20 video games." The guy did the math, came up with $600.00 and decided he didn't need the ambulance ride after all. 23 freaking years old!!
Greg said if they ever get a call like that again, he's going to hook the person up to an IV, use the paddles and take their temperature rectally like they normally would for an emergency. THAT would teach them! Kelly said he should have used the paddles on the Xbox. LOL
So if you ever call 911 and they're tied up, they might have been sent on a call like this. Scary.
They got a call saying there was a 23 year old white male on the floor of his house who couldn't move. This was interpreted as him being passed out or some other medical emergency, so they rushed over to the house with lights and sirens. When they got there, the mother opened the door and took them downstairs where her 23 year old son was sitting, Indian-style, in front of his Xbox. He said, "I can't move." He had been sitting there playing his Xbox for 6 hours and his legs fell asleep. THAT was the reason they called the fire department. My brother said, "Get up," and the "kid" said, "It hurts." Greg got really firm and told him again to get up, which the guy did, moaning the whole time. Then Greg made him walk around, which he finally did while saying "It hurts." Well, der. Greg then explained to them that based on the call they thought this was an emergency and used lights and sirens, and how this not only ties them up from a possible real emergency call, but that it is a hazard to other vehicles when they have to drive that way. After all that, his mother still wanted him taken to the hospital to be checked out by a doctor and asked how much an ambulance ride was, and since they didn't seem to get how ridiculous the situation was, Greg said, "About 20 video games." The guy did the math, came up with $600.00 and decided he didn't need the ambulance ride after all. 23 freaking years old!!
Greg said if they ever get a call like that again, he's going to hook the person up to an IV, use the paddles and take their temperature rectally like they normally would for an emergency. THAT would teach them! Kelly said he should have used the paddles on the Xbox. LOL
So if you ever call 911 and they're tied up, they might have been sent on a call like this. Scary.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
I am Thankful For. . .
Today is Thanksgiving, and we actually had a nice day today as a family. I feel very happy about that, because it is so hard to actually have all four of us in the same place at the same time to do things together. We went to breakfast at Village Inn after I got the cranberry sauce and roll dough done. We had some great conversation and actually ENJOYED each other's company! I finished the rolls when we got home, and we went to my mother's for Thanksgiving dinner at 4:00 (it was supposed to be 3:30; we were late). Then we went and saw a movie at the dollar theater at 7:00. We saw Wall-E; it was okay but not my favorite of all time. The kids and Kelly enjoyed it a lot more than I did. I loved the short at the beginning. :) That rabbit was hysterical!
Anyhoo, I thought it would be good to list some things that I am grateful for, this being the thankful holiday and all. Probably a good thing for me to do, since I tend so much toward worry and anxiety.
My list:
1. I am thankful that Kelly has a job. Not just a job, but a good one where he is paid well, he loves what he does, enjoys the people he works with and is valued.
2. I am thankful that we have a home. Tiny bathroom, laundry appliances in the kitchen and all. At least I don't have to use a laundromat or outhouse.
3. I am thankful that gas prices are down--one pleasant thing with all the scariness of the economy lately.
4. I am thankful for both of my jobs. Even though the hours at the distribution center haven't been fabulous, I've had the opportunity to get the hours I wanted through the other job.
5. I am thankful for my husband. He is my best friend, we love being together and he loves me unconditionally. I'm thankful that we love just hanging out together.
6. I am thankful for my children. They are both good kids who care about people and have desires to do what's right.
7. I am thankful to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. What a blessing that is to me--I'm learning more and more about the Atonement and what that means to me personally, and words cannot express how thankful I am to better understand myself and the Savior's love for me.
8. I am thankful that I am healthy and that my body is in better shape. I've put it through a lot over the years and it's served me well in spite of that.
9. I am thankful for the good, kind people who are in my life. I know some pretty wonderful people!
10. I am thankful for the ability to laugh, and hope that I can develop that more.
There are many more blessings I have, but that's a pretty good list so I'll leave it there.
Anyhoo, I thought it would be good to list some things that I am grateful for, this being the thankful holiday and all. Probably a good thing for me to do, since I tend so much toward worry and anxiety.
My list:
1. I am thankful that Kelly has a job. Not just a job, but a good one where he is paid well, he loves what he does, enjoys the people he works with and is valued.
2. I am thankful that we have a home. Tiny bathroom, laundry appliances in the kitchen and all. At least I don't have to use a laundromat or outhouse.
3. I am thankful that gas prices are down--one pleasant thing with all the scariness of the economy lately.
4. I am thankful for both of my jobs. Even though the hours at the distribution center haven't been fabulous, I've had the opportunity to get the hours I wanted through the other job.
5. I am thankful for my husband. He is my best friend, we love being together and he loves me unconditionally. I'm thankful that we love just hanging out together.
6. I am thankful for my children. They are both good kids who care about people and have desires to do what's right.
7. I am thankful to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. What a blessing that is to me--I'm learning more and more about the Atonement and what that means to me personally, and words cannot express how thankful I am to better understand myself and the Savior's love for me.
8. I am thankful that I am healthy and that my body is in better shape. I've put it through a lot over the years and it's served me well in spite of that.
9. I am thankful for the good, kind people who are in my life. I know some pretty wonderful people!
10. I am thankful for the ability to laugh, and hope that I can develop that more.
There are many more blessings I have, but that's a pretty good list so I'll leave it there.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
School Woes
It has been a challenging couple of weeks in regards to schoolwork at our house. Both of my kids are very intelligent but struggle with learning disorders that get in the way and make schoolwork difficult. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be one of those families who has the requirement for "straight As" or "nothing below a B." Sometimes I wonder if I'm a crappy mother for not requiring higher performance, and then at times like we've had lately I'm reminded that it would just be too stressful and very unfair to my children.
Shane has a processing disorder called Central Auditory Processing Disorder. We only got this figured out at the end of his sophomore year when I accidentally stumbled across a clinical psychologist who deals with "learning disorders" when I was perusing our insurance website to find an in-network therapist to take him to for anger issues. I have had to be extremely vigilant, even since kindergarten, to make sure he got the attention he needed in school. Shane has a very pleasant nature and because of this never stood out as needing attention because he wasn't bouncing off the walls or vying to ask the teacher questions, or acting out. He had characteristics that seemed to fit with ADD but not ADHD (nix on the hyperactivity). I really had to work hard to get him serviced at the elementary school--even had to be the one to request testing for Resource services when he was in 3rd grade because his reading wasn't fluent yet. I also worked very hard with him at home on his reading, and read aloud at night to the kids from books like Harry Potter so that he wouldn't miss out on what all the other kids were experiencing through books. He can read fine now but doesn't love it by any means--if it's not a book that REALLY interests him, you can just forget about it. Writing is still really difficult for him. I know that he can do it when he decides to, but because the whole processing thing is such an issue it is a LOT of work for him and so he deals with it by "checking out." He does do writing on the computer, writing scripts for movie ideas, and he does a really good job with that.
Anyhoo, after this specialist did testing with him he identified the disorder as CAPD, which is often mistaken for ADD without the hyperactivity typically seen in ADHD. The difference is the origins of the difficulty in focusing, which have to do with hearing. Usually people with this pass the hearing tests they give in school just fine, so it's not detected. The way he explained it is that there is a nerve which runs from the ear and processes what you hear to the brain. For most people, information processes along this nerve at a speed you could compare to the interstate freeway. For people with CAPD, the speed is more like state street. This affects written and verbal expression. Additionally, people who have this have great difficulty filtering background noise that most of us naturally tune out--footsteps, rustling papers, sounds of pages being turned, etc. and it all just adds up to NOISE. Wading through all that NOISE to try and focus on a teacher in a classroom is like climbing a mountain every day and is exhausting. A lot of times the person copes by going to sleep, which Shane totally does. The good doc told Shane to remember that he's not stupid, and he's in good company--Einstein and Tom Cruise had/have CAPD.
It was a blessing to finally have concrete answers, but it has been such a fight at the school to get him the help he needs, including an IEP in place to accomodate him. That's a whole story in and of itself that I won't get into, but right now we are dealing with two of his teachers whose teaching methods are completely contrary to how he learns, and a lot of unwillingness to even follow his IEP (which always blows my mind because an IEP is a legally binding document. I don't understand how teachers can REFUSE to follow the IEP. I guess I should be threatening lawsuits but I keep giving people the benefit of a doubt and try not to be confrontational). The two classes giving him fits right now are geometry and government. Sunday afternoon, evening and night culminated in Shane shouting at us while we were helping him with his schoolwork--Kelly with geometry, me with a paper on abortion for government.
Today I took him to East Shore High School to sign up for packets to finish off his science requirements. They do packets there, and have teachers in the labs who can give the students one on one help, so this will be a good option for him, but the trip down there involved a lot of shouting, too--he didn't want to go with me and was fighting with me about using one of his free periods to go there to work on the packets. It was absolutely horrible.
I will be so happy to get him graduated. Some days I have a hard time remember that this angry young man is the same joyful, happy little boy I gave birth to. I really hope that he can rediscover that joyful and peacemaking nature that truly is him. All the frustration he deals with has built up over the years and he just goes straight to anger a lot of the time now. I worry about it a lot, and it makes me sad. I also feel like I haven't done enough; I've tried hard to help him and also to advocate for him, but I feel like I've failed him. I wish we would have gotten the diagnosis sooner. . .sophomore year was an absolute nightmare. If I would have known all of this in grade school it would have made a HUGE difference. I would still have had to deal with apathetic or butthole teachers, but I would have had a much better understanding of what he needed and how to get it for him.
I'm tired so I'll talk about Brittany later.
HA!! And I wanted eight kids. Maybe God knew what He was doing after all when he only gave me two.
Shane has a processing disorder called Central Auditory Processing Disorder. We only got this figured out at the end of his sophomore year when I accidentally stumbled across a clinical psychologist who deals with "learning disorders" when I was perusing our insurance website to find an in-network therapist to take him to for anger issues. I have had to be extremely vigilant, even since kindergarten, to make sure he got the attention he needed in school. Shane has a very pleasant nature and because of this never stood out as needing attention because he wasn't bouncing off the walls or vying to ask the teacher questions, or acting out. He had characteristics that seemed to fit with ADD but not ADHD (nix on the hyperactivity). I really had to work hard to get him serviced at the elementary school--even had to be the one to request testing for Resource services when he was in 3rd grade because his reading wasn't fluent yet. I also worked very hard with him at home on his reading, and read aloud at night to the kids from books like Harry Potter so that he wouldn't miss out on what all the other kids were experiencing through books. He can read fine now but doesn't love it by any means--if it's not a book that REALLY interests him, you can just forget about it. Writing is still really difficult for him. I know that he can do it when he decides to, but because the whole processing thing is such an issue it is a LOT of work for him and so he deals with it by "checking out." He does do writing on the computer, writing scripts for movie ideas, and he does a really good job with that.
Anyhoo, after this specialist did testing with him he identified the disorder as CAPD, which is often mistaken for ADD without the hyperactivity typically seen in ADHD. The difference is the origins of the difficulty in focusing, which have to do with hearing. Usually people with this pass the hearing tests they give in school just fine, so it's not detected. The way he explained it is that there is a nerve which runs from the ear and processes what you hear to the brain. For most people, information processes along this nerve at a speed you could compare to the interstate freeway. For people with CAPD, the speed is more like state street. This affects written and verbal expression. Additionally, people who have this have great difficulty filtering background noise that most of us naturally tune out--footsteps, rustling papers, sounds of pages being turned, etc. and it all just adds up to NOISE. Wading through all that NOISE to try and focus on a teacher in a classroom is like climbing a mountain every day and is exhausting. A lot of times the person copes by going to sleep, which Shane totally does. The good doc told Shane to remember that he's not stupid, and he's in good company--Einstein and Tom Cruise had/have CAPD.
It was a blessing to finally have concrete answers, but it has been such a fight at the school to get him the help he needs, including an IEP in place to accomodate him. That's a whole story in and of itself that I won't get into, but right now we are dealing with two of his teachers whose teaching methods are completely contrary to how he learns, and a lot of unwillingness to even follow his IEP (which always blows my mind because an IEP is a legally binding document. I don't understand how teachers can REFUSE to follow the IEP. I guess I should be threatening lawsuits but I keep giving people the benefit of a doubt and try not to be confrontational). The two classes giving him fits right now are geometry and government. Sunday afternoon, evening and night culminated in Shane shouting at us while we were helping him with his schoolwork--Kelly with geometry, me with a paper on abortion for government.
Today I took him to East Shore High School to sign up for packets to finish off his science requirements. They do packets there, and have teachers in the labs who can give the students one on one help, so this will be a good option for him, but the trip down there involved a lot of shouting, too--he didn't want to go with me and was fighting with me about using one of his free periods to go there to work on the packets. It was absolutely horrible.
I will be so happy to get him graduated. Some days I have a hard time remember that this angry young man is the same joyful, happy little boy I gave birth to. I really hope that he can rediscover that joyful and peacemaking nature that truly is him. All the frustration he deals with has built up over the years and he just goes straight to anger a lot of the time now. I worry about it a lot, and it makes me sad. I also feel like I haven't done enough; I've tried hard to help him and also to advocate for him, but I feel like I've failed him. I wish we would have gotten the diagnosis sooner. . .sophomore year was an absolute nightmare. If I would have known all of this in grade school it would have made a HUGE difference. I would still have had to deal with apathetic or butthole teachers, but I would have had a much better understanding of what he needed and how to get it for him.
I'm tired so I'll talk about Brittany later.
HA!! And I wanted eight kids. Maybe God knew what He was doing after all when he only gave me two.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Views and Ratings Needed, Please
I have a favor to ask on behalf of my son Shane. He posted a music video on YouTube that he created from the Iron Man movie. He really did an incredible job! Since he's new on the scene as a creator I told him I'd post the link where I can so that he can get more views and ratings. If you could take a peek and pass the link around, I'd appreciate it! It really is amazing, and I'm not just saying that as a biased, loving mom.
Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSnbpmKMcK0
Let me know whatcha think!
Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSnbpmKMcK0
Let me know whatcha think!
Just Call Me The Blur!!
So, in addition to my job at the Church Distribution Center, I started working this week at the Provo Towne Centre Mall working the Hickory Farms and Lehi Roller Mills kiosks. Yes, that's right--I'm one of the dreaded kiosk workers that you may make a point of avoiding eye contact with during your holiday stroll down the mall. I, however, work for the places people actually want to shop at--so there!! I am the nice lady who will give you food to eat whether you buy my stuff or not. Just pretend you're at Costco on a Saturday piecing your free lunch together. :)
I was fortunate enough to get employment there through my sister in law, who is managing this year. Brittany is going to be working as a stocker for both after Thanksgiving. The hours at the Distribution Center haven't been what I had hoped, so I'm glad to have this to fill in the gaps. Another nice thing is that I always have my Distribution schedule at least 3 weeks out, and my sister in law schedules me at the kiosks around that.
I worked today, also, and even managed to squeeze water aerobics in this morning beforehand. It was a tight squeeze but I'm glad I managed it. It's going to be a pretty hectic month and a half coming up, so I'm really going to have to make an effort to get the exercise in. I need to remember that getting it in is really an important part of being good to myself.
Best of all, I'm scoring two new aprons out of the deal. One sporting the proud Hickory Farms logo, and the other with a big old turkey on it (like the flour sacks). I bet you are so jealous right now!
I was fortunate enough to get employment there through my sister in law, who is managing this year. Brittany is going to be working as a stocker for both after Thanksgiving. The hours at the Distribution Center haven't been what I had hoped, so I'm glad to have this to fill in the gaps. Another nice thing is that I always have my Distribution schedule at least 3 weeks out, and my sister in law schedules me at the kiosks around that.
I worked today, also, and even managed to squeeze water aerobics in this morning beforehand. It was a tight squeeze but I'm glad I managed it. It's going to be a pretty hectic month and a half coming up, so I'm really going to have to make an effort to get the exercise in. I need to remember that getting it in is really an important part of being good to myself.
Best of all, I'm scoring two new aprons out of the deal. One sporting the proud Hickory Farms logo, and the other with a big old turkey on it (like the flour sacks). I bet you are so jealous right now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
