In preparation for our trip to see Tarzan's family tomorrow - TOMORROW!! - I pulled out my travelling "purse" - which is to say, the slightly undersized duffel bag I use as my 'personal item' on the airplane. I love it because it is roomy, with enough pockets to separate all my stuff - I'm neurotic, I admit it - but when less than jammed full, it doesn't collapse on itself and still looks good.However, after many moons of use, the handles were starting to fray:
I dislike when one part wears out when the rest of the item still works fine:
So I decided to see if I could fix it. I looked through our many (i.e. two) types of industrial type tapes (duct and electrical) and settled on the electrical for a few reasons:- It is strong and flexible
- It lays flat and smooth
- I had a lot of it
- It matched the color of my shoulder bag
What I did was select some lightweight cardboard. Like unto a cereal box and cut two strips per handle: 
Then I tacked it in place, one piece on either side: 
And wound the electrical tape around from one end to the other:
Voila! Smooth, reinforced, flexible, consistant handle:
This is me, happy to be able to smuggle a small child onto the plane in my bag again.
I think part of the reason it is such a hassle to go to the post office - the long lines, the indeterminant number of pieces of paper one has to fill out, in triplicate, the correct way, the yelling from the staff, the boxes, the grafitti, the weird smell, the flashes from the passport station - is all so that when you finally get to the window, with all the correct papers in the correct order, you will pay whatever they ask, just so you can get the ordeal over with and not get sent back to the end of the line to start again with new papers and a new way to fill them out.This is me, and I made the trip to the end of the line three times today. Not a stellar recommendation.
With the news of Tarzan's job resolved, we turn our attention towards the summer plans.And it's going to be a PAR-TAY!Friday we have tickets for a baseball game, and then next Sunday, we leave for an entre week in The Land Of Cheese, at Rocketgirl's house with all of Tarzan's family, before his parents leave for a year in the Orient.Much fun is planned.When we get home from that Tarzan has summer school and regular work all around before RHM comes for a weekend of excitement and after she's goes home, we're off again for BHB's wedding.This is me and before I know it, it's going to be Christmas.
It struck me as highly amusing that one of the items donated to the LDS church sponsored swap meet this evening was a Budweiser labeled bottle opener...This is me and that's how we roll?
As you may recall, Tarzan got the RIF notice from his school district earlier this year. And despite the dour mood on the radio - thank you NPR - and among other departments that have been reduced, Tarzan has been remarkably upbeat. He's right; whatever will be, will be and we're prepared either way.The good news however, is that the school district has contrived some deal with the unions and the state to allow nearly all of the teachers, librarians, counselors and maintenance staff to come back in the fall.Which means, for the second year in a row, Tarzan's job has been saved. The school year is getting cut a whole week short but I'll be honest, there are very few to whom five days will make a difference.Additionally, the Academic Decathlon funds have been "found" somewhere. It was amusing to hear the uproar when the program was threatened. Our state, and for the last 4 years, our district, has won the National Academic Decathlon Championship.The buzz was, 'why would they cancel the one program in the state that was working?'Well, they aren't, and that means Tarzan has his other job as well. We'll be back teaching, chauffeuring, cajoling, baking cookies and herding the teenagers again in a few weeks. But it's a good thing and we're happy for that too.This is me and this is getting silly.
It's not like an HGTV make-over or anything, but we finally updated our sad, couch slipcover:
For a nicer, new one:
The bonus of it all is that we can use the same throw pillows.This is me and it looks better now.
As part of this job, working for Tarzan's Aunt Richie, I have been asked to take one of her granddaughters - making her my second cousin I think...by marriage? - on her college tours. Aunt Richie is not able to walk college campuses like she once was and driving places outside of her neighborhood make her nervous.Enter me.We have been to a few this summer, but today's was truly memorable.Let me preface this with; it has been a while, but I remember what college was like and I remember my presentation style and I know what a big deal it was to have a job and the insecurity of almost-but-not-quite-being an adult.So I sympathize with our tour guide, I really do.But honey, there are more descriptive words in the English vocabulary than 'cool,' 'fun' and 'awesome.'Don't tell us you are a junior and still haven't picked a major.Don't tell the parents there that their kids are going to break the law when they move in. It might be true but don't tell them straight out.Next, know your own campus. It does not bode well to get lost on your own school grounds.Lastly, do not interrupt your scripted blurb - the only one that was actually informative - to comment on the sweater of one of the tourees.This is me and I could have done a better job without knowing a thing about the school.
Do you ever put 'shower' and 'brush teeth' on your to-do list, just so you can cross something off?This is me and just one of those weeks.
Thursday, Tarzan, ATL and I ducked out of work early and drove three hours to see my baby brother, LBO, graduate from high school:
I say, without the slightest hint of self importance, that I have been at every one of my eight siblings' high school graduations. And I also say, I have been to better organized events.The parking was atrocious and despite having tickets and a camera with 18x optical zoom, this is the best picture we could get of LBO's the trip across the stage:
Stupid balloon arch.Fortunately, there was much confetti, fireworks and dancing afterwards:
Proud parents:
Sisters:
Manly handshake:
Congratulations LBO!
This is me not having to go to another high school graduation ever. I figure by the time the nieces and nephews graduate, we can all Skype in or something.
Dear Tree Doctor; I have a book that explains fruit tree care and it says to prune my apricot tree in the fall after all the leaves come off and to remove all the suckers. It has diagrams of the Y-shape I am supposed to utilize and mentions to not let any branches point downward or off the bottom of another branch. Then it says to fertilize the tree shortly after and in the spring I should get leaves, blossoms and eventually fruit.I did all the trimming and fertilizing and the tree did put out leaves and blossoms, in fact, many blossoms this year:
But it didn't stop there, all the blossoms fell off and the tree is growing out of control:
How do I make the tree put the spring effort into making fruit and not into making more branches?Thank you for your assistance.This is me, respectfully Jane.
