work

Lists & Such

/ life, ronni, to do, work

It’s February 1, 2007, and I have a few resolutions for this month.

1. Write something, even if I ultimately deem it as crap.
2. Reduce fast food intake. I was “treating” myself twice a month or so, but I think I want to stop it all together.
3. Eat more vegetables.
4. Read four new books.

I also made a few decisions.

1. I am going to start using Mane N Tail products on my hair.
2. I am going to use my Barnes & Noble gift card to buy a copy of adamselzer‘s book for my mom, and I’ll have him autograph it for her.

Chores I did today:

1. Tidied up my room.
2. Washed (most of) the dishes.
3. Got a few groceries.
4. Did a load of laundry.

Interesting things I found out:

1. It’s VERY possible that it wasn’t the Ramen at all that made me so sick earlier this week. At least two other people were struck with it this week, and I remembered that I also threw up Saturday night. But I’d swallowed the wrong way and was coughing my head off, so I figured that was what had caused me to puke. As for the Ramen, I may wait a while before I actually test that theory…
2. The Columbus Metropolitan Libraries now have free wireless internet access!! Can I get a whut-whut??? As if I needed another reason to love the library. 🙂 🙂 🙂
3. A .54 lb steak does not need five minutes to defrost in the microwave.
4. Aidan plays VERY nicely with Play-Doh! 😀

* * *

I got to see Aidan today, which was a treat! Chris had to come by and pick something up and he brought Aidan along. Aidan’s such a good little boy, so funny and cute. Tomorrow I pick him up and we get to spend the whole weekend together. I think he’s excited. Especially since he discovered the Play-Doh. I’d like to take him to the library at some point, and maybe teach him some handwriting.

Today at work, I was checking some confirms/googol (which means that I’m checking revised confirm pages, even though confirms are supposed to be the VERY LAST STEP before PDFs and F&Gs and then bound book), and I found a page that I’d put a comment on. I’d requested that they put in the new SE redux, but apparently no one knew what I was talking about, because there was a self-stick note with THREE questions marks. Different colors, which means three people had no clue what I was talking about. My confusion came when I asked myself “why didn’t anyone just come to me and say ‘what do you mean put in the new SE redux? This IS the new one!'” And I could have said “No, see, the apostrophes are different sizes, and in the SE, that was fixed, but here in the TE, this SE reduced page is showing the old page with the different sized apostrophes.” Oh well. It got fixed anyway, and I got told I have a “good eye.”

And THEN I was copyediting these mazes for… well, a surprise to be launched May 31, 2007, and the instructions said “Help the gorilla find the grapes.” But at the end of the maze, there was a carton of JUICE! No grapes to be found, unless it was supposed to be grape juice, but I don’t know. It’s going to be a blackline master, so no one would have any way of knowing that it was supposed to be grape juice because it’s not in color. I love catching stuff like that. It’s fun.

Or maybe I’m just sadistic. I do enjoy making red marks all over things.

Lucy is on the floor, waiting for me to stop fussing around with stuff so I can give her loads of attention. She’s lying that way I love for cats to lay, with her front paws tucked under her. I think cats are so cute when they lie like that! 🙂

Lay/lie. God help me.

I think I’m ready to get off of the computer and read a bit. I got the sequel to Peeps out of the library yesterday, called The Last Days. I hope it’s as good as Peeps. I also just read the latest A-List novel. I swear, those books are like a train wreck. The name-dropping is sooo annoying, and the stuff that happens in them is way outlandish and over the top, but I can’t stop reading the damn things. It’s like Desperate Housewives for teenagers or something. I also read Anatomy of a Boyfriend, and that book is Judy Blume’s Forever for the 21st century.

Ta ta!

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Fascinating Stuff About Handwriting

/ work

The past two days, I attended the Zaner-Bloser handwriting workshops. Yesterday was Manuscript, and today was Cursive.

Did you know that handwriting is the gateway to learning to read? It’s true. And also, I can tell you why the letters are referred to as uppercase and lowercase!

Back in the days of typesetting, the uppercase letters were stored in a case that was up high, because they were not used as often. The lowercase letters were stored in a case that was low, and easily accessible. Hence, the names uppercase and lowercase! 🙂

I learned that it takes a LOT of fine-motor development to be able to write legibly. With a four-year old son who is an emergent writer, I am now armed with all sorts of knowledge to help those little muscles of his grow. Things such as Play-Doh, playing with a Magna Doodle, putting pennies or checkers in a stack all develop the fine-motor skills needed to write legibly.

When learning handwriting, children actually have to learn 52 letterforms, not only 26. Once cursive is in the mix, make that 104 letterforms. Children have to learn to recognize these letters, the sounds they make, and the roles they play in words and sentences. Then they have to learn to write these letters. It’s a tall order!! And a fancy one. I’d had no idea that occupational therapy played such a large role in handwriting. And that handwriting played such a large role in literacy.

I learned the proper way to hold a pencil, to position my paper (of course, I’ve been doing it wrong!!), why chalkboards are better than dry-erase boards for teaching handwriting, and the way to teach it to children using the three primary learning modalities–kinestetic, visual, and auditory. I also learned it’s best to start big, then work down to writing on paper. Teach muscle memory, so that when kids get it, they’ll have “automacity,” which means they will be able to focus more on their thoughts, rather than the handwriting process.

Zaner-Bloser has been around for a VERY long time. It was one of the first three handwriting companies. Its letterforms been simplified over the years—the cursive Q no longer looks like a big, floppy 2, for instance (this, at the request of the US Postal Service!)—but it’s still one of the very best programs out there.

If any of you are teachers of handwriting, what programs do you use? How do you feel about it?

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I’m One High-Falutin’ Son of a Gun

/ christmas, life, work

Got to work this morning. Everyone was kind of punch drunk, with the holidays being so close and all. Heather gave Jay some Head On, so of course, I had to keep saying “Head on. Apply directly to the forehead. Apply directly to the forehead. Apply directly to the forehead.” HAHA. Then he let us try it. It made my head tingle and I felt relaxed all over. Both Heather and Jay attest to its effectiveness. Good stuff.

I skipped the lunch outing, but the office was SO quiet because just about every one else left, so I took a very nice nap. 🙂

Next week, I get to develop another style guide! This one will be for the Teacher Edition of the Pre-K Handwriting program.

Stopped by Target to get cat litter, and then came home to find a notice on my door for two packages from UPS! I went to my mailbox and saw another package slip! I RAN to the rental office, and found out that I had FOUR packages waiting for me! Elizabeth had to give me a bag so I could carry everything. I got a package from Ivy with:

– Newsies soundtrack;
– Pitcher and glasses;
– Pink slipper boots (they are so unbelievably cute!!);
– Eats, Shoots & Leaves;
– Nag Champa (!!!)
– stuff for Aidan 🙂

From Andy, I got a Mickey Mouse toaster (!!), and some footie pajamas (I am so putting them on after I take out the trash), and I got more Mikasa stuff from Rosa!

Overwhelmed? Oh yes. Feeling VERY loved? Absolute-freakin’-lutely!!!!!! 🙂

Chris is on his way over with Aidan. I’m going to let him open his stocking and play with the things Ivy got him tonight. We’ll probably watch Mickey’s Christmas Carol a million times. Tomorrow, we’ll head up to my mom’s for the weekend, and I’ll come back home Sunday. Spending some of the day with a few Davis folks on Christmas, and recovering all day Tuesday !!!!

Before I go, I have to clean out my car. My mother told me to do so. :O

I have no plans to go out anymore today–it’s rainy, people are driving like bad bananas with greasy black peels, and I want to relax for the drive up tomorrow, and before the weekend. Can’t wait ’til Aidan gets here! 🙂

‘Til later!

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I Feel Productive. Kinda. (Pictures)

/ life, pictures, work

Enjoying Myself at the Holiday Party

Guess what I did today?

– went to the Post Office, and mailed out holiday packages;
– went to Target and bought necessities like shower gel, cat food, and laundry detergent;
– finally finished my Christmas cards;
– wrapped a bunch of gifts (there are some for Aidan that are shaped so oddly–how in the fresh hell am I supposed to wrap those?);
– put together the rest of the packages which are to be sent when I get paid next week;
– transferred a prescription;
– cleaned the living room

So, w00t.

Now I just have to tackle the dishes. *hides from them*

Today at work, there was the holiday party. Lots of fun. Two hours of not having to work, wheee. Heehee. There was lots of food (I had chicken, scalloped potatoes, and three cookies, plus lemonade to drink), and prizes raffled off, and live music, which included some foot-stompin’ hand-clappin’ traditional Irish music. Yea!!!

I sat at a table with some fun people. The food was good, and I certainly enjoyed that Irish music.

Just Me
Just Me. Smiling, and full.

Centerpiece
This was the centerpiece on our table. I won one, but not this one. Okay, I didn’t actually “win,” it was totally rigged, but still. 🙂

The best part was the raffle ticket that said “Happy Holiday’s.” Do we NOT work for a publishing company? I am beginning to think documentation NEEDS to go through copyediting, because last week, the program from the kids’ program said Doner instead of Donner in the Rudolph song!!! Eeek!

Today at work, I copy edited a book about Coretta Scott King. I had no idea the woman had been so beautiful. She was breathtaking!! Did you know that Martin talked to her about marriage on their first date? Ha. And that she’d thought he was handsome, but too short? How cute, huh? Together, those two made quite a pair and changed American forever.

I got a couple of cards today. A card in the mail from alwaysonlybe, a Vegas postcard from celinedion, and a card from Sandy at work with a $10 gift card to a bookstore. Oh, and a letter from meimeigui with extra happiness inside!! ♥

Early this morning, about 1am, I was hit with a raging craving for chicken and stars soup. I wasn’t about to eat soup at 1am, so I’m eating it now. Yum.

I should head to bed. I have a long day tomorrow, but the evening should be fun. I’m going out to a co-worker’s place with Aidan, to have warm/fuzzy/snuggly/wuggly Christmas time fun. We’re gonna bake cookies and drink cocoa and watch Christmas DVDs. I wish I could find my pajamas with feet so I could wear them, but I’ll be fine. I’ll bring running pants to change into, maybe.

‘Til next time!

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