Filed under: Life
If I’m Rachel, you’re Phoebe. And he’s Ross.
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A: I don’t get him sometimes.
J: He totally fucked us up in high school.
A: He’s a walking psych case!
J: Yeah, he’s crazy. Did you see how close he was sitting next to me on the couch.
A: I didn’t, but it was close?
J: Yeah, and I was like, “[friend] you have a girlfriend. Back off.”
A: Yeah about that, you know he asked me for permission first.
J: For what?
A: When he first started going out with her. Last winter, when we were both home on break. He asked me if it was okay. If I approved.
J: Weird. Obviously you approved? I mean she’s what, 15? God!
A: She’s only a year younger. And she seems nice. And he likes her. In the end, I have to trust his judgment.
J: Yeah, I guess. But he and [another girl] totally hooked up all the time way back in high school and I know you don’t like her.
A: It’s not that I don’t like her. It’s the fact that I was annoyed that she tried to be my friend so she could get in his pants.
J: She did that?
A: Yeah, and boy, he knew I did not approve of her. I made that very clear, many times.
J: God, I don’t get him.
A: He’s a very long saga – especially for us. But he’s a good friend and I think he means well. He is nice
J: He’s nice, but sometimes it’s just intense.
A: Yeah, like when he and [one of our guy friends] found out about [something that happened to me], they were pissed. And I was like, “Chill guys, you don’t even know [this other kid].
J: What? How did that even come up? What did they say?
A: Oh, they were going to go like kick his ass or something. It was hilarious. And no, they weren’t joking.
J: Lol!
A: Well that’s [the boy we've been talking about this whole conversation]; he’s really protective.
J: Of you? Yeah, everyone knows that!
A: Yeah, but not kids at school! I guess I’m lucky that Worcester is an hour away – gives me some time to prepare!
J: He’s come to visit you?
A: Haha no. He wanted to, but I told him no.
J: Why?
A: Well the reason he gave. I mean, I don’t think he would ever fight someone, but he wanted to come up to Boston and talk to some people.
J: Oh god!
A: Yeah, and that’s why he couldn’t come. I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.
J: Yeah. He is way overprotective of you!
A: Yeah he is.
J: At least you’ve totally reached the friend stage at this point.
A: Only took 6 years!
J: And you will always love him.
A: And so will you.
J: And he will always love both of us.
—
Filed under: Media
@RussertXM_NBCThis song was so legit in the late 90’s. Middle school dance anthem: http://bit.ly/yJCOU
Can’t go wrong with Savage Garden!
Filed under: Education
Via NYT:
But black students have made important gains in several Southern states over two decades, while in some Northern states, black achievement has improved more slowly than white achievement, or has even declined, according to a study of the black-white achievement gap released by the Department of Education this morning.
As a result, the nation’s most dramatic black-white gaps are no longer seen in Southern states like Alabama orMississippi, but rather in Northern and Midwestern states like Wisconsin, Nebraska, Connecticut and Illinois, according to the federal data.
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By 2007, the widest black-white gap in the nation on the fourth-grade math test, (not counting the District of Columbia, which is not a state) showed up not in the deep South but in Wisconsin.
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Connecticut is another Northern state where achievement gaps are larger than in states across the South, the federal study shows. That is partly because white students in Connecticut score above the national average, but also because blacks there, on average, score lower than blacks elsewhere. [Italics mine]
This goes back to a discussion my mom and I were having on Sunday – Conard vs. Hall. Hall ranks nationally higher on achievement – higher SAT scores, higher grad rates, more 3+ on AP tests, better statewide scores than Conard. Conard ranks higher nationally when it’s scores are stabilized for the percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch. See unlike the other high-performing Connecticut Valley (and Fairfield County schools for that matter) like Greenwich, Simsbury, Farmington, Hall, and Avon, Conard has the lowest family income per student (i.e. more free and reduced lunches). Conard is performing as well as it does across the board, across the racial and socioeconomic bounds of the school, albiet lower than the scores of neighboring school districts with less diverse student population.
And this all boils down to – my name is Amy, I was born and raised in Connecticut. I had the opportunity to attend Catholic school and then graduate from the #1 public high school in the state, and no, I am not a spoiled rich kid. And yes, I had the most diverse and rewarding experience at Conard High School that I have ever experienced in my educational career, including while attending Boston University. In the end, you learn best when the people around you are different from yourself.
Filed under: Life
At Borders today, I picked up a book entitled “What Does Your Birthday Say About You.” I read the entry for both my birthday and my mom’s and they fit so well, I went on a little google search. Here’s what the internet says about my birthday, September 27th. See how much is really me and what really isn’t!
27 – SELFLESSNESS HUMANITARIANISM – You have a deep yearning for knowledge. You use your logical mind and strong intuition to guide you. You get psychic haunches and dreams. Your emotional side; however, is not that predictable. You are rooted in your spirituality and may love nature, yoga, meditation, or living in the country. You are well mannered, the perfect guest or perfect host. You have a loving, generous, sensitive nature and work well with others. You are broad-minded and tolerant showing much sympathy and compassion. Your sensitivity could cause some mood swings. Your empathic nature may lead you into sympathy pains. For this reason you may want to withdraw because you feel so vulnerable. Perfectionism may cause you to be hard on yourself. The sense of perfection may also lead you to not feeling good enough. In relationships you are affectionate and seek a partner to nurture. You have the ability to make your partner feel special. The physical influence of a 27/9 may be red hair and freckles, high cheekbones and a high voice. You often have long legs. You might be prone to skin allergies or headaches or blood sugar imbalances. You may work as a diplomat, peacemaker, humanitarian or leader in any field. Other careers may be in philosophy, psychology, spirituality, history, therapy, medicine, or art.
For you, love is a feeling that lingers for really long time – even after a relationship is totally over. In fact, you still make have strong feelings for the first person you fell in love with. You usually are reluctant to end relationships. And sometimes you’re the last to know that things are ending! Number of Times You’ll Have Your Heart Broken: 5. You are most compatible with people born on the 9th, 18th, and 27th of the month.
You are a spiritual soul – a person who tries to find meaning in everything. You spend a good amount of time meditating, trying to figure out life. Helping others is also important to you. You enjoy social activities with that goal. You are very generous and giving. Yet you expect very little in return. Your strength: Getting along with anyone and everyone. Your weakness: Needing a good amount of downtime to recharge. Your power color: Cobalt blue. Your power symbol: Dove. Your power month: September.
Filed under: Life
“I remember him sitting right here, crying on the phone with you getting the latest update from the hospital. He always kept asking me ‘Why?’. You two have been through so much. It’ll be nice to have you near him in Boston next year. I’ll call you and say, ‘Amy, call Kolby, he needs a break.’ ” – Mrs. Woodfield
Filed under: Life
The Spellman family reunion hit day 3 today. We started off by sleeping in – and by that I mean that the older grandchildren slept in. We headed off to mini golf, bumper boats, and go karts. Safe to say, I lost in the older kid’s mini golf tournament -6 par per whole is not so good, although I didn’t have any coffee, so should I get a disability there? Then it was off to Hops for lunch. Follow by prepping for the PARTAY – aka me making my famous caesar salad. And then Aaron’s grad PARTAY from 4-9. Then presents. And now, writing blog posts. Family leaves tomorrow :-(
Big updates:
- Aaron has lots of friends.
- Katie (not cousin Kaite) is good at basketball – watch that girl dribble!
- College-aged grandchildren need lots of caffeine. Lots. Like yesterday – except today, it was based off of diet coke.
- Sweet Tea vodka is the shitza. It’s good.
- Never drive in the 16 and under go karts if you are older than 16.
Crazy Conversations / Quotes:
- “Pedeophiles move around a lot”- random person at Aaron’s grad party.
- “We need to talk to Jana. Gotta get her cute jewelry” – Katie.
- “Amy, you’re drunk.” / “No I’m not!”
- “Hi, I’m Jana, like banana.” – Aunt Jana.
- “I’m not like Joey.” – Robby.
- “Amy, your knee is black and blue.” – Mom
- “Amy, do you need me to come upstairs with you?” – Kolby
- “Amy, come sit next to me.” – Kolby
Filed under: Life
The Spellman 2009 Family Reunion has reached the end of day 2 – yes at almost 1 am. Today it was up early – Adam had school and AWARDS (our little American Legion boy!), I took Katie out for coffee and some Target-ing, and the rest of the family slept, swam, worked out, and flew. Aunt Jana, Uncle Dan, Jake, and Matt arrived just in time for our Cosi lunch. Then it was off to Blueback for the grandchildren – birth order please – Katie, Amy, Aaron, Jake, Matt, Mike, and Emily – to see UP, eat as much movie food as we could handle, and then stop to get some ice cream after. In the meantime, the parental units hung out at home, drinking wine and catching up. After a dinner of pizza and Chinese food, it was off to Whirlyball for the Graduation Tournament. Two hours and many whiplashes and bruises later, the little families and the grandparents headed back to the hotel (Jen’s to sleep, Jana’s + Adam for a sleepover), the older Spellman siblings (Jill’s and Julie’s) stopped by the Petry Grad Party, and the older cousins (Katie, Amy, Aaron, Jake) and Aaron’s friends went to see Year One at the Crown. Tomorrow’s another busy day – PARTAY!
Big updates:
- Jake’s taller than me. I know, it’s not something that’s hard to do, but he’s only 15!
- Mike knows how to drive the Whirlyball cars better than Matt – go Mike!
- College-aged grandchildren need lots of caffeine. Lots.
- West Hartford has really bad traffic at 5 pm on a Friday.
- Katie had yet to see the Asian version of My New Haircut, until today.
Crazy Conversations / Quotes:
- Grandma can rhyme. No, not in the rapper way.
- “My tears almost fell during the movie” – Emily, explaining how her eyes got all watery.
- The “That’s what she said jokes.” were hilarious
- “Well what if he’s gay?” / “Well then he’ll be in the closet forever.”
- And the quote of the day – “No homo. No incest.” – my family loves each other.
Filed under: Life
The Spellman 2009 Family Reunion has officially begun – and because it’s a grad year (Aaron’s turn), everyone’s here in CT for the weekend. And by everyone I mean – The Barals [Amy, Aaron, Adam, Jill (Mom), and Mark (Dad)], the Grandparents [Jerry and Janice], the Kavanaghs [Aunt Julie, Uncle Joe, and Katie], the Dovgans [Aunt Jana, Uncle Dan, Jake, and Matt], and the Clausens [Aunt Jeni, Uncle Josh, Mike, and Emily]. The missing few are favorite cousin Patrick who is finishing up Clemson Summer Session 1 exams and the Spellmans [Uncle Jeff, Aunt Diane, Darcy, Nick, and Jake] who are serving it up pool-style in Woodward, Iowa.
This post will be updated throughout the weekend – maybe even with pictures!! – to note fun facts, interesting happenings, and of course, funny comments.
Thursday 6/18
Big updates:
- Katie and Jim (her boyfriend) have hinted about a marriage possibility. Shock! Amazement! Happiness! And upon seeing his facebook, the decision that it would be nice to have another cute Southern cousin. Katie gets some big ups for picking a good one!
- Patrick was fired or quit his job. It was a shady deal anyway.
- Mike and Emily are as crazy and hyper as ever – but I think I have the favorite cousin card in the bag. It got an “I love you” bookmark handmade by Emmers last weekend. They enjoyed being in Boston this past week with their other cousins and according to Em (who’s 4, mind you), “I hate the Yankees.” We teach them well here in Red Sox Nation – getting them young – even the ones from the midwest.
- Aaron wants to be a teacher?!?! Revelation by Mom during a chat at dinner.
- All of the Spellman grandchildren in college have macs – photo op soon!
Interesting Happenings:
- Julie and Joe’s plane delayed. Katie came early – treated her to some seafood, SCORE!
- Ate at Counter Burger where Em spilled her milkshake – it lead to a complete breakdown and lots of heads turned our way.
- Grandma had at least 3 glasses of wine – according to a grandchildren count from various sources. Working our way up. We’re going to get her a straw and maybe a cozi to hold the bottle around her neck!
- Sooo much rain!
Crazy Conversations / Quotes:
- Laugh attack caused by Katie’s retelling of Christmas at the Kavanagh’s and Patrick’s rug burn incident. Crazy drunken cousins!
- The two things Grandpa asked about on the drive home from the airport – “How’s your love life Amy?” and “Now this road takes you by the high school right?”. No surprise there, eh Patrick. Also discussed: the weather in Iowa – hot (again, no surprise).
- “He’s cute, where does he live again?” – Katie, after reaching some photos in my London album.
- “Amy go check out the lawn guy, he’s cute.” – Dad, in reference to the Scott’s lawn care guy (age probably about 40) doing our lawn.
- “Can we roll down the window?” – Mike and Em in the backseat of my car, in the rain. The answer was no, sorry!
- “were you at cuase afta dis I’m out” – Text I sent to Patrick (it was a forward of a text I got yesterday). His response, “Say what now girl?”.
- “Ben’s here.” – At Golf FORE the Kids, text from Aaron. Self-explanatory.
- “And then the boat went like this and went up this high!” – Em, explaining the adventure that was their whale watch this morning.
- “Jerry and Janice, they’re high maintenance” – Mom. High-maintenance means not carrying on their luggage.
- “We’re portable.” – Katie, in reference to her family.
