Random Tid Bits

I'm writing this on Mon. Way before Christmas. If you celebrate, I hope you had a great one!

1. I got so far behind in things this year! Presents are usually wrapped soon after Thanksgiving. I just do that because, for me it's nice seeing packages under the tree. I didn't wrap them until this last weekend.
   
   Travis cracks me up because when we first got married he was annoyed when I'd go out to buy things without him knowing what I bought. Now if I tell him he's like, "So. Why are you telling me?"


2. He had a huge paper similar to a thesis due the week before Christmas. They gave him corrections, and the extended deadline is now shortly after the first of the year. He's still working on that paper. I'm ready for it to be over with. I'm glad he's writing, but we all have to be quiet, while he works. This hush hush thing is getting more and more difficult.


3. I use any Santa paper - Santa on the paper, for Santa gifts. Any other Christmas paper is used, for all other gifts. Somehow I ended up with a ton of Santa paper, and have hardly any other paper at all.
   
   If you have kids, do you use a certain paper for Santa gifts?


4. I drug my family with probiotics when anyone of us get sick. I open those pills, and pop them in the blender. Lately I've been making one of two smoothies: Cran-Apple, and Mango-Peach. Cran-Apple because it's just that time of year. Mango-Peach because it's a good one to add Ginger, Turmeric, and a sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper. All great for inflammation. 







5. My seniors are the best class I've ever had. They are all getting A's, minus two drops. I walked into a class where a teacher was talking to this same class about comments on his evaluations, not being too kind. I decided to read my own. Often times I just look at the numbers. Having a comment section anytime, is asking for people to complain. Rarely do they give alternative ideas to make things better. I teach a Design and Layout class, but it's their second one. They've had two Advertising classes and one Marketing class at this point as well. I try and cover designers and what they are doing NOW, type trends, what pros think of design that's been rebranded, design in spaces and more. Some comments were, "This class should be renamed, 'Design Art History'." They went on to say I should have more Type lectures. They had a whole Typography course as well. I can take the comments.
   
   Some students went to Administration to complain about my final exam. They mentioned that the content wasn't relevant to the industry. It was all questions off my review sheet, they got a week prior to the test to study the review sheet. The midterm exam was very similar to the final one, and none of them complained then. In fact no one has complained about this same exam or class, for about five years. All the students still have A's after taking it. What bothers me is that no one said anything about the test to me. I feel like we were on a level, where communication is up there. The Education Director has called in others to talk to them about issues, but no I got an email from him about it. He's a short hallway to my office.
   
   Everyone should also understand that I missed a whole week of class, due to Jury Duty. Everything I left to have the Director go over, wasn't given to the student the same way I would deliver it.
   
   I wanted to send all my students in that class this card:
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Do you have any perfectionists in your life?

Court Jury Process

I've been on crazy mode trying to get things done. I have all my holiday decor up, all my cookies made (which is a lot!), presents wrapped for my nephews, and gifts bought for my children. I've been pushing Mica to nail out his Science Fair Project. Mica has been stubborn about that one. I just NEED to work on my holiday card in a big way.

I've been freaking out about Monday (Possible Jury Duty), for a good month. I just feared trying to find parking downtown. Crazy that I grew up here, and feared that. Maybe it's all the one way streets. I found out my Mom is the same way. Maybe I get it from her.

Travis was hoping I'd get Jury Duty. He wanted me to wear my big girl panties, and get my ass downtown. Well I called Sunday night, listened to the Juror numbers 3 times, and swore mine didn't need to show. Travis said, "Umm yes you need to show." Not only was I direction incompetent, but I was dyslexic with my numbers too. Nothing new there. Maybe directions and numbers go hand in hand.

Just so everyone knows, I tested positive for a learning disability in college. I never had a name attached to that disability. I've always found my way, somehow. Anxiety does happen from time to time, when things are weak in my mind. I get through.

Off I went downtown. Get this...it's mostly straight, but it feels like I turn and twist all over the place because the streets merge into other streets. Much of the way wasn't narrow straight, but I only turned twice and once was right by my house.

I never got lost, and parking wasn't so bad.

I pay attention to everything!

Except when it comes to directions. 

When I got there I had to go to the bathroom, so bad. I drink like crazy in the morning. Guess what? A couple was getting married in the hallway, right in front of the bathrooms. Who gets married at 8 in the morning right by the courthouse bathrooms? 

I was one of the first to check in. No one sat by each other, but the room was full of people. It was so odd. You could hear a pen drop in there.

They told us on our forms to dress business casual, but there were lots of people in ball caps and t shirts. 

One guy showed up with 2 very small children.

My Odds:

There were 2 trials going on. They only needed 12 x 2 = 24 Jurors. There was well over 200 people there. Everyone was divided into 2 groups. Then between the 2 groups the selection process began. 

We entered the court room. Again I pay attention to everything. A guy was told to take his hat off. Two girls were not. Odd!

I'm thinking, There's a lot of people, maybe I won't get picked! They called off, "Alesa Apell", which I knew meant "Alissa Apel" rhymes with Melissa Maple. 

18 people were called up.

They asked a ton of questions. The one I had to explain the most was, "Do you know anyone that has had to advocate, for someone?" My nephew Emerson has to be advocated for all the time. I had to explain a lot about him. That was a big deal because the case was, for a guy that had to be advocated for.

They kicked off 6. 2 were nurses. The case involved nurses. 1 was a lawyer that defended cases like that. 1 worked for a law firm. 1 just had a surgery, and couldn't sit still. 1 was just trying to make his way back into the world after being homeless. I stayed.

Every time I was in the courtroom I thought about one of the Jurors getting the hiccups up there. Not able to control themselves. 

Rules:

We were told to listen to the facts, not to talk to each other about the case, not to talk to outside sources about the case, and not to have empathy for each party. The empathy part was the hardest. Second hardest was I didn't know how much we could or couldn't talk to the other jurors. Apparently they didn't know either. The room typically got very quiet on our breaks. So much so, that the water bubbler was extremely loud when someone was getting a drink. You could hear when someone was peeing. When we had to buzz in that we were all there, ready to go back in after a break I swear it felt like we waited an eternity for them to show us into the courtroom. It felt like we were inside an escape room, and may not find our way out.

Jury Duty

Daddy has been called to have Jury Duty about three times. This time he had to go in.

• On top of that it snowed. 
• On top of that my parents had to watch Isaak more.
• On top of that Mica has to go to before, and possibly after school care.
• On top of that I had to drive all over this morning. Now I know what it's like to be a single mom.
• On top of that their were a few main street lights out.
• On top of that I wish I knew when Daddy would be done for the day and for the case he's assigned. I hate the unknown! 

Poor Mica thought Daddy would have to sleep in the court house. He thought he wouldn't see him for a long time. I reassured him that Daddy would not be sleeping in the court house.

With all that I'm lucky.

• Neither of us has ever had Jury Duty.
• I didn't get into an accident this morning.
• I have parents that help out. I don't know what I'd do without them!
• Mica's school is great about before and after care. The kids don't have to go consistently. He seems happy when I pick him up. 
• I'm thankful we have cars now a days that can get around in this stuff.
• I'm thankful for preschool; that will keep Isaak occupied for part of the time.
• I'm thankful we live in a small enough city, where it only takes me an hour of driving around town versus in a big city where it would take hours.

As Forest Gump would say, "My Mama always said, 'Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get.'"

St. Patty's Day

I woke up with a sour stomach. No one else did and we've all had the same food. My stomach has always been on the sensitive side. I have to say that I'm lucky because there was one year I was sick to my stomach over and over again.

I made breakfast anyhow. Green whole wheat waffles, eggs and a banana. The boys were excited about the green waffle.

Mica told me how a leprechaun visited his school and left a green shoe in the classroom.

Then I laid around the rest of the day. I ate nothing, but drank a lot of water. I read to the kids, we played War the card game and we watched a movie.

Later on I saw that a blogger friend put on Facebook green dye in her toilet. I did the same. Mica went in to go potty and said, "Mommy a Leprechaun peed in our toilet!" He wanted to call everyone to tell them. He told Aunt Angela, "If you see any GREEN call me! I'm a Leprechaun hunter you know!" That was pretty funny! I told them both to go potty on top of the green for good luck. We're odd!

Kind of a new part to this post: We got crappy mail today! Daddy got papers in the mail - summoned to be on jury duty. 


So to not end the night with jury duty in our heads I pulled out episodes of The Cosby Show. That's right I bought their best episodes on DVD for super cheep. We all had good laughs. Our boys have never watched The Cosby Show. It's one of the best shows on air I think. Along with that I bought Disney - Swiss Family Robinson. We watched that earlier this week. It took 2 nights to get through it. I'm reading them the book as well.