Whinging Wednesday

PART A
1. Jaws went out of town yesterday until Friday. I'm pretty furious about it. He knew I didn't want him to go and he chose to go anyway. What?? You're shocked that I'm posting frustrating marital problems??!??! It's not all sunshine and flowers all the time??

Nope.

I sent him a text telling him if he wanted to make amends he'd better come back home with something pretty and shiny for me, paid for out of his own money and not the family fund. Oh yeah. After 15 years we've resorted to threats when one of us is acting like a jackhole. (And in this case it's HIM.)

2. But Jennifer, why didn't you want him to go spend four days getting training (NOT FOR WORK BUT FOR HIS VOLUNTEER SERVICE IN THE UNION I.E. NOT THE JOB THAT PAYS HIS SALARY AND IS THEREFORE MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE) on an all-expenses-paid trip to Myrtle Beach, complete with a private ocean front room??

Because.

Oh, you wanted more reason than that? Because UNO- it's what we call "CRUNCH WEEK" in the theatre world- SEUSSICAL opens in 8 short days. We have practice everyday until late at night, and that takes it's toll. AND DOS- he didn't HAVE to go, but he really WANTED to go. So basically he has jetted off leaving me to handle EVERYTHING, even though I asked him NICELY to please not go.

Seeing as how Jaws never reads my blog (even though I've invited him to, and even asked him to post!!) I guess you will never hear his side of the story (which would be WRONG WRONG WRONG anyway) and you'll just have to take my word for it that my anger is throughly justified, and besides, when have you ever known me to be anything but pleasant and loving and understanding???

I rest my case.


PART B
1. I've decided to get an iPhone when I'm due for an upgrade next spring. Yep, I'm going to actually PAY MONEY for a phone.

My iPod died this summer after 6 years of loyal service. I've missed it. I've also realized that from here on out, until the girls leave home, I'm not going to be at home NEARLY as often as I'd like to be. Since I've been working on SEUSSICAL stuff (opening November 4th! See me for ticket info!!) there have been MULTIPLE times on MULTIPLE days where I've needed to access my email, a website, my back account, a bill, etc and I won't be able to access a computer for a few hours. If I had a smartphone I could do all this.

Yeah, this is TOTALLY a first world problem, I know. But you know what?? I don't care. I live in the 21st century. I'm GLAD I don't have to wait six months for a letter to arrive just so I can hear news from my family. I'm glad that I don't have to measure my words carefully so I can send the cheapest telegram possible. I'm glad I don't have to wait until after 9 pm to call some long distance number at a good rate.

I don't get people who moan and groan about technology and how it isolates us and how life would be some much better if we were without instant access and earbuds and no one ever talks anymore. I'm pretty sure those people are just boring and no one wants to listen to them anyway!

Peace out, hombres.

Whinging Wednesday

A few days ago I posted on Facebook that I used to think Spring was one of my favorite seasons, but now I know that it is most definitely NOT. (For the record, the order is 1) Fall 2)Summer 3)Winter 4)Spring).

Yes, the renewal of the earth is lovely and the cool mornings and mild afternoons are nice. But the renewal of the earth brings a metric ton of pollen, and the cool mornings and mild afternoons last few about two weeks (sometime between Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day) before the stiffling heat and humidity make their triumphant debut.

And there's always SO MUCH TO DO. Weeding the flower beds, mowing the lawn, getting the garden ready, changing out the bed linens and clothes from winter stuff to summer stuff, spring cleaning; the chores go ON and ON and ON FOR-EV-ERRRRRRRRRR. I just want to curl up with a book. (But I must take advantage of the two weeks of beautifulness outside! Or else I feel guilty! And I hate feeling guilty!)

And then there's preschool. I hate spring at preschool because
1) everyone (including the kiddies) has spring fever and Spring Break never gets here fast enough, nor does it last long enough
2) graduation is looming (and that's a LOT of work too!) and
3) T-BALL.

****DISCLAIMER*****
This is WHINGING WEDNESDAY, a time when I can hyperbolically complain about whatever has my knickers in a twist on that given day. It is not a judgment about you. (Okay, maybe a *leetle*.) But seriously, take everything I say with a grain of salt.
*****END DISCALIMER*****

Let me tell you the evils of T-Ball as it pertains to children between the ages of 4 and 8. For some reason, "ball" practice seems to happen 3-4 nights a week. It's been my experience that these practices are later in the evening. And you know how soccer and football games are typically played on Saturday mornings? Not ball. They have weeknight games, and usually more than one a week! Kids who are playing ball get home late, eat dinner late, get to bed late, wake up grouchy and still tired and invariably come to school in the most rotten of moods and their behavio shows it.

With eight years of teaching experience under my belt I can raise my hand to the heavens and SWEAR this doesn't happen in the fall with soccer and football. It doesn't happen in the winter with basketball. It doesn't happen in the spring with soccer or swimming. IT ONLY HAPPENS IN THE SPRING WITH KIDS WHO PLAY BALL.

One year, most of my class was on the smae T-Ball team. Their practices and/or games (and sometimes they had BOTH on one day!) were on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays and Fridays, February-April, we had at least ONE kid fall asleep in class on those days after practice/games. Sometimes it was more than one. It was awful.

I think a lot of it has to do with the structure of ball. Yes, you play with a team, but there is so much pressure on the kid as an individual. Throwing and catching and hitting are great skills, but I have tons of hitting and throwing behavior problems at school and almost NO kicking problems. And lets face it, compared to soccer and football kids running up and down a field, ball kids aren't getting quite as much exercise. There's a lot of standing around and waiting, you know what I mean? So these kids are all pumped up and there's very little *physical* way of releasing it. Hence, tired kids and behavior problems galore at school the next day.

Don't get me wrong- I *LOVE* baseball as a sport. (Go Braves!) But I'm telling you- younger kids aren't getting much out of it at all. I want to plead with my parents sometimes, "Please wait until your little darling is older! They will enjoy it more, and so will you, and you won't have to have these little chats with me each afternoon about the bad choices your child made today!" I am alsways happy when ball is over and done with (only two more weeks! I can make it!).

And I hate spring because the sun is still shining when I need to go to bed. BOO DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME!!!!

In conclusion, Le Sacre du Printemps and Vivaldi aside, Spring holds no particular charms for me.

Although, I am looking forward to the return of gardenias.