I slept funny and woke up with a horrible pain in my right arm that would not give me a moment's peace to fall back asleep. It's loosening up, now. But holy crap, why didn't my body turn itself over?

Crap, I feel completely oogy. I don't think I can do another day of the stench and ash and smoke at work. My headache got so bad yesterday that I packed up and left at 4, two hours early.

All the mail and delivery people were wearing masks yesterday. My car was covered in ash.

I have two enormous windows that look out at the area of the mountains were Mt. Wilson is, and we saw the super scoopers and that huge canadian boat-plane come in. Now I'm trying to decide whether to call in sick as a precautionary or not. The health people keep saying that the stench is gross, sure, but the air quality in our buildings is below the danger levels.

Really? How far below? Because judging by the coughing and malaise yesterday I'm thinking, you know, it isn't very far below.

I was surprised to find out at the height of the 30s Dust Bowl, dust storms ran all the way to NY/NJ. Here's hoping that the fires in CA get contained pronto!

Ugh, that sounds terrible, Allyson.

I am excited that I made it here for my 9 o'clock meeting. Why did I tell people I was available at 9?? I hate that.

I hpe your arm is feeling better, Allyson.

I've been up since 4 and I have an interview at 11, so I'm unexcited.

Scroll down for pics of a lightning storm coinciding with a volcano eruption.

I'm just going to put it out there that 4 is not an appropriate time for waking up in the morning.

Normally I'd try putting myself back to sleep in front of the TV, but my father's asleep in the next room. Maybe if I play a podcast I can snooze for an hour or so. I need it.

mac learned to play solitaire yesterday. he also had a another good day.

my mom is having some health issues and may not make it up here over the weekend as planned so I am not sure how the beginning of school will be, we may be back to just the 2 of us.

my boss is on a business trip, so I need to spend the day making personal phone calls about school and testing and whatnot.

schools discussion

mac is at level in about half his work. he is still behind in language stuff, which is to be expected and he is somewhat resistant to reading and COMPLETELY resistant to writing. His school is lower to middle class kids, tons of immigrants and probably at least 1/3 non-native English speakers. The parent involvement really varies. I have seen parents at the library who sit with their kids each day helping with the school homework, and then have their own homework made up that they make the kids do. Then there are parents like those of some of mac's friends who do some of their kids homework themselves just so they don't have to take the time to do it with the kid and they never read themselves, so they do not like taking their kid to the library. I really know nothing about his school's funding, but I think they do a dis-service to the kids by having no visual arts. They have music and I think drama at the higher grades, but in the past the music dept at least has been run by a completely undynamic woman. The school also has a tendency to plop kids in front of movies way too often for my tastes.

home means so much

WORD. And it means so much at PreK and K which means so much at college!

Allyson, Noah misses you too. You should come hang out with us.

I woke up this morning without a headache for the first time in almost a week. I hope that means that the air is clearing up a bit.

I'm just going to put it out there that 4 is not an appropriate time for waking up in the morning.

As someone who was up at 4 this morning with a cranky toddler, I agree 100%.