Misleading Weather

Yes, here MnM goes again on her usual rant about the weather. The temps have been steadily increasing and while rain would be a welcome reprieve, we're all hoping that it never comes. Okay, not farmers, but the most of us. Why? According to the Mosquito Control department, MN weather has not been conducive for mosquitoes to lay and hatch their larvae. Tsk, tsk...too bad. Don't get me wrong, them lil' bloodsuckers are out and about, but for the beginning of June, I have to say that we've been quite lucky to not see the swarms that we were forced to run away from last summer. Me, I'm all good. One mosquito, two mosquitoes...fine by me. One hundred, two hundred...not good for me.

Although my WeatherBug counter says 82 degrees, the overcast skies and strong breezes ruffling through the trees makes it look otherwise. Of course, I should've known better. Me being a native San Franciscan and all...tsk, tsk, I'm so disappointed with myself.

1. Apply sunblock with an SPF no lower than 30.
2. Apply bug spray on top of already applied sunblock.
3. Stretch before doing any physical activity.

Went bikeriding around the neighborhood for a good 30 minutes...but all the aforementioned items up above, I sadly did not do. Dammit. Now, I've got a mild sunburn on my face, a couple of bug bites, and possibly overworked legs. This is what happens to Aries people like myself who just do not possess the patience to do things the right way the first time. *sigh*

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

I don't know what it is about the National Spelling Bee competition that gets me hyped. Okay, maybe hyped is not the right word, but it is enough for me to drop what I'm doing to watch which super-smart middle schooler will reign as champion speller. In so many ways, I'm totally blown away by these kids. It falls into the same category at how awestruck I get at kid actors.

Have you ever watched it on TV? Among hundreds of parents, judges, media, and fellow spellers, kids as young as 8 years old (I think) compete to spell words that I have never even heard of. They all ask the same questions:

1. Could you please repeat the word?
2. What is the country of origin of the word?
3. What is the definition?
4. Please use it in a sentence.
5. What part of speech is the word?
6. Are there any alternate pronounciations or definitions?
7. Could you please repeat the word again?

You could actually hear the wheels in their head cranking, desperately trying to remember where they saw or heard the word before. There was this one particular kid, 11 years old, who kept saying, "yessss!" or "I know this one!" before he spelled it. Geez, at 11 years old, I would never have known any of the words these kids know. Some of them were totally breaking the word down, asking the judges, "Does this mean this?" and lo and behold, they were right. Amazing, I tell you. You can't help but feel bad for the kid when they spell a word incorrectly...especially if they were off by one letter. I guess it's safe to say that the word they miss will never be misspelled again. Sheesh...and I thought that I was a good speller!

Belated Shout-Outs

Just wanted to send some love, however belated, to the Opianas on their 1st wedding anniversary. They celebrated this past Memorial Day weekend. Y'know, I have to hand it to them...they were thinking ahead when they scheduled their wedding date because from now on and until forever, they will always have a three-day weekend to celebrate their anniversary since it lands on Memorial Day weekend. I don't know how they celebrated, but I hope it was happy and full of love. Happy 1st Anniversary, you two!!!

A shout-out goes out to my Cornerstone crew. Tomorrow is the last day of school for them- whoo hoo! I can only imagine how crazy it is with kids not being able to concentrate with summer just a day away. I so miss teaching! In any case, hope ya'll don't tear out all your hair and actually enjoy your kids for one more day. Your much deserved summer vacation is just around the corner- hang in there!