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.

I am drinking a Pinot noir called "Clark and Telephone." Did I order a $21 glass of wine based on the name? Well, I'm not paying for it. And it is tasty. Also, on the block and a half walk back to my room, when I basically fell off my platform shoes on the cobblestones, I managed to spill only a tiny bit of it, and none on my new white jeans.

Yikes, backatcha, Kat, that's a lot of stressors too!

Mine going to work out to be good things, pretty much, I think. As long as I make sure to get all the implements back that I hand out. Actually, I'm kidding about that mostly; I think I've slimmed it down where I'll do the all the sawing, and they'll do sanding, filing, drilling, and screwing. Well, and soldering, but that's just the older kids and won't happen for a few weeks.

Blah, bad parents.

Yay good wine! I bought Guiness for the Superbowl, even though I am the only one in this house who drinks it and I'm a super lightweight. So now I have five left. And I wanted one tonight, but tomorrow's my 2nd goal weight loss day, so I resisted!

Guiness is about the most diet friendly real beer there is, fwiw.

I'm in Scottsdale by the way, so waving at you (and Erika) from much closer than usual. Work trip, so basically not leaving the property unfortunately.

yipes Kat, that does sound hella stressful.

Sick kid update: Franny developed a mild fever at some point this afternoon, which means staying home was the right thing to do. Sigh. Now I'm worried Isaac will get it.

Came home from work and headed to the dojo for an hour. It felt good to be able to put all my concentration into something physical. Since I've been home I've been working on a puzzle. I'm afraid to crawl in bed, turn out the lights, and be alone with my brain.