Numbered list, for heaven's sakes.

Gosh.  Guys.  I fell in this ridiculous loop of half-baked thoughts that went nowhere and then I worked myself into a frenzy of having nothing to say.  Well.  Here's what I've been thinking about.

1. For a few weeks now I've watched this ^ a whole bunch.  They both seem like the coolest.  And then I sit and marvel at the fact that we as humans can distinguish "sounds like."  "Looks like."  The craziest of all, "seems like."  Isn't it crazy that we can take something we've never heard before, or seen before, and pinpoint its similarities to something we know?  Her inflections are perfect.  They obviously never sang this, but you KNOW it's that exact artist.  You've never heard this song before, and maybe no one started singing it yet, but you KNOW it's the new one by Muse.  You've never seen this painting, but look at the colors and style and subject, it has to be Toulouse-Lautrec.  Or those Jerry's impersonation commercials.  They're exactly what that person would say, and how he would say it, even though he has never talked about Jerry's Subs and Pizza!  My goodness!  Isn't that so crazy!
2. We watched the videos we made when we first moved in.  Holy smokes.  Every door and window was always open just to air out the stench!  I never thought it would go away!  But I think it has!  I can't believe how much we scrubbed, how all our stuff filled the living room for weeks on end, how we didn't have Bellow.  Sigh!  Also, I seem to take videotaping and narration way more seriously than Justin.
3. Every student who receives special education services does so through a 30-page legal document called an IEP, Individualized Education Plan.  Being in this business sometimes reminds you that everyone needs an IEP somehow, a relationship IEP, for example.  When you start framing out-of-context situations around an IEP, you kind of start to think about the other person's (or your!) present levels, where he or she is right now.  And as much as I hate that rhetoric, you do have to start where that person is and move from there.  Accommodations and modifications.  You adapt to what works best for that person.  You provide things you may not think need providing, but you do because the other one benefits greatly.  You go on to the service page, to explain the overall details of being together: it can be more!, but at least an hour three times a week, across content areas of home, outside, playing with dog, etc.  Goals, to remind everyone that you're part of this too, you're working on yourself as well, with your partner's help.  And then, you know, whether you're going to summer school or not.  But really.  The potential for understanding and compassion when you picture a relationship IEP is, well, above grade level.