- To "work on" not chewing my nails - Okay, this hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. I started out gung ho the first few weeks trying different things like wearing gloves and rubbing olive oil on my nails. The one trick that I have used the most is to have "chewing" fingers that I'm actually allowed to chew. I have given these to my thumbs and one finger on my left hand. The fingers on my right hand have all grown out and so have the three on my left. I still put them in my mouth, but have done a good job I think. Score: 8
- To lower my cholesterol - This is one that I have to just score on the things I've done to lower my cholesterol as I only get it checked every 6 months. So far these past two months I have added exercising to my regime. I have cut back on the sugary sodas. I had to wait on adding the fish oil pills until I had seen my gastro doc, but we are good to go so that will be for next month. Score: 6
- To find time and do things only for myself - So far this one hasn't happened as Connie is my responsibility at the moment and she is in the hyperbaric chamber 5 days a week. I have to drive her there and wait for the three hours it takes. I go to the gym during some of this time as I can't go home because I'm too far away drive time. I don't feel this is any fault of my own, so I'm giving this a pass. Score: N/A
- To do a better job of keeping on top of my SAHMly chores - Definitely haven't done this one in two months. I started out giving it the old college try, but for some reason (dislike cleaning?) I just can't get into the groove. Could put the same blame as the above resolution, but won't. Score: 2
- To say something nice to every person I come into contact with daily - This has been an interesting resolution and one that I traded out with another resolution I made which was to have a monthly theme song. That one proved too difficult as my moods switched from day to day and having a monthly theme song just wasn't going to work when I was pissed and would have preferred Jo Dee Messina's My Give A Damn's Busted and instead my monthly theme song was Happy Days. So I decided that finding something nice to say to someone would be a better one for me. I didn't know how difficult it would be. It isn't always easy to remember to do, first of all, but then it isn't always easy to do when that someone might just be a big pain in the ass. But I think it a worthwhile thing to do because it can deflate the mood at times. Score: 6
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Two month 2012 resolution check
My resolutions for 2012 are as follows and a score between 1 - 10 with 10 being the best score:
Sunday, February 26, 2012
They say girls marry their fathers
Darcy: "What are we doing after dinner? We should do something fun."
Me: "A movie!"
Darcy: "Or we could rent a movie and take it home and watch it together."
Madison: "That reminds me. We had a substitute teacher for Biology this week. In the door came this little old lady all hunkered over. She was so cute. She read while we did a worksheet and every once in a while she would look up and comment about what she was reading like, "Movies just don't stay around anymore. They come out and you had better see them because then they are gone." It was so cute."
Me: "She's right though. I wanted to see Man on a Ledge. It came out and a week later it was gone.
Tom: "He jumped."
Me: "A movie!"
Darcy: "Or we could rent a movie and take it home and watch it together."
Madison: "That reminds me. We had a substitute teacher for Biology this week. In the door came this little old lady all hunkered over. She was so cute. She read while we did a worksheet and every once in a while she would look up and comment about what she was reading like, "Movies just don't stay around anymore. They come out and you had better see them because then they are gone." It was so cute."
Me: "She's right though. I wanted to see Man on a Ledge. It came out and a week later it was gone.
Tom: "He jumped."
Saturday, February 25, 2012
It's smelling a little ripe in here...
Two weeks ago one of Madison's friends stayed at our house for two nights while her parents went to California. Before she came I cleaned the house, including Madison's bedroom and the girls' bathroom which they normally clean. Both rooms smelled like sweaty, stinky teenagers so I dug through my closet and pulled out my air fresheners from Bath & Body Works. I use to have one of these in the bathroom all the time, but it was replaced with a light when Madison started high school and got up when it was still dark. I had new bulbs of scents in a box in the closet and chose "bamboo" for the bathroom and some flowery scent for Madison's room. I spent considerable time trying to open the bulbs before remembering that Bath & Body Works screws everything in the opposite way of all other products. I attached the bulb in the plug like so:
Then I plugged it into the wall. But I didn't plug it into the wall as the above picture shows because the light was plugged in the upper outlet. Instead, not thinking, I turned the bulb upside down as I would a light or any other air freshener plug-in and I plugged it in like this:
I continued into Madison's room and did the same with the one I plugged into her room as she had something plugged in too. Then I continued my cleaning frenzy. Every time I passed by the bathroom it smelled heavenly. I had the window open as well, and since all fresheners seem to put out a strong scent in the first plug-in phase I didn't think a thing about it. About three hours later I left to pick up Madison and her friend from school. When we walked into the house we were hit with the smell of flowery bamboo. It seemed to be wafting through the entire house. While it wasn't unpleasant it was unusual as I find most of the time those fresheners don't put out the scent long enough to suit me.
It wasn't until a couple of hours after that that I found the scent overpowering. I was more worried about the bedroom plug-in as it was in the area where the friend would sleep on a blow up mattress, and I didn't want the strong odor to give anyone a sore throat, which it tends to do with me. So I went into the bedroom to unplug it and immediately noticed that half of the liquid in the bulb was gone. Poof! Disappeared. I stood in shock for maybe half a minute, irritated at Bath & Body Works, staring at the contraption when it hit me what I had done. I went into the bathroom and found that bulb completely empty. Yet no where could I find the liquid. It wasn't on the bathroom counter and there wasn't any wet spot on Madison's carpet. I kept looking into the flower part of the plug in in disbelief that it had soaked up the liquid scent.
For the last two weeks the bathroom has smelled heavenly, yet strongly, of the bamboo scent. It is the best that bathroom has smelled in years, but I still found it strong and worried that perhaps it had gone into the electrical outlet and was wafting throughout my house in all the outlets, coming out through the coffee pot and TV wires. Yet it was only in that room that you could smell the scent. You smelled it as soon as you neared the room and you were overtaken with the smell when inside the room. Darcy said it wasn't unpleasant at all, and it didn't seem to bother anyone, although Tom wanted to know who had died and received flowers in our bathroom.
Today Darcy and I washed the dog in the tub, and after that activity the bathroom has to be cleaned because the small room is always covered in wet dog hair afterwards due to his shaking and trying to dry off on the walls. Darcy took the job of cleaning the toilet and the tub, and I took the job of the walls and the sink. When I clean the sink I remove everything on the counter before I clean. There is a soap dispenser, a toothbrush holder, and a small plastic container that sits catty corner that is full of braces paraphernalia and hair products. When I lifted up that container, behind it was a pool of yellow liquid. Annoyed, I ranted and raved about how Madison had not removed the container during the last bathroom cleaning job, which happened to be recently. I swiped at the liquid and found it thick like an oil. Perplexed I leaned over to exam it closely and was hit with the aroma of bamboo. Now I know that I can use the coffee pot again, but I'm still wondering where the liquid is lurking in Madison's room.
It wasn't until a couple of hours after that that I found the scent overpowering. I was more worried about the bedroom plug-in as it was in the area where the friend would sleep on a blow up mattress, and I didn't want the strong odor to give anyone a sore throat, which it tends to do with me. So I went into the bedroom to unplug it and immediately noticed that half of the liquid in the bulb was gone. Poof! Disappeared. I stood in shock for maybe half a minute, irritated at Bath & Body Works, staring at the contraption when it hit me what I had done. I went into the bathroom and found that bulb completely empty. Yet no where could I find the liquid. It wasn't on the bathroom counter and there wasn't any wet spot on Madison's carpet. I kept looking into the flower part of the plug in in disbelief that it had soaked up the liquid scent.
For the last two weeks the bathroom has smelled heavenly, yet strongly, of the bamboo scent. It is the best that bathroom has smelled in years, but I still found it strong and worried that perhaps it had gone into the electrical outlet and was wafting throughout my house in all the outlets, coming out through the coffee pot and TV wires. Yet it was only in that room that you could smell the scent. You smelled it as soon as you neared the room and you were overtaken with the smell when inside the room. Darcy said it wasn't unpleasant at all, and it didn't seem to bother anyone, although Tom wanted to know who had died and received flowers in our bathroom.
Today Darcy and I washed the dog in the tub, and after that activity the bathroom has to be cleaned because the small room is always covered in wet dog hair afterwards due to his shaking and trying to dry off on the walls. Darcy took the job of cleaning the toilet and the tub, and I took the job of the walls and the sink. When I clean the sink I remove everything on the counter before I clean. There is a soap dispenser, a toothbrush holder, and a small plastic container that sits catty corner that is full of braces paraphernalia and hair products. When I lifted up that container, behind it was a pool of yellow liquid. Annoyed, I ranted and raved about how Madison had not removed the container during the last bathroom cleaning job, which happened to be recently. I swiped at the liquid and found it thick like an oil. Perplexed I leaned over to exam it closely and was hit with the aroma of bamboo. Now I know that I can use the coffee pot again, but I'm still wondering where the liquid is lurking in Madison's room.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Driving the right way according to my 15 year old
In the old days driving somewhere was my relaxing time. The kids were buckled up in their car seats behind me and the radio allowed me the freedom to tune out their idle noises and chattering. The kids didn't pay any attention to the route we were taking and certainly not to my skills as a driver. All that has changed now that my daughter is nearing that age to receiving her driver's license. Now I am being judged.
When I first learned to drive it was at school in a driver's education class my sophomore year of high school. We had to log so many hours of classroom time watching films of the horrors that can come with being behind the wheel. We visited the shop class where we stared at the inner workings of a vehicle and watched a flat tire changing. We trooped outside of the school to watch the local police force demonstrate what an accident can do to a dummy. Only then did we get to move to the driving range, located at my school between the football field and the street. There we had to demonstrate basic skills such as braking and accelerating before we were taken out on to the road. A good thing for a kid who had only been behind the wheel of a car on her father's lap or when she snuck into the car to play without her parent's permission. I was a cautious learner, following the two hands rule; left hand at ten o'clock, right hand at two o'clock. I buckled up religiously and followed the speed limit. I hated driving in rain and snow and many times allowed my father to drop me off for my college classes so I could avoid driving in inclement weather.
But as I aged so did my comfort level with driving. While I'm still labeled the "Grandma Driver" by my brother family and friends, I'm finding out now, via my teenage daughter, that I have picked up quite a few habits that might be frowned upon by my former Driver's Ed teacher. They are as follows:
1. Using my IPhone - This was something we didn't have to worry about back in my day, but now everyone has a cell phone, and we must not miss a call or text. While I know using my phone while driving is bad, bad, bad I still use it. I tried to stop texting while driving, but there always seemed to be some circumstance where I felt the need to read the text, or worse, text back. Of course, it is wrong. I'm an advocate for outlawing the practice, but right now in Florida it is allowed. Do I want my daughter to do this while driving? Absolutely not! Talking on the phone too is another no no in my book. Is that call really all that important? The other day I left home without my phone, and while I panicked some thinking Madison might need me for something, it was an actual relief not to be so responsible. Unfortunately, the only reason I have a phone is for emergencies so having it with me, whether in the car or not, is necessary. Teens are suppose to turn them off when driving, and I think that is going to have to be my next resolution soon.
2. Running through yellow lights - I learned that a yellow light meant "caution" and to slow down. A yellow meant a red was to follow so if you were able to stop you stopped. If you were too far through, you slowed and used caution through the light. My Dad use to tell the story of when he was a traveling salesman on the road. He drove through a town and went through the light on a yellow. A patrol car pulled him over and the officer ticketed him, lecturing him about stopping when he saw the light turn yellow. Two towns later my Dad stopped as a light turned yellow and another officer signaled him to the curb where he lectured him about slowing down and proceeding through a yellow light so that he didn't cause the person behind him to crash into his rear. He too was going to write my father a ticket, but reconsidered once he saw the first ticket. I've always loved that story because this is the problem I faced when I moved to Florida. In Indiana we stopped for yellow unless we were directly under the light when it changed. My first driving experience in Florida I was tapped on the bumper when I stopped at a yellow, and I soon learned that if I didn't want to get rear-ended I needed to blow through that light on yellow. In the past year, our county has tried to put a stop to this practice, but it is a hard thing to get under control. No excuse my daughter says.
Getting irate at other drivers - I always considered myself low key in this area. I didn't think I yelled at other drivers, or if I did it was very rare. My husband and my friends Kelly and Jyoti are the crazy yellers, not me. Not so according to my daughter. She says that the things I yell at other drivers makes it worse then how many times I do it. She says it takes away my concentration.
3. Speeding - I'm putting this category down because recently many of the roads that I travel to and from school and grocery have stuck out those electronic signs that tell you how fast you are going and then it flashes "slow down" over and over as you pass. Both my children are always looking out the window as I pass these signs, and while I'd like to mention the 5 miles over the speed limit rule it really isn't anything I want my daughter to know about or do.
4. Using my elbows to drive - Before you get carried away know that I did this yesterday while blowing my nose. Yes, I do this when I am in desperate need of a good nose blow and for that I need two hands and so I used my elbows to steer for all of 5 seconds while I blew. My youngest daughter who was sitting in the passenger seat was horrified, and for fifteen minutes I was lectured.
The thing about driving for years is that you develop almost a nonchalant way of cruising the streets, secure in the those years of experience and knowledge. Only when an accident occurs or your almost of driving age daughter points out your faults do you realize that it might just be time for a refresher course; that you just might not be doing what you should. It is one of the things I'm enjoying doing as a mother. Learning again with my kids.
When I first learned to drive it was at school in a driver's education class my sophomore year of high school. We had to log so many hours of classroom time watching films of the horrors that can come with being behind the wheel. We visited the shop class where we stared at the inner workings of a vehicle and watched a flat tire changing. We trooped outside of the school to watch the local police force demonstrate what an accident can do to a dummy. Only then did we get to move to the driving range, located at my school between the football field and the street. There we had to demonstrate basic skills such as braking and accelerating before we were taken out on to the road. A good thing for a kid who had only been behind the wheel of a car on her father's lap or when she snuck into the car to play without her parent's permission. I was a cautious learner, following the two hands rule; left hand at ten o'clock, right hand at two o'clock. I buckled up religiously and followed the speed limit. I hated driving in rain and snow and many times allowed my father to drop me off for my college classes so I could avoid driving in inclement weather.
But as I aged so did my comfort level with driving. While I'm still labeled the "Grandma Driver" by my brother family and friends, I'm finding out now, via my teenage daughter, that I have picked up quite a few habits that might be frowned upon by my former Driver's Ed teacher. They are as follows:
1. Using my IPhone - This was something we didn't have to worry about back in my day, but now everyone has a cell phone, and we must not miss a call or text. While I know using my phone while driving is bad, bad, bad I still use it. I tried to stop texting while driving, but there always seemed to be some circumstance where I felt the need to read the text, or worse, text back. Of course, it is wrong. I'm an advocate for outlawing the practice, but right now in Florida it is allowed. Do I want my daughter to do this while driving? Absolutely not! Talking on the phone too is another no no in my book. Is that call really all that important? The other day I left home without my phone, and while I panicked some thinking Madison might need me for something, it was an actual relief not to be so responsible. Unfortunately, the only reason I have a phone is for emergencies so having it with me, whether in the car or not, is necessary. Teens are suppose to turn them off when driving, and I think that is going to have to be my next resolution soon.
2. Running through yellow lights - I learned that a yellow light meant "caution" and to slow down. A yellow meant a red was to follow so if you were able to stop you stopped. If you were too far through, you slowed and used caution through the light. My Dad use to tell the story of when he was a traveling salesman on the road. He drove through a town and went through the light on a yellow. A patrol car pulled him over and the officer ticketed him, lecturing him about stopping when he saw the light turn yellow. Two towns later my Dad stopped as a light turned yellow and another officer signaled him to the curb where he lectured him about slowing down and proceeding through a yellow light so that he didn't cause the person behind him to crash into his rear. He too was going to write my father a ticket, but reconsidered once he saw the first ticket. I've always loved that story because this is the problem I faced when I moved to Florida. In Indiana we stopped for yellow unless we were directly under the light when it changed. My first driving experience in Florida I was tapped on the bumper when I stopped at a yellow, and I soon learned that if I didn't want to get rear-ended I needed to blow through that light on yellow. In the past year, our county has tried to put a stop to this practice, but it is a hard thing to get under control. No excuse my daughter says.
Getting irate at other drivers - I always considered myself low key in this area. I didn't think I yelled at other drivers, or if I did it was very rare. My husband and my friends Kelly and Jyoti are the crazy yellers, not me. Not so according to my daughter. She says that the things I yell at other drivers makes it worse then how many times I do it. She says it takes away my concentration.
3. Speeding - I'm putting this category down because recently many of the roads that I travel to and from school and grocery have stuck out those electronic signs that tell you how fast you are going and then it flashes "slow down" over and over as you pass. Both my children are always looking out the window as I pass these signs, and while I'd like to mention the 5 miles over the speed limit rule it really isn't anything I want my daughter to know about or do.
4. Using my elbows to drive - Before you get carried away know that I did this yesterday while blowing my nose. Yes, I do this when I am in desperate need of a good nose blow and for that I need two hands and so I used my elbows to steer for all of 5 seconds while I blew. My youngest daughter who was sitting in the passenger seat was horrified, and for fifteen minutes I was lectured.
The thing about driving for years is that you develop almost a nonchalant way of cruising the streets, secure in the those years of experience and knowledge. Only when an accident occurs or your almost of driving age daughter points out your faults do you realize that it might just be time for a refresher course; that you just might not be doing what you should. It is one of the things I'm enjoying doing as a mother. Learning again with my kids.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
To contest or not contest
Quite a few of the blogs I read offer contests to win various products offered by an advertiser or products the blogger himself uses and wants to pass along. Most of these contests have to do with leaving comments and being randomly chosen by some computer program. I don't have enough readers to offer contests or products, but if I did I would want to make it a competitive contest. I'm a competitive person and a contest means using skill and wits and ability whether it be mental or athletic. Then I could group all of the people who answered correctly and have some computer program pick the winner.
That got me to thinking. What sort of question would I ask? I could ask something regarding the product I was using as the prize. Or I could just ask some random question like this one:
That got me to thinking. What sort of question would I ask? I could ask something regarding the product I was using as the prize. Or I could just ask some random question like this one:
Which one will my husband read first?
But then I realized that isn't a fair question for those who don't know my husband. So I'm back to the drawing board in case my readership levels up and I'm able to hold real contests. In the meantime, just for fun, let's see who gets this answer correct. There will absolutely be no prize awarded. Just the satisfaction of knowing that you know my husband all too well.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Connie foot photo & update
I quit posting pictures of Connie's wound every week because nothing much was happening and I said I would post if anything did happen. I hadn't seen the wound in several weeks, but got to take a peek at it today at her infectious disease appointment. Right now Connie is going five days a week to climb into a hyperbaric chamber where she receives one hundred percent oxygen in hopes that it will help heal her foot. She is also receiving daily IV antibiotics for some bone infection, and the two combined are suppose to work magic. Unfortunately, no magic has occurred.
The wound clinic where she receives the chamber treatments is one that the Foot God periodically appears in to help patients. The deal was that he would see Connie there while she was receiving the treatments, but he hasn't had enough patients there lately to warrant his being there, and so we have had to hike from the clinic to the Foot God's office and it has gotten to be too much; for Connie and for me. I called his office today to let them know that we would just like to have the wound clinic doctor take over for as long as she receives the chamber treatments. As I was unable to communicate with the Foot God himself (not that he is much of a communicator), I talked to Nurse Michelle who promised to pass the information on to his majesty, but she didn't see a problem. She told me that if she didn't call me back he was agreeable, and after I hung up, I realized I don't care one way or the other if he was agreeable. He has worked for almost 18 months on this wound and now we have to try something and someone new. I believe he has exhausted his means and expertise and probably has passed us on to the wound clinic in hopes that we would do just this very thing. I'm sure he is as tired of us as we are of him; although I think him quite adorable and am probably one of a hand full of people who understand his manner and personality. Nurse Michelle ended up calling me back and telling me the Foot God was fine with moving on, but that he would still like to see her every four weeks to keep on top of things. Ah!
So that is the situation thus far. I would have liked to have had a photo of Connie in the chamber sucking down oxygen, but something tells me that that isn't going to be allowed. I try sneaking back each time I arrive to pick her up, but so far I have been thwarted and then I have to pretend I'm looking for the restroom. They probably wonder if I need the chamber myself for memory loss.
More details if anything new happens or changes.
The wound clinic where she receives the chamber treatments is one that the Foot God periodically appears in to help patients. The deal was that he would see Connie there while she was receiving the treatments, but he hasn't had enough patients there lately to warrant his being there, and so we have had to hike from the clinic to the Foot God's office and it has gotten to be too much; for Connie and for me. I called his office today to let them know that we would just like to have the wound clinic doctor take over for as long as she receives the chamber treatments. As I was unable to communicate with the Foot God himself (not that he is much of a communicator), I talked to Nurse Michelle who promised to pass the information on to his majesty, but she didn't see a problem. She told me that if she didn't call me back he was agreeable, and after I hung up, I realized I don't care one way or the other if he was agreeable. He has worked for almost 18 months on this wound and now we have to try something and someone new. I believe he has exhausted his means and expertise and probably has passed us on to the wound clinic in hopes that we would do just this very thing. I'm sure he is as tired of us as we are of him; although I think him quite adorable and am probably one of a hand full of people who understand his manner and personality. Nurse Michelle ended up calling me back and telling me the Foot God was fine with moving on, but that he would still like to see her every four weeks to keep on top of things. Ah!
So that is the situation thus far. I would have liked to have had a photo of Connie in the chamber sucking down oxygen, but something tells me that that isn't going to be allowed. I try sneaking back each time I arrive to pick her up, but so far I have been thwarted and then I have to pretend I'm looking for the restroom. They probably wonder if I need the chamber myself for memory loss.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The back side of my house in photos
Monday, February 20, 2012
Little league soccer?
We had a soccer recreation tournament this weekend at a visiting field. The field isn't far for us, but unfortunately they aren't the best fields. The league is on the grounds of a local high school, and I mean literally on the grounds. There are no soccer fields, just a plot of land that the league divides into three make-shift soccer fields and so the "fields" are usually full of hills and valleys, holes, and are covered mostly in dirt. We had rain the day before the tournament so I knew the ground would be nasty, but what I didn't know was that the our game with the home team would be too.
There are 14 leagues within our county. Under each league are anywhere from 20 to 100 teams depending on age groups and amount of signed players. This is a recreation league played for fun and for learning of the game. While we have played competitive soccer in the past we have agreed that the recreation league was more our style in travel time, money, rules, and in parental nuttiness. Both my girls started in this league at the age of six and we have been a part of this league for nine years. While we had a league closer to our house that would have saved us much time I opted instead for this league because I wanted my girls to meet kids outside their school zone.
Our league, like many of the leagues, is associated with the city's recreation department. The city owns the fields we play on, takes a cut of our fees, and is involved in ways that allow our league to run a well organized program. The home league where we played isn't associated with a city or a recreation department, and they have had many problems with organization and their board, and this in turn has caused some of their players and coaches to leave the league and join ours. Our league is the closet league to this league in distance, and therefore an ideal switch for parents. This makes this home league very unhappy, and so each time our leagues play each other, no matter the team or age group, the other league wants to win as if to stick it to those parents, players, and coaches who defected. As it turned out Darcy's coach was one of those former coaches who defected, and so the game just went downhill from there.
It started out with a complaint against the ref from one of our parents who knew the ref had a relative playing on the opposing team. It just escalated from there. While the league's soccer rules allow for some leading with the shoulder in attempting to get a ball it became a pushing and shoving match. That got the parents on the sidelines fired up and they began shouting at the players. Players cursed out parents on the opposing team. The coaches on the opposite team began yelling at their players to to walk when the ball went out of bounds so that it ate time off the clock. That fired up our side of the field and things just got out of hand. The main referee was a kid and he just lost control of the game. I felt sorry for him, despite the fact that he is the main leader on the field. He wasn't about to take on irate adults and out of control coaches, and I didn't blame him. There were parents, from both sides, who probably would have taken him out too. Girls were getting knocked down left and right and leaving the field in tears. I suspected that it was more from emotions then anything else. By the time the game ended I was sick to my stomach.
As I crossed the field to join my daughter and the team I heard one of our parents in a cursing screaming match with another mother on the other team. This was being done in front of players on the other team, and had they both not had cakes in their hands I suspect we would have witnessed a knock down dragged out fight complete with them rolling around on the ground. I calmly went over to our parent and with the help of a man on the other team we separated the two, and I escorted our parent back over to our side of the field. Where I found my daughter on the ground crying. Apparently, players on the other team had been out there stomping on our players feet with their cleats whenever players were dormant at their positions. Darcy's foot was numb. Also, a player on the other team had cursed her out and then bit her finger. Darcy was sobbing, again more from all the drama then the aches and pains, but it was something I didn't expect to see in a recreation league.
So I calmly marched over to the tournament director, took him aside, and told him I felt some changes had to be made when it came to these two teams. He told me that they don't allow these two teams to play one another during the year in regulation, but that come tournament time it can't be helped. I suggested that they play on neutral territory, but he told me that wasn't always a possibility. I then suggested that an adult be the main referee for those games as it wasn't fair to expect a kid to regain control of nutty parents. I told him that had I been the referee of that game I would have called it at half time and issued both teams a loss for bad behavior. At the very least I would have sent the parents of both teams to another field and continued the game with no spectators. I told him that at our school soccer games the parents are told ahead of time that if they yell anything to the players besides "way to go" or "good job" that our coach will take out the child of the parent who coached from the sideline and sit him on the bench. He was a nice man, and at his wits end with all the angry complaining parents, but I'm not sure that anything will be done about any of it. It was not a nice ending to a long day.
Tom sent a letter of complaint to the association board, but I don't expect anything to come from it. Our game on Sunday was the exact opposite. We played a team we had played twice during regulation. The parents on both teams chatted with one another. The players were out on the field cutting up, laughing, and patting each other. All the giggling and enjoyment made all of us giggle and smile on the sidelines. This is what we signed up for and this is how it should be. Unfortunately, with these two leagues I'm not sure it can be. Somewhere someone has got to take charge and see that a change is made. Before anyone gets hurt.
There are 14 leagues within our county. Under each league are anywhere from 20 to 100 teams depending on age groups and amount of signed players. This is a recreation league played for fun and for learning of the game. While we have played competitive soccer in the past we have agreed that the recreation league was more our style in travel time, money, rules, and in parental nuttiness. Both my girls started in this league at the age of six and we have been a part of this league for nine years. While we had a league closer to our house that would have saved us much time I opted instead for this league because I wanted my girls to meet kids outside their school zone.
Our league, like many of the leagues, is associated with the city's recreation department. The city owns the fields we play on, takes a cut of our fees, and is involved in ways that allow our league to run a well organized program. The home league where we played isn't associated with a city or a recreation department, and they have had many problems with organization and their board, and this in turn has caused some of their players and coaches to leave the league and join ours. Our league is the closet league to this league in distance, and therefore an ideal switch for parents. This makes this home league very unhappy, and so each time our leagues play each other, no matter the team or age group, the other league wants to win as if to stick it to those parents, players, and coaches who defected. As it turned out Darcy's coach was one of those former coaches who defected, and so the game just went downhill from there.
It started out with a complaint against the ref from one of our parents who knew the ref had a relative playing on the opposing team. It just escalated from there. While the league's soccer rules allow for some leading with the shoulder in attempting to get a ball it became a pushing and shoving match. That got the parents on the sidelines fired up and they began shouting at the players. Players cursed out parents on the opposing team. The coaches on the opposite team began yelling at their players to to walk when the ball went out of bounds so that it ate time off the clock. That fired up our side of the field and things just got out of hand. The main referee was a kid and he just lost control of the game. I felt sorry for him, despite the fact that he is the main leader on the field. He wasn't about to take on irate adults and out of control coaches, and I didn't blame him. There were parents, from both sides, who probably would have taken him out too. Girls were getting knocked down left and right and leaving the field in tears. I suspected that it was more from emotions then anything else. By the time the game ended I was sick to my stomach.
As I crossed the field to join my daughter and the team I heard one of our parents in a cursing screaming match with another mother on the other team. This was being done in front of players on the other team, and had they both not had cakes in their hands I suspect we would have witnessed a knock down dragged out fight complete with them rolling around on the ground. I calmly went over to our parent and with the help of a man on the other team we separated the two, and I escorted our parent back over to our side of the field. Where I found my daughter on the ground crying. Apparently, players on the other team had been out there stomping on our players feet with their cleats whenever players were dormant at their positions. Darcy's foot was numb. Also, a player on the other team had cursed her out and then bit her finger. Darcy was sobbing, again more from all the drama then the aches and pains, but it was something I didn't expect to see in a recreation league.
So I calmly marched over to the tournament director, took him aside, and told him I felt some changes had to be made when it came to these two teams. He told me that they don't allow these two teams to play one another during the year in regulation, but that come tournament time it can't be helped. I suggested that they play on neutral territory, but he told me that wasn't always a possibility. I then suggested that an adult be the main referee for those games as it wasn't fair to expect a kid to regain control of nutty parents. I told him that had I been the referee of that game I would have called it at half time and issued both teams a loss for bad behavior. At the very least I would have sent the parents of both teams to another field and continued the game with no spectators. I told him that at our school soccer games the parents are told ahead of time that if they yell anything to the players besides "way to go" or "good job" that our coach will take out the child of the parent who coached from the sideline and sit him on the bench. He was a nice man, and at his wits end with all the angry complaining parents, but I'm not sure that anything will be done about any of it. It was not a nice ending to a long day.
Tom sent a letter of complaint to the association board, but I don't expect anything to come from it. Our game on Sunday was the exact opposite. We played a team we had played twice during regulation. The parents on both teams chatted with one another. The players were out on the field cutting up, laughing, and patting each other. All the giggling and enjoyment made all of us giggle and smile on the sidelines. This is what we signed up for and this is how it should be. Unfortunately, with these two leagues I'm not sure it can be. Somewhere someone has got to take charge and see that a change is made. Before anyone gets hurt.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Point and shoot
When Madison had to sign up for her elective class this year in high school photography was one of her three choices. While she hasn't been selected for it yet, she is eagerly awaiting a chance to learn the ins and outs of photography. I, too, have been considering taking a photography class the past two years, and I figured if she got into a class then it would push me into one. So far we are both hanging in limbo, but recently I was telling her about the first camera I ever had.
It was a Polaroid One Step Instant Rainbow Land camera like this one:
This is the very first picture I took with my camera. I actually remember this despite the little note in the corner, something my Dad insisted we do with photos. In looking at the sunshine I'm now wondering if I really got the camera for my birthday which is in the winter. Hmmmm....perhaps the memory on that one is lost. But look at my mother posing!
The first person to model for me was my friend and neighbor, Michelle. She was always a good egg in following along, and doing what I told her, despite probably thinking I was nuts.. I have quite a few pictures of Michelle taken with this camera. She and her brother and I spent a whole day with the camera setting up shots as if we knew what the hell we were doing.
This is one that Michelle took with my camera. While Rob seems quite happy to be up in the tree posing, I'm not so receptive in front of the camera. Something that I still have issues with as a matter of fact. I blame my father on that one in therapy as we grew up with a camera stuck in our face as if we were on one of today's reality shows.
This is my absolute favorite photograph. I thought at the time that it really looked like a picture that belonged in a magazine. I vaguely remember telling them to act like they were hanging out at their lakeside cabin. In reality it was my neighbor's yard down by the crick. The fishing poles came from my garage, and the dog was always along for whatever adventure we were on or staging. The fact that she looked at the camera at the same time as Rob and Michelle was amazing. I always told people it was the photographer's expertise. I would love to know how to enlarge this because I would frame it.
This was another fav of mine because my face didn't show. I thought it quite arty. Kelly took this picture one day while we were fooling around in my room (back in those days it meant something different) taking pictures.
And lastly, my painted fire hydrant, the story of which would make for an interesting blog entry some day. Kelly, Michelle, and I painted the fire hydrant that was in the corner of my yard one day in honor of the University of Evansville Aces basketball team. I added the basketball for another arty photo.
As one can see in these pictures I knew nothing about lighting or focusing or zooming. The camera was really just a point and shoot, but it did have buttons on it for other stuff. I never bothered to read or learn how the thing worked, something I pretty much haven't done to this day, which is why I feel the need to take a class. The camera I work with now is a Canon Power Shot that fits nicely in my pocket or purse. I carry it everywhere, but it is pulling apart at the seams and is going to need some duct tape to hold it together soon. We own a Nikon camera that looks way more professional and takes awesome pictures, but who wants to be hefting that thing around? My goal is to learn how to use the Nikon and then lift weights so that I can carry it, but I'm thinking I'll do that after I'm enrolled in a class. I'll let you know...
It was a Polaroid One Step Instant Rainbow Land camera like this one:
My parents bought it for me for my birthday, and up until a few years ago I still had it. I've tried to find it in the various boxes of childhood memorabilia that I've kept, but so far haven't had any luck. I vaguely remember seeing it during one of my flylady cleaning sprees, and I remember thinking that I would never use this thing again, and it was taking up space, and what was the point of keeping it in this digital age, and we live in a small house, blah, blah, blah. So I have the feeling I goodwilled it, much to my now dismay. (Cue Kelly who will now say something about how she is right in keeping things)
I do; however, have many of the pictures that I took with my Polaroid One Step camera, and so for fun this week I pulled them out because it would make an easy blog entry. No, I'm really still in the process of scanning old photos, and I've found that if I scan them in themes it is easier when filing them. I decided to start with my One Step photos until I realized they were scattered in various boxes under labels like "Indiana photos", "Cara pictures", "Friends", etc. Either way I'm sharing.
Note: If you are in the photo, and are annoyed that your photo is posted, please let me know and we will duke it out.
As one can see in these pictures I knew nothing about lighting or focusing or zooming. The camera was really just a point and shoot, but it did have buttons on it for other stuff. I never bothered to read or learn how the thing worked, something I pretty much haven't done to this day, which is why I feel the need to take a class. The camera I work with now is a Canon Power Shot that fits nicely in my pocket or purse. I carry it everywhere, but it is pulling apart at the seams and is going to need some duct tape to hold it together soon. We own a Nikon camera that looks way more professional and takes awesome pictures, but who wants to be hefting that thing around? My goal is to learn how to use the Nikon and then lift weights so that I can carry it, but I'm thinking I'll do that after I'm enrolled in a class. I'll let you know...