I have a student whose mother is constantly late to pick him up (I'm talking pretty much every day here). And not just a few minutes….anywhere from half an hour to the extreme of 3 1/2 hours. Yes, this child was left sitting in the school office until about 6:15 p.m. one day.

So today he is coughing up a storm (which can be really distracting and disruptive) and asking to go to the bathroom every 10-15 minutes (which is very unusual). So I go and talk to the nurse and ask her to please call mom (I had already sent him there, but she had declined to call mom because she didn't think she'd come anyway). [Did I mention mom does NOT work?] After our talk, the nurse agrees to call mom because the kid (in my eyes) is definitely sick. Mom's response? “He's faking it.” Ummmm….WHATEVER. I think that after 9 years of teaching kindergarten through 2nd grade, I am pretty well equipped to determine whether or not a kid is “faking it.” He was not. His face was flushed, he had his head on his desk, and he told me he “didn't feel so good.”

Anyway, she finally came and got him when there was about an hour left of school. So now about justice? Where is the justice in some piece of crap person like her who cares about no one but herself having children, and people like me and Mike (and there are a LOT of people like us) who would be nurturing, caring, loving, responsible parents NOT being able to have children (or at least having difficulty). Where is the justice there? How is that fair? I know. Life is not fair. But this type of thing just disgusts me.

Off my soapbox.

Latin Week with special guest - and absolutely lovely and kind person - Gloria Estefan. I was a little worried how some of these idols would handle Latin music. Not an easy genre at all…but they did okay. Gloria's music is just awesome, and they even had the superb Miami Sound Machine backing them. No way could they have pulled this off without them. I have been reminded why I love Gloria so so much. :)

1. Fantasia Get On Your Feet - She sounded a bit breathless to me throughout the whole song - maybe a bit too much dancing. She didn't look like she was having a lot of fun to me - not a lot of smiles, but loved the dress!

2. George Live for Loving You - A fun song - and he looked like he was having a blast. It didn't seem to really show off his range though. I still love George! Hope next week is a better genre for him.

3. LaToya Rhythm Is Gonna Getcha - I think LaToya is definitely the most versatile idol - its seems she can sing just about any genre pretty well, and she is growing on me. The lights were really annoying me during her song because I couldn't see her moves as well as I would have liked, but she did a good job. You could tell how comfortable she is performing with a live band. This song didn't show off her vocal chops as well as others have, though.

4. John Music of My Heart - Poor John…he is such a sweetheart, but so totally out of his depth now, and Latin was so NOT the genre for him. The song was a good choice - mellow is good for John - those crazy Latin beats would have been scary to listen to I think. However, he is a great kid and he takes all the criticism with dignity. He tries so hard and his family should be very proud.

5. Jasmine Here We Are - To me it sounded like she was under pitch the whole song. Maybe it sounded different there, but it was definitely not her best performance. I was not terribly impressed although I liked her overall tone.

6. Diana Turn the Beat Around - Absolutely age appopriate and perfect song for her. This is a great style for Diana and she did a great job. I liked her dress although it kind of looked like car wash flaps.

My ranking:

1. Diana
2. LaToya
3. George
4. Fantasia
5. John
6. Jasmine (because to me she sounded under pitch the entire song)

My prediction:

Wow…who knows with the way the voting went last week. I think that really it is time for John to go. If not him, definitely Jasmine or maybe even Fantasia. I think Diana and LaToya should be safe, and probably George, but we shall see!

I do NOT want twins. I thought that twins wouldn't be such a bad idea…one pregnancy…two kids…done. Wrong. LOTS of work!!!

And secondly, anyone who purposefully chooses to be a single parent is nuts. Mike was not around most of the time, but even when he was there it wasn't easy.

I have come to the following big conclusions as well:

1. If it comes down to spending thousands of dollars to get pregnant, I think I will decide not to spend the money.

2. If I can't get pregnant, I would be open to adoption, but probably not an infant…potty trained age or above is good. Not that changing diapers was horribly awful, but I think I could handle it much easier if it was my own flesh and blood that I had carried around in my body for nine months. Mike has often suggested this, and I always declined it immediately, but….I am now much more open to the idea of adopting a child other than a baby…babies are easy to place. I think I'd be willing to stretch a bit and open my heart and home to a child who needs us. After all, what is my outcome in all this? Is it to be a parent? Or is it to have a baby? I think being a parent is a nobler ambition than just having a baby.

3. I am not cut out to be a babysitter. ;-)

All joking aside, it was an eye-opening experience. And a good one. It focused me a lot. And that is always a good thing.

Well, it's now 9 pm and the babies are asleep…or at least they are in bed…lol. I have to say these little angels are a bit more work than your average babies since they were preemies and have a few more challenges like breathing treatments and antihistamines to take. :)

My only real major challenge was that the little boy baby would not eat dinner. I tried the meat and veggies we had for dinner which his sister gobbled right down, but no go. So I got out one of the baby food jars and tried that. No go on that one either. I figured I wasn't going to force him…if he was hungry he would eat, and he'd be getting a bottle soon anyway. One night without food will not be a huge deal…he's still getting nutrients from the milk anyway.

Other than that, fairly smooth sailing, although I do have to admit, two babies is a LOT of work. I think I'll focus on ONE baby. I can't even imagine what my cousin who had just had triplets to join her 2 year old is going through. Oy vey!

I'm having a dose of reality tonight…we will see how it goes. I'm babysitting my friend Cathy's twins. Overnight. This should be interesting. I will keep you posted…if I have time. So far, so good. They are in the playpen which I put in my office for the time-being while I'm doing bills. Marlene, I hope you're home in case I need you! ;)

Pat Tillman was a football player. He played for Arizona State University - a good team. He played for the Arizona Cardinals - a bad team. He made a lot of money. He was offered a $3.6 million contract to play football. He turned it down. He became an Army Ranger and fought for his country.

Football players are not heroes. Heroes are people that sacrifice - even their lives - for the sake of freedom. Pat Tillman did not seek out publicity for his decision. He merely made the decision he thought was best for him - the decision he thought was the right thing to do.

And whether or not you agree with the war he was fighting in, you should respect this man who showed true courage and heroism by doing what he thought was right instead of taking the easy way out.

Pat Tillman died yesterday fighting for the country he loved. Fighting with honor alongside his comrades. Doing, in his mind, the right thing. I'm sure he died with the same integrity with which he lived.

And so Pat Tillman should not be remembered as the football player who put his career on hold to fight for his country, but as a man with honor, integrity, and strength. A true role model. An inspiration. A hero.

Godspeed. May the angels speed you to paradise and eternal peace.

Barry Manilow week - but before you start groaning, remember the man is not just a performer, he is also a song writer and arranger and he rearranged his songs to fit the Idols and really worked with them and gave them terrific advice. He brought out the best of most of them and we saw some things we haven't really seen before. Go Barry!

1. Diana (One Voice) - The TV mix I think was bad because I lost a lot of her low notes at the beginning, but it got better on the big parts. This was a good song for her and a really BIG ending.

2. George (Tryin' to Get the Feelin') - He sounded a bit hoarse to me, and he tried to do too much. I love love love George, but did not like his performance this week too much. He did have a nice strong ending though.

3. Jennifer (Weekend in New England) - This is one of my favorite Barry Manilow songs and to me it should be a gentle love song - kind of shy in a way, so in my opinion the wrong person sang it. She ALWAYS oversings and this week was no exception. Yes she has a big powerful voice, but that is not what it is all about. You have to have some variety in your vocals - some gentleness too. I never EVER see that with her. Obviously I am NOT a Jennifer fan.

4. Jasmine (I'll Never Love This Way Again) - Another one of my favorite songs. She really did a good job on this. The modulation was kinda shaky, but overall a very good performance of this song.

5. LaToya (All the Time) - I felt this started out really boring. I was thinking, yeah, so what? But when she got to the meat of the song she really delivered. A couple of the high notes were a little bit pitchy but she really has some range in her and she can also be gentle. I like that about her.

6. John (Mandy) - Barry did some good work with young John. He was much looser and really got into telling the story of the song especially at the beginning. It was a good song for his voice, but I think he is really now out of his depth and does not stand up to the rest of them. He really does seem to be a sweetheart of a kid, though!

7. Fantasia (It's a Miracle) - I felt she was a bit behind the beat at times, but she really made this song her own. It was powerful and different and I liked it. I think that song is a good song to turn into a Gospel romp.

My ranking:

1. Fantasia
2. LaToya
3. Diana
4. Jasmine
5. John
6. George :(
7. Jennifer (because I hated the arrangement SO much)

My prediction:

I really love John. I think he is a great kid. But, the competition is leaving him behind. He is out of his depth, and unfortunately it is time for him to go. George's performance was probably the worst (sadly), but I think he has so much more potential at this point in time that he really needs to stay.

I'm reading this fascinating book called The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes, which is about mitochondrial DNA and how it can be used to trace our genetic ancestry.

It's fascinating how much of science is chance encounters or discoveries or happenings. Check it out sometime. It is definitely an easy read - not dry and boring at all.

We now return you to your regular journal.

This week was Movie Song Week, and there was one performer that I knew would do well, and he did. As for the rest, well, we would just have to wait and see….

1. George (Against All Odds) - This was not George's best performance and I have to agree it had to do with song choice. However, I still love George and he always makes every song his own.

2. Jennifer (I Have Nothing) - Some of her high notes were very shrill and she is still the queen of oversinging but at least her facial expression has improved.

3. Jon Peter (Jailhouse Rock) - JPL definitely needs dance lessons, BUT, I loved the rawness of the vocal performance. Great choice and job.

4. Diana (My Heart Will Go On) - My first thought was, “Oh God, not Titanic”. She definitely has a huge range - Celine is not easy to sing - especially this song in particular. But her performance was breathy, a bit pitchy, and not smooth. This song was too old for her - she hasn't lived enough to sing it.

5. Fantasia (Summertime) - WOW!!!!!! That was an amazing, breathtaking performance. She sang in a very tough posture and pulled it off. And way beyond that, there was a quality to her voice that has never been there before. It was unbelievable.

6. Jasmine (When I Fall in Love) - She has a pretty voice, but this was a yawner. I love this song a lot, but not tonight.

7. John (As Time Goes By) - A theme made for John. He was confident and it showed. The perfect song. Beautiful beautiful tone when he is on and he was. He still has some growing up to do though.

8. LaToya (Somewhere) - First let me say that LaToya has a great voice. She can hit some amazing notes. However, I absolutely loathed the style that this song was sung in. It does not fit the song at all to me and I felt like the song had really lost its meaning and depth because of the way she sang it.

My ranking:

1. Fantasia (by far)
2. Jon Peter
3. John
4. George
5. LaToya
6. Jennifer
7. Diana
8. Jasmine

My prediction:

It will either be Diana or Jasmine. If I had to choose, I think I'd say Jasmine, but it's a hard call. They were both equally at the bottom to me. It's not that they don't have good voices, it's that they are too young and they keep choosing songs that are too old for them.

I am really sleepy today. No idea why. I actually went to bed at a fairly decent hour last night especially considering how late I got up. Nonetheless, I'm tired and so I'm going to bed now. Good night moon.

…to bring you a presidential press conference, so no American Idol tonight, but it will be on tomorrow night, so watch this space.

I just noticed that my PC's keyboard has a warning on it:

“WARNING: Some experts believe that the use of any keyboard may cause serious injury.”

Hmmmm…………..

Ummm, Mr. Expert? It's a KEYboard, not a SURFboard.

DUH!!!

I got the church bulletin the other day from the church that my father goes to. Since he never bothers to communicate with me, it is the only way I can keep up with him, and I feel it is my duty in a way to at least know if there is anything going on.

Anyway, I read in the bulletin that my father had a minor heart attack, had been hospitalized, but was now home and had been to church. First I had heard about it. No phone calls, no email, no nothing from him or his stupid witch of a wife. Nice way to get news huh?

So, I sent an email to my aunts (his sisters) telling them the news and how I had heard it.

One wrote back saying it was not only sad for me to hear about it that way, it was disgusting. The other wrote back saying she had forwarded it to other members of the family who might like to know. They, of course, had heard nothing either. So, not only did she not bother to call me, she did not bother to call ANYONE in his family. Then again, neither did he after he got home.

Then Saturday one of my cousins instant messaged me about it. He was a “bit” fired up and apparently called or emailed my father, because guess who phones us today? You got it. Daddy dearest. I let Mike talk to him. Mike fibbed for me and said I was at work. He wanted to know when I would get home. So Mike said around 4.

However, that is not going to happen. I am not going to let him use me to assuage his guilt at being caught out by the family. I am not going to get on the roller coaster again. NO NO NO!!! If I am going to see or talk to my father, it will be on MY terms, NOT his. I am much happier when I am not dealing with it.

And honestly, I was most upset not because they didn't contact me, but because they didn't bother to contact ANYONE in the family. What is that about anyway? Someone has a heart attack and NO ONE in their family is notified? What kind of person is she? What kind of person is HE?

I'll tell you what kind. The kind I don't want to have cluttering up my life, stressing me out, upsetting me, and getting me off track when I need to be calm, serene, and focused on the most important thing in my life - having a baby.

So NO I will NOT let him call the shots, yank my chain or do anything else in that realm. I have taken control of this and I will not relinquish it. The End.

We are just putting the finishing touches on the house for Mike's family to come over for Easter dinner. The ham is in the oven. The tables are set. The centerpieces are done. I'm not dressed yet, but that will be just a matter of time. In the meantime, I thought I'd take a moment to wish all of you a Happy Easter. Whether you believe in the resurrection or not, it is a good time for starting fresh - a good season for birth and new life - and you never know what could happen at a time like this. So spend time with your loved ones and have a fun, relaxing, peaceful, happy day.

You are a GRAMMAR GOD!

If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!

How grammatically sound are you?
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