(no subject)

I slept badly last night. That meant I was kind of dragging this morning. Normally, I'd have taken a nap to compensate, but I had a 10:30 appointment on campus. That meant leaving the house at 9:30. All the sidewalks were icy because it thawed just enough over the weekend for everything to turn to slush. I was worried, as I went down the hill, that I'd slip and tumble to the bottom. I tried to walk where there was snow or where the ice was lumpy.

I saw a nutritionist. She thinks my diet is pretty good. I need more vegetables and to be careful about portion sizes. I also need to eliminate junk food snacks (more vegetables would be fine) and, apart from my morning coffee, drink only water or unsweetened tea. She surprised me by not being concerned about how I get my calcium. Nutritionists I've dealt with in the past have always been worried about that because I don't eat much dairy.

She strongly suggested that I get Cordelia more involved in cooking. She thinks it will give Cordelia a sense of the work that goes into it and an investment in what comes out. She also said that, in her experience, adolescents are more willing to talk if you're working on something in parallel, that is, both chopping vegetables or pulling weeds or something similar. I'll have to bear that in mind as a technique for dealing with Cordelia.

(no subject)

I think Scott is inclined to send Cordelia to the middle school. He thinks there will be a glut of STEM folks in another five years or so. I'm not so certain of that. Cordelia hasn't made up her mind which she prefers. She wants me to tell her what to do, but I don't trust myself on this one. Staying at her current school would be more convenient and generally a lot easier for me. It puts off the day when I have to venture outside my comfort zone. I'm used to her current school; that doesn't mean it's a better fit for her.

I think Cordelia will thrive whichever way we go. She's good at school. I think she's worried that she'll make the wrong decision if we leave it up to her. Scott and I can make the decision, but we want her input. Maybe I should write up the advantages and disadvantages of each option. I don't know what's important to Cordelia apart from being with her friends. She did say that everybody in her class is talking about whether they're going to stay or go to middle school.

We need more solid information about the program at Cordelia's current school. Right now, everything's very vague. What does 'STEAM focus' actually mean? They plan to have a dedicated computer for each child. What exactly will they be doing with those computers? Will the sixth graders keep middle school hours or will they keep elementary school hours? Will there be an option for sixth graders to continue with their musical instruments? (The school system requires that all fifth graders learn an instrument and provides instruments for them. From sixth grade on, those who want to play are expected, if at all possible, to provide their own instruments. The school will help out if a family can't afford an instrument.) How will the sixth graders be graded? Will they get letter grades as they would at middle school? Who will teach the sixth graders? Will it be one teacher for all academic subjects? Who will be the principal? They've made it pretty clear that it won't be the current principal (and what will she do? They said nobody will end up unemployed due to the change).

I'm sure there are other questions I should be asking. Can anybody think of more questions?

(no subject)

I know that, if one finds a lump in one's breast, one's supposed to call a doctor pretty much immediately. What if one finds a lump elsewhere on the body? I've got a definite but not very large one on my mons pubis, and I'm wondering if I should be making an appointment tomorrow. It's in the wrong place to simply be a blocked pore. I do get those, but I can tell the difference.