We recently received Josie's scores for the standardized test the school system requires.  They call it a "Benchmark," but the EXPLORE exam is like a pre-pre-ACT exam.  We are so tickled and proud of Josie's performance!  Overall, her cumulative score puts her in the 94 percentile out of all U.S. scores!  Isn't that remarkable?!  Here's the link to the whole report:

http://www.box.net/shared/static/esjub2qefz.pdf

Way to go, Josie Ann!!!

Being on Facebook, I find myself chuckling at the people, usually girls under 18, who constantly post song lyrics.  They are most often songs about love, heartbreak, and not-quite-sex, and all of those other chemically induced reactions that are confused with emotions.  It's all so sweet and optimistic!  However, once in awhile, song lyrics describe something more accurately than us non-poets can verbalize.

Maynard James Keenan of Tool, not to mention A Perfect Circle, isn't afraid to put pen to paper and kick us all in the teeth with reality.  He says the things that most of us know are true, but are too afraid or embarrassed to utter aloud.  And he phrases these concepts so eloquently.  I imagine if there is a god and/or other heavely beings, this is how they see us:

"Right In Two"
Angels on the sideline,
Puzzled and amused.
Why did Father give these humans free will?
Now they're all confused.

Don't these talking monkeys know that
Eden has enough to go around?
Plenty in this holy garden, silly monkeys,
Where there's one you're bound to divide it.
Right in two.

Angels on the sideline,
Baffled and confused.
Father blessed them all with reason.
And this is what they choose.
And this is what they choose...

Monkey killing monkey killing monkey
Over pieces of the ground.
Silly monkeys give them thumbs,
They forge a blade,
And where there's one
they're bound to divide it,
Right in two.
Right in two.

Monkey killing monkey killing monkey.
Over pieces of the ground.
Silly monkeys give them thumbs.
They make a club.
And beat their brother, down.
How they survive so misguided is a mystery.

Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of his fleeting time here.

Cut it all right in two

Fight over the clouds, over wind, over sky
Fight over life, over blood, over prayer,
overhead and light
Fight over love, over sun,
over another, Fight...

Angels on the sideline again.
Benched along with patience and reason.
Angels on the sideline again
Wondering when this tug of war will end.

Cut it all right in two
RIGHT IN TWO!

Right in two...

This is a HUGE milestone and I am so proud to be part of it.  I love you, Simon!  You are my all-time favorite person and I am so thankful you were born.  HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY, MY LOVE!!!!!

Jordan has performed on a superior level this school year.  Not only did she make straight A's on her report card, but she busted her butt and maintained solid A's throughout the semester!  And, she truly did it on her own with no help from anyone else.  WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU, JORDAN!!!!!   You are going to do great things in life.  I just know it!

Check it out!  http://www.box.net/shared/static/xbqfbrslmj.pdf

Josie knocked it out of the park again!  Check out her report card.  Four A's and two B's.  Way to go Josie!  Thanks for making our lives easier by taking care of your business!

http://www.box.net/shared/static/hitik22cnt.pdf

"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane" ~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - 1965

Today, 09 Jan 10 at 0900, Simon and had to take our Gateway Exam for Spears School of Business at OSU.  Translation?  We were required to take a comprehensive accounting exam before they would allow us to take any accounting classes level 3000 or higher.  It covered the entire first two semesters of accounting classes.  OSU provided tons of study material including multiple online practice quizzes.  Simon and I studied our butts off and felt totally prepared this morning.  Then the horror began...

It was like walking through the looking glass in Alice in Wonderland.  At least half the questions in no way resembled the practice tests.  Those questions included terms, definitions, and phrases that we'd never heard, or were not included in our study material.  40 questions and 75 minutes later, Simon and I skulked out of the classroom, convinced we had crashed and burned.  Tears were brimming.  Rage was surfacing.  And we had to wait until noon or later to see our scores!

When we got home, we began to frantically attempt to re-create the exam, primarliy the heinous questions.  It was total chaos and panic.  At 1215, I couldn't take it any longer.  I had to see if our grades were in yet.  Unbelievably, WE BOTH PASSED!!!  I declare today as a day of relaxation and celebration.  So let it be written.  So let it be done!