Saturday, January 30, 2010

Alex the Chef

I tought Alex to make pancakes this morning.  I had him worried that he was not going to be able to remember all the ingredients, but when he found out it is only pancake mix and water, he was okay . . . he's got it memorized!  Instead of measuring, I taught him to tell how much mix and water by looking at the consistency of the batter.

He was worried about flipping . . . we made smallish (5") pancakes, and he still made me flip the first one.  Then he made the second.  I did the third, showing him how to sprinkle chocolate chips on just after pouring the batter in the pan . . . then he was done.  He ate the chocolate chip pancake while I continued cooking the rest of the pancakes and eggs.

After breakfast, I called him our pancake chef, but he didn't like that; he says he's not making all of the pancakes from now on.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

EXCEL Test, Part 2

Alex took the second part of the EXCEL test today.  He took it in the library, and I was able to see him as he was taking it because I was in an adjacent hallway doing Math Facts.  Alex had no idea I was there.  He looked very calm and happy.  He says that he enjoys taking the EXCEL test, and he appeared to be enjoying himself.

During his lunch break, I was able to speak with him for a moment before he had to get back.

After school, he said that he thinks he did very well today.  He took the Language and Reading portions of the test.  He was extremely disappointed that they did not administer the Science or Social Studies portions of the test.  Apparently, the entire CogAT test is not used.  Other than the missing sections, Alex said that the test was very similar to the practice test he took Monday evening.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

EXCEL Test, Part 1

Alex took Part 1 of the EXCEL test on Tuesday.

Evergreen School District uses the Iowa CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test), which can be studied for . . . in fact, there are study guides available for puchase online.  I downloaded a practice test, and Alex took it Monday night.  Most of the practice test was very easy for him; he quickly and easily got 100% on the Math, Science, and Social Studies.  In the Reading and Language parts, he had a little more difficulty.  I had to coach him a little on word associations.  for example, he missed the following problem:

The words BLUE, GREEN, and RED are alike in some way.  Choose the word that is alike in the same way: 
  1. COLOR
  2. CRAYON
  3. PAINT
  4. YELLOW
  5. RAINBOW
Alex chose the word COLOR.  In fact, he chose this word several times, even after I told him that it was incorrect.  Eventually, he seemed to understand that the correct answer is YELLOW.

In addition, he missed a few problems in which he was asked to find a spelling, word usage, or punctuation error.  Most of his mistakes were simply the result of going too fast.  A couple of them were the result of his not knowing a particular rule.  For example, he did not know that there is supposed to be a comma between the day and the year in the following date format:  January 1, 2010.

He got up on Tuesday morning for the test and got to choose anything he wanted for breakfast.  He chose hashbrowns.  Freshly grated hashbrowns.  He also had to take a sack lunch for the test, so we had bought some special treats for him and he got to take an extra special lunch that he would really enjoy after the test.  I spent the morning grating and frying potatoes while he got ready for school.  The hashbrowns did not cook as quickly as I had hoped, so we were a little rushed getting out the door, but he did make it to school on time.

He took the test on Tuesday morning.  He was the only student from his class to take it.  He told us that he took the math sections only, and that they were very easy.  There were 6 sections, and he seemed to be pretty upset that, although it was easy, he did not have time to complete one of the sections.  I explained to him that some tests are designed so that nobody finishes them, and that is okay.  When he got back to his classroom, he spent the rest of the day doing math in school.  He thought it was funny that he spent an entire school day doing math!

Tomorrow is the second half of the test, including the Language parts of the test that I am nervous about.  I'm just going to coach him to take his time and double check his work so he avoids the problems he normally has with hurrying through his work.  He got to bed a little early tonight; we have some special stuff ready so he can pack whatever he wants in his lunch, and I have told him he can have anything for breakfast again.

I'd better get up a little early in preperation for those hashbrowns again!

Owl Pellets

Alex dissected Owl Pellets in science today.  He has been looking forward to this for a couple weeks, and he said it was a lot harder than he thought it would be.  He had to wear rubber gloves and cut the 1 inch Barn Owl pellet apart with toothpicks; he said it had a shell about like an egg.  He found some teeth still attached to a jaw bone, some other bones, and fur.  When I asked him what he thought the teeth were from, he said a Beaver.  Then he said . . . "No, that's too big.  Probably a mouse."

Friday, January 22, 2010

Another FULL Day!

Today's main activity was my interview with Acumed, but there was enough other stuff going on that the day was one of those that just go on and on and on . . . at least it was all pretty fun.

INTERVIEW

This morning I dropped Alex off at school, then headed to Hillsboro to interview at Acumed. I didn't know what traffic was going to look like, so I arrived about an hour early. Parking myself in a Starbucks a mile down the road, I sipped a Venti Pike's Place Blend while researching Acumed and some of their key technologies on the web.

Acumed makes Orthopedic Implants (bone screws and plates, mostly) for the extremities (shoulders, arms, elbows, hands, legs, ankles, feet, etc). I was pleased to find that Acumed's lobby has a full-sized skeleton with more bone plates attached than anyone wants to ever have. It showcases many of Acumed's products. This is what Evil Knievil's skeleton probably looked like near the end of his career . . . he still holds the Guinness World Record for the most broken bones over his lifetime.

I spent two hours in the interview, and think it went well.

CAR PROBLEMS

When I left and got in my truck, it wouldn't start! It seemed to have a dead battery. This was odd - the battery is getting weak, so that if I don't drive it for a couple days I have to jump it, but it's not so bad that it would strand me. Yet. Because I was parked right outside the lobby, I didn't want people seeing me futzing with the truck, so I pulled out my cell phone and started walking. Wanting to be a little discrete, so that Acumed did not see me with a tow truck or taxi in the parking lot, I called Tiffany and asked her to come give me a jump . . . she was willing, but wasn't sure about weaving her way through downtown on I-84, then I-5, then I-405, then finally OR-26, in traffic, without taking a wrong turn and getting lost. My mother (Grandma Kennedy) offered to make the 45 minute drive to come give me the jump, and I graciously accepted. While I was walking in the rain and cold and talking on the phone, I remembered that there is a fuse that has blown before in the truck . . . it could have a blown fuse. I ended up walking about a mile in the cold and rain to Fred Meyer, where I bought a package of fuses and a magazine, then walked next door to Starbucks, where I sat with the magazine and another Venti Pike's Place Blend, waiting for my rescue.

When we finally got back to my truck, we pulled up alongside it so using the jumper cables would be quick and easy, but before popping the hoods I checked the fuses. Sure enough, it was just a blown fuse. I changed the fuse and drove home. I don't believe anyone at Acumed has a clue what happened . . . that is, unless they find this blog, of course! That's actually not an entirely unlikely scenario, if they follow the internet bread crumbs. If they do, however, I really don't mind; now that it's over, it seems like a pretty comical occurrence.

BROKEN GLASSES

On my way home, Tiffany called to tell me that Alex had an unfortunate event at school. Last year at Sifton he had been sent to the principal's office quite a few times for pushing or shoving; we have been teasing him that we were proud of him for not going to the principal at all this year at Fisher's Landing, until a couple weeks ago when a screw came out of his glasses and the principal fixed them. In his office. Today a screw fell out again and was lost. I met Tiffany in the driveway at home and we hurried to our Optometrist at HoneyBee Eye Care in Hazel Dell. Dr. Hurtubise replaced the screw and got Alex's glasses back in shape just before she closed up shop for the evening.

We made a quick stop at Wal-Mart so Tiffany could exchange some socks she received for Christmas, and Alex bought himself a Remote Controlled car. The car is a Nascar #18 . . . this is the M&M car, one of Alex's favorites.

FAMILY GAME NIGHT

Finally, we were off to the Fisher's Landing Family Game Night. The PTO had filled the gym with various games, from board games to basketball. There were quite a few people there. I was particularly proud that there were about a dozen of the Chess Club's sets out, and they were ALL filled!

Alex begged to play Twister, but I refused.  We tried to get him to join a game with other kids, but he didn't want to.  We tried to play HORSE, but discovered that Tiffany can no longer throw a basketball high enough to make a basket . . . she used to be a pretty good shot, and could easily beat me in HORSE, but she can no longer lift her arms above her head, so she can't throw the ball.

Alex beat me in a game of Connect 4.  I am very good at Connect 4, and almost NEVER get beat.  I got too sure of myself, though . . . Alex had three in a row; I didn't see it, and when he pointed to a different row and said "go there", I thought "okay, why not?"  That was the end of that game.  And the last time that EVER happens!  Then we played checkers.  Me against Alex, but Tiffany was on Alex's side of the board, helping him quite a bit.  I beat them handily.

GLOW SABER SEMINAR

We were only able to spend 30 minutes at the Family Game Night before we had to hurry off to East West Martial Arts, where Alex takes Karate and Kick Boxing. They had a special seminar where they gave each child a glow-in-the-dark saber (really, a long plastic tube with a couple large glow sticks inside), turned the lights out, and taught them basic saber moves; all the while the Star Wars soundtrack was playing in the background. The kids loved it. The darkness was often punctuated by some kid yelling something like "This is COOOOOL!"

TOMORROW

Finally we were able to return home, where Alex took a shower and went to bed. Tomorrow we've got to get up and go to Salem, where the Soap Box Derby is having their winter party - the kids are all bowling together. It's going to be nice to once again see the friends we made last summer at the track. It also is a reminder to me that the next race is only eight weeks away, and I haven't touched the car since the last race! I had all kinds of plans for the car this winter, but somehow they have not yet happened. I need to get on the ball!!!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

A Full Schedule

Today was cram-packed with activity.

After dropping Alex off at school, Tiffany and I had breakfast at Carl's Jr. in downtown Portland on our way to the Myotonic Dystrophy support group meeting. It was great to see everybody there again – I am a little sad that I will likely not be able to participate with the group much once I return to work. We had Lisa Vittek from the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation call in and introduced everyone to the Myotonic Dystrophy community website – it's a Social Networking site, much like Facebook or LinkedIn, but its focus is on Myotonic Dystrophy.

After lunch, Tiffany went home with her parents and I high-tailed it to Lake Oswego, where I participated in a Resume Editing Forum at Right Management. There were four students and a Career Counselor. One by one we passed around our resumes for everybody to read then we critiqued them. It was very interesting to see other very professional resumes, but I also got a lot of positive feedback on mine.

Alex had a short day at school, and I had the van, so Grandma Kennedy had to pick Alex up at school then took him to Karate. I met him at Grandma Kennedy's house after Karate, helped Grandpa Kennedy carry a new bunk bed upstairs (that he had just bought today), then finally brought Alex home for homework, dinner, and bed.

During dinner, Alex watched an episode of NOVA on the laptop. He did this of his own accord, not any suggestion from Tiffany or I. He chose an episode about the statues on Easter Island. He has been interested in them since he saw one in 'Night at the Museum'. He loves quoting the line "Dum-Dum have Gum-Gum?"

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Incredible Essay - If you want to speak English, PLEASE read this

I can't believe I've never been exposed to this!

I just ran across an incredible essay making the point that written English is in decline. The author agrees that the decline of written English may be partially caused by a general decline in critical thinking by society. However, he argues that there is a feedback that is even stronger - that the decline of written English causes a general decline in critical thinking throughout society.

I love this essay because I am a stout defender of clarity in communication. Some consider me to be a grammer Nazi; from my own writing, anyone with a decent grasp of formal English can tell that this is far from true. What I do believe is that words MEAN SOMETHING, and the ultimate goal in any writing is to convey that meaning at clearly as possible. (This is also my take on technical drafting, and why I dislike ANSI/ASME Y14 and ISO 128, often finding myself in disagreement with those who cite them as scripture . . . but that is a topic for another time)

The wonderful thing about this essay is that it was written by George Orwell in 1946. In case you care to read the entirety of "Politics and the English Language", please follow the link.

Orwell's conclusions ring even more true today than in his time. In fact, it is incredible to see his examples of bad English and compare them to contemporary usage.

I do not believe I have ever seen this piece by Orwell. This is probably due to the political examples cited by Orwell. This is, after all, a post-WWII work. For example, Orwell states that the word 'Fascist' now signifies "something not desirable", and that it is impossible to stand against 'Fascism' when the word has lost its true meaning. Although this is much more true today than it was in 1946, it is nonetheless a topic that a public school teacher may be afraid of confronting head-on. In addition, I believe the piece does have slightly anarchist undertones.

Everyone should read at least the first few paragraphs, and take away the following of Orwell's rules:

1 - Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

2 - Never use a long word where a short one will do.

3 - If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

4 - Never use the passive where you can use the active.

5 - Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

6 - Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous

Alex’s New Bookmark

Yesterday we bought Alex a bookmark with a small stopwatch on the end of it. He's supposed to be recording his reading time, and this will help. In addition, it might mitigate some of the awkward nights when he goes to bed to read for 15 minutes, and we find him 2-3 hours later still reading. "You forgot to tell me when 15 minutes was up" is always his story. Yeah, but it's been 3 hours!

McDonalds Trouble

We had some McDonalds in the Lloyd Center Food Court this afternoon just before watching a movie. When I saw the guy behind the counter, I knew this was not going to be an easy exchange. He was about 18 years old and had a vacuous stare with an all-around drugged-out look; it was pretty obvious there was not much going on behind his eyes. I ordered a Double Cheeseburger Mighty Kids Meal with no pickles. He took 20 seconds to stare at his register and punch some buttons then asked if I'd like that in a meal or by itself. I told him that I wanted it in a meal, and repeated myself . . . "it's a Double Cheeseburger Mighty Kids Meal with no pickles". Again, the guy punched buttons for 20 seconds, looked at me, and asked what kind of Meal that was. I said "What?"; he asked if I wanted Chicken Nuggets in the meal or a Hamburger. We were now at least a minute and a half into this exchange, I had more food to order, and this guy couldn't understand "Double Cheeseburger Mighty Kids Meal with no pickles". And we hadn't yet gotten to the drink.

That was more than I could take. I remember thinking to myself that in this economy it's incredible that this idiot has a job, then I looked at a manager standing at the next register and asked if there was someone else who could take my order. The manager told me that this guy was new. I said I don't care – he's an idiot. The manager came over and helped the guy put in the rest of my order. By the time he finished with the register and gave me my total, the food was already prepared and on a tray at the counter.

Perhaps my expectations are too high, but until you can understand "Hamburger Happy Meal", you have no business working a McDonalds cash register.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

School Skate Night


We all went to the Fisher's Landing School Skate Night at Golden Skate. Alex and I skated; Tiffany watched. Alex also played Lazer Tag.

Kaleb, who in Mrs. Gallo's class with Alex, was there.

It was a lot of fun for everyone, especially Alex.

Grandpa Harold died

My Grandpa Harold died today of emphysema. He was in his 80s . . . 88, I believe. He lived in Bremerton, and the last time we saw him was in July when we stopped by his house on the way back from a Soap Box Derby race. Before that, it had been a few years.

I'm glad Alex got to see him.

Moby Dick


This is just scary.

Tiffany's Uncle and Aunt Rick and Sherry sent Alex a copy of Moby Dick for Christmas. It's not the original version – it's a "Great Classics for Children" version, edited to a 176 page, simplified novel. (If you've ever read Moby Dick, you would understand that the original version is extremely difficult for even literary adults to read and comprehend). I thought that it was a very nice gift, but did not expect it to be read soon – it went on Alex's bookshelf.

A few minutes ago, we were discussing Alex's reading homework. He is supposed to read 15 minutes each day, but we know he reads much more than that, often sneaking books under the covers late at night. His reading homework has been changed so that instead of simply reading 15 minutes, he is now supposed to record how long he did read, and write a few sentences about the reading. He told us that the new format would be easy, and said to us "Tell me any book that you think I didn't read." That one's easy, I thought . . . "Moby Dick". He insisted that he HAD read the book, so I quizzed him a few minutes (I've read the original version twice). Sure enough, he read it. He knew about Ahab and his wooden leg; Moby Dick the white whale; the Pequod (although he couldn't pronounce it, he knew how it was spelled); Queequeg and his tattoos (again, he couldn't pronounce the name); and Ishmael, the narrator. He also knew the relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg (they were friends who had met just before the voyage), and how the book ends . . . including the name of the sole survivor.

My jaw dropped. I thought he was up there reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the 15th time, or Garfield comics. I'm proud not so much that he could read the book, but rather that he chose to read it and stuck with it. He says it took him three days, and he read it between Christmas and New Year.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

RISK


Tonight I got to roll out the new RISK game that Tiffany and Alex gave me for Christmas. We played a simplified version of the game that makes it easier to understand, and quicker to play. It still took about an hour and a half. Alex loved it, but I think he was ready to quit by the time I crushed both him and Tiffany. Tiffany has never liked RISK, and did not pretend to like it this time . . . but she played, since it cannot be played by two people.

I wish Tiffany would play it more; it's a great game for kids. It reinforces math, and teaches geography and strategy. I love to see Alex playing purely strategic games, instead of the chutes-and-ladders-type pure chance games that kids so often play.



Friday, January 1, 2010

Where The Wild Things Are

This evening we went to see a movie. The choices were 'Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel', which just came out; or 'Astro Boy' or 'Where The Wild Things Are', which are playing at Vancouver Plaza 10, a second-run theater. Alex decided to watch the movie that had been out the longest, 'Where The Wild Things Are', because Alvin and the Chipmunks will be in theaters for a while.

I was disappointed in the film. It's a nice book, but there's not a whole lot of plot, so I knew that they were going to have to add storyline for the film. Because it was produced by Tom Hanks, I guess I was expecting magic. I thought the whole movie was way too deep for a young audience, confusing, and extremely depressing. Although the story was too confusing to get depressed over, the character's voices, the soundtrack, and even the character's faces and gaits were enough to depress everyone.