Z is for Zoo

I love the zoo. Boy is it a good thing that all my other blogs were so darn long that I don't have to say anymore than that. Again, I will fix these tonight! But, I don't have to...cause I'm done :)

Y is for Yay!

Yes! I am almost finished! I just have Z and I'm done. Yeah, I know this post sucks...I'll fix it later. Who cares because I did it :)

Okay, so that is a poopy attitude. Let's try this again:

Y is for yau, yipee, yahoo, yo-mama, you-bethca, yes!

I am so excited!

X is for X-men or wolverine :)

I love X-men. No, not the comics, though I've bought a couple for my son. No, I'm talking the movie. The last one brought me to tears! I really like the characters and the plot line. It is such a cool concept to think we might be living among super-humans.

My favorite X-man is Wolverine. Ow, ow. Enough said. Hugh Jackman is the man.

W is for work

Work. It's hard, rewarding, thankless, and exciting. I think the part of work that I am most bitter about right now are these blogs. They are ridiculous! No, I don't think the assignment was. I think the fact that I am doing my own homework IS. What's worse is that they are guilting teachers into doing this crap now and I've fallen for it hook, line and sinker! What the heck is the point of me doing EVERYTHING I assign, grading it, planning it, and then working hard on my other job: my life? Oh, well, at least this post can be considered finished, too. I'll try to be more positive in the next one!

V is for Vitamin

Well, since I've done more than my word requirement...I'm going to cop-out until tonight when I can fix these last five posts up. The next four posts will be short and sweet...because I said the words had to average 150. Looks like being long winded worked out for me :)

So here goes. V is for the vitamins I have to take everyday now. They taste yucky and cost a little more than I expected them to. Luckily, the doctor gave me about 30 for free so that was cool. I have to take two for the price of one and I always take them with food. Yay, another blog done!

U is for Underwear

My husband owns four pair of underwear. Yes, you heard me right, four. Do you have any idea how hard it is to make sure he has clean underwear? It's impossible. Perhaps if I were a good wife and I kept the information on my calendar, maybe, but no. Instead, every week almost, there comes a moment where I either realize right in time that he's out, and spend time staying up late or getting up early just to get him his underwear clean, or he calls me up and says, "hey, did you forget I need underwear?" These are the worst days. I always feel guilty and then he has a rough choice for the day that I need not elaborate on.

It's not that he doesn't want to get underwear. Everytime he gets more, somehow, the dog gets ahold of them and chews them up. It's ridiculous! Anyway. That's my simple U post. My sound off about underwear. So remember, next time you're feeling annoyed or stressed, be happy that you have more underwear than a third world nation...my husband, not so much...

T is for Twins

About two years ago, my sister found out she was pregnant, finally, after lots of struggling to get there. We were all ecstatic. But the bonus was, she was pregnant with twins!!! OMG, I know. So nine long months later, after lots of scares and medicine and bedrest, my sister gave birth to a beautiful girl and a beautiful boy. They were itty-bitty, to me at least, but they've grown quite nicely. They will be two years old on August 11th this year. Aren't they adorable?!

Life with twins is crazy for my sister and I can't even begin to imagine it, but I love being an aunt and godmother to two of the cutest and best kids in the world. They are truly our family's miracle babies and they've brightened up our world. Thank God we have Lillian Grace and Ethan Bradley DeRocchi!

S is for Sleep

This post is a no brainer. Ask anyone: I am like a baby--I love to eat and to sleep. In fact, I would say I most resemble a baby or a big brown bear. Truly, my best days are those where I get to have fabulous meals and fabulous naps. Is there a better life? I don't think so. Unfortuneately, contrary to my love, though I get plenty of food, I do not get as much sleep. I used to average 5-6 hours of sleep a night. It got so bad that I actually started to nod off while driving, while talking, while cooking. I just couldn't stay awake. So, I went to a sleep specialist and after a lot of testing and time, he said, "you just need more sleep." Wow...really? Yes, really. So, here I am, two years later, still tired, still loving sleep, and thankfully I'm finally getting more. I've gotten to the point where sleep is a priority over grading papers and doing housework...consequently, neither of those things gets as much attention as it needs to, but I digress.

If you are like me, and you need more sleep and you're not getting it, all I can offer is this: get thee to bed! It works. I've been happier, healthier, and younger looking. Today was the first morning I woke up and when I looked in the mirror I didn't see circles under my eyes. I think they're finally going away! And I thought they were permanent...I'm glad I was wrong.

So here's to sleep!

R is for Russia

I wish this post could be one of those long and elaborate posts where I show how worldly and wise I am...yeah, not gonna happen.

Nope, this post is here to show my pure ignorance and to ask for some help!

When I was in elementary school there was a place on our maps in our history books called Russia. Before too long we were told we had to call it the U.S.S.R because Russia wasn't politically correct. Being the excellent social studies student I was, I promply forgot why we had to not call it Russia, but called it the U.S.S.R. anyway. Over time, though I don't know any specifics, it seems that Russia became much more divided, unlike its shiny new name suggested. Now we are back to calling some of the former Soviet Union Russia.

So here's where you can help. Tell me what happened! Oh sure, I could wikipedia it, I could google it, but I want a simple, watered down answer from someone who knows so I can go on with my life, but still have a little knowledge. So someone, please, make me more globally aware!

Q is for QUACK!

So this year our curriculum has changed. If you know me, you've probably heard me talk about it. Well, part of the coolness of this curricular change, is the new vocabulary series QUACK! Though some of my students and colleagues alike malign the new vocab series, I have found that I like it quite a bit.

Here are some of the words in the series: delineate, nafarious, vernacular, brawn, tout, enhance, hinder, efface, glutton, hiatus, querulous, engender, obliterate, copious, obscure, extol, pugnacious, quell, artisan, kindle (all from Vol. 1).

Here is a taste of what Quack has to offer. I wish I could load it as a video...but I'm not that good yet!

Announcers (in a 50's jingle barbershop quartet voice): Laconic is a word that means not saying much: brief and concise! Barbecue sauce.

That's pretty much how it goes. The series is all on DVD and takes popular movie images and clips, dubs them over, and explains vocabulary. I tried showing them to Austin and he really liked some of the words. We still talk about the word "nadir" because of the video.

Scene:

Fish talking: Not only has this week been the nadir of my year, but today another fish pooped on me, thus making today the nadir of my week.

In case you didn't know, nadir means lowest point. I will never forget it. Thanks QUACK!

P is for Pride and Prejudice and anything Austen!

This post is dedicated to one of the best authors ever! Note, I did NOT say, one of the best female authors because she's good on her own, she doesn't need that crutch to distinguish her.

Jane Austen is by far my favorite author. I have read nearly every book she's written and watched nearly every movie created from or based off of her books. Most people with a facination for Austen mistakenly believe her to be a timeless romantic and love her books because they are so wonderfully romantic. This is part of the reason I like her. Indeed, she seems to be the only "romance" novelist I can read over again and read all of. But to call Austen a romance novelist is kind of belittling. She was actually not even a romantic novelist. Sure, her books portray female characters waiting for the right man to save them from poverty. She even has books where the main characters get money and true love. But at the core of Austen's novels were social commentary. She had strong female characters (maligned by the men of the time as pushy or worse) who wanted equality and security. These characters readily realized the social times they were a part of and learned to play the most precarious of games: earn position without sacrificing your soul.

In the end, I think what I most appreciate about Austen is that she lived her stories. She never married, though she is said to have had some prospects. Her romance couldn't turn out in the fairytale way. But instead of becoming that bitter "spinster," Austen came to be a brilliant, championed mind. She gave hope to women and still managed to challenge the status quo. I love her for that!

O is for Obama...and the presidential Race

Okay, no this is not the post where I magically, after keeping it a secret from all of my students, tell who I'm voting for. That will not happen. However, this is the post where I complain about the 2008 race for president. I choose this post because, let's face it, what else are you going to do for O right now? I'll be ten of my kids have already chosen to use Obama for their posts!

So...where to start. Well, the first annoying thing about this election year is that it started in 2006!!!! Talk about annoying! Most of America was tired of the election well before it started. Secondly, the media has swarmed the election so hard-core that the common man, once reliant on getting straight news from the "news" is now inundated with fluff stories and biased "news" updates. Furthermore, with every major news station flashing a "delegate count" all the time, there is a perception that the race is already over. Hello! WE don't vote until November!!!

Yes, it's cool that a woman is running with a real chance. Yes, it's cool that an African-American is running with a real chance. Yes, it's cool that John McCain defies the odds and successfully runs after a pretty bitter loss his last try. But other than that, this is like a never-ending superbowl half-time show! I'm sick of it and I'm sick of the results of it: my kids don't care because either a) they feel as if it's gone on too long or b) they feel as if their opinion is insignificant.

I doubt this is what our forefathers would have wanted!

N is for NOW

Recently, a student surprised me by saying they wanted to complete their persuasive research paper on the topic of feminism and how it needs to be re-asserted. I was shocked. Weren't we a group of women who had already forged ahead behind our mothers and grandmothers? Wasn't the movement moot? After she conducted a survey of her peers I was shocked to find that perhaps we were not past the "war" on bias and inequality.

This post is not to promote NOW (National Organization of Women) in the sense that I agree with everything they do and everything they mean, because there is a lot about them I don't like too much. However, there is a lot they stand for that is good. NOW works for the rights of women across the United States making sure we get the equality we deserve. And even though many men feel scorned by the feminist movement, or find it way past it's peak, it's important to realize that we're not the "softer" or "weaker" sex; we're women with needs, wants, desires, jobs, minds, and hearts. NOW and millions of feminists everywhere have made my struggles lighter, my possibilities more endless. So, here's to NOW and feminists everywhere. Struggle on!

For more info on NOW, check out: http://www.now.org/

M is for Mom

Of all the names I'm called, this is my favorite. I hope to be called mom by more than just one someday soon.

Being a mom is such a wonderful thing. Oh sure, there's the obvious free extra holiday a year with more gifts and fun hugs and kisses, but it's so much more! (I forget, dry humor doesn't necessarily translate on these posts...)

Being a mom is a job, but it is one with the biggest benefits plan ever. As a mom I have laughed, cried, and run the gamut of emotions in one day. But the real truth of motherhood is this: you will never be the same. Whether that is cliche or not, it is true. Motherhood makes you more independent and dependent at the same time, stronger and weaker in one, elated and terrified at once. Motherhood is at the core of who a woman is. Ask about her career, her likes and dislikes, in the middle of it all are her children. I don't care whether you're 16 or 43, being a mom makes you a member of a special club. A club of people who "get it" that for one moment, you have made the world better. For one moment, you were part of a miracle and now, you get to live the rest of life knowing you're participating in generations of history to come. That is the one job that trumps all others on the resume. And know that I sound like a sappy hallmark card and I'm ready to cry (ah, hormones), I'm going to go to bed and dream of M!

L is for Links

So I'm back to the traditional posting after my foray into the different. Photo Bucket is a cool site with some varied content. The world wide web is oh, so vast!

So, I'm getting better at being tech savvy and after that last post I asked myself, "self, how could that post have been made more accessible? Was there a way to post those pictures differently? Sure, they look cool, but they take up an awful lot of space."

And here's the answer: links. It just so happens I can post links in my blog. Now, some of you are reading this and thinking, "wow, what century did she step out of." But you've got to cut me a little slack, I'm a bit behind in the technology game. At least I'm learning!

So, for this blog post, my goal is to experiment with the link! Then, I'm going to bed!

Check out the following links to find out the secrets to my web life! Oh the excitement! Where does Wendy/Mrs. Dwyer go when she's online? I hope your respect doesn't wane...

http://www.mccollam.com/fun/geoquiz/

http://fz.k12.mo.us/employee/

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

http://www.foodnetwork.com/

http://www.archstl.org/

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2

http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm

http://www.vestalreview.net/

http://www.jumble.com/play.html

http://www.babycenter.com

K is for photo bucKet

Okay, so on the surface of things, it may seem as if I'm cheating a bit on this blog. I got the idea from one of my students (thanks Kristen). And since I'm supposed to be embellishing my blogs (the assignment sheet said at least 5), and I've only embellished one so far, I felt it was high time I did some picture posting. So here is post number K. Pictures I've culled from photo bucket. This is not a ringing endorsement of a sign of my allegiance to the site. I just wanted to check it out because another of my dear students (Jen) swears by it. These pics are all from the photography or art section.

J is for "Just Kidding"

Okay, so last post was about the word that makes my kids annoyed: ignorant. This post is about the phrase that annoys me: just kidding.

I used to be fond of the phrase and I used to use it appropriately, but now it's become this snarky comment that people reply back with when they realize you're upset. Here's and example:

Me: What's the deal, I thought you liked my green purse.
Them: Just kidding, it's awesome.

The thing about "just kidding," is it doesn't mean the sincere "my bad" that it used to. No, now it is this catty way of saying, "well, since you're going to throw a fit, I guess I'll pretend I didn't mean what I just said, but really, I totally did." I'm just annoyed that a perfectly nice phrase has been turned so far from the positive. It really bugs me. Just kidding ;)

I is for Ignorant

So many of my students get upset over the word "ignorant" being misused so I thought I'd dedicate this posting to the meaning of the word for education purposes.

The American Heritage Online Dictionary defines ignorant as: 1. Lacking education or knowledge. 2. Showing or arising from a lack of education or knowledge: an ignorant mistake. 3. Unaware or uninformed.

Here is a sentence that shows how it should be used: I would love to be able to change my own oil, but I am ignorant as to how to do so.

So, there is your education. Learn the proper use of the word and get to using it correctly so I can stop hearing the whines of my students!

H is for Husband

It's time to honor "The Doug." He thought I wasn't going to do this...boy was he silly. So here it is, my post dedicated to the man with the plan, Doug Dwyer.

I've known Doug since the Fall of 1999. It's your traditional story. We met, we fell in love, we got engaged, we got married. We married on July 5, 2003. This year will be our fifth anniversary.

Some people talk about soul mates or true love. I don't know how to label what Doug and I share. I think the best description of it is "real." We stick together because we love each other, but there is more than that. Our relationship is something that takes a lot of work. We fight, we make up, we aggravate each other, we soothe each other. We really just work to make each other happy. But people who talk about soul mates and true love, I don't really think they get that it's so much more than that. Couples who stay together because it's easy don't necessarily get the work that goes into a marriage that takes work. A marriage of two very strong-willed people. In the end, our relationship works because we fight for it and each other. We really only can work with each other and that's the best way to explain it.

So, who is "Husband"? Well, he is a computer programmer, a math guru, an amazing cook, a strict and loving father, an ardent conservative, and a loyal friend. He does the dishes, a job I hate, and keeps our accounts balanced and in check. He makes me think, he forces me outside of my comfort zone, and he is brutally honest. The man is confident in who he is and what he wants, but he respects what others want, too. In short, he isn't perfect, but he is "real" just like our love. That's what earns him a spot in my heart and in my alphabet.

G is for Going Green

Well, if we were playing Scattergories, I'd have double score! Yeah, that's right!

Going green is something I've heard about for some time, but I don't know that it something many of us either fully understand or embrace. I know I want to live a green life. So far, I'm proud to say that we recycle (Thank you city of O'Fallon) and we moved where we did in order to save on driving. I live really close to work and Doug lives about the same as before. I also try to select products made from recycled goods and I recycle my old clothes, computers, etc. in the proper ways.

But going green seems to be about so much more than that. It seems to be a real lifestyle choice. They even have green communities cropping up all over the place. What once seemed a trend or just a buzzword is now very visible and seems to be lived by large sectors of the population.

It feels like a new world and I want to join it, but I'm so unsure as to how to proceed.

F is for Food

Duh, if you know me this is a no-brainer. I love food. So, for this post, my goal is to list my favorite foods. This could be long :)

• canned chicken spread by Red Devil (soooo delicious on crackers OR with Miracle Whip and bread)
• Spaghetti-Os with meatballs. Yes, I've tried the other kinds, they all suck. Must be Chef Boyardi and must be with meatballs. Yes, I'm aware those shouldn't really be classified as meat...
• Pastrami, especially warm on a sandwhich with sour kraut.
• Pizza Rolls, pretty much any brand will do if it's pepperoni, but the totino's brand are best in three meat.
• Chicken and Stars soup, Mmm-Mmm-Good!
• Hamburger Helper Potato Stroganoff
• Lipton Noodles--Stroganoff, Butter and Herb, and Alfredo
• Tomatoes...sooooo delicious in everything, but best fresh off the vine peeled and with salt.
• Lasagna
• Fettuccine Alfredo. I've never met one I didn't like!
• McDonald's french fries
• Sonic burritos
• Doug's home made salsa...AMAZING!!!
• Grilled food WITHOUT barbecue sauce
• Filet mignon, especially when Doug cooks it au vu par (not sure how to spell that one!)
• Alton Brown's cake
• German chocolate cake
• Chocolate, dark preferred
• Bagels with cream cheese or warmed with cold cuts, butter, cheese
• Sushi AND Sashimi
• Breakfast gravy with sausage and biscuits
  

Wow...I eat a LOT of food...and that's not even half of what I love. I may have to revisit this post...but I must stop now because I'm making myself hungry and I already ate so I can't eat again! If you live in a box and some of those foods sound new to you, PLEASE, do the world a favor and try them!

E is for Ethnocentric or Europe, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Etc.

Ethnocentricity. Far be it for me to jump on the "blame America" band wagon, but there is something to be said for cultural and global awareness. It seems we all live so wrapped up in our own worlds that we forget vast amounts of other worlds exist. However, I'm not so sure that this is a problem isolated to the United States. Indeed, we're accousted with being stupid, arrogant, and unaware, but I imagine that "Jay-walking" type shows have given us this image. Can you honestly tell me that if I went over to France and asked the average person on the street about Cambodia, that they would know more than I? Perhaps they would, but I'm thinking not.

The simple fact seems to be that we are all mostly obsessed with our own lives. We forget about others not because we are callous, but because they simply don't affect us. Globally, the decisions of a man in Ethiopia today can make headlines and even cause a ripple that affects the price of my clothing, but mostly, no change happens in my life. I do not state this to make excuses and say, "Hey, why should I care." But perhaps this evil label of ethocentrism is just unfairly applied. If we spend all of our time worrying beyond ourselves, is that much better?

And if America is truly guilty of being less aware, can we fairly blame this reality on the issue of proximity? Let's face it, I'm more aware of what's going on in Illinois than in Peru, but Illinois is my neighbor, Peru sounds like a distant paradise.

So let's let ourselves off the hook a bit. DO fight to stay politically and socially aware, but DON'T kick yourself and feel like a loser if you're not up on everything. No one person can be and still live in the present life they have.

D is for Dog

My husband will say I was not a dog person until I met him. He may be right. I was tolerant of dogs, but that was until Neo came into our lives. Now I love dogs. I really enjoy having one and I can't imagine life without one! Here are some of the many reasons why dogs are so wonderful:

• On cold nights, when you're shivering cold and no one else will warm you up, a dog will lay right by your feet. Some will say this is annoying because then they can't move their feet. I say it is toasty heaven!
• When you're scared of going into the basement because you left your front door unlocked and now you've got to check your houses out to make sure no boogeyman is lurking like in the movies, your dog will march down the stairs and check it out ahead of you. There is so much comfort in that.
• I recently read an article about a dog who woke up his owners and got them out a burning house. They didn't know the house was on fire because they were in such a deep sleep. Have you ever heard of a cat doing that?!
• My dog will let a toddler smack him in the face, pull his tail, dig in his food, and try to sit on him and all he'll do is look at me as if to say, "why is this little thing doing this?" Never will he hurt them.
• Dogs seem to instinctively know what you can and can't handle. My dog will play so roughly with my husband that he gets cuts on his arms from them "fighting," but when my son tries to play the same way, Neo is very gentle and plays without hurting him. He'll play tug of war with a ten pound dog and let the other dog feel like it could win.
• Dogs lower your stress just by being around. Pet one and you feel better. They bring them to nursing homes to help heal and relax the patients. Unlike humans, they do this for your love, they don't need anything but a pet and in return you get lower blood pressure, happier moods, and more!
• Dogs are always happy to see you. Who else can you say that about?
• Dogs put up with the worst of the worse and still manage to be good animals. If abused, many dogs can be recovered.
• Dogs will clean up any mess if it involves food. Spilling a bunch of food on the floor is nothing to be frustrated about when you have a dog, they just think they've won the lottery and you get help cleaning!
• Dogs will eat anything! This can be frustrating when it include socks or underwear you thought were safely tucked away in the hamper, but it is great when you're ten and trying to avoid eating your veggies.
  
• Dogs can be trained to find drugs, to aid seizure patients, to lead the blind, and to perform. They do this because they love to please and to help. I love just how eager and wonderful they are. I truly believe they remind us all of just how we can be. Hopefully, we will all learn a little bit about being more human from dogs.
  

C is for Church or Catholic

Religion has become an increasingly more important part of life since I met my husband. At the time that we met, we both were looking to rejoin a church that had very much been a part of our childhoods. Still, both of us had been disenfranchised. However, as I saw my son growing up, I knew that faith needed to be a part of his life. As he started asking questions and as we started having conversations, I knew that I wanted to take him to church and allow him to have the same relationship with God that I had. This has led my family on a journey I wouldn't have foreseen ten years ago.

Doug and I started going back to church about six months into our relationship. Part of this was motivated by my insane thought that we were going to get married soon and we'd need to be a part of a church. The rest of it was motivated by Doug and I searching for connection. We started back to St. Sabina church in Florissant. This is where Austin started PSR, where I healed my relationship with the Church, and where I remembered why it was I loved being Catholic.

Fast forward to now and I am an active parishioner at St. Joseph's of Cottleville. I count money every third Sunday with Doug and I am an extraordinary minister of communion. I love my Church. Some people will interpret this love as blind devotion, but what I think makes my faith stronger is that I a) don't need to prove to people that I am right and b) I've "re-discovered" my faith only to become stronger in it--in other words, I saw the flaws and still went back. It's like true love in a sense.

Now, though, what I love the most about it, is that I am getting to see my son discover it. He attends PSR as his dad did when he was a child as opposed to Catholic school as I did. I was afraid this would be received as it was for Doug: punishment and extra school. Instead, Austin, with little prompting from us, heavily embraces his faith. He loves going to PSR and he loves learning more about his faith. He never whines or tries to get out of church and it's exciting to see him really happy about it all. I hope this continues because in the end, church is something important for me that has gotten me through a lot and I want him to have the same touchstone.

B is for Bravo

Today's post is brought to you by Bravo. Okay, well, I guess that's illegal for me to say as Bravo is not really sponsoring this post...

What can I say about Bravo? Why would I post about it? Oh so much. Bravo is home to some of the biggest fashion shows on cable. I first became hooked on Bravo when I ran across the show "Project Runway" hosted by Heidi Klum. My son and I jokingly call it "Project Oneway" because host Heidi has a bit of lisp when she pronounces the title.

The thing I like about Bravo is that it seems to embrace the ideal of mindless television. Even as I scan the channels and select shows to DVR, I am stricken by the fact that Bravo really offers nothing of substance and yet I crave watching it. In fact, one might start to wonder at the future of our country when shows like "Project Runway" and "Make Me a Supermodel" (a new addition) make such high ratings on Bravo that they are shown marathon style on a weekly basis. And yet, I feed this craze.

I vacilate between being disgusted with myself and being intrigued by the phenomenon. Oh, well.

The only other thing I wanted to note about Bravo, though, is the stereotypes it might be proliferating. Though I enjoy Tim Gunn's antics and sashaying from episode to episode, it is more than somewhat disturbing that he embodies the gay stereotype so completely, that some people may begin to believe in it.

This, is what I'm beginning to see as a real problem. I've even heard some people refer to Bravo as the "gay" channel. Is this true? Is this a stereotype? I started to investigate and was disturbed by what I saw. The first evidence or inkling I got of Bravo's label was with a simple Levi's commercial. Here I am, sitting on my couch, frustrated with waiting for Heidi to tell us, "who will be out" when the Levi's commercial with the building being pulled up with a phone booth by a man putting on his pants came on. Suddenly, instead of seeing the woman in the phone booth and the guy making her return so they can walk off into the sunset together, I see a man in the phone booth. I was taken aback. I want to be clear here, I was not upset, I was just tremendously surprised. I mentioned this surprise to a colleague and their response was, "well, it IS Bravo." Suddenly, I became awakened to Bravo's repuation and I wondered at it.

Now in the weeks that have passed, I've noticed an alarming trend, the Bravo shows have gone from embracing their gay audience, to completely stereotyping it. Think about it: on any given Wednesday or Thursday the only shows you get to see are fashion and modeling shows. Is this to suggest that the only shows a gay audience will like are those in fashion or modeling? Furthermore, on the shows themselves, though one might celebrate Bravo for their diversity, one could also gasp at their propensity for finding the "gayest" characters they could. Indeed, it almost feels like we are stuck back in the 1920s watching performers do routines "black-faced." I'm starting to find it a little insulting. Sure, I still love the shows, but are they doing more harm than good? How many people watch the shows and unintentionally form a view of the gay community that is completely based in stereotype? But what is one to do about this fact? Do we let it go and shrug, "well, that's just Bravo." Or must something be done? Is one straight woman's opinion an overeaction or a true glipse at something terrible happening? Am I culpable simply because I continue to watch and love the drama of the shows?

I'm not sure about the answer to any of these questions, but I do know that I may have to start considering giving up my favorite shows if I really want to put my opinion where my mouth is.

A is for Austin

What can you say about the child who changed your life? I never expected to have Austin in my life, but he has made me who I am. I would not be the same teacher, wife, or daughter withoiut the perspective he gives me. I continue to learn from him each and every day. We are partners. We almost seem to know each other's minds some days. I believe as he becomes an adult we will be friends. Between us their is more love than I can ever describe and trying to sounds cheap. All I know is this, without Austin, I would not be me!

Here are some cool things to know about my favorite boy:

• He actually LIKES reading stat books. He will spend hours highlighting and making charts of football and baseball stats. One of his favorite things to do is ask, "Mom, Dad, did you know..." He cracks me up.
• He is the most patient child I know. I know moms are given to exaggeration, but seriously, he will wait at school with me during the summer for literally HOURS and just sit and read or just wander. He rarely bugs me to go until he's hungry.
• He has the best smile. It warms my heart.
• He obsesses over things just like I do. Recently, one of his favorite cartoon series ended forever and he thought about it and the ending for the rest of the weekend. We'd be sitting down at dinner and he'd pop out, "I can't believe number one left like that." He truly won't stop thinking about things and then weeks later, when you think it's over, once again he pops out with something that lets you know he hasn't stopped wondering. I find it cute.
• He looks good with long or short hair. Few people can pull that off.

Well, that's all for now. My first alphabet blog is complete! Yeah, my new year's resolution is still in tact!

Jumping on the Bandwagon?

Okay, so I'm doing it. I've lived vicariously for far too long and I've put my writing on the back-burner. I figure, if I'm going to tell my kids to do it, if I'm going to envy everyone else who's doing it, it's time I actual take the reigns and get to it. So here it is, my little blogspot. I'm not even sure at this point that I'm going to publicize the fact that I've got one...One thing is for sure, though, this is my New Year's resolution made flesh. Last year my resolution succeeded and it is my sincere hope that this year's, to write regularly, will succeed as well with this blog as my motivation...okay, enough. The first time is finished. Like so many first times, it was rough, it hurts a little and was embarrassing at times, but now, I feel good. I hope I won't disappoint!