Saturday

I got a stellar massage this morning, after over two months since my last one.

Then I came home and picked up Beast before we headed to Sparky's college to bring home a load of his stuff. including the (way-too-freakin-big) TV and his bike. What I hadn't thought about until we started loading the car is ... uhm ... who's getting this shit outta the car at home?!

Yeah, I'm a stellar planner.

I called our neighbor when we got home, but they're at a soccer thing till...sometime. They'll stop by when they're headed home and it will take less than 3 minutes for J and me to get the TV and one giant (heavy) box out onto the floor in the garage.

Meanwhile, we watched the Derby. Now we're watching what happened with NASCAR while the horses ran. Holy cats: major wreck into a wall, so trying not the check the site to see what happened with everyone.

And the drama continued today at work, apparently. No one had called the boss about Crazy Cat Woman's medical update, so by 2 when Techie Librarian realized that and made the call, she got lambasted. No good deed goes unpunished.

My eyes are goofed up again, both itchy and sore as well as not seeing properly. Beast's back seems better than yesterday (not saying much there). I'm so tired. Tomorrow is laundry and general cleaning once we get home from church. At least I don't have to face work on Monday....

I want a divorce...

...from the Big Metropolis near where I live. Well, only the fans of the football team in that city.

Mostly I want to shove Katherine through a plate glass window on the 38th floor of a building. I think this is the point at which I finally tell her, in reality, to deal with her own life instead of fucking up everyone else's. I really really am done with her selfishness.

Also, FIL is back in the hospital. Long day spent in the ER today, and he's spending the night tonight since they still don't have a clue what's wrong with him.

GO PACK GO!! Superbowl winners again!!

Neighborhood football

Something I love, that I never take for granted and intentionally fight for, is that we have a BIG yard that is

w i d e
o p e n

The people behind us also have a pretty big open area across their yard.

So two guys just rang my doorbell--J. who lives behind us and L. who lives next door (JesusGOD they're getting tall!). They're wearing touch-football flags on their waists and J. says, "Can we play football in your yard? There are, like, a ton of guys." L. chimed in with, "Even some high school guys." In response to my raised eyebrows (not too many high school kids around here), he hastily added, "Freshmen in high school."

Of course I said sure. They are asking because Sparky's not outside to "approve" it ... and I suspect they were sent to ask by some adult or another. It looks to me like there are about a dozen kids--probably close to a ton, I guess--and they are supervised by another neighbor so it's not going to turn into a riot.

I really hope that kids continue to play in our yard. I don't ever, EVER want to be the curmudgeon in the neighborhood, the woman who hates kids. Play on, guys!

Miscellany

A headline from a nearby paper that I read on occasion; I have kept saved for weeks in my RSS feeds because it makes me laugh EVERY time I see it:

Woman falls out third-story window, found on neighbor's couch

She was fine when found. Just drunk. Surprise, surprise.

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Speaking of which, Sparky informed us there was a WHOLE LOT of drinkin' going on in Germany, among both the American and the German teens. He is appalled. APPALLED! His appalledness makes me roll my eyes and snort.

Wait till college, hon, just wait!

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Pics from our vacation:

Because one really has to stop here when you see this sign, no? I didn't go in; Beast did. I stayed outside and took pictures, because I just oculdn't handle the schlock value. Beast was impressed. I'll bet they have good bathrooms.

Windmill farms have sprung up all across the plains, which is wonderful. However, you can't deny how spooky they are on the horizon.

This is scenery I grew up seeing as a child as we meandered around Wyoming and Colorado. This donkey is in Kansas, but otherwise it looks completely the same as the hundreds of others I've seen.

This is the view driving from Kansas to Colorado Springs. The road waaaaaay off in the distance is about 20 miles away, and still another 20 miles from the Spgs. Bor.Ring.Dri.Ving.

The Beaumont (duh) in Ouray. Our room was the third window from the left, where the curtain is open a bit. I can't imagine there's a boring or bad room in this place. And yes, the street is that steep. lol

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I played hooky from work today, staying home to cull through the pages of "Cookery" changes that need to be made in our catalog while watching NCIS reruns on the USA Network. I made it halfway through in checking (not fixing)...in four hours. I may dream about "Cookery (Tofu)" and "Cookery, Acadian" tonight. Gibbs as a gourmet cook? Ducky making foie gras?

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Germany is out of the Cup race, but I'm kind of secretly glad that Spain is in. I don't know why, and don't tell Sparky; he's bummed that Germany lost.

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And I'm going to bed.

Heh

This made me giggle--and I don't even know who Landon Donovan is.

If only life really worked this way....

Sports fanatics

Parents and coaches should, sometimes, not be allowed in the same zip code. Or perhaps the parents should, during the games, always have to wear duct tape or gags.

Believe me, I totally understand getting into the game and yelling for better progress, disagreeing with a series of play calls, whining about strategy. You really have to know that I get that. I do these things while sitting in the stands. I co-parent with someone who does that (in spades). [Hi, Beast!]

I also understand that it must be really hard to have us armchair/grandstand bosses questioning everything the coach does, from play-calling to player-motivation, from clock management to how often individuals get onto the field (as in, "My son never gets to play" etc.).

When those two wells of frustration meet up because one parent is too frequent and loud in his commentary and the coach gets tired of being yelled at by someone who hasn't been at all the games, practices, meetings with other coaches...well, there will be fireworks unless one of them knows how to back down.

And of course the question really is: who is the one who should back down? Who is the one at fault when the shouting match starts?

My personal feeling is Put Up or Shut Up. If you can't support your kid in any other way besides yelling at his coach, but are at EVERY SINGLE ONE of another kid's games...if you don't have enough sense to back down when the normally very calm and stoic coach comes storming towards where you are sitting in the stands...if you are known to other parents for being a giant blowhard...then just shut up. You are giving the rest of us equally-frustrated-but-resasonable parents a really bad name, not to mention embarrassing yourself and (potentially) your son. There is also the chance that the coach's frustration with you could blow back on your son in terms of playing time or issues at practice. The latter doesn't seem likely: the kid is good at the game, plays offense and defense, and the coach (from my admittedly limited p.o.v.) doesn't seem like the type to vent on the kid. Other parents seem to disagree with that last point, but Sparky says he doesn't see it. Then again, Sparky sometimes doesn't see metaphorical oncoming semis so we can't really go on that.

The whole situation upset me more than it really should have. I don't like conflict, and I really don't like stupid parents. Frankly, the fact that Sparky has less than two years left of local schooling--which means less than two years left for me to pretend to like other parents to whom I mostly want to apply a Louisville Slugger--makes me so happy I can hardly stand it. See why I'm not a teacher?? The kids I could handle. Their parents...O.M.G. Night.mare.

Weekend Busy-ness

Friday:

• Clean up the house (tidy, dust, hide crap, vacuum/mop floors, do dishes, etc.)
• Grocery shop
• Meet extended family for dinner 45 minutes from home (good food, but VERY noisy, and no shades on the windows with sun glaring in)
• Attend h.s. football game near (sorta) dinner site (they lost 47-7, and the cheerleaders did it again, this time using the same cheer as mentioned in the previous post, but this time they did it during the prep time for a kickoff...no quarterback on the field, idiots)
• Shift belongings of one set of family members from local rellies to our car
• Drive home trying to stay awake and make coherent conversation
• Make yet MORE semi-coherent conversation till we all dropped from exhaustion at midnight

Saturday:

• Find out that the U2 show is not sold out, really; also it costs $45 to park near the concert venue
• R & B decide to go to the concert with us
• Use Google maps to find restaurant sort of near venue; contact the rest of the people we're going to with and set meet-up time of 4:30 at restaurant
• Leave for concert (which starts at 7) around 2:30.
• Stop at Beast's dad's to drop off this week's meds and clean laundry
• Stop at bank for money
• Get slowed down by traffic
• Receive first call from Katherine at 4:30; they are at restaurant. She is not happy that we'll be late, but so is Alan's brother-in-law
• Arrive at parking lot and use the porta-potty. Receive second call from Katherine informing us that Alan's bro is there (we are now officially 30 minutes late for the meet-up time at the restaurant)
• Start walking. There is no direct way to the restaurant, so we have a tour of much of the lakefront as we truck through the early arrivals for the concert.
• Katherine calls again at about 5:20. I can barely speak we are walking so fast. "We're on our way, moving as fast as we can!" She responds, "It's VERY busy here!"
• Finally, at 5:30 we call--still not at restaurant--and ask if it's really likely that we'll get fed and back out in time for a 7:00 show including a the 40-minute walk back to the venue. No. Katherine, Alan and S meet us and we find a Jimmy John's instead; they run out of bread as we reach the counter to order
• Every restaurant we pass is jammed, so we throw in the towel and go back to the stadium to eat, arriving at about 6:30. Massive money is spent buying hot dogs and brats
• We find our seats
• The stage is weird, massive and looks like the Press Your Luck stage-set
• Snow Patrol takes the stage at 7. VERY good
• Beast goes and buys a pretzel, a hat, a T, and a program
• Alan goes and buys coffee for Katherine
• After an hour, U2 takes the stage. Aside from some sound/balance issues, they are excellent for 2+ hours. I love these guys
• Push out of stadium and stream toward parking lot
• Finally get to the highway home at about 12:15

Sunday:

• Arrive home after an hour of driving through massive fogbanks
• Sparky goes immediately to bed but the rest of us have a short discussion about the concert
• Bed around 3 a.m.
• I'm up by 8
• James arrives at 12:30
• I cook tacos
• We have a wonderfully relaxed afternoon watching football, talking, eating, and hanging out
• James leaves
• The rest of us head to church for our youth group meeting
• ...which goes pretty well
• Home again: Beast watches Packers/Bears game, Sparky goes to bed, the rest of us stay in the kitchen talking till halftime
• B & R head to bed; I head to bed; everyone is beyond exhausted; even Beast comes to bed relatively early

Monday:

• I'm up at 6:30
• Sparky leaves for school at 7:30
• I leave to volunteer at his school library at about 7:50
• Return home at 9:30
• We pack everyone into the car--again--and drive to the Middle-Sized City to the Northeast to drop R & B at bus station (easier than driving back down to GIANT City Directly to the East)
• Drive back in time for Beast to drop me off for a massage at 2
• Beast picks me up and we go to Sparky's JV football game (they lose again)
• We go to dinner
• ...and come home to a normal house

We have massive stuff to do this week too, but at least there are a few days before the next round of company arrives. And they won't stay with us, so the house doesn't have to get cleaned again for awhile. Thank God.

Foo'bah

Yup.

Sparky's on the team, mostly just suiting up for the varsity games, but possibly (eventually) playing in the JV games. Wait, no, he did play last week at the JV game come to think of it! Took himself out when he got his bell rung a little--he doesn't realize how that looks to the coach. What can I say that doesn't sound horribly unsympathetic? Nothing. So I'm trying really hard to say just that while letting him spout off about all the intricacies of the games and the coaching.

[Like I haven't sat through 7 years of high school and college football games, both home and away (not ALL the away games, but a chunk of the college ones when I was on the campus radio station). Not to mention the 40 years of tutorials from Dad and Beast while watching the NFL.]

At last night's game, I even was calling the flags on the field just about as well as Beast. Quite proud of myself. At least I wasn't the one cheering "Sack! That! Quarterback!" while we were on offense like the *!&$@^ing "professionals" on our side of the stadium were doing--again!--at one point. Oh, yes they were. Way to keep your head in the game, CheerSquad!!! Nice job!!! You go!!!

Final score: 0-27. At least Sparky's team held them scoreless in the second half (though I'm sure that's cuz the other school put in their B-team at some point). Next week, we play a 'real' team, one that's in contention for State.

Is there a slaughter rule in high school football?

Yeah. I didn't think so.

This is just like my high school years all over again...only I sorta care now since I have a stake in some of the people on the team.

[Next week's game will be interesting insofar as Sparky will have two cousins+their husbands in the stands along with us. Two of those visitors are English and this will be their first football game. Let the explanations begin--Beast might lose his mind at the depth of their ignorance! That'll be fun.]

Sore

This week has been filled with G.I. issues: Sunday overnight was awful, and last night I woke up with terrible heartburn. Today, my shoulders have been absolutely killer painful. It wasn't until about 2 hours ago that I realized--after Beast tried to unkink the muscles for me--it's not muscle pain. This is deep down achy pain.

So now, having assured myself that I'm not having a heart attack...really, I'm not...I'm wondering if instead I'm coming down with the flu.

Or it's just stress, since I'm losing my favorite Tech Svc. employee, the one who keeps me sane on difficult days. She's leaving at the end of November. That makes close to (maybe over) 20 hours/week I will have lost this year. Sigh. It also means it's really time to rethink how we "do" Tech Svc. before we just jam someone into MEM's place.

Joy.

Tomorrow, the plan is to work all day and then head to Sparky's second away varsity football game...alone. Beast will be in Ohio setting up for the estate/rummage sale.

And then I work Saturday too. Ugh.

The payoff is that I'm off to see Amy on Sunday. Yay. Yayyayyay. Must gossiping will be had.