Mariannes Motifs

Here's my friend the giraffe

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Here's my new best friend the giraffe. About a minute after this picture was taken we drove the zebra-striped rented van into the park and I was feeding this guy through the car window. Giraffes slobber a lot!

So in other news I have shingles. Yeah, aren't I lucky. Now in addition to Crohn's disease, the need for allergy bedding, and severe migraines, I have to deal with the shooting itchy pains of shingles. Seriously not cool.

I Can Has Animal Chows?

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Originally uploaded by Mar1anneC

Here is one of the deer we were feeding at the wild animal safari. Love those ears! I have a ton of awesome pictures to blog from the trip. It even makes me want to get back into digi scrapbooking again. I haven't done any scrapping since about the time I picked up knitting.

I am totally frustrated with the scarf I am knitting out of linen right now. Lace and I are I am afraid just not meant to be. I need totally simple brainless patterns! I hate having to rip back and try to pick up where I was before I screwed something up. Grr.

I also got a picture of a Tesla we drove by.  Really cool looking car.  I wonder if Tesla parts are as expensive as Ferrari parts?  Probably.

Way too hot

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Callaway Gardens

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Originally uploaded by mar1annec

Here are the three cousins in front of the Callaway Gardens Butterfly center.

Zebra Attack!

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Originally uploaded by mar1annec

The Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, GA was really something to behold. The only animals you were not supposed to hand feed are the Zebras and the large birds. Looking at the zebras teeth I can see why. One zebra took a whole bag of food from me!

Callaway Gardens Butterfly Center

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Happy Birthday to Me

I am the answer to life the universe and everything.
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Whew - I am Beat!

The last couple of weeks have been really tiring for me. (No pull up bars!)  I have a vacation coming up in a week so I am just trying to hang in there til the 18th.  My birthday is on the 17th so the festivities will begin then and continue to a short trip to Callaway Gardens.   We got a hotel room at the Inn there and will spend a couple of days hanging out at the garden, Butterfly Center, Birds of Prey show, lake beach, and whatever strikes us.  There is a wild animal safari nearby as well, where you can drive through and see the animals.

The kids are enjoying their summer camp.  They've gone to Stone Mountain, Amicalola Falls, Laser Tag, had water slides and done a bunch of other stuff.  The hightlight of the day seems to be whichever Silly Bands they trade with their friens.

School is So Busy Teaching This...

School is So Busy Teaching This
That They Tend To Miss Teaching This


Following Directions
Thinking for Yourself

Sitting Still
The human body needs frequent periods of movement for optimal health.

Coloring Inside the Lines
Creativity

Memorizing
Problem Solving

Getting to Class on Time
It's polite to allow an adequate break time between meetings.

Following The Rules
Having a Love of Learning

Being like everyone else
Treating each kid as an individual.

Competitive Sports
Physical fitness does not always need to be competitive. Think yoga, fitness walking, interval training, aerobics.

How to Pass the Standardized Tests
Teaching just what's on the test can leave huge gaps in curriculum coverage.

How to Memorize Formulas
The real life applications of math. (recipies, shopping, investing)

Each subject on its own
A holistic apporach to observation, record keeping, consideration, and writing skills.

Social studies read out of a book.
Real life skills such as bill paying, budgeting, balancing a checkbook, managing credit or finding cheap insurance.

Science out of a book.
Going outside and observing the natural world around us. Identify the plants, birds and animals in our area. Take samples, observe , make hypotheses from the evidence around you.

Integrity

The word "integrity" stems from the Latin adjective integer (whole, complete). In this context, integrity is the inner sense of "wholeness" deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character.  - Wikipedia

To me integrity means having the guts to live what you believe.  It means not just taking the easy way out but being true to what you know is right.  Since different people have different ideas about what is right, I guess that means that I could disagree with what a person believes but be able to admit that at least they behave with integrity - living consistently within their own moral worldview.

 

Americans, in general, (and perhaps people the world over) really hate hypocrisy.  We want you to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.  There's nothing worse than, for example, politicians who preach against gay rights, and then get caught with male escorts.  (Yes, that one seems to happen a lot - like their real nature is fighting so hard with their public persona there ends up being a blow up as the two cannot coexist in the same body forever.)

 

It must be very difficult to lead a double life like that.  Many people have had to hide their true selves to the world, for lots of different reasons.  In fact, I would posit that ALL of us hide our true selves to some degree or another.  Modesty and privacy are concepts that are very important in the American ethos.  We strongly feel that there are some things that are personal and no body's business but our own and perhaps the people we are closest to.  Does it go against integrity to keep parts of your life as private as possible?  No, I don't think so. But if you really have to hide important parts of your life (sexual preference, religion, gender, some aspect of your family life) it can be problematic and stressful.

 

Blogging puts me in the public eye, but I do reserve parts of my thoughts and behaviors quite private.  One way I really stress integrity is in the workplace.  I can recall one very pivotal time in my life when I saw something going on at a job that I knew was wrong but I did not say anything.  That experience has haunted me ever since and I have been very careful to work for companies with professional workplaces and attitudes against sexual harrassment.  And I am not afraid to speak up if I see something I think is wrong.  Well maybe a little afraid but sometimes it has to be done.  And sometimes you are the one who has to do it.

Going about your daily business with integrity is the best business insurance you will ever need.