"Mom, I really think I'm going to like college!"

Bigger Girl came in with a smile and dropped her books.

Glad to hear it, i told her.

"Yes, it's going to be interesting.  And I like all of my instructors, except maybe the theater teacher.  She spent ten minutes making sure we would all call her "Doctor" and that we could pronounce her name right."

There's one in every bunch, i told her.

"She wasn't happy.  She said she had only been assigned the class 45 minutes before it started.  The guy who was supposed to teach it got reassigned.  I mean, that's got to be a pain, but still.  I do like Mr. Nero and Mr. Tomas.  They're going to be great.  My math teacher though, wow!

What about your math teacher.

"She wants a schedule from us.  A schedule of when we will be going for private tutoring at the student center, and of what times we will be studying at home!  So I went to schedule it, and they said they don't schedule tutoring, it's come in and the next available tutor for that subject takes you.  When I said the teacher wanted me to schedule it, the lady asked, 'Was that Ms. Stokes?' and I said yes, and she said, 'Don't worry about it, just put the time you will be coming on her silly schedule you have to turn in and show up at that time, and someone will be able to take you during that hour.'"

She sounds like a science/math person, extremely precise.

"She is, but if she's a good teacher, I don't care.  I'll write it all up.  Oh, and the English teacher, Mr. Nero, wants me to get both English books, not just one or the other like the lady at textbook rental said.  So I'll go tomorrow and get them.  Then Mr. Tomas said they rented me the wrong history book!  I need the one that gives you a code for the internet site.  Or I can buy it used and just pay the $40 fee for the access."

There's always a catch, isn't there?

"Yes, a snafu somewhere, always.  Meanwhile, I'm glad school has started, because it's something to keep my mind off missing the Olympics."

That's good, i'm glad your education is paying off already, i noted drily.

"Only a year and a half, though, to the Winter Olympics.  I can't wait.  That's my once every four year fix of men in tights sliding around on ice!"

At least she knows what's important.


Today is:

American Quilter's Society Quilt Exposition -- Grand Rapids, MI, US (through the 25th)

America's Cup Day -- the first America's Cup was won this date in 1851 by the yacht America

Be an Angel Day -- Sponsored by Angel Heights Healing Center, encouraging people to be a blessing and perform an act of service for someone

Corn Palace Festival -- Mitchell, SD, US (harvest celebration and redecoration of the world's only Corn Palace; through the 26th)

Eat a Peach Day

Feast of the Queenship of Mary & Immaculate Heart of Mary -- Catholic Christians

Flag Day -- Russia

Hoodie Hoo Day, Southern Hemisphere -- Wellcat Holidays says to go outside at noon and call "Hoodie Hoo" to chase away winter and call spring

National Spumoni Day (I don't think I've had really great spumoni since I went to Italy all those years ago -- nothing like getting things at the source.)

Rumpleskunkskin's Wedding Anniversary -- Fairy Calendar (Goblin celebration)

St. Symphorian's Day (Patron of children, students; Autun, France; against eye problems, syphilis)

Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration -- Shelbyville, TN, US (an 11-day festival celebrating the world famous Tennessee Walking Horse and crowning this year's World Grand Champion)



Birthdays Today:

Cindy Williams, 1947
Valerie Harper, 1940
Carl Yastrzemski, 1939
Norman Schwarzkopf, 1934
Ray Bradbury, 1920
John Lee Hooker, 1917
George Herriman, 1880
Dorothy Parker, 1893
Claude Debussy, 1862
Samuel Pierpont Langley, 1834
Virginia Clemm Poe, 1822
St. Anthony of Padua, 1195


Today in History:

St. Columba reports seeing a monster in Loch Ness, 565
The Battle of Bosworth Field, in which King Richard III is killed and his forces defeated by Henry VII, 1485
Madras, India (now called Chennai) is founded by the British East India company on land purchased from the local Nayak rulers, 1639
Jacob Barsimon, the first Jewish immigrant to what would become US territory, arrives in New Amsterdam/Manhattan, 1654
The Newport, RI newspaper, Mercury, becomes the first in the US to hire a female editor, Ann Franklin, 1762
Austria launches pilotless balloons against the Italian city of Venice, thus staging the first air raid in history, 1849
Gold discovered in Australia, 1851
12 nations sign the First Geneva Convention and the Red Cross is formed, 1864
William Shepphard patents the first liquid soap, 1885
Founding of the Cadillac Motor Company, 1902
President Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first US chief executive to ride in an automobile, 1902
The first Victor Victrola is manufactured, 1906
The Mona Lisa is stolen, 1911 (recovered 2 years later)
Althea Gibson becomes the first black competitor in international tennis, 1950
Pope Paul VI arrives in Bogota, Colombia, becoming the first pope to visit Latin America, 1968
Rhodesia is expelled by the IOC for its racist policies, 1972
The first ring of Neptune is discovered, 1989
A version of The Scream and Madonna, two paintings by Edvard Munch, are stolen at gunpoint from a museum in Oslo, Norway, 2004
The Storm botnet, a botnet created by the Storm Worm, sends out a record 57 million e-mails in one day, 2007