I have been enjoying lurid entertainments
My brief respite from deadline related activity comes to an end Monday, and all I’ve done with the spare time is watch silent films on Netflix (currently Fritz Lang’s 1919 adventure serial Spiders) and had Thursday in for a 70,000 mile service that involved timing and serpentine belts, water pump, a hydraulic tensioner, and a problem with the circuit-board that controls the operation of the overhead interior lights. That’s the most money we’ve spent on the 850 car since we got it in ’05 or ’06.
Cossentino's Figure 1 - Montessorian path to normalization. Cadged from COSSENTINO, J. (2006). Big Work: Goodness, Vocation, and Engagement in the Montessori Method. Curriculum Inquiry, 36(1), 63-92. doi:10.1111/j.1467-873X.2006.00346.x.
That’s not completely true – the other thing I’ve done during this deadline hiatus has been to spend every spare minute after work playing outside with Seventy-Six, or playing inside with him and his new tipi, as well as counting, singing, jumping, and reading books. Outside activities include running around trees in the yard yelling “Oogah-Boogah,” blowing and chasing soap-bubbles, shooting baskets, playing catch, playing a game involving chasing the ball that is either kicked or thrown, running for the shear pleasure of running in the yard, drawing with chalk on the driveway, experimenting with very basic Montessorian activities like walking around a large chalk circle or on a long chalk line, various small child-powered vehicles, counting, and singing.
The mosquitoes are biting.
Thus, most of the time was well spent and may be considered redeemed to the extent that such can be said of ordinary human activity.
My mechanic has a 2000 Volvo Cross Country on his yard that a customer dropped off to sell. We were interested in the car for Caution-Lady, but the owners are, according to Mr. Jim, insistent upon or “stuck at” their beyond Edmunds valuation asking price of $7,000.00. I’d say the car’s worth closer to $5,500.00, so we’ll just keep the ’93 940T for a while longer. We’ve had the 940 since 2002, and it has been a great car and a sold daily-driver. It’s due for an oil service and needs sunroof adjusted, new driver-side carpet, and front brakes, but all that will come in at considerably less than $7k.
At work, two of my coworkers – one in my own office and one in another part of the state – have lost their spouses suddenly and unexpectedly. It has been a sad time. Last week, I returned to Cannon County on official business after an absence of about five years, on a hot day driving a car with no useful air-conditioner. At Murfreesboro, I met the new hire who is replacing an old friend who tendered resignation last month.
In the electronic world, I’ve discovered that extreme privacy settings on Facebook are preventing people I actually like from “friending” me. I’m going to have to monkey with that to see if the thing can be corrected.
Christov_Tenn 