Wednesday Update

Hey, it is already Wednesday. Just three days of work left this week. Then I have another 3 day weekend. I am taking a vacation day on Doug's birthday June 5th. This year is just flying by. I guess I can't think of much to write about this morning. Ashley worked last night and Thomas went to a show at Gabe's with Brian. Doug and I watched Last Comic Standing. It was the 1st show of the 4th season. There were a few people that were pretty funny.

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~e.e. cummings

Hey, I'm a star. Click here to get your own.

I can't believe that our little girl is all grown up and a High School graduate.

I can't believe that Bobo is all grown up and a High School graduate.

I guess trying to destroy my flower garden isn't the only bad thing that squirrels do.

For those who are interested, here is a list of "Lost's" 10 unforgettable moments this season. I found it at MSNBC.

10) Eko and the smoke monster: Never explained, never put in context, this moment of CGI magic remains a huge mystery. But the takeaway message wasn't too hard to deduce: Eko is one serious badass, enough to make Smokey stop in its, um ... tracks? Those swirling patterns and hidden images within made for great TiVo, even if it utterly lacked context. The only problem is that Smokey seemed to vanish after its run-in with Eko. Did the Man with the Big Stick scare him off?

9) So tubular: You'd have to look hard to find a better visual cue to Dharma's mind games than the massive pile of pneumatic tubes that the hunting party discovered en route to find the Others in the finale. The conceit of the Pearl station was that it was the real deal, and the hatch just a big psychological experiment. The tape it contained, and the tubes filled with observation notebooks, were enough to destroy Locke's faith in the 108-minute routine. But Desmond hinted that perhaps it was the other way around — with the real experiment occurring in the Swan. And the notebooks were the perfect reminder that nothing with Dharma should be taken at face value.

8) Ana Lucia vs. Goodwin: The Other 48 Days It would've been enough simply to see the eerie parallels between the original castaways and the tailies, and though Rousseau seemed like a troubling presence (she did torture Sayid, after all) it was Ana Lucia, Eko and the bunch who got closer to the Others than comfort would dictate. Remember Goodwin? Remember Ana Lucia's pit? In a single episode, Lostaway Island became way more unsettling.

7) The Others at tribal council: After furtive hints and glimpses, it was sweet gratification to watch Sea Captain Zeke confront Jack & Co. in the dark, light up the night with torches and then threaten them to stay on their side of the island. And then they offered up a gagged Kate as a bargaining chip. Perhaps it was the Others blowing smoke ... er, fire — but after so many oblique hints about their identity, this was a chance to see them in the open. It was even better than Zeke (Tom, actually) yanking his beard off in the season finale, a gratification for M.C. Gainey fans everywhere.

6) Sayid and Henry: Every menacing moment Sayid spent with Fake Henry was another reminder why it's so frustrating to endure an episode without seeing the Iraqi ex-soldier. Maybe you could quibble with Sayid's singleminded determination to prove Henry was lying, but it's hard to argue with someone who's right. His work at the balloon site — finding the real Henry Gale's body, and that telling $20 bill — was worthy of Sherlock Holmes. By comparison, Sayid's rage at Ana Lucia for killing Shannon was a bore. Plus it's hard to find a better line than: “My name is Sayid Jarrah, and I am a torturer.”

5) Eko's flashback: The tale of the priest-not-priest was undoubtedly the best backstory of them all — a jarring human drama that would have made Eko a compelling character, worthy of his own series, even if you took away the island and all the metaphysical mumbo-jumbo.

4) The first orientation film: The official start of the Dharma mythology, a (notably flawed) explanation for the Swan station's contents and the launch for most of the season's Big Mysteries. We all hung on Dr. Marvin Candle's every word — even if the rather less dramatic, but still compelling, second orientation film in the Pearl station — made us think that everything in the first film was a hoax. And that Marvin Candle was actually someone else.

3) Taking the pulse: Sometimes you can't beat a healthy dose of CGI, and the final moments as Desmond dropped turned the DharmaKey and activated the hatch's “system termination” switch was the most riveting action sequence the show has yet produced. (Yes, even better than the first moments on the beach, passenger-chewing jet engines and all.) The metal swirling about the Swan station as an electromagnetic charge built up, the number counter crumpling and the eerie violet pulse that filled the sky (even if that last bit looked like Roger Corman experimenting with color correction) were the payoff we've been awaiting season, and probably even longer. It was an affirmation of all the bad juju we assumed the hatch contained, and yet it left a juicy number of cliffhangers: Did Locke and Eko survive? Did Desmond switch control to another system that could prevent further “incidents”? Can the electromagnetic force be controlled? Did this would-be incident down another plane? The coup de grace was the hatch door flying out of the sky, complete with “quarantine” warning, barely missing Claire.

2) Michael, get your gun: Back from his long disappearance, Michael came back with not one bang but three. Ana Lucia and Libby were in the crosshairs, as was Michael himself. As shocking as the deaths were, far more interesting was the prospect that, as Sayid put it, Michael may have “been compromised.” And boy did the erstwhile dad's erratic behavior lend credence to that theory, as did the flashback where we saw the Others give him a list of would-be victims to bring. As out-of-the-blue shockers go, this was a doozy. And oddly, it had more emotional impact than Michael's eventual reunion with Walt, which answered nothing and felt a bit hollow after such Michael's impassioned entreaties to save his son.

1) Snowbound: After blowing the hatch (see No. 3 above), the final few moments of the finale seemed placid by comparison, with two researchers in a remote station reporting an “electromagnetic anomaly” to Desmond's long-lost love. It took a while to dawn on us, but here's why this scene was the most important of all: It's the first since the crash of flight 815 to take place off the island in what we'll call, for lack of better terms, the present day. Not a flashback, and not a dream. Never was there better evidence that Lost Island isn't purgatory and it isn't symbolic. What happens on the Island doesn't stay on the island, and at least one person out there wants to find it. That prospect just made “Lost” twice as interesting.

© 2006 MSNBC Interactive

Thursday Update

Today is Thomas' last day of classes. Doug and Ashley will be driving up to help him move home. Ashley has graduation practice at the school this morning. Mao will be happy to have Thomas back home.

Well it happened, Taylor is the new American Idol. We did not watch it because there was three hours of Lost on TV last night. I guess Prince made a guest appearance on Idol. I wish I would have seen that part. A lot happened on the Lost season finale. I am still not sure what is going on. At least they don't keep showing the same things over and over as much as they used to.

Doug will be driving me to work today so I must go now to get ready for work. When I get home everyone should be here.

Wednesday Update

Something strange is going on. I cannot get to Thomas and Ashley's blogs. I get a message stating the file cannot be found when trying to go to Thomas'. Wait, I was just able to visit Ashley's. Today is Ashley's last day of High School ever!!!! In a way it makes me feel old. Was it really 30 years ago when it was my last day of High School? Arrgghh!!! Yes it was!!!!

Tuesday Update

So much is going on. Doug was finishing up Ashley's graduation announcements and party invites last night. We are still waiting for Scout to get finished. Now there is a problem with the speedometer cable, or something like that. It is supposed to be finished today. I'm not holding my breath, we have heard that I don't know how many times. Doug has been getting a number of different bids for the roofing and Mao is getting stressed from all the people walking on the roof. I'm sure he thinks we have giant squirrels up there. Hadji's radiator didn't quite make it until Thomas got home. He had to drop it off to get worked on last night. And now poor Diedre is having car problems. Thomas is very lucky, less than a week after he was at Valley Fair there was an accident on the "Wild Thing." He says he rode on it 4 times while he was there last week. I am so glad it didn't happen while he was there.

Monday Update

It is already Monday. I don't feel much like going to work. I woke up with a headache and then Mao decided to yowl at me until I got out of bed. As usual, once I got up and fed him, he barely looked at the food and walked away.

Yesterday we went to Chloe's graduation ceremony at Xavier. It was a nice ceremony. We really didn't do much the rest of the day. We dropped Ashley off at a graduation party and went to the grocery store. We sat on the couch the rest of the evening and watched a two hour Extreme Home Makeover and The Sopranos.

Sunday Update

Yesterday I kept pretty busy. I planted the rollout flower gardens that Ashley gave me for Mother's day. Now the planter in the front yard has green stripes. There should be seedlings in 1-3 weeks. I also tore down the bean planter that was on the patio next to the garage. The wood was very water damaged and pretty much crumbled apart. The hardest part was removing the dirt from the planter. I had to scoop it out and carry it to the garden area in the back yard. Doug took the old sink off the wall in the bathroom. Now we just need to do some sanding and the wall will be ready to paint. After the painting is done we will be able to install the new sink. Very exciting.

Today we should be hearing from Joe about getting Scout back. I think I'm almost as excited as Ashley is about getting that car back. Maybe I should buy it from Thomas when Ashley finds her own car.

Chloe's graduation ceremony is this afternoon at 2 o'clock. It is at the school. We plan to leave early so we can get a good close parking space. I'm not sure if we will actually get to talk with Chloe.

Happy 21st Birthday Thomas!

Thursday Update

It may be Thursday, but it is my Friday at work. Yeah!! I hope Ashley finally gets Scout back today or tomorrow. The Lost story is getting a little complicated for me, but I think Doug has it figured out pretty close. Last night we had the most delicious pork tenderloin sandwiches. Doug made them of course, you would have to go too far to find better ones.

Elliot Yamin was voted off of American Idol last night. It is too bad, he was my choice for Idol. Yamin received 33.06 percent of the 50 million public votes cast following Tuesday night`s performances, compared to 33.26 percent cast for McPhee and 33.68 percent for Hicks. I will just have to root for McPhee, even though her her singing isn't always the best. I just can't stand Hicks.

Chloe is now finished with her Senior year, Ashley will be finished next Wednesday. Diedre has been finished with her Junior year of college for a few weeks and Thomas will finish his Sophmore year next Thursday. It is an exciting time. We will be busy these next few weeks with graduations and such.

Wednesday Update

Bagel day at work. This is another short week for me, I am taking a day of vacation on Friday. Why? Because I can....

Mediacom was at it again this morning. The internet was down for awhile. I'm not sure who will be voted off from American Idol tonight. I hope it will be Tyler. Scrubs was good as always last night. I'm not sure what is with all the women getting pregnant at the same time though. Wow, I'm really talking randomly. I think I should just end the randomness now.

Yesterday when Ashley got home from work she surprised me with two Instant Garden Rolls, "Shade Loving" and "Butterfly." I just roll them out, cut to size and water. It takes 1-3 weeks for them to start growing. Thank you Ashley.

Thomas gave me a beautiful pot of yellow Gerbera Daisies for Mother's Day. Thank you Thomas.

Yesterday, Thomas went to Valley Fair with the group of students from Nashua. These pictures are of a ride called Steel Venom. I can't remember if he said he rode this one, but it does look like fun.

Monday Update

This weekend was very good, but it was not nearly long enough. Saturday I woke up a little early to watch the Today Show just in case Thomas had decided to go over and try to be on TV. I found out he did not. He was packed and ready to leave the airport by 9. He called us from LaGuardia to ask about last minute gifts from the airport gift shop. He flew out on time and at O'Hare he had a little bit of a lay over. He finally got to the C.R. airport around 6:40. It took awhile to get his luggage because the belt that brought the luggage in kept stopping.

We finally got home around 7:30 and put an Italian Stuffed Meatloaf into the oven. We had mixed it up before going to the airport. Diedre even got her hands dirty and cold, helping to mix the meat. Thomas proceeded to tell us stories of New York and hand out gifts. He got Diedre a Louis Vuitton knock off purse. It looks like the real thing. Very nice! Doug got cologne and I got a CBGB sweat shirt. He also got Ashley a CBGB hoodie. I cannot say what he got for Chloe, just in case she reads my blog. We were anxious to see his pictures, so he took them to get developed right away. Thomas and Diedre picked Ashley up from work and got the pictures. He also brought me a Mother's Day card and some Gerbera Daisies. We then sat down and ate the meatloaf at around 10pm. We heard more New York stories and looked at the pictures after supper. It was a very nice evening.

On Mother's Day, I slept in until almost 8 am. Thomas woke up shortly after me and made me an omelette for breakfast. I was actually going to make one for us. But, I decide to go start some laundry first and he started making the omelettes before I got back upstairs. That was a nice surprise. He went with Diedre to visit her grandmother for Mother's Day and Ashley went to work at 1. In the afternoon I washed dishes and did laundry. Thomas came home and he took me to the store to buy stuff to make pizza. Afterwards Diedre came over and we all helped to put the pizzas together. Like I said, it was a very nice weekend. I didn't cover it all, but I have to get ready to go to work now.

Saturday Update

Yesterday was a very long day at work. We seemed to keep up with all the work, it just took forever. A plus was we were given a free lunch. We got to choose a sandwich from Subway. I got the footlong turkey, ham and cheese sub. It was very good and very big. When I got home we ran some errands and then Ashley took us out to eat at IHOP. I had 2 eggs, sausage, bacon and Swedish Crepes. Yummy!!

Thomas called this morning. He was packed and ready to go to the airport. He said they were leaving around 9 because they know it is going to take longer at the airport because of the one girl losing her wallet with ID. I think the only thing he didn't do that he wanted, was to get a good look at the ocean. Diedre is planning to ride along with us to the airport. Unfortunately, Ashley has to work from 2-9 and will not be able to come along.

Today I hope we get the bathroom sink torn down so we can paint and start figuring what pipes and such we need to replace before installing the new sink. I am excited about how this will improve the looks of the bathroom.

Friday Update

Yesterday was very busy at work. Our supervisor is out until Tuesday. Besides our regular work we also have to find time to complete some of her duties as well. It makes the day go by faster, so all is good.

Last night Thomas went to see Monty Python's Spamalot. I am so jealous! I found a little video clip about Spamalot celebrating thier first anniversary by setting the world record for the "Worlds Largest Coconut Orchestra."

Thomas will be flying home tomorrow. I bet he will be very tired when he gets here.

Thomas went to amateur night at the Apollo last night. It sounds like it was a lot of fun. He said if you like the act you clap and if you don't like it you boo them off stage. I guess many acts are booed off stage even before they have begun. After the Apollo Thomas was going to Pommes Frites for french fries. I hope they were good.

Thursday Update

This week has gone by pretty fast. Even though while at work sometimes it feels kind of slow. Does that make any sense?

We watched Lost last night. It is very good and they are finally making things move forward even if it is rather slowly. We wish they would make the people act a little more like real people though. Real people would be telling everyone on the island what is going on, not just a select one or two. Sometimes they just don't tell anything to anyone. If everyone was on the same page they could get through everything a lot easier and there would not be so much killing. I guess the writers must think there wouldn't be much of a mystery if everyone who crashed on the island knew what was going on.

I'm a bit surprised, Chris Daughtry was voted off of American Idol last night. See the whole story here.

Frustration is trying to find
your glasses without your glasses.

Quote from the Overheard in New York blog.

Man: This is stupid...and incredibly boring.
David Blaine: Hey, I can hear you!

--Lincoln Center

Mark brought us some rather large mushrooms this weekend. We had them for supper last night and they were delicious.

Thomas at the C.R. airport before taking off to New York. 

Thomas and friends at Times Square in New York. (He is behind the man in white.) 

Monday Update

We had a very good weekend. We cleaned up the patio and garden area and we are starting to move forward on getting the roofing and house painted. I can't wait, it will look like a different house when it is all done. We have been keeping in touch with Thomas. He is having a wonderful time in New York. I have a feeling when he gets home next Saturday he is going to be very tired. I was going to post a picture of him from a street cam, but I wasn't sure where the pictures were saved. The van is having its yearly alternator trouble, so I have been driving Thomas' car. One last thing, Thomas is going to try to be at the plaza of New York's Lincoln Center tonight for David Blaine's under water stunt.

I found a fun blog called Overheard in New York.

This is the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics. Thomas will be teaching/observing here while in New York. The school profile shows the following info:

Class size: 30
Enrollment: 1596
Ethnicity %: 3 W 24 B 66 H 8 A
Attendance: 91%
Overcrowding: 118.9%
Graduation rate: 84%
7-year graduation rate: 92.6%

Thursday Update

Yesterday I was wrong about the school Thomas is going to be at in New York. I can't find a picture of the one he is really going to be at because I am not sure about the name of it. Yesterday after work I decided to mow the front yard. When I was all done, Doug and I were out by the gargae talking about roofing the house and other things we need to do to the house. While we were talking the neighbor lady from across the street came over and gave us a couple of pictures that she had taken of our trees in the front yard. This was a little odd because we had never talked to her before. We found out that Doug had actually gone to school with a couple of her children at Linn Mar. Lost was very good last night with a very surprise ending. Just when you think the right thing is going to happen and certain people are happy, everything gets turned upside down. I think they are all going to end up killing each other until no one is left.

Wednesday Update

It's Wednesday and that means bagels at work. It also means two days until my three day weekend and Thomas' trip to New York City. Thomas said one of the first things they learned in his new class was how to read the subway maps. Last night we had fried chicken with hash browns and gravy for supper. It was very yummy. I wonder if Elliot will be voted off of Idol tonight. Lost should be good tonight, it is a new episode. Thats all for today, it's time to get ready for work.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher
explains.The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.
--William Arthur Ward 

"Don't waste your youth growing up"

Unknown

Tuesday Update

Not much has happened since yesterday's update. I totally spaced off going to Ashley's last school conference. I was a little upset with myself, I have hardly missed any of the kid's conferences while they were growing up and I miss the very last one. Doug is going to call the school and see if we can meet with some of the teachers on Friday because I have the day off.

Monday Update

I have survived the weekend of rain and gloomy skies. Yesterday Doug decided we needed to purchase a full spectrum lightbulb, so we could at least get some sunshine that way. It seemed to start working as soon as we turned it on. I had hoped to get out in the yard and garden this weekend to clean up, but it was too wet and muddy out. Maybe next weekend. I will have this coming Friday off because we will be taking Thomas to the airport on Friday for his flight to New York. I am very excited for him. But I can't help being a little nervous as well. Gee, imagine that, me being nervous about something. I know he will be just fine and have a wonderful time in New York.

Thomas now has his new car, '95 Toyota Camry. Very nice looking car. We also survived the whole insurance mixup this weekend. We thought we could leave him on my insurance, but because this car is in his name he had to get his own policy. I guess I have to face it the kids are growing up. Ashley will be using Thomas' old car Scout for a while, until she finds her own car or decides to buy Scout from Thomas. Well, no time to write more, I have to get ready for work.

I think that I am a little bit jealous!