News and Bigger News

I haven't posted much about it lately, but I've still been plugging away at my taekwondo studies.  It doesn't seem possible, but I have been invited to test for my black belt on April 15th!!  I expect the test to take between three and four hours, which will be a real physical challenge.  As I've been joking with friends, I will be representing for the 'old ladies' in the program...there are four or five of us testing for black, and I am the only one over the age of 25!  Ugh.  (As we all know, I am WELL over the age of 25.)

In even more significant news, the head of our program, a man whom I respect deeply both personally and as a martial artist, asked me a month or so ago if I would consider becoming the instructor for the morning classes that I have been attending so religiously for the past five or so years.  This transition would take place in the fall, when the current instructor moves on.  I was both honored and terrified by the request, but I have chosen to accept his vote of confidence in me and on Monday, I turned in the first part of my official employment paperwork.  I have been an assistant instructor for some time now, but it is an entirely different kettle of fish to be responsible for a class on my own--it is actually not allowed below the rank of black belt, which will add a whole additional level of significance to my April test.

In the Japanese martial arts, the term 'shodan' is used for first degree black belts.  This term literally means 'first step," and signifies that the individual is now ready to begin the true journey.  Let the journey begin!

Making Bells For The Pope Since 1000AD

Opened up the CNN webpage last night while reading in bed and just about fell onto the floor when I happened upon the video below.  My maternal grandmother's maiden name was Marinelli and her father's family back in Italy runs this foundry: my great-aunt told us so years ago.  The oldest family business in Italy, it has been casting bells for over a thousand years.  How incredibly cool is that??   Even though we already knew about it, seeing it on video makes it even more amazing.  One of these years, I will visit Agnone and see this for myself!

Handcrafting Papal Bells with Italy's Oldest Family Business

The video is less than two and a half minutes long.  Check it out!!

Where Was I Again?

Oops, blinked and there went another pesky week.  A few highlights...

1) Helping Thing One and a friend make cooking videos for their Spanish class.  Apparently the use of a particular verb form was involved in the narrative.  Bear in mind that both of these boys are the most rudimentary of cooks even in English: one attempted to cook meatballs in Spanish and the other enchiladas and I haven't laughed that hard (in a nice way of course!) in a really long time.  At the end of it all, we'd had a very fun afternoon, we had two reasonably edible dishes, two videos and no injuries, and my kitchen had not been blown up or set on fire.  I consider that a resounding success.  And both boys had picked up a cooking tip or two, as well.  (A side note to anyone--like Thing One's buddy--who needs to put any very hot mixture into a blender and doesn't know: this is why blender lids have that central plug.  Remove it before you turn on the blender and put a dishtowel or something that allows airflow over the opening to keep any mess down instead.  If you leave the central plug in when blending hot liquids they will emerge from the blender like lava from Vesuvius as soon as you remove the lid afterward otherwise.)

2) Followed a day later by driving the child (Thing One again) 200 miles each way for a weekend soccer tournament, all three games of which were played in subfreezing weather and howling wind!  There just isn't enough warm clothing for either players or spectators under those conditions.  All hail snow boots, four layers of clothing, blankets and chemical handwarmers in mittens.  Frigid conditions aside, both of us had a great time, believe it or not.  He really likes his teammates and the other parents are great.  Besides which, how often do I get an opportunity for that much one-on-one time with my teenager?? I'll trade any number of frozen fingers for that.

Followed as soon as we got back by 3) preparations for a blizzard.  Ugh.  In this totally electric-powered house, losing power is a problem.  Stockpile nonperishables and water and batteries, check.  Storm arrives, more sleet than snow at least, but still 6" on the ground when all is said and done.  At least the power stayed on but it knocked out school for two days.  More importantly, it cancelled my parents' flight in from California (along with hundreds of other flights) which led to them having to miss

4) Thing One's Confirmation Mass, which was last night.  Boo.  :(  Beautiful ceremony, presided over by the bishop at the "big" church in our parish, not the little one we usually attend.  Thing Two was asked to be an altar server despite the fact that he has never served at that church or even *seen* a bishop!  When I realized that he had been tasked with holding the crozier (the bishop's staff) during the Mass I was a bit concerned, but to his credit he managed not to drop it on the floor in front of a very large, very full church.  Hallelujah.  I was fascinated by the number of hat changes a bishop makes during a Mass...from the large white mitre to a red skullcap to a bare head and back.  I had to look up the rules when we got home.  Apparently he wears the mitre when teaching, removes it during scripture readings (revealing the skullcap underneath) to demonstrate that even he learns from scripture, and takes off the skullcap as well when consecrating the bread and wine.  Who knew?  I'm sure I was supposed to but I'm not sure I've ever seen a bishop say a Mass either.

Which brings us to 5) St. Patrick's Day.  We aren't having our usual big party this year, since between soccer, visitors and one of Himself's crazy 200 mile relay races we don't have a free weekend for the entire month!  The house doesn't have the usual decorations up and it's quite sad.  :(  Nevertheless I will be making the traditional corned beef and cabbage and soda bread this afternoon.  Slainte!!

I Need To Clone Myself

Two weeks ago Thursday, I was driving Thing Two home from soccer practice when my cell phone started pinging nonstop.  When I was able to check it, I saw that I had about twelve texts in a row from my friend Rose, who was at the kids' school watching the Star Wars tournament in which Thing One's team was playing.  (Don't ask me what it is...I still don't have all the rules straight but it is something like Guard the Castle crossed with dodgeball.)  The tourney was a charity fundraiser organized by the middle school student council and a good dozen or so teams were signed up to play, including one primarily composed of Thing One's posse of 8th grade buddies.

Rose's texts got progressively shorter and more excited as they went along, starting with one asking where I was and moving on to tell me that Thing One's team had made the final and later that he was the last man standing on his team against three opponents.  The last couple of texts informed me that he had gotten the last man out on the other team with three seconds to spare to win the tourney for his team (one text was entirely exclamation points!) and the grand finale was a picture of a dogpile of all seven boys on the team on the gym floor with a note from Rose that Thing One was on the bottom of the pile.  

In a very deja vu-like echo of that evening, tonight my phone blew up yet again on my way home from a soccer practice, this time Petunia's.  My friend Susan was breathlessly updating me on the last ten minutes or so of our joint sons' semifinal rec basketball game.  (Thing One again.)  They had come from way behind against arguably a much better opponent to win by 7 and there was absolute pandemonium on the court by the end!  Once again, I was very sad to have missed it, but at least my husband was at both events. Sometimes the logistics of  'divide and conquer' just stink.  

The basketball team's story is a particularly good one.  It's mostly the same group of boys as were on the Star Wars team, not one of them a 'real' basketball player.  There are two very good soccer players and a cross-country runner in the group, but that's about it.  Thing One is the tallest kid on the team at 5'9", too...they aren't exactly a physically imposing group.  Their coach is Susan's older son, a high school senior who can't even officially *be* the coach of a team since he isn't 18 yet!  (The father of one of the other boys attended all the practices and games since the presence of an adult was required by the league, but that dad would be the first one to tell you that he had nothing whatsoever to do with the actual coaching.)  Very special to see this group having so much success even though I couldn't actually see it myself either time. 

We Haven't Come Far Enough, Baby

Had a fun experience (ugh) two nights ago with our home alarm system. Seems that the battery needed to be replaced, so every four hours the alarm would go off, shocking us out of a sound sleep. First thing yesterday morning I disconnected the battery from the system and shut it down, planning to go and buy a new battery ASAP.

Other logistics for the day dictated that I ended up walking into Home Depot on that errand with a geocaching friend, a gray-haired guy 15 years older than me.  Despite the fact that the battery was for *my* house and that *I* was the one who explained what I needed and asked where to find it in the store, both the greeter and the guy in the electronics department spoke exclusively to my friend.  Apparently my lack of a Y chromosome means that you can't have an intelligent conversation with me in a hardware store.  GROWL.

Meeting

Himself and I had Thing Two's annual IEP meeting with the relevant school personnel last week.  This is the meeting where we discuss how he's been doing and make plans for the following school year.  Not that we don't touch base informally all along, but this is the formal planning meeting required by law.  The kid will be in middle school next year, God help us.  Thats a whole new can of worms to navigate, if you'll pardon the mixed metaphor.

On the bright side, they do some class changing in fifth grade, so that concept shouldn't be new to him next year.  (Back when Thing One went through they spent much more time in their own homerooms than they do now, and I like the new way much better since it is a good segue to the middle school model.)  He's doing very well in science and social studies and not bad at all in math considering that he's trying to do two years in one--he wasn't in high math last year, but is now. The major issue, as always, is language arts with the language processing issues he has.  Right now he has aide support in core subjects, but those are paraprofessionals.  Their main job is to keep him on track and focused.

Starting next year, he will have a certified special Ed teacher in his language arts class with him, to work with him and any other kids who need it, and that person will actually help to teach him (and run interference with the regular classroom teacher for him) as well.  It's a fantastic arrangement and one I had hoped would be an option.  They offered it before I could even ask.  I love this school.  He will still have speech services and the paraprofessional in the other core subjects as well.  Talk about caring about the kid and setting him up to succeed!  I know this is not at all the experience many parents have with the Special Education team at their schools, and I am beyond grateful for our good fortune.