Tales from the Steppes

2004-04-06

10:04 a.m.
A "C " for the week

As always, life has been a mixed bag of late. It is always important to see the plusses in life balancing out the current barrage of crap. Because, as always, attitude is everything. So, today's balance sheet:

Minus - Yesterday EM managed to lose one of her ballet shoes between our house and ballet camp. How this shoe could vanish from our car is a mystery. She has other pairs, but none with her and it would have taken an hour and a half to drive back and get them. So, another $28 down the drain. A mere drop in the bucket.

Plus - This morning I found said ballet shoe on the sidewalk by the kids' daycare. I am not even going to ask how it got there, when she did not leave the car yesterday. Must be the work of the magic shoe fairies. Or a mongol fairy, as I like to think of them.

Minus - YM got sent to the office yesterday for climbing on the tables and kitchen toys in his classroom. Again. One more time and a letter goes home and into his file at daycare. That dreaded "permanent record". Apparently, he shows little regard for the authority figures in his classroom in the afternoons. Not *my* child! Say it isn't so. Ok, I'm not particularly surprised, as he climbs stuff at home. The shelves in my pantry are all angled forward from where he has climbed them.

Plus - Well, at least YM is moving around and getting exercise. And apparently his balance is well-developed. And no one can say that he doesn't think for himself. Perhaps we need to tweak the controls for a little more "thinking" and a little less "himself".

Minus - I measured MM's waist this week and it was less than an inch smaller than mine. It is true that he is a very solid child but, Damn. It is also true that little boys do not have well-defined waists, so we are not quite comparing apples to apples. Still, less than an inch... Sigh. I really thought we were making progress.

Plus - Last night, I found out that he will be allowed to participate in the true youth combat, instead of just boffers, as he qualifies as a "large seven year old". Woo hoo! Not only will this be more exercise for him, but his pre-ducal counterweight will actually help him. I will go out and buy the appropriate hockey and/or LAX stuff this weekend, so all we will have to make is the body armor and gorget. Then look out world! Well, ok, lookout other large seven year olds in armor. This is a child that was born to fight. Between the prominence of his father's genes and my fighting at Pennsic in my first trimester, he has always exhibited the proper mindset.

Minus - I haven't started my taxes yet.

Plus - They aren't due for more than 9 days. Or 229 hours, as I like to think about it. And since they are only going to take me 8 hours (or so) to do, this shouldn't be that big a deal.

Minus - I haven't gotten any work done on my thesis yet this week. I am now hopelessly behind schedule

Plus - I have gotten other school work done. And I over-engineer my schedule to compensate for the "shit happens" variable in my life. So catching up is possible, as soon as I get past my work and school deadlines. Yeah, right. Some people have daily self-worth affirmations; I have scheduling ones. And I did get my underwear drawer organized over the weekend. That may seem minor, but for me, it was a major victory. Now I can make informed choices every morning.

Minus - Sleep deprivation is becoming a constant condition. Even though I am getting more sleep on the weekends, I realized that my definition of "more sleep" is 7 hours.

Plus - I have found a gas station that sells Jolt in all of it's many flavors. Didn't know that it came in many flavors? There is Cherry Bomb, Orange, Cola, Lemon Lime, Blue, and several others. Unfortunately, they do not carry Diet Jolt. And I haven't even moved to that chartreuse Sobe drink yet. Another positive aspect is that when I do go tell my boss that I really need to take a leave of absence to work on my thesis, he will believe me, as sleep deprivation always brings out the best in my personal appearance.

Minus - This Easter will be a Kloskeyless one. The biggest minus of them all. However will I meet the high standards, set by the Squotter, for the clues for the Easter basket hunt? And how will I survive without hot tub conversations between two young men, that only one of them understands? Girls are scary? The mind boggles, chokes, and splutters.

Plus - I see myself as contributing to the "rest and get better"ment of a friend. And this just means we will have to plan a gathering for a different occasion. Maybe even a longer gathering, when it is warmer and dryer. And the sleep deprivation actually increases creativity, as the chains of the rational mind become less noticeable. Much like alcohol, it can lead to better creative writing. And I did get my underwear drawer rearranged. Did I mention that?

All and all, not too unbalanced. Still a little to the minus, but a Saturday evening home disco party should fix that. I recommend it to everyone. Turn the lights down a bit and get a mirror ball out, if you have one. I don't, but I am sure someone does. Put on your baddest clothes and turn James Brown or Funkadelic up loud enough to cover the groans of disgust from your children. And dance like the fool that you are and it will all be better.