I'm a member of goodreads.com, a website where we keep track of the books we've read, the books we're reading, and the books we want to read. You know all those times someone says "Oh you should really read this great book" and you promise you will, then you get to the library but forget the title and that's the end of it? Goodreads lets you virtually toss the books onto your imaginary nightstand. I have all my "to-read" books ranked by their reader rating and when I'm on our library site I pull up the goodreads list and put whatever looks interesting at the time on my hold list at our neighborhood library. It's brilliant.

Periodically goodreads has contests to win a newly released title straight from the author. Loads of authors are on goodreads too, so if you're fan of Paulo Coelho or Frances Mayes or Neil Gaiman, you can stalk follow them there. I put in the contests for whichever books look interesting and seems I'm on the receiving end of Every Last One: A Novel by Anna Quindlen. Cool.

I like reading stuff on the web. It's fun, for the most part a least moderately stimulating, and some of it is touching. Of course there's plenty that's none of that, but I try to pick and choose my info inputs. Here's some bits and pieces I think everyone should read or see.

Thursday I had one of my oldest friends visit me.

No matter how frustrating and difficult things might get in a particular aspect of life, in general things are great with the Hopper clan. It's hard to see the loads of happy things when there's a gray cloud, but here you go, some "silver lining."

It's hard enough being an adult and dealing with nasty folks. I know when someone doesn't like me that issue clouds my mind with anger and hurt and prevents me from seeing the myriad good things in my life. One mean person and my day, my week, my however-long-until-I-don't-have-to-see-them-again is ruined.

So when the bullying happens to one of my children, I feel not only angry and hurt and derailed, I also feel a loss. A loss for another part of their childhood and a loss in my own abilities as parent. I can't DO anything to wipe that nasty, insecure, rude, violent child out of my own baby's life. And I know that my kid has to go back to the same place, see that same person and deal with the same cruelty day after day after day.

If we were overseas I'd know all the kids or at least recognize them in the hall. I'd talk to the teacher, the counselor, the principal and arrange a meeting with the offending child AND their parents and things would be changed. I know that, because I've been on the other end of bully dealings too (thank you Jonathon and your lack of self-control in Kindergarten). But here, what can we do here? In the land of "say anything and you might get sued.... or worse" what can be done to protect a child who is rammed into lockers in the hallway and called vile names in passing, who has rumors and lies spread, who has to wade invisibly through 450 kids to get to the next class safely? And who has had this slowly escalate since the first week of school as a new kid with no history!? Who is watching out for her?

We've always told our kids to be the better person. Ignore the nasty kids, they will always be there but how we behave matters more. Stick with your friends, those kids who support you and are good people. Trust that the truth is stronger than whatever dirt they choose to throw at you. Stay strong, believe in yourself, keep your head up.

But sometimes that's not enough. It's definitely not enough when periodic snottiness turns into bruises. No one lays a hand on my kid and walks away with a giggle and a sneer. Today the counselor gets involved. Tonight we make a plan. I have no clue what that plan will entail but something will have to happen, and I'm open to suggestions.

This little parasite doesn't get keep hurting my kid with no repercussions.

Moveable Type moved our site from a server in Hong Kong to one in the U.S. It seems everything is still around. I should really back it all up, huh?

We're here, that's all that matters.

It's been awhile, again. Apologies. The kids have been home pretty much non-stop for the past 3 weeks, stuck in the house, bored, getting on my nerves and basically sucking away any and all time to myself when I'd normally write a blog entry. Thursday this week was the first time I'd had any quiet Me Time, and that was filled by an attempt to catch up on homework. How I'm looking forward to Monday when there are no more snow days and no more 2-hour delays. Right? The Farmer's Almanac had better be wrong. My mom mentioned it claims March will be our snowiest month this year.