Heptadecagon

Should I feel bad about bailing on the class for which I originally signed on? In this day and age, students can pick the instructor they want, at least at our institution. There are so many of the same classes offered, the student just looks up who the instructor is and tries to fit the class into his or her own schedule. I've heard from several  students that they chose to take the class with me because I'm fair. Awesome. That is what I aim to be. I might be your friend, eventually, but I only make sure that I'll treat everyone the same and do my best to get the students to learn. So should I feel bad that, after telling them I'd no longer be teaching the class, that at least four students have dropped? I'd like to think that the class is more rigorous than they thought; that A & P is too much to handle at 8 am; that these students had no idea that coming in without any Biology background at all would be detrimental to their cause. That's probably wh...

Once upon a time in this land, long ago, Aaron received a stuffed animal monkey. When Aaron was little, he would snuggle up to the long-armed beast, who inevitably fell out of the bed and onto the floor. Each morning, I'd pick Monkey up from the carpet and inspect him for wounds. No, the fall didn't hurt him, but the long, sharp teeth of our cat, Lucy, certainly did. Repeat this action for many years and, combined with Aaron's propensity to throw around said monkey, he was, at last, a little worse for wear. However, I knew how much Aaron loved Monkey, so I made sure that he didn't see the light of day in the trash barrel. Or so I thought. We can't find Monkey anymore, who has, over time, taken on the name of Fried Chicken Monkey (I don't know why, that's just what his name is). I've looked everywhere I can think of, mostly at Aaron's request, but also because I feel for this well-loved, but lost, little beast. The other day, Aaron came up to ...

Think about your favorite heroes or heroines for a moment... What do each of them have in common? Can you identify what draws you to them? Can you understand why you might place them in the category of highly regarded characters? It doesn't matter if the character comes from a book or a movie or from real life, I bet each and every one of the people we could list would have one characteristic that shines like the proverbial beacon of light. I know what I think. Each hero or heroine of mine doesn't just allow life to happen to them. They don't sit back and watch the days go by, hoping that things will go a different way or get better. They don't call up friends and family and ask how to manage their lives (asking for help and opinions are a different matter altogether though). They reach out, take their own lives into their own hands, manipulate that life, work with it, try to make it how they want it, keeping in mind what is best for their family. But It's a s...

You know those days where you think about what you thought you'd be doing at 40 and then what you are doing at 40 and compare them? If you aren't 40, that's okay. You can still do the comparison. In fact, if you're younger than 40, get going on the comparison. It might wake you up. But remember, when you look at where you are and where you thought you'd be , blessings come in different disguises, and many times what we thought we wanted might not have been the right choice. At 40, I thought I'd be working: full-time. What I am at 40: taking a hiatus (again) from teaching. At 40, I thought I'd be: a physician (specifically a pathologist). What I am at 40: a Ph.D. who currently isn't even using the degree. At 40, I thought I'd have: 3 children. What I have at 40: 4 kids. At 40, I thought I'd drive: a minivan. What I drive at 40: a Honda Pilot. At 40, I thought I'd be living in: Ann Arbor. Where I live at 40: the state of Ohio ...

I don't normally go nuts at my birthday, but this year was a bit different. The day of my actual birthday was nothing to write home about. It was full of kids, work, and running here and there. Tim had a baseball game, and I was in bed by 10 pm. That's what being 40 and having a family does to you. But I did have plans. Big plans , at least for me. And those plans involved friends and family from near and far. So last night, we chatted, we drank, we ate. In short, we had a great time at a very simple Ladies' Night here at home. It wasn't until clean up time, when I wiped up counters and threw away napkins, that I had the time to reflect on the number of people who came out to celebrate me. Me . Some were local: my book club friends, writing group friends, school friends. Some were not: my sister from Michigan and my good friend Julie (who will now be FRE, Faithful Reader from the East ) who goes back with me 22 years. Thinking about every lady who walked through the...

71. Extra I love yous from the kids. 72. Cool blasts of air from the vents in an air-conditioned car when it is 90 degrees outside. 73. Waking up on your birthday and realizing you've made it to another day. 74. Realizing that the book you wrote might actually have the capacity to be published. 75. Cheerios. Milk. Spoon. 76. A low hanging, creamy moon at 5 am. 77. Brussels sprouts. (Hey, this is my list.) 78. Laughing until your sides hurt with a friend, at any age. 79. Fantastic art teachers. 80. The promise of a new school year.

Let me start off by saying that the conversations listed below did not happen with our insurance company, but with the company of the person who hit us last week. And, as usual, some of this really happened (well, most of it did, as written) and other parts, I had to pull out of my brain. I guess those parts could have been embellished. Insurance Company (IC): Your car is a total loss. Me: What does that mean? IC: We'll pay you X dollars for it and it gets a salvage title. Me: Okay... IC: You need to send the title to us. Let me check if you need to get it notarized....Um, no, in your state it isn't necessary. So, I'll send you, via email, the information you need. It will include a FEDEX label, which you can use to send us the title. The salvage yard will call you to make arrangement for the pickup of the vehicle. Me: Thank you. Later that day, I check my email. In the email, a copy of a sample title is included. In very large letters are the words: MUST BE NOTARIZ...