As the parent of an adult, the holidays are kind of odd for us. The old and comfortable ways we used to celebrate have morphed and changed to be less child-centered. We have never been big party people – Adrien used to play gigs on New Year’s Eve. Once you have had to work a [...]
Archive for the ‘Nothing in Particular’ Category
New Traditions
Posted in Nothing in Particular, tagged Boston, Boston Common, Boston Public Garden, Copley Square, First Night Boston, New Years Day, photographing Boston on January 3, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Third Grade Giggles
Posted in Nothing in Particular, tagged grade 3 humor on December 10, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Anyone who has ever taught a third grader knows it’s true: there are certain words that just send these kiddos into hysterics. Think of it as a Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV for 8 year olds. For example: toilet paper. As in, “If we don’t get some tissues boxes in class soon, you’ll [...]
Downtime
Posted in Nothing in Particular, tagged Adrien Bisson Photography, Cultural Organization of Lowell, Lowell, Lowell National Park on November 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The weather has been unseasonably warm for the last several days. Yesterday was no exception. Even though yesterday was the City of Lights Parade and Holiday Stroll here in Lowell, no one seemed to mind that temperatures were in the 60s — people were dressed in flipflops and shorts while waiting for their moment with Santa. When [...]
Lessons from my grandfather
Posted in Nothing in Particular, tagged ancesters, dignity, Flournoy on November 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Today marks my materal grandfather’s birthday. His name was Palmer Chester Flournoy and he was born in 1889 in Albany, New York. When he was still a baby, his father, a railroad conductor, was killed in a tragic railway accident. My great-grandmother moved her family – my grandfather and his older sister, back to Stanbery, [...]
Courses, of course
Posted in Nothing in Particular on March 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I hope to hit Masters + 60 next year — which is the highest achievable salary lane for me. It is also preparation for retirement. As of today in Massachusetts, my retirement will be calculated on the last 3 years salary averaged together. I “plan” to work 4 after this year, and with no new [...]
Hello, Noah
Posted in Braindroppings, Nothing in Particular, tagged Bill Cosby, education, public education, snow days, teaching, Teaching Life on February 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I realize that this reference to a classic Bill Cosby routine makes me one big, giant fossil, but I can’t resist making a connection after this week. First of all, is should we all be building arks here in New England? Around my house we have 7 foot snowbanks created after the nonstop deluge of [...]
Adventures with Flat Stanley
Posted in Nothing in Particular, tagged Appreciation, classroom, education, Teaching Life on December 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
We’ve read the book, we’ve done the project with our kids (honest truth: not one of the 25 got a single Flat back!). This week my class has been hosting my niece’s Flat Stanley. And we are having a blast. Sorry, can’t post pictures of kids, but trust me on this. Working on multiplication riddles? [...]
How in the heck did this happen?
Posted in Braindroppings, Nothing in Particular on November 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I’ve been confronted with my age ta couple of times this weekend. It was not an altogether pleasant trip down memory lane. Woodstock Then and Now was on the History Channel last night. In the summer of 1969, I was a junior, about to be senior, in high school. A couple of my classmates went [...]
If You Think You Can “Get Over It” Think Again
Posted in Braindroppings, Nothing in Particular, tagged cancer, healthcare, mammograms on September 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
For anyone who knows me personally, you know my story. Twenty years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and started my treatment. For 20 years I’ve tried to be brave, and mostly calm when it comes to my annual foray in to “does she or doesn’t she?” However this week’s visit for a mammogram [...]
Genealogy Again
Posted in Nothing in Particular, tagged Beardsley, genealogy, Indianpolis, Peoria, Wyant family on April 26, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Being school vacation week, I spent some of my down time on genealogical pursuits. Unraveling family mysteries is nothing short of breath-taking when (and if) those mysteries are unraveled. This week, there were no grand discoveries, however, just more questions. This week, I had hoped to pin down my great-great-grandmother, Sophronia’s death date and burial. [...]
