untilted

When I was young
I was immortal.

Fooling time, fate
and myself with
a parlor trick
now forgotten.

Still time drags on.

I scratch out the days
trying to make
my pen work again

Baptizing my clothes
in the wash.

~ by Katy

Freezing and Sneezing

Okay bloggers. This isn't really an update as much as it me just complaining about my cold and the weather.

I have a cold. My head is all stopped up. To make it worse. I know I got this cold from a lawyer. A very obnoxious lawyer who flittered around the office sick all last week, coughing and sneezing on every piece of paper she handed to me. I have felt so bad that I caved yesterday and bought actual medicine. I have been anti-drugs since I was young and forced to swallow cough syrup. But since I was on death's door, Alex and I stopped off at Walgreen's and bought some cold medicine and a box of pink tissues.

Anyway, it is because of this cold and the freaking freezing cold weather outside that I turned the heater on AGAIN on Monday. I was shivering and sneezing and just couldn't handle doing both at the same time. I not only turned it on, I left it on and have been enjoying the warmth of a house heated to 55 degrees ever since.

Now, I know what you are thinking and you are right. I promised to only heat my house when it was freezing outside. I turned off the heater when I left for work this morning and don't expect to turn it on again. Temperatures are suppose to be in the 60s and 70s until Monday and I plan on being well by then.

Goodby To All That by Robert Graves

I just posted this review on goodreads.com. I thought I would add it here because it is a book that is worth a look. I'm afraid we are falling into a world were we only read books the books on school reading lists and the bestsellers tables.

Can I just say how shocked I am that NO one (on goodreads) has reviewed this one?

I will admit, originally written in 1928(ish) and then updated in the 1950s, its not exactly a page turner by today's standers. For the time though, I can only imagine what it must have been like to be glued to its pages.

I picked this up for two reasons. 1)I'm a sucker for British History and 2) you can't read anything about Robert Graves (who is famous for his poetry) without seeing a mention of the book that first coined the phrase, "Goodbye to All That."

That said, I admit that in the middle of this one I found myself wondering why I had picked it up at all. Its a WWI autobiography, the non-fictional Hemingway. Graves, isn't falling in love with nurses or driving ambulances, he's stepping over headless bodies on his way into the trench and wonder why the guy next to him hasn't moved for 5 hours.

Still, he offers a unique perspective. Graves was raised in the British boarding schools and groomed to be the perfect British gentlemen, but his mother was German. He spent many holidays on the Continent as a child. The most interesting part of his whole tail is his ability to link his childhood memories to the battle field. He is very aware of the fact that his uncle is a German General and his cousins were killed by British solders.

I think that since of familiarity explodes the general consensus that WWI was the biggest waist of a war ever fought on European Soil. As a child of the 1980s, it is almost impossible to read the first chapter of the World War histories without being tainted by the second. This book allows you to do that though. It is written through the eyes of young man who has never seen a war like this before, and is sure he never will again.

The other really revealing thing is the death toll. The true since of how an entire generation was effected by the conflict. 1 in 4 of Grave's Prep school classmates were killed on the battlefield and of the 3 left standing, 2 of them were injured at least once, often more. That is staggering. It isn't something that we can relate to at all really.

And yet, with all the carnage going on. All the death. The gas attacks. Graves doesn't sit on his high horse and preach to the choir. He merely tells his story. He introduces us to the characters, lays out the tales of time they spent together, then almost as an after thought adds..."He was killed at..." or "He was later blinded by...".

Anyway. It is worth it to trudge through this one because it gives such a unique perspective. You can't help but come out different on the other side. You do have to be in the mood though.

Freeze Yer Buns Up Date

I finally feel qualified to give an update for this challenge. I turned my A/C off for good in October and in November, vowed not to turn my heater on this winter. Of course, I gave myself a loop hole. If it reached freezing temperatures I would turn the heat on 50 something. (I have to go back and see what I said.) Yesterday it snowed. If you are living in the North you probably would have no appreciation for the not even inch of snow that fell. You would probably be doubled over laughing at our cursing at the thermometer that got down to 30 degrees. I'm not laughing. I'm freezing.
Let me put this in perspective for you. I ware a sleeveless shirt to work on Monday. I had a light sweater to wear around the office, but when I walked outside, the sweater came off. It was in the mid 70s. By Saturday we will be back into the 70s.
Since I know this weather will not last I was still trying to make it with out the heater. I didn't turn on the heat last night. I put Alex in double layers of pjs and her robe. I got out my toasty house socks, and a sweat shirt and snuggled under the covers. We survived.
This morning, at 5:30 it was still below freezing. Laid around waiting for things to get warm. But I caved. I knew there was now way I was going to get dressed in the cold. Forget about Alex even getting out of bed. So I turned the heater on. Set it for 55 and waited. As the house warmed, I got Alex up and took Gryffindor out. It was freezing. When I got back inside I felt like I had walked into an oven.
It is suppose to warm up tonight so I don't anticipate turning the heat on again. But now I know. I'm a Southern wimp.

The Nutcracker Has Landed...

Every year, the fourth graders of my daughter's elementary put on a production of the Nutcracker. All the kids who have not yet reached the 4th grade get up and go to school every morning because they know that one day, they too will get to dance on stage and sing songs set to Peter Tchaikovsky tunes.

Last night was my daughter's night. Her turn to bask in Nutcracker glory. She was candy flute. Covered in too much make-up and just a tough of body glitter she literally shined on stage as she danced with her plastic candy cane.

Everything was quite nicely done. Their customs where beautiful, yet simple. The kids all seemed to be excited and on their game. At only 30 minutes long, I give the production an A++.

But while we sat and waited for the show to start I had another experience. One that reminded me just how lucky I am to be able to send my daughter to this school. Its a public school in one of the best districts in our nation. As we sat and listened to the sound check I heard Alex's Aunt, who is just two years older comment, "They have a really good sound system. It's better than ours." Yes, it probably is. We have a top of the line sound system in our cafeteria while the middle school on the other side of the freeway has one in they auditorium that is held together by duck tape and hope. (Remember it's public so no prayers).

The Aunt also marveled a the announcement about the 4th grade field trip to Austin to visit the Texas History Museum. Her 4th grade class, went to the Test of Texas, a local restaurant (which Alex did too) to learn their Texas History.

Then there was a call for donations. Our computer labs have not been updated since (gasp!) 2004! So PTA is hosting an auction at the Marriott in the spring. They are asking people to donate a stay at their ranch, sky lodge, or beach house. How about Airline miles or day at the Club? Anything that might bring in some much needed funds. While my sister was laughing at the suggestions I had to say, "Hey at the fall festival they raffled off two ipods, and a Vera Bradly sleepover bag."

Oh, and there were also the calls for donations for our "Sister School". An elementary school just across the freeway whose students are in need of shoes and coats and Christmas presents.

It was a very humbling experience. To watch this wonderful play and be reminded of the great gift of opportunity my daughter has.