Cold Truth

We had hit up our neighbors to borrow their coolers in preparation for the arrival of our new refrigerator today, but it occurred to me last night that the whole world would be a refrigerator today, when the high temperature was only supposed to be 32. 

No coolers necessary, I rose at 8 AM and packed the contents of the freezer and fridge in reusable shopping bags and set them out on our deck. Then I pulled out the empty appliance and cleaned behind and underneath it, not wanting to subject the delivery and installation techs to a couple of years worth of side spills and cat hair. And I was just finishing up when my phone rang. 

Perfect timing! I congratulated myself, but I was disappointed to hear a recorded voice telling me that our delivery had been delayed a third time and directing me to dial a toll free number as soon as possible. Pity the operator who answered my call! I was courteous but clearly displeased, and he soon elevated my call. The next person I spoke to acknowledged my frustration and offered me 42 dollars for my inconvenience. 

I laughed out loud, at which point she doubled the compensation and promised to have my fridge to me by Wednesday. "It would cost me more than 84 dollars to take off from work," I told her, which I think is true-- I'll be compensated for my unused leave when I retire. Her best offer was 126 dollars and a Saturday appointment, which I accepted with the understanding that any further delays will result in the cancelation of the order. I hung up and turned to my empty refrigerator. 

The problem with it is a clogged freezer drain which results in water flowing into the main compartment whenever the compressor defrosts. I had watched videos on how to clear the clog, but it would involve me removing the icemaker before I could access the drain. After my stove fiasco, I didn't have the will to attempt such a feat, and since our fridge is 19 years old, my research told me that a new, more energy-efficient appliance would have us break even within a year or two. 

But the freezer was empty, and I thought long and hard about what it would take to pull that icemaker out. In the end, I attempted to unclog it from the freezer side with some very hot water. Then I scrubbed that old fridge within an inch of its remaining days and hoped for the best. 

Maybe it's fixed? But probably not. It does still chill, though, and it's sparkling clean. It can last at least another couple of months if necessary, and I'm thinking that's likely.

If It Ain't Broke

"So I was thinking about this question in the shower," I said to my first class of the day today as they posted their answers to What is your favorite cereal?

"Wait! What?" they exclaimed. 

"Are you surprised about the shower or the thinking?" I laughed. 

But what I told them was that I realized that when their A Day peers had answered the question the day before, almost every cereal they mentioned was one that had been around when I was a kid, fifty years ago or more. And the same held true today: Lucky Charms, Rice Krispies, Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, and Coco Puffs were among their favorites. A few cereals that were new when I was a teen, like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Reeses were also mentioned, but almost everything else was on the shelf when my brother and sister and I used to go shopping with my dad on Saturday afternoons. I really have to wonder how the breakfast cereal industry has been spending its time.

There was one product mentioned that I had never heard of before, though. A couple of kids named Krave as their favorite, and one was even enthusiastic enough to post a picture. It seems that Krave is a Cap'n Crunch type shell filled with chocolate cream. 

Friends, it's been a long time since I've been down the cereal aisle (I'm more of a yogurt or oatmeal or avocado toast type of a gal these days), but Krave? I might just have to try it. 

After sugar-free February, of course.

Commercial Success

My friend Mary and I always say that if we can make it past the essay unit, the rest of the school year is an easy, downhill glide. The kids usually love the media literacy unit where they make a commercial; they enjoy writing fiction; the 100 Day Writing Challenge is novel and engaging; poetry is fun; and the unit where they interview another student is also high-interest. Cap that off with teacher for a day at the end of the year, and the next 4 1/2 months seem easy peasy, on paper at least.

And if the lesson today on persuasive techniques and how they can be used to manipulate us was any indication? 

We have totally got this.

Again!

Tough Crowd

"Our friend actually asked me what kind of graphic organizer I recommended for the article he was reading," one of my colleagues reported of a challenging student at our team meeting today. "And when I told him I could see using either a timeline or a description and suggested a combination? He said, 'good point.' I see that as a win!" she laughed.

"Amazing!" I agreed. "And you've definitely got me beat. I was just happy when he said goodbye on his way out of class today!"

A Matter of Interpretation

Tuesday is current events day in our homeroom activity rotation, and that usually means CNN 10 and some kind of quiz game. For those who are unaware, CNN 10 is a 10 minute news show for secondary students produced every week day from September to May by, you guessed it, CNN. For the most part, it's not objectionable; the coverage ranges from politics, both national and international, to the domestic economy, with a large dose of science, heavy on climate change and astronomy. 

The quiz we usually do is a Kahoot. Again, for you non-schoolies, Kahoot is a web based platform where anyone can create quiz games. They also offer some public content that the company creates. Good News of the Week is one of those quiz games. As you might imagine the question can be a bit hit or miss in terms of their content. They definitely do not align with CNN 10, but the quizzes are usually entertaining.

Today was kind of a bust though. The kids (and I!) only got 34% overall accuracy. The questions were all over the place and more than a little esoteric ranging from the number of bike spots in a new underwater garage in Amsterdam (7000) to Louis Vuitton's partnership with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama to the capture of a record-setting, nearly 7 pound cane toad in Australia.

We were all dismayed to learn in the follow-up info that the toad was later euthanized, as it is an invasive pest introduced to Australia from South America in 1935 in hopes of controlling the Cane Beetle which was harming crops. Since then, the toads have flourished, unchecked by natural predators, and have become a huge threat themselves to many native reptiles, birds, and mammals.

At the end of the game we all agreed that that particular news item was definitely not good, especially for the toad.

The Nerve

Around lunchtime today, we walked over with some sourdough bread and chicken salad to visit our friend Mary who is recovering from knee replacement surgery. Mary looks good; she may be giving Heidi a run for her money in the medical miracle category. Even though the surgery was just last Thursday, Mary met us at the door with only a cane. "Oh, I walked upstairs the same day," she shrugged modestly. "It's what they tell you to do." She went on to report that she had had a nerve block before the procedure which helped with the pain but was also pretty disconcerting. "I couldn't move my leg for a million dollars," she laughed.

Her story reminded me of the time in seventh grade when I broke my arm. Back then, they didn't call an ambulance for such injuries, instead my mom picked me up from school, where I had slipped on the basketball court during PE and fractured my ulna, and drove me to the hospital. It was a compound break, and they gave me a brachial block in the ER even before they x-rayed it. I remember lying on the gurney behind one of the curtains with my mother at my side, waiting for the orthopedist to come and set the bone. 

"Your hand is so warm!" I said to my mom.

She looked momentarily confused. "You're not holding my hand," she told me.

It turned out I was holding my own hand, but since I couldn't feel anything, I couldn't even tell!

Well Isn't That Cool?

 Who knew our iPhone photo apps could do this???

Evidently this "lift a subject from the background" capability has been available since September, when iOS 16 arrived. Heidi found it by accident yesterday, while looking at wedding dress photos of course. We've been playing with it since, but are still not quite sure of its full application. It's cool, though!

*Cute puppy pic courtesy of Bill and Emily.