Wishing Upon A Star

February 9
Without focus

There isn’t much focus to my life today. I’m so tired that I sort of wander from topic to topic, task to task, leaving most things half done.

But then, that is nothing new.

I did quite a bit of testing today. This was another tough one, as this child has obsessive tendencies and tends to fixate on one item in the test. It’s hard to get her back on track.

Her other favorite trick is to go off on conversational tangents that have nothing at all to do with what she’s supposed to be doing. I can’t figure out where her mind is, as she’s suddenly talking about something that is so out of left field that I can’t figure out what has triggered the though. If she was talking about things in the room, or things in her life I’d understand it, but that’s rarely the case.

I like this kidling, though. I also know she likes me. She’s forever hugging me, which is a nice change in her demeanor. Last year she was behind a wall when it came to being caring with others, so the fact that she is able to spontaneously give hugs is a wonderful thing.

She also has obsessive-compulsive tendencies, but we seem to have a lot of the ritualistic behavior under control.

The test results are going to be quite good, too. Which is also very encouraging.

Now all I have to do is start writing the report. This one is going to take some time and will have to be letter-perfect, as these parents are know to be litigious.

Now that makes me nervous.

I forgot to mention the swell snowman I saw on my way home last night.

Well, it’s not actually a snowman, it’s a snow bride. Someone had sculpted a bride, complete with gown, veil and intricately detailed bouquet out of a pile of snow. They had focused a spotlight on it, and it was all glittery standing in the cold.

It was cheerful to look at and made me smile as I went past.

Of course, given that we’re having a heat wave and temperatures have been in the 40’s to almost 50, I don’t imagine she’ll be around for too long.

I’m glad I got to see it.

Once again I have to say that I am terribly tired and need to go to bed and get a lot of sleep. Tomorrow is one of my ten hour days, as I have to go to that danged reading seminar from three thirty to five thirty.

Ick.

Listening to:Broadway Love Songs

Reading: Once Upon A Star Nora Roberts

Weather: 48, sunny…we’re havin’ a heat wave!!

Trivia:Who were the three blind mice?

Sadly, there's no deeper meaning to the old rhyme of "Three Blind Mice." For those of you who've forgotten, it goes "Three blind mice, see how they run! They all run after the farmer's wife; Who cut off their tails with a carving knife; Did you ever see such a thing in your life; as three blind mice?" The verse is regarded as the best known example of a "round," a verse in which multiple voices repeat a rhyme with each voice a line behind the previous speaker. Rounds were regarded as educational tools used to improve children's powers of concentration. It also has the distinction of being the earliest printed secular song which is still sung to this day. It first appeared on October 12,1609 in "Deutermelia; or, The seconde part of Musicks melodie" by Thomas Ravenscroft. A teenage choirster at St. Paul's church, Ravenscroft is taken to be the songs creator. Of course, in the 17th century, the misfortune (even mutilation) of others (even anthropormorphised animals) was an object of ribald humor. Things have changed just a bit today, but the rhyme persists.

Cool word: saccade [n. sah-KAHD]

When we look at something, our eyes do not stand still. If they did, we would not be able to see what we are looking at. Instead, our eyes move rapidly around over a small area of the scene, making quick, short movements called saccades. The word for these movements was imported directly from French, where it names a twitch or spasmodic jerk. It's from Old French saquier (to pull), which is from sac (sack). The idea was that a twitch was like the sudden jerk when something is pulled quickly from a sack. Another word from the same French root is saccate [adj. SAK-ayt] (shaped like a pouch or sack). The original root of all these words was Latin saccus (bag).

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