Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Happy Spring


It's a beautiful spring day, sunny and warm. Take a look at my beautiful star magnolia. It blooms for about a week, depending on the temperature. It will be in full bloom in ad day or two--then the petals blow off, and I have to wait until next year.


Friday, April 18, 2008

A whole lot of shaking going on...

in Wilmette, where nothing ever happens. This morning around 4:50 am, there was an earthquake of a magnitude of 5.2, which shook up the entire state. I was up a few minutes before that, but I missed the action when I went back to bed. There were plenty of other people who did notice it, including my friend who lives in Lake Forest, who told me that her bed was shaking. I experienced earthquakes when I lived in New Zealand, and remember them to be similar to the rumble of a train going by in the distance. The most unusual thing about this quake was that we rarely have earthquakes in this area. Historically, there have been a few strong ones about 200 years ago when the state was not heavily populated.

Now, to continue with more strange news from Wilmette, there was a cougar sighted here last week. Later in the week, the same cougar was seen on the north side of Chicago. Unfortunately for him, he was shot by the police. After a investigation, it was determined that he was a wild cougar who probably wandered into the area from Wisconsin and places further west. He appeared to be following the canal south when he turned up in a residential neighborhood and met his demise.

There are more and more predatory animals in our area--we had a coyote living a block away. Since our climate is becoming more moderate, we have so many rabbits around, which make a good meal for predators.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

More old students

I've been subbing in a 110 class at Oakton this week and next. So, who was in the class but two young men who were in my class at Nichols Middle School. It was nice to see them in college, especially in a higher level class.
Spring has arrived for a few days.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

What in the heck is TGA?

Are you wondering? Well, TGA was the diagnosis that landed me in the hospital last week. It stands for transient global amnesia. Amnesia is a staple plot in soap opera, but in real life it isn't as interesting. When I came home last Wednesday for meeting with a friend, I was confused. I have no memory of any of this, so I am just reiterating what my husband told me. The next thing that I remembered was lying in a bed in Evanston Hospital. I had no idea why I was there. It was disturbing, and I didn't find out what was going on until the next day when I began to recover. I still have no recollection of getting to the hospital, the emergency room, the CAT scan or anything also that night.
The good thing about this affliction is that is temporary, rarely happens again, and does not lead to something worse. There is no definite cause or treatment. The person knows who they are and doesn't lose all of their memory. Long term memory is not affected, only the short term. It rarely lasts more than 24 hours.
My husband thought I was having a stroke, so he took me to the emergency room. After a lot of tests, stroke and seizures were ruled out. The MRI showed nothing. So, I managed to get through this with very little consequence--I missed teaching 2 classes, and had to spend 3 days in the hospital.
The weird thing about the whole episode was that I drove home, remembered where I lived, but couldn't remember where the flowers I took out of the car came from!

Monday, April 07, 2008

One small change

I was ready to give up on Weight Watchers. Gaining and losing the same 3-4 pounds has been the story of the past few months. So, why not give up? I have been maintaining my weight according to WW standards, I've been keeping fit by working out. I was getting discouraged and a little worried. I still need that safety net of going to the meetings and being very aware of what I eat. At today's meeting my leader convinced me to go back to the core program. So, I am giving it another chance. I am also going to work out more.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Some pleasant surprises

Last night, I realized that I have only one more chapter to complete in both my text books. I can't remember when I actually completed a textbook in my entire teaching career. It is a bit exciting, and I feel a bit of freedom, in that I can present some additional material, spend some time reviewing before the exit test, and lighten up on the homework. I don't think that any of my students will mind that.
This morning, on the way home from the gym, I stopped in at Starbucks and a young man, who happened to be sweeping the floor, asked me if I had ever taught at Nichols Middle School. I told him that I did, and he turned out to be a former student from about 10+ years ago. A very bright former student, by the way. He is now is a period of career readjustment, and is working at Starbucks as he contemplates becoming an elementary school teacher. He left a career in politics as a fundraiser. More power to him. By taking a risk now, hopefully he won't be stuck in a cubicle working at a job he really doesn't love because he has to pay the mortgage etc.
I have been lucky--working at a job that for the most part, I enjoyed. I never said that I hated my job, as other people I know say often. Now that job has given me the wherewithal to work at a job that I really enjoy, teaching at a community college. I also the time to volunteer at the Botanic garden, and just to relax and hang around doing nothing. So, to my old student, I say, take your time and really think about what you want to do for the rest of your life. You won't be sorry.