Christmas

So I've finished Christmas shopping, wrapped all the presents, baked all the cookies, and now all I have to do is clean the house tomorrow for the relatives on Thursday and relax and enjoy the holiday. When the lights go off at church tomorrow, the candles are lit, and well all sing Silent Night, then I know Christmas is truly here. God Bless us everyone.

New Computer

My new computer is here and my husband set it up tonight while reminding me that people charge $200.00 an hour to come to homes and set up cpmputers. Now I feel compelled to write. My son took my laptop to college this Fall and my husband and I shared one computer. He is taking on-line graduate classes, and I teach college English so I do most of my work on-line. Needless to say there were computer jams, and numerous times when we both needed to be on the computer at the same time. solution to the problem- a new computer.The next decision was between a desk top and a laptop. I had a lap top but it was clunky and I need a big screen for my old and tired eyes so we went with a desktop with a 22 inch screen. This thing is huge! Now I have no excuse not to write, it even has an easier keyboard. My goal for next year is to publish at least three short stories, presnet at two conferences, ( I am already presenting at one) and finish my novel. Hopefully I will be able to meet my goal. Now I must go wrap Christmas presents. Merry Christmas!

Facebook

Facebook is an interesting phenomena. through one friend request I've now reconnected ( well sort of in a remote internet manner) with old friends and people from the kids old schools that I haven't seen in eleven years. It's disconcerting to see pictures of some of the kids I taught in preschool all grown up. When you don't see somebody for a long time ,you tend to rememeber them the way they were when you last saw them. Okay, that probably didn't make a lot of sense, but it's late, I've been grading all day, and even though I have to get up at 5:30 (yes , you read it right 5:30 in the morning) I can't seem to get to sleep which is why I'm on the computer blogging (babbling) same thing. I'm going back to bed, maybe I can get a few hours sleep before I give an exam at 8:00 in the morning. Good night and good-bye.

HOME

four loads of laundry- today- a big pot of spaghetti, chocolate chip cookies, " Hey, Mom can I have money for a haircut?" The kids are home from college, messy house, friends over, phones ringing, who could ask for a better Thanksgiving? Now if those papers would just read themselves and give themselves grades, life would be pretty near perfect.

Symposium

I submitted an abstract for The Southern Writers Symposium back in October and then promptly forgot about it.. Mostly nervous because I haven't written the paper and will have to present in frnt of a large group of people. Excited because hopefully this will help establish my credibility as a writer, and will help in my search for a full time lecturership which is a very frustrating proposition.

Veterans Day

While we have spent the last few months haggling, haranguing, and ridiculing the presidential candidates, today take a few minutes to remember that a veteran fought for your right to express yourself, so if you see a veteran today stop and say Thank You for your service.

HALLOWEEN

BOO!

Excuses

We have now reached the middle of the term- students have used their four absences and it's getting cold outside, so they are getting creative, or not! Idon't want to sound heartless, but I don't care why you weren't in class- whatever the reason you are absent if your butt isn't in the seat. There must be a run on dead grandmothers. I have had more dead grandmothers this semester than in the last two years. Poor things...

Mountain Trip

We went to the mountains this weekend to see the kids- Family weekend at Lees McRae- stayed in Boone. Michael looks good, he loves the school and all the fun things to do there. He and his friends go hiking almost every day. Met some of his buddies, ate lunch at the soccer field, then took him shopping. Went to Ski Country Sports- great sale on North Face jackets, then to get a haircut. Found a beauty shop in Newland, NC and he got a haircut for only tweleve bucks. He took us to the top of a mountain in Banner Elk, breath-taking views- I was blown away! went around one curve- nothing ahead but blue sky- felt like we were going to drive off the edge of the world! Visited a winery- beautiful! Then back to school for him- enough parent time- ready for his friends!

Ate dinner with Ashley in Boone and saw her room. Bid Day for the sororities- lots of girls swirling around the APH on Saturday night. Watched the App game back at the hotel- disappointing!

Then home on sunday- dinner with Casey and Frank at Providence Cafe- Mike got to see all the kids for his birthday weekend so he was happy. I am happy, everybody seems to be doing well- happy where they are and productive. makes me feel blessed.

Spelling

Children, Please learn to spell!
Tonight I read ,and I did not make this up:
Here is my ruff draft- Did your dog write it?
Martin Luther King , Jr, has cents become a legend
Abraham Lincoln brought since and stability to our country
Sense the beginning of time... I could go on, but my brain hurts!

Labor Day

Summer is officially over-back to school...la.la.la

Gone

The last child has flown the nest and the house is now very quiet. The dog sits by the front door...waiting for her people to spill in bringing their friends with them. I miss them, but am glad they are settled in their respective schools and happy. This last week was such a busy one, that I haven't had much time to dwell on their being gone. Later...

Back to Work

Well, it's that time of year again, a new school year. I always find it exciting, new people to meet , catching up with old friends after a long summer rest, Iam glad to get back to work. I love the start of a new school year, a new beginning, exciting possibilities, fun! fun! fun!

Life

I found a great quote from Katherine Hepburn
" Life is hard. after all it kills you."

STUFF!

The kids are off to college in two weeks- Ashley back to appalachian and Michael to LeesMcrae. We have been buying stuff for school at little at a time over the summer ,and it has begun to mount up. Everybody thinks about the big stuff- bed lines, t.v.s , refrigerators, but it's the small stuff that never ends- q-tips, shampoo, nail clippers, band-aids etc. We are basically setting up two new households. Now they just have to pack everything ,and we will be ready to go. Ashley is excited and Michael is both excited and a little nervous- ready for his new adventure!

Avenue Q

We went to see Avenue Q several nights ago. It was a great show, and I loved the music. I am still singing " I t Sucks to be Me' in my head, but I'll have Muppet sex burned in my brain forever. There was a pretty good crowd for a Tuesday night. Afterwards we went to the bar at Blue and I had a Bikini Martini, the special of the day at only $6.99. It was too sweet- pineapple juice - YUK!

Avenue Q

My daughter gave us tickets to Avenue Q. I love her job! The show was hilarious. funny, irreverent and very well done. Muppet sex will be burned in my brain forever!

Mama Mia

Just saw the movie Mama Mia this afternoon. Meryl Strep was luminous and who knew she could sing? Apparently , according to news sources, she had no idea. What a phenomenal talent. What I admire is the fact that she lives a relatively normal life, eshewing all the Hollywood hoopla , living in New Jersey and raising her family away from the craziness. The movie was beautiful, scenery, acting, a real feel good show. The audience was mostly people my age, and they were all clapping and singing alone to ABBA. I highly recommend it.

computers!

Tonight Casey came by to help me set up my eportfolio page. I'm glad she knows what she's doing because I don't, but she is a very good teacher.

Vacation

We are home from the greatest vacation ever! 46 people, 20 adults, and 26 kids on the high seas for five fun filled days. We ate( too much) , we danced ( not enough), we drank( some too much), the kids performed Karoke every night much to the delight of the parents. A good time was had by all! we all went to the beach in Grand Cayman- beautiful white sandy beach with the clearest water I have ever seen -breathtaking. Ashley and I shopped In Cozumel and Mike and Michael went scuba diving. They both loved it. We met up at Margaritaville for lunch and drinks. I will say bar people are the same wherever you go, they never change. the kids were so excited to go into a bar and order alcohol some of them got a little carried away, but they were fine the next day.

Shopping

Sunday is the day we leave for our long awaited family cruise. Today I went shopping with my son and daughter for a few last minute items. We hit the J. Crew store and took advantage of their summer sale. I bougth Ashley a pair of pants, and since the guy's clothes were on sale for 40% off ( sexism), Michael walked away with a new bathing suit, a shirt, a pair of shorts and a summer sport coat reduced from $155.00 to a mere $ 29.95. What a bargain! I would have bought more, but I need to take some money to waste on cheap silver jewelry in Mexico! We haven't gone shopping together in a very long time, and it was nice to spend the afternoon with them. Time to start packing, only two more days!

Graduation Day

What can I say- my baby graduated from high school. Joy, relief, sadness all the requisite emotions- I miss my mom and dad- they would have been so proud-I know they were looking down and watching over him on his special day. Great party afterwards, very nice , relaxing, good food and good friends. What a nice Father's Day to see your son launched toward a new chapter in his life. Next week- college orientation- Stay tuned.

Parties

We have attended several graduation parties this past week. It is wonderful to see these young men and women almost grown on the threshold of an new adventure. many of them have bben friends since preschool, and I hope they maintain their friendships as they move on to the phrase of their lives. they are awesome and I am proud to know each and every one of them.
Congratulations Graduates!

High School

Today was my son's last day of high school. Now he's finished with bored teachers, mind numbing curriculum and antiquated rigid rules. In august, he's off to college where he will spend four years basking in the glow of true intelligence, doing relevant research and hob- nobbing with professors who desire nothing more than to mold brilliant young minds. Of course I exaggerate- I know enough about departmental politics to tell you that universities aren't much different than high school, you just have a more highly educated genre of arrogant fucks than you do in high school, but the petty back biting and jockeying for position doesn't change. Nevertheless, I am very glad that Michael is graduating and moving to the next stage of his life- all night partying !

Cruise

Only three more weeks until our big cruise. I can't wait! This week we have to decide on our shore excursions. Ashley and I want to shop, tour and lay on the beach. Mike and Michael want to scuba dive, so I came up with a plan. I always have a plan. In the Cayman's we'll all go on the stingray excursion where we can snorkle, swim, and drink rum on the way back. In Cozumel, Ashley and I will take the shopping tour and Mike and Michael can scuba dive, so everybody should be happy.

Big Daddy's Burger Bar

What a great name! The foods not bad either! My burger was delicious, cooked just right on alightley toasted bun with the right condiments. The onions were carmelized and a little sweet for my taste, but the overall burger experience was terrific, and where can you find a $7.00 hamburger anymore unless you go to The Penguin or McDonald's. My daughter's order was incomplete and our server was so busy flirting with the girls behind us thast it was hard to attract his attention. I'll go back just because I like to say Big Daddy's Burger Bar! Come on try it with me... ready... Big Daddy's Burger Bar. See it's fun to say.

Sex and the City

I just left the much hyped Sex and the City movie- the girls have aged, it was thirty minutes too long and should have been worked as a whole season on HBO, but for any girl that's a fan of Cinderella or fairy tales in general you will get your Happy Ending, and I'm a sucker for happy endings! So go see the movie and enjoy!

Prayer for a Family

Here is a prayer i found when going through my dad's papers.
Prayer for a Family
Lord, bless our family,
All of us now together,
Those who are far away, and
All who are gone back to you.
May we know joy, and may
We bear our sorrows in patience.
Let love guide our understanding
Of each other:
Let us be grateful to each other,
We have all made each other
What we are.
Dear Lord,
Watch over our family.

Bon qui qui

My students got me to watch this clip on You Tube and I think it is hilarious! I showed it to my daughter, my husband and her boyfriend. My husband and daughter thougth it was stupid, but her boyfriend loved it. I also showed it to my middle daughter and she has been quoting it all day. She loves it, but goes around the house saying, " Security, Security!" " Rude!"

Speed Street

I have lived in Charlotte long enough to see many changes but two impacted my household this weekend. One is Speed Street, the other the new train. When I was young the Speedway was Charlotte's dirty little secret, not mentioned among the middle class, tucked in a corner of North Charlotte- okay technically Cabarrus county, out of sight out of mind. then in the 90's racing was suddenly cool and Charlotte discovered the track that was here all along. I mention this because it is now the cool thing among college kids to take the train downtown to Speed Street- tons of people, good music, cheap food -what's not to like and you dont't have to fight traffic anymore. According to my daughter, the worst problem on the train is the b.o. of fellow passengers, especially when the train is crowed and some guy is holding onto the strap right above your face. Rude!

DRAMA

I've had to put my story about Elvis on hold for awhile due to more family drama. My cousin's daughter is getting married on Saturday, and my sisters and i planned a meeting with my brother on Sunday to discuss the estate. After the plans had been in place for a month he decides that he doesn't feel like meeting on Sunday, now he wants to meet at 8:00 am on Monday. He does this crap because he can. He knows that when this is all over we will cut him loose and he wants to hold on as long as he can. Why? I don't know. All he's doing is further alienating us all. However, on a brighter note, I finished all of Michael's graduation invitations and they are in the mail. The final money for the cruise has been paid, the organizers have been duly thanked, and my favorite of the Heinz kids gets married on saturday. Party time!

The Night Elvis ate at The Waffle House

I'm working on a new short sory about two women who have dinner with Elvis at the local waffle house. Edna and her friend Martha had gone to walmart to get dogfood for the squirrels. Tom, Edna's husband usually drove them in his old green chevy truck, but when he retired from the golf cart plant he lasted about two weeks before Edna told him to get a hobby or she was getting a divorce, so he went to the local golf course to play a round . More to come...

Graduation

My daughter's boyfriend graduated from college on saturday morning. Blue skies, hundreds of proud parents, happy grads, what a perfect day!

Home

Ashely is home for the summer! Tons of stuff, where did she put all that i n her tiny dorm room. She will have everything organized and put away in a few days. It is wonderful to have her home even for a few months. I am not looking forward to fall when Michael goes off to school and she goes back to Appalachian. Ineed to get a puppy!

Home

Ashely is home for the summer. we packed a gazillion boxes in the car yesterday, and now her room looks like a war zone, but she is slowly putting things away. She likes order as do I. We went to luch today at The Penguin one of our favorite restaurants. It is a dive on Thomas Street, very funky, wait staff with nose rings and tatoos some of the best food in charlotte and terrifc atmosphere. One of my friends and his son joined us for lunch so it was very nice. Tonight she and her friend Anna went to the arena to see Kayne West. They were very excited about riding the train downtown. She called and said it was fantastic!

Grades

short and sweet- grades are in. I am free- until Monday when summer classes start at Queens!

More on grades

I am almost finished grading- yea! tomorrow I will drive to appalachain and bring my daughter home for the summer. it seems like she just left!. those college years fly by! I'm glad she'll be home for the summer but i don't know how the sharing car thing will work out - that remains to be seen!

Prom

My son went to prom saturday. he looked very handsome. when my daughters got ready for the big night it was an all day thing- hair, nails, make-up etc. the guys went to the golf tournment, showered and at 5;00 they were off. One of the parents had the kids over for dinner and pictures. it was so nice to see all the kids dressed up and looking great1 they are well on their way to adulthood- a bittersweet moment!

grades

I have spent the last two days reading portfolios and grading papers. My students are required to write a reflection letter to introduce their portfolio. I am always amazed when I read these each semester. the students that i think just sat there filling space will write a detailed analysis of the course that will blow me away while others that I think got it, trash everything in the course. Oh well, live and learn. I think I'll go home and bake a pie. Chocolate of course!

Off to See The Wizard

Iwas trying to come up witha topic for my summer school class that would appeal to older students and that we could have fun with. I thought of a few, food, travel, and finally decided on The Wizard of Oz. It has everything- themes of home, family, quest, fantasy, adventure, politics, etc .We can chart the changes in America through the book, the movie later adaptations- The Wiz, and now Wicked. Im excited, I can;'t wait to navigate the road the Oz. Follow the yellow brick road!

Be Kind

I was cleaning out some papers last week when I came across a letter my mother wrote many years ago when she thought she was very ill. In this letter, she told each of us how much she loved us, and asked us to be kind to our father and each other. It is now 20 years later, and they are both gone, but her words stay with me. As soon as my dad passed away the veneer of civility in our family disintegrated. One of my sisters and I have stayed close and have tried to remove ourselves from the fray. It amazes me that someone would risk losing the only family they have just to make sure that they get their fair share. God forbid that one person should have one dime more than the next. There are a few things of my parents that I would like to have- the dining room table where we shared family and holiday meals, and where my grandfather presided over Saturday night dinners, but otherwise I've lived without it this long, I can live without it! My sister and my children mean more to me than any piece of furniture. It is so bad, that one of my sister's complained because I took a bunch of paper plates from the basement, I guess she wanted to get the fair market value from them. By the way,I took them to our church, we sponsor several families in a program called Family Promise. The families basically live in the church basement for a few months while they are seeking help with jobs, skills, finances etc. The paper plates are there for backup, so they don't have to wash dishes- I guess I should write my sister a check for her fair share! Anyway, back to my original thought- after all is said and done, if we are not kind to each other what good is anything else- I would argue that our possessions will crumble and fall around us, but kind words and deeds will sustain us through eternity. I just sounded religious, and I am not religious at all. I guess that means it's time to stop writing!

Food for Thought

I was trying to decide what topic to explore with my adult students this summer, and came up with the topic of food. Food is at the center of our lives. even if we don't cook, food brings back memories of childhood, of family and special occasions celebrated throughout our lives. I read in the paper today that City Tavern on East Blvd. has closed and felt a deep sense of loss. My ties to the building go back to my childhood. My grandparents took my sister and me to dinner there when it was the Drum restaurant over 50 years ago, and I spent many Sundays there eating bereakfast with my family after church. More recently, as City Tavern it was the place where I took my Dad for lunch on Saturday afternoons after my Mom passed away. He enjoyed the food and the trip down memory lane. After luch, we often drove down Lynway Dr ( a few blocks from City Taven) to look at my grandparents old house. This trip inevitably brought up stories of family gatherings, picnics under the flowering cherry tree in the backyard, Sunday visits when my grandmother always sent us home with a bag of grapes and a package of lady fingers, among other goodies. My dad has been gone for 10 months now, and I miss our lunches ,I still make the occasional trip to Lynway Drive, but even if they tear down the old drum, Ill still have great family memories.

I digress, back to food- food is our comfort, our connection to each other and the outside world, we love to share recipes handed down from family members, and tell others about our heritage and traditions.

i am going to incorporate this topic into my class. I'm excited and I can't wait to write about the results!

April fool

Thought about my Mom today. she loved april fools' Day. she is probably the only old lady in the world who took her grandchildren out when they were small and taught them how to roll yards! Yes, she loved to play pratical jokes on people. I have a joke for you.
isn't it funny ha ha
april fools!

Writing

Writing ( Or Not!)

okay so one of the reasons I started this blog was to make sure I wrote everyday. Well, so much fior great plans! I have a hellacious teaching schedule this semester, plu all the family drama9 referred to in previous blogs!) My sister and I have hired an attorney so hopefully things will progress, and I can write. Missed the call for papers for SAMLA- I have a great one on the role of women and art in victorian literature, mnaybe I'll just submit it as an article!

college

My son got into college! The letter came two weeks ago, and he was thrilled. Probably the smartest of my three kids, he is lazy and tries to get by by doing as little as possible. Last semester of his junior year he realized that he had screwed up big time, and set out to get better grades. He worked hard, but a 1.7 is hard to overcome with the best grades. He was turned down by four schools and though he'd be spending a year at CPCC. Nothing wrong with that, but he's ready to leave and I'm ready for him to go! He's going to Lees McRae, a small school in the mountains. A year there will help him get his act together ,and get his grades up enough to get into Appalachian. He's still close enough to go to the football games, and he's right in the middle of great skiing, so I think he's happy. I hope so.
My sister got a forwarded email from our sister-in-law describing a dinner she cooked Saturday. She detailed everything from the sauce to what she drank, and how she placed her hoses aroungd the yard to water the flowers. As boring as it was to read, I can't imagine what the people that were there wanted to do. Glad it wan't me.

Did anybody see the lunar eclipse Wednesday night? it looked like the earth stood still for a minute suspended in time, a sliver of live shadowed by the forces of the universe. Breathtaking!

Valentine's Day

Finally, Valentine's Day is over. I never know what to get my husband. He still hasn't worn the clothes I bought him last Christmas, he already read Robert Parker's new book, so chocloates were in order. I went to Target after school yesterday and they had two boxes left. I bought both. We went out to dinner ( Hickory Tavern) not romantic, but reasonable with good food, and he could watch basketball and not talk. I think he believes he only has so many words allowed a day, and he doesn't want to use them up. On the other hand, I have an endless steam of words- just read my cell phone bill....

Friday

TGIF!
im sitting here at work in a little room waiting for students that don't come to help them with their writing. Most really don't want help, they want me to rewrite their papers for them. I've graded my students papers for the week, planned my lessons for next week, and now I have no excuse not to work on my novel. Wait, I want to talk about the movie I showed in class yesterday. Bowling for Columbine. What a great movie. We are learning a bout multimedia approaches to argument and I think this movie is a perfect example. Whatever you think of Michael Moore, his subject matter appearance etc., the man is a genius! He intersperses humor amid the horror of Columbine, uses music to make his point, employs clips from Southpark and Chris Rock to show our love affair with violence in this country to create a tight, compelling story of gun violence in America. Most of my students liked the movie , and made some very thoughtful commets, one made my heart soar, when she responded to my comment that many people didn't like Moore. she said "He tells the truth".. I said , " Do we want to know the truth"? and she replied, No, I guess we don't. Just when i think I'm teaching to the wall, somebody gets it, and I am thrilled. If you're not a teacher, at any level, you can't understand that wonderful feeling, when a student sees the light.
I'll live on that all weekend.
Peace

Estate

Both my parents passed away last year, and now my siblings and I are in a big fight. I thought that once there wasn't anybody to compete for attention some of this craziness would go away. I was wrong. My brother is executor of the estate, and he refuses to move forward. He has made many glaring errors in his handling of things so far, and when he has been called on it he has told the rest of us how stupid we are. I found a bag of trash in front of the house before Christmas, and called him to tell him there were unpaid bills in the garbage with account numbers and large open balances. he sent me a nasty eamil that told me he wasn't born yesterday, and I didn't know what I was talking about. I'm a college professor, but Iguess in his eyes I'm too stupid to recognize a credit card bill. I made copies of all the bills and sent them to the family attorney who was shocked. My brother told him the bills didn't exist, and then swore that he had paid them in full. Not true. Oh well, I could go on for hours. I'm sitting at work getting ready to grade papers. My students are freaking out because they don't understand what to do. They get caught up in the wording, and don't realize how simple their task is. I try to break it down for them, but at some point they will have to realize they are in college now, and they are going to have to learn big words. They are for the most part a good group, some of the girls need to get out of the high school mindset, i guess it will take a while. All of now.
Peace
marion

Finally

Well, Ifinally started a blog. Today i told my freshman writing students that bloggers weren't reliable sources of information. Now, i'll try to prove myself wrong. This is one of my first steps in my new writing life. My intentions are good, but after teaching all day ,then reading student papers, getting the words in my head on paper proves to be a monumental task. I am going to discipline myself to write every day, and if you by chance read this please encourage me, scold, me and wish me well. I have written two short stories both of which got very nice rejection letters ( as opposed to don't bother us again letters) and I am currently working on a novel that takes place in Charlotte's NoDa neighborhood. I guess i'll stop for now and try to write a few pages of my novel.. My main character has just met a very interesting looking guy at the local dog bar... more later .
Peace