When Up is Down and Down is Up

Good drugs ... let's admit it, we're all looking for some, right?
Okay, maybe some of us more than others.

But I am definitely looking for a good drug at the moment.

A new drug.

One that won't make me sick. 
One that won't make me crash my car. 
Or make me feel three feet thick. 

One that won't hurt my head.
One that won't make my mouth too dry.
Or make my eyes too red.

One that won't make me nervous ... 

Well, you know the rest.

Here's the thing - we're playing with my MS drugs at the moment. Upping this one and downing that one. And some days, like today, it feels like a real roller coaster ride.

So tell me, does anyone know?
Did Huey ever find that drug he was looking for?

Cuz, if so, I'm thinking he better be willing to share.

Or else, things might just get a wee bit ugly around here.
And trust me, nobody wants to see that.

World Record

I think we just set the record for the world's shortest IPP meeting. Ever. Well, at least the shortest one I've ever attended in 15 years of being involved with special education.

The funny thing is how I walked out of the world's shortest IPP meeting feeling quite good about the whole thing. Better than I have in the past 3 years of IPP meetings, in fact. And that after half an hour as opposed to the usual 1.5 - 2 hour meetings.

The reason, you ask? Might shorter, in and of itself, actually be better?

No. No, not at all. In fact, we have another IPP meeting scheduled for next week (minus the subject teachers who were present today but with the addition of the autism specialist) that I am sure will run much closer to what I am use to.

No, here, my dear friends, is the difference. Today's meeting was (finally) chaired by a Resource teacher that gets it.

Previous Resource teachers, although extremely experienced, who should have (and, no doubt, did) know their stuff, were so stuck in their ways of doing things that there was absolutely no room for anything different.

Did I mention there was no room? Because, really. There. Was. No. Room.

I'm sorry, but the term dinosaur does come to mind. While they may have been very good at what they did many years ago, they clearly couldn't (or, I'm thinking, more likely wouldn't) adapt to the times. It was their way. Or the highway.

But our current Resource teacher, while relatively new to "Intensive Resource", has family members with disabilities and he really seems to get it. To get the importance of life skills for a young adult like the Blue Jay. To get the importance of life skills for so many of the students in that class.

I can actually see him building a resource program that will be so much better than what this school previously had. I can actually see it benefiting so many more students. My only real complaint is that the Blue Jay didn't have access to such a program three years ago, when she first entered high school, as she should have.

Well, that and the fact that when our previous dinosaurs teachers ruled the land, nobody (and I mean nobody) seemed to have any issue with the way things were done or the way they insisted things had to be done. They were backed up all the way.

Nope, nobody had any issues with them. Nobody except me, that is.

Interestingly enough, now that they've retired, I am finding people starting to agree with what I've consistently been saying (and thinking) for the past couple of years - that things didn't have to be (and, in fact, shouldn't have been) done their way. That, dare I say it, these particular teachers were the problem.

Apparently, now they are. But then they weren't. Go figure.

Not Meant To Be

There was absolutely no doubt when I stepped outside on Sunday - we have definitely entered my favourite time of the year.

I love Fall; the shining sun; a clear blue sky; warm, maybe even hot but without that summer heat and humidity that sucks the life right out of me; and, of course, the beautiful colours. What more could a girl ask for?

Well, one tiny thing perhaps ...

We live in the beautiful Annapolis Valley, well-known for its agriculture and bountiful crops. A little less well-known, perhaps, for its wineries. But we have those too.  Three, in fact, within a 15-minute drive from my place.

And yet ... and yet, I have never even been to a winery, let alone toured one. And that is something I have always wanted to do.

No excuse, really. Once or twice every year, the wineries are open for tours. And, of course, wine-tastings.

Yep, you guessed it - Sunday was one of those days.

Open Farm Day they call it. Come out and see where your food really comes from.

I must confess I am a littles less than interested in seeing where my food comes from. I mean, I ain't no city slicker, I live in the Valley ... I know exactly where my food comes from for heaven's sake.

But if you're suggesting that I should come out and see where my wine really comes from (while I taste some of yours) ... yeah, I could go for that. I mean, I wouldn't want to be rude, right?

Alas, it was not meant to be. 'Tis to weep.

I tried. I really did. But apparently first we had to go visit Farmer John's Farm (I kid you not - its real name) where summer savoury is grown. Yep, summer savoury.  Which, surprisingly, was interesting. In a strange sort of way.

But then ... then it was my turn. Right?

Sure. Kind of. We headed out to the Muir Murray Estate Winery.

A beautiful day.  A gorgeous spot.

And yet, as I said, apparently it was not meant to be. We arrived at 3:30 and the last tour was at 3:00. We even (just) missed a hay ride, which although not really my cup of tea, would have taken us through the vineyard.

Thwarted again!

There was still the wine-tasting, of course. 

Too bad that I wasn't particularly fond of any of the wines that I tried. Equally too bad was the fact that the one wine I would have really loved to try cost $5 for a "taste".

So, yeah. Thanks. But no thanks.

So that was that. Until I got back home, of course. Where I promptly had myself a glass of wine. What do you expect? Hey, I was craving the stuff by then.

They're trying to tell me that we will always have next year. But, really, just how much wine will I be forced to consume while I'm waiting?

MIssing You

UPDATE:  We better add former employers launching nuisance law suits to that list below. ~Walks away, shaking head and muttering incoherently ...

I have always really enjoyed reading other people's perspectives on various political and current events. Almost as much as I enjoy sharing my own.

Alas, I haven't been doing much of either lately ... seeing as how I'm lucky to catch up on my daily blog reading once or twice a week and my last post on anything vaguely political being back in October, preceded by one lonely post in September. 

In fact, it looks like I haven't regularly weighed in on anything really substantive since July ... geez, it's hard to believe I could actually be quiet for that long! [Those who know simply nod their heads in agreement...]

And so it is that I miss that discourse.

But it's exactly because I enjoy it and miss it so much that I hold out hope ... lonely forlorn hope ... that one day soon I will make my triumphant return to the land of the blog. 

I will not give up.

I will prevail over government bureaucracies that deny much-needed benefits; former employers who require a serious bitch-slapping; moody, irritable husbands, an incredibly demanding young adult child who desperately needs help from somewhere (anywhere) in learning to regulate her emotions and behaviour and navigate the social world; the energy required to get a new business seriously rolling ... and all the other daily struggles joys of life.

In the words of the immortal Schwarzenegger, I'll. Be. Back.

Eventually.

Threes

• First, it was my health.

• Then, HWWLNTBN lost his job of 15 years.

• And yesterday, yesterday it was smash, crash, bang - my 3-month old* brand new car and I were involved in a car accident.

So does that mean we're done now?

*Incidentally my last accident, 5.5 years ago also involved my then 3-month old brand new vehicle. 
So I'm thinking I now know how not to have any more motor vehicle accidents. 
I simply will not purchase any more new vehicles.
That was easy.



Adusting To My New Reality

Really isn't going so well.

I seem to have been struggling a fair bit this past year - first, my MS flared up significantly in the late winter/early spring although eventually I seemed to get it back under control. Not back to where it was but certainly to a more manageable level.  Unfortunately, I never quite got my blogging pace back up to what it was once upon a time, though.

Then I went to Boston (Woo Hoo). That. Was. Great. But things quickly started to spiral out of control again shortly after I returned home.

First, HWWLNTBN lost his job. "Lost" ... strange word, isn't it? If only he could remember where he had seen it last.

No, more accurately, he was unexpectedly and unceremoniously dumped from his job. Resulting in us losing not only our main source of income but also our health insurance. Resulting in a huge amount of stress, with large helpings to go around for all. Particularly yours truly.

MS doesn't much like stress, you know. Need I say more? Yeah, not so good. Hence, my new reality.

Just to clarify, this blogging gig ain't finished by any stretch of the imagination. But I would be deluding only myself not to admit that trying to keep up with two blogs while starting a new business, while working my old job, while raising two teenage daughters, while bringing legal action against HWWLNTBN's former employer, while having my MS flare up yet again ... is working so well.

That's all.  That's all I have to say.  For the moment.