| Holiday Bizarre Posted: Nov 30, 2012 - 5:48pm |
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As our little family heads into the holiday season, I find that I have had some setbacks that require me to be financially creative. I try to stay sensible at the holidays but this year I'm feeling a little cornered. I know, most certainly, the difference between necessity and luxury. I find that a beloved necessity is out of our lives and I've got to get it replaced to run an efficient household. My washing machine croaked. For the last two weeks I've been washing only what is absolutely soiled and hauling that laundry to and fro from our house. I've located a machine to replace the machine we had, but with its purchase I eliminate any Christmas for our children. I've tried to be creative and come up with a way to pay for the new machine and avoiding passing out chunks of coal. So, anyway, instead of becoming entirely discouraged I thought I'd try this: Justine's Holiday Bizarre is [ Show full text and comments (65) ] |
| Distrust Comes Home Posted: Jun 12, 2012 - 6:25pm |
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I'll precede this by saying I'm a very trusting individual. Probably too trusting. Today was the first, but probably not the last, weird parenting scenario I've experienced, not of my own doing. Our son has been riding his bike over to a classmate's home recently. Charlie knows this boy from school, a classmate, that lives across the street from our local school. It's a ride of approximately 3 blocks from our house. He's been over there a few times now that school is out, but he's never been invited inside. That's okay with me, because they've played on the school playground, all within sight of said child's mother. She's never called here or attempted to contact me here at our house though Charlie has recited our phone number to her. He doesn't stay long, told by me to not be there more than an hour before he's to come home. I do this not as a control but as a practice of independence and time telling. Today, he ... [ Show full text and comments (35) ] |
| The Return of Crash *new pics* Posted: Feb 18, 2012 - 11:01am |
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Back in the stone age of college, I earned the college radio air name of Crash. I was a little accident-prone and Justine as an air name was fairly lame. I'd thought those days were behind me, but last Thursday proved me wrong. It was my 43rd birthday and one of my students had baked me a cake and brought it to school. I was heading back into the school when I slipped on some ice in the parking lot. As I landed on my rump, I heard my wrist go 'crack'. I was a blubbering mess by the time I walked into the main office. Thankfully, the school nurse was there and splinted me. Another teacher drove me to the urgent care clinic when I returned to the classroom to tell them what happened. I thanked all the students and told them to enjoy the cake without me. My 44th year hasn't started out so well. I panicked pretty badly after seeing the x-ray. I had been sure it was a sprain and I was I just being a wimp. The PA said something about surgery and I ... [ Show full text and comments (42) ] |
| JustJanis Made Me Do It *new photos* Posted: Feb 6, 2012 - 7:38pm |
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(I'll try to redo this. I tried to correct a typographical error using the iPad and munched the lot of it.) Janis wanted to see my battle scar. I spent Monday at the dermatologist in Billings, having a quarter-sized basal cell carcinoma sliced off like buffalo mozzarella. They got it all but *yowza* is my head hurting today. I feel like my ski helmet is on too tight. Now I know why Frankenstein was so cranky. My mom offered to send me her vintage 1968 wig, which explains my request for the Tricia story. I don't believe my mom had a name for her wig. She could have called it Wednesday. I remember this so vividly from childhood; my mom went to The Beauty Shop (actual name of the business) in Woodlake for her appointment every Thursday at 4. Virginia, who started doing my mom's hair in 1963 and still cuts it today, would do her hair while I sat under the hood dryer looking at National Geographic. After the ... [ Show full text and comments (37) ] |
| No Big Deal Posted: Jan 20, 2012 - 6:38pm |
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Really, it's no big deal. So, here goes a new adventure. I finally, after 5 years without, found myself insured. Part of this particular coverage required me to have a 'medical home'. When I called for the initial appointment with my new doctor, I was asked if I was experiencing any medical issues. My response was "OH NO! I'm totally healthy." That was a Friday. Over that very weekend, I had a lump that felt like its own Vesuvius come up on my shoulder/neck. I started calling Monday and found I couldn't get in to the clinic very easily. I was trying to not miss work. I kept calling. Still no luck getting an appointment. By Wednesday, the school nurse looked at me and said '' you need to have this addressed and now." I called the clinic and then called the insurance to get the okay to have it looked at by someone other than my assigned doctor. I went to the Urgent Care clinic and the PA worked on it, ordered labs and looked, at my suggestion, ... |
| World Prematurity Day • November 17 Posted: Nov 16, 2011 - 8:26pm |
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In a month of thankfulness, I'm approaching a decade of thanks for my early little girl. November 17 is World Prematurity Day. Take a moment and think of all those early children that have fought for their place in the world with the help of the March of Dimes. We have all come a long way from that very scary day that Augusta arrived in 2002.  On World Prematurity Day [ Show Comments (30) ] |
| Cake With A Free Throat Swab? Posted: Feb 5, 2011 - 10:16pm |
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Just because this week hasn't been interesting enough, there's this: I just brought Charlie home from the ER with a diagnosis of strep. We've postponed the party that was planned for tomorrow with some of his friends following church for coffee and cake hour. Needless to say, we won't be taking this along. Guess we can call this the Strep Express...  ... [ Show full text and comments (13) ] |
| The Mackster Posted: Feb 1, 2011 - 6:51pm |
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Today, even with its weather-induced challenges, started okay. It's really, really cold here. I put a Hawaiian shirt on over my turtleneck and headed off for school. I sent Augusta back to school after her being home sick yesterday. She missed an audition for the Missoula Children's Theater while we were at the pediatrician, but thankfully she was not diagnosed with strep. I kept thinking 'Hawaii', even showing some of my students the obvious and almost comical differences between here and there. At the time I looked, the temperature in Powell was -13°; the projected high in Oahu today was 77°. It's not often that there is a 90° difference on a thermometer. We also made a list of things that we might have here, to handle the cold; snowsuit, snow boots, hat, mittens, hot chocolate. We then made a list of what we might have at the beach, since we were being mental travelers; bathing suit, flip-flops, sun hat, ... |
| Update on the Inglorious Ways of Others Posted: Sep 22, 2010 - 8:14pm |
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I'll post this for a few days, but then I'll probably need to take it down. As I've been writing this I've been listening to Tom Waits singing "The Piano Has Been Drinking". It is eerily fitting... Papers were signed today with our attorney to get the coffee shop back to us. More precisely, we are filing a motion for a relief from stay because THEY (the buyers/ current operators) starting filing for bankruptcy in February. We are secured creditors on the business that originally they did not list on their first plan. Or their second plan. We finally appeared as secured creditors in their third plan. The owner of the building where the business is located is about to lock them out for not paying rent (they shorted him last month) and he was not aware that they were in bankruptcy filing. The wife in the couple called here Monday, twice, saying they have a buyer lined up and wanted to know 'if you're trying to take the coffee shop ... |
| Pancake Dance Posted: Jul 30, 2010 - 10:29am |
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Just another day at the office... Pancake Dance from Justine Larsen on |
| National Folk Festival Posted: Jul 14, 2010 - 9:42pm |
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| The Mower Posted: Jul 7, 2010 - 9:35pm |
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Mowing with Charlie from Justine Larsen on Vimeo. [ Show Comments (22) ] |
| Water That Isn't That Still... Posted: Jun 22, 2010 - 8:00pm |
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We enjoyed the hospitality and a beautiful adventure with Xeric and Muzik last weekend. We were guided down the Stillwater River between Absarokee and Columbus, Montana, on a glorious afternoon the day before a oh-geez-it's-for-real tornado hit Billings. You'd never know by the blue skies above us the storm that was to come. Thankfully, we were headed home and the Xerics were off the river before the 4:30 storm on Father's Day. Thanks again to Xeric, Muzik and Gus the Wonder Navigator for our ride down the Stillwater. And, I'll let Professor Xeric tell you why it's called the Stillwater... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
| Eight Tomorrow - Update Posted: May 30, 2010 - 6:59pm |
| Charlie and Two Wheeler Posted: May 15, 2010 - 7:23pm |
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Charlie and Two Wheeler from Justine Larsen on Vimeo. [ Show Comments (21) ] |
| Eight, Eight, Eight, Eight - May 8, 2010 UPDATE: LINKY WORKY Posted: May 8, 2010 - 8:09pm |
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I guess I'm all about numbers and significance. Today, the eighth of May, is my first day of fundraising for the annual March of Dimes March for Babies that will take place here in Powell in early June. Eight is a nice, round number ... especially considering that my premature baby, Augusta, is going to be 8 at the end of this month. There was a time we celebrated that she had been with us 8 minutes, then 8 days and now - nearly 8 years. You are all an incredibly generous bunch and so I ask if you have $8 that you can spare for another family that will benefit, as we did, by the advances made by the March of Dimes. Love, Augusta, Charlie, Scott & Justine [ Show full text and comments (14) ] |
| Superhero Posted: Apr 12, 2010 - 4:13pm |
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Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all had our own theme music? Bike-Riding Super Hero from Justine ... |
| ... Bok Bok Posted: Apr 8, 2010 - 9:37am |
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| Channeling Fred Posted: Feb 25, 2010 - 6:12pm |
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Charlie Lobster from Justine Larsen on Vimeo. [ Show Comments (9) ] |
| Some 'Splainin To Do... Posted: Jan 17, 2010 - 5:21pm |
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Sometime back I posted a journal about being canned from my job in the school district. The day after I posted it, while at the school cleaning out my materials, I was called by the director and told to stop. She asked if I would still be willing to teach the class for 2.5 billable hours a day. I wasn't quick enough to say "Well, yes, but my price for teaching just doubled". Yes, obviously, I'm a doormat. So, now I'm back to school -- teaching my English class -- and clamoring to gather 5 units to have my substitute permit reinstated even though I'd submitted an all new application (long story there). I am scrambling to play catch up for two classes that have started; a "Reading Across The Curriculum" course and another course called "Classroom Instruction That Works". Of course, I receive no ... [ Show full text and comments (11) ] |
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