I made it!

I made a full week at work with no time off. I was not on time every day, but I worked a full forty hours. I'm getting closer to fine.

I also was able to speak to people this week more like the normal me. I attended two crucial (well, we thought) school board meetings and spoke twice at one of them. In the end it turned our fruitless as they passed their pitiful, harmful and disgusting budget cuts with total disregard to the public input they had invited. At the first meeting one commenter called the process a "smokescreen" and said they already knew exactly how they were going to vote. At the end of it all I think he was absolutely right. The cuts they made are going to hurt the poorest families and the most alienated and disenfranchised students of our school system the worst and literally affect the educational and physical well being of our community for generations. The elimination of the alternative high school and the Teen Learning Center are horrible tragedies. Although I attended and spoke as a representative of the strings and orchestra programs the educational alternatives for those other students being taken away is much more tragic in my mind. I actually began my speech by noting so.

After the vote Friday night and the meeting adjourned I just looked at Jane and said, "Fried Food and alcohol." So four of us orchestra old-timers went out and consoled ourselves. I even had a frou-frou girly drink and I hardly ever drink more than Diet Coke when I go out. It didn't even taste alcoholic, probably the sugar was the worst thing in it for me!

My headache has been back this weekend. They say we're going to get an ice storm today so if the pressure is changing that would account for it. I plan to leave for Indy much earlier than usual so I can stop at Heather's and drop off some stuff and shop at Trader Joe's before I get Michael.

Speaking of Michael... he beat me to the punch. He sent in his letter and is officially no longer a member of the church. I had planned on doing it a few weeks ago because I was upset that the Ward Clerk whom I had never met had sent me a letter that said "we miss you." ha! How can you miss someone you've never met? I had never quite settled on a letter that satisfied me, however. I had all the addresses and everything around. A couple of weeks ago the Bishop and one of his "cronies" as Michael called him came to visit, uninvited, when in fact, we have asked for no contact. I did not let them in. We were eating dinner and Michael had answered the door and I told him to just tell them I was unavailable and that he did not have to give a reason. Their coming over like that really bothered him and within three days he had written and mailed his letters. So now it's kind of funny. He's out and I am still in! I am not sure why that got a bee in his bonnet the way that it did, but I am glad he feels content with what he did. It will probably upset Heather and maybe some other relatives to read this but remember that if you think an eight year old is mature enough to decide to join the church that an eighteen year old should be considered mature enough to decide to un-join the church, especially one with the intellectual and emotional maturity that Michael demonstrates.

Well I must go take care of some practical matters so I can get on the road when I want. Signing off from my new computer.

Hopiemama