Battles

I've been fighting the PARCC testing for the past couple weeks. I found out that I couldn't opt my son out of the testing, but he had the option of refusing the test. However, put an AD/HD technology-loving kid in front of a computer, he's not going to say no. Even though he has no understanding of what he's seeing, cannot comprehend any of it, due to his academic knowledge being less than the "average" third grader's. So I spoke to the teacher extensively, and after making a few phone calls herself, she informed me that the school had no control in the testing and its rules. Because PARCC is issued by the state. So basically the the regions/districts are mooks that are doing what they're told. So! I took her advice and went to the state board of education about it. Typed out a nice long letter, in which I provided several heart-felt reasons why my son, and others like him, should not be made to take the PARCC assessments. It took a day for me to type this out, diplomatically. If there's one thing I can do, it's writing up something I have extensive knowledge, or feel deeply, about. So I did. And I sent it. Sent the letter I put significant time, thought, and effort into. Couple days later, received a reply. One that was basically automated, explaining PARCC from the BoE's point of view. Not once were any of the points I made specifically explored. They didn't even say "he" or "him." No questions about my child, his testing conditions, or likewise.

After reading that reply, I had to set my tablet & phone aside - far aside - so as not to send a reply through angry blurry-eyed vision during high emotions. Because there would have been a lot of cynicism and anger.

In other news... househunting is both awesome and terrible. Thought it might be a bit easier than this to get out of our duplex and into our first house as homeowners. But turns out, as you're going from house to house, not just anything will suffice for your getaway. Sometimes amazing pictures are taken of a really, ree-HEE-lly crappy place. And always, ALWAYS, expect the rooms to be smaller than the pictures show.

Yeah I'm new at this. Obviously. But it's still kinda fun. We're finally ready to have a home of our own. It's out there.

Got my bartending license! Booyah. I can add it to my Certificate of Ordination and basically be half a wedding. Unless you count camera phone pics as photography, then... grab some witnesses and you're set.

So the other night while I'm working, at the bar of course, I hear one of those stupid gambling machines playing a partial tune while someone's playing it. And it sounds familiar. Later, I hear it again. I definitely know what it is. So when I play "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" in its entirety on the jukebox, the machine players are all sorts of confused. Which leads to my thorough amusement.

("Battle Without Honor or Humanity" is the song that plays during a certain O-Ren Ishii scene from Kill Bill Vol 1, or, *sigh*, a scene with Bumblebee in the first live-action Transformers movie.)