LLB's new glasses are in... I got a phone call to that effect.
I picked her up from school and took her to the eye doc's.
She put her new glasses on and they looked terrific. She had a look on her face that told me something wasn't quite right, but the lady said she'd have to get used to them.
We left.
We got on to the highway ramp.
Yes.. the ramp.
The ramp where you can't turn around.
The ramp that to turn on to it has a red light that lasts about 10 minutes... that one.
So - we got on the ramp and she says, "Mom, when I close my right eye, the left eye is blurry."
No problem - we'll just take the next exit.
The next exit is 8 miles up the highway.
sigh....
We went up 8 miles, turned around, and came back 8 miles.
She told the lady that her left eye was blurry.
The lady checked it...
They didn't make the lens correctly - said it was a computer problem -- can you say TYPO???
It will be another week before she has her glasses.
I sure am glad I didn't send in her current frames!
So -- that trip cost me a half a tank of gas with nothing to show for it.
But when her glasses do come in, she's going to look great!
Showing posts with label Rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rant. Show all posts
Friday, February 24, 2012
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Gettin' The Run Around
The school system wants to put a $25 million addition on our high school. At first glance that sounds great, doesn't it?
Well, the net gain is one - as in 1 - classroom. It is a lovely energy efficient building, with breakout areas for the kids. If they were college kids, then breakout areas would be fine, but they are high school students who aren't allowed to be anywhere without adult supervision. There is a huge lobby area and new administrative offices. You see why they are doing this, right? Lobby areas affect learning? Sure.
The other issue with this addition is that they have completely neglected the 40 year old - never ever been renovated - Performing Arts Wing. The wing was completed in 1963. They have had 3 coats of paint since then. No sound proofing. No acoustical improvements. They have a spotlight that isn't strong enough to reach the stage. The whole wing is not ADA compliant. There is no ramp access to the stage - all the large instruments have to be hauled up and down stairs that are too narrow. There are outlets that spark when the kids in the pit orchestra plug in their stand lights. The return for the HVAC is in the pit area, and when they turn the air on in the spring during rehearsals, it spews dust and smoke and God knows what else. That said, the list of other safety issues is as long as my arm.
A group of parents went to the school board and told them that the money would be better spent down in the Performing Arts Wing. We explained our reasons. We wrote letters. We talked to the newspaper. My last email from the Superintendent told me that the Performing Arts Department was included in the planning. (Really? I think not. Because if it were, we'd have a whole new music wing, thankyouverymuch.) He also told me I needed to speak with my principal. Really? H knows what I need and he told me to go to the School Board and the Superintendent. Mr. Superintendent, I do NOT appreciate getting the run around.
Over a year ago, word came down from on high that they were going to renovate the high school. We were told that the main reason for doing the renovation was to update and improve the Performing Arts wing, update the science rooms that are at the top of that wing, and make the whole thing ADA compliant. It's there in black and white. Somewhere along the way, the architects decided that the Performing Arts wing was too expensive to do at the same time as the classroom building. What got cut? Yes - the Performing Arts Wing.
Now they want us to believe that there will be money left after the building is complete. They will renovate the PA wing with whatever is left. Leftovers? Again?
We won't be having leftovers!
They have messed with the wrong parents.
Neither of my children will be there to reap the benefits of this long and arduous fight. But we must pay it forward. If we don't try to get what the kids need now, they'll never get it.
Well, the net gain is one - as in 1 - classroom. It is a lovely energy efficient building, with breakout areas for the kids. If they were college kids, then breakout areas would be fine, but they are high school students who aren't allowed to be anywhere without adult supervision. There is a huge lobby area and new administrative offices. You see why they are doing this, right? Lobby areas affect learning? Sure.
The other issue with this addition is that they have completely neglected the 40 year old - never ever been renovated - Performing Arts Wing. The wing was completed in 1963. They have had 3 coats of paint since then. No sound proofing. No acoustical improvements. They have a spotlight that isn't strong enough to reach the stage. The whole wing is not ADA compliant. There is no ramp access to the stage - all the large instruments have to be hauled up and down stairs that are too narrow. There are outlets that spark when the kids in the pit orchestra plug in their stand lights. The return for the HVAC is in the pit area, and when they turn the air on in the spring during rehearsals, it spews dust and smoke and God knows what else. That said, the list of other safety issues is as long as my arm.
A group of parents went to the school board and told them that the money would be better spent down in the Performing Arts Wing. We explained our reasons. We wrote letters. We talked to the newspaper. My last email from the Superintendent told me that the Performing Arts Department was included in the planning. (Really? I think not. Because if it were, we'd have a whole new music wing, thankyouverymuch.) He also told me I needed to speak with my principal. Really? H knows what I need and he told me to go to the School Board and the Superintendent. Mr. Superintendent, I do NOT appreciate getting the run around.
Over a year ago, word came down from on high that they were going to renovate the high school. We were told that the main reason for doing the renovation was to update and improve the Performing Arts wing, update the science rooms that are at the top of that wing, and make the whole thing ADA compliant. It's there in black and white. Somewhere along the way, the architects decided that the Performing Arts wing was too expensive to do at the same time as the classroom building. What got cut? Yes - the Performing Arts Wing.
Now they want us to believe that there will be money left after the building is complete. They will renovate the PA wing with whatever is left. Leftovers? Again?
We won't be having leftovers!
They have messed with the wrong parents.
Neither of my children will be there to reap the benefits of this long and arduous fight. But we must pay it forward. If we don't try to get what the kids need now, they'll never get it.
How to explain it so they understand...
A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be very liberal, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words redistribution of wealth.
She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch conservative, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.
One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs.
The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing in school.
Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.
Her father listened and then asked, “How is your friend Audrey doing?”
She replied, “Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over.”
Her wise father asked his daughter, “Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA.”
The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, “That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!”
The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, “Welcome to the conservative side of the fence.”
She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch conservative, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.
One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs.
The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing in school.
Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.
Her father listened and then asked, “How is your friend Audrey doing?”
She replied, “Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over.”
Her wise father asked his daughter, “Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA.”
The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, “That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!”
The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, “Welcome to the conservative side of the fence.”
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Rude People
Make me crazy...
I was hauling water out of our storage trailer yesterday morning - alone. Our storage trailer is a 2 classroom trailer that is no longer used for classes. There are doors at both ends of the trailer - one on the street side with stairs and the other in the back with a "handicapped" ramp. I had the street side door propped open and my car directly in front of the stairs with the tailgate open.
As I exited the classroom with a case of water a man walked by me.
Excuse me, Sir, can I help you?
I'm passing through. - He said this with a tone... I don't do tone.
I'm sorry, this is a storage trailer, not a pass through. This is not open to the public. - I was cordial...
Well, how am I supposed to get to the other side?
(I've been up since 3am. It is currently 6:15am. I've been carrying water since 5:20am) Well, you can do what everyone else does and go around. - I said this with a smile...
He snarled, Nice Attitude!
(Nice attitude? Are you kidding me? It's graduation, which is supposed to be a happy day, and you've started it off by snarling at me!)
My next comment to him - Don't start! - Trust me I was in no mood. He turned on his heel and left. Had he stayed one more second, I would have ripped his lips off. I also think that had I not been alone, he would have gone around.
As he exited the back of the trailer, I had to chuckle to myself... the ramp makes the walk twice as long as it would have been had he just walked along the side of the trailer.
That, my friends, is what you call karma!
I was hauling water out of our storage trailer yesterday morning - alone. Our storage trailer is a 2 classroom trailer that is no longer used for classes. There are doors at both ends of the trailer - one on the street side with stairs and the other in the back with a "handicapped" ramp. I had the street side door propped open and my car directly in front of the stairs with the tailgate open.
As I exited the classroom with a case of water a man walked by me.
Excuse me, Sir, can I help you?
I'm passing through. - He said this with a tone... I don't do tone.
I'm sorry, this is a storage trailer, not a pass through. This is not open to the public. - I was cordial...
Well, how am I supposed to get to the other side?
(I've been up since 3am. It is currently 6:15am. I've been carrying water since 5:20am) Well, you can do what everyone else does and go around. - I said this with a smile...
He snarled, Nice Attitude!
(Nice attitude? Are you kidding me? It's graduation, which is supposed to be a happy day, and you've started it off by snarling at me!)
My next comment to him - Don't start! - Trust me I was in no mood. He turned on his heel and left. Had he stayed one more second, I would have ripped his lips off. I also think that had I not been alone, he would have gone around.
As he exited the back of the trailer, I had to chuckle to myself... the ramp makes the walk twice as long as it would have been had he just walked along the side of the trailer.
That, my friends, is what you call karma!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Be Nice!
This is a rant.
If you don't like it - click the red button.
I was driving home on the highway this afternoon. It was a busy time on the roads, but not quite rush hour. This particular exit usually has two lanes exiting, but one was closed due to construction. This meant a change in traffic pattern. It was confusing. Actually, it was hairy as far as traffic goes...
An SUV was trying to move into the exit lane and another large pickup truck refused to let the person in. The person in the SUV was not being rude or anything.
He had his turn signal on.
He slowed down to try to get to the ramp. He actually looked pretty desperate...
He signaled to please let him in...
That pickup truck driver was simply nasty!
He refused to give an inch.
He even sped up so the SUV just couldn't get in.
What? Is this a race?
The next exit is 8 - yes, 8 miles up the road.
The SUV ended up going to the next exit to turn around - 16 extra miles all because someone wouldn't be nice.
This little incident happened right in front of me.
Yes, my knickers are in a twist...
I try to be a considerate driver.
I've been lost.
I've been confused in a new traffic pattern.
I've been there - and so has everybody else.
So -- if someone wants to get off the highway, please... be nice and let them off.
If you don't like it - click the red button.
I was driving home on the highway this afternoon. It was a busy time on the roads, but not quite rush hour. This particular exit usually has two lanes exiting, but one was closed due to construction. This meant a change in traffic pattern. It was confusing. Actually, it was hairy as far as traffic goes...
An SUV was trying to move into the exit lane and another large pickup truck refused to let the person in. The person in the SUV was not being rude or anything.
He had his turn signal on.
He slowed down to try to get to the ramp. He actually looked pretty desperate...
He signaled to please let him in...
That pickup truck driver was simply nasty!
He refused to give an inch.
He even sped up so the SUV just couldn't get in.
What? Is this a race?
The next exit is 8 - yes, 8 miles up the road.
The SUV ended up going to the next exit to turn around - 16 extra miles all because someone wouldn't be nice.
This little incident happened right in front of me.
Yes, my knickers are in a twist...
I try to be a considerate driver.
I've been lost.
I've been confused in a new traffic pattern.
I've been there - and so has everybody else.
So -- if someone wants to get off the highway, please... be nice and let them off.
Friday, December 04, 2009
It's like this...
It's Merry Christmas - not happy holidays.
It's a Christmas tree, not a holiday tree, a Hanukkah tree, or even a Kwanzaa tree...
I'm not shopping for holiday presents. I'm shopping for Christmas presents.
If you don't celebrate my holiday, I'm fine with that, but 'tis the season, you know? If you don't celebrate Christmas but you shop the Christmas sales, that's absolutely terrific, but please realize that without my holiday, you wouldn't be gettin' these sale prices.
So, when I go into a store that has Christmas trees for sale. I'd like them labeled as such.
Ditto for the ornaments to go on said trees.
The stockings that are hung - those are Christmas stockings... it's okay to call them what they are.
Like it or not, it's the Christmas season.
So...
Don't tell me to have a happy holiday...
It's "Merry Christmas!"... dammit.
It's a Christmas tree, not a holiday tree, a Hanukkah tree, or even a Kwanzaa tree...
I'm not shopping for holiday presents. I'm shopping for Christmas presents.
If you don't celebrate my holiday, I'm fine with that, but 'tis the season, you know? If you don't celebrate Christmas but you shop the Christmas sales, that's absolutely terrific, but please realize that without my holiday, you wouldn't be gettin' these sale prices.
So, when I go into a store that has Christmas trees for sale. I'd like them labeled as such.
Ditto for the ornaments to go on said trees.
The stockings that are hung - those are Christmas stockings... it's okay to call them what they are.
Like it or not, it's the Christmas season.
So...
Don't tell me to have a happy holiday...
It's "Merry Christmas!"... dammit.
Friday, February 27, 2009
$25,000
According to Toby Harnden, blogger for the Daily Telegraph, Barack Obama's budget will cost me $25,573.48.
I don’t know about you but, I don’t have it.
If I did, I certainly wouldn't want to send it to Obama. I'd use it to re-do my upstairs... or put in new windows... or something - anything but give it to O to re-distribute.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Responsibility
Why is it that some people sign up to do a task and then drop the ball? If you sign up to be the "Hospitality" person for the high school band, you best show up with food and do all the prep work before 8am on Saturday morning.
Needless to say, my friend C and I, spent 2 hours on Friday afternoon getting all the essentials that the band would need the following day. Where was the Hospitality person? Not there.
Did she even consider going on Thursday if she couldn't be there on Friday... ummm... no. She figured that the cups and forks pack themselves. Did she go get ice - free at the school - on Saturday morning so the kids would have cold water? Ummm... no... we did that, too.
Why did we do it? Because it's for the kids.
Was I annoyed? You bet!
Am I still annoyed... ummm.... yup.
I have my own job to do - Uniforms. I don't have time to do hers. That was the last time I'll do hers.
Oh and when one arrives at the competition site and it's time to set up the food - the hospitality person is supposed to work, not stand around and eat. The rest of the parents waited until all the kids had eaten before we even took a chip... Grr...
We packed the buses after the kids were done. We left the food table out. I was NOT packing that up. It's her job. I don't know who eventually did pack up that stuff, but I don't think I really want to know.
I was not my happy bubbly self yesterday and some of the parents and staff noticed. I was quiet. I was melancholy. I was not myself because this person didn't do her job and it irritated me. (And then she sat behind me on the bus and tried to yak at me the whole way.) I was conflicted. What to do... I didn't want to vent. I didn't want to make scene. I wanted her to shut up and leave me alone. Most of all, I wanted her to do her job.
Maybe her kid will quit...
Well, I can hope, can't I?
Needless to say, my friend C and I, spent 2 hours on Friday afternoon getting all the essentials that the band would need the following day. Where was the Hospitality person? Not there.
Did she even consider going on Thursday if she couldn't be there on Friday... ummm... no. She figured that the cups and forks pack themselves. Did she go get ice - free at the school - on Saturday morning so the kids would have cold water? Ummm... no... we did that, too.
Why did we do it? Because it's for the kids.
Was I annoyed? You bet!
Am I still annoyed... ummm.... yup.
I have my own job to do - Uniforms. I don't have time to do hers. That was the last time I'll do hers.
Oh and when one arrives at the competition site and it's time to set up the food - the hospitality person is supposed to work, not stand around and eat. The rest of the parents waited until all the kids had eaten before we even took a chip... Grr...
We packed the buses after the kids were done. We left the food table out. I was NOT packing that up. It's her job. I don't know who eventually did pack up that stuff, but I don't think I really want to know.
I was not my happy bubbly self yesterday and some of the parents and staff noticed. I was quiet. I was melancholy. I was not myself because this person didn't do her job and it irritated me. (And then she sat behind me on the bus and tried to yak at me the whole way.) I was conflicted. What to do... I didn't want to vent. I didn't want to make scene. I wanted her to shut up and leave me alone. Most of all, I wanted her to do her job.
Maybe her kid will quit...
Well, I can hope, can't I?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)