Feeling Old

Nothing reminds you of your age than applying for a job. I had an appointment to interview today at a restaurant. Having two children and daycare issues, I'm having to think beyond traditional 9-5 work, let's try outside the box work. Now I had an appointment, but this restaurant is hiring from the ground up so they have an off-site hiring facility that is open from 10-5 and walk-ins are welcome. As I am sitting there I am reminded of my age. This would be due to the fact that everyone who is also applying cannot be beyond 25 (and that's stretching). I want to say I have the maturity and life experience rather than just years on them. But if this is the demographic this restaurant is trying to hit I'm rather doomed. Thinking young does not erase those um, we'll call them laugh lines, nor take away the creeping gray. Eesh, and I was happy with deluding myself. Welcome to reality!

America's Got Talent

Well, I just finished watching the finale of America's Got Talent and am so disappointed. I personally have nothing against the season's winner, but opera is just not my thing. I don't know how someone can sustain an audience in Vegas while singing opera. Eli, the runner up, has not only the voice, but plays piano as well. But the biggest disappointment was the #3 contestant. Nothing But Stringz was by far the most talented. These are 2 talented young people who play violins. But they play violins with an attitude. On top of that, they write their own music. These two guys could have gone in an entirely different direction with their lives, but they poured their talent into their music. I think their mother is to be congratulated. She did a great job with those two kids. I hope Eli and Nothin' but Stringz get agents. I'd hate to hear the end of those two acts. They are extremely talented. Look them up on youtube. You'll be amazed at their talent.

Solution To Financial Crisis

I was watching Jay Leno on Monday and his guest was Russell Crowe. Now, Russell Crowe is not a US Citizen, for which he's probably grateful considering the financial crisis that is going on here. He did come up with a solution to the financial crisist though. I have to say that I tend to like his solution. The population of the US at this point in time is about 300 million, and Congress is trying to pass a $700 billion bailout. His solution is, instead of using all of that bailout money to fix a problem the system created and have the taxpayers pay for it, is give each person $1 million. That would stimulate the economy. I am pretty sure the American public would get behind that one. Sure beats the stimulous package they did earlier. $300 per person, with loopholes so you can't even the entire amount. I definitely like the Russell Crowe solution. People would have money to buy up the foreclosed homes, thus saving the banks. Not charity for them. They get the properties off their books and now have money in their coffers. Neighborhoods won't look pathetic. Businesses wouldn't go under. So, Congress, I hope you were watching Jay. There is a solution out there. With it being an election year, imagine how many votes you'd get for a proposition like that.

A Raise??

As an ordinary, middle-class citizen I can stretch a dollar if I need to. I can tighten the belt even more, although I think I'm already a size 2 (financially, not physically). So, it boggles my mind that someone can't live on $17.5 million per year. That's what the Queen of England makes per year, and she now wants a raise. You have got to be kidding me. Now it's hard enough to comprehend the fact that she can't survive on that, especially since she only has herself to support. The hubby and kids each have their own salaries. What makes it more difficult to comprehend is for her to get a pay raise is, the taxpayers have to pay for it. Her income is dependent on taxes. Like times aren't tough enough with ordinary people scraping to get buy, now they are going to have to shell out more money so she can get - as Jay Leno says "dowdy handbags." I don't think a quarter of her citizens even make 1% of her annual income, yet they are expected to pay her more? Go figure.... Nice job if you can get it.

Growing Up Too Early

When my son was 2 his girlfriend was Kim Possible and Bubbles (of the Powerpuff Girls). He loved cartoons and watched Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story for years and years. He liked Scooby Doo, even through kindergarten and first grade, to the point that he wrote them letters. He wrote letters to a lot of cartoon characters, to the point that he really thought they were real. He wrote Kim Possible and asked her to go out with them. And I hated to disillusion him so I answered back. He had some major reality issues, but it was a young and innocent time. We always had cartoons on. It wasn't until he was older that he started moving on to Nickelodeon. He moved to Zach and Cody, Phil of the Future, and other Disney channel shows and from there it is now Drake and Josh, iCarly, and of curse the new Zach and Cody show that will start Friday. Unfortunately, my daughter is skipping all the cutesy cartoons. Now she watches PBS kids and likes DragonTales, Clifford and Curious George, but her first requests are for "Josh" and "Carly". She is into the teen shows already. I saw Brooke Shields on Jay Leno (yes, Jay) and she was saying how her 5 year old daughter loves the Jonas Brothers. My toddler is going to be old beyond her years. I have a feeling we're going to have issues in the future.

Kinesthetic Learning

While on the subject of education and learning I have to give a big thanks to my younger and apparently, much brighter sister. She figured out that my daughter is a kinesthetic learner. My son is totally audio and I was trying the same stuff that worked so well with him on her. Now that I have been enlightened on various learning styles my daughter is flourishing. Turns out she knew a whole lot more than she let on. My mother is amazed and says that while my son was verbal at her age, she talks circles around him. Of course, she's a girl, and well, ask my husband about women and their ability to talk...lol

Schools - Again

Tomorrow I am doing something I had sworn I wouldn't do--change my son's school - Again! Now I researched schools over the summer and planned to put him into a school that would enable him to settle in throughout his junior high school years. (Can't believe I am saying junior high). But, the school I thought would work is failing miserably. So tomorrow, he and I will be walking around the corner and signing him up there. This means more work will fall onto me because the public school system will only take him if he is on "independent study". As a side note this is bad timing because a temp agency called and are sending my resume out for an available position. Great, I don't know what to root for at this point...but I digress. Schooling-unbelievable that I have to do this. But it is for my son's long term educational benefit. He is a little too smart for his own good, and I don't mean that in a good way. First off he doesn't like on-line schooling. He loves to surround himself with the books and watch them shrink as he works his way through his day. The way this on-line school works is take the assessment first. If you pass it with a 90% or more you can skip all of the lessons. One test and voila! you are done. Guess what, my son has "mastered" all of his lessons at 100%. Sounds great, sounds like a genius. But - no...... There's a minor loophole. Once you take the assessment and hit "submit" the test will give you the results. It gives you all of the answers you gave, if they were right and if not, what the right answer is. Then he goes back out and retakes the test... We talked about it yesterday and I said well that's all fine and dandy but he's not learning anything. He said he's learning how to memorize. His first month into junior high school and he's figured out how to get around the system. Should I be worried about high school???