Cyber-activists!

Stephanie and Vincent have both become cyber-activists! Vincent told us last weekend he’s been spending some time on-line arguing – apparently in chat rooms or through comments on-line – in sites frequented by the Nation of Islam (black separatist strand of Islam at one point associated with Malcolm X) and white separatists. He said the white separatists have kicked off their website three times. Earlier this week Stephanie started a new Facebook “group” called “Boycott BP until the oil spill is stopped” (logo she used for the group above). Said Stephanie in her invitation to join the group: "If Facebook can get Betty White on SNL maybe we can do something even more important! Let us send a message to BP that we need this oil spill stopped." We’ll see what Stephanie and other members do with the group. I know when we drive to and from Florida this weekend we’ll be avoiding gassing up at BP gas stations. Check it out on Facebook!

Perry

New ramp and elevator/lift pictures

Family news

Friday is the big day at my job. Earlier this week Mom got the go ahead to work at home, up until her retirement date (June 4). She went in for several days and got some important work done that she could have only done in the office. She met with a fitness center staff and was a little surprised that she can only mainly do what she’s been doing at the gym (she missed a couple of days when she was at the office most of the day) – She may have to consider breaking down and do exercises in the pool. Hasn’t gone swimming for 32 years.

I called Mom’s realtor’s office about whether we could get in to see Mom’s house during our brief visit next week, and she said that prospective landlords – attracted by the four bedrooms – have been the biggest draw to see the house so far. One person who visited didn’t like the house backing onto the apartment complex (over the fence). The pictures on the realtor’s website certainly don’t show the complex behind the house (though it peaks out behind the fence in the picture above). The bigger recent challenge as been the now student rentals on both sides of Mom’s house, and we probably won’t feel great about contributing to that.

(Mom will also be headed to the doctor's office Friday for a routine visit.)

Stephanie’s had a crazy week, staying at school to work late every night, five nights in a row. Tuesday afternoon was the probably the last district-wide English as a new language teaching staff meeting with the long-time leader, who will probably have different responsibilities next year (and Stephanie’s Camry may get fixed as a follow-up to that meeting). Tuesday night brought a very modest-sized group of parents and children coming mainly from the school whose families tried to hard to keep it from getting closed (the school that President Bush visited several years ago). But one Silver Street parent said he opposed the closing but was excited about Fairmont’s diversity (including many of Stephanie’s students). Wednesday afternoon brought some annoyances but bottom line a visit by a group of district staff, local academics, and state staff eager to let the IN education officials how Stephanie’s ENL program could be a model for others around the state.

(Earlier Thursday Stephanie also took her fifth-grade ENL students - and this year the fourth-graders too - in an annual field trip to see the middle school where most of them will be attending and to meet some of the staff. The regular ENL teacher - the one injured in a bad car accident this winter - is of course still out. But they met the long-term sub who Stephanie met last week, as she's a student in one of the Indiana University Southeast teaching ENL classes.)

Undergoing new treatment, Stephanie’s mother is already seeing some new side effects (without the old side effects all going away). Earlier this month Nancy and Bob had their swimming pool filled in with a dirt – a pool that Vincent, Stephanie, and I enjoyed regularly – and that dates back almost to when Stephanie, Nancy, and Bob first lived there. Maintenance is a challenge, and neither Nancy nor Bob ought to be outside in the sun.

-- Perry

Job news

Lots of job news today. Stephanie learned that she has got a final positive recommendation from her principal before she goes up for tenure – over the summer? – with the school district and school board. Stephanie - still recovering from being ill - stays late at school all week this week: Tuesday night for an open house for families of incoming students, aimed particularly of parents of one the four schools that the school district is closing next month, most of whose current kindergarteners, 1st-, 2nd- and, 3rd-graders will be coming to Fairmont. (Families associated with this school had in recent years campaigned very hard to keep the school open.)

I learned at a big all-staff meeting that there will be a net loss of 45 jobs at the Presbyterian Center. Friday is still layoff day. Apparently people won’t have to leave immediately or lose their e-mail accounts immediately. I looked up more information about layoff policies (which would include about eight months of pay and benefits for me). My Mom learns more Tuesday about whether she will be able to work at home for her last three weeks or so of work. She had started to do so but then learned that it wasn’t all approved. For the first time in months, last week she started going back to work. June 4 is the day she set as a retirement day. Stephanie and I are set to visit her and go to a high school reunion for me later this month.

And then there’s kids news: Vincent and Stephanie talked twice briefly by phone on Mother’s Day. And, just as importantly: Today we got a chance for new kids! As she often does in the spring, Speckles laid an egg – but just one (unusually), so far.

"Bare Necessities"

From the production of the kids' version of "The Jungle Book" by Fairmont Elementary School (Stephanie's school). Click on the arrow to watch the clip.

Opryland Hotel

Late last July Stephanie and a colleague broadly construed who teaches middle school English as a new language in New Albany (Laura Martin) stayed in the sprawling Opryland Hotel in Nasvhille, where a READ 180 - the reading program both of them have taught this year to ENl and non-ENL students alike - was held.



Nine months later Laura is recovering from a very serious winter car accident but still plans to teach in the fall. And the hotel lies in ruins, thanks to the Cumberland River flooding.



There's no money this year for the school district to send people to conferences. But it's not clear this one will happen. Unless perhaps it moves to Louisville, and then maybe Stephanie can participate affordably. Another friend named Laura (Laura Chambers) watched much her Bellevue (TN) neighborhood submerge and is rallying people to help her neighbors move the water and repair their homes. We're thinking of all of you.

Remembering Kelly

Taken during an August 2009 Central Ohio visit

Indian Lake

Click on the arrow below to see Indian Lake (from Lakeside, OH) on a cloudy April morning (where we stayed and then awoke two weeks ago tonight)

New Albany night

Stephanie, Frisco, and I were all in New Albany until late Thursday. I planned to take Frisco with me to an “Organizing for America” phone bank making calls to Southern Indiana Democrats to urge them to call U.S. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) to urge him to vote for financial industry regulatory reform. First time I’d phone banked for several weeks, and the first time not for health care reform. Frisco came along with me. Stephanie stayed late for a “family literacy” program put on by Indiana University Southeast for her English as a New Language students and their parents. Stephanie was kind of a star, as the MC essentially interviewed her, asked her questions about the families. Plus there were two IUS ENL education grad students who said they had heard of Stephanie , were excited to meet her, and hoped to follow up. A new READ 180 coach also appeared during the day to offer Stephanie feedback.

Things weren’t so great back on the other side of the Ohio River. Thanks to me leaving Frisco in the back yard during the afternoon (and taking him to New Albany with me), he had no accidents for the first time in three days. Back at work, however, things did not go so well. Some long, closed-door meetings, and rumors from other sources, suggest that the cuts – in general and in our offices – may be quite severe, which leads me to believe the Presbyterian Panel, which I’ve administered in 14 months in my new position, may be on the chopping block. Hard to see how they could justify keeping me – instead of some of my colleagues – if they got rid of my research program. Mid-week next week will find at least three people from my office headed to a de facto job search workshop at work (why before the layoffs? Asked my colleagues; I answered: because if they do it afterwards, the laid off people will all be gone – it will be too late). There are other interpretations out there. This may not be by accident – we may all three be on our way out. Thursday I came closer to finishing a draft of another report and signed up for the new jobs e-mail distribution list at church.

Mom went into work for the first time in months and found that her new medication doesn’t seem to work as well as her old medication. She was sleepy at work, but – more importantly – she found some of her Parkinson’s symptoms – ones she may or may not have missed in recent days – were more in evidence – which made it tougher for her to walk. She’s going through her files electronic and hard-copy and logging more hours in so she doesn’t use up all her vacation.

-- Perry

Changing meds

This week doctors prescribed new medications for both of our mothers. Nancy heard not great news from her doctor about the status of her illness and will now start once every two weeks more aggressive treatment with some more serious side effects. My Mom will switch to nighttime medication – and with lots to do in the office, another hiccup with getting approved to work at home, and learning that she could cash out any leftover vacation time – she’ll go in to work for the first time since January Thursday. Mom is also trying to find answers to some insurance issues. Earlier this week Stephanie learned that she will be paired with a former classroom teacher, a 20ish single woman, who is being shifted over to READ 180, and go into a classroom on the opposite end of her current wing/hallway of the school. She and Tiffany get along OK but it will be a challenge cramming much of their stuff in their together and teaching at the same time (or not). Stephanie will continue to teach English as a new language and READ 180 (and still math?). It’s been an up-and-down roller coaster on my end, as Tuesday we thought we figured out how they were going to prevent a bloodbath in my office, but now I’m not sure. Wednesday the group I've been working with to plan another Guatemala mission trip learned that two more people (up to six to seven now) would be going, but some complications will ensue. Coming up: a big (and unprecedented) meeting Monday outlining what will happen (?) on layoff day, next Friday. Frisco and we continue to face challenges as it turns out I might need to come home TWICE during the workday to walk him to keep him from having accidents, which I can’t do, and so we’re going to have to figure out different strategies. Two options: changing his prescription dog food, or taking him to doggie day care (which costs about $250 a month). On the boy front: I talked with one of Vincent's lawyers today who said he would work on Vincent's expungement.

Mid-week news

Another big mid-week: Stephanie goes to a faculty/staff meeting at her school this afternoon, when more of what’s in store for them this coming school year will be made public. It’s been musical chairs with the rumor mill as to which teacher she might be paired with and in which room. Stephanie finished our contribution to this year’s Children’s Fellowship Sunday, leading a fun Mexico/Cinco de Mayo-themed activity, and then topped off her after-school Culture Club Mexico unit Monday with a parent – a parent she’d seen the day before in a long, parent-teacher conference – bringing in Mexican food (with leftovers coming home).

I learned Monday evening that the larger unit at work within which my office is by far the largest subunit may be facing a 19 percent budget cut, which means May 14 it’s likely that 2 of the 10 people (possibly including me) in my office will be laid off. I had a dream last night that I or we were moving to a new city so I could start a new job. Back at work, I’ve turned in one report and trying to finish one more this week (while layoff decisions are still being made). In perhaps a swan song, the three or four days’ worth of Presbyterian “Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study” podcasts I recorded earlier this year went out over the weekend: http://www.pcusa.org/missionyearbook/podcast/may/myb050110.mp3

Also, Wednesday is the first meeting of a small group of people from church going to Guatemala on a mission trip in July. One of the trip leaders, I purchased tickets (with the pastor’s credit card) for four of us last week. A Spanish class (partly to prepare) at church, after Weight Watchers, starts up again today.

My Mother has been trying to nail down some of the details of her retirement and exit from her office. She also has an appointment with her neurologist this week. I knew she had talked with the realtor and her contractors, but it turns out her house has been on the market for a week or two, with three people coming to see it already. Check out the pictures at: http://www.libbyallen.com/content/listdetail.html?propid=111315592&proptype=*&minprice=-1&maxprice=-1&bed=-1&full=-1&ag_id=162936&pageclicked=1&proppos=10&ids=108928250,107852264,102765984,105037361,91721122,78676355,105073187,108425781,109801255,111315592

Over the weekend my sister had her four modern dance performances, and received an award, but was also in a car accident soon before one of the performances, which shook her up and damaged her car and created a hassle for her trying to track down after the fact the person at fault who sideswiped her and her insurance company. Jacob got to see most of Stephanie’s performances. We’re glad Penny’s OK but know it must have been stressful.

Stephanie and Vincent were in touch Monday after we went to see a movie by a Korean filmmaker whose previous movie (“The Host”) Vincent loved. Vincent says he’s working on his classes, mostly right now the English class that he’s essentially taking for the third time. He continues his job, which he alternatively says is fun or boring.

- Perry

Decadent and depraved

Excerpt from Leah and Delilah's readers' theater plus performance of Hunter S. Thompson's "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved" 1970) at Friday evening's extreme infield/gawking party (click on the arrow):