Since the war began, weekends are not mine on the PC unless I have pressing and urgent money paying business to attend to. The money paying meaning that someone is paying me money to do something on the PC, not me paying money through the PC to places elsewhere. So the appalling lack of entries over the past several days is par for the course with me. I spend much of my time on the couch, trying to watch TV that isn't war related, watching just enough to know what's going on, and trying to keep Geoff quiet because he is just too damn noisy and energetic.
I should be thankful. I have one couch potato of a child. I should be filled with joy that the other one isn't like "man, doing stuff sucks. I'm bored. I'm bored..." all the time. At least he's willing to go out and do things that don't involve the TV.
But it gets exhausting when you have days when you just want to kick back and watch the Real World/Road Rules Battle of the Sexes Marathon and drink coffee.
He gets up so early, and gets in so much trouble just because he wants to do everything for himself. I have to hide the chocolate milk mix. I have to hide food because he'll just help himself and make a disgusting gigantic mess. It's distressing to wake up to milk all over the counters, and him dipping our mop into the sink trying to rinse out what he managed to collect (or push around the floors). Then, while I'm cleaning up the mess, he's off in another room messing that one up. Or jumping up and down on the dog. Or trying to get Jessie out of bed (yeah, right!) at 6am.
Two or three times over the weekend I just kind of threw him out the front door (fully dressed in snow gear. Not like naked or anything... although I was tempted) and made him play outside. He's getting to the point where he can be trusted out of doors by himself, thank God, and he has a great time going on journeys and adventures. I'll sometimes make him shovel the porch, or clean the snow off the car. He does so with a willing heart. And it's a beautiful thing.
But, after 15 minutes he returns to the homestead, sopping wet because he took it upon himself to stand under the dripping edge of the porch and let the melting ice and snow coat him in just-above-frozen-liquid-state water. And he's back inside making noise, soaking wet, cold and naked. The cycle begins again. He's a challenge.
He has taken to playing a couple good math games on the computer. That keeps him busy, but Doug has to be not on the computer in order for that to happen.
Combine that with Jessica IMming her friends all the time, and I get a brief opportunity to check mail and scan my eyes over a few of my favorite journals before someone's standing next to me going "Mom/Honey, can I use the computer now?"
So welcome me back with open arms after this long hiatus.
One of Geoff's longtime ongoing hobbies is drawing. For years now he's scribbled on every possible surface: walls, floors, notebooks of ours from college, his sister's school work, walls, and reams of printer paper from Staples.
I've saved a good deal of it, some of it is just damn funny.
Lately he's been doing a lot of writing -- story writing and song writing. He draws a lot of pictures of people, and he likes maps. A lot.
And because I never use my scanner nearly enough, here are some good samples of his work:
 | This one should look familiar to you if you have any kids' science books. He's been drawing pictures of stuff and labeling body parts and things the way the science books do, with lines over to the different points of interest. I have no ideal what "Lies" is that he's pointing to. I meant to ask him. But you see "Feat," for feet, and I know for a fact that "Axc" is Axe. This is some sort of warrior in his armor, at least Geoff says it is. |
 | One afternoon he decided that he was going to make a calendar. He drew a picture for each month, boxes for the squares where the days go, and wrote the name of the month. Here's April. This was hanging on our fridge. And he has May waiting to go up as soon as it's time (won't be a moment too soon, I must say. Can't wait for real spring...) |
 | Geoff is obsessed with camping lately. He wants to go on a camping trip, and this winter has got him nothing but pissed off. Here he's got himself and me fireside, toasting marshmallows. |
 | Geoff is not a multi-color colorer. He picks a color and colors in it all day long, as evidenced by the camping picture above. I asked him to color it in, with the fire being orange and yellow, and we could have on different colored shirts, but he opted not to. This is a rare sample of a multi colored drawing by the man himself. That's me driving the brown car. As for everything else, he claims this is a map, to get to treasure. I hope I'm driving towards it. |
He's a fun kid. But he's way too full of energy and it's been a long, long, long winter.
A fun Geoff fact for you (it's all about Geoff today, isn't it?) is that he loves the new single by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Can't Stop." He has been singing it all the time. His favorite part is "East side love is livin' on the West end." And today when we were walking into the school building, he was singing "Can't stop the spirits when they need you. This life is more than just a read through." Which cracked me up. He sings it loud and proud, too.
All the other kids are listening to boy bands and Britney. My boy rocks out to Green Day and RHCP. Hell yeah.
Daylight savings time came and went on Sunday. While the rest of us seem a little out of it, he stayed up until 9pm last night, and managed to sleep until almost 7am this morning. Much more like it. I did hear him get up at about 5am and was worried that he was up for the day, but he just wanted to go to the bathroom and then sleep on the couch, so I let him... and it was dark in the house, and his little internal clock obeyed the darkness. Back to sleep he went. It was very nice.
But soon it will be light out at 5am again. By mid June, I bet he's up at sparrow fart once again. Such is life...
I just got back from a job interview, the one for the HR generalist part time position. I think it went very very well. The first part of the interview was with the person who'd be my boss. She asked the Oh-So-Very HR kinds of questions like "Where do you see yourself in the future?" and "What do you feel is your greatest weakness." I had to laugh.
"In the future I see myself flying around in a hover craft! Where do you see yourself!!!??"
The second part of the interview was with the überboss, as Scott Anderson would say. It was supposed to be 10 minutes. Turned into 30. Always a good sign... at least in my book. She was very interested in me, but I got the inevitable questions of "You're so over qualified for this kind of job. Why do you want it?" and "Be completely truthful and frank with us -- if you get this job, what will keep you from leaving if something else comes along?" We were very frank and honest with each other -- her emphasizing that the job is entry level in scope, me emphasizing that she could rely on me until the most awesomest job comes up and bites me on the ass, and at that point, perhaps if I meant enough to her to keep on she'd see what she could do to retain me.
I think I bring a lot to the table that goes well beyond what their expectations are -- she was very interested in hearing about my experience at my former employer with online enrollment, the designing of an intranet and portal... I understand a lot about data integrity, the HR process, privacy and confidentiality, and that I wouldn't require a lot of training. We'll see what may come.
Today when I was getting ready for my interview I realized the dog had chewed up my dress shoes. He chewed up my blue shoes last week... and this week he chewed up my black flats. The little shit.
So I needed to jump in the truck and rush over to Pay-Less, the nearest shoe store to my house, and get me a quick pair of black flats. On my way over I was stopped by the police in order to let a funeral procession go through. For the longest time I couldn't figure out why the hell it was taking so long, and then I remembered -- one of our local High School students died Thursday night in an accident. She and a friend were on their way to buy shoes for the prom. Her dad is a prominent local businessman, an insurance agent and very popular member of the local chamber of commerce.
Car after car after car after car... all driving in front of me. The policeman directing traffic advised me to cut across through the neighboring town and cross the river by the other bridge, "this will be a while..." as he put it.
So that's what I did. I was pressed for time... I trotted into the store and said "Quick! Black Flats! Size 10! Stat! Late for interview!!!" and the girl behind the counter jumped to action, running right over to them for me as I rifled through the display case of panty hose looking for a pair of off whites. I was out of there in three minutes.
Payless shoes -- not so great; Payless service -- a class act!
Traffic heading back into my town from the bridge closest to me was backed up for miles, I knew I had to go back the way I came. A ten minute trip turned into a half hour. It was so distressing, but... I made it, and with the thoughts of "there but for the grace of God go I" running through my head.
Everyone in my town it seems was at this funeral. Parents, kids, classmates, younger kids whose brothers and sisters knew the girl... I feel horribly for her family, and I started crying on the way back to the house just thinking about the pink and purple ribbons that people had on their antennas to identify themselves as part of the processional... because obviously there weren't enough of those little funeral flags in town to go on all those cars.
Anyway -- you'll notice I've not complained about the snow that is creeping this direction.
I should. I wanted to drive down to the Cape tomorrow to see my Gammy and my mom, who is staying with my Gammy. But the snow may thwart my plans. My to go visit past weekend were thwarted but not by the weather.
Jessie's participating in a play at school (the fifth graders in choir get to be the chorus in the sixth grade play) and there was rehearsal from noon to three both Saturday and Sunday. There's rehearsal tonight until 6. Tomorrow night until 6. Thursday night dress rehearsal (while Geoff has his school spring presentation as well). Performances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday... cast party Sunday afternoon. Jebus. The price of having a kid participate in the arts!
So I'll not complain about the snow. If it does snow -- then there is no rehearsal tomorrow should the schools be closed. We'll get a respite from all this driving to rehearsal!
That's quite enough for today. I hope you enjoyed Geoff's artwork. I should do more with his stuff and put it on his site. Perhaps I will, next time I can get near this thing. TTFN.
P.S. I just went into my bedroom for something, and Jack had climbed into my bedroom closet and took one of my brand new cheap assed shoes from Payless, one of the shoes I just bought less than 4 hours ago, and he ate it. He ate a third pair of shoes.
What
the
FFFFFFFFFFaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuddddddddge.
only I didn't say fudge.
Thank God I shop at fucking Payless. This pair of shoes was 9.99 bucks. Could you imagine if that was a pair of 40.00 Nine-Wests or some shit? Oh my God! IN my closet. He went all the way into the back of the closet where I hid the fucking things, and got them out.
Grrrrrrr
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