Friday, January 16, 2009

Friday Fragments - Out in the Cold

Friday Fragments

Friday Fragments are bits and pieces of your week that are usually brief; too short for a stand-alone post, but too good to discard.

Minority Report


I remember my first open house at my boys' school. I have always felt a bit "out of the loop" and like an "outsider". I was sure that I was labeled "One of Those Parents" - the bad mom who is totally clueless as to her children's school-life. I was so relieved to find out I was not alone and found many parents to commiserate with. We pooled our collective knowledge and shared tips on surviving the school year.

Nothing like a PTO meeting to bring back that "special feeling"! Thought I'd attend a PTO meeting to get a better handle on school fund raisers and to make a few suggestions. Quite the opposite of Open House. I sat in a room full of "In-The Know", "Uber-Volunteers" who would make the Stepford Wives look inferior. If you ever want to ruffle some feathers, go to your next PTO meeting and suggest some changes to procedures that have not changed in years.

I am now officially: "One of Those Parents"!

I have a "Smart Phone", Now I need a "Smart" Answering Machine

I keep getting messages at work from a bill collection agency for someone who must have previously had my phone number. They are left at night on my answering machine, when no one is here and start out the same way:
"This message is for "___________". If you are not "__________", please hang up. By continuing to listen to this message, you acknowledge you are "____________".......*brief pause*.... (message for "__________" continues)
"____________" is a person I do not know. How the heck can I hang up when I did not answer the call in the first place. Perhaps my voice mail system has a secret life and in off-hours is "___________"!

The Weather Outside is Frightful (and My Electric Space Heater is Quite Delightful)

So much for a "White Christmas"! We had unseasonably warm, wet weather when the kids were home on Christmas break. This week we have been having a cold snap with 6 inches of snow and sub-0 temps! The boys had a 2 hour delay yesterday and no school today, due to the deep freeze. How's that for irony?

I've Got Mail!

A short while back I wrote about a temporary reprieve from spam due to the shutdown of a host for major spam servers. Well that Junk EMail Holiday is over. My spam levels are back up to the daily, triple-digit, pre-take-down levels.

Let me know if you are looking for great deals on Swiss Watches, ED Drugs, Hot Girls, Discount Drugs or Hot Investment Tips...

8 comments:

Mrs4444 said...

You're funny! Yup, it's cold here, too (and no school). -16 today! I'm with you on the PTA/PTO thing. At our high school, it's the same with the band parents. I call them the Band Nazis. (Shhh. Don't tell anyone!)

Great to hear from you :)

jen aka mommay said...

I went to 1 PTO meeting. They weren't too bad...but I never went to another one!

I got an email from Charles Collins today and wants me to do something with his 8 million dollars. I can't wait to contact him! ;) Yea, right.

Mandy said...

Haven't reached the PTO thing yet, well, on the parent side that is. I have always been on the teachers side. :)

nonna said...

maybe you should add a msg on your voice mail saying "if you are calling for _______ not only am i not _______ but i am hanging up on you now, bastard!

ok, so the bastard might be going too far, but i really hate bill collectors that call for other ppl.

Tara R. said...

Once my youngest was in middle school, I felt I could safely back out of all volunteer duties. I was not part of that 'uber volunteer' crowd and it was not something i worried over. Good luck with any further forays into the realm of PTO.

Kim said...

Hey, I am visiting from Mrs. 4444's place.

I am a PTO board member for the first time and all I can say is "YIKES!" I always come home shaking my head and muttering to myself, which causes my husband to shake his head and mutter. I don't think I will be doing this again next year!

The other board members, however, probably shake their head and mutter about ME because I don't get all excited and over-react to their "drama."

WeaselMomma said...

You are not alone in the PTO world! Slackers unite!

terri said...

That's a bummer that the spam is back. We've got a severe case of spam infiltration at work and the pornographic subject lines that used to amuse me so much are starting to grate on my nerves.