Good news/bad news

[KBCraig]

Good news: Mary's birthday was yesterday, and our oldest called from California and said to take her shopping for a laptop on his dime (I've got access to his banking account). So, this morning we went shoping and found a decent deal on an HP Pavilion (dv8110us, 17" widescreen).

We had some more errands to run, and were downtown when Mary spotted a pet store that we never knew about. We went in and admired their huge saltwater tanks, then hurried out to run the rest of the errands, when....

Bad news: the van wouldn't start. I'm no mechanic, but when an electronic fuel injection system cranks but won't start, I know there's a handful of things it could be. Only one of them can be fixed in a parking lot with nothing but a Leatherman, and that wasn't it. So, I called the only mechanic in town who I trust, and he sent  the tow truck. Best case, it will be a $20 relay (plus towing and labor). Worst case, $500-600 for a fuel pump. Or, it could be $200-400 for an electronic ignition module.

Other good news: This meant I couldn't go to work this evening, so I'll get to play with the new laptop as soon as I can pry it out of Mary's hands.

Kevin

[KBCraig]

Oh... and more OUTSTANDING news!

(Doesn't really belong in Endless Debate and Whining, but it's a good follow-on to Good News/Bad News.)

After threatening to yank Sarah out of public school last year, we agree to give it one more chance, so long as she knew that both she and the school were on probation. (We reasoned that an uncooperative student will never be a successful student, so forcing her into homeschool wouldn't have done a lot of good.) She's been doing her best, and even though we haven't been happy with the school, her grades have been very good.

Well, last week, completely out of the blue, she told Mary that she wants to look at homeschooling again. We've been talking about it, mostly between Mary and I. Today Sarah walked in from school and announced she's ready, and she's decided she wants to finish school at home. (She's 16, by the way.)

We're so excited and proud we could pop. We'll start formally, with an assessment of where she is and what she still needs to learn, then gradually move into more of an "unschooling" atmosphere as she learns to teach herself. Because Mary works days and I work evenings, Sarah may grow tired of having a parent with her 24 hours a day. As parents, we're just fine with keeping our 16 year old shapely blue-eyed blonde daughter always within sight. 

Kevin

[Kat Kanning]

Wow, great!

[Russell Kanning]

Interesting news