Thoughts While Babysitting

I really need to get on here more often, as I've missed the window for a few posts, least of which being my yearly rant about "Take Your Child Out Of School Day". I won't re-hash. Just look up last year's rant.

Tonight I'm babysitting the girls. I should come up with another nickname, as "the boys", "the girls", and "the kids" doesn't work any more ("the boys" are outside my circle of folks I see regularly). Ah, it's good to be reminded that you're on the outs with someone.

Anyway, I'm babysitting the girls tonight, because Ben & Tricia are at some get-gussied-up function of some sort. I was sitting on Livy's bed watching the two of them brush their teeth and generally prepare for bed when my over-active imagination imagined them about twelve years from now, standing side by side in front of those dual sinks putting on their make-up for the prom.

Then I imagined that I was talking with them then, as I was as this imagination-fest was going on, and in the imagination-fest I was telling them that I was remembering this random night, so many years ago, when they were both so small and precocious, where they were happily brushing their teeth and telling me all sorts of wild tales about how sometimes they're allowed to do the teeth-brushing routine in reverse order, and so on... and as I re-read this run-on sentence, I realize you might need a road map. Take a moment. Draw one if you need one.

Then the Hallmark moment was over, and I remembered that Jordan is only 12, and I know I've forgotten moments where I sat watching her when she was this age or younger, thinking, "I'll remember this when she's older, and blah blah blah." By the time Jordan is 17 or 18, I'm bound to remember even less.

And then, of course, as is my way these past few years, the newer part of me steps in to clear his throat and say, "As if you're going to live to see their Junior/Senior Prom Night, dufus."

Well, he has a point. I'm not the healthiest man alive. Not even on the top gazillion list, methinks.

(And I get that charlie-horse feeling in my leg as I type this, as if to back it up the sentiment--no worries, folks who know the significance of that... I've had this feeling often, and I'm fairly sure it's just a small charlie horse.)

So, shaken from my moment, but still conversing with the girls as if this whole other world didn't exist in my brain for however-many seconds, I realize that if I'm here, maybe I'll remember this night if there's a blog entry about it.

And here it is.

Nature Abhors A Vacuum

Yeah, I haven't posted for a while. It seems that when you try to free up some time because your "real job" work is suffering from your "support your real job" job hours, things rush in to take up that free time.

And that's okay... except I want to sleep all the time.

Let's see... since "Surprise!", lots has happened...

For instance, I've started rehearsals for the next show. I'm thinking I might audition for a solo part, but we shall see what my throat thinks about that.

The next time I went to that pharmacy to get... I don't remember what now... probably some sleep aid or another--anyway, the next time I went there, that male Ashley was working, so I just asked if his mother was a big "Gone With the Wind" fan or what. Turns out Grandma was. Apparently I was the first person in his life to ever get that connection--which says a lot about my age, as I don't know that they run "Gone With the Wind" yearly like they did when I was a kid. (That and "Wizard of Oz" got played on broadcast stations yearly--remember that?)

We gave the MAP test at school. I have things to share about that, but I want to wait until the we're out of the testing window before I do--I think it ends this week.

I joined a church--but those of you who got the e-vite already knew that. I was sorta crazy-nervous, and I didn't expect the awesome feeling one gets when staring at a congregation of people that is welcoming you. It was more than I'd expected, all around.

Kurt Vonnegut died. I'll have to prepare a special post about that sometime when I have the time to really get into it. I've re-read "Timequake", and last night I picked up "Galapagos" just to move it, but ended up starting re-reading it.

I really love his writing.

Then there was the shootings in Virginia... but I don't know much about it. I figure it isn't news until they somehow tie it to Anna Nicole.

But, kvetching about what passes for news aside, I don't have a lot of reaction about it. I think my crazy brain deals with things by noticing strangeness.

Most of which I won't delve into here and now.

And beneath it all there's the knowledge that there are over 30 families somewhere in the world dealing with a whole lot.

Also, I got my taxes mailed off on time.

Sorry, couldn't end on the somberness.