blargh. I came home sick with uglybad headache thing. Do not want.

ION, the hub was homeschooled through 9th grade, and is seriously agin it for all the socializing reasons mentioned, as well as the fact that it really wasn't a very good education once he got beyond the early-years skills stuff -- not that his mother didn't try hard to teach him, and she covered all the stuff recommended by the curriculum they were following, but with none of the expertise or resources or learning-from-peers that goes on even in okay schools... why punish a kid just for the sake of your own sense that he's a special unique snowflake who can't possibly be served by the same schools as everyone else, you know?

We had a chapter on drugs in my high school health class. Some stuff we learned really stuck with me. Stuff I remember:

• Don't ever ever ever use PCP.
• Combining drugs can "multiply" their effects instead of just "adding" the effects.
• Stimulants just take energy you would have had in the future and give it to you right now. So in the future you won't have that energy. So it's a zero-sum game. (Actually, worse than zero-sum.)

Um, that's about all I remember. Maybe that class showed me the distinction between uppers and downers too....

DARE story:
Once when my parents were out of town, I took my brother to my boyfriend's raging party (I was 18, he was 11) The party was outside, he was inside with Nintendo. The cops came and busted the party and I was outside of the house while my then BF and brother were inside the house. I had to go to a payphone to call and make sure bro was in house - bad big sister, very bad. The cops left and I returned to house to find scared little bro who for once in his life was overjoyed to see me. Then he said, "My DARE teacher came to the door!!" DOH! My mom only heard this story about 5 years ago.

I don't know if the local schools do DARE. If the feds won't fund it because of ineffectiveness, then that's a pretty big red flag. I don't recall seeing a DARE police car at the police station here. I've seen one at another metro city, an 80s-era Firebird.

In other Things I'll Be Missing Because I'll Be In Labor And/Or Have A Newborn news

But that starts just tomorrow! You could probably go! Walking is good for you! Unless I missed something. Did I miss something? I skimmed.

Unless I missed something. Did I miss something? I skimmed.

It's supposed to be really hot tomorrow, and the lines at Big Apple BBQ are loooooooooooooooooooong. (There's a fastpass that'll get you into the express lines, but it's $100 and I'm just not sure I can eat that much...)

...what does that even mean?

I told them it sounds like I'm a fan of cults, like I have a shrine to Jim Jones in my apartment.

It's supposed to be really hot tomorrow, and the lines at Big Apple BBQ are loooooooooooooooooooong. (There's a fastpass that'll get you into the express lines, but it's $100 and I'm just not sure I want to eat that much food.)

So you'll be missing it on account of Too Pregnant to Go.

Which is sad, but understandable.

well as the fact that it really wasn't a very good education once he got beyond the early-years skills stuff

Yeah I can see how that could happen. My wife has done an excellent job so far as indicated by objective metrics with testing administered through a third party. But I sense progress slowing down due to the tension between her and our daughter over schoolwork. The concept is pretty good though, one on one attention, tailoring each subject to ability, things you can't do in a school setting.

I told them it sounds like I'm a fan of cults, like I have a shrine to Jim Jones in my apartment.

You should serve Kool-Aid at your book release party.