Really Going

I miss Facebook. I really do. I keep thinking of sharing adorable things that Vinny and Tiana do or other things that are going on in my life, and I have to stop myself, and I am having a really hard time. I wonder what this says about me as a person. Why do I get so much out of sharing my thoughts with others?  Does anyone really care about this stuff?  I think that this is part of a maturity process of me for in some ways. I remember when I was a teenager I was so afraid I was going to miss something that was going on without me. Now... I care much less. I am happy in my world. But I do miss my friends.

This weekend I took a group of about of my students shopping in Little India. Vinny came along. He was great company, and I love showing off my intelligent little man to my students. He loved riding on the bus and talking with my students at lunch. He bought another animated Hindi movie, Jumbo 2, and like Roadside Romeo (the one he bought last year), loved it. Indian movies really are quite good. I kind of watched this one with him last night, and it did seem entertaining. What is more entertaining... is watching Vinny derive meaning from a movie in a language he doesn't speak. He tells us what is going on too. He will say, "Oh no, the grandma died," even though they didn't show her die; he just figures it out.  At one point in the movie, he says, "Hold on, it is almost over." I thought to myself... how does he know?  He hasn't seen it before. This means that he
a) actually is following the plot well enough to know where they are at in the story arch, even without understanding the words
b) actually understands the traditional story arch well enough to know that it was in the "falling action" phase, and that the falling action is never quite as long as the rising action.
This kid is smart.
I mean, the other morning, he woke up and realized I had accidentally left the tv on the night before (nothing on it, just on) and he calls to me, "The TV is running," so I yell out to him, "Well, then you better run and catch it." He walks in to my room and says, "No... mom," as if I am clearly not comprehending him, "NOT running like track. Running like a sink that was left on, as in you forgot to turn it off." Hahahaha. I love that he felt the need to use an analogy to explain it to me. He is a character.

Today, he wanted to play restaurant and was setting up our house as a restaurant. At first he says, "I am going to turn the tv off and close the cabinet," but then he changes his mind and says, "Or I could leave it on and turn basketball on." I was like... what? Basketball? Vinny has never once mentioned any interest in basketball. "Why basketball?" I ask. "Because that is what is always on tv when restaurants have tvs," he replies. (I suppose this says something about the kind of restaurants we visit). I laughed and explained that the Roku doesn't have basketball. He was quick to point out that there is, indeed, an NBA channel, but when I explained that it costs money, he opted for music and closing the tv cabinet. He is a funny kid.

Although, if you ask him, I'm a pretty fun mom too. When we were at Target today, I was pushing one of those giant carts with the extra seats (so Tiana and Vinny could both sit down - Vinny is too lazy to walk), and I accidentally bumped into a guy stocking soda. I apologized profusely and said, "Sorry, pushing this thing is like driving a semi truck on a two lane road." He smiled, nodded, and said it was okay. I moved on and Vinny says, "Mom, people must think you are funny, because everyone is always smiling at you." Geez. I think people smile in pity as they watch me answer a Vinny question per minute, catch the apple slices Tiana flings and pick dolly up off the ground 2,719 times on each shopping trip. I would smile at me too.

I am starting to get excited for my trip to China. I have a Chinese friend in one of my classes at school and she has been telling me stuff and showing me pictures. I honestly know so little about China that I don't even know what to look for, except the really obvious stuff. I showed her our itinerary and she typed in stuff for me too look at. She showed me pictures of the town of Suzhou, which they call "The Eastern Venice" because it is a beautiful water city. Very excited to see that!  She also wrote down "beef noodle" in Chinese on a sticky note, in hopes I won't starve. I am more than happy to show sticky notes of food orders to waiters. Otherwise, I might starve.

I also want to start planning a lesson. We are teaching secondary, I know, but what... I have no idea. This is going to be an adventure.