Common Sense

The wonderful Radio National had a morning show the other day all about 'Common Sense'. What is it? Do we still have it? Are our kids being taught it????

One of the things which came up and horrified me was the story of the new City of Sydney Library.
It had apparently moved in 2005 into the magnificent heritage building, 'Customs House', on Circular Quay. It became apparent however that upon the move, only the best books were going. They were reducing the number of books in the library because of the available space in the new building. The Library was moving to smaller premises.

This in itself may not seem too bad, after all, many books date and need to be replaced and we have books on dvd and file now.....although it's somehow not the same. The real jaw dropper however was the fact that when you visited the new Library, the ground floor was laid out with a coffee shop and waist high book cases. Its called a Salon, but the author on the program explained that the beams in the floor of the new Library had been found to be structurally inadequate to carry the weight of full sized library shelves with their precious load of books.
Ergo: a new Library, with fewer books..........but a great barrista apparently.

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On the subject of common sense, my wealth of experience with my own body and other fitness classes should have lead me to be better prepared for the rigours of yesterday's training session! And I mean prepared. All the circuit work is fine, situps, push ups, lunges, squats etc...it was the 'beep test' that did for me. All that running and quickly changing direction....

Suffice to say that of the 6 women there, I won the beep test! I got to Level 5.3 I think and might have gone further if I had not had to give in to the ravaged state of my pelvic floor and keep running straight to the *beep *beep ladies loo to 'sort myself out'!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"It wasn't the beep that beat her," hooted all the similarly indisposed middle aged ladies and mothers of many as the delightful young male fitness instructor regarded my retreating back with bemusement. Oh well, if he is going to take 'ladies groups' he's going to have to learn about these things :-D

Best (?) Shot Monday: Boys Ate Here

Well, it's hardly a 'best' shot but I didn't take many this week what with Baby Angel coming home and all......in a way it just summarises my life at the moment. Attempts to make things 'nice'; to be the poised, centred adult in the face of children and the lack of poise they bring to most situations.

Contrast, for example, our tasteful salt and pepper grinders with the plastic IKEA cup; the folky table cloth and contrasting weave mats with the faded, cheerful kidstyle cork mats in the middle; the vase of flowers from the garden (ok you can only just see them) with the plastic sauce bottle. And don't even ask me what they were doing with the torch.....who knows.....

I am trying to train Mr 9 to take his table mat to the sink and shake off the crumbs at the same time as he puts his plate in the dishwasher. *sigh* I suspect that would not have been enough in this case.

I made it to school by 7am today all kitted out and ready to exercise. There were only 2 of us there. :-( I suppose it was only the first day back.

Undeterred, we went for a walk around the block and then I did a few sit ups and other floor based exercises in my office. At least waking up at dawn and lying awake until 5.45am so I didn't miss the alarm, wasn't completely wasted.

For a glimpse at other people's photo of the week.....

UGH: Back To School

Tomorrow is BTS Day. :-(

Today The BA decided she had some homework to be completed. She was doing it in front of the DVD when I got home from church.

Me: Turn off the DVD and you will finish it more quickly and then you can watch 'Earl' at your
leisure.
Small Boy: But I want to watch the DVD.
Me: OK, then you (BA) will have to go and work in your room. At your capacious desk. Which
you cleared for the first time before you left and which you have never done homework at
in 3 years.
BA: (outraged) WHAT??? I don't WANT to work in my room. I was here first!!!!
Me: Unfortunately, this is a public area and your room is perfectly designed for you to work
quietly and privately. (spoken whilst forcibly removing all her books,bags and ipod dock)
BA: (flounce flounce flounce SLAM) It's NOT FAIR.
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To impact on my BTS despair I have decided to try and do a personal fitness session three mornings a week from 7-8am. This means leaving home at 6.30am. This means getting up at...you get the picture.
There is a minor difficulty, which is how to get the BA to school as well, but I have a cunning plan. I think I can use Assembly time to run her to school and be back in time for Lesson 2. Stay tuned for news and snickering at my attempts at a) getting up in the morning and b) physical fitness.

Back to sorting the 4000 000 worksheets on castles and the Black Death that are currently heaped in piles all over the study floor. (Mum, you know this is a public area flounce flounce SLAM)
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Actually, she did her work and I went down to help her when I thought she'd been there too long, then Auntie Bestie arrived so we all went back to the dining room table cos Small Boy had gone bike riding by then and collectively we all got her homework done together and we all lived happily ever after Amen. Tonight during prayers she apologised for losing her temper and said that she should know that I am usually right (hahahahahaha) and she should listen to my wisdom. You see...they DO respect the Flaming Sword.