You hugged me on the last day of school.
Just two weeks ago you said that mine was your favorite class.
You asked if you could email me over the summer and
sent three emails in your IM lingo these past two weeks.
Last night your words made my heart skip and my mind whirl in protest.
Impossible words from one so young and feisty.
Yes, feisty, sassy, spirited.
Never quiet, often combative and always opinionated.
Even with your poor spelling skills the words were unmistakable:
Leukemia. Chemotherapy.
A knot tightens in my stomach and disbelief screams.
I imagined you riding your horse this summer,
working on your mother’s ranch with abused animals.
Trying to save the world.
Now you are thrown into another battle.
Fight, Zoey.
Use all that energy and fight to save yourself.
You just turned fifteen last month.
So many plans, experiences, dreams, and opportunities await.
May you win this battle, Zoey,
to fight the injustices of the world another day.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Saving Money with Mom
Looking for a pleasurable way to spend the day with my mother, we opted for a quick trip to our nearby outlet center in Manchester, VT. We had considered visiting a spa for a massage, but decided that was too expensive an indulgence. Truthfully, it would have saved my budget significant money if we had merely whiled the afternoon away in spa bliss. As it turns out, the Ann Taylor clearance rack was sinisterly awaiting to ambush my thrifty intentions. These four letters were my downfall: SALE. This dreadful proclivity for sales is a genetic condition passed along to me by my sale-addicted mother.
The entire bag still sits in my closet hiding its guilty contents. I am reluctant to cut off the tags, which are the proof of my shopping prowess. Shirts tagged at $34.00, which were now only $11.24; blouses tagged at $49.00, now only $14.99; and cardigans, which were $78.00, for which I only paid $18.74. What a triumph, what a find, what a coup d'etat! There is, of course, a small footnote to this tale of glory, and that would be the receipt total for $231.53. Wait, what was I thinking? I will total the order before the discounts to reveal my net savings. Aha, in reality I did not overspend; I saved $448.46. Wow, that makes me feel so much better. What a great way to spend the day AND make $448.46.
Who says that English teachers don’t need math skills?
The entire bag still sits in my closet hiding its guilty contents. I am reluctant to cut off the tags, which are the proof of my shopping prowess. Shirts tagged at $34.00, which were now only $11.24; blouses tagged at $49.00, now only $14.99; and cardigans, which were $78.00, for which I only paid $18.74. What a triumph, what a find, what a coup d'etat! There is, of course, a small footnote to this tale of glory, and that would be the receipt total for $231.53. Wait, what was I thinking? I will total the order before the discounts to reveal my net savings. Aha, in reality I did not overspend; I saved $448.46. Wow, that makes me feel so much better. What a great way to spend the day AND make $448.46.
Who says that English teachers don’t need math skills?
Letter of Apology
Dear Mister Sun,
I wish to express my sincere apologies for any perceived indifference and assure you that I am most appreciative of your efforts on our behalf. I realize that your job is truly staggering and that I do not begin to comprehend your daily routine. Nonetheless, I am a life-long fan of your appearance and have been deeply saddened by your recent reticence. I implore you to come back with greater regularity in July and August. Furthermore, I am certain that any perceived indifference on the part of your loyal subjects will be emphatically dispelled at your next appearance.
Your rather pale lady-in-waiting,
Debra
I wish to express my sincere apologies for any perceived indifference and assure you that I am most appreciative of your efforts on our behalf. I realize that your job is truly staggering and that I do not begin to comprehend your daily routine. Nonetheless, I am a life-long fan of your appearance and have been deeply saddened by your recent reticence. I implore you to come back with greater regularity in July and August. Furthermore, I am certain that any perceived indifference on the part of your loyal subjects will be emphatically dispelled at your next appearance.
Your rather pale lady-in-waiting,
Debra
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Openings
Tonight I am setting up a blog for my UNE summer course, Connecting Reading and Writing for Success. This blog will be used for submitting writing to a Writer's Workshop group.
Although I do read a couple of blogs regularly, I have not kept my own blog. I journal, which feels much more appropriate and private. I do have a Facebook account for my public sharing, but tend to write newsy emails every week or two which I send out to family.
So, welcome to my newest cyberspace endeavor. No promises about the usefulness or creativity of any of the material to follow. Perhaps, I should write a disclaimer in this first entry which warns that you are entering at your own risk and the opinions expressed are merely a reflection of my current thoughts on the given subject.
Although I do read a couple of blogs regularly, I have not kept my own blog. I journal, which feels much more appropriate and private. I do have a Facebook account for my public sharing, but tend to write newsy emails every week or two which I send out to family.
So, welcome to my newest cyberspace endeavor. No promises about the usefulness or creativity of any of the material to follow. Perhaps, I should write a disclaimer in this first entry which warns that you are entering at your own risk and the opinions expressed are merely a reflection of my current thoughts on the given subject.
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