This is my original blog. I haven’t updated for years. I keep it as a reminder of the journey.
Please see Broke Teacher for education and Poser Homestead for chickens, recipes, and dead zucchini.
Vote Early, Vote Often–But Don’t Forget to Vote!
I'd like to thank the President for getting up so early and sending the 4AM and 5AM emails reminding me to vote. It shows me how hard he's working today. Okay, I'm not naive. I know they come from some dashboard that autosends them, and that I'm still the only...
TV is Not A Storm Essential: Being Grateful
We got lucky. It's post storm, and all is well here--our idea of moving inland away from things like the airport and coast were excellent ideas. The idea of trying to get off the grid immediately--at least as much as possible, has paid off in spades. I'm not chasing...
Give Me Some #$%&@*% Coffee, Not an Existential Experience!
Coffee has a special place in Rhode Island. Coffee milk is the state drink. Dunkin Donuts, once regional, went from a local caffeine fix to a national institution. "America Runs on Dunkin." And yes it does. Even though Rhode Island has been surpassed by Washington...
The Frankenstorm of the Century–Storm Prep Rhode Island Style
The hype has begun. "Frankenstorm" has hit the tv news cycle. I'm not sure if Frankenstorm will be a whopper or if it was created to take advantage of weak news ratings. Either way, the name sure does sound bad. It's a little late in the season for a hurricane, but...
Spreading Goodness: Thanks for the Award
I got an award--this one's special because it came from someone who herself has a beautiful blog. Thank you, Allie! Part of the rules were that I have to divulge seven things about myself, then pass on the nomination to fifteen deserving writers. Fun! It's like chain...
Please Be Quiet Right Now
I have a five-year old who is getting even with me for being a five-year old who never shut up. It's a curse. Parents say, "I hope you have one just like you." Well, I did. And while I never walked across the house to turn around, bend over, and pass gas in...
Using Checklists to Raise Self-Esteem
I made a learnboard on Learnist about checklists. It was based on a fabulous article by Dr. Todd Finley, who researched everything related to checklists. He read all the research on checklists, poured through every website about checklists known to mankind, and read...
ADHD and Me: Tales of a “Different” Thinker
In my day, we didn't have "ADHD." We had "Shut the hell up and do your homework!" and "WHAT is your PROBLEM?" They were both a valid educational diagnoses entered into the DSM Negative 5, the book of guidelines on such things. They were reinforced and treated by a...
Girls Should Not Be in the Weight Room
I wanted to be a bodybuilder. I know, check out the “about me” photo, and you’ll see a pretty scrawny individual who is not even good at cross-country, the one sport where people are morally required to cheer for all participants even if they’re terrible. But for...
Yom Kippur–It’s Not Just for Jews
I’m not really Jewish—I’m an honorary Jew. I got this honor for a couple of reasons, for which I'm grateful because the Jewish holidays are really cool. Of course, many people prefer the Christian holidays, because who gets gifts on Rosh Hashana, and truly,...
Failing at Music–Succeeding at Life: Part Two
I love music. I wanted to be a professional musician, but there was one small problem. I couldn't read music. And I'd never had a clarinet lesson. I was third-chair third clarinet in the high school band which I joined junior year. Everyone else joined in fourth...
Failing at Music–Succeeding at Life: Part One
This past summer I attended a concert in honor of a person who profoundly influenced my life—my high school band director, Tom Kessler. He was the kind of teacher who educated the “whole student,” and though I suspect he originally planned to stay a few years...