Mama Mia!

And somehow irony usually involves food. Case in point: after my son's basketball game, we decided to indulge in the naughty pleasure of a trip to the Golden Arches, aka Mickey D's,( or to those who are purists-- McDonald's.) Okay, I rationalized it this way--I found a coupon for a FREE Southern Chicken Sandwich in my mailbox in the teacher's lounge. (Wow! One of the many perks of being an educator.) It expires tomorrow. I was determined not to miss out on the deal of the century,like I so often do; so we loaded up the van and we moved to Mickey D's. (For some strange reason, the Beverly Hillbillies theme got stuck in my head. Sorry.) Cutting to the chase... While we were gobbling our fast food delights, the flat screen TV in the "dining room" of our very tastefully designed McD's (rich cherrywood paneling, stainless steel chairs, rust, forest green, violet color scheme) was tuned to CNN, where the story of the hour was something like "The Kill...

I think I have a cure for the political taint on the educational system! I think we should require all candidates for public office, from the lowliest posts in local government (like school board members) all the way to the White House, to take and pass the mandated state achievement tests. Wouldn't it be interesting to see the results?

We called my daughter at ASU the other night, just to chat. She sounded strange, giddy and loopy (so not like her.) Turns out, it's about 10 p.m. on a school-night and she has (horror of horrors) a BOY in her room! Not only that, but this BOY, this potential thief of my 17 year-old (She turns 18 this upcoming Wed.) daughter's innocence, has the bad sense to pipe up with obnoxious remarks in the background. And then it happened--I spoke to my daughter in a terse, disapproving tone. "What's the matter, Mom?" "I will speak to you at another time," I fairly hissed through clenched teeth. I don't know whether to cringe in fear, or giggle uncontrollably. I think I was channeling my mother! Scarier still, I think I sort of understand Mom now. Help!