story by dyl

Wooden Claws
There were two children named Mya and Alex. They were brother and sister. They were always fighting. One time Alex said “Come on Mya, get in the box” and Mya said “No thank you.” But Alex pulled her in. They jumped down really far and they heard a creepy snarling noise. Mya gasped and said “What was that?” They ran away and then there was a little door that they opened. A monster named Clawee with big…huge claws was standing behind the door. They also found a vampire villiage. One vampire helped Mya and Alex get away from Clawee. Then Clawee found them hiding in the vampire village and he said in his gravelly voice “You rotten children, I’m going to kill you and suck your life out!” Clawee put his clawed hand on Mya’s chest and Alex pushed him away. The vampire that helped them before jumped on Clawee’s back, not knowing that Clawee’s claws were actually made out of wood. The vampire screamed out to Alex and Mya “Follow the arrows!!” Unfortunately, the vampire died, but it was enough of a distraction that Alex and Mya got away. Alex saw a red button that said ‘crush’ on it. Alex approached it, but Mya told him to leave it alone. Alex, always being headstrong, pushed the button anyway and heard a shrieking sound. When Alex turned around the walls had closed in and squished Clawee where he stood drinking the vampire’s blood. And then Clawee turned into bugs, he was made out of them, and he squirmed around while Alex and Mya stomped on the bugs.
Alex looked around him and saw a bright red arrow, it was made out of the vampire’s blood. Alex grabbed Mya by the arm and pointed to it. Alex began walking in the direction the arrow pointed. Mya followed, shivering with fear. The two followed the bright red arrows until they came to a big bottom of a box. They touched it and the box bottom began to spin very fast. Alex and Mya got dizzy and spilled out of the top of the box back in their playroom at home. Alex looked at the box and saw a bright red arrow on it.
The End

the day after

i just woke up the day after the big soft ball tournament and let me tell you that i am sore al over. i didn't even do that much being catcher and all, but my legs hurt from running (and maybe squatting, i squatted during the first game) my arm hurts from throwing the ball...a lot..back to the pitcher, i don't think anyone threw the ball more than me and the pitcher plus i played catch before every game for a while. i got a wicked sunburn that is making my skin feel like it's stretched too tight. moistuizers aren't helping that feeling to go away. i had a lot of fun, i would do it again in a heartbeat...only next time i will bring the sunscreen!! but i think i will stick to playing catcher...it's not a bad gig when you don't wanna run so much.

you can't spell fundraiser without FUN

today i played in a fundraiser softball tournament with a group of people that i work with. granted, most of the guys on the team were the husbands and fiances of my co-workers, and my lil bro came out and played too. it was a double elimination and we lost both of the games we played which sucks in a way. but it was fun, at least i had fun. i saw some of our weaknesses, i saw some of our strengths and in all honesty we could have changed some things, but it didn't really matter. it was a good time. i played catcher, got the first injury for our team by falling down when a ball was pitched to me and scraped my leg. no biggie. i was up to bat a total of 3 times in the 2 games we played and i hit the ball all three times which i am very proud of. the first game against dss was not a fair match at all, they skunked us 14-0 but i did hit the ball, the lousy 2nd baseman (or shortstop i dunno which) caught it. then in the second game i actually got on base, mainly because the first basemen missed the ball when they threw it to him. the second time he didn't miss it, but our player who was on third made it home so i helped to get us a point, which was nice. we lost the second game like 12-2 or something like that, but we did much better.
in the mean time i', a total rock lobster from sitting in the sun all day. my arms are R-E-D and so are my cheeks. i forgot to bring the sunblock, no biggie tho. maybe we should practice before playing next year, i'm just throwing it out there.

montessori

i had a meeting for dylan the other day at school. overall it went well, he's doing well in speech, he does great in the friendship group, his handwriting is better, his reading has improved...but he did horribly on his math test. we came up with ideas of how to help him in math and writing (just to keep him going with that) and determined that no, he doesn't have add or adhd and they believe (and i agree) that it is a motivational issue for dyl. as the meeting was ending his teacher stated that she thought he should be in the iep classroom for 3rd grade, which, the assistant principal informed me was a classroom made up of mostly kids with a learning disability. after i walked out i started thinking about what that would mean for dylan, and what consequences that might make for him. he might be in a room that moved at a slower pace, but he would be in a class that the other kids recognized as the class with the "stupid" kids, he might get made fun of. Then what if he isn't rising to as high a need as many of the other kids in the classroom and skates by without much support? well, i started thinking, and talking to some friends and the montessori school came up. i looked into it last year, but he made huge strides and decided he would be able to make in public school after all. right now i am not thinking that. so i called the school and set up an appointment so i could go and check it out and apply for him. i really really hope he gets accepted, i just worry about the financial piece and the vast difference in schools and how long it might take him to adjust and blah blah blah. i like beecher, i just don't know if it provides the best environment for dylan to learn in. we'll see what happens.

easy as riding a bike

at least that's what people say, only i am coming to find that riding a bike is not quite as easy as all that. i can ride a bike, i can't wait to ride the bike my sis gave me, it's sitting in the back room near the computer waiting to be ridden. i can't wait because i can't ride the bike until dylan can ride his bike by himself. i don't remember how i learned to ride a bike, but i know that somewhere along the way the training wheels on my E.T bike were taken off and i had to learn how to balance the bike on my own before moving on to what i call the orange beast (Huge banana seated thing with a sissy bar), eventually a neon green boys bmx bike, and eventually a hand-me-down 10 speed racing bike with the curved handlebars. Such is the history of my bike riding experience. but dylan had a little mongoose with training wheels when he was younger which he rarely got on because every time he did he would fall and start crying or flat out refuse to get on it when i wheeled it out. now he has a cool little bike given to him by his aunt and he has no idea how to balance on his own and i am having some trouble teaching him. yesterday and today we went out to the parking lot across the street and held him up while running alongside him. At first he was scared (shocker) but as we started moving faster he started to enjoy himself. my arms are killing me from holding him up and i got out of breath pretty quickly, which limits the amount of time he can spend out there. by the end of the third go today i seriously considered letting go to see how he would do, but decided not to because if he fell and got hurt he would never want to try again. i think it will take a few weeks of doing this to get him to a point where he will be comfortable with me letting go, i just don't want to screw things up by pushing too fast. i know he will get there if i can be patient. And once he can ride by himself, my bike will get to venture out too and we will ride together. haha, maybe we will start our own biker gang and make matching denim jackets with crazy patches and stuff. so in the mean time once you learn to ride a bike, it is always easy to ride a bike...but learning to ride a bike...not quite that easy.

morality

I just read an article review one of my fellow learners has read for this week and posted her discussion on. it deals with studying morality and in order to do this the researchers decided to focus on incest and whether or not we are born with this notion that sleeping with our brother (or sisters) is wrong. i'm not going to attempt to evaluate this hypothesis, or even explain how the researchers measured...and i don't have the link to the research, but i could probably get it if anyone is that interested. but that person's post made me think of that first porn film i have ever seen...taboo part 2. i was a kid, we were down in the basement at the bailey's house and someone said hey watch this. i don't remember how many kids were in that basement, but i remember that the film was about all kinds of incest...creepy incest brother-sister, mother-son, father-daughter it was creepy. i don't need to go into all the details, but damn that shit was crazy!! (and totally 70's). anyway, here i am all grown up taking a master's level research class and reading another learner's thoughts and ideas and i want to start giggling like a little kid. now is incest the barometer for morality? or maybe porn which contains incest? i don't know, but i thought it was kinda funny.

three day weekend

It's nice to have a three day weekend...especially when the county employees have to work. only because it's like a mini vacation for me, knowing that someone else will have to take care of respite, that i don't have to set up any family meetings or spoa meetings for that matter. that i don't have to drag my sorry, tired self home after the 8to5 and not want to make dinner, but force myself to anyway (or order out if i have the dough). it was a rare morning, dylan was up before me and cleaned his room before i even opened my eyes...i know that because he woke me up to tell me that he already cleaned his room. i sent kellie a text, cuz she sent one to me about the radio playing her fave band, journey...we had a lengthy conversation about steve perry yesterday.

i sometimes want to complain about my job, but in reality it's not so bad...it's just the pay that sucks. i mean where else can i get paid to basically hang out, make phone calls (work related) text (not work related) talk to people i work with, laugh through most of the day and doodle on whatever paper is in front of me? i mean really that is basically my day, not texting everyday, but i can if i need to. i google alot, i basically run the FYRE program...wait there's no basically about it i do run that shit, i created the brochures, did the larger part of the powerpoint for our presentation (though my supe said i didn't have to) and do the actual work with the kids. i love doing that. i don't think i have ever been pulled in to the boss's office and reprimanded for anything (knock on wood) i get my work done, i help the case workers, i listen to people who need to complain about their jobs, i offer advice when i think advice is being sought, i joke with all the supes. i will miss this job when i move on. i know it is a year (or more) away, but i am already starting to develop my plans, and am realizing what i have here, though a great gig just won't be enough for me when i have to start paying back those student loans.

kinda funny...to me at least

ok, so i was just in my "classroom" and saw that someone posted a question in the ask your prof section and i couldn't believe this was a serious question. i feel kind of bad, but i did answer her question because technically the first discussion was supposed to be posted by the end of tonight and thus far mine is the only post on the discussion board. anyway, let me explain that part of the discussion question asked that we find a journal article and identify the IV and DV. the other learner in the class asked the prof what an IV and DV were. now i'm not trying to be rude, but i have had IV and DV pounded into my brain since pretty much my first ever psychology class...so i posted a response letting her know that IV is independent variable and DV is dependent variable. I did not explain the difference between the two, i figure if she doesn't know she can look it up in her book, or google it. but all i could think was wow, how did this person get into a graduate level class like this and not know that. of course i think she said her degree was in sometime random like english and she and her husband and two kids were recovering drug addicts which actually says a lot for the lady, but still, she should have taken a class or two the covers the whole IV/DV relationship to research. i dunno. also, i hope it is ok that i replied in the section that is clearly marked questions for the prof. oh well, you know me, always trying to be helpful...teehee

research methods

i haven't taken research methods in a really long time. it doesn't feel like it has been so long, but it has been about 4 years. i can't really believe it. but now i am taking research methods at the grad level and am a little unsure of exactly what i am supposed to be doing in this class. on the one hand it seems the prof wants us to set up a research design, but on the other we technically can't run any real research. i am of couse focusing on what i am currently doing at work...juvenile fire setters. there isn't much out there for research, but i think that's why it would work. anyway it's what i'm up to. also today at work i set up about 5 family meetings, and moved a 6th off my desk cuz the parent didn't want school involved and didn't want to talk to me either. what ever, i don't really care that much anyway. meanwhile i joked with suzanne about the fact that i practically have my masters but am basically an administrative assistant. it's kind of sad really. i mean i sometimes think that i could be doing so much more than what i am actually doing. is it laziness? i have tons of reasons why i stay in the job i am in, and let's face it in today's hard times i am not about to give up a job, no matter how meager the pay is. but i wonder sometimes if i am just comfortable, with not a lot of responsibility, but enough to keep me busy. i love my job, but it is seldom a challenge, it has become mindless work for me. i make phone calls, i make copies, i watch the danger rangers with little kids who have played with fire i deal with random requests and set up respite. should i be striving for a bigger challenge? what kind of work will make me happy? where do i want to live? this is a biggie, since i refuse to believe that i will live here in elmira for ever, i don't want to do that to dylan. there's so many questions, i guess i will have to delve a bit deeper to answer most of them. but first i will finish my master's program...and then who knows what i will do or where i will go. one more year.

the glasses again

ok, so yes i did fly of the handle about the glasses, but really i think it was necessary. i am hoping that it will curb the chances that the glasses will be broken again in at least the next month and every morning i will remind him to put them in their case when they aren't on his face. it will annoy him, but hopefully it will sink in. meanwhile, the first pair of replacement glasses were free and the next time (i am really hoping there won't be a next time) any replacements will cost $25. so let's just all hope that there isn't a next time.

angry

ok, so i am very very very angry right now. i have forced dylan into hiding (ok, he is sentenced to his bedroom for the night tv priveleges are not revoked at this time). i picked him up from school only to find that his glasses are broken...again. only this time i don't think it is fixable. the frame is snapped in two and one of the lenses has popped out. my insurances only covers 1 pair per year so this is gonna cost me big time i just know it. and i yelled at him. i really really yelled at him. and he tried to hide them first, then lied about what happened and had the nerve to laugh when i yelled at another driver...honestly that was misdirected anger cuz i was yelling at everyone by that point. do you wanna know how the glasses got broken? it doesn't matter cuz i'm gonna relay it anyway. he was outside on the playground while at his after school program and put the glasses in his pocket. where was the case i found myself asking...in the gym, inside his backpack. un-fucking-believable! and people say he's just a little boy. that is not an excuse, there are kids out there younger than he is who take care of their shit, he can start to be more responsible too. so yeah...i'm pretty angry still. if i could i would just get him lazer eye surgery and be done with the whole mess...but i can't