So, the first day of school went of without a hitch. Well…except for one. Max refused to get on the bus home! His teacher told him what bus he was supposed to ride, but Max doubted her and didn’t want to get on. I realized shortly before this that I forgot to tell the kids about the new bus. Jaycie, the good little girl, listened to her teacher and got on the appropriate bus. When she got home, I asked her where Max was and she said, “He doesn’t ride my bus.” Then the phone rang. “This is Max. There has been some confusion with the bus.” So, I picked him up without incident. He said he had a good day, but was deeply disappointed that the Snuggle Bear he bought on ebay hadn’t arrived. Better luck tomorrow.

Jaycie and Max started school today. It’s earlier then most of the kids in Minnesota. They are in the midst of building a bigger high school, so the school district is trying to create the longest summer possible for next summer. They start this week and will be out of school by May 23. They both were very excited to be back to school. Jaycie has the same teacher and class as last year because she is in a “looping class” which means they stick with the same class and teacher for 2 years. Max will be doing the same thing this year. Luckily, one of his favorite friends is in his class so that will be great for him. It was hard getting us all up and ready today. It’s been so long since we have had strict time constraints. We made it though–they had showers, breakfast and finished some last minute homework before 9 am. So, now I will be home alone until I start my internship on Sept. 11. I have a lot of things I’d like to get cleaned up and organized before life gets into full swing. We’ll see how much I actually get done though…

We went to the fair today. It was awesome. Ben, the kids, and I stay until about 9 pm (that’s a 12 hour day). It was so good. We saw a few people we knew and ran into our Uncle and Aunt, which was good. We managed to snag a photo of Sven the “pocket meteorologist” as Jodi likes to call him. We sent the picture to Kelli since she loves him. Ben made Sven stop and pose which he was happy to obliged. I scored a cool shirt from the DFL booth and a free mug. My favorite moment of the fair was when we walked by Tim Pawlenty’s booth (our Republican Governor) and they offered my Mom a Governor on a Stick (a fan) and my Mom just shook her head in a sassy way and says NOPE! It was hilarious. Ben and Max rode the go-karts. And we went down the Big Giant Slide. Jaycie scored a pink cowgirl hat with a tiara on it. Best of all, Max bought a green monkey with a cottontail. He is so pissed. For those of you who don’t know, monkey’s have long tails, not like rabbits, but the one he got looks like a rabbit tail. He’s mad about the tail, but perfectly fine with the fact that the monkey is neon green.

Jaycie singing along with the Dixie Chicks. We had a great time at the show. The Chicks were on top of their game. They did a good mix of songs from their catalogue. Kelli got to enjoy “Wide Open Spaces” live via cell phone. But, the best part of the night was their grand entrance. They came on stage to “Hail to the Chief”.

I hate that Mark Kennedy. He’s been my arch nemesis since his election to the house in 2000. Now he’s running for senator. Because Bushy’s approval ratings are down and the Republican party is struggling, Mark is trying to separate himself from the party. He runs these ads which show how he’s not a party guy, but votes with the Republican party 95% of the time. Ugh! I will die if he’s elected.

This article is older, but still funny and interesting about Mark’s big campaign.

Ever since I posted about the whole cheerleading/car wash fundraising deal, I have begun to notice more boy car washes. I’ve seen one for the boy scouts, one for a boy’s soccer team, and one for the boy’s football team. I’m not sure, if I wasn’t paying much attention or if the boys are trying their hands at selling themselves for their activities. Regardless of gender, I still think it’s a bad idea.
So, the kids start back to school in just a few weeks. I can’t believe how fast the summer went. Granted, they are going back earlier this year, but it’s still crazy to me. We haven’t done much but hang out at the pool and home. The kids spent a week in WI with Ben’s parents while we moved Kelli to Idaho. Other than that, nothing really big. We still have the State Fair to look forward to in about two weeks, then possibly a trip to Duluth to check out the zoo or maybe back to Madison and Milwaukee. I’m not sure yet.
I love the fall because things get back to a routine but still super busy. I’ll be starting my last year of grad school along with my internship. I’m hoping my classes will be more interesting this year. I don’t feel I learned much last year, so I’m anxious to see if this year will be any better. I’m hoping my internship will be good. My last internship wasn’t that great because my supervisor was a republican, which I realize bugs the crap out of me. I just can’t reconcile the social work profession and being a republican. I guess I’m closed minded like that. I have a social work friend who is also a republican. It drives me crazy. The whole social work profession is comprised of democrat values of social justice. I just don’t get it.

My new wall art. I’m now collecting skateboards. Ben is dying. He wants to ride them. I love the Mike Carroll board.

So recently, I have been thinking about the cheerleaders/dancers/pom-pom girls who put on car washes for fundraisers. I’m not sure if this is a Minnesota or Midwest thing, but what happens is scantily clad teenagers (mostly girls) open up carwashes in parking lots in an effort to raise money for their school related activity. Most of the time it’s the cheerleading or dance squad but sometimes I see soccer or other teams out there. Now, I’m not claiming to be an expert in this area, but I cannot personally recall ever seeing a male team out there. The football or basketball teams are not out hosting car washes to raise money for their team. In an era where we are constantly barraged with information about sexual predators and teachers with child pornography, why do we allow these teenagers to sell themselves for activities that should be funded in other ways? In a way, these teenagers are selling a sexual fantasy rather then car washes. Are we sending the right kind of message with these carwashes? Isn’t there a better way to raise money? Am I the only person disturbed by this?

MOLLY IVINS: THE POLITICS OF GREED
AUSTIN, Texas (CREATORS) — I don’t get it. What’s the percentage in keeping the minimum wage at $5.15 an hour? After nine years? This is such an unnecessary and nasty Republican move. Congress has voted seven times to raise its own wages since last the minimum wage budged. Of course, Congress always raises its own salary in the dark of night, hoping no one will notice. But now it does the same with the minimum wage, quietly killing it.

We went to the Pearl Jam/Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers concert last night. Pearl Jam sounded great as did Tom Petty, but the whole things had a schizoprehnic feeling to it. Pearl Jam’s set was mellow. They included a good mix of newer songs with the old favorites, but they went from fast to slow and back again, not keeping the audiences’ energy up. It was weird. I’ve seen them quite a few times and while they sounded great, it was not their best show. Mike McCready was having guitar difficulties, which may have contributed to the feelings of confusion. And they didn’t do an encore which I thought was kind of odd. Petty followed Pearl Jam. He had a good stage performance and the crowd was really into it until he brought Eddie Vedder back out. Eddie’s mic didn’t work and the sound crew couldn’t/didn’t do anything about it so he sang his heart out, but no one could hear him. Then he left the stage and the crowd booed and yelled which was crazy. Petty immediately jumped into another song and continued until the end. He and the Heartbreakers came out for a three song encore including American Girl with Eddie Vedder and a working mic. Of course, I always have this thing about arena shows. They are okay for some bands, but others are better in small venues. With that said, I have a hard time raving about seeing Pearl Jam in a large arena when I know how they are in smaller places. Overall a good show for what it was.