Do I have it in me for a proper entry?

[apple_pathways]

Not quite, so here are some random entry-ideas that I couldn't quite flesh out into a coherent narrative:

Job-related

• I never know what to say to parents who are unwilling to accept Bs from their children. Especially when the child is working their ass off to get that B.
  
• An unofficial part of my job appears to be giving people the brush off over the phone. It isn't really surprising that the task often falls to me: Howard is bad at saying 'no', and Kathy is...crazy. I'm still trying to figure out how I can list this very important job skill on my resume.
  
• It's May, which means that it's time for all the parents whose children are about to fail their math class to call us in a desperate attempt to save their child's grade. They had the entire year to fail, and you're giving us 4 weeks to fix it? Yeah, no pressure.

Family-related

• Uncles are weird. (Or at least all of mine are...)
  
• We had my only living grandparent, my father's mother, over on Sunday for a Mother's Day BBQ. Several members of my dad's family came to visit. My cousin Scott invited me to "shotgun" a beer with him. I used to change his diapers.

Gardening-related

• I've been scouring the net for plans to build trellises for my pumpkins and melons. EXCITING!
  
• This Sunday is Flower Day at Eastern Market in Detroit, so my mom and I will be going up Saturday. I ♥ Eastern Market, and I can't wait to see what fun herb varieties I can find this year.
  
• Friday we'll be making a trip to Block's, a flower nursery with the cheapest prices and best selection on flats of annuals and vegetables. Again: I AM EXCITE!
  
• I've spent the last few mornings weeding and getting the perennial beds cleaned up. God, I missed dirt!

Life-related

• MUST PLAN GRADUATION BBQ FOR FRIEND! *slaps wrist* GET ON IT, AMY!
  
• Bell X1 in June!
  
• Also in June: Shakespeare in the Arb! They're doing 'A Winter's Tale'. I can't wait!
  
• Still have no Meaningful Job. ARRGHGHHH! *fist shake of existential life-angst*

Ok. So. What's new with everybody else?

Comments

[alias-amy.livejournal.com]

Ha! I love your random thoughts.

I don't know what your Uncle did, but a friend of mine told me last night that her FATHER-IN-LAW gave her a thong for Mother's Day. Can we say, EWWWWW ....

My 6 year old just asked me to explain letter grades to her, because a friend of hers (much older) just got a puppy for getting straight A+'s. So my daughter was asking whether she could get a puppy for getting A+'s. I said yes (I'm good at promises for unspecified dates.) Then she started asking what happens if she can only get an A. And I'll be totally honest, I said that if she can get an A, then there really is no reason she can't get an A+. I'm sorry, but it's true! I'm looking at the comments and I'm cracking up because I am definitely the Tiger Mom bitch here. (OF COURSE if she's busting her ass to get to whatever grade she can get, be it a C or a B, I'm not going to harsh on her. We're strictly discussing the A to A+ leap ;-)

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

I've had several uncle interactions in the last week, and they're just...yeah, weird. :P One of my very sarcastic uncles was over last night, and spent a good 20 minutes teasing me about various things. (Like my use of the 'F' word, which: please. Have you met our family?) I like him, he's a good guy, but...strange!

You don't even want to know my thoughts on that Tiger Mother trend that's going on! And kids who get straight A+s. If a child is exceptional and hard-working enough to earn straight A+s, then that's fantastic. But what is an A+, really? I have students who get all As at their fancy prep schools who are far less gifted (and less hard-working) than other students who are getting Bs at a public school. It all depends on the school, the teachers, the grading system, etc.

There's this one fancy school in the area for "gifted" children. I tutor several children from there, and while they're all great kids, not a one of them is what I'd call "gifted". Rather, it's more a school for children whose parents are willing to pay to have them labelled "gifted".

Anyway. Your daughter is 6, and if she's anything like her mother, I'm sure she's a bright young thing. As long as she has your guidance and encouragement, I'm sure she'll be brilliant. :D