Things that make you want to sing

Take a look at this.  Such beauty.

Sports memories (sans cats)

They're having a softball tournament at work.  I got all excited and marked it with a follow-up flag.  Three girls have to be on the field at all times!  I don't think our department could have a team because we're 95% female.  Maybe someone else knows of a team that needs another girl!

Oh. 
I can't play anymore. 

I forgot.

I still remember a time when I could not imagine living without softball and volleyball.  I remember when I wanted to be the old person out there playing.  I wanted to be like my dad: the oldest person on the team and still capable of contributing.  I remember thinking that nothing could stop me.

I think I hear cats singing something about memories.  (But weren't those cats supposed to be old and rickety?)  Ah, well . . .

I wonder if there are softball tournaments in heaven.  Guess I'll find out when I get there.

My crazy bunny is still alive!

I saw it for the third time: my crazy little bunny.  (It may not even be the same one, but how many weird little bunnies could there be in that small area?)  It was once again darting out in broad daylight near rush hour traffic. 

The first time I saw him, I was sitting in the afternoon rush waiting to get onto a highway.  A tiny creature crawled out onto the sidewalk and promptly fell over.  It was kind of like a kitten wanting to play, only it was a rabbit, there was no one there to play with it, it was broad daylight, and wild bunnies don't usually do that.

The week after that, I was exiting that same highway, and the dumb critter ran out onto the ramp and hopped around a bit through the morning rush hour traffic before staggering off into the brush again.

Someone suggested distemper or perhaps a nice supply of fermenting fruit somewhere . . .

Anyway, I worry about the poor, strange little thing.  It's nice to see that (somehow) it's still alive.

Goldfish on the carpet and other amusing aftermaths

Does anyone have any advice about how to get ground up goldfish out of your carpet when the vacuum just doesn't get the job done? 

I should mention that I mean little cheese-flavored crackers, not, you know, real goldfish.  And I think they weren't even Goldfish, technically.  They were a generic kind of snack cracker most definitely NOT shaped like the Trademarked Goldfish.  Not that you can tell now . . . :)

two thoughts on August

The thing
I hate
about August
is those days
when the low
is so high
if I want to bask
I just fry.

The thing
I love
about August
is cicadas
screaming loudly
with joy
despite life's
brevity.

College Prep in Elementary School?

I recently received a postcard in the mail that made me wonder how on earth I got onto that mailing list.  It was for a college prep elementary school.  I am not making this up.  My initial reaction was, "Seriously?" 

I mean, I've always been a total brainy nerd, and in elementary school, I had no idea our school was, like, three grade levels above the average, and I had a wonderful time there.  But I think it would be different if the school's name and purpose was aiming for top college placement from Kindergarten.  It's almost Japanese . . .

Would you have enjoyed a highly competitive elementary school?  Did you ever wish your elementary school did more to make you college ready?  What was your school like?  Did you enjoy it?

Feeling lucky to be on the other side for now

"According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 30.6% of workers with a disability lived in poverty in 2006, compared to 9.2% of workers with no disability."

I came across that fact and wondered what the numbers looked like in, say, 2009.

I am feeling very relieved not to be in that nearly 31% anymore, but I also want to do something to help the people those number represent, which I suspect has grown with the recession.  I wonder if I'll ever have the energy to try.

Priorities: rearranging a life

I just got offered a class to teach at a local university, and I find myself suddenly faced with a priority crunch. 

I was going to audition for a singing group that rehearses Monday nights.  Tuesday nights, I have a writing group.  Wednesday nights I lead a small group from church.  Thursday night is when the anime club I belong to meets.  Friday night through Saturday night, I clean and collapse.  Sunday is two flavors of church and  sometimes a writing group and spending time with a friend.  There is no way I can do all that, handle a new full time job, and juggle a part-time job on top of that.

I am inclined to just scrap it all and focus on the jobs this semester. 

• M: I haven't auditioned yet, but even if I do, I might not make it, so maybe I should table this one for now.  Or maybe I should go for it and pray that if it's a bad idea, I won't get in.  Will I be in any shape to audition next year?  Probably not after a whole year off, but there's no way I can fit the a cappella choir I've sung with for the past six years into the new job schedule in the first six months. 
• T: I've been having trouble getting people to show up to the writing group, and I was only really doing it to force myself to do research on publishing, which I don't really care about, because if I don't have teaching experience, I need some pieces published to potentially get hired, which I already am, so this is something I don't need to torture myself with anymore. 
• W: My small group wants to meet on another night, so this could be a good time to disengage from that commitment. 
• Th: I don't NEED the anime club, and they don't need me since I really don't contribute much of anything (hooray for passive entertainment), but I do enjoy watching things on a big screen and not being required to be in charge. 

On the other hand, in college I learned that you should start out with way more than you can handle, and you can whittle down as you go, deciding what's important.  Of course, I don't have that youthful energy anymore to keep it up for a whole quarter before disengaging . . .

How do you prioritize?  Do you have any advice on what I should sacrifice and what I might want to consider keeping?