The Grab Bag Blog

My dad just emailed me and told me that my great-grandfather, Laurence Jerome Lesh (Larry Lesh), was inducted into the Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame this year. Pretty cool, huh? Congratulations, great-granddad…posthumously. He was an early pioneer of aviation and was building gliders at the age of 15 when the Wright Brothers were still fixing bicycles in their shop. He’s also a member of the Early Birds of Aviation at the National Air and Space Museum. I don’t know too much about him. He shows up on the Ellis Island rosters a few times and was an American born citizen, but spent some time in France and Quebec (which means he must have been fluent in French). I also recently found a record of his marriage in Toronto, so it’s possible my great-grandmother was Canadian (I haven’t been able to find a record of her birth).

I find that a little funny considering how much I ribbed Linnet about moving to Canada, only to discover I might have Canuck blood! Maybe that’s why I liked the MacKenzie Brothers so much as a kid.

From what I also understand, he was also a real SOB…very smart, a prodigy with little or no social skills. My grandfather didn’t have good memories of him. He looks A LOT like my dad…so much that it’s creepy…Check these photos out:

My Great Grandfather

My Dad in his twenties

There’s definitely a resemblance there! My Dad even has the same name, except he’s Larry Lesh III. So, if you want to read more about my kooky and famous-in-aviation-history-buff-circles ancestor, here’s some links to articles and pictures about him. Enjoy!

• Man Bird Falls and Breaks Ankle! (Broke his ankle in front of 10,000 people while trying out a new glider in The Bronx)
• Article from Popular Science about his new rotor for a boat
• Blurb from Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame
• Tombstone (I was tickled when I saw this. I think it’s cool that the people at the Fort Meyers, FL Cemetery have cataloged all the headstones and have compiled obituaries for the deceased. His is below, copied from their site)

Laurence J. Lesh, an early bird aviation pioneer. In 1907, Mr. Lesh (then a teenage boy only 14 of age!) started the aviation era in Canada by becoming the first person to fly a heavier-than-air machine in Canada. He designed and built 3 gliders and flew them towed by a galloping horse ! He also established a world record for a 24 minutes flight over the St-Lawrence River, towed for 10 kilometers by a motorboat. Again in Montreal, he was the first in North America to introduce ailerons. He was a protégé of the famous Octave Chanute and knew the Wright brothers. In 1909, his family moved back to the USA, where he became an electronic engineer, specializing in aeronautical radio communication. In 2008 Laurence Lesh was inducted into the Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame (www.aerovision.org). Burial Fort Myers Cemetery; Obituary by Pierre Thiffault, Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame. FORT MYERS NEWS-PRESS – Friday, December 3, 1965 Laurence Jerome Lesh, 73, of 1939 Hough St., died at his home Thursday. He lived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Turnbull. Funeral service will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Leo W. Engelhardt Funeral Home with Bishop T. Godfrey Lawrence officiating. Burial will be in Fort Myers Cemetery. NOTE: Laurence Lesh was an early bird aviation pioneer (as shown on his headstone). In 1907, as a teenage boy of 14, he became the first person to fly a heavier-than-air machine in Canada. He designed and built three gliders and flew them towed by a galloping horse. He also established a world record for a 24-minute flight over the St. Lawrence River, towed for 10 kilometres by a motor boat. In Montgreal he was the first in North America to introduce ailerons. He was a protege of the famous Octave Chanute and knew the Wright brothers. In 1909 his family moved back to the USA where he became an electronic engineer, specializing in aeronautical radio communication. In the fall of 2008 he was inducted in the Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame (www.aerovision.org).

How do you like the new theme?

Shortest blog post ever!!!

Yes, I know my blog format is boring.  At least three people have told me so.  I have failed to change it from the default settings because:

1. I am lazy.
2. I don’t know how and didn’t feel like researching it (see #1).
3. Been too busy to remember or care.

Well, it’s 5:40 am and I’m awake, so I took a gander at some of the available themes, found one I liked, and downloaded it.  I even read up on how to install the bloody thing.  Now, here’s the problem:

1. How do I FTP the file into the themes directory, which I presume is located somewhere in devlogic.org?  That’s Paul’s territory.  That directory sure as heck ain’t on my computer!
2. Paul is asleep and I’m not going to wake him up.  Do not wake up the sleeping Paul for tech support unless TNI’s server has committed seppuku or (maybe) a hacker is trying to bust down the very well protected doors of the VPN.  I don’t know really know what a VPN is, per se, but he talks about it all the time, the Team Leaders at TNI seemed to get pissed off when it’s not working, and it’s even got its own concentrator.  It has to do with the network.  And tunnels.  And…a series of tubes?
3. That is why I’m not a Network Administrator and my husband is.

Sorry, it’s early and we’re having pancakes for breakfast!  Paul already got the dry ingredients ready and pulled out the griddle.  Did I mention we got a new griddle?  I had a Macy’s gift card burning a hole in my pocket, so I bought us a griddle and there’s even a bit left over on the card.  Sweet.

Where was I?  Oh yeah.  New theme for the blog.  I will bother Paul later about it without waving my arms and going, “Paaaaauuuul, make my blog pretty!”  I think he gets a little annoyed when I play the part of Stupid and Clueless User Who Wants Someone To Do It For Me because he knows damn skippy that I’m not Clueless.  It’s just…I don’t always know what I’m supposed to do when it concerns computers and Not Common Computational Procedures.

Why Am I Capitalizing Everything?  Oh well.  I think it’s just One of Those Mornings.  GAH!  I can’t seem to stop!  And this coming from a certified English teacher.  Ha ha ha ha!  *Hez gleefully chucks Strunk and White’s Elements of Style out the window*  I never liked that thing, anyway!!!!!

So, this is what I’ve accomplished so far this morning:

1. Overused the “ordered list” function in Wordpress.
2. Found a new theme for the blog.
3. Contemplated what a VPN is.
4. Craved pancakes.
5. Introduced our new Griddle of Awesomeness.
6. Employed unnecessary capitalization.
7. Told one of the authorities of good grammar and style to f**k off.

I think it’s been a very productive morning.

Now, I shall think about categories for this thing…maybe help to organize my posts.  Whee!

Well, they upped my monthly payments AGAIN. I keep getting these “notification of changes to your loan status” letters from them. My loans weren’t supposed to kick in until next year and suddenly they’re kicking in now. I didn’t really mind because there’s no reason why I shouldn’t start repaying since I have a job, but the monthly amount is like $480 and I just don’t have that kind of money. In June, it will go up to $580 for like 2 years and I won’t have a job in June (my job is only until May, that’s research studies for you). I am really worried about this.

The good thing about Sallie Mae is that they have all kinds of repayment plans, plus several kinds of forbearances or deferments if you’re really struggling. They really do try to work with you. They even have a forbearance if you’ve been affected by Hurricane Ike. How cool is that?

So I tried to change my payment plan to this new “income sensitive” plan that’s good for a year and can be renewed for up to five years. They adjust the payments according to your gross monthly income, which means lower payments for me. That’s great because, hopefully, I’ll be teaching next year and will be able to afford the higher payments. Unfortunately, their website is down and won’t let me change payment plans. I’ve been through this before with Sallie Mae and it can take a month or more for them to get their act together to change plans and adjust your account. The huge amount is due at the end of October, in about a month.

So, I’m a little pissed and impatient right I now. It feels like I’m forever waiting for Sallie Mae to get with the program. I just want to get this fixed so I’m not sitting on the couch and chewing my fingernails down to nubs from worry that I won’t be able to adjust my payment plan in time.

It’s nice to have this week off, but I really really wish I was working. Patience, Mrs. Leonard. My full time job kicks in next week and at least I’ll be making more money, better than these random days off. I just pray I don’t get Hornsby. Man, I got some bad vibes from that school.

We finally finished the pretesting of the fourth graders.  In about a week and a half, I’ll begin starting the reading interventions.  I still have no clue as to what school I’ll be working at.  There’s one or two that I hope I don’t get, simply because some of the teachers/staff aren’t very nice or the kids are a little out of control.  I guess I’ll have to dust off those classroom management skills and put them to good use.  I have a feeling I’ll get some of the farther away schools since I live in such close proximity to the Del Valle ISD.  That means either Hornsby or Creedmoor, both of which are way out in the boonies.

Other than that, it’s been a pretty uneventful week.  I’ve got a new penpal (email) in Saratoga Springs, NY.  I think she’s my first American penpal, which is nice for a change.  I’ve got two current penpals: one in Sweden (whom I’ve been writing to since I was fourteen) and one in Scotland.  A long time ago, I had a penpal in the Ivory Coast, but his letters were always in French and it was hard to find someone to translate them.

An unpleasant surprise came in the form of my student loans suddenly kicking back into repayment, even though the Sallie Mae website told me as of last week that it wouldn’t be until June.  Then, I got a payment booklet in the mail and went, “WTF?!”  I checked the site, and it said September.  Fortunately, I had just enough money to make the payment, but it left me with very little for the rest of the month (I only get paid once a month).  It’s a good thing that I’m not working next week, because I wouldn’t have enough money for gas!  As it is, I won’t be able to buy groceries or anything else until I get paid on Oct. 1.

Ok, I’m going to go veg and do some knitting.  I’ve been too busy and tired and my fingers are itching to knit and purl.

5:30 am.  My body unwillingly decided to pay double tribute to the porcelain gods.  I made an offering of Imodium in an effort to placate the gods of the south temple.  Within five minutes, the gods of the north temple rejected the offering.  My husband brought me crackers and ginger ale in an effort to prevent death by certain dehydration.

I stayed at home in case the porcelain gods demand more tributes.  As of noon, they have not.  But I am still feeling like yuck.  All dizzy, hot and cold flashes, achy, and running a fever.

It’s times like this that I remember how bloody good saltine crackers taste.  And ginger ale.  I’ve managed to keep them down, and some Advil because the aches are getting rather intense.

I hope this is just a 24 hour thing.  Ok, I’m signing off now so I can go lay in bed and die quietly.

…some sing low, some sing higher.  Some sing out loud on the telephone wire.  And some just clap their hands, or paws, or anything they’ve got now.

Hee hee, I love that song.  Reminds me of Sunday School when I was little in Washington.

Paul and I have not been happy with our current church for some time now.  The reasons are numerous and I won’t go into them, but, in a nutshell, it’s too big and there aren’t any opportunities for us to use our talents to serve.  After 2 years there, people still ask me if I’m new.  That’s a little ridiculous.  They won’t let me work with the youth group (paid position, I’m not even allowed to volunteer) and the choir is a whole other story (I think I’ve mentioned it before).

So…adieu.  We tried a new church last Sunday, Abiding Love Lutheran.  The service was good and they actually sang songs I didn’t know.  People were so welcoming and nice.  There was a potluck afterwards because it was Rally Day and we were invited to go.  The food was soooooo yummy and we met several nice people, including both pastors.  I felt compelled to try out the choir this past Thursday, partially because I wanted to try and get to know some more people outside of a Sunday setting, and because I really miss singing.  Their choir sounds pretty good and there’s people of all levels there.  It turns out I’m the only first soprano (and calling me a first is a stretch, I’m a better second soprano).  I had a good time and I’m singing with them at late service tomorrow.

What Paul liked about Abiding Love is that their primary message is about God’s love.  Bethany Lutheran always seemed to emphasize Jesus’ redemption/salvation, which are important, but the reason Jesus died was because of God’s love for us.  To me, God’s love is a little more important.

I haven’t been this excited about church since I was a member of Calvary Lutheran back up in Richland Hills (D/FW area).  I really miss Calvary.  It was the best church I’ve ever been a member of and the church that supported me when I was going to attend seminary.  I guess what I’ve been looking for is another Calvary and I don’t know if one exists, but I have a niggling feeling that Abiding Love is going to come awfully close and that’s good enough for me.

I miss being part of a church community and serving.  I derive great pleasure and relaxation from using my gifts to serve and that outlet hasn’t been worked lately.  I feel like I’ve become maybe a little too self-centered because all I’ve been focusing on the last few years is me: my education, my career, my husband, my interests.  I think it’s time to take a step backwards and focus on the world I live in a little more.