Trapeze Classes

A co-worker of mine is going to take her daughter for a trapeze class for her birthday. I think maybe I will spring for Jazz and I to take a class together for her birthday! Sounds like fun! Perhaps she'll want to have a trapeze class party in lieu of a Chuck E. Cheese one? They give classes to kids 6 years old and up and they do do children's parties. It's $65 a class so if she had her b-day party there - she could only invite a few friends. I'll leave the choice up to her.

Click here to see the website for the school...
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Jazz Gets Tutor Starting Monday

Jazzmin is going to start getting tutored in reading on Monday. One issue is she'll read a story and can answer any question you have about the story - yet doesn't really know what are relevant facts to include in summary/book report other then the bare minimum outline of the story. So that is a skill she needs to build, though I'm told this issue is normal for a 4th grader. Also, I wonder if not having this skill effects her reading and wonder if maybe that in turn causes her to find reading boring? I don't know.

Hopefully the tutoring helps, but it certainly couldn't hurt! The teacher who is tutoring her got a masters in reading - I'm assuming she means teaching reading. I look forward to seeing how this effects her regular class work.

And a big THANK YOU to Dawn as she has offered to pay for the tutoring!!! Thankfully the tutoring rate is pretty reasonable.

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I Got My Medical Massage!

I decided to give the medical massage a try today because my back was bothering me from my workout on Monday night. To me it just seemed like that office was a hustle or something. But then again I have never been to a chiropractor before, so maybe it's just that. But it felt like he was looking to find something wrong with me so it could be covered by my insurance. Like he said maybe the knot in my upper back could have something to do with my rotator cuff. Really all that was wrong with me is I had a hard workout and it strained my muscles and made them sore.

So anyway - he prescribed physical therapy and manual massage 2-3 times a week. Of course, I am not going that many times - that is a bit much. But I did end up signing up for another appt. this Friday and to go once a week for the entire month of March. All I have to pay is $10 a visit. After that I am just going to only go when a workout has caused my back to hurt me.

The massage was good - she pressed really hard at times but I was OK with it, whatever it takes to work the knot out. She massaged me for 30 min (I think - maybe less?) and then another person came and moved this ultrasound wand over the effected area. Then he did some electrical thingy - where they hooked you up and you could feel a prickily senstation which then turned into a massaging feeling. The entire office visit took 1.5 hours - which is far longer then I expected. But it felt good and my back is better, for the most part. I would say it's 85% better.

I think the best massage I've ever had (not that I've had so many) was one I got in Chicago (or suburb there of) at Val's sister-in-law's salon. After that massage I felt soooo good! :)

New Perfume is ON THE WAY!

I ordered one of my favorite perfumes today - it's called "Jean Paul Gaultier Classique". I guess it's called that because it was the first perfume he came out with about 15 years ago. I haven't worn it in a long time because I have other perfumes I am trying to use up before I add to my collection.

I am so bad when it comes to perfume - if I let myself I'd probably end up with at least a dozen perfumes in my possession! I love all of the Givenchy frangrances - have yet to smell one I didn't love. Right now I have their perfume "Extravegance". But Givenchy perfumes tend to be "night" perfume - they're a little strong for a daytime perfume. That's why I'm getting the Gaulitier's perfume. I am almost done with the Tiffany's perfume I wear.

I've had the same perfumes for 6+ years - it's certainly time for a change! I've always had this habit of using my perfumes sparingly because I couldn't afford to replace them once they ran out. I usually got perfumes when I'd get a little extra cash for Admin Day or something. So that's why I've had my perfumes for such a long time. But lately I've been wearing it everyday so I can use up the old perfumes and get a new one.

One perfume that always makes me think of Hillary is Anais Anais - I remember she wore that in high school. I used to wear Lauren (by Ralph Lauren) in high school. Of course Eternity was and still is Val's scent. The smell of Shalimar and Chantilly still make me think of Mom. And of course - Dad's is Canoe - but he only used it as bug repellent so I don't think that really counts, does it? He only used that when I was a kid anyway.

Yes, I know - how boring.... a whole post about perfume. But I love perfume - what can I say... :)

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Brenda's New Blog

I don't think Brenda shared the URL of her new blog - other then including it in the comment section of one of my posts. So I thought I'd post it so you would be sure to see it.

This blog is not about gaming (yeah!) and more about what is going on in Brenda World.

Click Here to go to her blog...


Read and enjoy!

Jon Stewarts Opening Monologue to Oscars

I think this was really funny, hope you enjoy it as well...

Meow! For the Monty Python Fans...

Crazy Workout Last Night

For whatever reason, the tae kwon do teacher was in a bad mood last night which means the workouts are always much more rigorous. This was possibly the most rigorous class I've ever had with him.

We did our normal warm ups and then did exercises like round house kicking pads our partner holds up going the length of the room and then dragging our partner like a sack of potatos back to the starting point and doing it all over again - repeating until 2 min were up. Another one was kneeling on one leg and then standing up to do a round house kick, kneel again - get up do a front kick, kneel again - get up and do a side kick. Repeating that for 2-3 min - alternating legs with each set. Another was having our partner push us into the wall - we had to push our partner off of us and then round house kick, repeating the process for 2 min altnerating legs. There were a few more exercises - but I think you have the idea. Even the seasoned students who love a hard workout seemed to be struggling with exhaustion toward the end of the work out.

Without the flaxseed oil I'd have never been able to keep up. Normally I would've had a hard time just getting through the ten laps we had to jog at the beginning of class. Usually after the first 2 I start to feel the pangs of asthma and being out of breath. But I kept a good pace last night - at least relative to what I normally do.

I am really excited at the prospect of what being able to do more in workouts will translate into as far as weight loss and muscle gain. My back is so sore today - am so tempted to sign up for one of those "medical massages" but I have to call my insurance to double check that they will cover it. It still seems too good to be true.

Flaxseed Oil Rules My World...

For the past several weeks I've only been going to tae kwon do on Saturdays for one reason or other (though I plan to go back to going 3 times a week starting Monday). So today has only been the second class I've taken since I started taking flaxseed oil. I am very pleased with the results thus far.

At the beginning of class we were doing our warm-ups - the first being the leg "up and downs" -which entails laying on your back, putting your hands under your butt and with your legs out (and not touching ground) alternately going up and down for 2 minutes. Normally after the first 10-15 seconds I'm praying for the 2 minute buzzer to mark the end of the exercise. But I was able to do it for 3/4 of the time instead of spending most of the time struggling in pain (or should I say strain?). This is nothing short of a miracle.

During the course of the class I am usually feeling increasingly fatigued and doing my best to keep up. But during the class I was just thinking about the task at hand instead of how hard I'm working to do the task. I really look forward to what the results might be working out more regularly while taking flaxseed oil. I am already getting pretty good results without the supplement so I can only imagine how much better the results will be WITH it.

Do I dare to dream of having a flat tummy or is that dream too far reaching?

Friend Tairon on PR ver. of American Idol

Puerto Rico has their version of American Idol called, "Objectivo Fama", and Michael Stuart's then fiance was the co-host of the show. As a result of knowing her I met one of the contestants named Tairon and have kept in touch with him via IM and e-mail.

Check out one of his performances from when he was on "Objectivo Fama" - he's singing a duet with the girl who ended up winning that season (who happens to be from the Bronx and is now a famous, established singer in PR). They're doing a cover of a Selena duet.

Meow!

Medical Massage Covered By INSURANCE!

I found out from a co-worker of mine today that our insurance covers 90 medical massages a year! All you have to do is pay a $10 co-pay. Can you imagine? It's one thing if you have a specific injury and you need to be rehabilitated. But just for the heck of it? It seems a bit much for the insurance to cover such an expense. But, hey, I'll take it! For sure! Next time I am aching all over from grappling - I'm signing up for an appt!

My co-worker already has a place she goes to on a regular basis. So I don't even have to research a place to do the medical massages!! Cool!

New Way to Eat California Roll

I've been trying to acquire a taste for California Rolls (since I don't care for fish) because I know they're healthy and a lot of my co-workers like them. I have been earnest in my attempts to eat it properly with soy sauce and wasabe - blech. Soy sauce is OK but it's way too salty - wasabe just taste nasty period. Then I was told that I didn't get a fresh batch of wasabe and was told to try it at this better place. Still a major 'blech' factor. But I've finally found a way to tolerate California Rolls - HOT SAUCE!

I'm hoping, at some point, I'll start to like California Rolls to the point that it's actually something I enjoy eating instead of making myself eat. I had one that wasn't too bad - but it wasn't a California Roll - it was avecado and cuccumber rolled up in brown rice. Now if only they could've put more avecado that would've been perfect.

One thing I really like from the Japanese counter at work are these veggie Japanese style chinese dumplings. They're served cold and the "noodle" is very thing. I don't know exactly what they have in it - I know there are soy beans in there. But it's really good. The only problem is - it doesn't fill me up at all. I'd need 3 servings (15) before I'd be full - but they're not cheap so I stick with the one serving.

They have these 2 Japanses mini-markets on the street behind where I work. They have a lot of good things in there - but most of the time I am to lazy to leave the building, at least during the winter. It's interesting to see the kinds of foods they have in there. I tried this chicken cutlet sandwich with a fried egg on it and some special sauce - it was so yummy! They also have a bakery in there - soy paste and pancakes anyone?? But they do have these yummy cream puffs they make there - but at $1.95, I am too cheap to buy. I just think, for what it is, that's more then I'm willing to pay - even if they do taste good.

Flaxseed Oil

I recently started taking Flaxseed Oil because it has Omega 3, 6 & 9 in it - seems as though it is beneficial to many functions of the body. One that I am most interested in is it's supposed to help with asthma, but that is not the sole reason I am taking it. I'm really taking it for the overall benefit to my body.

In doing a little research I found out that it's supposedly gives you the energy to endure a longer workout then you normally could and allows your muscles to recover from fatigue more quickly. I hadn't noticed any extra energy after taking the suppliment for nearly a week. But when I went to Taekwondo on Saturday I definitely noticed a difference. I wasn't even cognizant of the change until toward the end of class. At the very end he had us do this drill where we had to do the exercise he told us to as he called it out rapidly. I noticed that even after working out the entire class (and sweating heavily) that I was able to keep up and even do better then I normally would.

I guess some might chalk it up to a coincidence - but I don't think it is. But we'll see how it goes. I don't have class again until Friday, so I'll have to wait until then to see what happens. Another added benefit is Flaxseed Oil supposedly provides the lean fat required to build muscle - so maybe it'll help me in that respect. We shall see....

Spiderwick Chronicles

I went to see "The Spiderwick Chronicles" today with Jazzmin. It's a fantasy movie for kids which came from a popular book. The basis of the story is this boy's great great uncle discovered all the secrets of this other realm of fairies, goblins and the like and chronicled it's secrets in this book. The great great uncle got taken away by some fairies (or other) and leaves the book behind. His daughter spent her whole life in that house until they finally sent her to the funny farm at age 86. She was sent there because they thought she was crazy for believing in this other realm. That's when the boy and his family end up moving into her house and discovering all the secrets.

It really was a great story about the kids navigating the magical world and how to keep the chronicle from the 'bad guy'. At the very end the great aunt's (daughter of great great uncle) dad shows up (who hasn't seen her dad in 80 years). The fairies allowed him to come back for a moment since the book was safe again but he had to go back to where he was 'trapped' all these years. If he tried to enter present time he would turn to dust. After being caught up in the movie you feel happy for the 86 year old woman who finally gets to see her dad, whom she hasn't seen since she was 6. She asks her dad a favor and to take her with him this time - so he does. When he takes her hand she transforms back into a 6 year old and goes off with her dad.

At the very moment the 86 year old women's dad showed up I started to get emotional. At first because of the story and thought it was great she got to see her dad after all this time. And then it suddenly hit me that I wish I could see my dad again. If I hadn't been in a public place I prodably would've cried my 'eyes out' right then and there. As it was I had to do my best to hold back the tears. The whole way home was just a constant effort to not start balling. Thankfully, Jazzmin knows how to deal with me when I'm upset and just left me alone. She didn't say one word - this from a girl who chats on endlessly in a normal set of circumstances. I had to hold my scarf over my eyes most of the way home to try and stop from crying. Halfway through the trip home I had to really go the bathroom - so I was able to focus on that instead of thinking about being upset.

Well, anyway, it was a really good movie. Perhaps not as good as the book - as know it alls are prone to say. But you can only fit but so much in the time frame allotted for a movie. Jazzmin and I really enjoyed it and found it to be one of the few movies worth the price of admition instead of waiting for it to come out on DVD.

Wedding Dress for Hillary???

(double click image to see larger)

Believe it or not - this is a dress actually designed to be a wedding gown.

Valentine's Day Cartoon

DOUBLE CLICK ON COMIC TO VIEW LARGER VERSION:

Jennifer.... Official L'oreal product tester

A friend of mine at work does product testing for L'oreal - she said they ask her to participate in product testing 1-2 times a year. She was on her way to fill out a survey and asked me if I want to sign up to test products also. She said she gets this little shopping bag full of L'oreal (and subsidiaries) products in return. The bag she got, the day she went, had to have been worth about $200.

So I signed up and they gave me this little bag with a concealer, eye shadow stick and lipstick for signing up. Hope they give me something good to product test when I finally get asked to participate. And I hope more that the products I get free are something I will like.

I've done product testing before through this website Mindfieldonline.com, I signed up there a while back. Mostly you are asked to just fill out surveys but approx. 1 a year you're asked to do product testing. Through them, I've product test are:

1. Purdue Chickent Cutlets: You have probably seen the commercials for the individually wrapped chicken cutlets and some come seasoned. Well they sent me one of those but with a packet of gravy. The gravy was extremely salty - didn't like it.


2. Chef Boyardee: I tested beefaroni - they had me and Jazzmin taste 3 different cans and they wanted both my and Jazzmin's opinion on them.


3. Anonymous Cosmetic Company: It was this facial serum. It worked really great! I wanted to find out the vendor so I could purchase the serum but the weren't allowed to pass out the info. But the label of the product was French. I tried looking at different France based cosmetic company to see if they had a similar serum but they didn't. :(

And, yes, that's me in the photo.

Netflix this week...

Black Books, Disc 1: This is a British TV series created by the writer who also brought us "The IT Crowd" ("Black Books" precedes "The IT Crowd"). I had high hopes for this show since I love "The IT Crowd" so much, but I found it wasn't as funny. It is amusing but I think the lead actor was not meant to be a comedic actor. Had a different person played the role, I think the show would've been much funnier.

If I had to compare this show to another, I'd say it's "The Young Ones" for the 30-something generation. It's like the writer had these funny bits he wanted to do so he built a storyline around it, and the story line is incidental. And while the funny bits are, indeed, humorous - the show lacks an overall cohesiveness. Below is part of the first episode I got from YouTube so you can check it out for yourself:


Clip from "THE YOUNG ONES" referenced above:

Stained Glass, Disc 6: Yuichi confronts Ji-Soo once he figures out that his adoptive father is also Ji-Soo's birth father. Ji-Soo said that she resents her father and Yuichi's mother because her mother died of sadness as a result of what her father did and his mother caused it. She said she couldn't be with the person who was part of that. He insists he is going to stay in Korea until she changes her mind.

The sh*t hits the fan with regard to discovering who ordered the hit on Gi-Tae's half brother. The fiance of the dead half-brother tells Gi-Tae's father that Gi-Tae ordered the hit - knowing full well it was Gi-Tae's mother who did it. She decided to do it this way because it would be the most hurtful to Gi-Tae's mother because the rejection from his father would ruin Gi-Tae which would, in turn, hurt Gi-Tae's mother the most. And once Gi-Tae's father disowned him and Gi-Tae ran off to go into hiding (because he was so hurt, not because he thought he was in trouble), the fiance told the father that it was actually Gi-Tae's mother and not Gi-Tae. She only did it this way so she could hurt the father by causing him to ruin his relatinship with Gi-Tae. She also blames Gi-Tae's father because he treated Gi-Tae and his mother so badly that it drove the mother to this kind of desperation.

Yuichi heads an all out search for Gi-Tae - he wants to be there for his friend because he know what a blow his father's rejection would have on him. It was a month or so before they finally found him in this small town, sleeping in a shed. He was very sick. Yuichi got Ji-Soo to rush to the small village to help him to convince Gi-Tae to return. It is revealed that Gi-Tae is having problems with is kidney, which is ironic since he donated one of his kidneys to Yuichi when they were boys. But Yuichi and Ji-Soo are unaware of the seriousness of his condition. Gi-Tae said he'd only return home if the 2 of them got married as he was a witness. With a little convincing, they decide to get married and Ji-Soo finally admits she still wants to be with Yuichi.

The day of the wedding Gi-Tae is doing worse and starts coughing up blood, unbeknownst to Yuichi and Ji-Soo. Yuichi and Ji-Soo are waiting at the chapel for Gi-Tae to arrive but he never does. So they return to the hotel to find him - as the get to the lobby the see Gi-Tae's father and sister there looking for him. Then this gentleman who was at the reception counter was pointed in the direction of Gi-Tae's family with a wet coat and wallet in hand. They ask them if the know the person on the ID and it's Gi-Tae. Ji-Soo and Yuichi rund to the beach crying because they think Gi-Tae drowned himself.

Gi-Tae had told Ji-Soo about this story from the movie "Cinema Paradiso" about this story of a guy who wanted to marry this princess. She said she would if he would wait outside her window for 100 days - and he waits up until the 99th day and then left. He asks her if she knows why he'd leave when he only had one day to go. But she didn't know. So after Gi-Tae's death she watches the movie and finds out the answer, the answer being - to find out the princess won't keep her promise is more devastating then just walking away never knowing. And now she knows why Gi-Tae killed himself.

In the end you see Yuichi and Ji-Soo at the airport - you know Yuichi is going back to Japan so you assume Ji-Soo is there to go with him. But then it turns out that Ji-Soo is going to Europe to pursue her photography career and Yuichi goes to Japan alone. Then it flashes back to the location of the time capsule they burried as kids with Gi-Tae. They promise to meet again in that spot in 12 years as they originally set out to do as kids. And maybe Gi-Tae isn't really dead (as they never found a body) but lost the way Yuichi was when he got washed down stream as a kid and was presumed dead.

Princess Hourse, Disc 3: Will write this up later today...

Note from Jazzmin's Teacher

I had written a note to Jazzmin's teacher asking why she got Cs in her Reading and Language Arts (and thus being lower then 1st qtr.) classes when her tests (75% of the grade) were coming back with higher grades. She referenced that Jazzmin owes 2 assignments and doesn't always follow all the instructions given in assignments. She also talked about Jazzmin talking to much in class - that is hard to believe. Jazzmin has an extreme desire to please her teachers - it'd be completely out of character for to continue a behavior in excess when she knows it would get her in trouble (or even risk getting her in trouble).

Here is the note I wrote Jazzmin's teacher - plan to put it in her folder to give to the teacher tomorrow:

"Thank you for taking the time to respond to my note regarding Jazzmin's grades in Reading and Language Arts. I am a little surprised that, if Jazzmin's work was so problematic, I didn't get a note from you to that effect prior to my inquiry about her 2nd quarter grades on her report card. I view the parent/teacher relationship as a partnership working toward the same goal of educating my daughter. But I can't do my part if there is a communication breakdown.

I will have Jazzmin complete the 2 missing assignments and would appreciate any extra credit assignments you could give her in Reading and/or Language Arts. She has also promised me that she will take better care that her assignments are completed on time and correctly.

You referenced, in your note, that there was an assignment not completed on Thursday. If you were referring to the math homework that the soap from her science fair project got all over, that is not anything she could've helped. We didn't discover that soap had dowsed her backpack until we were already on our way to school Thursday morning. I told her to show you the soap soaked, completed, assignment. Apparently she did not, but the assignment was written over for the next day. But she said the assignment was not collected yet (as of Friday).

As far as her chatting in class, I am sure she is not completely innocent in this matter. But she has also told me that if somebody at her table tries to get her attention - they both get in trouble even though she was trying to ignore them. Or if you're in the hallway talking to another teacher and poke your head in to hear noise coming from her table (group of desks) - everybody gets in trouble regardless of whether everybody was talking.

Getting in trouble for talking when she wasn't has been a source of great frustration for her because she is earnest about wanting to please any given teacher. She hates to get in trouble and makes her best effort not to (and is typically successful in staying out of trouble). I know this from first hand experience as well as remarks from her former teachers and Ms. Blake in afterschool.

Again, I want to thank you for taking the time to respond to my letter. Hope you're doing well and are surviving the cold weather ok. :)"

I spoke to Jazzmin about the whole situation and she promises to do better. She was upset that she was getting in trouble with me. And when I told her I'd have to tell her dad and other family members that she isn't doing well if she doesn't start making a better effort. I know I may sound evil, but I knew this idle threat would make her cry. She hates the idea of letting you guys down re: her grades. Doing better in class is only a matter of her putting the same effort in her less enjoyed classes as she does in the ones she likes. And I knew by threatening to tell you guys that it'd be a real wake up call to her and be a major motivation for her to make the proper effort.

I would ask, now that you know the power your opinion of Jazzmin holds with her, that you not mention that you know that sometimes she doesn't do well (or up to par with what she's capable of) in school. It would only upset her and hurt her feelings. Better for things to stay as is and for you to continue being a source of enouragement.

The Tax Refund Cometh....

My federal refund was direct deposited on Friday! Yea me! I went to this furniture store (Levitz) on Friday night to scope out couches since the whole franchise is going out of business and they were having amazing sales. When I got to the store I had to dodge tumbleweeds blowing through the showroom inbetween the scarce odds and ends of furniture. Needless to say, my venture was fruitless. Then I went to the near by Jennifer Convertables - and while they had nice couches, they weren't cheap enough to fit what I'm willing to pay.

After the "sticker shock" set in - my inner-cheap skate reared it's ugly head and I then decided to get a replacement futon mattress for my couch. I decided that I'd be just as happy with a replacement for my futon mattress, preferably one like Dawn got this summer. So today I purchased the futon mattress as well as a new box spring/mattress set for my bed from 800-Mattress to be delivered next week. I already have Tuesday off 'cause Jazz is out of school - so they'll be delivered then. Now I just need to get a a cover for it.

I bought a few things over the weekend that were on my list of things I wanted, such as those storage bags you vaccum the air out of. Could really use them for my winter blankets and clothes when I put them away during th warmer weather. Got Jazzmin new shirts at Old Navy (all at 40% discount) - they actually came in her size of 'string bean'. I couldn't believe how narrow the shirts were - feel bad for parents with average to husky children. Will be hard to fit them in Old Navy. I also got her sneakers at Payless. And, lastly, I got new pillows - part of a never ending quest to find a pillow that stays firm and doesn't flatten out after a month of use. I have to have my head propped up to a certain level, otherwise I don't sleep well and sometimes even get headaches. I know these pillows must've been good because I was in such a sound sleep that I slept through my alarm this morning! Fortunately I still had time to get ready for work.

And, yes of course, I am spending plenty of $$$$ on paying bills. :)

Science Fair - the gift that keeps on giving

So we brought home Jazzmin's soap, etc. from school on Wed. night. We put the dish soap in a plastic bag, tied it tightly and then put it in her back pack. Thursday morning we're at the train platform when Jazzmin notices that the whole bottom of her back pack is covered, nay - DRENCHED in dish washing liquid. Good times.... I tell ya.

We threw out what we could. I told Jazzmin to just do her best to clean it out when she got to school. Now a few of her workbooks are covered in soap goo permanently at the bottom. Actually - now the pages have this waxy feel to them.

Last night I did my best to rinse it out, but all I got was a mountainous amount of bubbles. So after 10 min. of fighting with the bubbles - I brought it down to the basement and washed it in the machine. It didn't get all the soap out - hence the soap on the window of the washing machine after the load completed. But it got out a lot of it.

Jazzmin revealed to me last night that she had, infact, had incident where the soap was closed but still soap was coming out. Nice of her to mention it to me now ...after the fact.

"Close to Home" Comic Strip

I miss Dad...

Still hard to accept I'm not going to see him again...

Pictures From Science Fair

These are not great photos because they're from my camera phone. But at least it's something! I will add the photo of Jazz with her project to this post later today. Am waiting for the e-mail from my phone to make it into my e-mail account. So if you check this post tomorrow I will, hopefully, have added the photo of Jazz with her science project.

Jazzmin's Report Card

****SEE COMMENT SECTION OF SUNDAY'S SCIENCE FAIR POST FOR SCIENCE FAIR UPDATE****

The ELA test results were not on this report card and was told that the results would probably be on the 3rd quarter report card. So I have to wait another 3 months to find out the results, sigh. I just want to know already! Geesh! I don't want to wait.

As for her report card in general - she did well in most of her subjects (and superb on her mid-terms) and would've been a candidate for 1st honors. But her Language Arts and Reading grades were too low for her to qualify. Because of those two grades she'll get an "effort" certificate - which is like a 3rd place award. Reading and spelling are her worst subjects. Reading because she gets bored easily and tends to lose focus on it. With spelling she gets very "creative" in how she spells some words. She was really not getting the basic priniples of spelling and common letter pairings for a while. This year she's improved a great deal with spelling but still needs improvement. It's the only subject she doesn't do well in because she just doesn't have tha knack for it. All the other subjects are contingent on how interested she is in the subject so she can maintain focus. If she pays attention then she's an A student. She also has issues with neatness.

I was surprised by the grades because she was doing better this semester. What concerns me is Jazz told me that her music teacher (who helps out with afterschool) said there was some glitch in the software they entered the grades into. He'd put in an A and then it would show up as an F on the report card. She also said that one of her friends got a 50 in a subject because of this computer glitch and it had to be fixed. I think I am going to write a note to express my concern. Because her grades don't match the tests I get back. And Jazz is not one to hide a test just because she doesn't do well. She has shown me some doozies from last semester. If she were going to hide tests she did badly on - that would've been the time to do it.

The only thing I can think of as a contributing factor is they had less tests this semester and grades on tests account for a majority of the grade, i.e. less grades to average in - the more a low grade will bring down your overall grade.

I think a lot of parents would be happy with the kind of report card Jazzmin brought home. But it bothers me when she doesn't do as well as I know she is capable of. Sometimes when she struggles with something I worry she's reached the zenith of her acedemic career and will become very average. But I know that an irrational worry. Things like this make me wonder why my parents didn't have more of a reaction to my grades, I was a C/D student. When Jazzmin struggles in a subject I try to work with her to see what the issue is and how we can resolve it so she can bring her grades up. I think when I was growing up I was looked at as the artistic one and the academic bar was set low for me, where my parents were concerned.

Cheerful and Chipper People in the Morning Should....

....SHUT UP! Too early in the morning to be so perky!

Jazzmin's Science Fair Project

This Tuesday Jazzmin has her first science fair. If she wins in her age group then she will go on to Bronx Science H.S. to compete against other kids her age. Of course a project for her really means a project for Mommy. I had bought Jazzmin a chemistry set for christmas so I just looked through that for ideas. The project had to have an actual experiment in it, it couldn't just show some scientfic theory or whatever. So I chose the project I thought would be the least complicated so she could conduct it and talk about it on her own easily. So I chose the experiment that demonstrates what happens to water when soap is mixed in.

The experiment just calls for putting an obect in the water that floats and then adding soap and seeing how the object then sinks. They have you purchase this triptych board to put the procedure, drawings, results, charts, etc. on. Additionally you have to write a research paper. I know it sounds like a very simplistic experiment, but I think it's par with what other kids are doing - perhaps even better. I remember when I helped Jazzmin's half sister do the science fair at the same school - she just put food coloring into the water of a white carnation's water and see how it changes the color of the flower. One girl in her class is doing her project on how far down a particular breed of fish goes in the ocean (and this is a girl who won last year's science fair). But considering the project is required to have an experiment - I am not sure how this is going to be a viable project.

I think what is going to make Jazzmin's project look more interesting is the diagram of water molecules and how they stick to one another. And then another diagram of water molecules when soap has clustered around the molecules - causing the bond to break and thus allowing the object to sink.

The winners will be announced during the honors ceremony. Tomorrow Jazzmin gets her report card and not to long after that they will have the honors ceremony. Last report card Jazzmin got second honors - hopefully this time around she'll get first honors. I think she stands a good chance. I also find out how she did on her ELA test when I get the report card. Am a bit nervous about that because of the questions on the test that ask the kids to speculate - but at the same time expect a certain answer. Like asking the tone of a poem and giving more then one viable option. It's like they're setting them up to make mistakes. So with that being a factor I am stressing re: whether she passed or not. But in all of her practice tests she has passed - so I am sure she did fine.

Guide to Korean Culture

I found this website that explains certain things about Korean culture so that Korean dramas would make more sense to non-Koreans. Thought I'd share it since I am writing up reviews on so many Korean Dramas:

NAMES
Koreans write their surname (family name) first, followed by their given name. No comma is used to separate the surname from the given name.

Most Korean surnames consist of just one syllable, but a few contain two syllables (for example, Sun Woo). The top ten Korean surnames are: Kim, Lee (Yi/Rhee), Park (Pak), Choi (Choe), Jung (Jeong/Chung), Kang (Gang), Jo (Cho), Yoon (Yun), Jang (Chang) and Im (Yim/Lim). Other popular Korean surnames include: Ahn (An), Han, Go (Ko), Goo (Ku), Oh, Noh, Shin, and Yoo (Yu).

Korean given names usually consist of two syllables, which may be hyphenated when romanized. The given names for male members usually have one syllable which is the same syllable used by all male members of that generation in that family. For example, in the Korean drama "More than Words Can Say," the names of the three sons were Jang-su, Tae-su and Min-su.
Korean women retain their maiden surname after they get married. They do not use their husband's surname since family surnames are reserved only for people with blood ties.
People with the same surname who come from the same ancestral hometown are not allowed to marry each other. This is because they are considered family members, even if they are only distantly related. Consequently, when people are attracted to a person with the same surname, they typically will ask for that person's ancestral hometown right away.

Children usually use the surname of their father. Many Koreans will insist that they be called by only their surname until they get to know you better. This can lead to confusion since more than 20% of the Korean population have Kim as their surname and 15% of the population uses the surname Lee. So if you call for a person named "Kim" in a crowd, many people will think you are calling them.

SONS
As highlighted in "Mothers and Sisters," sons are more desirable than daughters in a traditional Korean family. If the family has more than one son, the oldest son is expected to take care of his parents when they age. Sons are also expected to produce grandsons to carry on the family name to the next generation. Daughters, on the other hand, are valued less since they become part of their husband's family and are required to serve their husband's parents once they get married.

In real life, however, parents are becoming more concerned with the health of their newborn child, rather than the sex of the child. Whether they have a baby boy or girl, most parents are happy if the baby is healthy. Also, in real life, many daughters still care for their own elderly parents even after they get married. So Korean parents are finding out that daughters are just as valuable as sons.

Read about the changing attitude towards the need to give birth to a son, in a 10/30/07 JoongAng Daily article at: joongangdaily.joins
.com/article/view.asp?aid=2882126.

PROPER ETIQUETTE
Respect must be shown to elders. Younger people do not address older people by their given names. For example, a girl addresses her older brother as "oppa" and older sister as "onni," but may address her younger brother or sister by their given names. A boy addresses his older brother as "hyong" and his older sister as "nuna." In an episode of "Mothers and Sisters," Kyong-bin (the #4 child in the family) was scolded by his mother for calling his older sister (the #3 child) by her given name.

The next time you watch a subtitled drama, listen for when a younger sibling calls an older sibling. The subtitles will show the given name of the older sibling but you will hear oppa, onni, hyong or nuna being said instead. Girls sometimes call their boyfriends "oppa."

When identifying a person's position in the family, a woman is identified according to her relationship to the dominant male in the family. For example, in "Mothers and Sisters," the women are introduced to others according to their relationship to Kyong-bin. For example, Yeo-kyong is Kyong-bin's sister, the sister-in-law of Kyong-bin's mother was introduced as Kyong-bin's aunt, and Seung-lee was referred to as Kyong-bin's twin.

Showing disrespect for elders on TV is considered very bad for Korean society. In August 2005, KBS was punished by the Korean Broadcasting Commission for airing a scene in a drama in which a daughter-in-law slapped her mother-in-law in the face.

Direct eye-to-eye contact when talking is considered rude and impolite. Notice that when Joon-hwi talked with his father in episode #2 of "Pretty Lady," he avoided looking his father in the eye even though he disagreed with what his father was saying.

Since age is important in determining hierarchy, it is not uncommon to ask someone their age when they are about the same age as you.

Kissing in public is not as common in Korea as it is in the U.S. In many of the older dramas, when a couple kisses, it usually means the relationship is very serious and will likely lead to marriage.
When receiving or passing something to another person, good manners dictate using two hands instead of just one hand. For example, when tea or soju is poured, the person who does the pouring uses two hands and likewise, the person holding the cup holds the cup with two hands. Also, when a younger person drinks with an older person, it is good manners for the younger person to turn to the side so as not to face the older person while drinking. You may also notice that if the younger person is drinking with his right hand, he will place his left hand on the right side of his body under his right arm. I've been told that this custom originated in the olden days when Korean clothing had very wide long sleeves that draped down when the arms were raised. To avoid having the sleeve get in the way while drinking, the left arm would swing to the right to hold the right sleeve in place while the right arm is used to drink.

SOJU
Soju is a sweet Korean liquor made primarily from potato, with an alcoholic content of about 20-25%. Other Korean alcoholic beverages include makkoli (a rice brew) and maekju (beer).

RED INK
Red ink is permissible when using a chop (name seal). Do NOT use red ink when writing a living person's name, however, since red is associated with death. Red ink is used to record a deceased person's name in the family register and also on funeral banners to drive off evil spirits.

UNLUCKY NUMBER
Number 4 is an unlucky number for Koreans since it sounds like the Korean word for death (sa). For this reason, some buildings do not have a fourth floor. If the building does have a fourth floor, the elevator may show the fourth floor as "F" instead of "4".

KEY MONEY
One method of renting real property involves "key money." When renting an apartment, the tenant pays the landlord "key money," which is something like a large security deposit, for the landlord to invest. The landlord keeps the investment income instead of receiving monthly rent from the tenant. When the tenant moves out, the landlord returns all of the key money to the tenant. That is why, in the drama "Pretty Lady," when Suri moved out of her apartment after her mother died, she received a large amount of money which she dutifully turned over to her father and step-mother when she moved in with them.

FOOD
All Korean meals--breakfast, lunch and dinner--include rice, kimchi and a variety of other side dishes, which are all served and eaten at the same time. You can eat the foods in any order and in any combination. The spread is quite elaborate compared to American standards since variety is very important.

The rice, either steamed white rice or rice cooked with grains such as barley and millet, is served in individual bowls for each person. The side dishes, on the other hand, are served family style with everyone eating directly from a common dish using their own spoon or chopsticks. Several varieties of kimchi (pickled vegetable spiced with chili pepper and garlic) are provided. Soup is also served at most meals.

One thing to remember when eating Korean food is never blow your nose at the dining table. Doing so is considered very rude. If the spiciness of Korean food makes your nose run, excuse yourself from the table to go to the bathroom to blow your nose.

Korean meals are eaten with a spoon and chopsticks which are frequently made of stainless steel. Unlike other Asians such as the Chinese and Japanese, Koreans use the spoon rather than chopsticks to eat rice. Koreans also do not usually lift the rice bowl off of the table when they eat.

IMPORTANT BIRTHDAYS
The first and 60th birthdays are the most important for Koreans. The first birthday is celebrated by placing the child, dressed in traditional Korean clothes, in front of a table with food and objects. The child is urged to pick up one of the objects. Depending on which object the child selects, one supposedly can foretell the child's future. For example, if the child picks up money, he will be rich. If he picks up a book, he will be a scholar. If he picks up food, he will be a government official.

The 60th birthday represents the completion of a zodiac cycle and is celebrated by family members offering the birthday person food, drink and best wishes for a long life.

BECKONING
To signal someone to come using hand motions, Koreans point their palm downward (instead of upwards) and then motion their fingers like we do. Japanese also point their palm downward when beckoning.

NO TIPPING
Tipping is not practiced by native Koreans in Korea. However, tourists are expected to tip for tourist-related servies (for example, travel guides expect to receive a tip from foreign tourists). In tourist hotels, a mandatory 10% service charge is common.

EASY MONEY
The South Korean government will pay you W1,000,000 to W5,000,000 for each North Korean spy you report.

HOMES
Due to the freezing winter climate, most Korean homes do not have many windows or doors. Ondol, a heat-radiating network of pipes under the floor, is used to warm certain rooms in the house. Originally, ondol involved circulating exhaust fumes from the kitchen range through flues under the floor. However, since carbon monoxide poisoning could occur if cracks developed in the floor, modern ondol systems instead pump hot water through the pipes to heat the floors.
Since heat emanates from the floors using ondol, Koreans sit and sleep on the floor to take advantage of the warmth. Traditionally, the floors are covered with lacquered paper which turns yellow with age. Nowdays, the floors are covered with linoleum, and oil (rather than charcoal) heaters are used to heat the water.

This week on Netflix...

Stained Glass, Disc 4: Gi-Tae was getting overbearing in the last disc and was starting to suspect that there might be something going on btw. Yuichi and Ji-Soo. Which caused him to be even more overbearing in his pursuit of Ji-Soo. But in this disc - Gi-Tae has gone full blown Glen Close in Fatal Attraction. Right down to the scene of turning the light on and off alone in a dark room.

First he starts by having his sister invite Ji-Soo out for dinner and then he "just happens" to show up with Yuichi. Trying to force his sister and Yuichi into being a couple and trying to force Ji-Soo to see him as a love interest. But when that doesn't work he employs the help of his sister to break up Yuichi and Ji-Soo - so she plants a story in the paper that she is dating Yuichi. Hoping Ji-Soo will see that and get really upset, it doesn't work. Gi-Tae takes to waiting outside her apartment when she goes out with Yuichi. Showing up places he knows she will be. She tries to let him down gently - but it only makes him more determined to get her to change her mind.

Yuichi has to go back to Japan soon since that is where his company (the one he is heir to) and family are. He proposes to Ji-Soo in a grand fashion with a romantic gesture. But the scene ends with them in each other's arms and her having not given an answer. Later on she accepts his proposal. Gi-Tae gets more desperate so he waits at her door again after a date with Yuichi and demands she gets in the car. He drives her off to some desolate area to plead once again for her to be with him. When she declines he threatens that if he can't be with her then neither can Yuichi. It kinda seemed like he was implying he was going to kill her or himself - but I guess I was wrong. Instead he seeks to ruin Yuichi's car insurance company by starting one of his own and taking Yuichi's employees.

A side story going on is it's becoming increasingly evident that Gi-Tae's mother arranged the death of his half brother. Thus making way for Gi-Tae to be sole heir instead of the black sheep of the family that they want to send abroad to never return to Korea. The fiance to the dead half-brother suspects foul play because how the accident came about was a scenario out of character for her fiance. So she investigates the matter on her own since the police have already ruled it an accident. The mother finds this out and gets visibly nervous everytime she gets an update on the young girl's investigation. It doesn't appear that she suspects Gi-Tae's mother involvement yet.

Princess Hours, Disc 2: Shin and the crown princess Chae are still getting on each other's nerves and adjusting to the fact they are now married. Despite the fact the situation isn't perfect - Chae finds that she is starting to have feelings for Shin. At one point she thinks he's listening to his discman so she confesses that while she knows he still holds feelings for his ex and would likely rather be married to her; the thought of her not being married to him makes her feel miserable. Chae later finds out he didn't have a disc in the device and heard everything she said. She was very embarrassed.

Shin has a birthday party on the royal private island. Shin's friends thought they'd have a good laugh at the Chae's expense by speaking English to her. All Chae can do is stand there confused - wondering what they're saying. Shin's ex comes by and tries to defend her - telling them to stop. Suddenly, in one breath, Chae answers the 3 questions Shin's friends asked her in English and then walks away. Basically showing them up because she figured out what they had said to her in English and then answered the in English. At the gift ceremony everybody got Shin these expensive gifts, Chae chooses to (instead) make him a gift by decorating Shin's house shoes in a traditional design. Shin's friend's skoff at the gift and Shin just kinda stares out not knowing what to say. Later on he's sitting alone admiring the shoes and tries them on.

During the course of the episode Chae gets upset about Shin treating their marriage as a bargaining tool with his parents in front of her. And he reminds her that she only married him for his money. She gets extremely upset that he implies she's a gold digger and compares herself to some character in a tv show. Shin feels bad about the argument after the fact and wonders what she meant re: her tv show reference and asks his assistant to let him view it. This showing that he's also starting to have some hint of feelings for Chae because is seeking to understand her. Yes - normally that would not be a showing of interest but if you know Shin's character - it is.

At one point Chae and Shin have to go to some function together - as they're getting ready Shin really starts to look at her in a different way. He becomes more attracted to her. During the function they comically dance together (wasn't supposed to be funny - Chae just can't dance).

An important side story in this show is Shin's aunt is intent on having his cousin returned to crown prince and take Shin's place. Yul lost being crown prince after his father died and Shin's father became king. There are other reasons, but that doesn't come out until later on in the series. At this point Yul (Shin's cousin) is only going along with it to make his mom happy after all the suffering she's gone through. So in an effort to start the ball rolling on ruining Shin's public image - she employs the help of a tabloid editor to have people throw eggs at Shin when the press is busy taking photos. When this happens, Chae makes a vast effort to block Shin from being hit by the eggs.

Shin was humiliated and spent a good part of the day alone in his room. After speaking with Yul, Chae decides it's her duty as his wife to go see Shin and try to cheer him up (Shin witness Yul and Chae talking on the porch). Yul warns against it - stating she'll only put him in a worse mood, that it's better just to leave him alone in this scenario. But she goes anyway. As she goes to look for Shin in his room he comes from behind her. He says he is glad to see her - that he knows everybody else will stay away for fear of making his mood worse. But the fact she came makes him feel better. Now being how Shin is - any sign of warmth is major on his part.

Stained Glass, Disc 5: Well I'm almost to the end of the series - only one more disc after this one. This was a very eventful disc. It started out with Gi-Tae giving up on his revenge on Yuichi by ruining Yuichi's company and falls into a deep depression. He was bed ridden due to his depression - so his mother appealed to Ji-Soo to go see him to help him feel better. But Gi-Tae threw her out of his room. Yuichi and Ji-Soo are still going strong and looking forward to moving to Japan and getting married. Gi-Tae decides to enter into a marriage of convenience to move on with his life and forget about Ji-Soo.

Yuichi sets up a meeting btw. Ji-Soo and his father since he intends to marry Ji-Soo. But when his father walks into the room and sees Ji-Soo he becomes very rattled and upset. The same seems to be happening to Ji-Soo. We later find out that Yuichi's adoptive father is actually Ji-Soo's birth father. It turns out Ji-Soo's mother lied when she said her father died - he actually abandoned his Korean family to start a family with this other woman in Japan. Ji-Soo breaks off the engagement with Yuichi pretending it was due to the fact his father didn't approve of the marriage and he was very rude to her. Yuichi tries very hard to convince her to change her mind, but she won't. So his final ultimatum was to ask her to meet him at the church to marry him - just the 2 of them. If she shows up - they marry and go to Japan. If she doesn't then he'll take it as a sign and move on. Needless to say she doesn't show up.

During the course of events Gi-Tae's sister inadvertently finds out that Yuichi's father is actually Ji-Soo's birth father when she snoops in a package Ji-Soo got from her father. Ji-Soo's father sent Ji-Soo every birthday gift he bought for her but didn't send - as proof that he was always thinking of her while he was away in Japan. Gi-Tae's sister quickly shares this information with Gi-Tae and he gets excited because now he sees this as his opportunity to be with Ji-Soo. So he meets up with Ji-Soo but this time he takes a much less aggressive approach and the two of them seem like the friends they used to be prior to when Yuichi came to town.

The disc ends with Yuichi in a car headed to the airport to return to Japan. He takes out his and his father's seperate hotel bills. He notices in his father's bill that he sent a package to Ji-Soo - that's when he starts putting 2 and 2 together. How Ji-Soo has the same last name as his father's Korean name and a bunch of other things. He realizes his adoptive father is Ji-Soo's birth father and yells for the car to turn around. And that's when the disc ends.

It was mentioned in the show that Yuichi and Ji-Soo could get married because even though they're not blood relation -they have the same father and it wouldn't be morally right for them to get married. I also read in one of the Netflix member reviews that everything ends suddenly to avoid scandal. So I guess I am not going to be happy when I finish watching disc 6 next week. But we'll see what happens!

As for the side story of Gi-tae's mother having his half brother killed - it seems that the dead son's fiance is on to Gi-tae's mother and knows she had something to do with her fiance's death. So Gi-tae's mother leaves the country to avoid getting in trouble. So we'll see how this all turns out next week! THE FINALE!

US Version of "IT Crowd"

The creator of the show "The IT Crowd" wrote a blog entry about the fate of the US ver. of the show. This is from back in October - a lot has likely changed due to the writer's strike - it just may have saved the fate of the show on American television. I hope so!

Unfortunately he has to Americanize the show - he explains in detail in his blog entry what those changes entail. I wish Americans could enjoy it as is - but I know he's right about needing to change it to have mass appeal in America.

Apparently they have a German version of the show! I tried to find a clip of it on YouTube - but no dice.