Saturday stuff

I got a couple of questions from my previous post about how the kids behaved while I was on my trip. According to Superman, they did pretty well. Figures. I leave, they straighten up. He isn't as strict as I am, so they don't fight against him as hard as they do against me, I think. And since I have been home they've done pretty well, all things considered. We haven't had any law enforcement officers involved in our business, at least.

I'll tell you a story about Sproing, though. Last week I took him to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to take the test for his learner's permit. He took it, passed, and got his permit. All is well. He and his dad went driving a couple of times that day and the next. He was driving at 10:30 last Saturday night to pick up his sister from the skating rink, and got pulled over by a highway patrolman. He had been weaving in his lane, and the officer said he didn't come to a full stop at a stop sign. Superman says the stop sign thing was bogus, but Sproing was indeed weaving a bit. He's not used to sitting in the driver's seat, and it's a different perspective on the edge of the road. He was getting too close to the road's edge, and Superman reminded him to move toward the left a couple of times. The officer came up to the truck and looked at Sproing and his permit. Sproing is kinda small for his age. When he saw that Sproing had the learner's permit, he asked if Sproing was just learning to drive. Of course Sproing answered in the affirmative. The officer said "you have a lot to learn," gave the kid his permit back, and wrote out a warning ticket. All in all it was a good experience/lesson.

However, on Sunday of last week Sproing was acting all crazy. He was angry, arguing with us and throwing things around. He threw his learner's permit at me and stormed out of the room, only to come back a little while later to retrieve the card. Then he got a pair of scissors and cut his permit in half. WTF? Then, of course, threw those at me. So I have them, tucked away in a drawer. He isn't getting another chance, not for a long time.

Sproing discussed the incident a little bit on Monday. He said he wasn't going to be driving anymore, not any time soon. I agreed. He isn't quite mature enough to drive, obviously. One of the things he said when arguing with us on Saturday was that Dad kept commenting on his driving while they were out. Well, duh! No, he says, I don't comment on your driving when I am in the car with you! Which is a lie. He comments on our driving all the time. But he just can't accept constructive criticism, suggestions, or correction in anything that he does. Seriously. This is going to continue to be a problem throughout his life if he doesn't figure this out. And he cuts us off cold when we try to discuss it. Oh well.

Since the kids were pretty chill while I was away, I've tried not to get into their shit since I got home. I don't necessarily agree with this approach, but it's better for my blood pressure if I let it be. I dunno. Things are so far gone with these kids that it's probably too late to try the strict approach. Right now I'm just trying to not rock the boat.

The state agency that supervises Diva's social services is trying to drop her as a client. We had a meeting the day after I got home from points north. Did I tell you about that? Yeah, the ladies in charge said that she barely qualifies for services any more. We've put her case on hold for three months, after which we'll have another meeting. The thing with Diva, she can hold it together really well for a while, then some damn something will tip her over the edge. So yeah, right now she's great. I hope it stays this way.

The scab on the bite on my arm came off yesterday, two weeks after the bitch bit me. The wound isn't completely healed, though. I put a bandage on it after the scab came off, but have just removed it. There's going to be another scab forming, but it'll be a much smaller, thinner one. The scab on my finger is still there, though it is smaller now. That was quite a deep bite on the finger there. And the finger is still a bit sore to the touch.

My new DVD player came in yesterday's mail. We bought a cheap nasty one for the living room a while ago, but it broke, so we donated the one in our room to that cause and I began looking for a replacement. That was more challenging than I predicted. So I ended up ordering one from Amazon. It came yesterday. This afternoon Superman and I watched two chick flicks. He's a good sport. We watched "The Backup Plan" which neither of us had seen. It's cute, but quite simple. JLo, you know. The male lead is a fella named Alex O'Loughlin who I've never seen before. He's cute! After that movie was over I was in the mood to watch more sexy male romantic leads, so we watched my current go-to chick flick, "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. >swoon< Ryan Reynolds is so drool-worthy! So Superman watched Sandra Bullock while I watched Ryan Reynolds, and we both enjoyed Betty White, because hey, what's not to enjoy?

Not a lot of deep philosophy in today's entry, huh? Eh, it's too hot to think too hard. I'm inside enjoying the air conditioning. We got a new A/C last spring, and it works so beautifully! So here I sit, rotting my brain and cooling my heels.

Beginning with a quote

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. -Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, musician, Nobel laureate (1875-1965) 
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So let's wrap up the camping trip. We planned to stay Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. I posted about the trip last Tuesday. Tuesday evening it got uncomfortably cold and quite windy. Tuesday night in the tent was too cold, so we packed up Wednesday and came home. I read a book most of the afternoon Tuesday and into the evening as well. By the time I finished the book it was late and too cold and windy to stoke up the grill for hamburgers, so we went into Hendersonville to BK for a snack. 


Wednesday morning we did the breakfast thing. I taught Sproing how to make scrambled eggs. The way I do it when camping is to put the eggs and anything else I want to add into a quart size zip closure plastic bag. I seal the bag, then squish everything together through the bag. That's lots o' fun! I put the bag into boiling water, taking care not to let the plastic drape over the side of the pot, because the heat from the camp stove (or fire, if applicable) melts the bag. Yep, learned that the hard way. The eggs cook in the bag and comes out all fluffy and omelette-y. Take care that the eggs cook completely. It takes a while for the center of the stuff to cook. Personally, I like to wrap the scrambled egg into a flour tortilla shell for a breakfast burrito. Sproing likes his on a plate. 


We cleaned up after breakfast and began to break camp. That sounds so violent! We took down the tent, put stuff in boxes and whatnot, laid a tarp in the truck bed, and filled it up with all our stuff. Sproing tried to help me secure the tie-downs over the load, but got a bit of grit in his eye. Did I mention the wind was still strong? It was painful, and I didn't appreciate the gravity of the situation as much as he thought I should. We fussed at each other. He got in the truck and eventually napped on the way home. His eye and his attitude were much better when he woke up. 


The week before our camping trip the weather here in Greenwood was unseasonably warm. I was eager to get to the cooler temps of the mountains. Unfortunately for us, the temperature adjusted to seasonably appropriate in the entire Southeast, so it was too cool in the mountains and very comfortable here in the Piedmont. Perhaps when the kids are out for summer break we can try the camp thing again and get some relief from the heat without freezing our collective asses off. 
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To continue our weather discussion, this week is once again warmer here in Greenwood. It isn't too terribly bad, just in the high 70s, mid 80s (approx. 25-30C). The people who do these things are predicting rain later today and on for the next couple of days, and indeed the humidity is creeping up into the uncomfortable range. I bring this up specifically because our air conditioner isn't working. Again. This doesn't surprise me, necessarily. It's an older system and has caused us problems in the past. Irritates me, though. We've discussed here how I don't handle the heat well. 
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My darling Light was in state this past weekend!! She came down to attend the wedding of a school chum of hers. I was her "plus 1" for the wedding, as her girlfriend wasn't able to attend. It was a lovely event, held at a beautiful event location place in Asheville with lovely mountain views. The weather was perfect. The wedding was small and comfortable. The brother of the bride is a friend of mine from school, an art major at my most recent alma mater. He graduates next week himself. He's also cute, and funny, and he's my pretend boyfriend (one of many), though I don't think he knows it. The bride was beautiful, the groom looked shifty. I liked his best man, though. 


Oh, but the point is that Light was here! She stayed with her girlfriend in Spartanburg. The family went to visit her on Sunday, had a wonderful time. She drove back up to Pennsylvania yesterday, arriving shortly after midnight according to the text she sent me. I haven't heard from her yet today. Hope she's resting. Her car was giving her a bit of trouble. Most immediately he needs new brakes: pads and rotors and a fluid change. She got the oil changed and went back home with her fingers crossed. Her Daddy is going to send her some money to help with the car repair expenses. Her Daddy is a Super Man, imho. 
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Let's discuss today's quote. To review: In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. -Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, musician, Nobel laureate (1875-1965) 
My "inner flame" has a tendency to flicker out sometimes. I am an introvert, I keep to myself a lot. In doing so, I focus on the negative and lose touch with the more vibrant aspects of my personality. I don't like people, and want them to leave me alone. However, there are persons who inspire me to do my best, who "rekindle the inner spirit" as Dr. Schweitzer says. You know that line in "Men In Black" where K says "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." It's those "people" I don't like. I do like many individual persons, but tend to keep myself secluded and end up avoiding the ones who will do me good. This quote reminds me to reach out, make contact with the world, find people who are good for me. 


That is all. 

I've been surprisingly busy

A lot has happened since last I wrote. Sorry for the lack up updates, for those of you who care about this kind of thing. Here's what's happening.

• Our air conditioner went out Friday afternoon. We are not amused. We are also very hot.
• Superman is building screen frames for our windows. We used to have screens in the windows, but they have deteriorated or broken or been attacked by kids and cats until we no longer have window screens. He built the first one this morning, and it is now installed on our bedroom window.
• I saw Diva on Thursday. It was our mother/daughter relationship-building session. I took knitting needles and re-introduced her to knitting. She did fairly well. We had a pleasant and positive interaction, but I don't feel as though it was "real" in any meaningful sense. She was on her good behavior, and I was putting on a show for the therapists at the facility. Whatever. We'll go through the motions, and maybe something real will come of it eventually, but I doubt it.
• After my visit with Diva I went to Target and bought a new wallet and a small purse. We don't have a Target in this po-dunk town, so it was sort of thrilling, in that "I don't like to shop for that kind of thing" way. So I got a wallet, and I don't like it. It seemed better in the store, but upon getting home and transferring my stuff into it, the wallet doesn't do what I need it to do. I haven't done anything else about it yet. Don't have the energy.
• When Superman got home Thursday evening, he said "Let's go to the Verizon store and get our new phones." It was time, and our old phones were worn out. He convinced me to get a Blackberry. He got one too, but amusingly enough, he gave it to Twitch today and got himself a simpler phone. Twitch and Light got their new phones today. So Twitch made out sweet with his own Blackberry. Whatever.
• My advice to all who will take heed: do not get a new wallet, new purse, and a new phone all in the same day. Each one takes a while to get used to, especially a phone. It feels as though I've moved into a new house, having to learn my way around these new information spaces.
• Twitch is home for the weekend, just to visit. And to get a new phone. And to help move his sister out of her dorm and back home for the summer. He's worked a lot this weekend, but got a friggin' Blackberry out of the deal, so I don't feel sorry for him!
• And Light is home for the summer. It's good to have her home again. She's a positive, stabilizing force in this household. She takes good care of me. I feel slightly guilty that she's more of a caretaker than I am in this relationship, but I'm too busy with other stuff to let it bother me now.
• Did I mention that the air conditioner is broken? Superman is afraid it might be dead, or close enough to dead to make no real difference. It's not a new unit by a darn sight, and has needed to be replaced for a while anyway. It's been limping along for the past three years. Last year it didn't give us any trouble, praise FSM. The year before, though, it went out a few times. That was the year, if I recall, that the washing machine and the air conditioner both quit on us. Anyway, the a/c might need to be replaced this year. I'm not thrilled about the expense, but a new unit will be nice. We shall see. And by the way, I'm miserably hot. I do not like to be hot. We've gone over this many times before, and I won't belabor the point (I'll try, anyway), but yeah, I'm uncomfortable.
• I have a nasty infection in my right ear. Or on my right ear. It's in the soft tissue at the entrance of the ear canal, including the ear lobe. The lymph node at the back of my jaw is sore and swollen, as is the next lymph node below that, at my neck. It's hard to tell because of all the extra fat, but the right side of my jaw and neck are swollen. The ear canal is nearly swollen shut, and I can't hear very well in that ear. It's all very uncomfortable. I saw the doctor on Thursday afternoon, and am on an antibiotic. Things haven't seemed to improve much yet, though. It hurts and itches, which is a real bitch because it hurts to scratch it. That, plus I'm hot and sweaty (and not in a good way) puts me in something of a cranky mood.
• I bought myself a little inflatable pool yesterday. It's a rectangle, big enough for me to stretch out and almost float in. Not quite deep enough for a complete float, but it is cool and nice. I spent some time in it yesterday. I'd be in it today except that I need to drive Twitch back to school very soon.
• Sproing went with me on Friday to get Twitch. We first went to Light's college and picked up a load of her stuff. The little Aveo was really packed with her stuff, Sproing, and Twitch in it. Sproing and I spent eight hours together, most of it just the two of us. We had a blast! It was 99 & 44/100ths % fun. In a 12-year-old humor sort of way, but I can get into that when the mood strikes. Yes, we talked about farts and buggers.
• He wants to go with me to take Twitch back this afternoon, but he's acting like a little twerp and I'm not sure if I will take him.

And that's about it. I have a solo day trip coming up on Wednesday that I'll probably blog about on Thursday. Superman and I see Diva for more family therapy on Tuesday. My ear should get better soon, and if it doesn't I'll go back to the doctor. And now you know.

A/C Update, take III

It is now cool in the house! Superman's friend, the HVAC expert came by this morning and worked on our a/c unit. He oiled the fan motor, recharged the refrigerant, and I don't know what else. But now we have cool air blowing through the vents. I told him he is my He-ro for the day.



There is other news, but I'll save that for another post. This one is all about air conditioning.

A/C Update, take II

Superman replaced the capacitor, as I mentioned. It was defective, he knows, because the thing was "swollen up like a gourd." He turned on the unit, the fan began to blow, the air began to move, all was well with the world.

Was.

The air in the house cooled off for a while, but is getting warm again. Superman got home from work expecting a comfortably cool house, but alas, 'tis not to be. Now the coils are icing up again. Oh, and he corrected me. These are not the condenser coils as I said previously. These are the evaporator coils. That seems to make a difference. If it makes a difference to you, then you are one of those people who cause me to swoon with your great mechanical knowledge. I'm a tramp, I know.
I forgot that the a/c unit has been wonky for a week now. I didn't realize it has been messed up that long. We've had some brief periods of coolth, but nothing consistent, obviously. I'm trying to make the best of things. At least I have internet access now!

A/C Update

Superman replaced the capacitor for the fan in the air conditioner unit and we have cool air blowing out of the vents inside the house. This is a very good thing. :) Current temperature outside a very humid 82F. It was 10 degrees warmer and a bit dryer before the thunderstorm.

snippety update stuff

• Superman has lived up to his name once again. We have cold air moving all through the house! The condenser coils were frozen over. He turned off the unit to allow them to thaw. Twitch got our little pressure washer and had lots of fun playing with it. Oh, and in the meantime he cleaned the condenser coils. But mostly he played with the pressure washer. Superman then turned on the a/c unit, and voila! Cool air! I'm so thrilled. I'm in a much better mood now.
• Our internet access problem seems to have been a bad wireless router. We've got the new one hooked up and access has been no problem. I'm in a much better mood now.
• I spent the entire day Sunday watching old movies on Turner Classic Movie channel. I feel as though I've been culturally enriched. I'm in a much better mood now.
• Light fixed a batch of brownies at my request this afternoon. They turned out weird. They're spongy without much taste. This happened last time I baked brownies, too. I don't know what happened. She is a very good cook; it isn't her. We used the Baker's Chocolate One Bowl Brownie recipe, and the Baker's unsweetend chocolate. I have used that recipe for years with great success. This time she melted the chocolate in the microwave per recipe instructions. I did too, last time I made them. That's the only difference I know of. Usually I melt the chocolate in a saucepan on the stove. Anyway they are practically inedible. What went wrong? I could be in a better mood about this.
• Twitch left for a week of Boy Scout camp this morning. They return Saturday. He was very excited. His dad took him to the meeting spot from which they departed for camp. Usually I go, but I slept in late. He actually gave me a kiss on the cheek before he left, and asked if I would be there Wednesday evening for parents' night. I probably will go. One of the reasons I like to take him to the meeting spot is to get info on the plan for parents' night. The families from the troop typically bring pot-luck type dishes for the whole group to share. Being the unsocial bitch that I am, I don't know any of the other mothers, so don't know who to call to get my food assignment. Should I take the lemon squares that Twitch is so fond of? That's my standard, but 2 years ago he said he'd rather I brought something else. (Last year he missed camp because he went on a bigger, longer, more fabulous scout adventure.) I will pretend to worry about the parents' night supper briefly, until I forget about it. Hopefully I won't forget to go see him Wednesday! That would be uncomfortable. My mood about this is yet to be determined.
• I intended to get to bed earlier tonight so I can get up early with Superman before he leaves for work. Somehow time sped by unnoticed, until now it is 2:00 a.m. We shall see if I can get up in 4 hours. I might just pull it off, who knows? I will shut down this demon box and go to sleep after I post this and check the Boy Scout troop website to see if there is any news about parents' night. Really. I promise. No more surfing tonight. We won't discuss my mood anymore tonight. Thank you for your kind attention.

Update update:

Light made another batch of brownies this morning. They turned out very well! She realized at least one of the problems. She mis-read a measurement. The recipe calls for 3/4 cup butter and 2 cups sugar. The sugar is listed below the butter, and she read 3/4 cup for the sugar as well as butter. It is amazing what a texture difference the absence of sugar made. If indeed that was the only goof.

The new batch of brownies is gone now. They were good. (No, I'm not the only one who ate them.)