Quote of the Day

It is surprising what a man can do when he has to, and how little most men will do when they don’t have to.

- Walter Linn

My Life in France

Encouraged to do so (as I am sure many have been by the Julie and Julia movie) I just finished Julia Child's "My Life in France". It is basically an autobiography heavily weighted towards the influence of food and the career it spawned in Julia Child's life.

First the good: The book made me want to own JC's encyclopedic "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"; although when I recently looked up her recipe for beef bourguignon (a recipe prominently featured in the movie) I was stunned at the amount of time and money that the dish required (we opted for a crock-pot version that was as-we-say in our social circle: "cheap and yum").

Now the not-so-good. Like her cookbook is reported to be, "My Life in France" was longer than it should have been. I found the book fascinating up to the point that she published "Mastering" but then she slogged on regarding "Mastering II" etc. I did find much of the later chapters interesting but didn't feel that they needed as full a treatment as they received. Still, when I laid the book down, I was glad to have read it all the way through.

If you find Julie and Julia to be a good movie, if you enjoy cooking and like hearing other people describe foreign lands that they adore, "My Life in France" might be for you (well, the first 3/4ths, anyway).

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful . . .

Okay, the weather outside has actually been delightful - but if you don't fire up the fireplace in January, when will you? Today it is overcast and a chilly 57 degrees - If it gets any worse I might have to change into long pants! (I know, you are all shedding silent tears for us San Diegans . . .)

WhooHoo!

Last weekend we loaded up the van at o-dark-thirty and headed to Carlsbad to support some friends who were running the marathon. Annie loved being out in the cool morning air with all the runners going by and people cheering each other on.


She even got into the act with a little coaching from mommy.

Candelabra

About 11 years ago or so, the wife gave me this candelabra for valentine's day. It hung over our dining room table in Seattle and then outside on our apartment patio in San Diego. It has been in the shed for the past 5 years as we didn't have a good place for it. But now that the dining room table is in the living room, we found a spot over the table once again!

The wife took these photos and I thought they turned out well:

Quote of the Day

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.

- Thomas Paine

Everyday Heroes

"Intimidator" from Jim Quattrocki on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/19016005

Kermie

Kermit is like crack to Annie. She is addicted, loves it and if you tell her she has a problem she denies it . . .

The wife found a blanket kit at the store the other day for $10 and came home and put it together.

Oh, yeah, we will get $10 worth of fun outta this . . .

Quote of the Day

Until cellars are stocked with bottles of wine, they are only good for hiding boxes of half-written screenplays and keeping lonely pipes company.

- Anonymous

She said, He heard, He said . . .

What the wife said: "I think we should be putting this in our food" (holding aloft a bag of Flaxseed Meal)

What I heard: "I think Ex-Lax would make an excellent dietary supplement for our family"

What I said: "Do NOT put that stuff in my food!"

What she said: "All right, calm down 'Mister Man'"

Plasma Car

When you can't use pedals, mobility toys for toddlers are limited. This past Christmas, friends of ours very generously bought Annie a Plasma Car.

It works on the same principle as a skateboard - weave side to side, and you move forward. The PC does this when you move the handlebar from side to side.


This is one of Annie's therapists, Ruth, working with her on the basics. Annie is still a little unsure about the whole thing but I am sure she will be zipping around Balboa Park in no time!

Somewhere in the World

by Linda Pastan

Somewhere in the world
something is happening
which will make its slow way here.

A cold front will come to destroy
the camellias, or perhaps it will be
a heat wave to scorch them.

A virus will move without passport
or papers to find me as I shake
a hand or kiss a cheek.

Somewhere a small quarrel
has begun, a few overheated words
ignite a conflagration,

and the smell of smoke
is on its way;
the smell of war.

Wherever I go I knock on wood—
on tabletops or tree trunks.
I rinse my hands over and over again;

I scan the newspapers
and invent alarm codes which are not
my husband's birthdate or my own.

But somewhere something is happening
against which there is no planning, only
those two aging conspirators, Hope and Luck.

Well That's Just Depressing . . .

Happiness Survey

Satisfaction With Life score: 16
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 68

Positive Affect score: 38
Highest: 98 Lowest: 0 Median: 61

Overall Wellbeing score: 27
Highest: 99 Lowest: 0 Median: 65

Time Balance score: 27
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 43

Interpersonal Trust score: 46
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 67

Community Participation score 58
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 42

Social Support score 63
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 82

Social and Community Vitality score: 56
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 62

Health score: 52
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 67

Psychological Wellbeing score: 54
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 75

Material Wellbeing score: 15
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 73

Culture and Education Access score: 33
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 50

Inclusion score: 63
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 74

Cultural Vitality score: 48
Highest: 96 Lowest: 0 Median: 62

Confidence in Government score: 63
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 50

Institutional Confidence score 43
Highest: 97 Lowest: 0 Median: 47

Rights and Freedoms score 88
Highest: 100 Lowest: 0 Median: 71

Social and government Vitality score: 64
Highest: 95 Lowest: 0 Median: 56

Ecological Vitality score: 75
Highest: 92 Lowest: 0 Median: 50

Circle

by Howard Moss

Now are we saying goodbye?
I think so but can't be sure.
The last phone call but one
Left everything up in the air.
When you called last, did you mean
What you said when you said you meant
To say that this call would be
The last if I didn't call?
In fact, I'm not sure at all
If you called or I called you back.
And did you say "goodbye,"
Or I say "good night" and you
Say "Do you mean ‘good night'
Or ‘goodbye'?" I think it was you.
And what were you trying to do
When you said, "You said we're through?"
How could that be since you
Were the first to bring it up?
I don't think it's what I said,
Though you keep saying I did.
In any case, now that you know
That you know what I meant to say,
Why don't you say what you mean?
I mean if you mean to say
That the last call was the last.
I think that that would be best.
If something is finished, it's just
As well to get up and go.
If you're interested still to know,
I like a slate wiped clean,
And if you would pick up the phone,
I'd tell you what I mean.

A Whole New World

I am against the 3D movies. I have no good reason. When I think about it, I suppose I am against them for the same reason i am against going to the movies in general: Germs. I don't want someone else's germy, ill-fitting, smutz-smeared glasses on my face. "But they clean them!" You say. Well, if the same crew cleaning the rest of the theatre is in charge of cleaning the glasses - no thanks. But that's not the point of this post.

Sea World has a 4D Sesame Street theatre show. Annie loves Sesame Street but I can't imagine her putting up with wearing 3D glasses for half-an-hour. The wife insisted. So we went. And Annie ROCKED IT.

First of all, the first 2/3rds of the movie doesn't require the glasses. When the time came to donne our ocular petri dishes, Annabelle rolled with it. Water sprayed us from the seats in front of us, air jets came out from under our own seats, bubbles, wind and rain came from the ceiling.

It was totally fun and Annie loved it.


But until I get my own personal pair of 3D glasses - I am still against the 3D movies in general . . . unless the wife or wee-one insist . . .

Excuses

Excuses I have made for not working on my writing project this morning:

- I wish I was wearing my fleece pants
- I wish I was wearing socks
- I wish I had better socks
- It's too early

- How am I supposed to write when I can't find a single decent coaster for my coffee mug?

- Where did all the fargin' blue ink pens go?
- It's too late
- I don't like the new coffee maker as much as the old one
- Are these dishes clean or dirty?
- I would totally do yard work right now if it wasn't still dark outside

- No, really, there are about 37 blue ink pens somewhere in this house . . . probably in a heap next to all my lost left-socks . . . oh, wait, found one - never mind . . .
- Remember how I got up early almost every morning in December and spent a hour or so writing? That was awesome
- Is the baby crying?
- Seriously, are these dishes clean or dirty?
- I think we need a new dishwasher
- Writing is hard
- I can't be expected to do all this writing! Why should I be put through such agony? (Charlie Brown Christmas paraphrase - you know, the scene where Lucy hands Linus his script for the play?)
- Wow. Look at all that time I spent on that last reason
- Ugggh . . . . I guess I'll get started . . .
- Wait, maybe I should add a google image to this post . . . .

- There, that's better
- Ugggh . . . . I guess I'll get started . . .

- Wait! Spell-check!

- There, taht's better . . .

- Where's my cell phone?

- Why don't I just go back to wearing a watch?

Quote of the Day

We're not doubting that God will do the best for us, we're wondering how painful the best will turn out to be

-CSLewis

Don't I know You From Sea-same Street World?

So the wife is a little back-logged on art commissions lately and since she has trouble focusing on anything but the wee-one, we agreed to a weekly art day. This means (much to my wife's breaking heart) that the wee-one and I get out the door ASAP in the morning and come back around 5pm. I call them 4D's - Daddy-Daughter-Date-Days. So I have been trying to come up with fun things for Annie and I to do under $10.

The first time out, we went to the Ruben H. Fleet Space Center. The little one got in free and I paid $10 for myself. There were all sorts of activities and exhibits that made Annie laugh and squeal for hours.

Afterwards we headed outside to get some fresh air and enjoy the fountain. A 4-year-old approached us and said, "Hey! I saw you guys inside the museum!" Which, is sort of weird. I chalked it up to the fact that Annabelle is more memorable than most, being in a wheelchair and all. 5 minutes later an adult employee of the museum approached us and said, "I saw you guys playing blocks upstairs. Did you have fun?" I said we did and he was on his way.

"Great", I thought, "Is it not enough that we have to deal with being stared at everywhere we go but now we have to deal with being recognized by strangers?" It's like being stared at twice . . . I quickly corrected my self and thought, "Maybe I am being defensive - maybe I should lighten up."

The next week, Annie and I went to Sea World and (much to my wife's breaking artistic heart) had a great time - so the three of us went back for a family day (we pay nominal monthly fee for annual passes). While there, one of the gift shop workers approached me and said, "Hey, you were here the other day!".

"Yeah", I unenthusiastically responded.

"I wanted to apologize," the worker continued, "When you were wheeling your daughter across the playground, I wheeled a cart in front of you and you had to slow down and I am sorry . . ." I didn't even remember the encounter until he brought it up and I reassured him that it was just fine - no problem.

These are not bad encounters. These encounters are people just trying to be nice and decent folk (even if they are overcompensating) and I appreciate it. But at the same time, I feel like I should get to CHOOSE when we are "on stage" as opposed to enjoying the regular anonymity that most people enjoy.

It's not a complaint, it's just an observation. Of course, now that we have monthly passes to SW, we are trying to get our $$'s worth. I can imagine a scenario where, 6 months from now, SW employees are calling Annie by name. And that's not the end of the world, I guess.

In fact, I suppose if you ask Annabelle, it's a small price to pay for getting to getting to hang with Zoe and Elmo . . .

Quote of the Day

Part of the responsibility of parenting is not to pass off your own failings on your child, but to pass on what you’ve learned. Right? Or, put another way, you punish your kid for being yourself. We’re not going to have two losers around here, no sir!

- Lileks

The Plymouth on Ice

by Thomas Moore

On frigid January nights we'd
take my 'forty-eight Plymouth onto
the local reservoir, lights off
to dodge the cops, take turns

holding long manila lines in pairs
behind the car, cutting colossal
loops and swoons across
the crackly range of ice. Oh

god did we have fun! At ridges
and fissures we careened,
tumbled onto each other, the girls
yelping, splayed out on all fours,

and sometimes we heard groans
deep along the fracture lines as
we spun off in twos, to paw, clumsy,
under parkas, never thinking of

love's falls nor how thin ice
would ease us into certain death.
No, death was never on our minds,
we were eighteen, caterwauling

under our own moon that
warded off the cops and
front-page stories of six kids
slipping under the fickle surface.

I Must Have Missed This Lecture in High School History Class . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlfEdJNn15E

Daily I Fall In Love With Waitresses

by Elliot Fried

Daily I fall in love with waitresses
with their white bouncing name tags
KATHY MARGIE HONEY SUE
and white rubber shoes.
I love how they bend over tables
pouring coffee.
Their perky breasts hover above potatoes
like jets coming in to LAX
hang above the suburbs—
shards of broken stars.
I feel their fingers
roughened by cube steaks softened with grease
slide over me.
Their hands and lean long bodies
keep moving so...
fumbling and clattering so harmoniously
that I am left overwhelmed, quivering.
Daily I fall in love with waitresses
with their cream-cheese cool.
They tell secrets in the kitchen
and I want them.
I know them.
They press buttons creases burgers buns—
their legs are menu smooth.

They have boyfriends or husbands or children
or all.
They are french dressing worldly—
they know how ice cubes clink.
Their chipped teeth form chipped beef
and muffin syllabics.
Daily I fall in love with waitresses.
They are Thousand Island dreams
but they never stand still long enough
as they serve serve serve.

Quote of the Day

"Rail-splitting produced an immortal president in Lincoln, but golf hasn't produced even a good Congressman."

- Will Rogers

Not with TODAY'S Medical Technology

It is rare that someone approaches me to ask about Annabelle's condition. The other day, we were on a daddy-daughter date at the mall and I noticed a woman admiring Annie in her wheelchair. I usually ignore people like this just because I want them to feel comfortable taking a good long look - so long as people are reasonable, it's really no big deal. This woman actually approached me misty-eyed with her hand clutching her heart and apologized saying she thought Annabelle was one of the most beautiful little girls she had ever seen. Although people's reactions are usually not so extreme, this is pretty standard fair.

This morning at church the nursery pager in my pocket went off and I excused myself from the service to find out what was wrong. Annie was fussy and so I decided to put her in her chair and let her wheel around the church courtyard. An older gentleman approached and, judging by his starched and pressed pants topped with a marine corps belt buckle, I figured he was a vet.

"What put her in the chair?" he asked cautiously. We had a nice chat and he asked all kinds of detailed questions - which I don't mind one bit. I knew the question was coming, it always does, always at the very end: "Will she ever walk?"

I gave my standard response, "Not with today's medical technology but a lot of smart people around the world are working on it. In the meantime, we are making the most of today."

Well this evening I saw this:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4499064/paralyzed-man-walks-again-/

One step closer . . .

Wedlock Sunday

by Gerald Locklin

she is working in the garden,
facing away from me,
trimming the bougainvillea,
still trim herself and youthful,
relaxed and free of cares,
doing something she enjoys,
something that she always has enjoyed,
and having lost all conception of
the passing of the hours,

and i feel a tenderness for her
that i may never have felt during
the selfish passion of young manhood,

and i wish the bitterness that
have more than merely punctuated
our thirty years together
could be magically obliterated
(which will never happen-let's
not kid ourselves-but perhaps for the
rest of this afternoon and evening
they will be.)

i resolve to do and say
only kindesses to her
over dinner and in front of
the pbs mystery that we've been following

and not to react to
any sarcasms or schemes
she may slip into out of habit, hunger,
merlot, tiredness, or contemplation of
the work week's rattling hours
of third graders, parents, colleagues,
homework, grades, and art projects,

lying once again in wait for her.

Lovin' It!

January 15th: 70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. LG livin' up to it's catch phrase!

Butterfly Bath Towel

Quote of the Day

Our true wealth is the good we do in this world. None of us has faith unless we desire for our neighbors what we desire for ourselves.

- Mohammed

Quote of the Day

It is easy when we are in prosperity to give advice to the afflicted.

- Aeschylus

Presidential Courage

I just finished this book and really enjoyed it. It is fascinating in the same way that GW Bush's book Decision Points was in that it shows you what is going on behind the scenes of Presidential politics.

The book covers the following Presidents and issues:

- George Washington and John Jay's Treaty with England
- John Adams avoiding war with France
- Andrew Jackson and how he took down the Bank of the United States
- Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation
- Teddy Roosevelt taking on the corporate Trusts of his day
- FDR and his commitment to stop Hitler
- Harry Truman and his support for the State of Israel
- JFK and the Civil Rights issues of his day
- Ronald Reagan and his refusal to back down from the Soviet Union

I some cases, the Presidents were pushed into the issue of the day and in others they led the charge. In all these cases, the President found himself largely politically isolated and risking all for the only path he felt was right.

The book is a little "inside baseball" so unless you find the inner machinations of politics interesting, this may not be the book for you. What I found most interesting was the way in which many of our history books grossly oversimplify issues to the point that you are left with an image of a President that in some cases is completely false.

Recommended (if you like that sort of thing).

Spilchas in my Ganechdergezoink

So last night we had our first Jewish theme night dinner.

In the 5 minutes I had to research the menu, I searched Yelp.com for "Jewish Market" and was surprised to find this recommendation:

"I and my friend went to the Glatt Market because as Muslims we have dietary restrictions similar but not exactly like the Jewish community."

That's right. Jews and Muslims in America frequent the same markets because they are SO SIMILAR - well, whaddaya gonna say to that?

Not knowing what we were doing, we settled on sardines and cream cheese on crackers, matzo ball soup, latkas with sour creme and apple sauce, orange tea biscuits for dessert and . . . . wait for it . . . a bottle of Manischewitz wine.

All of it was better than expected (I guess the key is low expectations). I can see us doing the sardines and crackers again.


One of our dinner party proclaimed that the concord grape wine might be her favorite red wine ever.


Everyone liked the Matzo ball soup but I doubt I will make it again.




We made latkas from a box - they were good but I think I would make them fresh next time - and I am pretty sure there will be a next time. Also next time we might get the reserach started a little earlier and do a beef brisket or pastrami or something.

Fiddler on the Roof was longer than I remembered it being and not quite as good.

So that's our kosher theme night experience -"To Love! To life! L'chaim!"

And what Kosher post would be complete without a little Linda Richman? (I'm not crazy about Barbara Streisand but then again, I'm not crazy about Manischewitz wine and I managed to survive that . . .)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enykfPwDnV4

I believe we all agreed that our next theme meal would be a Lord of the Rings marathon. Plenty of inspiration there . . . .


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S6iXcx9pLA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYiCPmwOV4A


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmFnv-TZzRs

TIH

Toddler. Induced. Hangover.

I am a morning person. I love to get up before everyone else and enjoy the peace and quiet. I love the cold morning air and the peace and quiet. Did I mention the peace and quiet?

Since I get up between 4-4:30am every morning, toddler breakfast duty falls to me. Annabelle has always woken up so sweetly - softly cooing and whispering and giggling until you go in to get her. UNTIL the past few weeks. Seems little Annie has found her diaphragm. Now she wakes up bellowing. Not upset, mind you - not crying - just bellowing: "HEY!" "OKAY!" "A DADABARGUABABA!" "HO!".

She usually quiets down once I go in and sing the "Good morning" song from Singing' in the Rain. We whisper to each other as I change her diaper and I reminder her that we need to be quiet and "use our breakfast voices" as we leave her nursery for the kitchen where I will feed her breakfast. "Shhhh", I say and, "Shhh" she mimics back.

Unfortunately, this past week the decibilic detante has only lasted up until the point I plant her in her highchair and then the shrieking begins. Actually, shrieking is not the right word - bellows thundering from the pit of sheol is more like it.

I promise you this morning, as the wee-one let loose with one of her barrages, God Almighty himself dropped his Sunday morning paper, turned to his right and said, "Jesus Christ! What was that?!"

It's brutal.

I fear that Annie is developing this bellowing into a weapon to get what she wants - her enrichment program is fully operational and she only needs another month or so to perfect the bomb.

I turned to the wife and said, "One of these mornings we are going to have to let her cry it out." I don't quite have the votes in the security council that I need, but I am bringing all my diplomatic skills to bear on the issue.

I woke up feeling great this morning. By the end of breakfast I was nauseous and had a splitting headache.

TIH.

Quote of the Day

"A coward is a hero with a wife, kids, and a mortgage."

- Marvin Kitman

Weekends, Sleeping In

by Marjorie Saiser

No jump-starting the day,
no bare feet slapping the floor
to bath and breakfast.

Dozing instead
in the nest
like, I suppose,
a pair of gophers

underground
in fuzz and wood shavings.
One jostles the other
in closed-eye luxury.

We are at last
perhaps
what we are:
uncombed,
unclothed,
mortal.

Pulse
and breath
and dream.

Closet Chick

I have a confession. I watch movies. Alone. I love movies and tolerate TV. Since I have had a little (unemployed) time on my hands these past few months, I have found myself watching about a movie a week on my computer via Netflix. I usually watch action / war flicks that I know the wife would not care for.

Well . . . the other day I found nothing on Netflix that interested me other than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozRK7VXQl-k&feature=player_embedded

The story is about cooking (which I enjoy - all the great chefs are men!). The story is also about blogging (which I also enjoy). Other things I enjoy?: Stanley Tucci, Meryl Streep's depiction of JC and Amy Adams (not hard on the eyes). I also enjoyed the depictions of the two couples' married life - you don't see many happy marriages in the movies these days.

So I enjoyed the movie. There. I said it.

Doesn't make me a chick. Why, just this morning I went to the gym and benched . . . well, the point is I went to the gym . . .

I could take ya.

(and I make a mean pork chop in bbq/raspberry reduction with feta cheese)

Kosher Goodness?

So the wife and I occasionally will do theme nights. One year we did a Mexican Christmas complete with fajitas and a "Sacrado Corazone de Jesus" candle from the grocery store. Another Christmas was British-Themed with figgy pudding, Christmas Crackers and paper crowns. It is not uncommon for us to fire up the "Latin" playlist when making Mexican food and more than once we have cooked up piles of pasta and watched the movie "The Big Night".

So we are planning on watching "Fiddler on the Roof" in the near future and we are in need of some good suggestions for Jewish food (which we have never made). I have heard of latkas (sp?) but don't know what they are - any other suggestions?

Which One is the Dining Room Again?

So having a wheelchair in the house can present some interesting dilemmas. For instance, our family room (which was originally the garage) is two feet lower than the rest of the house. That's a dilemma. To get from one side of the house to the other, all traffic has to go through the modest dining room. That is a dilemma.

So yesterday we decided to set up the house not as it was intended but as it works best for us. The dining room table and chairs went into the living room, the dining room became a reading nook. It's a little weird but it is so much better. We are making better use of the space and Annie definitely has more freedom of movement in her chair.


This is the living room. The camera is standing in the doorway between the living room and dining room. The front door is on the left, the table and chairs are at the front-end of the living roo - AW DANG! It looks like I am picking my nose! (I am sure I am not - try to ignore that). To the right is the hallway to the bedrooms and to the extreme right - at the opposite end of the room from the dining set - is the fireplace.

The camera is in the same doorway between the living room and dining room, only looking into the dining room. The kitchen is to the left and the family room is straight ahead.

Again, it's a little weird to open the front door and have the dining room table and chairs RIGHT THERE, but on the other hand, we get to enjoy the fireplace during dinner and the dining room really does make a cozy reading room. Do what works!

Resolved

I love the idea of New Year's Resolutions. The idea that you would examine your life, resolve to make some changes and then tack the starting point onto January 1st is just great.

There are people out there who pooh-pooh the idea so I suppose it's not for everyone. "You should always be trying your best - not just on January 1st" they say. Well, okay. You could also give up chocolate for 40 days anytime of the year but it helps during Lent to know that millions are doing something similar. Anyone with the ability can go out and run 26.2 miles all on their own any day of the year - you don't need to spend $100 on an official marathon race but there is something about the solidarity of running with thousands of others that makes it a special experience. The thought of millions of people resolving to "do better" all at the same time puts a smile on my face.

Of course, I didn't make any resolutions this year - mostly because I am already doing everything I can to "do better". I am working almost daily on a writing project as well as job hunting as well as visiting the gym. I recently spent weeks going through the entire house on a "pitch it or organize it" crusade and the vegetable garden is in the best shape ever. There is a lot of room for improvement but I am feel like I am pretty much running on all cylinders right now. Maybe my resolution should be to "keep-on-keepin'-on".

I have come across a couple of interesting ideas though:

There is the month-by-month challenge

Or the One Word Challenge

If all else fails, there is the Shoot Up Kittens with Heroine Challenge

Maybe I will stick with "Keep-on-Keepin'-on"

Christmas Fluffiness

January 1st, 2011

Papa Bear Growls

This is a formal complaint letter I have sent to my daughter's school district.

I have buried this in my blog because I am not ready to go full public with it but if you are reading this and you have advice, I would love to hear it! matthew.m.linden@gmail.com

(seriously, as if we don't have enough to contend with)

----------------------------------------------------------------

My daughter, Annabelle, is a three year old paraplegic with learning delays attending Mrs. Zamora’s severe to moderate preschool class at Vista La Mesa Academy.

I am writing to you because I am concerned about classroom safety, access to educational materials and playground equipment at my daughter’s school. I believe that these three issues show a pattern of administrative disregard for the rights and well being of our educationally delayed students and students with physical disabilities.

Classroom Safety:

In recent weeks a new student has begun attending my daughter’s class. This new student clearly has significant emotional issues as he seems to be continually enraged; screaming, yelling, throwing himself against cabinets, launching himself chest-first onto tables etc. Every morning the staff has to physically restrain him to keep him from harming himself, the other students or running out of the classroom. I have watched this student, while holding his mother’s hand with one hand, shove an unsuspecting classmate in the back with his other hand. I believe this boy represents a significant danger to the safety of my daughter.

As a paraplegic, my daughter does not have the same bone density as other children. In the past, she has actually fractured her left femur under circumstances that would not normally result in a fracture for a typical child. Should this boy collide with Annie during one of his hyper-active and uncontrollable outbursts while she is in her wheelchair there is a good chance a bone fracture would result. Should he trample or fall over her while she is playing on the floor, a fracture would be almost guaranteed.

It is clear to any reasonable observer that this boy needs a one-to-one aid not only for his safety but the safety of the other students as well.

I expressed my concern for Annie’s safety to Mrs Zamora. Mrs Zamora expressed that she is also concerned for my daughter’s safety in the presence of this boy and that she has expressed that safety concern to both the Principle as well as the Director for Special Education without result. This despite a report by Dr. Lee Funk, director of special education for SI&A which was presented to the Governing Board on October 11, 2011 stating “there are 9 one-to-one aides, which is low for a district our size”.

For the time being, both Mrs Zamora and I have agreed that it is not safe for Annie to be out of her wheelchair, on the floor, while this boy is in attendance. It is wholly unacceptable to expect my daughter to be confined to her wheelchair without the opportunity to participate in floor activities with the other students  because another student’s emotional needs which are not being met by the district are threatening her physical safety. This is a clear violation of Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act which states in part:

“No otherwise qualified individual with a disability . . . shall solely by reason of her or his disability be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

To be clear: Using the verbiage of Section 504, my daughter is “otherwise qualified” to engage in educational opportunities outside her wheelchair (ie; floor) but is being denied that opportunity by the district who refuses to provide a reasonably safe environment to do so.

Given that proper and reasonable concerns for student safety have already been related to the administration some time ago by Mrs Zamora, I would think that the district would want to move swiftly to address a clear liability concerning student safety as well as my daughter’s educational right to not be restricted to her wheelchair because another student’s consistent, predictable, uncontrollable and enraged behavior is not being appropriately addressed by our district.

Classroom Materials:

As Mr. Shaw stated at the District Governing Board Meeting on September 27, 2011, “many parents are interested in the Promethean Boards”. Parents of learning delayed students are no different. Upon seeing a Promethean Board in a neighboring preschool room, I questioned Mrs Zamora as to why my daughter’s classroom, which serves the most severely delayed preschoolers in the school district, does not have one. She replied that she had asked for one and been denied.

Mary Kraus, District Program Manager of Technology Services is quoted in a Lemon Grove Patch article on March, 18, 2011 entitled “Lemon Grove School District Says Promethean Boards Are Increasing Student Achievement” as saying, “The boards are dramatically transforming school performance through the use of technology”. In the same article, the district appointed teacher on special assignment, Sally Ahem,  is quoted as saying, “The Promethean boards significantly increase the level of engagement . . . [students] stay on task.” As any professional educator will tell you, staying on task is one of the major hurdles for many learning-delayed students.

Again from the Lemon Grove Patch article: “Research commissioned by Promethean shows student achievement is higher (16 percentile points) when teachers use interactive instructional tools . . . the district concludes that the Promethean boards have had a positive impact on student engagement, academic achievement and teacher confidence at the school.” And yet this valuable instructional tool is being witheld from the most severely learning-delayed students in the district at the time when intervention does the most good (preschool).

I addressed this issue verbally with the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent in mid November and was assured by the Superintendent that he would get back to me. As of today, he has not. Having not heard back from the Superintendent, I addressed this in a meeting with the Principal on November 29, 2011 in which she stated that she was not sure if a Promethean board could be installed in a modular classroom or that it would be of any educational benefit. This despite the other preschool classrooms having Promethean Boards.

I have spoken with both Promethean Technology (the maker of the Promethean Board) and Integrated Network Cable (a nationwide installer of Promethean Boards). They have assured me that a Promethean Board that has already been installed in one classroom can be moved to another classroom in (conservatively speaking) approximately 16 man hours or 2 persons working one day. As to installing a Promethean Board in a modular classroom, some modular classrooms can structurally handle the installation of a Promethean Board while others cannot. For those modular classrooms that cannot structurally handle an installation, free-standing displays are available. There appears to be no reason why a Promethean Board could not be made available to Mrs. Zamora’s class.

As I understand it, Mrs. Zamora’s class is the only preschool class at Vista La Mesa with it’s own bathroom. This is of vital importance when working with severely delayed 3 year-olds. As the district is aware, my daughter is regularly catheterized. Should Annie need to be catheterized at school, she would need access to a private bathroom with a changing surface such as the one in her present classroom. As this is not available in any of the other preschool classrooms it is not a simple matter of moving Mrs Zamora’s class into a room with a Promethean Board. The Promethean Board must come to my daughter’s class if she is going to have equal access to the same educational materials as the other preschoolers.

Playground:

There is absolutely nothing accessible to a preschooler in a wheelchair on the preschool playground at Vista La Mesa. The two playhouses which are on the paved portion of the playground are not wheelchair accessible. The sand and play tables are not wheelchair accessible. Due to the use of engineered wood chips, not a single element of the playground is wheelchair accessible. In short, my daughter spends recess time sitting and watching the other students play. This is wholly unacceptable.

When I expressed this concern to both the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent, I was told that engineered wood chips are ADA and code-compliant. No reasonable person would make the assertion that a 3 year-old girl in a wheelchair can navigate a playground covered in wood chips. The idea is absurd.

Regarding the ADA compliance of engineered wood chips:

According to Kaboom.org, self-described as “a national non-profit dedicated to saving play for America's children”

“Engineered wood chips and shredded rubber are safe and ADA compliant under play structures, as long as you rake regularly to keep an even, deep distribution. People using wheelchairs will find them inaccessible unless they are raked at least weekly. These surfaces are less costly to install than poured-in-place but weekly maintenance can make them quite expensive over time. One school district estimated they spent an average of $6,000 per year per school maintaining playground wood chips.”

I spoke with a District maintainence crew worker who was working on the preschool playground at Vista La Mesa shortly after the Thanksgiving recess, he stated that he has never been instructed to maintain the wood chips on a weekly basis for ADA compliance. He had been instructed solely to “fluff up the drop zones”. This despite having a paraplegic preschooler on campus since the beginning of the school year.

Even given proper maintenance, adherence to codes does not necessarily grant access to students or release the district from liability. On May 9, 2007 the Contra Costa Times ran an article which read, in part:

By laying wood chips on playgrounds, the Mt. Diablo Unified School District is violating a lawsuit settlement to ensure that children who use wheelchairs can also use the play structures, a federal judge ruled.

Greg Roland, attorney for the district, said the chips are made from specially engineered wood fiber and satisfy requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act..

"We have no idea how we violated the agreement," he said.

To solve the problem, the district changed about 35 structures around the district. Among the modification was the addition of platforms at the appropriate height so that children could slide off their wheelchairs and play with other children on the equipment, said Disability Rights Advocates attorney Alexius Markwalder.

Markwalder said that even after the modifications, kids using wheelchairs had a difficult time navigating over the wood chips on the ground to get to the play area.

"Kids with mobility disabilities are excluded from accessing the play equipment and playing with the other kids on the playground," she said.

And this from a San Francisco Chronicle Article from May 5, 2007 entitled “Wood Chips Ruled unfriendly to Disabled Kids” speaking of the same lawsuit:

"Our experts and people with disabilities tell us that wood chip surfaces are not accessible,'' said Larry Paradis, executive director of Disability Rights Advocates. "They constantly form mounds and gullies ... and they're impossible to maintain. Little kids in wheelchairs are already struggling to get around, they have less muscular strength, and it's important that play structures be easily accessible for them so they can be mainstreamed (with other children) as much as possible . . . wood chips don't meet disabled children's needs for a firm and stable surface, with little or no sloping, to wheel themselves to swings, slides and sandboxes. He said wood chip manufacturers have been boosting their sales and misleading customers by asserting that their product meets the standards of disability laws.

However, a playground designer said Friday that federal regulators have found that engineered wood fiber, the product used in schools and parks, complies with accessibility standards if properly compacted and maintained.

"Most places can't maintain it to that level, and they're probably better off with rubber,'' to reduce maintenance costs and the likelihood of lawsuits, said Susan Goltsman, whose Oakland firm, MIG, also designs schools and zoos. She said both products are safe, although wood chips are more yielding and may cushion falls better.

"We want districts to learn from Mount Diablo's mistake,'' he [Paradis] said.

We now find ourselves close to half way through the school year and still, my daughter sits in her chair and watches other children play. Our district has not adequately fulfilled its duties as they pertain to ADA accessible playgrounds. Our family had an IEP meeting last July. As such, the district was well aware in advance that a paraplegic preschooler would be attending Vista La Mesa Academy. We are now four months into the school year and still no tangible provision has been made to provide reasonable accommodations.

I must acknowledge that when I spoke to the Assistant Superintendent in mid November she stated that she was looking into purchasing an ADA-compliant swing and I appreciate that. However one has not materialized and any reasonable person would agree that one swing does not a playground make.

All of this despite the district’s fall 2011 expenditure of $56,114 dollars in playground equipment ($61,725 after change orders) for able-bodied students who already have access to playground equipment (see Governing Board Minutes of October 25, 2011). A field contract was also approved at the Governing Board Meeting of October 25, 2011 to spend $5775 to replace chain-link fence around the preschool playground at Vista La Mesa Academy with ornamental iron fence. This puts the district in the position of ornamenting a playground that is deficient in substance or the proverbial “putting lipstick on a pig”.

A look to the future of ADA compliance:

This is from a June 23, 2011 blog post authored by the American Clearinghouse on Educational Facilities (self described as, “The educational facilities clearinghouse funded by the United States Department of Education, provides the educational community with a reliable resource when planning facilities projects”) entitled “ADA Compliant Playgrounds”:

This past year, the Dept of Justice adopted revisions to the American With Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. One of the changes involves playgrounds that are used by children ages two and over, in a variety of public settings, which includes schools.

The playground equipment will now be required to be handicap accessible. Previously only the route to the playground was required to be accessible. The new regulation states that a certain percentage of ground level equipment and above ground equipment be accessible.

The change became effective on March 15th of this year, and compliance will be required for all new construction and renovations beginning March 15th 2012.

Consider taking an inventory and review your existing play areas and plans for new playgrounds. Set out a priority list of those areas that may need to be updated. Develop a budget and a plan of action to assure that all play areas are accessible. A playground designer or manufacturer of playground equipment can be useful resources in your planning. Also you can contact the U.S. Dept of Justice/ADA at 800-514-0301 or www.ada.gov orwww.access-board.gov for additional information.

Summary:

- The Rehabilitation Act (of which section 504 was originally a part) was passed in 1973

- The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Now the Individuals with Disabilities Act or “IDEA”) was passed in 1975

- The Americans with Disability Act was passed in 1990

I find the fact that I, as a parent, have to point out what should be obviously plain for any professional educator to see in terms of classroom safety, equal access to classroom materials and reasonable accommodations to playground equipment very troubling. I should not have to bring issues such as these to the attention of professional administrators who are paid to make themselves aware of these issues.

I will remind the district that the above laws fall under the rubric of Civil Rights Law.

No one would suggest that, based on race, some children be exposed to potentially bone-breaking danger in the classroom simply because the district does not have the funds to adequately ensure their safety. No one would suggest that, based on color, some children be denied access to the same educational materials as their peers because the district does not have the funds to provide those materials in an classroom that meets their needs. No one would suggest that, based on creed, some children be made to sit in chairs and watch the other children play because the district does not have the funds for enough playground equipment for all.

According to Federal law, that is exactly what the district is doing to my daughter.

To be clear: I have approached Mrs Zamora (whom I have great appreciation for), I have approached the Principal, the Assistant Superintendent and the Superintendent to no avail.

When we return from winter break my 3 year-old daughter will return to the same unsafe classroom where she is not allowed to leave her chair for fear of her physical safety. My daughter will continue to be denied access to the latest educational tools, which by the district’s own admission would help her, because she and her classmates also need access to the amenities of the classroom they are currently in. Lastly my daughter will sit in her wheelchair on the pavement of an inaccessible playground and watch the other children play. On January 2nd, our district will violate my daughters federal civil rights both in and outside the classroom again - just as they have for the past four months.

These three issues show a clear pattern of our district’s negligent disregard for the needs and civil rights of our learning-delayed students and students with physical disablilities. This should be of great and immediate concern.

I expect the issue of classroom safety to be addressed by the district immediately. Regarding the grievous, long-standing and ongoing nature of the other two complaints involving classroom materials and playground accessibility, I expect to hear back from the district in writing promptly as opposed to the 2-month time period outlined in our district’s Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP).

Regretfully,

Matthew Linden

Chair Tour:

I am burying this in my blog to help out a friend who is trying to adjust their son's new wc:

Handle bars: The two on the outside are the standard "structural" handles - the two in the middle are the parent handles that can be raised and lowered.

Top Left: That silver thing hanging off the side is a cup holder.

Seat Back: Since Annie has a kyphosis, her seat back has custom square hole cut out of it right in the middle. It is 3" thick front to back

Arm Rests: Annie doesn't actually have armrests. She has a pad on either side of her torso to help keep her upright.

Straps: We took the chest strap off and moved the lap belt up to serve as the chest strap. We did this because Annie is always warm and with her little torso, if we were to use both straps she would be nothing but straps from waist to armpits. They will tell you the concern is that her hips will slide forward without the lap belt. We are cautious always make sure she is seated all the way back when we put her in it and have never had any problems.

Seat Cushion: We have something called a "Jay Zip" cushion. Even with Annie's 3 inch thick seat back, she has 9" from the front of her seat cushion to the deepest part of the seat back curve.

Bumper: Annie loves to ram things / people / dogs and that foot plate HURTS. So I bought a piece of pvc pipe at Home Depot, cut it to the correct length and then used a compound miter saw to cut a slit lengthwise. Fortunately the blade was the perfect width so that we had to wrestle the pipe in place and once there, it just stayed without anything extra holding it on.

Here you can see where I attached the lap belt to serve as the chest strap.

Anti-Tippers: We keep Annie's all the way up. That way if she falls asleep, we just tip her back in a reclined position and let her sleep. It works great!

Brackets: This is a top-down view of the seat brackets. You might be able to see it better in the previous photos but the brackets are pointing backwards instead of forwards. This is a pretty standard adjustment as when we got Annie's hand-me-down toddler chair they had to flip the brackets around to fit her.

Parent Handles: Here is a close-up of how the adjustable parent bars attach to the chair.