tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78776322009-11-28T18:39:38.878-05:00Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.trektrekcelt@gmail.comBlogger1405125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-79352631594074411812009-11-26T14:35:00.005-05:002009-11-26T14:56:47.767-05:00

We had some plans for today. They included Neatnik singing in the children's choir at mass this morning and volunteering at a local church to serve turkey dinners, and a wrap up of G-rated movies at home in the late afternoon. Of course, we also planned to get in our daily exercise in between the mass and the volunteering.The operative word in that first sentence is had.Neatnik started running a

trektrekcelt@gmail.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-67975444729791251352009-11-24T07:17:00.001-05:002009-11-25T20:02:01.934-05:00

I don't know if I have ever shared with you my love for a certain silly old bear. I can't help it and, quite honestly, I don't want to. I am in love with Winnie the Pooh.He's my hero. He is happy with who he is. He is a loyal and trustworthy friend. He understands the value of Doing Nothing At All far better than I.I wish I could be more like Pooh.When I learned that there was going to be a new

trektrekcelt@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-44719572370729111732009-11-23T20:56:00.005-05:002009-11-23T21:08:48.074-05:00

This afternoon, after taking the scheduled spreadsheet exam, one of my students approached me saying,"I have to thank you. Before I took this class, I didn't know anything at all about the binary number system. It came up on my military exam after you lectured on it. Thanks!"     IMMD

trektrekcelt@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-29006471404345469512009-11-22T22:06:00.004-05:002009-11-22T22:13:07.858-05:00

After mass this morning, I dragged, kicking and screaming encouraged Number Guy and Neatnik to join me for a walk. Number Guy has been walking with me every day before work for about a month now. On this cold, but sunny November morning, we decided to do part of our walk in the wildlife sanctuary close by chez trek. Neatnik observed, as we began to crunch the fallen leaves underfoot, that it

trektrekcelt@gmail.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-58475883977303229962009-11-20T15:22:00.003-05:002009-11-20T15:38:00.061-05:00

I seriously should have posted this earlier in the week...Last Friday, Neatnik and I took OutOfState Grandma to one of the local thrift shops after school. A good time was had by all. We bought four each of these:And the dishes ran home with the spoons (and forks)The plates are Lapos Cathedral pattern by Mikasa and have been hosting Oatmeal Bread toast. The forks and spoons I picked up for

trektrekcelt@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-30641442319912082732009-11-19T19:38:00.005-05:002009-11-20T14:17:29.878-05:00

Wow, I simply cannot believe that it has been almost a whole week since I posted. I kept meaning to post but then I wanted to have pictures (there has been some actual knitting!) but then I didn't have photographs and, well, I am such an ashamed blogger. Let's just move along with a Thursday Evening Bullet Post, okay?I am swamped with assignments to grade tonight and I have to prepare for

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It is nearly ten o'clock as I sit down to write up this post. The rest of the occupants here at chez trek are upstairs, all of them either sleeping or in the process of getting ready to be sleeping. Only I am still downstairs on the "living" level of the house, trying to clear my head from the insanity stress of the past few days. The only way I am going to be semi-coherent is with a Saturday

trektrekcelt@gmail.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-27788540206551642202009-11-11T21:38:00.002-05:002009-11-12T07:15:09.991-05:00

An unhappy drive-by Wednesday Night Bullet Post...Even though Number Guy had the day off today, there is sadness in the air at chez trek this week. One of Number Guy's cousins passed away unexpectedly. The funeral is Saturday.We will be hosting OutOfState Grandma Friday night.This entails picking up at the airport.We do not like airports.This also entails dropping off at the airport late Saturday

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The paparazzi were fluttering about the kitchen of chez trek this afternoon. It seems that someone tipped them off that they had seen the first sign of the onset of the zombie apocalypse. Heedless for their personal safety, they came in droves, toting their Nikons, swooping and swirling, seeking the perfect angles with which to document this momentous event.At first, it looked like the target

trektrekcelt@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-85835908978748717792009-11-06T17:54:00.002-05:002009-11-08T07:32:57.506-05:00

Two very cool things from earlier this week. First up, a scan of Neatnik's spelling homework. They had to use each word in a sentence. She strung her sentences together to make a story.She got a "Very Good!" from the teacher, too.Next, a handful of apples for Number Guy. I couldn't get over how crisp and red they were.

trektrekcelt@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-70348396069276230702009-11-04T14:51:00.007-05:002009-11-04T20:21:48.118-05:00

When I awoke this morning, well before the dulcet chiming of the alarm clock, I had the feeling that today was somehow a special day. It took me a moment but then I remembered: Dr PreciousMetal's office had called me yesterday, signaling that they had secured sufficient serum to start my immunotherapy regimen and reminding me that I had a one o'clock appointment. Today was the day!I would like

trektrekcelt@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-43283743505086729122009-11-02T21:19:00.004-05:002009-11-03T20:31:38.778-05:00

Would you look at that? Yet another weekend of radio-silence from chez trek. The most efficient way to remedy this dire data deficit is with a Monday Night Bullet Post...I can knit.No, really. I can.I suppose that it would be much easier to convince everyone of this little-known fact if I could provide photographic evidence of my knitting.Alas, I cannot.Daylight Saving Time has ended. We have

trektrekcelt@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-70375212423705902212009-10-30T14:31:00.015-04:002009-10-30T18:45:27.771-04:00

After we got the results of the blood work back in September, the doctor wanted me to start taking a vitamin D supplement. I refused based on the knowledge that I had pretty much (accidentally) eliminated milk from my diet over the summer and, therefore, all I *should* have to do is to add the milk back into my daily routine.This isn't as easy as it sounds because I really don't like to drink

trektrekcelt@gmail.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-2613000681453857612009-10-28T07:48:00.007-04:002009-10-28T15:28:22.461-04:00

Headline news: trek finally gets around to publishing the results of the Second Annual Box Topapalooza Contest!I really should have posted this sooner but then I decided to wait until the school collated the results for the classroom collection competition so that this wrap up would be clear, concise, and complete. We received a notice from school yesterday with all of the totals by grade.After

trektrekcelt@gmail.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-84691514431267809732009-10-27T14:33:00.001-04:002009-10-27T14:34:41.602-04:00

Being a retired medical professional, I'm not always the most obedient compliant of patients. I don't mean to imply that I totally disregard the advice of my medical providers, but I do bring my own knowledge to the table when we discuss things like treatment options.For the past several years, Dr PreciousMetal has strongly suggested that I get a flu shot. Early on, I'd just ignore his suggestion

trektrekcelt@gmail.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-19910030220743996092009-10-26T19:47:00.002-04:002009-10-26T19:50:46.232-04:00

Ever have one of those moments when the mental editor is asleep on the job?So there we were, eating dinner and discussing theology. Specifically, we were discussing the wedding feast in Cana and how Jesus and his buddies all showed up for the party and drank the father of the bride out of wine. We debated whether or not Jesus was invited. We theorized on whether the disciples were actually

trektrekcelt@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-58981237215296073322009-10-22T12:13:00.002-04:002009-10-22T18:35:20.955-04:00

We happen to live in a suburban area which is not at all well-known for its mass transit system. Oh, sure, there are some people who happen to live along the sketchy bus routes but for most of us who live around here, the buses are more of a rolling road hazard than a useful form of transportation. I know more about the Washington DC Metro system after a mere week's usage than I do about the

trektrekcelt@gmail.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-20900961117383559732009-10-20T13:43:00.002-04:002009-10-20T13:46:15.407-04:00

Yikes! I just logged in and realized that I haven't blogged since Friday. Eeep!This is so unlike me. Perhaps I should recap the intervening days with some Tuesday Afternoon Bullet Points.Keeping up with grading my students' blog assignments has been very time-consuming.Yes, I am absolutely certain that everyone else is just as tired of reading that little tidbit as I am of typing it. Nevertheless

trektrekcelt@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-3178109138967486772009-10-16T18:53:00.002-04:002009-10-16T18:56:04.796-04:00

I distinctly remember telling everyone to visit here Tuesday for some Second Annual Box Topapalooza Contest wrap up. Unfortunately, that plan was completely derailed by the Monday Night Medical Emergency.As a temporary measure with which I will attempt to appease the masses, allow me to say that while I was helping with hot lunch at the school yesterday morning, I noticed a poster on the

trektrekcelt@gmail.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-74968183621008672102009-10-13T19:21:00.002-04:002009-10-16T18:34:02.130-04:00

Once upon a time, there was a little girl whose Mommy worked at a local community college, teaching late adolescents how to navigate safely in cyberspace.The Mommy's college does not deign to observe such minor details as Federal holidays. Yesterday was one of those pesky Federal holidays, the existence of which the administration ignores. So, while the little girl and her Daddy enjoyed a three

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There is a decided chill in the air this morning. On such an arctic morning, I feel the need for the Monday Morning Bullet Post format...I awoke before the alarm clock did. Nearly an hour before the clock was destined to do its rooster imitation.No, I'm not sure exactly why I was conscious so early this morning. It isn't like there was sunlight streaming through my window at oh-dark-thirty.There

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A couple of weeks ago, round about the middle of September, I posted that a new book arrived on my doorstep. While I knew that I wasn't going to read it immediately, given the overwhelming amount of blog post grading that needed to be done at the time, I was still excited to have a new book in the to be read pile. I was especially grateful for this book's arrival since the library wasn't quite

trektrekcelt@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-26524920645699720722009-10-09T20:10:00.000-04:002009-10-09T20:11:03.405-04:00

Neatnik had a couple of tests in school today. The first one was a spelling test on ten sight words. We reviewed these words after school during the week and she's good. I even mixed it up a bit on Wednesday by using a nice little web application to generate a custom word search with all ten of her words in it.The second of today's tests was in religion class. During breakfast this morning, I

trektrekcelt@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-55164832519745156632009-10-08T21:14:00.000-04:002009-10-08T21:14:54.429-04:00

It is almost nine o'clock and I just finished some blog post grading and class preparation, so despite the fact that I want to make a really interesting blog post, all I've got is a series of Thursday Night Bullet Points.Number Guy and I are going to attend a ballroom dancing fund-raiser at a local parish this Saturday evening. The first hour is instruction and the last two hours are for using

trektrekcelt@gmail.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877632.post-68554478920072949812009-10-06T11:54:00.003-04:002009-10-06T13:32:29.237-04:00

I just love contradictory weather reports! This one was from last Friday morning.# # #Remember the post on the cholesterol numbers? Spurred on by the threat of hypercholesterolemia medications, I've been very careful about the diet and exercise all summer. Lots of fruits and vegetables and treats limited to once a week. My weight is down along with my clothing sizes, and I feel good inside my

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