Hot Young Artist

My brother is an artist. He also runs a company, Well Threaded, that matches people to jobs in the fashion industry. Read more about it here: http://www.wellthreaded.com and here: http://www.myspace.com/wellthreaded.

Anyway, some of my students know that he's an artist. One girl just found out. This is what happened:


Student: You are a good artist. Why are you?

Me: Because I'm older and I learned how to draw. Also, my brother is an artist.

Student: He is? How is he?

Me: It's his job. He does art all day and then people give him money.

Student: All day? Outside?

Me: Mostly inside.

Student: Is he sweaty?


I'd have to say... no!

Happy Thanksgiving....

Today is a day filled with in-class T-day celebrations. While doing an observation in a first-grade class (sharing food with their fifth-grade reading buddies), I witness this amusing scene:

Mr. T, the coolest teacher in school: Okay, Fifth-Grade Buddies, come up here and read your papers about Thanksgiving facts.

(One by one, kids read.)

Last kid: Thanksgiving is all about being with friends and family and giving thanks. So thank you, Mr. T, for bringing meaning to my life.

Classroom aide: Hey, wait, that doesn't sound like he wrote that by himself!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jeff Buckley's Birthday

http://www.jeffbuckley.com

RIP, Scotty!

You should've seen what she did to the potatoes!

I was tortured all day today as the smell of turkey and pumpkin pies wafted from the kitchen area into my office at school. A couple of the classes were preparing for a grand meal on Friday. One teacher, Martha, led her class into the kitchen to look at the turkey roasting. Now, mind you, this was the same class in which the boys were re-enacting shooting each other (and me) with arrows while wearing rudimentary construction paper Native American headdresses. Then I hear:

Martha: There's the turkey!

Boy: You shoot it?

Martha: Did I shoot it? No!

Boy: You have gun, you shoot it!

Martha: No, I do NOT have a gun. I got the turkey at Safeway!

Next week, Zeppelin?

Colin often walks up to the T.V. or computer and makes his sign for "music". In fact, he loves to watch YouTube videos with me. Through trial and error, I've noticed that he has some likes and dislikes. For example:

Loves:
"Oh Sherrie" by Steve Perry
"Heart and Soul" by Huey Lewis and the News
"Big Time Sensuality" by Bjork

Hates:
"Xanadu" by Olivia Newton-John

At 18 months old, he has not yet developed a palate for cult classics. Perhaps that begins at 19 months.

Election Flashback

Now that the 2006 elections are behind us (mostly), I thought I'd pull out my favorite piece of junk mail - er, informative voting mail - that I've ever received. Every time I read it, I giggle. I just remember that none of the other propositions listed were annotated with the same amount of humor and dread as this one.


TURNS DRUG CRIMINALS LOOSE
Proposition 36
The social engineers will not be around when drug addicts break into your home.


I Googled (I know they hate that! Okay, "I used Google to find more information on...") Prop. 36 and found this information:

"The Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act, also known as Proposition 36, was passed by 61% of California voters on November 7, 2000. This vote permanently changed state law to allow first- and second-time nonviolent, simple drug possession offenders the opportunity to receive substance abuse treatment instead of incarceration. Proposition 36 went into effect on July 1, 2001, with $120 million for treatment services allocated annually for five years." (From prop36.org)

I can only imagine which political party sent me the "Turns Drug Criminals Loose" ad!

When speech therapy gets down and dirty

Eight-year-old student making a sentence from a picture of a bed:
"My mom and dad kiss in the bed."

Three-year-old student, when shown an ear of corn:
"Porn!"

The importance of a five-point harness carseat

Coincedentally, we just adjusted Colin's (Britax) carseat yesterday. This YouTube video is heartbreaking AND educational. A 78-year old, mentally incapacitated woman drove her car through a red light, hitting their minivan and flipping them into a ditch. Their daughter's seatbelt held and she walked away from the crash; their son was killed because his seatbelt came unlatched. BOOSTER SEATS ARE NOT ENOUGH. Please watch and learn. My heart breaks for this family. Don't let Kyle's death be for nothing!!!!!

One mom's rental car nightmare

Got this from Jacqueline in my moms' group. Her friend Kimberly had a run-in with Budget Rent-A-Car. Agree or disagree with the Budget terms, it's a hair-pulling event that no parents would wish on themselves or their children!

----------------------------------------------------

Hey ladies,

A friend of mine forwarded me this note in regards to her recent
hell-like experience with Budget rental cars and their lack of any useful
help in installing a childseat. She told me to go ahead and pass it along
to interested moms, so here it is:
************************************

I just had a 25 minute call with Avis/Budget Corporate in NJ. THey
called me in response to the rippin' letter I wrote them after my LA
travel with Venice (her daughter). The Customer Care VP was horrified by
what occurred and said there was no excuse, and the Avis brand has
trained managers for car seat install but not the Budget brand, which isn't
changing in the near future. She said my letter would change the way
that courtesy is executed in regards to parents and car seat rentals in
the near future. Apparently my letter rocked the boat. I am sure some
of this is her doing her good VP of customer care job, but she did say
that my letter had a real impact.

October 23, 2006

Dear Karen,

I am writing to you as General Counsel for the policies of Budget Rent
a Car. I would like to make inquiries about the legalities involving
an incident that occurred at the Budget Rent a Car location at the
Burbank Airport in Burbank, CA.

I am a working mom, and I traveled on my first business trip with my 13
month old to Los Angeles from my home in San Jose. I rented a car from
Budget on line at the Budget web site. I requested a car seat for my
child be with the vehicle.

When I arrived to Budget, I was directed to a car that sat in the
beating sun in the middle of the lot. It was then that the baby seat, still
in plastic, was plopped down on the side of the car and the customer
representative looked at me with my travel crib, baby in the stroller and
suitcases and said "You know how to install that, right?" I was
shocked. Do I have the universal skill of baby seat installation just
because I have a child?

"But we can't install it because we can't be liable," says the
Representative. This troubled me. Budget is taking my money each day for a
safe care seat, but yet, how can I be assured it is safe if the company
I am paying does not install it into the rented vehicle? How am I to
know the seat is in fact intact and safe for my child if I have never
seen it or operated it before?

So I requested the literature that explained that Budget would NOT
install the car seat. I was told that there was nothing in writing. Now
the conversation was growing a tad heated. The sun was beating down on
us, I had to put my 13 month old in the front seat to give her some
shade while I understood what I was expected to do. I closed the door so
she would not fall out onto the pavement. That was when she locked
herself in the car with all the windows rolled up. You can imagine the
panic that now ensued. The customer representative had to go get a jimmy
to try and break in to the car as there are no spare keys, all the
while asking me why I gave the baby the keys in the first place. Buddy, I
said, trying to remain calm when I was about 2 minutes away from
putting the stroller through the window to save my baking child, if I hadn't
been arguing with you all this time about the car seat, I wouldn't be
so frazzled. Needless to say, he got the car open, and then helped me
with the car seat which he should have done from the getgo and I would
have been on the road about an hour prior.

Then the Manager Luis Oz came over. Luis does not have any children.
Luis also has no interest in inquiring why there is such a trying
policy on the installation of a car seat. Luis is happy doing an average
job thus contributing to pushing the world to an average place. I told
him so. I was angry.

I am aware now that on your web site, this is the statement under the
prominently placed section for child seat rental additions "Due to
liability issues, Budget personnel are not permitted to install child safety
seats into vehicles for customers. However, upon request, Budget will
provide an instruction sheet or booklet on the proper installation of
the child safety seat. Other questions regarding installation should be
addressed directly with the rental location." I swear, any parent that
is traveling with a child, with help or without, does not ingest its
true meaning which is " IT WILL BE HELL FOR YOU WHEN YOU SHOW UP WITH
YOUR CHILD AND ALL YOUR STUFF TO BUDGET AFTER A NIGHTMARE TSA EXPERIENCE
AND A LONG FLIGHT. YOU WILL BE HANDED A DOG EARED BOOKLET AND PROVIDED
A PARTIALLY EQUIPPED CAR SEAT THAT SUPPOSEDLY HAS THE LATCH SYSTEM
WITHOUT ANY TETHERS IN PLACE. YOU WILL ALSO BE SNUBBED BY A MANAGER WHO
HAS NO CHILDREN AND A STRESSED OUT REPRESENTATIVE WHO EVENTUALLY WILL
HELP YOU AFTER YOU ALMOST KILL YOUR CHILD IN THE PANIC THAT INSUES.

Budget maintains on its corporate web site that it holds "the leading
share of airport car rental revenue. We derive approximately 79% of our
nearly $4.8 billion in car rental revenue from on-airport locations."
Budget also "Supports Mothers Against Drunk Driving and After-School
All-Stars (ASAS), an organization that provides comprehensive
out-of-school programs to keep children safe and give them a chance at a brighter
future." I find both of these affiliations ironic considering your no
car seat installation policy. Don't you think helping keep children
alive and safe in your vehicles would be a first step??

I have done some research now on other car rental companies and their
child seat installation policies. I have found no such disclaimers on
the web sites for Avis (which is a partner with Budget) or Hertz. My
busy professional career does not allow me to continue to do more
research, but I do know that I will not be renting with Budget again.

So I put this situation to you, and look to discover what the
legalities are of this. I am interested in posting your answer on the many chat
boards and parent networks I subscribe to here in the bay area and
nationwide. I am sure BabyCenter.com will be curious as well.

Thank you for your time.

Best wishes,

Kimberly