Finally found a place to rest my computer and plug in.
It's hard to get into town--leaving parents behind in their country home but today my bro and I have managed it. First attempt was foiled after we bought really expensive coffee and found the DSL was "down."

Not much in the way of news. It's been several days since I had any decent sleep so that might explain a bit. It is lovely in the country but I like conveniences and my dad still will not cotton to the wonders of cable anything. I could've easily fallen asleep waiting for this blog to fully load. Small problems for sure but I suppose I just like to be wired when I want to be.

Took a few pics of  the sunset last night.
Exciting stuff, I know.
Take care, I shall now  go and try to catch up with my Vox neighbourhood.
xo
Cyn

 

Went to the parent open house tonight. Spouse was crotchety. Most of the teachers seemed excellent. One or two tried too hard but they only have 10 minutes to do their whole spiel.

And we are full into having classes transfer to college credit and taking the test that will spell yay or nay. I'm feeling pressure!

What do you think of this reading list for AP Language and Composition (Junior year high school)?

 

Huck Finn: I like Mark Twain a lot but Huck Finn? Still?

Into the Wild, I realize was liked by many folks but the ending was so sad, I thought. Well written, compelling but I wouldn't read it again.

The Great Gatsby: I was made to read as a senior in high school. I hated it. There was nothing in Gatsby that resonated with me, not the characters, the story, the setting, or Fitzgerald's writing style.

The Things They Carried:  I have no idea about this book. I will though as we are buying it.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: Like it muchly. Have read it more than once.

Welcome To The Monkey House: Haven't read it. I'm not a huge fan of Vonnegut. I realize some people hold him in god-like regard.

Death Of A Salesman: Would rather see it staged--though I read it on my own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommended books were Ava's Man (not heard of it)

Ethan Frome (I'd need to re-read it to render an opinion).

The Awakening: haven't read this or the rest of the as I'm not a regular book reader.

 

The Glass Castle

When The World Was Young

Gang Leader For A Day

 

 

 

Show us what the weekend had in store for you.

 

Brian's band

I'm going to assume that what was "in store" was the fun stuff as opposed to the mundane cleaning house, doing laundry, etc. which is a part of every weekend.

My brother-in-law was recently hospitalized with pneumonia. He recovered quickly and we thought it'd be good to visit him and his wife, spouse's younger sister. Brian made his fortune in his 30's and now can play in a band for fun--not worrying about making money. Anyway, he and his friends are pretty good at what they do-- a few original songs and then lots of cover stuff of AC/DC, Black Sabbath and so on. This is them on Saturday night in a little sports bar a couple of towns away.

Sunday was our usual mini golf outing.

 

 

Golf2

Golf1

 

The weather was fantastic and my younger son won.

 

 

 

 

My son won. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He was just two over par. :) 

Spouse

 

Just home from mini golf

        

 

 

 

 

 

        

Milkshake trio

After mini-golf we got milkshakes to go at Steak and Shake and rode top-down in the GT home.                                            

In the evening we watched the season premiere of Dexter. Sometime during Dexter's hiatus my son started watching the first season--which given the content is iffy but I'd rather watch it with him than him watch it alone (he is 15)...and it's a great show. Can you tell that I'm conflicted? My spouse says he likes Dexter because the Dexter character reminds him of himself. Should I be worried?        

                            

My folks usually spend several months at Maple Lake each year but they cannot this year due to my mom's stroke. Here's a few shots of the Lake for them, plus a bonus shot or two taken from the CN Tower of their hometown, Toronto.

(Photoshopped  a  boat out)                                                                                                

                                                                        

                                                                                                                     

Toronto at sunset from the CN Tower. Some interesting architecture going on, especially with some "smaller" buildings (keep in mind, all is being viewed from one of the tallest buildings um, on the planet). I'd have to study up to name anything here, though.                                                                                                               
Part of the harbour, a bit of Lake Ontario.
(Toronto)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                     

"Bonus" shot of my son at Casa Loma in Toronto.
I have a ton of Casa Loma shots to sort through as both spouse and son had cameras. I'll probably just put them in an album online to prevent everyone's eyes from glazing over any more than I have. :)l aaslee                                                                                        

Tell us about a time when you were brave. 

Heart_13

Submitted by Hops.

 

The day before my son Christopher's sixth birthday I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and hospitalized.

The next evening Chris, his dad, and grandma and grandpa came for a visit to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit after having gone to Olive Garden for Chris's birthday dinner.

My son gazed upon me wide-eyed. One couldn't tell where I began and where the beeping and blinking machines ended.

He carefully approached my bedside and said brightly, "I brought you a present, Mommy!"

His grandmother handed him a take-out box which he gently offered me. I opened it up to find a luscious looking slice of chocolate-fudge cake (which of course, I could not eat).

I leaned toward my brave little soldier and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you honey," I said, "I love you."

As heart-rending as that moment was, I did not cry.

As I type this however, the tears flow freely.

Show us a photo of a Leo you love.                               This guy:

 

Chris_balloons1

The Lion
July 23 to August 22

Traditional
Leo Traits

Generous and warmhearted
Creative and enthusiastic
Broad-minded and expansive
Faithful and loving

On the dark side....

Pompous and patronizing
Bossy and interfering
Dogmatic and intolerant

                                              My son, Christopher...

My brother and I, though we live only 45 minutes apart do not see much of one another. He and his spouse, E., have been working their collective bums off creating and running their own massage therapy business in Evanston for about a decade. They are highly skilled having both graduated  from (and taught at) the Chicago School Of Massage Therapy and gone on to develop diverse specialities within and adjacent to the field of massage therapy. However, after residing as a couple in Evanston, a lovely town north of Chicago on Lake Michigan for about twenty years they have made a radical life change.

 

 

 

My brother applied and was accepted to medical school near Mesa, Arizona. He is going to become an Osteopath  (a D.O.-- a different flavour M.D.). Ellen will work, probably as hard or harder than he in the real world of massage in Arizona. They've found a little apartment near the campus of the oldest school of Osteopathy in the country and will reside there for a year. After that they will, thankfully, move back near the center of the country--to Cincinnati where my brother will further pursue his studies and Ellen will gain first hand (no pun intended) knowledge of the Amish people. At least they'll be driving distance away then.

My brother is my only sibling, 5 years, 10 months younger than me. Though separated when I departed Connecticut for California at age 18 we were reunited when I (plus my baby son) moved to the Chicagoland area seven years later. We've lived within an under one-hour drive of each other ever since.

I'm over the moon that he is taking on this HUGE challenge. He's been at it for a couple years now just to be able to apply to med school despite having a 4-year English degree.

What I'm not thrilled about is him leaving the state. I have no other family here beside the one I've lived with and my brother and wife. I should count my spouse's family as family and I do--as they pertain to my and my spouse's son. Otherwise, frankly, the sheer number of them freaks me out. And my spouse is one of seven kids with native Chicagoans for parents; I am one of two with parents native Torontonians--that insures a whole different upbringing.

So my brother and E. moving also makes me sad and insecure (what if one of us needs a kidney or some other part that only the other sibling can furnish!?).

Kidding aside, it's going to suck without them.

So here are what may be the last photos of them and two of my guys, taken yesterday in honour of E's birthday 2 days previous, and my spouse's birthday today.

 

(Notes on the slide show: the colourful Pritzker Pavillion is shown because unbeknownst to us on E's birthday, whilst we were snapping photos in Millennium Park (home of thePavillion), E & J were looking down upon us as well as at a beautiful sunset from the great height of the top of the Sear's Tower. "Snoozing" took place after  E & J had gone home.)

I’m quite conflicted in thought about my high school freshman son’s choice to take a condensed version of a “required” class over the summer.

It’s actually two classes, both a version of How To Be A Good Citizen or some such--Civic Bla Bla Bla. Suggested by his advisor, theoretically taking a class or classes over the summer would put a kid ahead but that’s not what’s really happening here. Chris now has “made room” for another, most likely, AP class for sophomore year.

For fall he has scheduled a class during his normal lunch time though he’ll be allowed to grab a tray from the cafeteria and take it with him to his tailored-for-Gifted-Program-kids class, “Critical Thinking.” Lunch on the run/at your desk—isn’t that how much of the working world does it every day?

 

This just makes my head hurt and my heart force me to consider if this is how a teenager should live his life. Put in 6 weeks of summer school when you don’t have to?

Part of me—the part that wants him to aim really high and make it? I think its great do this stuff ‘cause doing so might help get a partial scholarship to college (I know, magical thinking).

The other part of my brain is twitching about, worrying that he’s already taking AP classes, shouldn’t he let his brain get the down time of a full summer break?

 

Plus this really fraks with our summer vacation plans (which come a distant last to his schooling).

Ack! I wanna be selfish!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who or what do you really love?

Mom & Dad