tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63345338283890114942012-02-16T14:47:54.546-08:00travails from motherhood, writersville, and accidental activismErin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-2404228781072735442011-11-11T08:26:00.001-08:002011-11-11T08:43:16.739-08:00

 As a new member of the Vogel Alcove Auxiliary Board (which supports the Vogel Alcove, a daycare center for homeless children), I am the chair for Story Time: each Tuesday morning, a volunteer arrives at the Alcove and reads books to several groups of children.   The first day of the program in September, I wasn't sure what I was in for.  I have to admit I was a little nervous and felt a

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-91454704777811525092011-10-26T11:53:00.000-07:002012-01-17T20:02:47.007-08:00

Why haven't I written on my blog in so long, you may ask?  (Or you could have been embroiled in any number of completely unrelated tasks, and the question never crossed your mind, not even half of once).  I can no longer blame summer, nor the beginning of school, the new school year, or even a new calendar year, because none apply, yet still my blog sits idly by, "Write on me, inconsistent owner!

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-73620289665575087642011-08-09T19:43:00.000-07:002011-08-09T19:51:51.088-07:00

You know, like I said.  Summer.  HOT.  Hard to write.  Even with one less kid around.  (What's my excuse?  A viscous stomach bug, lasting five full days.  Mad Men season three.) Jack spent last week with Nammaw and Gramps in Paladuro, Texas (yeah, I don't really know where that is either).  They saw a part Texas History/part techno show with "special effects, mom!", swam everyday in the motel

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-85033639007224270822011-07-07T19:18:00.000-07:002011-07-07T19:19:15.947-07:00

This writing consistently thing is challenging for me.  Especially now in summer, with both adorable wonderful time-consuming children expecting food and general care-taking 24/7. Summer in Texas. It's hot, friends.  Those of you who know me from high school know this all too well.  I often thank God Houston was the first place I lived, instead of say, the third, because had it been a domicile

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-52600446707963673812011-06-20T11:00:00.000-07:002011-06-20T11:12:47.753-07:00

Conan O'Brien delivered the commencement address at Dartmouth on June 12.  If you haven't treated yourself to the whole enchilada (full, 24-minute-long, video is posted here) or at least a little genius sampler (a 4-minute-long video of the highlights), I suggest you make your own day by doing so immediately.Some of the quotes I enjoyed include:"Whether you fear it or not, disappointment will

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-11869826774977510772011-06-16T12:19:00.000-07:002011-06-16T12:19:41.367-07:00

This is a cut and paste from an email received from savetxschools.com. CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION; THEY ALSO HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE. Save Texas Schools Statewide Conference in July! Join hundreds of other concerned Texans at the STS Statewide Conference on Friday evening, July 15 and all day on Saturday, July 16 in Austin! Did you know that some groups are already planning who

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-52450678451619419902011-06-13T20:34:00.000-07:002011-06-14T13:49:30.041-07:00

It actually took place Saturday and I'm just now getting around to blogging it, yet MAKE NO MISTAKE: that is not because I wasn't floored (no pun intended).  She is the girl who crawled (shout out to you Harry Potter fans). I was gone all day Saturday at PupFest, an amazing joint venture put on by Kitchen Dog Theater and Junior Players wherein student playwrights are given directors, actors,

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-5649936983860446352011-06-10T19:28:00.000-07:002011-06-13T18:34:21.139-07:00

This letter is, as far as I can tell, pretty damn close to perfect. Choosing to shortchange our kids Children will pay for cuts to education By SUE DEIGAARD MOTHER of TWO Last week I traveled to the state Capitol in Austin to testify before the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. The clerk in the House committee initially did not accept my form because in the box

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-64934643835358675822011-06-02T16:56:00.000-07:002011-06-13T20:39:00.109-07:00

So this is Jack's last day of first grade.  Or as he put it this morning, "I'm 99.9% second- grader already."  Dropping him off with his gifts for his teacher (yes, the boy wrote her a poem) and principal (after realizing how hard a poem was, he went for a more straightforward letter, but it was gorgeous and tear-provoking and contained the word "magical", or "magicil" as he spelled it, but I've

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-48502726110313617342011-05-21T09:29:00.000-07:002011-05-21T09:37:54.389-07:00

I want to admit upfront that this INCREDIBLY LONG POST which has taken me FOREVER to finish does meander a bit.  That said, if you stick with it, there is actually a unifying thread.  (If you don't get it, hey, that's your problem.)  Secondly, I did put up two posts a week or two ago, about an education rally, but something random with Blogger deleted it and by the time I figured it out, the

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-59493724325428546352011-05-02T21:16:00.000-07:002011-05-02T21:21:41.182-07:00

Last night I went to see "The First Grader", a movie at the Angelika, part of the USA Film Festival.  Actually, I'm the worst mother EVER because I took my tiny tender ear/heart-ed first grade SON with me to said film, realizing about two minutes in that though the movie was called The First Grader the title was actually IRONIC and this movie was NOT FOR KIDS.  But we were already there, and

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-90460851381529244412011-04-26T20:44:00.000-07:002011-04-27T12:36:08.728-07:00

I know, I know, it's been TOO LONG since I last posted (how does she expect to GAIN A READERSHIP when she won't even KEEP UP WITH HER BLOG ENTRIES??  BLOGGING 101, PEOPLE!  Sorry? I've been meaning to?  I'll work on it?  It was Easter?  The dog ate it?  Sorry again, we don't have a dog?) Alright, stop getting me off track, back to the topic at hand: Mike MacNaughton of dfpe.org (Dallas Friends of

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-8811862955685247862011-04-18T11:38:00.000-07:002011-04-18T11:38:20.785-07:00

HOW'S THIS FOR AWESOME?  I've highlighted my favorite section, because I do stuff like that.) Governor Perry, I hope that this message finds you in good spirits.  In light of the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) report regarding the state budget, I felt that it was important for me to write you regarding mine and concerns of my constituents. As you are aware, the LBB predicts that the state

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-21533147436158783092011-04-13T20:16:00.000-07:002011-04-13T20:21:54.945-07:00

I wrote an entry and put it up on my blog last Friday, not thinking too much about it.  I mean, this is a blog, after all, supposedly to write about what is going on in my life, and this was definitely going on.  I was swimming in it.  But then a dear friend emailed me, worried, like "I read your blog.  Are you okay?"  Okay, she didn't actually italicize 'okay', but I could hear it in the way

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-58609267098055157162011-04-12T13:40:00.000-07:002011-04-12T13:57:20.207-07:00

Don't worry, I was just trapped under something heavy.  My bad little attitude.  But now I'm back.  Whew.  I can hardly believe how relieved you are. Okay.  Couple of quick things for you: Michael McNaughton, who runs the website Dallas Friends of Public Education (dfpe.org) is also one of the members of the School Board’s Citizens Budget Review Commission (he was appointed by trustee Bruce

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-32761979948147055372011-04-06T12:41:00.000-07:002011-04-06T12:41:30.596-07:00

At Dallas.org, someone blogged: "Idiot here!  "So what can we do? Suggestions?" Here is my response: Dear Idiot (from a former idiot!), Once your children are involved in this mess, you start getting to work:)) So here is what you can do: At the last DISD board meeting, Trustee Lew Blackburn noted that he and Dr. Hinojosa had been down in Austin the previous morning, and that the legislature

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-72910270848336694452011-04-05T12:22:00.000-07:002011-04-05T12:22:11.607-07:00

How sad!  You have absolutely nothing to do this Saturday? Truly, that is tear-provoking.  Alas, the perfect IDEA: gather at the Town Hall Meeting with Representative Kenneth Sheets at 1 PM to remind him how many of us are out here encouraging him to DO THE RIGHT THING wth regard to education. Our houses won't be worth squat if everyone goes screaming North, am I right?  Exactly.  So even

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-9856776082837001342011-04-03T19:49:00.000-07:002011-04-03T19:53:56.577-07:00

Okay, don't get mad, but I have to say it: I just got off the phone with our District 3 school board representative, Bruce Parrott.  I called to thank him for organizing the meeting led at Bryan Adams High School Thursday night.  I also apologized to him, because out of the entire Bryan Adams school auditorium, maybe a fourth of it was filled.  I don't want to be a nudge, but wow, was that

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-550125895639205952011-03-31T10:29:00.000-07:002011-04-01T20:53:28.540-07:00

I failed to mention that on our trip to Austin, Isabel threw up in the car.  Not just a little bit.  Not like a hiccup.  Not spit up. THROW UP.  Which includes hurling.  Thus the phrase 'hurling' as a stand in synonym.  Not to be overly descriptive, but I want you to get the picture.  Rolling down 35 to Austin--Jack head-phoned, listening/watching a movie on the DVD player, laughing way too

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-81033113334776711682011-03-30T22:04:00.000-07:002011-04-08T15:01:33.817-07:00

http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2011/03/30/disd-kids-plead-with-governor-not-to-axe-their-teachers/Posted on March 30th, 2011 12:17pm by Tim Rogers Filed under EducationA parent named Erin Ryan Burdette, whose child attends Hexter Elementary (”Home of the Rogers Situation”) has penned an open letter to Rick Perry and others, making the case that education spending should not be cut as the state

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-58307073641486075962011-03-14T12:01:00.000-07:002011-03-27T19:57:24.523-07:00

Here we are in Austin, Texas, at our first ever family rally. This is what proposed budget cuts can do to you: suddenly someone who's never cared about anything politics is hurling her children and spouse into the car and speeding to the steps of the capitol building to annoy Rick Perry. I gotta warn you, governor, there are more of us out here. We can all vote.

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-67229358287564483922007-04-07T14:16:00.000-07:002007-04-07T14:16:56.163-07:00

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-39365223215610592862007-04-07T14:08:00.001-07:002007-04-07T14:08:43.130-07:00

Monday morning, bright and early, (well not really, it's 10:20 am) I just settled in to White Rock Coffee shop, aka my office while Jack is in school, getting down to writing again. I have pages spread all over the place, the novel, some essays, even an old play I dug up that I have always wanted to finish and never imagined I could-- and have yet to even get my latte (has Italy ruined anyone

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-19571972060501534592007-03-29T17:55:00.000-07:002007-04-07T14:35:15.732-07:00

I found this old picture of Brad's dad (my sweet father-in-law) in my phone. I had completely forgotten about it. It makes me feel happy and sad at the same time. Bittersweet. This is when you wish you just had blind faith, because I want to believe he's floating with angels that are tickling his feet and feeding him chocolate ice cream and a cigar simultaneously, but I'm not sure. What I am is a

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-49752987056973442352007-03-29T15:32:00.000-07:002007-03-29T15:33:00.178-07:00

Positano, Italy.

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-31773596343239652302007-03-19T10:14:00.000-07:002007-03-19T10:20:18.623-07:00

This has already exceeded expectations. It is so beautiful here I cannot begin to explain it. On the drive along the coast yesterday, i could barely breathe (and not just b/c of the hairpin turns). Let's see: I've already eaten rabbit(accidentally), had the best espresso ever made, and drunk fabulous wine. The couple that owns this place are amazing.I do have to pay for Internet use, though,

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-77042080222473952282007-03-16T21:15:00.000-07:002007-03-16T21:16:56.702-07:00

Tomorrow the adventure begins. I'm tired and feel I've packed all the wrong things. It's already exactly as I imagined...Going to bed now to dream of pasta, wine, and Italian men pinching my white little ass in the airport (not necessarily in that order).

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-76201143653063804932007-03-12T22:55:00.000-07:002007-03-12T23:20:43.281-07:00

For those of you who know me, I won't bore you again with the details of the last few days, and for those of you who don't, I'm too embarrassed to state it for the record. No, it is not a venereal disease. Suffice to say it has been challenging, painful, at times hilarious. Just one of those things that will end up being fine: something I will write about when I get my sense of humor back about

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-53915061280510176122007-03-02T14:20:00.000-08:002007-03-02T14:27:49.274-08:00

Gee, I might just be getting into this blogging thing. Or maybe I'm on a typing roll--I have spent the past let's see six hours in my office, aka White Rock Coffee, pounding away at the keys (and caffeine), trying desperately to get through this draft of my novel. I am through Chapter Eighteen. Not bad. I want to have it as done as I can before I get to Italy. Why? I have a profound fear of

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-68462604919789543062007-03-01T16:45:00.000-08:002007-03-12T23:20:08.340-07:00

http://mayborninstitute.unt.edu/documents/subm_erinburdette_wordpadcircles.pdf

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334533828389011494.post-42624076431273968282007-03-01T13:40:00.000-08:002007-03-01T13:47:36.474-08:00

My son just woke up from his nap and is sitting on my lap as I type this. So much for all the work I was going to get done. Not that I'm complaining, but let me share: he also forced me to watch "The Grinch who stole Christmas" this morning and just said, "I am the mommy and I know what to do." (direct quote.) So you can see I have my hands full.But I can't wait to read everyone's writing.Jack

Erin Ryan Burdettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15965064289855410873noreply@blogger.com4