It's official. I suck as a parent of school-aged children. I just had to fill out two sets of forms that, outside of the health forms, seemed like the most ridiculous, absurd, wastes of dead trees.

I resented the hell out of it, scrawling my signature over and over and writing checks, especially the one where I had to write a check to freakin' opt out of fundraising. I mean, thank goodness we have the option to opt out, but the whole requiring kids to fundraise made me twitch. (This is fundraising on top of the "Spirit Wear Sales" the PTO does anyway.)

I fell old and crotchety in that "When I was in school the only fund raising we did was for extracurriculars like Girl Scouts and band."

Feh. PMS.

My AP European History class played "Trivial Pursuit". We had an incredible tournament, teams, individual play offs, etc. Good times, good times.

IB Global - we even had light-up buzzers.

so tonight is the first night all week that I didn't have dinner plans with shrift, which is sad enough on it's own, but I figured I would do good stuff like laundry and vacuum and watch the DNC.

This plan was foiled first by the fact that I got my vividcon DVDs today, and then by the fact that the whole street has no power and won't until after 9.

Man, I don't remember what the hell we did! I think the leftover juniors in AP English (seniors got out early) did Midsummer Night's Dream, and in US History, we just watched movies? Remembering that seniors left the school year early does make me figure that senior year, we must have just gotten out pretty soon after the exams.

I fell old and crotchety in that "When I was in school the only fund raising we did was for extracurriculars like Girl Scouts and band."

Well, yeah, for band. We ate band fruit (not candy) for months. What sort of fundraising are you opting out of? (Surely not funds to arm the teachers.)

It is great, java!

I have no recollection of what we did after the AP exams. I know I took a lot of long lunches off campus. And then there was the senior skip day I inadvertently organized. I just invited under 10 friends to skip with me to go out to White Sands for the day and the full-moon night. Next thing I knew, about 100+ were pulling into the parking lot at the designated time. Eek!

It was fine. Did you know your eyeball can squish due to gravity such that your brain doesn't compensate? (Lying on my side on a dune, looking at the rising moon-still remember the coolness from the damp sand combatting the still heated air- the moon was decidedly squished vertically.)

Java, please give Karen and Buffy my best. I'm SO bummed not to be in California. I'm SO happy for them.

java, I am so, SO thrilled for B&K that I cannot begin to express it. Please be sure to pass my love and my good wishes along to them this weekend.

What sort of fundraising are you opting out of? (Surely not funds to arm the teachers.)

No, not arming the teachers, thank GOD. Jax is backwater, but luckily, not quite that far gone. It's whatever the hell the PTO is doing to supplement funds for the school. Thing is, we live in an area with fairly high taxes, with a great school system (Top 15% nationally) yet we still had to suffer budget cuts that have cut the in-school elective options and now require early release Wednesdays for the middle school in addition to the elementary school.

I shouldn't bitch much-- the kids are in great schools and they're going to benefit in a few years from going to a brand new high school that just opened this week. There's a lot to be said for that, but still, it chafes my knickers a wee. I'll get over it.

javachick, it was an amazing class. The 'Trivial Pursuit' just added the perfect final touch.

we even had light-up buzzers.

oooooooo, jealous!

"When I was in school the only fund raising we did was for extracurriculars like Girl Scouts and band."

Power to the band and girl scouts fund raisers! I sold more stuff for the two of those things than I care to remember. These days the band at my school seems to favor cookie dough, pizza kits and candles.

(Surely not funds to arm the teachers.)

Like I said..."The Lottery" and rocks, lots of rocks.