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:
Holy crap. Miss Toy died.
That really sucks. I loved that woman.
Oh no! How sad. Thanks for letting us know.
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.
She was definitely a special teacher.
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