Campaign Headquarters, Sunday night

The election is on Friday. They really don't give the kids much time or incentive to campaign. Very little information was given out and they are off on Tuesday and Wednesday for the Jewish Holidays. My how times have changed. I used to have to bring a note to school explaining my absence on Jewish holidays and even though there were other Jewish kids in my school, no one else knew what the holiday was for. Maybe it's because it's New York, with so much cultural diversity, maybe they just teach them about all the holidays. Or maybe the school district got sued. Who knows?

Anyway, we've raided the craft store, and have created buttons (see pic above), bookmarks (they were fun, but I'm not sure how effective they'll be stuck inside books.) T-shirts and magnets. We're not completely done, we plan some candy giveaways (We're going to somehow personalize candy with campaign information overnight.) but we're making progress.

We are working on a video to be shot in the apartment tomorrow night. I have never edited a digital video before (only VHS "back in the day" and it involved machinery). I downloaded Microsoft Movie Maker, and hopefully can teach myself to use it. The video will be a sit down type interview format with another student acting as "host", asking our "candidate" questions. She is also going to shoot "testimonials" at school tomorrow. If she doesn't get mugged for the camera, we should be able to incorporate it into the video.

I'm not sure whether she or I are having more fun...ok, I'm sure, I am. But seriously, how cool are the "Presidential Tattoos"?

There's an alien in my house.

I don't know what happened. I'd like to think it's because of something profound that I said, although I'm sure it's just wishful thinking....

My stepdaughter has decided to run for Junior Class President of her high school. They sent her home with a sheet of paper, in which she had to outline which qualities she had that would make her a good class president. She loosely understood the role she'd be playing for the student body, but as we were discussing it, something clicked, and I saw a light go on in her head. Instead of saying how she'd like to help the school and give everyone a voice, or something really generic, she connected with the idea of actually participating and getting other students excited about getting their good, but underexposed school more attention and some school spirit.

She's spent the past 4 hours doing homework and working on her campaign. I can't say that I recognize this kid from even earlier this week. She's like a junior class president alien.

We've come up with real reasons why she'd be a great addition to the Student Body Council. Basically, on Monday the school posts on a bulletin board, a page written by each "candidate" campaigning for each position. On Friday, they vote.

Well, we're launching a full scale attack. This weekend we are putting together her "script" for a campaign announcement to be put on youtube and advertised to other students via bulletins on her myspace page. She'd get a student to "interview" her, and have other students give testimonials why she'd make a great junior class president. At the end of the video, she'd get to say "My name is Dolores, and I approve this message."

We will make buttons over the weekend which say something like "VOTE for DOLORES, it's vote FOR US", around the outside, with her picture in the center and a small caption, "JUNIOR CLASS PRESIDENT".

She had to list some ideas to make the school better and we included a blog on the school website, which lets a writer from each class (Sophmores, Juniors, Seniors) write about a topic and open up a comment forum. The school website contains calendar information, school contacts, and homework, but having this interactive feature, would help connect kids to the school and its activities.

Her school is small, so they don't have much in the way of dances and events other than the prom, to promote school spirit and get kids involved and participating, so she would set up a committee to fundraise for these events.

She's been looking at colleges...whew. I don't know when all this happened. Seemingly overnight, but she's all business and excited about this campaign and getting people to vote for her.

I can't wait to hit the craft store this weekend for campaign supplies. Now THIS is cool. :)

3 WEEKS = FOREVER

They say "Time Heals All Wounds". Ok...how much time, exactly?

A human year is equal to 7 dog years.
Apparently, three weeks, to a teenager is an eternity. The subject of trust came up again last night. My stepdaughter's high school has been in session for 3 weeks. And the nightly conversations go like this:

me: "Did you do your homework?"

her: "Yes."

me: "What did you have?"

her: " English, Science, French, Global and Math."

me: " Ok, so did you do your work?"

her: "Yes."

me: "All of it?"

her: "what?...(trailing off to buy more time...a textbook timewaster)"

me: "All of it. Did. You. Do. All. Of. Your. Homework." (I include the 1000 -mile- stare- that- can freeze fish.)

her: "Uh, well. No."

Notice how many times I ask the same question. At least 3. Sometimes she insists she's done everything. Ok. Fine. Let me see it.

So I look it over and correct grammar, etc...for the most part she's doing her homework this year. But then again, it's only been 3 weeks. I am aware of one missing assignment, which got her instantly grounded so she's received the message by now, what our expectations are.

Last night, she starts to get very upset that I don't trust that she's done her homework. She's missing something that she says she regularly completes before class in her "Zero" period. (A tutoring/ study hall period built into her schedule before school.) hmmm.....

I press further. She insists everything ELSE is completed and gets very whiny and upset and proclaims that I don't trust her.

I agree with her. I don't. This initiates more whining from her. I explain that I'm not angry, but no, I don't trust what she tells me, because she spent and entire year lying to me about anything and everything. So yes, while it looks like she's more focused this year, currently I have no experience with her in which I can say that I trust her.

her: "Sounds like you have a problem."

me: "No, the problem is yours."

her: "But I haven't lied to you in THREE WEEKS."

me: "Oh, ok..never mind then. You're trustworthy. It's been THREE WHOLE WEEKS since you lied to me. THANKS."

This actually started a pretty healthy dialogue about what type of values for which we want to be known. It was difficult to accept, but she finally seemed to understand that just because you say "I'm an honest person", if you regularly are caught telling lies, then no, in fact, by definition you are not an honest person. People are defined by their actions.

And as much as I enjoy postponing all the interesting things I plan to do for myself each evening, in order to interrogate her regarding her homework and marginal time management skills, it's going to take a whole lot longer than 3 weeks for me to not listen to my "bullshit-o-meter" ringing every time she opens her mouth.

Birthday Weekend! September 6th/7th...

From Random

So here I am at my in-laws about to start a very serious 40th birthday weekend of overeating and staying up late. If I never see another piece of cake it will be too soon.

From bday

Actually,