Saturday Catch-Up

William has been home since Monday afternoon.  As always, we try and spend as much time together when he is home.  So here is how we spent the last few days.

We went to see Toy Story 3!

I loved it, William liked it.  We concluded that it was definitely made for our generation.  Complete with Barbie, Ken, and Trolls... kids much younger than us definitely wouldn't get it.  It was full of adult humor, inappropriateness and flash backs of our 80's childhoods.  I feel that it was definitely a good conclusion to the trilogy.

We ate at Chili's... a favorite that we don't really eat much anymore.

We made dinner for Jonna and Bryan.  We made the delicious steaks that my dad got William for his birthday. (Thanks Dad!) William went and grilled them across the driveway at the pool grill. I made homemade mashed potatoes and green beans.  It was delicious!

After dinner with Jonna and Bryan, we all went to play mini golf! We went to Top Golf and wound up playing for free!

We also concluded our evening with a trip to our favorite establishment! Yogurtland!

We went to lunch with my supervisor from Big Springs this past semester, Nichole, at Mooyah Burgers and Fries.  It was pretty delicious and a great concept.  You basically get a little card and then you check boxes for what kind of meat you want (1 patty, 2 patties, beef, turkey, veggie), which veggies, which kinds of sauces/condiments, and what kind of bread you want.  Then they bring it to you just how you like it! It was good. 

We took my car for it's 60,000 mile check up.  Poor Teenie... she's only 3.5 years old.  I guess that means she's well loved.  Knock on wood... we have had absolutely NO problems with her! She's been the perfect car!

We got library cards! YAY! So excited about free DVD rentals and free books! Best of all, libraries are so technologically up on things that I can just request the books/DVDs I want online and then pick them up when they are all gathered up!

I also got a new pair of Sperry's.  Get ready for it... yes they are PURPLE!

It was also a big week for both of us on the job front.  I'm officially no longer employed by the home health company I was working for.  And I'm busy tying up loose ends in Richardson.  Next week I will meet with my new CFY supervisor to get everything signed and sent off.

William also had big news.  He is getting a promotion! I'm so proud of him.  This promotion normally takes people 9 to 12 months to get... but William is getting his after working there for only 4 months.  He worked his butt off for this.  Last night we went to celebrate with some sushi! Next he will be on a rig back in the DFW area... he is supposed to be on that rig for the "long haul".  Hopefully this means more regular breaks and getting to see him more!

Have a bad job? Get a better one.

Most people will think I'm insane.  But oh well... you should know before I say what I'm about to say, I'm not a quitter. When people tell me I can't do something, or if something is hard, it normally makes me want to conquer whatever it is even more.  Unless it happens to be my job at the home health company I work for.  Anyways, their company is a huge mess.  No one knows which way is up.  And I know that I do not want to be right in the middle of it with my name all over it.  Heck NO!

Today I accepted a position in Richardson ISD.  So here is the new plan.  I will work full time for Richardson.  I will be 4.5 days a week at Spring Creek Elementary and .5 days (or one afternoon a week) at Arapaho Classical Magnet Elementary.  Just doing assessments over at Arapaho.  Then I'll work a couple of hours a few afternoons a week at Bliss Speech and Hearing.

I have one thing to say about all of this.  Why didn't I do this to begin with? Who knows...
BUT I'VE NEVER BEEN MORE RELIEVED!

So anyways... I guess I'm a school SLP now! Here's to making the same money in 9 months I would have made in a year...

Stupid Me

I'm really good at ignoring things.  For instance, when my arthritis is bad... I ignore it.  My doctor's used to tell me to keep a pain journal, so that when I went to the doctor I could actually tell them how much pain I was having.  Normally when I got to the doctor my response to "how has your pain been" was always "I'm not really sure, I don't think about it". Anyways, enough sidetracking... I'm good at ignoring things.

I've been getting some signs from God that a few things need to change, but I've been ignoring them.  I'm pretty sure I'm finally listening and I've never been so relieved.

Current Events

Here is a recap of a few current events that I care about... I'm not saying anyone else will... but at least you know how my mind works.

1) Mattel took Super Duper Publications, a popular speech therapy materials company, to court over copyright infringement and WON! The dispute occurred because apparently using the word "SAY" in materials directly references a toy called "SEE 'N SAY" that was created in 1963 by Mattel.  The court awarded Mattel $3.6 million in returned profit that Super Duper made and lawyer's fee.
Here is a list of reasons why this is ridiculous:

• Mattel doesn't need $3.6million. It won't even make a blip on their radar of profits.
• The See 'n Say profits were completely unaffected by the Super Duper Materials
• The word SAY used in a speech therapy material makes perfect sense! 
• Mattel claims that Super Duper used the word SAY to increase the popularity of their materials and trick consumers... what the heck.
• Isn't this taking copyright law a little far? I mean seriously... it's one word. And have they gone after every single company that has used the word SAY in their product line? I highly doubt it. So why go after the company that helps kids with special needs and communication disorders? 

Super Duper is one of the TOP material's companies for SLPs.  I put my hands on their products EVERY SINGLE DAY I do my job. But they are not a huge power house corporation like Mattel and this will surely affect their profits and ability to sell what they make. Worst of all... any hits they take from this will probably be reflected in future pricing of their materials which will directly affect SLP's!

If you are outraged or want to read more, visit the informational website Speak Up for SAY.

2) There is a corpse flower blooming at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  It is HUGE. It grows 4-6 inches a day and it smells BAAAAAADDDD! How amazing is that?
Check out the HMNS blog for more info! And for goodness sake, go visit it.  It's a once in a lifetime experience.

3) Passport prices are going up. For the third time this post... what the heck. I haven't gotten a new one since we got married so unless I get my act together by Tuesday (which I won't), it looks like I'll be paying at least 35% more for the darn thing when I get around to changing my name. Check out this article for more info.

4) Car doors weren't meant to be shut on fingers. I am okay though. I may or may not lose a fingernail, but I've concluded after thorough assessment  a quick squeeze that none of my fingers are broken.  My largest injury was the initial shock of the actual smashing.

There in lies the conclusion of "Current Events That I Care About".

Cohen

Blogging Day of Silence for Cohen