2005-10-20

I guess I should start with THE SMELL. Sunday, we noticed this terrible odor coming from our laundry room. In fact it smelled very similarly to the chipmunk that was stuck (dead) in the dryer vent around this time last year. So husband cleaned out the dryer vent. No dead critter. Then we cleaned the laundry room--no dead critter. we argued about exactly where THE SMELL was coming from. I spent a few minutes just livid at the thought of having spent so much time looking for the cause of the smell when I had LOTS of stuff to do. We had out handyman guy come out and poke through insulation etc, and he declared it to be sewer gas--coming from the floor drain. he cleared out the floor drain as best he could and left instructions for blocking it off til we could call a plumber. We blocked it off--the air cleared, we called a pumber. $95 later, it is supposedly fixed. This doesn't count the $25 he handyman charged us.

Then there was Twins club. Now, i know I complain and complain over this club and really I should just quit--but the $20 dues gets me into the garage sale and last year I made $200 and probably spent about that to outfit both kids for the year. Well, September's meeting had abeen a social evening, and we had been asked to sign up to bring food and drinks for future meetings. I assumed that October's meeting would have a speaker and I usually like the speakers, so I signed up to bring drinks. I bought drinks, collected a bag of ice and some plastic cups and was all ready. The day of the meeting, I got an e-mail explaining it was a social meeting. Suddenly, I didn't want to go. I antagonized all day (sort of) about how to get out of it. decided I needed to turn in cookie dough orders (I had 2) and really I had signed up for drinks and I'm all reliable. so, I decided to drop stuff off and claim I couldn't stay (and then go home, read to the girls, put them to bed and sew on their halloween costumes!). When I got there, someone else had brought drinks already. I was so mad. SOOOO mad, I mean it was liek they said--Oh well, we didn't think we couuld trust you to bring a few 2 liter bottles of pop, some ice and some cups. I took my cups home, left the pop and made some comment that hopefully they thought was humorous--I guess you don't really need me anyway.
I'm not going to November's meeting.

And then there is class. Honestly, I spent about 6 hours prepping for class, answering e-mails from students etc. One student wants to "discuss her grade" and I prep for the big picture, and she wants to argue over one paper. She tells me she's getting A's in all her other classes. Note--if you'd liek to win the argument that you should be doing better in a class, do not ever ever resort to the "I'm getting A's in all my other classes"--or it's cousin the "I've always gotten A's in all my other X classes" X being the subject matter of the class. Because really, I can't grade your work in other classes, only this one. And this woman's real problem is her inability to communicate what she is thinking on paper to me. I told her I couldn't grade what was in her head.

And then there are the minor annoyances. The preschool wants to have a holiday bazar with home based businesses, I asked about handmade items too--and the response (though positive) was Sure--How does November 4 sound? Or maybe November 11. Ok, I just can't even think about making enough stuff for a craft table in THREE weeks. I have no idea if they are going to do it again next year or even in the spring. Thankfully, MIL has gobs of quilty handmade things she's always willing to sell and she said she'd go in with me--which is generous of her as I'll probably have made all of one item.
The girls have taken to screaming songs instead of sleeping at naps--we spend 2.5 hours just trying to get a (much needed) nap out of them.
Also, they haven't been listening--and I've been so frustrated at having to say over and over--please come here--So, I've taken to saying it once, counting then punishing. It wears on you. I know in the long run, I'll be able to say, please come here and they will but I feel like a great big meanie.

Ok, I think that's enough.

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