Tuesday PM at Starbucks again

Hey Happy Campers;

Tuesday pm, and I'm at the Starbucks in McCarthy Ranch in Milpitas. This one's ok. I've got a nice spot by the window, and an outlet to plug into, and tuneage from Tiny Bob, my laptop (don't ask - I don't even know why he's named Tiny Bob; it's just something Elise came up with, and after all, it IS Elise's world - we just get to trim the grass in it. Oh, and make the mac 'n cheese), and when all's said and done, what more can one ask of life than a good spot by the window and decent tuneage?

Although I admit to being a little disappointed by the tuneage I just purchased from Corvus Corax; well, disappointed SO FAR. I haven't gotten all the way through it yet. It's a bit more mundane than I expected. I've just now gone back and downloaded a few more from some of their more traditional albums: very medieval, very tribal, and very suited to one or two of the works I've got going on right now.



The above video isn't one of their best, but it lets you see their live sound...

What's going on right now in the real world: both Jeff and I are looking for work, but we're both anticipating a hard time of it - Jeff because he doesn't have an actual college degree, which he's always felt to be a point against him, and me because I'm a woman, I'm 45 and I'm overweight, and I work in a very young-male-dominated field (IT and desktop support). It's frustrating to me because I'm actually very good at what I do, but there's no way a hiring manager will consider me... I've told Jeff I honestly believe he has a much better chance of finding something before I do. He doesn't believe it, but I guess the proof will be in the pudding. Luckily, we have no credit cards, no car payments, our rent is only $1500 per month, we already paid insurance for this year, and we can actually survive on my unemployment and what he makes from painting miniatures, at least for a while.

So, that being the case, I've also decided to spend some time this summer home-schooling Elise, and I'll explain why.

As you know, because I've talked about it in the last few posts, I've spent some time volunteering in Elise's classroom the last few weeks. I've come to see that there just is no way a second grade teacher can handle a classroom like Elise's without a teacher's aide, which I've tried to be. There are so many high-needs kids in her classroom, that - sadly - a few kids, through no fault of their own, and no fault of the teacher's, are taking up all the teacher's time and attention. It's just insane!

Elise is likely going to be going to school in Saratoga this coming year, and given the income level and educational level of Saratoga in general, I just KNOW Elise is not prepared for the third grade there. I'm contemplating having her stay back a grade, because honestly, she wouldn't be hurt by an extra year to mature a bit. She'd be starting in a place where no one knows her, and she'd have the chance to catch up, especially physically, without the stigma of "oh, you had to be held back". I'm not completely decided; Jeff and I need to talk it over and maybe have her see a counselor at her new school to be evaluated. In any case, I bought some math books for her, and we're going to do some homeschooling this summer. The one thing she needs the absolute most is help with her penmanship, spelling and reading! There are a couple of girls in her class who have perfect penmanship and spelling, and it was a shock to see the difference between her writing and theirs.

Okay, anyway, enough of that. I need to start on my writing now, so I'm signing off.