Back to School

This is the pub where the condemned went for one last drink before facing the gallows, located in the square out front. The pub is still functioning, the gallows are now gone. Old Town, Edinburgh

For better or worse, I am going back to school. I have gone back and forth and can't stop thinking about it, so I decided to just go for it. Tonight I applied, signed away my life, and am just waiting for ISU to send an official transcript. I get started November 18 and will finish with a Master's in Education in April of 2015. It will be totally on-line, which I'm a bit apprehensive about, but I'm trying to embrace this brave new world of ours.
I made Hubby promise to give me plenty of "get out of jail free" cards. I'm sure things are about to get very hectic for the next 18 months.

A Wee Taste of Edinburgh

Welcome to Scotland! Today I'm taking you on a very quick tour of Edinburgh Castle.

The entryway. As an American I had an idea that castles were all just one building. However, the ones we saw were more like little villages.

Edinburgh Castle sits high atop a rocky hill, overlooking the city. In the distance you can see the sea. I think this body of water has a lovely name that rolls off the locals' tongues; Firth of Forth on Fife. Say that five times fast.

Inside this building cameras are not allowed, so I can't show you the Stone of Destiny, or the Stone of Scone. I mentioned it earlier when I shared photos of Westminster Abbey. The Coronation Chair in the abbey was built to sit atop the Stone of Destiny. The stone was captured in 1296 and removed from Scotland to England and all the subsequent rulers sat on this stone. It is a very big deal. In 1996, Queen Elizabeth returned the stone to Scotland with the stipulation that it would be returned for all future coronations. The reason this stone is so very important is that, according to legend, it is the stone that Jacob slept on when he had his vision from God. Well, I can tell you it is a rather nondescript rectangular stone. It doesn't look like it would make a very comfortable pillow. However, the British claim that anyone who sits atop this stone at coronation will be the ruler of not only England, but Scotland as well. I'm putting all this in a nutshell, and probably butchering centuries of history in the process.

Moving on. This ugly gun is the One O'Clock Gun. In the old days a gun was fired at one o'clock so everyone could set their clocks and watches. The reason it wasn't fired at 12 noon, is that it would have cost more money for all those extra shells. Gotta love the economics! It is still fired daily,  although I didn't hear it while we were there. Of course, since it just fires once you probably have to be listening for it.

This is the Tower of Argyle. I just liked this window. The Earl of Argyle spent the night here before his execution.

This is looking back toward the entrance. Each August there is a Tattoo and a special stadium is set up for spectators. I imagine it is pretty amazing to experience, but I wasn't too fond of the ugly bleachers.

Rowing, Take Two

Last year we became involved with the rowing community through M's sudden passion for the sport. This year we are back, only watching Mr. C instead. Last week was his first regatta. In typical boy fashion he got the information mixed up and thought he raced in the afternoon instead of in the morning. By the time I got to the boathouse, he was done. "Why didn't you call or text me?" I asked. "It never occured to me," was the response. UGG!
Today I woke up at 4:45am. We left at 6:30 for Huntsville, AL and I saw everything. Here are a few highlights.

Pulling away from the dock in the 4 as R watches on.This was his first race of the day. The course was shortened from 5K to about 4K.

Carrying the 8 down to the water. This boat is longer than a semi. Mr. C is only visible in this shot as the black feet at the very far left of the boat (in front of the lady in jean shorts).

Here they come around the bend.

And then they are off to the finish. I thought they looked great. Remember that they are just novices. All of them are 8th-10th graders (I think). If they stick with it they will be really good in a few years.

When He Talks

Having a conversation with Mr. C is like talking to a wall. He responds to most questions with a barely audible grunt. But when he does decide to talk it's usually pretty interesting.
From this evening.
Mr. C: Did you know Publix has liquid nitrogen?
Me: What would you do with liquid nitrogen?
Mr. C: It's liquid nitrogen! What wouldn't I do with it?
Daddy: Publix has dry ice, not liquid nitrogen.
Then Mr. C went into some explanation of how you could make a superconductor, or particle something-or-other.
Boys is boys!

Tired Teachers - What TN teachers really think about new evaluations

 Most of you won't watch this whole thing. I know Grandma M. would be especially interested in how things are trending in education nowadays, and watch and then discuss all of it in detail. Miss her a lot.
This really hits home in terms of what is weighing me down lately. And yes, I'm frequently in tears. And I have texted Hubby during the day more than once to say I'm going to quit; I just can't take any more.
But then I get up each morning and head back in.

           

Ta-da!

I have almost completed the breakfast room. I still want to put a blind in the window before the leaves come off the trees. For the time being I'm finished. We put up bead board, painted, changed the light switches and outlets from brown to white, hung some new curtains, and put in a new chandelier. I really like it!

A Request

Ok. I need to post more often as one of my little birds has requested from her new nest.

What's up here in Chattanooga? Last week was Wine Over Water. My favorite day of the year. You can see it was just as crowded as usual.  It's a great time to raise money for a great cause. (Cornerstones saves and restores historic buildings around town. Their first project was the Walnut Street Bridge.)

My life is totally consumed with school. I have the sweetest little class you could ask for. One of my boys has moved to an alternative school for a few weeks, which helps a lot. I get so frustrated with all the paperwork and administrative side of things, but then I get all the hugs and coloring pages you could ever want. So it's pretty good. My student teacher finishes her solo teaching Friday. It's been very hard for a control freak like me to let go of my class for two weeks. I actually didn't ever turn it all over. I didn't feel comfortable with someone else teaching my Intervention kids. I did reading benchmarks this week and all my kids made gains. Some of them went up 4 levels in two months! Now if we can just keep that momentum going.

No pictures of rowing, but Mr. C has been busy this fall. His time is now faster than M's. Since he's a boy he still needs to keep working on it. Chattanooga Head Race is October 12.

We have been making progress with the breakfast nook. My next post with be the big reveal!

Do any of you watch Midsomer Murders? That is my new go-to show for when I want a break from life. My reading choice is A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in A Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones). The fifth book comes out in paperback this month. I started reading them the end of May and I don't know what I'll do when it's all over. The show still has at least two more seasons, but the books are better. 

Well,  keep up with your homework if you have any!