So here's the short of it, 
I'm ready to join the revolution against Daylight Savings Time!

And here's the long.

Several of my FaceBook friends have a version of this.

There are lots of folks, me included, I think, who would like to just pick one time or another and stick with it! The older I get the harder it is for my body to adjust to the change in time. I used to have a harder time in the spring - the spring forward piece.  But now even the fall back gets me all out of sorts.

I'm tired, but not sleepy!

Dear Sun and Moon.
Did you know that the crazy people down here on planet earth don't believe you show us the time of day!  We have these clocks, and twice a year we move them around to represent a different time!  We are a pretty crazy bunch aren't we!

So here's the short of it, 
Today we had a "Celebration of Life" for Pennie. 


And here's the long.

We had been talking since we left Tampa after Pennie's funeral about how it would be really nice if we could do something for the community here in Chattanooga who knew and loved Pennie so much.   
David and Brian drove up from Tampa to be with us and Myra came in from Pennsylvania.   So many of Pennie's family and friends from Chattanooga came as well as several of Nathan's cousins from out of town.


Of course we are tired - it's been a long and very emotional day. But it was wonderful to be together with so many people.  

Those who knew Pennie were fortunate.

Those who were her friend counted themselves lucky.

Those of us who got to count Pennie as family were blessed.

Those of us who were lucky enough to be her family and count her as a friend have a treasure that will be with us for the rest of our lives.

So here's the short of it, 
This is birthday week for Liga and Valdis. 

And here's the long.

There could be so many things to post about tonight, but I think birthdays are going to take precedence.

Liga was born in 1987 and Valdis in 1988 - a year and 3 days apart. This was at the beginning of the events that would lead to Latvia declaring itself once again a free and independent state in 1991.  What a time to be born! It was an exciting time just to hear about it here in the United States, and that was before we had any idea that our children were living there in an old hunting castle that had been turned into an orphanage.

It was the summer of 1994 before they became our children, and it's been a great adventure.

Tonight we celebrated birthdays by going out to eat with grandmothers, girlfriend and boyfriend, and Aunt Myra!  It was a great evening for us to be together and have a chance to visit a bit.  I love to reminisce about those first days and months and share stories I remember with the kids.

So the kids celebrated birthdays 23 and 24!
They've been with us now for 18 years!  Wow, what an amazing time that's been.

So here's the short of it, 
Today was meetings and sessions - food not so much.

And here's the long.

I stayed in at dinner instead of accompanying the group out to another New Orleans place.  Fruit, a croissant, and milk suited me just fine.

I seem to always land on at least one session that really makes me stop and think and, I hope, professionally grow.  Today it was a session (actually two) by Joshua Aronson, a social psychologist who has studied at length how stereotypes impact test scores and the ability of students to do well in testing situations.  He refers to this phenomenon as Stereotype threat.  He also has some great ideas about how to battle some of this!

I have lots to think about and then perhaps there will be an opportunity to turn some of that thinking about into doing.   I could use your good thoughts and prayers that I move in the right direction with this!

Tomorrow morning we have a presentation at 7:30 AM - you just know I'm glad this is Central Time and I've not quite habituated to it!  Then just a bit of time to finish packing and head out for my flight.

It will be good to be back home.

So here's the short of it, 
Food, Food, Food

And here's the long.

I can promise - I am NOT hungry.  The food here is quite wonderful!
Here's the run down of food so far!

Brennans
Dinner last night with a group.
I had trout Amadine!














Court of the Two Sisters
 Jazz Brunch this morning. It's a buffet of wonderful food.

There's an Iron gate

Mother's
Dinner tonight.  I shared a shrimp plate with another conference attendee.

So here's the short of it, 
Phone problems -

And here's the long.

Today I flew in to New Orleans from Chattanooga via Charlotte for the NAGC Annual National Conference.  Alan took me to the airport and I headed up to the gate and he headed home.  About the time I got through security, I realized I didn't have my phone with me.  Oh WOW!!

I borrowed a phone and called him - he discovered it at home in the bathroom!!!
He suggested that I buy a cheap trac phone once I got to New Orleans, but I had decided that I was going to spend a few days just doing without it. Anyway once I got to the hotel I gave him a call to let him know that I was here safe and sound.  And it occurred to me that Tara was flying out later than me.  I suggested that she might be able to bring it.  Well, it turns out that he barely made it to the airport.  They handed the phone over to security where they wrapped it in plastic and sent it through the machine, gave it to Tara on the other side and tonight when we met up for dinner there was my phone!

What a great friend.  What a wonderful husband.
What a great life!

So here's the short of it, 
The Finder is working!

And here's the long.

I thought I had lost my work laptop today.
It was missing from my office yesterday. And I realized that I hadn't seen it in several days.  (I've been doing a presentation and like my Mac much better for that purpose). I thought to myself - you must have taken it home and forgot to bring it back. Well - I got home and it wasn't there!  I spent the day going over and over and over all the places I've been, where it could be and on and on.  I got several of my colleagues all paranoid about people coming into our office space and taking things. I guess I got myself paranoid as well.

Late this afternoon I was writing an e-mail to my supervisor to let her know I'd lost it and to see the proper way to report it when I had a thought.  I went over to my colleagues office and stood in the door to an outer office.  There's a book shelf with about 4 or 5 black test kit cases stacked on it. There on the floor kind of over to the side behind a step stool and turned upside down was a case.  When I picked it up, it was my laptop!

I think it must have fallen off a cart I was using to take things to my colleague's office.  I can't believe it was there the whole time and I haven't missed it and no one else had noticed it.  I suppose my finder must have just kicked into high gear and there it was!

I'm sure glad I didn't have to send that e-mail!  And by the way. It is locked up tight now and I know where it is!