Well, it’s that time of year again

I’m heading out for my (annual * 1.2) trip to San Francisco. I’ll be embarking on the Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt, hopefully trying some new foods, and possibly meeting some new people. I’m all kinds of excited!

It’s only 9:51 EST, but the day is off to a weird start. I woke up when my alarms went off, which is weird for me. However, I threw up almost immediately after waking up. Sometimes I throw up due to a lack of sleep. I think (and hope) that today it was a combination of that and my excitement for the trip.

This year will be significantly more challenging due to that damn Cipro thing, having less clothing options available, and not having new shoes this time around. I visited the New Balance store, and they didn’t have any motion control shoes there except the ones that rub up against my ankles in an uncomfortable fashion. And according to Cedar Mountain, the New Balance store in San Francisco has closed down.

At least, having gotten only 4 hours of sleep, I know I’ll be able to sleep on the plane.

Wow. Somebody blocked my entire freakin’ country. If you’re in the US, you will probably get the same message by trying to view THIS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mljdpRp41I4

Remember when you were young (the vast majority of people who would read this, anyway) and you were in kindergarten? You’d get a good 30 minutes to an hour of naptime a day. You’d get to run around for 45 minutes or MORE of recess, socialize with your friends, learn how physics worked (*snicker*).

Napping — keeps kids focused. Keeps “stress” levels down. Provides a time to process thought for what’s already happened that day or what’s going to happen the rest of the day.

Recess — provides social interaction and exercise. Learning how humans naturally form groups and what kinds of people fit together and how different kinds of people interact with each other. Kids are FULL of energy, and need a chance to move around!

*sigh* Stupid Florida. Stupid FCAT. I remember when the schools were much more quality than they are now. Now in kindergarten there are no naps or recess, and children are being diagnosed with ‘ADD’ and put on medication. Gee, I wonder why.

The FCAT is some stupid Florida Government/School Board attempt to hold all children to the same standard. For fck’s sake — THEY’RE KIDS. You can’t hold all children to the same standard. All children have different home lives. I know one little girl who has to go on stress medication for that stupid test, and she’s in 4th grade. I HATE FLORIDA.

I used to love it. I really really liked all my teachers in middle school and high school (with the rare exception of a few, and those were either so few or so not memorable that I can’t even think of them right now). I looked forward to learning. Now all the learning is in preparation for a test that teaches you nothing of how the real world functions or about skills you might need for a job.

I need to end this rant. I have another post to finish.

Tip: Don’t raise your children in Florida.