Friday, November 20, 2009

Conversations with a Five Year Old and Sadness

Brynna: Mommy, how do you wrap a penguin up in a towel?

Me: What? Huh? Oh. (Noticing bath toy penguin and dripping wet washcloth.) Well, see, let's wring that out first because you're dripping.

Brynna: Noooo!

Me: It'll be warmer when it's not so wet.

Brynna: Hmph! Fine!

Me: Okay, first you want to hold it like a diamond, not like a square. Then, you put the penguin's head in the point so it makes a little hood and fold this over and then this over and then this up and Voila!

Brynna: Cool!

Me: That's called Swaddling. I used to do it with you when you were a baby.

Brynna: But not Maren?

Me: Maren hated it.

Brynna: I'm going to do it with Mister when he's born.

Me: Is Mister going to be your first baby?

Brynna: Maybe. If he is, I probably won't have any more kids. But if Samantha is my first, then I'll have Samantha, then Elizabeth, then Mister, then Robert, then Lily.

Me: Why won't you have any more if Mister is first.

Brynna: Because boys are harder.

Me: Well, girls are no picnic. What if Mister doesn't like to be swaddled?

Brynna: He will. He'll be juuuust like me.

Me: If there's any justice in the world...

Brynna: What mommy? (innocent eyelash flapping)

Me: Nothing sweetie. Are you ready for your story?
____________________

Just an announcement, for those who are from these parts...

Ms. Toy (Regina Toy), one of my all-time favorite teachers, chemistry maven extraordinaire, lovely human being, unrepentant packrat, and all around amazing person died today of complications from swine flue and pneumonia. I can't quite fathom a whole post about this, but I know some of you may not know and may want to. The world will be a less exciting, less enjoyable, and all around emptier place without her and 20 or so years of students will miss her.

4 comments:

Strangeite said...

Holy crap. Miss Toy died.

That really sucks. I loved that woman.

Suze said...

Oh no! How sad. Thanks for letting us know.

Jenn-Jenn, the Mother Hen said...

Oh, man. That sucks big ol' huge donkey (insert part of anatomy here). She was my chemistry teacher my senior year. I got mad one day because we were being quizzed over the periodic table of the elements and I couldn't remember any of them (well, except gold, thanks to that "The Facts of Life" episode, "A U, gimme back my gold watch!"). Anyway, I got mad when I got my quiz back and I didn't do so hot. I told her point blank I'd never have to know the damn table of the elements anyway, so I didn't care that I got a bad grade (but I did care, of course I cared). She just smiled at me this sardonic smile and said, "If you say so." Then she made me take it again, and again, and again, until I knew the elements.

Flash forward 10 years to when I got the job I currently hold. I'm a secretary for a metallurgical engineering firm. I use the periodic table of the elements every. stinkin'. day. Of course, the first thing I did was e-mail Ms. Toy and tell her thanks for making me learn the table of the elements. She e-mailed back something to the effect of, "see, you needed to know it after all!" She had remembered me mouthing off to her about it, after all these years!

What a special lady. [sigh] I feel sorry for the generations of students who will never have her in class. RIP Ms. Toy.

Jessi said...

She was definitely a special teacher.