That's My Geek Girl!

My 5-year-old niece M.J. started Kindergarten last week.

The night before her first day of school ever, The AC at my big sister's house burned its motor out, so M.J. and her brother spent the night with me and the grandfolk. I got M.J. up at 6:30 for her first day. While her mother and I blurred around her--making breakfast and packing a peanut-butter sandwich, cheese-stick and raisin lunch--M.J. staggered through the kitchen in a saggy Pull-Up and a borrowed orange T-shirt of mine, melted cheese in her loose hair. "Mom, why are we up this early?" Her dad half-lay on the couch, altogether covered with dogs and guzzling coffee. Ten minutes later, M.J. was brushed and polished in her new first-day-of-school outfit and dancing for my camera, ready to go. Mom, Dad, and Big Brother took her off to school.

Around 2:40, her dad and brother went to pick her up. It was 108 degrees. She flew from the minivan, stripped all her clothes off and jumped, yelling and naked, into the pool.

I really like this kid.

Kindergarten has gone well so far, and M.J. even won two of the surprises that you get to draw from the treasure box on Friday if you've gotten As on your work all week.

Well, yesterday, M.J. got busted for taking the operation manual for the overhead projector from Mrs. G.'s desk and reading it aloud to her classmates while everyone was supposed to be playing with blocks. --See, she explained, it has a mirror in it!

The teacher told all of this to M.J.'s dad, and sent home a note: "while we appreciate M.J.'s personality, she should leave Teacher's things on Teacher's desk".

Have I mentioned that I like this kid?

They really should be teaching the kids PowerPoint, though.