Happy Spring

March is one of my favorite months. It just seems so much more optimistic than February.

Anyway, back on Valentine's Day weekend, we went to visit mom and I ended up going to my old doc for an ear infection. She said it was so swollen and draining so much gunk she couldn't even see the ear drum. Got antibiotics and the pressure and pain was relieved, but it was still sort of stuffy and wet feeling.

So last week, mom comes to visit me, and I end up back at my doc's office because the pressure and pain are back. Again, she says it is so swollen, she can't really see inside. This time, I get a stronger antibiotic AND some antibiotic ear drops because she thinks it may be an inner and outer ear infection.

When I get a bug, I get it good and proper. I'm seriously ready for it to clear up so I can hear better.

It happens to be the ear on the same side as my thyroid nodule, and it started up shortly after the needle biopsy. I wonder if they poked something loose and it ventured up my eustachian tube. (Probably not very likely) Speaking of thyroids, the surgery will be April 24th. I have to have this ear thing cleared up, or they will have to reschedule me.

In other news, Abby has lost 3 teeth so far. The very first one that came out is pretty much replaced with the new one now. I went to her class yesterday for another Art class. I've been doing the artist biography each time, and I try to find something that they might be interested in rather than just be the Charlie Brown teacher saying "wah wah wah".

Last month, the artist loved Jazz and was inspired by jazz. So I talked a little bit about brand new technology and asked if there was something new that hadn't been around before. (They were a little stumped, but the teacher said "The Wii", and they were like, OHHHH) The last artist was alive when radio stations and broadcasts were brand new, so jazz was THE craze. I even asked if they thought they would like music their great grandparents listened to. Most were thinking no. Then I brought out my ipod and played "What a Wonderful World", which was in the movie Madagascar. Then I played a snippet of "La Vie En Rose" which was in the movie Wall-E. I think it blew their little minds.

I gotta say, it was a really cool little presentation. This month's artist was alive around the same time, but he was a total BEAR to find something interesting to kindergarteners. He was reportedly a "communist", and this was sort of during the red scare, and he thought he'd been a victim of anti-semitism, so he changed his name. And he painted "protest" pictures against unfair things in society like poverty and racism. None of these issues were things I wanted to get into with a bunch of 5 year olds. So I ended up reading "The Big Bad Wolf is Good" which is a story about how the other animals are scared of him and nobody wants to be his friend and they all slam the door on him until he rescues a little lost duck and then Mama duck finally invites him in for tea. At the end, he asks if she could call him Big Good Wolf. So I said just like the big bad wolf, this artist thought he was treated unfairly and changed his name.

Not half as cool as last month's presentation. But, they all seemed to like it. I guess I've developed quite the reputation. I am in charge of it for next month, so I asked the other moms what task they wanted. Did anybody else want to do the biography? One of the mom's actually said, Heck no! I don't want to be the act that follows you!

So I guess I must be doing a good job.