quester, that sucks! Good luck getting it all sorted.

Barb, you will both look and be awesome!

Job ~ma, Aims. May they be reasonable.

Hang in there, smonster. It's a good thing you're doing, in spite of all the frustration.

Definitely, Stephanie. This isn't the first time I've had to learn it, or the second, or the fifth. You always think that if you just said/did the exact right thing, they would get it/change. But that shit is for feelgood movies.

The reality is, it sinks in at highly individual (therefore unpredictable) rates. We are responsible for the methods we use, but we are not responsible for the results. A seed you plant this year might not grow and bear fruit of its own this year - it might lie in dry ground and not get watered or fertilized for who knows how long. But it can blossom unexpectedly, in the time that is right - not for you, but for the individual you serve. When you see the flowers, rejoice - those blooms are blessings in and of themselves, not as a just reward for the work you put forth in planting.

sarameg, no, I don't. I would've just taken a sponge bath, but I was overwhelmed with the desire to wash my hair. It turned out all right in the end. My knee is swollen tonight after the myriad shenanigans of showering, dressing, and going to the ortho for a follow-up appointment, but I'm icing and elevating, and all is well.

I shamefacedly LOVE Mariah Carey's version of that. Big time.

::turns back on Teppy. Walks around her pouring the pure distillation of hipster disdain in a protective circle to enclose her contaminating uncoolness::

amyth, even a milkcrate with a towel might help. I'd be seriously homicidal if denied a shower.

Yeah, it's probably worth getting a good stable shower stool for your recup time. My folks have one built into their (gigantic awesome walk-in) shower and it's great. We were going to buy this pretty teak one for ours, but it's expensive.

Working with kids, you have to expect nothing in the short term; I remember myself when I am frustrated and how I didn't really make the "Oh! This is TRUE!" or "This person lesson's were really valuable!' until I had more life experience to compare it to.

You get little flashes of validation from kids now and then, and it's great -- but you have to operate from the long-term growth idea. Esp. when you are working with at-risk kids, who in many cases take a HELLA long to time to build up trust and confidence in you. It really, really is show, not tell, with them, and no wonder, in so many cases.

Windsparrow, you have the loveliest way of putting things. I never cease to marvel at it.

Thank you, all, for the unwavering support and wisdom. Could not do this without y'all.

amyth, glad you got to bathe. The milk crate idea sounds like a good one - I'll bet one of your neighbors has one or something similar. Hmm. I might have one in the garage, will have to check.

Watched the first episode of Terriers, put the dried fruit to soak in the spiced rum for fruitcake, and made spaghetti carbonara for dinner.

I am not as stressed about the continuing horror of my tenants today, so I may actually get some sleep tonight.

Nora, it's been canceled, did you hear? But it's a glorious and pretty satisfying season, so don't let that stop you. Besides, I want to see if it moves Tom to ASSCAP.