You know what else is bullshit? The first significant snow in our forecast, and it's for FRIDAY NIGHT. I don't need that shit!

Good god, msbelle. That sounds horrible.

Consuela, the plan should be to have someone else give her pumpkin bread and say they made it. And then you make it with all salt instead of sugar or something, and watch her take a bite.

msbelle! man.

I like Amy's plan, but I might go so far as to find out what kind of baked goods she does like, bake something, have a coworker claim it and sub/add a spice. Maybe a splash of cayenne pepper?

Heh. I am not evil enough, I suspect.

Egad, msbelle!

ita, I think it's fair to blame some of your concentration issues at work on your spotty medical treatment. Dr Asshat is an asshole.

ita, you are overwhelmed, that's why. I'm in the thick of minor throes of it, and it's all I can do to keep on top of my bills and I'm convinced I'm not. OH WATER BILL.NOW.

Wine night. Which I was late to due to thundersnow. I was up at 5, I got to the pool early, started aaaaand 30 minute delay due to thunder. Fucking January and February. I was like, ok half mile, but IF I DON'T GET MY FULL MILE AND A HALF I MIGHT STAB SOMEONE TODAY. And I didn't want to do that to my neighbors. It was an angry swim. And my times were fast. Yay anger? But wine night was still good for me, though we were all like OMG, how long did we talk about HSAs and health insurance? OMG, but also how A's ex-wife (not really, roommate, but everyone assumed they were a couple even though they both like boys) is a bad picker, that broken stupid 7 year relationship, how S's Joe has become the yardstick by which all potential boyfriends are measured (and he was there!) and plumbers and heater replacers and geriatric cats and bands and weird neighbors. Ah, late 30s home owners....

I dunno. I hate Jan/Feb. It's always a clusterfuck. But at least I have good people.

Well, crap. Now the city's website is being stupid and not letting me pay. Damnit. eta: ok, solved. Now what else have I been forgetting?

Yup. I'm dropping balls, and I'm not juggling nearly what you are or dealing with chronic pain and medications.

But I feel better tonight. I went a little crazy and pushed on all my levers at once, which resulted in some stuff getting pushed through that now has to be pulled back, but whatevs, it's done, and nearly everyone got back to me that had to.

I was basically ramping up to my traditional pre-event freakout, faced with the trifecta of starting cigar box guitar student builds tomorrow, throwing a concert Sunday with previews Sat & Sun morning, and then that band coming out with us for the week's work. So basically, project where I hand a bunch of students who are cutters sharp implements and power tools. Concert, which wasn't well-promoted. (See above re: balls, dropped.) And work team. All stressors.

But hey, between the SO and my moodgym techniques, I talked myself down out of it. So yay, non-freakout! I actually think I'll be totally fine. And if not, it's not a catastrophe.

I cannot wait to start the cigar box guitars with the kids. It is going to be a serious blast.

Yikes, Liese! That is a lot of stressors, but at least you have something to look forward to.

So, I'm the teacher piloting this evaluation process at work. I didn't attend a training this summer because I didn't know about it. So I have to go to a training on Friday. Blargh. Do not want.

Also, the $2500 we wrote into the grant to go along with an onerous teacher portfolio has been stripped and replaced and now we have to do that AND 30 hours of additional PD for $1500 instead. All of the other grant recipients in our district are only doing the 30 hours of PD. I'm feeling... screwed by this, but also obligated to do the portfolio, of which I have been working on and off on and am hating but almost finished.

I have another portfolio due in April and am a giant stress monster about it. BLARGH.

Also, the other grant that I am working with is annoyed because I keep falling out and not doing things. But I do not have the bandwidth to take students to UCLA anywhere between monthly and twice monthly on Saturday. I'm just TIRED.

Please to make life less stressy ASAP. Thanks so much!

If it makes you feel any better, I saw epic bad parents at the pool tonight. A couple arrived with their 10-ish son. Informed it was not open swim, only lap and lessons, they half-assedly did laps. They assured the guard he couldn't swim enough to pass the swim test to let him into the lanes. Frankly, neither could they, but they were technically doing laps. Leaving their kid to warm the bench in his swimtrunks. First for 20 minutes, then the closing AND THEN THEY CAME BACK. WITH THE KID. Who then was bored and got yelled at for running around the deck while they fucked around. There is child minder at the Y, even for kids his age. But no.

When open swim started, they left. Kid never got in the pool.That was over a course of 2 hours. I don't even.