Pink Asparagus

On the 100th day of Kindergarten the class was instructed to draw a picture of what they’ll look like when they’re 100 years old. They also needed to write a sentence about it. This is Elliot’s, notice how he crossed out “100″ and wrote “37″ – maybe they are equally obtuse for a six year old mind?

In case you need translation

I will be looking for germs strong enough to kill cancer. I will do this job from 37-100.

I am equally impressed and horrified at the prospects of the life he’s chosen. The student loans alone are enough to make me weep. Also, all the politicking around science? It’s a miracle anyone wants to do research anymore. But this is what we need: kids who don’t know that they can’t suceed on something like curing cancer. It’ll be a fantastic day when there’s a cure, even if my son isn’t the one to find it.

I’m a total ENTJ. People who know me aren’t surprised. People familiar with the Myers-Briggs type indicators who talk to me just once can peg me for an ENTJ. I wear it on my sleeve.

Frank, decisive, assume leadership readily. Quickly see illogical and inefficient procedures and policies, develop and implement comprehensive systems to solve organizational problems. Enjoy long-term planning and goal setting. Usually well informed, well read, enjoy expanding their knowledge and passing it on to others. Forceful in presenting their ideas.

I’m in limbo. Limbo for an ENTJ is hell. I’ve applied to graduate school. Their process is lengthy and thorough; their program is highly competitive. I’m having to reconcile that waiting for what I want (news about graduate school) is worth more than having a plan right now. But a plan makes me feel safe. I know how to execute a plan. I don’t know how to wait.

And yet, I wait.

And the waiting is overwhelming sometimes. And exhausting. And stressful. I have no idea how waiting can be exhausting, but it is. I’m sure this is an awesome life lesson: you can survive without a plan. Fine. I get it. Life continues even if I can’t plan.

It would just go more smoothly if I could plan.

Thanks to Picasa’s face recognition I’ve been taking trips down memory lane.

Here’s what I was looking at three years ago.

Elliot is playing basketball! Our rec center has this great season for little kids that’s only six-weeks long, just enough to get a taste and have fun. So far he’s doing great. He stays with the ball, puts his arms up when playing defense and passes. Most importantly, he’s having fun.

I just read some republished posts at Pioneer Woman and will attempt better pictures next week with new knowledge in my head!

Dear Lazyweb,

I need suggestions of books that Elliot might like to read. Together we’ve read James and the Giant Peach (and others of the same ilk), we’ve read Magic Tree House and he can read some on his own, he’s read some Frog and Toad and some Henry and Mudge. What fills the gap between what he’s read and Harry Potter?

I asked the librarian at his school: can you recommend some beginning chapter books that are at Elliot’s level? And I got this response from the district reading specialist (I don’t think it was supposed to be forwarded to me unedited)

I wish parents could forget about the whole idea of a ‘level’ on a book.  Kids should be reading for interest and fun.  Parents could spend time talking about the text with their children.  Enjoying parts of the story that help them understand plot and setting and characters is very important.  Levels are so arbitrary and it’s unfortunate that teachers have to use them.  Thinking with the text is a strong reading strategy that will benefit all readers.  Reading books that have some kind of interest to the reader is more important than whether or not it’s a ‘just right book’  for them.

Right, I wish that too – but WHAT to read? Apparently I should have used the word appropriate, age-appropriate themes and reader-appropriate vocabulary. I asked a similar question at Barnes and Noble and was pointed to a wall of books. Yeah, that’s helpful – clearly they’re not commission based there.

I did attempt to crowdsource this on Facebook and got a few great suggestions that I’ll be checking out. However, Facebook is temporal and a blog is FOREVER! So, I thought I’d readdress the issue.

Maybe you know of a an online resource that acts like Amazon’s recommendation tool … if you like Henry and Mudge you’ll love (and be able to read) …and if there’s no such thing did I just come up with my million dollar idea?