Just a quick one, because it's hilarious.
I love my youth kids like I birthed them. Praise band having a hard night. Lead singer drops the microphone and walks off the stage after the last song. Band goes storming off after him. Some major issues going on. I couldn't go after them right then, right there, but make a point that I need to talk to them later.
About 20 minutes later, the rest of the kids are heading to the youth house after announcements and stuff. I go upstairs to look for hubby. Hubby has already taken his charges over. The lead singer, drummer, and guitar player are sitting on the floor, looking pretty serious about something and obviously don't want to be bothered.
Me: What ya' doin'?
Drummer: Talking.
Me: What ya' talking about?
Guitar player: Stuff
They know me. They should have known that wasn't going to play with me. I sat down. You should have seen the looks on their faces. Shock that I sat down, shock that I would interrupt, shock that I would stay with them.
We sat and talked for almost 45 minutes about what was on their minds. But, they felt better when we were done. My advice was to not throw up road blocks where there are none. My repeated statement was "Are you going to let that stop you?" The answer, finally, "No. We can do this." Thank you, my sweet boys.
What are talking about? Stuff. Really? Like I'm a sucker.
Gosh, I love my kids.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Reformed
I am not talking about me! We haven't had TV in our bedroom since we got rid of satellite.We don't watch much news anymore. It's been lovely. Except for the fact that hubby and I like to have the TV when we go to bed. We've been watching DVDs, but we've run through most, if not all, of the movies we own about a bajillion times. Then one day, the TV wouldn't turn on. Well, how do you watch a movie with no TV? It's not easy. So we bought a new one. It was something we hadn't planned on, but we did it anyway. I don't agree with the whole digital TV being mandated by Congress, but I do like that most TVs nowadays have a built in antennae. We have TV in the bedroom again.
So what do I put the TV on in the morning as I start my day? Morning news shows. Why? Because I am an idiot. I don't know why I bother. All it does most mornings is piss me off. They talk about politicians, celebrities, and crap that just makes me think that the general IQ of our country has dropped about 100 points. People, please, grow a brain. More importantly, start using it. I have a brain cramp.
Education reform is another way to say that we have no idea what the hell we are doing when it comes to educating our children. Where I live they are considering changing the grading system. Know what that's going to do? Make more kids fail. I am not one that thinks that we should only use positive statements. They need to learn to be disappointed. Life is not easy or simple. But we shouldn't necessarily make it easier for them either. Standardized testing is a crock of shit. They don't measure performance of teachers or students any more than a ruler will measure cups and ounces. In our state, it is illegal to teach to the test. Um, someone should tell the schools that. They are teaching to the test. They did it when my kids attended public school and they are doing it now. It's not the teacher unions that are the problem. They are a problem, but not the root of this problem.
The problem is that we are using outdated standards and listening to "experts" that have never taught a day in their lives. Why? Because they have a degree that says they studied about how to educate? How about listening to teachers about their job? Sorry, just makes sense to me. How about we realize that teaching a room of 20-30 kids is almost impossible? They learn different ways. How about we recognize that there are different ways to learn? Some are visual learners, some auditory. Some people need to actually do to learn. It is impossible to teach to each individual and still accomplish teaching and learning. Placing kids together by age makes no sense. Is that how your job is? Are you only working with people your age? Are your friends all your age? I'm going out on a limb and saying no. Should there be standards and a yearly review for teachers to keep their jobs? Doesn't everyone else get one? They should. What would the criteria be? I don't have an answer to that, but I know it's got to be better than what is going on now. I have several teacher friends and they are frustrated that they can't do what they love, but instead, are forced to follow rules and curricula that ties their hands.
Do you know why there's high school? It started in the days of the Great Depression. Too many men were out of work. The work force needed to be decreased so that there would be more jobs available for men. What better way than send the kids back to school. There were avenues of higher education, but not a country wide high school system. They were also training them to be able to work in a factory setting. Think about it. What do your kids learn in school? Stay on the line, follow the rules, and do what I tell you. Sounds like factory work, doesn't it? Just some food for thought. But remember, it's not the kids or the teachers that are broken. It's the system in which they have to operate.
Healthcare is another area that needs serious reform. Insurance for all is certainly not the answer. And, frankly, I don't want to pay for your insurance. I also don't want to pay for your groceries, housing, and cell phones. We can barely pay our own bills. It's about reforming the system that provides healthcare as well as the insurance system. Some hospitals require you to pay up front before they see you, insurance or not. I have a friend that was forced to pay $2300, up front, before a procedure was done. No money, said the hospital, no procedure. Wow. I always advise people not to pay their deductible until the insurance company has determined who the deductible should be paid to. The hospitals don't play by that rule. When the boy had his appendix out, they did several tests. They only needed one. Why did he have to have all the others? They were covering their butt. And costing me money. And costing you money, too. We had no insurance at the time and we were put on emergency Medicaid. Know who pays for that? We all do. Thanks for paying $25,000 for my boy to be transported by ambulance from hospital to hospital, doctors to read his tests, having emergency surgery to remove his appendix, and an overnight stay at a children's hospital. We are ever so grateful. And pissed off about the whole thing. Still. 6 years later. It's not about treating patients, it's not about diagnosing properly, it's not about helping people that can't help themselves. It's about the Benjamins.
Who did Congress talk to while putting together Obamacare? CEOs of hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies. How about the billers? They are the ones that have to collect the money from insurance companies. How about the customer service reps that deal with hospitals and doctors offices that question the billing? How about the patients that have to go through test after unnecassary test? Yeah, why? That would only lead to responsible reform.
Political reform. I could write a whole blog on the evils of the current political system. I find it odd that the best way to become a multimillionaire is to become a Senator. They have first hand knowledge that allows them to play the stock market and buy or sell stocks in companies that are being awarded contracts or losing contracts with the government. Really? And that isn't insider trading? That's bug nuts crazy is what that is. We do have more than two parties in this country, but no one else gets exposure except the big two. And talk about crooks! Rick Perry wanted to have every girl in the state of Texas to have the Guardisil vaccine. Sounds magnanimous and generous, doesn't it? Yeah, until you found out that one of the major contributors to his campaign is the maker of the vaccine. Now that makes better sense. Not the only time he's done that, by the way. It's not just him. Politicians couldn't get away with it if we didn't let them. And, boy, do we ever let them. I have screamed and screamed that we need to educate ourselves. Still screaming, people.
It's not enough to pass a law. It's not enough to change a grading system or administer a test. It's not enough to order a test. It's the sytem that's broken. Look to the root of the problem and fix that. Talk to the people that are having the issues. Talk to the people that would be affected by the solution. Or just leave it alone and let the systems break down even further. Yeah, not so much on this blog.
So what do I put the TV on in the morning as I start my day? Morning news shows. Why? Because I am an idiot. I don't know why I bother. All it does most mornings is piss me off. They talk about politicians, celebrities, and crap that just makes me think that the general IQ of our country has dropped about 100 points. People, please, grow a brain. More importantly, start using it. I have a brain cramp.
Education reform is another way to say that we have no idea what the hell we are doing when it comes to educating our children. Where I live they are considering changing the grading system. Know what that's going to do? Make more kids fail. I am not one that thinks that we should only use positive statements. They need to learn to be disappointed. Life is not easy or simple. But we shouldn't necessarily make it easier for them either. Standardized testing is a crock of shit. They don't measure performance of teachers or students any more than a ruler will measure cups and ounces. In our state, it is illegal to teach to the test. Um, someone should tell the schools that. They are teaching to the test. They did it when my kids attended public school and they are doing it now. It's not the teacher unions that are the problem. They are a problem, but not the root of this problem.
The problem is that we are using outdated standards and listening to "experts" that have never taught a day in their lives. Why? Because they have a degree that says they studied about how to educate? How about listening to teachers about their job? Sorry, just makes sense to me. How about we realize that teaching a room of 20-30 kids is almost impossible? They learn different ways. How about we recognize that there are different ways to learn? Some are visual learners, some auditory. Some people need to actually do to learn. It is impossible to teach to each individual and still accomplish teaching and learning. Placing kids together by age makes no sense. Is that how your job is? Are you only working with people your age? Are your friends all your age? I'm going out on a limb and saying no. Should there be standards and a yearly review for teachers to keep their jobs? Doesn't everyone else get one? They should. What would the criteria be? I don't have an answer to that, but I know it's got to be better than what is going on now. I have several teacher friends and they are frustrated that they can't do what they love, but instead, are forced to follow rules and curricula that ties their hands.
Do you know why there's high school? It started in the days of the Great Depression. Too many men were out of work. The work force needed to be decreased so that there would be more jobs available for men. What better way than send the kids back to school. There were avenues of higher education, but not a country wide high school system. They were also training them to be able to work in a factory setting. Think about it. What do your kids learn in school? Stay on the line, follow the rules, and do what I tell you. Sounds like factory work, doesn't it? Just some food for thought. But remember, it's not the kids or the teachers that are broken. It's the system in which they have to operate.
Healthcare is another area that needs serious reform. Insurance for all is certainly not the answer. And, frankly, I don't want to pay for your insurance. I also don't want to pay for your groceries, housing, and cell phones. We can barely pay our own bills. It's about reforming the system that provides healthcare as well as the insurance system. Some hospitals require you to pay up front before they see you, insurance or not. I have a friend that was forced to pay $2300, up front, before a procedure was done. No money, said the hospital, no procedure. Wow. I always advise people not to pay their deductible until the insurance company has determined who the deductible should be paid to. The hospitals don't play by that rule. When the boy had his appendix out, they did several tests. They only needed one. Why did he have to have all the others? They were covering their butt. And costing me money. And costing you money, too. We had no insurance at the time and we were put on emergency Medicaid. Know who pays for that? We all do. Thanks for paying $25,000 for my boy to be transported by ambulance from hospital to hospital, doctors to read his tests, having emergency surgery to remove his appendix, and an overnight stay at a children's hospital. We are ever so grateful. And pissed off about the whole thing. Still. 6 years later. It's not about treating patients, it's not about diagnosing properly, it's not about helping people that can't help themselves. It's about the Benjamins.
Who did Congress talk to while putting together Obamacare? CEOs of hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies. How about the billers? They are the ones that have to collect the money from insurance companies. How about the customer service reps that deal with hospitals and doctors offices that question the billing? How about the patients that have to go through test after unnecassary test? Yeah, why? That would only lead to responsible reform.
Political reform. I could write a whole blog on the evils of the current political system. I find it odd that the best way to become a multimillionaire is to become a Senator. They have first hand knowledge that allows them to play the stock market and buy or sell stocks in companies that are being awarded contracts or losing contracts with the government. Really? And that isn't insider trading? That's bug nuts crazy is what that is. We do have more than two parties in this country, but no one else gets exposure except the big two. And talk about crooks! Rick Perry wanted to have every girl in the state of Texas to have the Guardisil vaccine. Sounds magnanimous and generous, doesn't it? Yeah, until you found out that one of the major contributors to his campaign is the maker of the vaccine. Now that makes better sense. Not the only time he's done that, by the way. It's not just him. Politicians couldn't get away with it if we didn't let them. And, boy, do we ever let them. I have screamed and screamed that we need to educate ourselves. Still screaming, people.
It's not enough to pass a law. It's not enough to change a grading system or administer a test. It's not enough to order a test. It's the sytem that's broken. Look to the root of the problem and fix that. Talk to the people that are having the issues. Talk to the people that would be affected by the solution. Or just leave it alone and let the systems break down even further. Yeah, not so much on this blog.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Updated
Just a few things on my mind. Not much, just enough to clutter things a bit. Thought I'd do something I don't do in real life: dust. My allergies are kicking in already.
- I used to be very political. Hubby was worried that some of my blogs would lead to black SUVs following me everywhere. We used to joke about snipers in the back field. I just got tired of all the bullshit. Oh my gosh, there's enough of that stuff for many, many square foot gardens. Except that there was this push to pretty much make your home garden illegal. Sorry, just had to throw that in there. Be aware, people, be aware. And I am. Doesn't mean I'll blog about it. Doesn't mean I won't, either. Just not to the point that there is the possibility of surveillance. For the record, Monsanto is evil and they should be ashamed of themselves!! Just needed to get that off my chest. Well, so much for surveillance...
- I am a sucker for word games. I have probably told you before that I have Words, Hanging, and Scramble with Friends. If you play any of those, and you have my email, text, or we're friends on Facebook, let's play. Send me your name and which one(s) you play and it is on, honey!! My favorite out of the three is Scramble. It's like Boggle. I have games going with my friend MFE. She is whooping me but good. I get a game every now and then and I'm getting better, but she still beats me. Can't help but be addicted. I check my phone every 10 minutes to see if I have words. If I go more than 15 or 20 minutes without a word, I'm like a junkie looking for a fix. Two of my kids and hubby have some if not all of the games, and I am forever bugging them to give me words. "I NEED WORDS!!" is the most dreaded phrase heard in our house.
- We got our taxes filed. I hate this time of year. Mermie and Big Sis worked at the same CPA firm. Mermie first and that's where she retired from, and Big Sis for a few years until the babies started coming. I think I got tax anxiety from my brushes with accountants and CPAs. I hate it. Anyway, it's done and we got a refund. Thank you, God! We owed money one year and that was stressful to the nth degree. You do not want to mess with the IRS. Gives me the heebie jeebies.
- One of my favorite apps right now is I Heart Radio. You can listen to radio stations from all across the country. It's awesome! It's not every station from every city, but there is quite the selection. I listen to stations from Dallas, but you can scroll through and listen to pretty much whatever. The big girl added it to her iPod. Funny thing that we both have the Mix Master station.
- We are in the market for three new appliances. We need a washer, an oven, and a dishwasher. We've found a couple we like, it's just a matter of checking to see if they fit. There goes the nice padding in my wallet. Oh, well, I keep thinking convection oven, convection oven, convection oven. That's better.
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