Had to Get Tough Today; OR Further Adventures in Homeschooling

I do not like AP Spanish. I do not like AP Spanish. I do not like AP Spanish.

Without identifying it by name, I would like to mention that one particular school taught me a hard lesson today.

NEVER MIND that this school's platform does not work on a Mac and they didn't tell me that. NEVER MIND that they did not assign my student classes until after the entire first, important week of school had passed by. NEVER MIND that they told me something completely untrue, and distressingly so at that, in December. NEVER MIND ALL THAT.

Fact is, in education, as in life, we don't always get to have all the facts, nor are we always treated fairly.

The untrue thing had the effect of taking some pressure off of me, back in December. I didn't find out its falseness until today. TODAY it has some permanent implications. In December, I would have had a choice to make at that time that is no longer a possibility.

This is all really enigmatic and mysterious, I know, but the consequences are not really mine to share. All I can say is, it was a tough situation, and I did the best I could to shape the conditions to be favorable, and although I could not make them favorable, I was thankful to have been able to handle the situation with relative grace.

Just another one of the many blessings in my life.

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2009 Meme

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? MET BONO.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Haven't made these for many years -- they just don't seem to be useful to me. However, I do think it would be excellent to start something at the beginning of the year and continue to do it through the end of the year (like maybe exercise on a daily basis).

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Not this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My father, January 14.

5. What countries did you visit? No foreign countries. Just traveled to Des Moines, Chicago, Raleigh, and Norman.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? The opportunity to express myself musically.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? January 14th - my dad died; September 12 - Chicago U2 concert; October 3 -Raleigh U2 concert, I met Bono; October 18 - Norman U2 concert; December 25-26 - I read Donald Miller's book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Traveling to 3 U2 concerts.

9. What was your biggest failure? Probably the whole puppy thing.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Tickets to U2 concert in Chicago.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Anyone who made any kind of a positive step in their life.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted? The Congress of the United States of America

14. Where did most of your money go? Foodstuffs.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? U2 concerts, meeting friends at concerts, and U2

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Unknown Caller, Miracle Drug

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? not thinner
c) richer or poorer? richer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? laughing

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? frowning

20. How will you be spending New Year's Eve? family traditions focusing on Greg's birthday and looking back/looking forward

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? Yes.

22. How many one-night stands? Right. Stupid question.

23. What was your favorite TV program? Only thing I watched this year was NFL Football.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Don't hate anyone at all.

25. What was the best book you read? Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? U2 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb; Snow Patrol; Jupiter One; Crossroads music

27. What did you want and get? I had wanted to meet Bono for many years and I got to.

28. What did you want and not get? Wii

29. What was your favorite film of this year? UP

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Flew home from the concert in Raleigh where I had met Bono.

31.What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying? The opportunity to express myself musically, either with my flute or my voice.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Find something I love and then wear it a LOT.

33. What kept you sane? Weekends away singing and dancing with new friends at U2 concerts.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Bono

35. What political issue stirred you the most? The Health Care issue

36. Who did you miss? My beloved father.

37. Who was the best new person you met? Bono, Robert, Cle, Stefan, Doug, Craig, Daniel, Phil

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Music is the thing that makes my heart sing.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I could never take a chance, on losing love to find romance.

(thanks to DollyMama for this meme.)

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