Miz S

Some Pictures From Last Weekend.

We left for the airport early in the morning. Sasha managed to look presentable.

We saw Jesus at the airport. In fact, he was on our flight.

We stayed in a gently decaying bed-and-breakfast. Our hostess seemed a little cranky. But she made some damn good Irish Soda Bread.

Our room was maniacally floral.

Josh clowned for our amusement.

We waited for Evangeline.

She approacheth! She weareth her Javert coat from Goodwill!

The awkward sister hug.

We went to this coffee shop.

I was obsessed with the large, chubby squirrels all over town. East coast squirrels are quite anemic-looking by comparison.

We hung out in the dorm for a little while.

Gargoyles wearing ties! What will those crazy college kids think of next? Beer pong?

We spent a long time in the graveyard on Sunday. It was fun.

Sasha can still do the monkey bar rings. Well, the first 3 rings.

Josh is a little competitive. He wanted to prove that he is stronger than Sasha.

Then it was time to go home.

Okay, that's all I have right now. You can't imagine how long it took me to put that measly assortment of pictures together and center them properly. I am shockingly inefficient. And I just realized that I didn't put in one single picture from the play itself, but there's no way in hell I'm going to rustle one up right now. 

Here.  I'll leave you with Evangeline's bio from the play program:  Evangeline is a third-year Russian major hailing from the great Maryland outback. She has had a fabulous experience as the show's assistant director, taking copious production notes in a heart-shaped notebook and always maintaining draconian order during rehearsal.  She would like to thank the cast and the production team for being really, really, really silly.

 

Into The Woods.

We left for Evangeline's secret location in the Midwest on Friday morning at the CRACK of dawn.

As usual, the whole "packing" concept eluded me. I forgot my sweater and my deodorant and my shampoo, while Josh's suitcase was neatly organized by color and function, with little Nalgene bottles for shampoo and conditioner and travel-sized Q-tip swabs and 2 jackets (one for cool, breezy weather, a different one in case of rain). I swear, he is such a woman. I envy his packing genius.

We flew hither and yon. Here's something strange, considering my proclivity for anxiety: I realized recently that I love flying.  I adore the moving sidewalks at airports (I can cover some GROUND), and I love hanging out in the gate area, reading magazines and people-watching. I love the feeling of taking-off into blue skies. And, whenever I fly I am going to see someone I love or I am with someone I love, so the associations are all very pleasant. I'm not a big fan of turbulence, or that sudden jolt when the landing gear deploys, but for the most part I am not a nervous air traveler at all. Somehow, that is a pleasant realization.

The weekend was really fun. Sasha was conversational and humorous, Evangeline was relaxed and happy. I was only a little bit mean to Josh on Saturday night, and believe me, you would have been, too. On Friday night we saw the musical production that Evangeline helped direct, Into the Woods, which was clever and funny. On Saturday we went to the bookstore and the coffeeshop and Goodwill and a restaurant. And I napped. Saturday night we were given permission by Evangeline to skip the musical (I'm all about hovering, but it's a long-ass performance and my own personal ass was tired of sitting from the night before). Josh tricked me into going to see Transformers with Sasha and him at the student union. Hence, the meanness.

Sunday was all about walking around a lake and wandering through a graveyard looking for cool names and feeling solemn about the little headstones that just said "infant."

Yesirree Bob, we know how to have fun!

We spent a lot of time with Nathaniel, boyfriend to Evangeline and all around good guy. My girls have a keen instinct for nice boys, which I like to think that they inherited from me.

We got home really late on Sunday night, and I slogged my way through the pure hell that was Monday. Josh had Monday off, the lucky dog.

I have tons of pictures for you, but I think I will wait and put those up tonight or tomorrow, seeing as how it is time to go to work and sap the natural creativity of my young charges.

What Color Is My Parachute, Goddammit?

We went down to Sasha's college on Saturday for Parents' Weekend. It was--oh God--an achingly beautiful day. And Sasha and her roommates were just lovely.

The only fly in the ointment was the photographic evidence, collected by Josh THANKS HONEY, that I look angry, jowly, and thick-waisted.

Do you know that Sasha will graduate from college in 8 months? I realized this just the other day and it brought me up short. What does one DO with a college graduate? I mean, besides nag her about finding a job with excellent health insurance. I suppose I will look back nostalgically on her high school years. Remember when she used to sneak beers behind our back? Remember the time she got pulled over for tailgating the unmarked police car? She was so cute!

I am excited about upcoming plans to visit Evangeline at her small pretentious college in the Midwest. We are flying out in November, and Sasha is coming with us. Evangeline is the assistant director of a musical (Into The Woods, some of you probably know it), and we are going out to see both performances. It will be a family bonding experience! Woo!

Oh, and guess what ELSE? I'm flying to Niagara Falls this weekend to visit Aunt Crazy! OH BOY! THIS IS SO GREAT! Ain't nothing like spending time in a small dark house with a potty chair in the living room.

I have tons of other stuff to tell you, but, meh. The whole work angst thing. Yes, it's back, bigger and better than ever. I still love my students, I still love the people I work with. I just believe that my time in the classroom is up, which is not a good realization in OCTOBER. You know, if I were in just a teeny little car accident where I sustained a moderate injury that required traction... Do not yell at me for wishing horrible things upon myself. Ignore the dramatic statements. Pat my hand and remind me that I am a mercurial creature, even if you are muttering to yourself that I should quit complaining, dammit, and DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE THINGS.

The problem is, I don't know what to do.  Maybe one of you could call my principal and say you're my mom and that I have a dentist appointment for the next 8 months? Oh don't worry, I am prone to dramatic statements but seldom to dramatic actions. I will continue to plod along and do the best I can.

Big Wheel Keep On Turnin'.

Josh, Rosie, April, and I drove down to Southern Maryland today to visit Sasha and her friends. The college she attends sits on a small jewel of a river just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Chesapeake Bay. It has a kick-ass little sailing team that regularly defeats the teams of much larger schools, which is neither here nor there but delights me nonetheless so I couldn't help mentioning it.

Everything was sparkly and sunny and smelled good. Pine tree good. We walked the dogs all over campus and down by the water.  And everywhere were smooth-faced, cheerful young 'uns. Goddamn, young people are good-looking. They can't help it! They are fresh as flowers!

Sasha lives on campus in a townhouse with 3 other girls. Her boyfriend, Paul, lives right next door (how conveeeeenient) with his 3 roommates.  Between the 8 of them, there are at least a couple of really enthusiastic cooks (including Paul), and they eat a lot of meals together. The kitchens are fully stocked with good knives and spices and extra-virgin olive oil. And beer. Lots of beer. It's possible that they are eating better than we are up here in the land of OH MY GOD I'M TOO TIRED TO COOK.

Today they had a crab feast. They pulled tables and a motley collection of chairs outside, and we sat in shade and sun and ate crabs and drank cheap beer while Creedence Clearwater Revival blasted out of the window. Rosie and April were tied to the table legs and spent their time either napping or being cuddled by college kids.

I felt as if I were in a bubble of intense happiness. I loved it that she wanted us to come down, and I loved seeing her friends, a few of whom I know pretty well. I also felt nostalgic, I guess, and a little envious of how simple their lives are right now. They drink cheap beer and they like it. I respect that.

I hope you guys are all having a good weekend, too. Here are a few more pictures.

Rosie waded tentatively in the river.

The one on the left is little Eskimo.

Ha! These girls are short.

Josh looks cute.

Rosie got plenty o' attention.

Ok, that's all for now. Except I wish I had a cigarette.  Hanging out with college kids makes me yearn for my old bad habits.

The Farmer and the Cowman Should Be Friends.

Well, now. Shall we move on? Babelbabe was quite gracious about the whole thing and is clearly more mature than I am. I would say that she did, in fact, take it like a man when all was said and done.

I cannot promise that I will never rant like that again because I am easily overwrought when it comes to animals. There is a family history of this behavior.

For those of you keeping track, yesterday my little ones arrived in the classroom. I always forget how much like kindergarteners they still are at the beginning of first grade. Oh my God. I needed a stiff drink by 3:00. What I got instead was a series of frantic email and phone calls from Evangeline who was at home trying to pack up to go back to college. She is world's worst packer/organizer, I'm afraid. By late afternoon she was having a weepy nervous breakdown, so I abandoned my classroom and rushed home to help. She neeeeeeeeeded me. Those of you with elderly children like mine will appreciate the joy with which I realized she wanted some Mom-ing. I made soothing noises, went to the drugstore to pick up prescriptions and shampoo and toothpaste, supervised the jamming of clothes into suitcases with no discernible rhyme or reason, and made a nutritious, tasty dinner for her.

Josh is driving her to the airport even as I type this post. Me, I must fly to work on wings of trepidation to see what awaits me.

Adios, amigos.