I have spent the last couple of days back at the campus Emory & Henry College participating in a follow-up workshop to the one I attended last May. Only one other King College person attended this year, but we were able to carpool. I will be receiving another stipend for my work, and another plan is in place for a grant application. This, of course, means that we need to get to the business of spending last year's grant money. While we have done quite a bit of what we set out to do (albeit a semester late, thanks to the core curriculum revision), most of our funds are still liquid.
Last week, we had ordered a new doghouse for Ranger; since he now spends his afternoons outside, shelter is of more importance. I am proud to report that the Big Bazooka can actually lie down comfortably in this new model. Moreover, its moderate-density plastic construction makes it unlikely that he will attempt to consume it.
We had another waiting families meeting in Knoxville on Tuesday, which took on a surprising twist. Our guest speaker, a birthmother named Cammy, failed to show up. Our best guess is that she got her days confused thanks to the holiday, but in any case, this meant that Mark had to do a bit of improv. Fortunately, this smorgasbord night did not devolve into an in-depth discussion of legal risk in the adoptive process. That is always a possibility on 'open-mic' nights, but the closest we got was discussing the Adoptive Taxpayer Identification Number which might be necessary.
I wish I had more exciting news to report, but this has been a slow couple of weeks. We will post an update as soon as Sandi meets with the spine specialist; yes, it has been two weeks since the referral. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
A Cold Day in Knoxville
The first half of the weekend was largely uneventful; when you distinctly recall how nice the employees were at the new grocery store you tried, little of note is happening. Sandi revisited one of her previous video game purchases while ailing from a stomach bug that hit us both. The weather has taken a turn for the less wet, which means that Ranger has been able to spend more time outside, which makes for a happy Carroll household.
On Sunday, Bethany hosted a picnic for adoptive families at Tyson Park in Knoxville. Each family was supposed to bring a covered dish for the occasion -- a problematic situation for those of us with a two-hour drive. Sandi and I settled on sausage balls, and we spent the morning getting them baked and ready to go. We ended up about half an hour late due to some inexplicable foot-dragging on our part. The fact that we drove past the park (in spite of a 'Bethany Picnic' sign at the entrance) and had to circle back to it exacerbated our tardiness a bit. Once we arrived, we got to see a couple of families from our earlier waiting families meetings who have been placed. Catching up with Chris and Leigh Ann, who are the proud parents of an adorable near-Christmas baby named Chloe, was fun, although the weather was a bit uncooperative. After several days of warmth, the temperature took a nosedive that made the afternoon a little chilly. At least I had talked Sandi into wearing full-length pants rather than capris.
I am proud to report that we performed a successful experiment during our trip. Since the conditions outdoors were supposed to be nice and sunny, we decided to leave Ranger in the back yard rather than leaving him in the kennel for six hours or more on a nice Sunday. In hindsight, this could be the cause of our aforementioned lollygagging. We were quite concerned that the Big Bazooka would hurdle the gate and trail us after our departure, so we circled around the Food City parking lot and drove back past the house. We held our breath when we saw a large black dog loping along the street, but that big fella had several pounds on Ranger. By the time we got back to the house, our beloved half-giant had begun a fresh patrol of the yard, acting confident that we would return. This is a boon, as leaving him in the kennel for extended periods during the day has never really been part of our plans as dog owners. He has stayed outside while we have gone to work the last two days, and we still have no ill news to report.
Have a great week, everyone!
On Sunday, Bethany hosted a picnic for adoptive families at Tyson Park in Knoxville. Each family was supposed to bring a covered dish for the occasion -- a problematic situation for those of us with a two-hour drive. Sandi and I settled on sausage balls, and we spent the morning getting them baked and ready to go. We ended up about half an hour late due to some inexplicable foot-dragging on our part. The fact that we drove past the park (in spite of a 'Bethany Picnic' sign at the entrance) and had to circle back to it exacerbated our tardiness a bit. Once we arrived, we got to see a couple of families from our earlier waiting families meetings who have been placed. Catching up with Chris and Leigh Ann, who are the proud parents of an adorable near-Christmas baby named Chloe, was fun, although the weather was a bit uncooperative. After several days of warmth, the temperature took a nosedive that made the afternoon a little chilly. At least I had talked Sandi into wearing full-length pants rather than capris.
I am proud to report that we performed a successful experiment during our trip. Since the conditions outdoors were supposed to be nice and sunny, we decided to leave Ranger in the back yard rather than leaving him in the kennel for six hours or more on a nice Sunday. In hindsight, this could be the cause of our aforementioned lollygagging. We were quite concerned that the Big Bazooka would hurdle the gate and trail us after our departure, so we circled around the Food City parking lot and drove back past the house. We held our breath when we saw a large black dog loping along the street, but that big fella had several pounds on Ranger. By the time we got back to the house, our beloved half-giant had begun a fresh patrol of the yard, acting confident that we would return. This is a boon, as leaving him in the kennel for extended periods during the day has never really been part of our plans as dog owners. He has stayed outside while we have gone to work the last two days, and we still have no ill news to report.
Have a great week, everyone!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
This is Totally Awesome!
Food City, our local grocery store, now carries diet sodas that are not plain cola. I drank Diet Dr. Wow with my supper; I never thought this day would come!
Why is everyone looking at me so angrily?
My assessment hoodoo at school has finally drawn to a close. Well, it had, but another clump of data trickled into my inbox late this afternoon. After that minor addition, my assessment material is finished. In other news, I attended a meeting this morning to discuss our ongoing quantitative literacy project -- you remember, that thing from my workshop last May. I have ended up taking the role of point man, which would normally mean my job is to take the first hit from sniper fire; however, I and my colleague Donna have split the responsibilities of our group down the middle. From here, I will devote my energies to the completion of my dissertation, which looms like this thing. In my spare time, my fevered mind has begun rewriting the lyrics to Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence" in the mold of a chump trying to complete his doctorate.
We appreciate the prayers that have been said for Sandi and her ailing back. If only I had something to report on her condition. After receiving the MRI results, her doctor recommended a CT myelogram to properly diagnose whatever is going on in Sandi's spinal region. As this procedure involves a lumbar puncture, she was curious what other options were available. Now she is awaiting an appointment with a spine specialist. Keep approaching the throne of grace on this one, folks.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone!
Why is everyone looking at me so angrily?
My assessment hoodoo at school has finally drawn to a close. Well, it had, but another clump of data trickled into my inbox late this afternoon. After that minor addition, my assessment material is finished. In other news, I attended a meeting this morning to discuss our ongoing quantitative literacy project -- you remember, that thing from my workshop last May. I have ended up taking the role of point man, which would normally mean my job is to take the first hit from sniper fire; however, I and my colleague Donna have split the responsibilities of our group down the middle. From here, I will devote my energies to the completion of my dissertation, which looms like this thing. In my spare time, my fevered mind has begun rewriting the lyrics to Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence" in the mold of a chump trying to complete his doctorate.
We appreciate the prayers that have been said for Sandi and her ailing back. If only I had something to report on her condition. After receiving the MRI results, her doctor recommended a CT myelogram to properly diagnose whatever is going on in Sandi's spinal region. As this procedure involves a lumbar puncture, she was curious what other options were available. Now she is awaiting an appointment with a spine specialist. Keep approaching the throne of grace on this one, folks.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Unexpected Mother's Day Drama
Our weekend began on a rather productive note, which means that my lazy self was highly dissatisfied. Last week, we purchased the necessary materials to install a ClosetMaid shelf system in our laundry area, but general ennui prevented us from installing it. Sandi's drive to accomplish things could no longer be denied by Saturday, meaning that the shelf system is now in place. On the whole, our work went without a hitch -- except for the trip to Lowe's to exchange some too-long vertical rods. We actually spent about fifty dollars less on the project than we first thought, thanks to that exchange and a few excess brackets. The new shelves greatly expand our storage space in the back of the house. At present, we have our winter blankets back there, along with my collection of board games. Should that concern me? Eh, no bother.
"Where is the drama in that? I've read Willa Cather stories with more action!" Yes, I can read your minds. I said the drama was on Mother's Day, after all. Once we had called those awesome women who gave us life, we spent the afternoon wrapping up the tense political maneuvering of Final Fantasy XII. After we vanquished the final boss . . . er, bosses . . . um, or should it be boss . . . whatever, we settled in for a gorgeous cutscene bonanza as the story drew to its close. During the final narrative, we heard a weird metallic scraping noise from outdoors. Since we experienced a lost mailbox and a useless car a couple of years back as a result of a similar sound, we tried to figure out its source. The good news is that our property remained inviolate this time; the bad news is that our neighbors across the streets from us had a car against one of their trees. Intense rubbernecking ensued, along with two police cars, a fire engine, and an ambulance. We have yet to figure out exactly what happened, but the kerfuffle made me miss some of my game's finale. While I doubt anything vital occurred amidst my distraction, it is frustrating all the same. Ranger was also thrown way out of whack by people camping along our frontage, and he has been quite exhausted since the shenanigans came to a close. As best as we can gather, no one was seriously hurt, but we think the house's owners are currently away. Talk about a rude return . . .
Have a great week, everyone!
"Where is the drama in that? I've read Willa Cather stories with more action!" Yes, I can read your minds. I said the drama was on Mother's Day, after all. Once we had called those awesome women who gave us life, we spent the afternoon wrapping up the tense political maneuvering of Final Fantasy XII. After we vanquished the final boss . . . er, bosses . . . um, or should it be boss . . . whatever, we settled in for a gorgeous cutscene bonanza as the story drew to its close. During the final narrative, we heard a weird metallic scraping noise from outdoors. Since we experienced a lost mailbox and a useless car a couple of years back as a result of a similar sound, we tried to figure out its source. The good news is that our property remained inviolate this time; the bad news is that our neighbors across the streets from us had a car against one of their trees. Intense rubbernecking ensued, along with two police cars, a fire engine, and an ambulance. We have yet to figure out exactly what happened, but the kerfuffle made me miss some of my game's finale. While I doubt anything vital occurred amidst my distraction, it is frustrating all the same. Ranger was also thrown way out of whack by people camping along our frontage, and he has been quite exhausted since the shenanigans came to a close. As best as we can gather, no one was seriously hurt, but we think the house's owners are currently away. Talk about a rude return . . .
Have a great week, everyone!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
When the Heavens Opened
Like much of the southeastern United States, we have been experiencing a near-constant spate of rainfall over the last week. This is largely good news, since the area has been in a pretty severe drought situation. On the other hand, day after day after day of wet weather brings a host of little headaches. Getting the lawn mowed has proven to be quite troublesome in this environment; I managed to get the front yard trimmed before another dousing tonight, while the back of our property has yet to see the blade.
The climatic conditions also wreak havoc on the psyche of a certain black-haired quadruped who graciously allows us to share his space. Ranger truly functions best as a member of the Carroll household when he has ample opportunity to patrol our outdoor environs, but this is not actionable in the face of a deluge. Part of the problem is our lack of any shelter for the Big Bazooka. However, even if such hospitality were available, we have little reason to believe that Ranger would make use of it. We are down to our last rawhide bone, so keep us in your prayers.
Sandi's back situation remains much as it was when last I wrote. She made it through the MRI on Wednesday, although the 'lie still on your back until we say move' requirement left her in substantial pain by the dénouement. Her medications have left her extremely tired over the last several days, so I have been largely a bachelor at night -- albeit a bachelor who needs to tend to a sick loved one. As I said last time, prayers are coveted.
In closing, I feel the need to mention this, as it impacts one of my longest-running loves, the Los Angeles Dodgers. While part of me wants to go all Kenesaw Mountain Landis and just start the whole league from scratch, there is a nonzero probability that the story is one of a legitimate mistake. In any case, I now find myself in company I never wanted to keep. By the way, my own personal ethos prevents me from following that last link.
Enjoy your weekend, folks!
The climatic conditions also wreak havoc on the psyche of a certain black-haired quadruped who graciously allows us to share his space. Ranger truly functions best as a member of the Carroll household when he has ample opportunity to patrol our outdoor environs, but this is not actionable in the face of a deluge. Part of the problem is our lack of any shelter for the Big Bazooka. However, even if such hospitality were available, we have little reason to believe that Ranger would make use of it. We are down to our last rawhide bone, so keep us in your prayers.
Sandi's back situation remains much as it was when last I wrote. She made it through the MRI on Wednesday, although the 'lie still on your back until we say move' requirement left her in substantial pain by the dénouement. Her medications have left her extremely tired over the last several days, so I have been largely a bachelor at night -- albeit a bachelor who needs to tend to a sick loved one. As I said last time, prayers are coveted.
In closing, I feel the need to mention this, as it impacts one of my longest-running loves, the Los Angeles Dodgers. While part of me wants to go all Kenesaw Mountain Landis and just start the whole league from scratch, there is a nonzero probability that the story is one of a legitimate mistake. In any case, I now find myself in company I never wanted to keep. By the way, my own personal ethos prevents me from following that last link.
Enjoy your weekend, folks!
Monday, May 4, 2009
So It Ends, and So It Begins
The fiendishly short spring semester at King College has officially come to a close. My final course grades are submitted, and we had another rainy commencement on Saturday. One of the students implicated in my cheating incident -- the copyee, rather than one of the copiers -- was let off the hook once we surmised that she was an unwilling participant in the affair. I spoke to one of the other two after the final exam; he offered no defense when confronted with the evidence and seemed more concerned with how his course grade would be impacted. In other news, two of my differential equations students received incompletes due to a preposterous number of baseball-related absences. They will hand in missed homework problems to elevate their work to a C level. My other classes proceeded more or less as expected; thankfully, I prevented no graduating seniors from receiving their diplomas.
I still have a bit of college-related work to do before flinging myself onto the jagged rocks of my dissertation. As part of King's accreditation process, we have to assess our performance at accomplishing our curriculum's objectives. I was handpicked to monitor the quantitative thinking portion of the core curriculum, which means I have to collect course evaluation and exam score data from all faculty responsible for courses in the area. Does anyone else want to be handpicked for the job?
We went to a waiting families meeting in Knoxville last Tuesday. Our guest speakers were a repeat for us, but their story has a new wrinkle. Wendy and Henry have a very open relationship with their child's birthmother, as was the wish of exactly one of them prior to the adoption. However, their birthfather has come back onto the scene; needless to say, this is a fairly uncommon occurrence. The Bethany office continues to be quite busy, so keep Mark, Terry, and the others in your prayers.
Speaking of prayer, be thinking of Sandi over the next few days. For a good couple of weeks, she has been experiencing pretty consistent pain from her lower back down her left leg. She went to the doctor last Wednesday, and it looks like she has a slipped disc in her back. This disc has been pinching her sciatic nerve, which is odd because we have spent most of this time kidding that her sciatic has been acting up, based on a quote from an old episode of What Not to Wear. That will teach us to quote television shows, let me tell you. Anyway, she has been on a couple of different pain medications since the appointment, and an MRI is scheduled for Wednesday to assess the situation more completely.
Have a great week, everyone!
I still have a bit of college-related work to do before flinging myself onto the jagged rocks of my dissertation. As part of King's accreditation process, we have to assess our performance at accomplishing our curriculum's objectives. I was handpicked to monitor the quantitative thinking portion of the core curriculum, which means I have to collect course evaluation and exam score data from all faculty responsible for courses in the area. Does anyone else want to be handpicked for the job?
We went to a waiting families meeting in Knoxville last Tuesday. Our guest speakers were a repeat for us, but their story has a new wrinkle. Wendy and Henry have a very open relationship with their child's birthmother, as was the wish of exactly one of them prior to the adoption. However, their birthfather has come back onto the scene; needless to say, this is a fairly uncommon occurrence. The Bethany office continues to be quite busy, so keep Mark, Terry, and the others in your prayers.
Speaking of prayer, be thinking of Sandi over the next few days. For a good couple of weeks, she has been experiencing pretty consistent pain from her lower back down her left leg. She went to the doctor last Wednesday, and it looks like she has a slipped disc in her back. This disc has been pinching her sciatic nerve, which is odd because we have spent most of this time kidding that her sciatic has been acting up, based on a quote from an old episode of What Not to Wear. That will teach us to quote television shows, let me tell you. Anyway, she has been on a couple of different pain medications since the appointment, and an MRI is scheduled for Wednesday to assess the situation more completely.
Have a great week, everyone!
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