Holiday Plans

The tree is up.  I put it up over a week ago.  I wanted to get our Christmas pictures done.  I'm also trying to get some portrait business for the holidays.  We don't enjoy the tree yet.  It just stands there waiting to be a backdrop for somebody's photo shoot. 

I've ordered the cards and they're waiting to be stuffed and sent.  I've collected a few gift cards to give to rides and such.  I've asked my offspring what they want for Christmas this year, and gotten a few replies.

With all this, I have no plans for the Holidays.  Do I want to cook a big Thanksgiving dinner just for the two of us?  Do I want to go to someone's house?  Remember how picky of an eater I am.  Do I want to eat restaurant fare on Thanksgiving?  Same questions for Christmas.  Plus, who can I invite here?  Will they enjoy themselves? 

This may be the first year I volunteer at a soup kitchen or hospital.  Don't hold me to that; I'm just brainstorming. 

Where I've Lived

The other day I was thinking about all the places I've lived in my adult life.  I wish I could take the best parts of each place and combine them into an ideal neighborhood.  Money Magazine runs a best places article each year.  I read this article looking for the best place to live each time I plan to move.  I'm still looking for that wonderful location that has affordable housing, excellent public transportation, stores, restaurants, and services nearby, friendly neighbors, a good ward, politics similar to mine, low crime, and a stable economy.

My first apartment had two things to recommend it in the beginning.  It was my first place and I had good neighbors.  I had gone to school with many of them.  Later when I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I was in a very good ward.   Public transportation came close by and necessary to ge anywhere.  This apartment complex was in the middle of nowhere. 

My next few apartments had pretty good public transportation but in walking distance of a few businesses.  Neighbors and ward not so hot. 

The Sandy, Utah house had almost everything.  By walking less than a quarter mile I was not only at the bus stop but at other places I wanted to be.  Three different bus route ran nearby; four, if you count the express buses that ran during rush hour.  The last bus left downtown at 11:20 p.m. but no buses ran on Sunday in my area.  I could walk to both fast food and sit down restaurants, the grocery store, discount store, dollar store, bank, dry cleaners, dentist, fabric store, work, church, and even the karate school where I earned my orange belt in Kempo Karate.  Sandy had tow drawbacks; few friendly neighbors which results in a not so wonderful ward.  That said, if I got the chance I'd move back into that house and make friends elsewhere.  The advantages of living there far out weigh the disadvantages.  The Wasatch Front has light rail now, I'm thinking the public transportation is even better.   Utah is the only place I lived with good brick and mortor schools.  Students could get a decent education there.

The Pine Bluff, Arkansas house was challenging.  Build in 1889, it had no insulation in the walls, original windows, some of the underground plumbing had clay pipes, and all the other issues that come with an old house.  Here we were close to family and businesses I had grown up with.  Our neighbors were diverse, some kept to themselves while others were outgoing and friendly.  Andrea learned to do all kinds of things from our neighbors, the Campbells.  She learned everything from carpentry to how to play hand bells.  The campbells were very good neighbors.  When we moved to Pine Bluff a bus ran right in front of our house.  That helped with the inconvenience of the limited routes and times the buses ran.  As time went on Saturday service had stopped altogether.  By the time we left, Pine Bluff Transit ran from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.   Transprtation wasn't the only decline; when we moved to Pine Bluff there were quite a few fast food restaurants we could walk to.  When we left even McDonald's had relocated, leaving us with Wendy's which I don't care for, and Long John Silvers which was a longer walk.  

Members of the Pine Bluff ward were friendly, caring, and nice to be around.  That ward had a real sense of community. 

Arkansas Virtual Academy was a very good online charter school.  I was very impressed and once I got started talking about it I could go on for a long time.  When we had trouble with math we could call the teacher and meet in an Eluminate room.  She showed us how to do the problems and we worked problems together until Andrea or I, or both of us understood how to do them.  

I liked how laid back Pine Bluff could be but I didn't like having to be home before six or get a ride. 

Good neighbors, fair ward, but the transportation, what can I say.  Quite a bit actually.  I moved to Metro Atlanta for the transportation.  MARTA starts running early and stops late.  MARTA runs trains as well as buses.  MARTA goes lots of places.  But it takes half of forever to get anywhere on MARTA.  Just to get started I have a .61 mile walk just to get to the bus stop.  When I get there, there is nothing, just a gas station.  I can go to the grocery store without having to transfer.  My favorite WalMart takes a bus, a train, and another bus.  Now don't forget, after going out I've got to again walk that .61 miles to get home.  Why did I choose such a place?  Because walkability neighborhoods are too expensive and the suburbs are set up for people with cars.  The houses are here, on winding road.  The businesses are over there, some also set up on winding roads.  Georgia Cyber Academy is better than the brick and mortar schools but it's no Arkansas Virtual Academy.  GCA places too much emphasis on Study Island and YouTube videos to do the teaching.  The only reason I haven't pulled her out is because I want her to get a diploma from somewhere, not just a GED.

In a perfect world I'd live in Sandy, Utah in the house pictured above.  The Utah Transit Authority would run on MARTA's schedule.  Andrea would take Math and Science at Jordan High and everything else Through Arkansas Virtual Academy.  My neighbors would be those from my first apartment, Pine Bluff, and Decatur, where I live now.  I'd go to church in the Little Rock Second Ward building with those members and the members of the Pine Bluff Ward.  Now that would be Utopia. 

Countdown

Learners permit, college information appearing out of the blue, encouraged to take duel enrollment, ACT registration, narrowing college choices, but it didn't sink in until Andrea said, "I'm going to be seventeen in a little over two months".  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks' my baby will be leaving in less than two years.

What am I supposed to think?  I want her to get her license so we can be more mobile.  I'm looking forward to the road trip we have planned for next summer.  But these events will hasten her leaving.  How to enjoy this time looking forward while holding on? 

Have I taught her everything she needs to know?  What else do I need to teach her?  If she ends up going to the University of either Dakota she can't run home for a chat.  I don't text and she prefers not to talk on the phone. 

It would be nice if she decides to stay in state for college.  Then she can live at home or visit often.  Her first choice is University of South Dakota, she wants to play on their volleyball team.  Their out of state tuition is about the same as most states in state tuition.  Room and board is in line with most other schools.  If she wants to go, there's no reason to stop her. 

Brief Comment About the Government

You all know where I stand, as a Tea Party Republican.  The past two weeks has been an exercise in futility.  Mainstream Republicans gave the Democrats all their leverage on a silver platter.  If mainstream Republicans were going to cave under media pressure why wait two weeks?  Why not just give in at the beginning and save all these back and forth proposals?  What did we get after all this?  Another stop gap budget.  A budget for three months.  We'll be back in the same mess in January.  The difference next time is the Democrats will know all they have to do is stick to their guns and mainstream Republicans will give them what they want.  I think if the Republicans would have stuck to their platform long enough the Democrats would have come to the negotiating table.  Now, what intensive do the Democrats have to negotiate?  All they have to do is what the Republicans should have done. 

People say Republicans should come more to the middle.  I could say the same about Democrats but what good is that.  Why do we want two parties that are identical?  People need choice.  Republicans shouldn't come to the middle any more than Democrats should.  A party shouldn't change just because one side of an issue is promoted more in the media than another.  I get so sick of candidates for Federal office being asked how they feel about abortion, and gay marriage.   Why aren't these issue state issues?  If both parties have the same view what distinguishes them.  I know there are other issues to consider but these are the main two the media harps on. 

I've been hearing talk of a third party.  This party would be formed by splitting the Republicans.  Haven't we learned from history; split the party and the other one wins.  Moderate Republicans should become democrats so people will have two clear parties. 

I've even heard a small group of malcontents speak of secession.  History repeating itself again.  Unlike now most people in each region had similar ideologies.  If we were split by region I'd be considering secession myself.  Unfortunately we are scattered and there's no western frontier we can gather to.  We're got to get it together or fall.

Government Shut Down

First, I like to say IT'S ABOUT TIME.  I was so sick of the threats to do what we want or we'll shut down the government.  Well, finally, for once they didn't cave and the government shut down.  Good.  Well they call it a shut down but this is a joke.  So you can't visit a national park, visit a Presidential library, or you get to stay home because you're an unessential federal employee.  If there's a disaster FEMA is still there, the mails will run, and you'll get your checks and food stamps. 

The parties are blaming each other.  Democrats are so used to Republicans giving in when they threaten to shut down the government.  I'm glad the Republications stood their ground for a change.  Hopefully when the American people see a government shut down is no big deal, just a ploy, they'll contact their representatives and tell them what they think about the issues at hand. 

What puzzles me is how they decided which websites to disable during the shut down. That stupid health care exchange's site is up but the BARD site to order talking books is down.  Both sites can run themselves so why is one down?  I can understand their not adding any new books but why not allow downloads of books already there?  Politics.  That's life.  I'm willing for the government to be shut down for as long as it takes to get a YEARLY budget.  I'm tired of these temporary budgets.  Leave it shut down until they vote to put in a debt sealing in place.  Let green energy fund itself through private funding.  Keep our soldiers out of every other country's skirmishes.  Postpone and iron out this healthcare mess if they insist on not defunding it. 

Way Too Early

When Andrea was in seventh grade we had to catch the bus at 6:00 a.m. to get her to school.  We did this by choice.  I had exercised the School Choice option and chose to send her to Watson Chapel Junior High, a school out of our home district.  With school choice you could attend an out of district school but the school bus didn't transport.  So we found ourselves waiting for the city bus early every morning.  We took the bus to Beazle's House where my daughter caught the bus with the neighborhood kids.  Shame on us. What I'm complaining about is public schools requiring little kids in their own districts to be up and out so early.  These parents have little or no choice. 

Last Wednesday morning I was out early.  I knew school buses ran early to pick up elementary school students.  I had no idea how early.  A mother with a little boy, maybe first grade, pass me on the street.  I heard her say, "Hurry up, son, we don't want to miss the school bus."  I was shocked.  It was black dark.  I say, "What time is it?" as I pull out my phone to look at the time.  The lady said it was 6:30, my phone said 6.28.  Either way, too early to be picking up such little kids.  This is made more ridiculous when middle schoolers are picked up after 8:00.  High School students are the only ones picked up at a reasonable 7:15.

By the time the little kid's mother finished telling him to
hurry I hear the bus.  Unbelievable.  I had to take a picture.  This may not be the greatest shot but I had to get it; high ISO, hand held, black dark.  

True, the little kids get home from school really early, around 2:30 p.m. but I'd rather see them get home a bit later than having to be at the school bus stop at 6:30 in the morning.  

IMO this is part of why kids are performing so poorly in school these days.  What time do these kids get up in order to be on time for the school bus?  Did they eat breakfast at home or do they go to school hungry and scarf down a school breakfast before class?  If they get up at 4:30 or 5, do they go to bed at 8:30 or 9?

I tell you, if I had small children and they had to be at the school bus stip by 6:30, we'd be homeschooling for sure. 

Homework

An assignment for Andrea's music appreciation classes states they must attend a concert and write a report about it.  If the attend a live concert and attach the program to their report they will get extra credit.  Straight forward in theory buy oh, so frustrating in practice. 

We decide extra credit is the was to go.  I have Andrea find a free concert held before the due date of the report.  She finds a string quartet holding a performance at the Emory University Planetarium.  The Marta map says no bus goes by there so I call para-transit.  I tell the MARTA rep where we're going and that the concert starts at 7:00 p.m.  I had already called Emory to find out what time the concert ends and they didn't know.  I was told to call back tomorrow and they will have found out by then.  The man said concerts usually last an hour and a half to two hours.  I told MARTA to pick us up at 9:15 for the trip home.  I was told we'd be picked up at 5:30 from home.  This seemed reasonable.  I was dead wrong.

So we get ready and 5:30 comes and goes.  At 6:00 I call to see where the van is.  I'm told he's dropping somebody off in Lithonia and will be picking us up in about twenty minutes.  After we get on the van we suffer through a pick up and drop off of another person.  It is after 7:30 before we get to the Emory Planetarium.

Sigh of relief; we can finally hear the music.  Not so.  the lady at the door informs us that the planetarium is filled to capacity.  I'm dumbfounded but persistant.  "Is there some place we can listen?" I ask.  I don't know why I asked that because not a peep could be heard from where we were.  She said there wasn't.  I ask about a program, I explain about the extra credit for a live concert.  I hoping Andrea's teacher will give her the extra credit if she knows Andrea tried so hard to go to a live concert.  The lady at the door said they were all out of programs but she'd write a note explaining the situation.  The lady wrote the note and I took a picture of Andrea outside the building with the name displayed so her teacher will know we tried.  We stayed close to the entrance in case someone left early.  Everyone stayed to the end around 8:00 p.m.

Now we have a long wait until we're picked up.  What a waste.  I told Andrea to go on Youtube and find a concert to report on.  

I'm Sick of It

Is there anywhere in these United States that has fully accessible transportation for those of us who don't drive?  Fully accessible means more than getting us to the doctor, work, and school, with maybe a shopping center nearby.    The sooner public transit and paratransit systems realize this the better for all of us.  Next Tuesday there's yet another event we can't independently attend.

Georgia Cyber Academy has gone all out for their Stone Mountain meet and greet.  We're to  "We will be meeting for fun, games, music, crafts, bounce houses, competitions, student performers and more!"  To add to that Stone Mountains has lots of things for visitors to see and do.  Andrea and I were looking forward to it until I called MARTA's para-transit for a ride. 

The MARTA representative said the van will let us out at the west gate to Stone Mountain Park but she didn't know how far that is from the Fireside Pavilion, where I need to be.  She said, "It's a big place.  You should call them to find out.  She was nice enough to give me the number to Stone Mountain park.

I call the park and get disappointing news.  According to the lady at the park the Fireside Pavilion is two and a half miles from the west gate where the para-transit will be letting us off.  I ask if there's a shuttle and she says the shuttle only runs on weekends.

We already got volleyball practice moved because of this event.  More than likely we'll stay home and do schoolwork.  There are roads running through this park.  GCA sent out directions for parking near the pavillion.  I don't understand why the para-transit can't travel these same roads.

I don't want to ask for a ride because I want to leave on my own schedule.  I don't know how many of the GCA activities we'll participate in.  We're mainly going to take pictures and may want to stay longer than a ride may.  I'll have to thing about the pros and cons of asking a neighbor or another GCA family.  Sometimes I want to do things with just us.

I flet Pine Bluff because I wanted Andrea and myself to be able to do more things.  We missed out in pine Bluff because the busses were very limited in range and hours.  Here we have both for the most part and I know I should be grateful.  But as they say the more you have the more you want.  I want more.  I want to decide not to go someplace because of my own reasons, not because I can't get there without involving somebody else, their schedule, and desires.  I am so looking forward to a year of freedom between when Andrea gets her license and when she leaves for college.