The days are long and the years are short

Long summer days. With children.

Mrmoosie's family is visiting, so we are having a lot of fun, but getting totally off schedule.

I spent three hours today on a practice test for chemistry. I actually did quite well, so I am feeling more confident. It was long and exhausting, however.

Not really sure how to take logarithms without a table of them or a calculator. Is this something I learned in math, or never learned? I do remember using the tables of logarithms.

A good writer always thinks about his/her audience. A recent article in Wired argues that the advent of social media is improving the sense of "audience" for millions of young people. Although the "misses", such as sending a drunken photo to your teachers/parents/employers, are notable, the average message is tailored for the intended audience much more than before.

My personal connection to this issue is that my mother is critiquing my FaceBook status updates. She thinks they are too boring.

I am officially being treated for Lyme disease. I am taking pills as big as my little finger twice a day for 3 to 4 weeks, leaning on the side of 4 weeks.

My daughter is insisting on tick checks after she is outside. I need to insist for myself also. Our house may look like a zoo where the apes are grooming each other, but that's better than a tick getting by our scrutiny.

I do believe that time outdoors is important for children, and cvirtue 's latest post just adds to that. Ticks are a hazard, but one that we can deal with.

My nephew is doing academic things far in advance of the rest of his pre-school. (He is about to turn 4). He can count to 50, he knows his alphabet so well that he can do alphabetical order. Wow.

Oh my, I have a ton of things to do. Just checking on email and organizing stuff. I have two MCAT classes with TONS of students in each. Just having their names, email addresses and phone numbers is a daunting task.

More tax information has finally come in. Not going to reduce the amount that we owe by much. But it will be nice when it is all finished and I can write the check and send it off (April 14th).

My sister is bidding on a house, finally. So, if they get it, we'll have to help them pack up and move in. (I will, T will be too busy with work, and Emily is more of a problem than a help, still).

I doubt that there will be any raises this year at my work. That will be the second year in a row of no raises. Maybe they will find a solution and manage to have some sort of token raises.

Boy, I am glad this week is ending.

I think I need to make a master copy of the homework I am giving my tutoring student, since I have to turn in the tutoring logs every week. In addition, I found the spaces for homework too small on the tutoring logs. Maybe I will design my own form and give it to the central office to be available for download. I have to poke around on the downloads site anyway to see if there is something that my boss promised to email me.

My brother is a tiny bit peeved at me that I let the kids play Legos indoors instead of insisting that they play outdoors, since yesterday was the first warmish day in a while.

My car is back in order, except for a few flaws that the dealer will have to fix.

Last night was Math Mania at Emily's school. The teachers showed us all sorts of teaching games to use with our children (not part of the homework). They also reminded us that 100 days of school is coming up and the children will want to have a collection of 100 things (obviously small things) to bring it.

Santa brought a remote-control car for Emily. The mere sound of the wheels is causing a Pavlovian response of anger from me.

T is having a difficult time talking to his brother on the phone. They are discussing stuff that has to do with Santa and his work. Emily is practically sitting on T's lap and the other (five-year-old) cousin is pretty close to T's brother.

I need to never listen to T on the phone; it just makes me mad.

Although it is warmer. I am just not sure I want to deal with my mother, either to take her with me or listen to complaints when I don't.

This link is to the breaking story of the FBI's charges in the anthrax case. Finally.

This reminds me of my sister.

By day, a mild-mannered administrative officer at the FDA. By night, a uniformed crime-fighter in the front lines against terrorism. Able to stop anthrax with a single (type of) pill. This unsung heroine ....

At my brother's house. My nephew has his birthday this week (he's six).
Emily was being her obstinate self. She and her girl cousin played with Playmobil princesses, although Emily kept trying to get me to play also. Then after dinner (which Emily didn't actually eat much of) and cake, the Lego construction began. With lots of instruction and care from the adults, no Legos were lost. Then it was time to go home and Emily rebelled, but my brother caught her and made her put on her shoes and coat. Then she ran out the door and slid down the driveway (BTW, we've been having freezing rain since around 2pm).
I finally got her home and argued about not having ice cream. She finally ate go-gurts, a banana and Ovaltine.

T is trying to reassure me that she is just testing the limits of me (as the disciplinarian) and herself (and her control or lack of it over her emotions). She really seems to lack any control.