Whiny Wednesday....

I'm tired... need sleep!  Here's the short version of my day:  

Still hot.  Bad storms.  Hail, but no tornados~that's a good thing.   

Worked sucked.  We have such whiners on Wednesdays.  We got rid of a terrible biter, only to gain a new one :(     

12 kids, and much to my surprise~4 teachers!  Mrs Lead was in a mood.  #2 kept being moved to different places, #3 was being herself {me being nice there}. 

Last 4 hours took longer than the whole day... hate when that happens.  

On the bright side~a cold front is due in tomorrow!  Halle-f-in-lujah!  80 degree highs, low humidity~here I come!  

And.. payday Friday!   

Off to watch the Bill Cosby deal on Nightline~the man is so right!  Why can't we just put it all out there?  And outlaw political correctness!  

Cat

We interrupt this program for this important service announcement..

I'm sure by now, you have all heard something about this.  For those who do not know, here is the short version :)

What is The ONE Campaign?
ONE is a new effort by Americans to rally Americans – ONE by ONE – to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. The ONE Campaign is engaging Americans through a diverse coalition of faith-based and anti-poverty organizers to show the steps people can take, ONE by ONE, to fight global AIDS and poverty.

Why is The ONE Campaign needed?
Right now, the US government is making decisions about how much money to spend on humanitarian assistance next year and the UK is poised to lead the world’s wealthiest nations at the G8 summit next July. By joining the ONE campaign, we will show our leaders that we want to do more to respond to the emergency of AIDS and extreme poverty.

What is the goal of The ONE Campaign?
The ONE Campaign seeks to give Americans a voice, to ring church bells and cell phones, on campuses and in coffee shops, for an historic pact to fight the global AIDS emergency and end extreme poverty. We believe that allocating an additional ONE percent of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food, would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation of the poorest countries.

Who founded The ONE Campaign?
The ONE Campaign was founded by Bread for the World, CARE, DATA, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Oxfam America, Plan USA, Save the Children US, World Concern, and World Vision, and works closely with the National Basketball Association, Rock the Vote, and the Millennium Campaign.

The ONE Campaign is supported by Bill and Melinda Gates and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

How does ONE link to international agreements to fight poverty?
ONE links directly to the international effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. 1% more of the US federal budget would help save millions of lives and be a major commitment towards achieving the internationally agreed upon United Nations Millennium Development Goals. If it is delivered, we would achieve 0.35% of national wealth going to Official Development Assistance - half way to the international commitment to achieve 0.7%. Longer term, so long as we can prove the money is working, the goal is for the US to continue to increase effective assistance until it meets the international commitment to give 0.7% of the national wealth. This is an appropriate goal for ten years time, or 2015, the deadline for achieving the Millennium Goals.

Who has signed The ONE Campaign declaration?
ONE participants include celebrities such as Bono, lead singer of U2 and DATA co-founder; Dikembe Mutombo, NBA All-Star and advocate for Africa; Michael W. Smith Grammy Award winning Musician; Agnes Nyamayarwo, Ugandan Nurse and Global AIDS activist, and representatives of national advocacy organisations such as Bread for the World, World Vision, GLobal Health Council, The Better Safer World Coalition, DATA and many others.

You can do your part by sending President Bush a message to help.  The United States spends less than 1% on aid to foreign countries and Africa is in dire straits. 

Please sign the petition and pass the link on.  Without 'The Mother Country' ~where would we be? 

Click the link!  The One Campaign~add your voice.

Cat

Monday, meetings and still melting ....

Ahhh.... for the first time in 5 days, the night time low is below 80.  It is 79 currently  :)  Maybe, just maybe, I can sleep tonight without having to adjust fans all night long.   

Well, Grace met her other grandparents Sunday, and it really went great!  She was very well behaved, even singing and doing her 'Never smile at a crocodile' routine!  Is that cute or what?  Needless to say, they were charmed by my little 'angel'.  And I doubted her ;)  

His Dad got down on the floor and looked at the photo album she brought of herself.  He played with her toys... he really likes kids and is good with them.  Makes me wonder why Wayne didn't have a good relationship with him....

Wayne and I both told her how proud we were of her and that she was a very good girl. She took to them without hesitation and his Mom was surprised that she was not bashful.... lol.... not my kid ;)   Though the first sentence out of her mouth to me was "why did you keep her away for so long?" 

I told her it was his obligation to tell them, not mine.  And that I did not want them to think I was after anything, like money and gifts (his oldest daughter's mother left them very bitter).  

We arrived there at 9:30 am and did not leave until 1:30.  I chatted with his Mom, who is recovering from a 2nd knee replacement on the same knee, the whole time.  Grace, Wayne and his Dad went down to the basement where all the toys are.  They still have toys his oldest played with and she is 22 :)  

They have them because her mother would take the kids' gifts they received back to the store for the money.  She is no mother, in reality.  Her oldest son left home at 16 because she stole his money and blamed it on his sisters.   

To catch her, he marked the bills with a pen and when he confronted her, she of course denied it.  He then takes the money from her purse and tells her that he made those marks and it was his.  So she says one of his sisters took it and put it in her purse!  I'm telling you, she's a real winner....  

So, my fear is that the oldest, Kimberly, may be jealous of Grace in some way... or a lot of ways.  First, she is the only grandchild they had met.  Second, she was the only bi-racial child he had.  Third, because Kim's mom is such a ......, Wayne was not allowed to be at his parent's house when Kim was over, so she never got to know him.  I hope she's not caught too off guard....  

I told his Mom this, and she said she didn't think it would be a problem for her, but that she may want to meet her.  Ok, I am ready for his parents... but not his other kids, her sisters..... I'm not really ready to discuss things with his kids.  Kim has made some bad choices, but I get she is young.... I figure if she wants to, I can take Grace back to his parents.  

Kim used to spend the weekends with them and I am hoping they do not want Gracie to do the same thing.  I can't do that yet.  I'm not saying anything about them, I just don't trust anyone around Grace.  Am I terrible?  She can go and play, but not without me being there.  They will not be babysitters, just grandparents.  God, that sounds harsh....  

My parents are also a bit jealous.  My father making sure I am aware that we do not need anything from them.  Though he realizes that they are her family as well, he does not acknowledge it.  I'm sure that is due to the way Wayne acted about it all.    And part is that Wayne's parents did little for him as far as education goes. 

They were not hands on parents.  So, in essence, my father sees little benefit- other than birthdays and holidays- of Grace being with them.  I don't know.  They are her family and she should at least know them.  They are in their mid to late 70's, so she has little time to do that... realisticly speaking.  

Anyway...  

Work today was ok.  It was 91, so our kids got to have water play outside!  I got more wet than all but 1 kid and she was having herself a little ball :)  The rest could have really cared less and some cried their heads off.

We had 8 kids... 8 pleasant kids, a nice and easy day :)  I even got out of work at 5:45 today!  Woo-hoo!  That never happens...  <note to self: play lottery this week>   

Mrs Lead is off on Mondays, and Asst #2 took the offer to leave early like a hooker takes a $100.  But she has to stay on Wednesday because she took last monday off.  Or so she says....  We only have 11 kids scheduled for Wed., and 3 other teachers... so we'll see if she sticks around.....  Trust me somebody, other than me, will leave that day.   

The forecast here tomorrow is slight chance of storms~let's hope.  We really shouldn't have had the water on as our city water company has asked that we not use unnecessary water for a few more days.    It hasn't rained in I can't remember how long. 

The east side of the city got some showers today, so that should help the city, but not us so much.  Our lawn is cracked and grass turning brown.  We have some vegetable plants that cannot make it without water, so they get a drink.   

Went to Johnny's nice, cool, central air on full blast house to watch the Sonoma race yesterday.  Damn Stewart... he's always killed on road courses.  Newman came in 9th,  Wallace (Rusty) had a good run.  Poor Kahne lost it in a turn, not sure if he was 'assisted' into that... 

Made my day that Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, or Greg Biffle didn't win though ;)  

Johnny cooked corn on the cob on the grill and my big bro made his killer burgers with all the fixins.... add to the mix a tub of mustard potato salad and ~Kitty got full and did circles on the couch cushion before making herself purrfectly comfy on the loveseat :) 

Then I had to fight J's 75 pound, 1 year old german shepherd 'pup' ~Shadow~ she's all black and a total alpha bitch.  That is, of course, until she has to contend with me for the spot ;)   

So, all in all, a nice weekend.  Once again I got myself expecting the worst of it all.  Am pleased to be wrong. 

Though, I will say, I told Grace she was very good and she told me next time, she was going to be bad..... very bad. 

See why I said not alone?  They have no idea  ;)  

Have a goodone, ya'll....  

Cat

I'm melting...

It's hot!  No, it is beyond hot and moved into sweltering.  Know what Kitty dislikes more than hot, humid days?  Any guesses?  You got it!--hot, humid nights....  

Last night the thermostat never dipped below 85.  I had two fans by my bed, facing in opposite directions turned on high, with me in the middle of them.  Damn near tried Sam's wet sheet suggestion.... but Kitty does not like to be wet (unless she is in a pool or ocean ;)  It took me a couple hours to get to sleep, but eventually I did.  

Had a fan in Gracie's window, turned on high and another one on her floor to keep a steady (warm) breeze on her.  Her bedroom is the hottest in the house because she only has two windows facing west.  The rest of the rooms have at least three windows for cross ventilation.   

I love this house, but installing any type of air conditioning or central air would be pointless unless we replaced all of the windows.  That's not going to happen anytime soon.  Besides, I can't imagine the costs of cooling this place down!  We have oil heat, so keeping it warm in the winter is costly enough.  

We're supposed to hit 95 again today, Sunday and Monday~who asked for this isht, anyway?  I hope my summer loving friends get this stuff heading their way very, very soon :)  You asked for it, not me~so why is it hanging around my house?  

That's okay, five more months until cold weather hits~think I can hang in there until then.  What I am stressing over is it is only June.  July and August, the hottest months, still to come.  Do you think because we never hit 90 last summer, that we won't get any temps under that for thisone?  If so, you'll find Kitty hitchhiking to Alaska ;)  

Going to find some shadows to lay in.... hope no one melts.  

Cat

Lecture Hall 4, Pep 101

Wow!  On my 'One Word' entry, you guys are the best.  I loved all your words... Kitty kisses for everyone :)  

About the quiz thing from Angel's, some of you are reluctant to post your scores because mine was high.  Well, you should do it anyway.  It was a stupid little quiz that means nothing in reality.   

Keep in mind that I loved classes in Logic and Statistics in college, and my adoration of history and world events as well.  Factor in that my degree from my 12 year college tour is in Accounting, and what do you expect?  Oh... and you can blame my father for my knowledge of language.  He used the dictionaries and encyclopedias as punishment :)  

He made us write lines repeatedly when we were being troublemakers as soon as we learned to write.  "I will not be a rabble-rouser" or "I promise not to be a menace."  He would write it at the top of a piece of paper (the 3-lined kind from grade school days) and we would have to copy it until we filled up the page.  I learned to write really big, too ;)  

But I digress.....  

Many of you have qualities that I would rather have~like social lives, life partners, I could go on and on.  Being smarter doesn't make life any easier, trust me.  Theresa said I should've been a doctor or lawyer and truth is- I couldn't stay focused enough to accomplish either.  I got bored with all the extra classes I had to take to get a degree, so I kept changing my major.   

My mind never stops thinking, feeding on anything that comes into contact.  I refuse prescriptions, and have found only one thingthat shuts it off for awhile.  I have more useless knowledge stored in my head than a politican has butt-kissers....   

Most of the people with genius level IQ's were a little crazy~like Einstein, DaVinci, Hitler (ok~he was a lot crazy).. but you get my point.   

So, next time a silly quiz rolls around, don't feel like you can't post it because you think someone else's makes you look bad~it's just for fun :)  

Lecture over~  

Cat  

PS~ I'm still miffed that there was no sexual content in it ~ It is called "The quick and dirty IQ test! 

Yet another...

Found this over at Angel's place:  A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

 

Your IQ Is 140

 

Your Logical Intelligence is Genius  

Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius

Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius

Your General Knowledge is Genius

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test    

You know you want to get yours, too  ;)  

Cat  

Una palabra....

Alright, this thingy is flying through J~Land fast. 

Personally, I think the only word to describe Kitty is 'Me-ow', but hey, there may be dissenting opinions out there  ;).  

So, have at it~describe me in one word.  Would prefer the first one that comes to mind~even if it may have been previously given :)  But, obviously, do as you will.....  

If you have played along already, please let me know so I can visit and reciprocate.  If you haven't participated and are going to, I'll be around shortly :)  

Thanks~  

Cat  

PS ~ Una palabra = one word  :)