We always leave things until the last minute here at the wayoutinn. This morning as Doug is getting ready for work, I told him to check the Joymobile (little blue chevy) to see if the keys are in it from before we left for vacation. We left the keys with Jen & Pete so they could move cars to move snow.
He came back in to report that they keys were not in the car nor were they in the mailbox, but that Pete was home and I should call him. Doug left for work.
Pete told me that he would grab the keys for me, then called five minutes later to say he couldn't find them in the house... Jen must have them with her, at work.
Jen normally is home by 7:30 a.m., but she wasn't back yet so he had called her, but got her voicemail.
I waited until 9, called him back to find him not there. I was going to just ask to borrow his truck and bang Geoff over to school. When I realized he wasn't there I figured he had gone to work, so I called Geoff in sick to school, I called Doug to let him know that he didn't have to pick Geoff up. I let Geoff get back in his pj's to finish his breakfast (he even messed up his hair, which I'd just brushed after getting him dressed, yelling "Alright! I get to stay home!"). I started the dishes.
Ten minutes later, Pete knocks on the door. Jen's home, with the keys.
I thanked him, let him know that his effort to track the keys down was appreciated. I tried to talk Geoff into getting re-ready (dressed, shoes, hairbrushing) for school but he said that he wanted to stay home with me.
So I let him. I figured hey, it's kindergarten. I doubt that today is the day he'll be learning that one piece of the academic puzzle which will help him in his adult life find a cure for cancer and a vaccination for AIDS (remember kids, there is no cure for a virus, just preventative vaccinations to protect you from them).
He asked for a second bowl of Kix, and I sat down with second cup of coffee to check mail and do this.
I'm a bad mom. Aren't I?
If this were Jessica, I'da had her in the car and on the way to school. Actually, I'da kept her home too. It's all good. I just have to remember to go help my favorite older folks with their computer this afternoon after Doug gets home.
Last night I was watching Simon & Garfunkel on the Grammy Awards singing "Sounds of Silence," and I started laughing.
Back in Junior High School choir, we performed that very song. This guy Chris used to add an extra line to that song... we'd sing the regular line, "But my words like silent raindrops fell,"
and in the pregnant pause, where the silent raindrops are allegedly falling, he'd add "And Meltzer smells."
It was a rank on this kid Gary, who I later became friends with. He was a shy and kinda nerdy guy, and Chris was the big popular clown guy... everyone would laugh and Meltzer (who didn't smell at all) would be embarassed. Mr. Selezner, the choir director, told Chris that if he did it in the concert he'd be thrown out of school, drawn and quartered... etc.
Chris did it. In concert.
And to this day, I can't hear that song at all without singing "And Meltzer smells."
Gary Meltzer, if you're out there -- forgive me. But I think of you often and smile, laughing towards you, not at you.
So last night, I sang right along. My husband laughed at me. And a little later while talking to my sister on the phone we wondered what ever became of that Chris guy.
Here's what he's up to. Funny. I wonder if they cover "Sounds of Silence?"
Mr. Garfield emailed me a little late on the cell phone pick-up thing and agrees with Doug that it was creepy, but wanted to know if it worked. I thought that was a funny thing, asking if it worked... like you'll use it, Mr. G? Hee hee.
In short -- it sort of worked. She's called him a couple times. They went to see a movie, but his roommate (her friend) was with, so it wasn't like a date date. She's spent a little time with him but doesn't think it's a love connection. I think it is. Kissy kissy schmoop schmoooooop!!!
Oh what is wrong with me?
Today I am filling out a paper application that I downloaded from a website for a job as webmaster... it's for a state agency, and I'm already dreading the 12 pages of stuff I have to fill in. Of course, nowhere on the website or application do they tell me the mailing address, so I sent an email last night and may just have to call this morning.
Do I want to work for people silly enough to leave their address off of their application? That's something very serious for me to ponder.
Something else that is serious for us as a family to ponder is the possibility of Doug changing jobs. He can go work in Boston as a speech therapist in the schools and make about 15,000 more a year doing exactly the same thing. What we need to weigh is the time required and cost of commuting, and what I'd be doing with my time. Geoff will be starting first grade next year, so our daycare costs would plummet with him not needing to go to private school, that's good. We'd keep a lot more money in our pockets. And if I go out and drum up more business for myself or hook up with more professors who write good grants that get tons of money, I could effectively stay unemployed in the traditional sense and just be a web lackey for many different clients.
Hmmmm.
I enjoy this non-9 to 5 schedule greatly. This morning I would have been having a massive heart attack if I had to be to work at 9 and the car keys were with Jen. Now, I'm all mellow. I'm cool. I'm laid back. It's all good.
I like this non-freaking out me. I'd like to keep this me. But I'd like more money and should be actively contributing to the income level of this house.
On unemployment and with what I earned above/beyond last year I made out pretty darn good. The unemployment stopped, so I'd have to put a lot more effort into making money in order to keep that level of income up.
The best thing that could possibly happen to me would be that professor CM would get some wicked grant money for his new project at the campus and he'd ask me to come work for him there in a grant funded position. I'd be doing exactly everything that I want, with a flexible and wicked cool boss... the only person on that campus that I could ever want to work for again. It would be my dream position. Working for the college in exactly the respect I want to be, without the upper bureaucracy of the IT department or upper administration. I'd answer to CM. I'd be happy. He'd let me flextime. He'd let me geocache in the middle of the day. And it would be good money I'm sure. Or, just the right kind of money.
We shall see... we shall see...
Continue to pray for Leigh and her surgery (see yesterday's entry, towards bottom). I'll update you all on what is going on with her when I hear from her next.
I have a lot to do today -- regular readers and my close family and friends are well aware that housekeeping has never been the primary task of my life. Over the last couple weeks I've let it all slide. And I have to finish cleaning my bedroom, which I started when we sprung the roof leak a few weeks ago.
So much to do... not enough caffeine.
I cleaned Geoff's on Saturday. His room is so nice and cute when it's clean. Then, he dumps ALL his crap out onto the floor and we have to clean it all over again. Thing is, this time he helped me clean. That was pretty sweet.
Hopefully he'll get to the point where he can organize and put away everything on his own. It really isn't that hard, but when you've got no attention span and hate doing it in the first place, well, that makes it extra hard.
Jessie gets mad at me that I clean his room but make her do hers. I point out that while I make her do hers she does a crummy job and perhaps she should spend less time whining at me that I help her six year old sibling and recall when she was six I cleaned her room for her... the time for acting like a 10 year old is upon you girl. Clean your own room.
She storms away angry. And then only half cleans her room. I don't ride her on it -- I figure if she wants to look at the mess that's her business. But, if the room is not clean, she cannot have a friend over. So there is a double edged sword. She understands it... but still doesn't clean her room.
I have to get to my tasks and duties. I'd like to get all the clean laundry put away, the bathroom, kitchen, and livingroom cleaned all before 4pm. I'll crank on some Brian Setzer Orchestra and Geoff will dance while I work.
Perhaps he'll even pretend to help me. Or, I can do what I usually do -- "Hey, Geoff, can you take this to sissy's room? Can you put this up there? Can you take this box over to my room?" Get him to be my workhorse. If it is one task at a time, he does pretty good.
Wish me luck.
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