Wednesday, April 30, 2008

All's Well That Ends Well


Our boy is a working man. He started training tonight at Taco Bell. He was soooo excited to begin --- wait 'til he gets his first paycheck!
He worked out the mission trip and family camping trip with his manager. So he gets the best of both worlds. He was also originally scheduled to work this Saturday morning when he is supposed to be taking a placement test at our local community college in preparation for a dual-credit course he'll take later this summer. His manager rescheduled him for later on Saturday and told Lane she "was all about family and college and all that." She had no problem letting him off for 12 days in a row in June. She just said he needed to absorb as much as he could so he would remember it all when he came back.

On another note, who knew there was so much involved in working at Taco Bell?? Lane brought home a "Portion Test" from Taco Bell. This booklet shows pictures of every menu item at Taco Bell, every ingredient in each item and the order the ingredients in which they are assembled. Lane must memorize all of this (eventually) in order to work the food prep line at Taco Bell. You've gotta admit -- those Taco Bell workers are fast! Usually, by the time you place your order and then fill your drink cup, your order is ready. So I guess he's gotta know what ingredients go in which burrito or whatever to be fast. They told him to memorize the tacos and burritos first since that's what they sell the most of. He's been working hard at it. I told him to memorize the Burrito Supreme since that's what I like most!

Lorna (Tim started this post, but didn't have much to say, so I wrote most of it)

Labels:

Monday, April 28, 2008

Employed - You won't believe this....




So last we reported, our oldest was looking for a job. Now, we have new businesses going in left and right around us, but many do not hire 16 year olds. After putting in applications many places, we found our new Taco Bell around the corner was taking applications. I drove Lane down to the Cedar Park Taco Bell where he spent FOREVER inside. Come to find out when he got back in the vehicle, not only did he fill out an application, but the manager for the location close to our house interviewed him. Only thing was he forgot his license and social security card. Fast forward to the next day, we go AGAIN to the the Cedar Park Taco Bell to give copies of said license and social security card. Again, he was in there FOREVER. When he came out, I find out he had to do paperwork over again. All sounds good. They sound like they might hire him. The new location is literally within walking distance to our house --- this is good for a 16 year-old without wheels. There is a two-day waiting period, and they said they would call. Fast forward a couple of days and Lane is not letting grass grow under him, he calls. The manager is not in. Repeat this process several times with no connections. Now things are not really looking good.

Today, Lane calls again. Dude, you are on the schedule for Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday...... HELLO? When might have someone called and told the boy he was hired? We're not totally sure he is hired until tomorrow when his mom is going to have to call because the manager is only there during the school day.

Now we have a dilemma. The week that this new Taco Bell opens is also the SAME week we are all supposed to travel to Berryville, Arkansas on our church youth mission trip to work on houses for those in need. Do you think the new job will be thrilled for Lane to be gone opening week after training him to be there specifically for that week and beyond? The boy wants a job, but as parents, we are having a hard time thinking about him missing an opportunity to serve others in Christ with his peers. He wants to go on the mission trip, but he has had such a hard time finding a job, he is reluctant to pass this opportunity by. Growing up is hard. What would you do?

Labels:

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Job Hunting

Lane is sixteen. Lane wants wheels of his own. Lane is looking for a job. Many businesses no longer hire sixteen year-olds anymore as we are finding out. He has been working fairly hard at the job hunt for weeks now with just a few interviews. Poor guy, he just wants a job so he can get some money and a car. Good kid, eager to learn, sixteen years old. Anybody hiring?

Labels:

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Garden Tour



Reed in the Round Rock Garden

We went on a garden tour today sponsored by the Travis County Master Gardeners. It was a beautiful day and a nice tour. Lorna and Reed went with even though gardens are not quite their thing. Here are some images for you to enjoy!

View of the Round Rock Garden

This Round Rock garden was a immense series of raised beds, tons of rock work and lots of evergreens. Very impressive space!


Lorna and Reed in the South Austin Found Object Garden


South Austin Found Object Garden

The owner of this South Austin garden has created a beautiful space by dumpster diving and recycling. Great imagination and lots of hard work.

Bannockburn Church Garden

Another view of the Bannockburn Church Garden

This local church has a beautiful series of gardens that are maintained by a Men's bible study. This is what I would like to do as part of my retirement for my church. First, we have to get land and a building!


Lost Creek Garden

Pool Garden at Lost Creek

This last garden in Lost Creek is a series of garden rooms done in natives. Very loose and cottage style meets hill country. They had a beautiful pool and vegetable garden.

I enjoyed seeing all the gardens. Of course, I am missing pictures of a garden inspired by French cooking which had a pool that Lorna coveted. My lovely digital camera ran out of batteries. We stopped for Mickey D's and batteries before going on the the lost creek garden. I was very impressed by all the different styles and lushness of each garden. Enjoy the pictures and check out the Flicker badge as there are more there.

Labels: , ,

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

I feel kinda dirty....


I feel kinda dirty. I'll tell you why. I got fingerprinted today. Our legislature in constant pursuit to "fix" education has deemed it a requirement to have ALL school personnel in the state, fingerprinted and nationally background searched. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't oppose this process. Just look at Pope Benedict apologizing for the Catholic Church scandal yesterday and you can see why this has become a necessity in our society. As a parent of three, I totally support this measure to make our schools safer. As a life-long educator, I totally support this program. However, I went to get fingerprinted today and well folks, there is no way around it. It simply does not matter what kind of person you are in life ---- and I do consider myself to be a good person ---- the WHOLE process of getting fingerprinted just makes you feel dirty. It makes you feel untrusted. It makes you feel like you have done something wrong. Getting fingerprinted WAS NOT on my life list of things I needed to do before I die.

So now, my personal data along with my fingerprints are going to be "housed" at a government agency. I really feel kinda dirty..... Is this what George Orwell forecast in 1984? Have you ever had to do something that made you feel this way? If so, leave a comment ONLY in family-friendly language please. That means you too DT3.

Labels: ,

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Your Body Can Have A Sense of Humor or BaaaHaaaHaaaaa!

Your body can have a sense of humor and mine is currently going BaaaHaaaHaaaaa! (add evil cackling sound to this as you are reading.) I went to the neurosurgeon on Thursday and he said I was recovering well. I could now drive and go back to work on Monday half-days. I have been going 8 hours between pain meds, so I'm feeling pretty good. I'm thinking to myself, half-days? I feel like I could go back full-days, but I'll do what he says.

So I wake up on Friday morning feeling pretty much like my regular self. WOO-HOO! I have really no pain to speak of and feel like I have some energy. Now, those of you who know me well, know that I don't sit around very well and this whole surgery recovery thing has forced me to step out of life and be taken care of by others. I don't do that very well, I will admit. Lorna and the kids have been AWESOME and have done almost everything that has needed to be taken care of save housecleaning. Housecleaning is usually my thing. Now there has been a growing layer of dust on everything over the past two weeks which has been bugging my anal-retentive self. Sooo, Friday morning, I feeling good, so I decide I can slowly clean the house. This WAS NOT a good idea on my part.

So I start in the morning by dusting the offending surfaces. I still feel good. Then I sweep the whole downstairs and mop. I still feel good. At this point, I take Lane and Maren who are off from school, out to lunch to celebrate Maren's last track meet the night before. By the way, the girl can run. We come back. I vacuum and straighten. I still feel good. Then, I take a break and watch The Seeker (good fantasy flick) with Lane. I still feel good. I decide after sitting for a movie, I'm good to clean bathrooms which are GROSS. So I go clean. I still feel good. Reed has spent the day at the YMCA's all day out, so I go pick him up. I still feel good. I come home and wait for Lorna. I decide to go outside and draw in my sketchbook. I still feel good. Lorna comes home and tells me how she really likes the new creative self I have become this past week and how I really shouldn't have cleaned the house. I still feel pretty good. I sit down on the couch. I fall asleep. Close to an hour and a half later, I wake up. I DO NOT feel good. Can we say false sense of energy and recovery? All that sitting and doing nothing for two weeks had charged my batteries up and in one day, I depleted them pretty much to zero. Your body can have a sense of humor and mine is currently going "BaaaHaaaHaaaaa!"

So, it's Saturday morning and I am back sitting on the couch, recharging with some pain meds in my system contemplating the whole surgery / recovery thing and how I am NOT back to my normal self---- despite what my brain thinks. I'm thinking that my doctor and wife are MUCH more wise than my foolish self. That there is a reason I am supposed to only go back to work half-days next week, and I'm thinking about when to take my afternoon nap which is totally UNLIKE my normal self. So reader BEWARE, your body can have a sense of humor and yours could be saying "BaaaHaaaHaaaaa!" if you don't listen closely.

Labels: ,

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Art of the Day - Pez Drawing


As I blogged yesterday, here is my art for the day. Enjoy my sketch of a recently bestowed Pez dispenser to yours truly.

Labels: ,

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Healing + Art Making



So when I started my recovery, my colleague, Leslie told me I should use this this opportunity to make some art. As an art teacher, I struggle between balancing my creativity in the classroom and working to make art of my own. Usually, between my school responsibilities, parenting responsibilities and church work, I find little time to make work of my own anyway. I always have good intentions, but like many people with diets and exercise, I fall off the wagon. I have decided to work on that part of my life during my recovery and take this opportunity of time that I MUST sit and do little to make some art of my own.

Like a good friend, teacher and colleague, Leslie sent me the following text in an email on Monday. Leslie wrote "You must create an original work of art in whatever medium you choose. You have the freedom to choose the subject matter/message you wish to convey. You get to choose the size of this artwork, but you MUST complete it before you're allowed back to work!!!!!!!!!!! And....you must bring it to work with you so it can be critiqued by your Art colleague! So.....if you're running out of movies to watch, and emails to answer.....now you have an assignment!"

I went on a shopping field trip over the weekend (thanks Lorna for being my driver!) and some recovery money (thanks RRISD Art faculty!) I was given to gather some items to make art.

Soooo, today I worked on a first piece. Pictured above you can view the beginnings of a collage I started today. I am tentatively titling this piece, Slice. I used cards sent to me during this recovery period and have literally sliced them into layers --- much like my neurosurgeon had to slice into me and through layers of skin and muscle to repair my pain. Incorporated within the collage, I have put words related to the idea of healing. For me as an artist, I am taking simple images from people who have expressed care, concern and thoughtfulness for me and woven them together, layering them as I go within a collage to create a new image that holds personal meaning to me both as a person and as an artist. That's my beginning. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

My big question to Leslie is "Can I come back to work now?"

Labels: , ,

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Sunday Haiku --- Sleeping Status

I slept lying flat.
First time in four weeks yippee.
Still recovering.

Labels: ,

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Surgery and After the Surgery - The Patient's View



Surgery

OK --- so I had surgery on Monday. I lived to blog about it. Today, I am actually up and about. Considering how phobic I am about needles, the surgery went fairly calmly and I was not freaked out by the whole process. Who would have guessed. NOT ME. I am as surprised as anyone. I guess that if you are in enough pain, needles and the thought of their pricking points becoming imbedded in your body --- which normally TOTALLY and I do mean TOTALLY sends me over the edge, just doesn't matter. It went something like this. Need to put an IV in my hand? Sure, no problem. Just don't make me look. Gonna add something to my IV to "relax" me, go for it. Is it supposed to burn? OK, if you say so. Whoaaaaa, there it is. Yeah, I'm relaxed.

The first picture Lorna took of me after the people who were going to monitor my nervous system came in and literally wired my up like a Radio Shack display with wires and sticky dots. They told me later that they would be "sticking" small needle probes into me all over the place to monitor, but I wouldn't remember as I would be "OUT." What is it about traditional medicine and needles? Somebody enlighten me please. I guess it really was necessary for me to be a wired up for sound, a human pincushion. Good thing I was relaxed and OUT.

Then they roll me out of the prep area from Lorna and my parents (please note the lovely second picture with my blue hair covering --- at least I was calm with a sense of humor at this point). Last thing I remember is them putting an oxygen mask over my face and then as they say in the movies...... FADE TO BLACK. Yes, I'm gone. I'm outta there.
I wake up to a nurse trying to force a straw and a Coke of all things down my throat. You know, for a newbie to this surgery thing (having my wisdom teeth out at 17 is my only other experience), that wasn't really all that bad. Again, reference the pain factor I spoke to at the beginning of this post. If you hurt enough, I guess I pretty much will be game for whatever. NOT that I want to repeat this process anytime in the near future. I'm planning on going another 24 years before my next surgical event.


After the Surgery

I have been sitting on the couch. That about sums it up. I have moved very little. Kinda gives you a new view on life when your "big" event for the day is taking a shower and that tires you out. So here I am. Sitting on the couch. The one thing being down and out has done for me is seeing what AWESOME friends, colleagues and church family I am so blessed to have. The picture of me is with an incrediable basket of goodies from the art faculty who I work alongside in Round Rock. They totally took care of me with things to do, eat, listen to, etc... On top of what they sent, my church has sent meals this week which has helped my faithful wife and now nurse who is a saint doing all our usual life stuff, corraling three kids and getting things I need. She is also getting up at weird hours to help keep me medicated.

To EVERYONE who has stopped by, sent food or goodies, helped deal with my school chaos and classroom, THANKS so much. You do not realize how hard it is for me to sit on my hands and do nothing for these weeks while I recover. You are all the BEST.

So today, I got a field trip out to go to school and pick-up some grades to enter in my gradebook. I was also good boy by sitting on the couch, so I got to go with Lorna to the grocery store. This is our big weekly date and I hate missing my opportunity to go to the store with Lorna. At HEB Plus, you have some walking (ie. exercise for the couch sitter), demonstration food (ie. snacks!) and other people (ie. entertainment for the homebound). The kids are with my family this weekend watching NASCAR / High School Musical on Ice. Since I couldn't travel, Lorna and I are home alone.
So that's it. I am sitting on a couch. I surf the net, answer email, eat and watch old movies. I have many other diversions to do from my gift bags and baskets. This will be the last surgery post for readers enduring this event in my life. Thanks, everybody!

Labels: ,

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Two Days After Surgery...in Haiku

9:00 am
Slept through morning noise
Not as stiff; feel like new man
Think I'll walk around.

12:00 pm
Eat lunch at table?
Instead of couch, who'da thunk?
I feel human again.

2:00 pm
Back on couch again
Oooooh, old movies are the best!
Hand me my laptop.

5:30 pm
Dinner brought by church
Time for meds, took three more pills
Think I'll check e-mail.

6:15 pm
Round and round we go
Where room stops nobody knows
Is this what drugs do?

7:00 pm
Ice pack is on neck
Eyes are closed, lips are ajar
Snoring sounds are heard