Oh My Stars!

I'm finally finished with finals! Well, for this semester, anyway. My therapist says I must go back in the fall, that Sproing must go back to school, especially since the state is legally mandated to provide an education for him. That's one of those things I need to tend to now that I'm done with school.

Anyway, I'm out of school for the summer. It feels good to be finished.

Now it's time to do something about this hair. I'm getting excited about that. This is gonna be fun. Gotta get brave enough to have some pictures taken of myself and post them on the World Wide Web for all of creation to see. Ugh.

Superman and I will be visiting Diva this weekend. She's going to get a day pass, we will take her shopping. Evidently she's growing out of her clothes. And shoes. The child is currently wearing a size 10 (women's) shoe, which I think is a big shoe. And she loves loves loves to go shoe shopping. About as much as I hate it. I'm not looking forward to this little visit. I don't like shopping for clothes and shoes. I would rather shop at Lowe's or Home Depot than (insert name of clothing store here).

I got a book a few weeks ago, a tawdry gay romance (or something like it) that I was saving for the end of the semester. Now I can't find the damned thing. I put it somewhere... It'll show up eventually. There are half a bazillion books I want to read between now and September.

This has been a brief message for the purpose of checking to see if I still know how to do this.

A better day today

This is what I've been working on for my art class. I took this picture yesterday, and have since put a couple more layers on the front of this face. She looks a bit less wrinkled now, I think. I hope. This mask is one component of the cabinet I'm decorating. That's not a good way to describe what I'm doing, but it's the best I can come up with at the moment. I feel better, happier, more satisfied having worked on the mask this evening.

It's been Monday all day. That's not unusual for this time of the week.

I took the midterm exam in my Wellness class. It was simplistic. Simplistic is on the annoying end of the spectrum. It's better than frustratingly inaccessible, though.

And speaking of inaccessible, I dropped the Social Psychology class today. Yay! Sing and dance for joy, everyone! That course offers nothing that is in any way significantly useful to my life. That's one less midterm exam I have this week, too.

Today has been better than yesterday. Diva and I were not in the same house together for more than perhaps a couple of hours, and then we were in different rooms. She's asleep now.

I have an annoying headache. I'm trying to think it away. So far it's not working.

And I need to study for my Death and Dying midterm. First of all I have to read two chapters in the book. It gets more complicated after that. I take that test on Thursday.

Oh, do you remember last week, was it Monday? I had an exam in my Behavioral Stats class. Guess what I made on that test. Go ahead. Guess. Oh, I can't stand the suspense. I made a 97 on that puppy!! Yes, I feel good.

Off to study now. Think happy thoughts. Clap for Tinkerbell. Et cetera.

General updateyness

I have been meaning to get to the office supply store for a few weeks, but hadn't actually gone until last night. Woohoo! Did I score a deal! I've had my eye on a 2 drawer lateral file cabinet. Last time I was in the store and looked at 'em, the ones I want were priced between $300 and $400. Last night I wandered back to the file cabinets just for fun and lo and behold, there was a nice one on clearance sale for $198! I got some assistance from a couple of the sales folks, who verified the price and looked up the availability. That display model was the last in stock, and it has a couple of scuff marks on it here and there, so the one guy said he'd knock 10% off the price. Way cool. Even cooler is that I had a coupon for $10 off of my purchase of $50 or more. That certainly qualified.

I also got 5 reams of copy paper, two different pads of graph paper (engineer's computation paper and buff-colored quad paper) and my favorite brand of mechanical pencils (Paper Mate Clear Point, 0.5mm.). Oh, and more ink for my printer. Ink is expensive! I spent over $50 on ink alone.

~~~

I'm mad at rice. You see, I never really liked rice very much until a couple of years ago when I discovered Jasmine rice. That stuff actually tastes good! So recently I've been enjoying Jasmine rice. Silly me, I assumed rice had something going for it, like nutrients and stuff. I know it's a starch, but I thought it had a bit of protein, maybe some vitamins and/or minerals. I looked it up. Nuthin'. Not even dietary fiber! Just carbohydrate calories. Well shit!

I have also reduced my meat consumption. I now try to steer clear of mammals. Poultry, fish, eggs and dairy are still part of the diet. Along with chocolate, sugar, grains, etc. It would be nice if I actually liked vegetables. There are a few veggies I'll eat, but I really need to figure out how to eat more vegetables, and in a more healthy form than the carrots in that carrot cake I had for my birthday a couple of weeks ago.

~~~

Sproing comes home on a weekend pass this weekend. I'll drive up to get him in a few hours. We take him back and have a family session with his therapist at 1:00 Sunday afternoon. He is doing very well. He'll probably come home to stay maybe next month or the month after.

~~~

Diva had her first session with a new therapist Monday. We switched her to a new office, one that is part of the state mental health system. This will make it easier to coordinate her treatment. But what I came to tell you is that she and Superman met the therapist. Diva told the therapist that sometimes Herman tells her what to do. Sometimes Herman tells her to do things that she knows aren't right, but she does them because Herman says they are fun. She also said that not everyone can see Herman.

Superman was surprised. This is the first he's heard of Herman. I heard her refer to Herman a couple of weeks ago, but assumed he's some kind of imaginary friend. Which he probably is. I mentioned it to my therapist and she said the child is jerking everyone's chain. Whatever, and good for her. If this new therapist thinks the child has visual and auditory hallucinations, that will speed the process of placing her in an alternative environment. The child, though not schizophrenic, is crazy.

~~~

I'm supposed to go to my Friday class in an hour, but I'm staying home. It's rainy, cold, and nasty out there. The class is supposed to hear reports from a few of its members about the places where they are volunteering. It's a "field placement" class, and I'm supposed to be spending 2-3 hours a week volunteering in some service organization. I haven't started yet. Though I talked to my therapist yesterday and she suggested a place that would be perfect for me. She's supposed to call there with a recommendation or something. I need to follow up on that, 'cause time's a wastin'.

~~~

Took the first test in Death and Dying yesterday. I feel very good about it. I actually studied! Studied like I didn't for the Social Psych exam from last week. Oh, my therapist says I should drop the Social Psych class because Social Psychology is a bunch of made-up bullshit. I have challenged myself to bring up the grade, though. And the rest of the book looks more interesting than the first two chapters (intro and history), so maybe I can actually do this shit.

~~~

My new lateral file cabinet is sitting in the middle of the foyer waiting for me to make room for it in my office. I have been meaning to rearrange this office for a couple of months, but now that I have the new file cabinet (and it locks!) I'm very motivated to do that. Which is why I'm ending this missive here, so I can do that very thing.

Sunday Snippets - With Updates!!

~Last night I watched a lot of Dan Savage's YouTube videos. I like that guy. He makes a lot of sense about a lot of things. I don't always agree with him, but I have a huge hunk of respect for him. That he's cute doesn't hurt anything, either.

~Superman appears to be coming down with the ick. He's very achy, his chest feels tight, and the glimmer in his eye is dampened. My Mama worries that he gets sick so often. I take it one day at a time and try not to think worrying thoughts.

~Still having trouble motivating myself to study. I have a mondo important test in Research Methods on Tuesday. I should be studying now. I should have studied last night instead of listening to Dan Savage talk about sex. I also need to write a review of a play I saw last week. Went to see it twice, just to get a better feel for it. I'm glad I did, too, since the second time I had a better seat and picked up on a few subtleties I missed the first time. Did I tell you about the play? I mentioned it somewhere. It was the play "Picnic" written by William Inge. 'Twas good.

~Since Superman is sick today, it looks like I'll be going to visit Sproing alone. I haven't seen him in almost two weeks. I was planning to go for today's visiting hour anyway, but I'm not so sure about going by myself. I'll be fine; I'll be strong for him. Who knows what kind of mess I'll be once I leave the visiting area.

~Twitch has gotten himself in financial trouble again. He's not very wise. Smart, yes; wise, no. He overdrew his bank account by $12 and hasn't had any money to take care of that. He currently owes $152.51 in penalties, fees, etc. I was planning to give him a little bit of money this week, and when I mentioned it, he asked that I send a check, rather than deposit the money directly into his account the way I usually do. I suspected trouble, and was once again correct. I'm not sending him a check. If I give him anything, I'll deposit some money into the account to decrease his financial obligation. His dad had a firm discussion with him last night, "suggesting" that he go talk to someone at the bank about this. Teenagers give me a rash.

~I have enjoyed visiting blogs this morning. I like to check up on all my peeps. Everyone seems to be doing fairly well, all things considered. Tigeryogiji is back! I'm glad to see new posts from him. Seriously, y'all, I need to reconstruct my blogroll on this here blog thingie. It's something I keep meaning to do, but am too busy reading all my favorite blogs to mess with my blog layout.

~Time to get ready for the afternoon. I'll try to get back here this evening to report on my visit with The Boy.

I'm back from visiting The Boy Sproing. It was a good visit! We sat and talked for over an hour, played a slow game of Othello, ate sour cream and onion flavored fake potato chips from a tall can, drank some apple juice, and generally pleasant time. He copied some recipes out of magazines to give to me, and some of them look pretty good. One is chipotle meatballs, and there's one for Samosa meat pies. We both said that we didn't like that last visit he and I had. This one was much better. I'm glad I went alone, somehow that made it seem better. No competition or something.

Updates and miscellaneous stuff

I like the word "miscellaneous."

Sproing and Diva both stayed home from school today because of illness. I took them both to the doctor. He had a stomach virus, but is pretty much over it now. She had the genuine 'flu, but also is on the tail end of it. Neither has had a fever all day, and her throat isn't as sore as it was. You know what that means? They are going to school tomorrow!

We saw the psychologist at the hospital today to discuss Sproing's testing. His testing dates are September 16th and 17th. I'm pleased that he's getting in so soon. It took much longer when Diva had hers done. Superman and I told the doctor what all has been happening over the past month or two. I mentioned that the school social worker recommended that we file incorrigible child charges on both of them. The doctor encouraged us to follow through with that. I called the police dispatcher tonight to find out how. We need to talk to an officer and can either do it at the police station or they'll send someone here to us. I don't want the kids around when I do it, so I'll probably go to the station. I've been putting it off for a week. As much as it needs to be done, part of me doesn't want to do it.

And speaking of going to school tomorrow, I am. Tuesday is the first day of Fall semester for me. I bought all my books today, and have checked the class websites for information. Only two of my instructors have posted anything, so I got that info. I'll tell you more about school as it gets underway. I'm tired now and want to go to bed soon, so I won't get into all that now.

Light starts classes in the morning, too. I took her to school Sunday. Superman was supposed to do it, but he fell and wrenched his back on Saturday. He was mostly bedridden Saturday and Sunday. He had some really good drugs, too! Pain reliever/muscle relaxer really mellows him out! Anyway, I had to help move Light in. Thankfully, her roommate Monkey and Monkey's mom and dad were there to help. I actually didn't carry much at all. It didn't take long with all of that help. It was good.

The demonic duo got into trouble again this evening. They made a big gash in the door from the garage to the kitchen. I think he was teasing her and tried to lock her out of the house. She picked up a shovel and rammed it into the door. I should take a picture, show you the damage. Maybe I will. I'm bad about pictures, so I won't promise anything.

Also this evening they jammed the lock on my office door. He was trying to break into my office. Superman put a metal guard on the door around the latch to prevent them from jimmying the latch open any more. They have done that to the office and our bedroom doors to the point that they've dug out part of the door jamb with a screwdriver. Well, that won't work anymore because of this guard. So tonight Sproing took a screwdriver and jammed it into the lock. Of course it broke the whole thing. Superman had to use his reciprocating saw to saw the door knob off.

This encourages me to file incorrigible child reports on the two fools. Remind me that I said that.

Textbooks are expensive. Everyone knows that. I've known it for years, yet it still shocks me when the total comes up on the register. Eight text books, only one hardcover, three of them used = $639.00. I paid for them with student loan money. Remind me to look into scholarships, will ya'? I need to do that.

I'm tired, and I have classes until 4:30 in the afternoon. I know I'll have reading assignments and possibly homework from henceforth and forevermore (or until mid December) and I don't know how often I'll post. Hopefully I'll find a grove and will make a place for this very important activity on a regular basis.

OH! And I've just heard that our beloved vice-governor (oh, it's lieutenant governor) has been outed! Evidently the source is reliable.

hugs and kisses!!

Ramblings and Ruminations

So, Daddy sent a response to the Father's Day message I sent him.

"Correct"

He's not a very demonstrative guy. He also isn't comfortable with email and/or the internet. Eh.

Everyone is back home now. Light spent the last two weeks house sitting for a friend, Superman was with his family over the weekend. Of course the kidlets are here, though Sproing goes to school five days a week. Praise the zombie baby Jeebus. In two and a half weeks I take Twitch to college. For the next two and a half weeks we are all of us. After that, I'm not sure what the household will look like. Sure, Twitch will be home for vacations and such, just as Light is. But Light turns 20 next month, and is a junior now. I'm not sure she will be home next summer. She might, but she also might get a job somewhere else for the summer next year, or stay at school to take summer classes. Now that she's been in college for two years, it feels more like she's visiting over the summer rather than home for the summer, if that makes any sense.

And I'm OK with that. It is time. She is ready. Twitch is ready to make his first real break from home, too, though he will be home when he's here, at least for the first year or so. But he will establish his own domain outside of home. It's all good. It's time. I'm ready.

We were supposed to meet with the psychologist about Diva's test results. The meeting was scheduled for last night, but the secretary called yesterday to reschedule for next Monday. *sigh* I'm impatient. The doctor wants us to get our copy of the results and have a chance to look over it before we meet. Makes sense. The secretary said we will be getting those results in the mail this week. I'm eager to see them. I'm hopeful for useful answers. I want to get this child into some kind of treatment program, preferably one that involves her living somewhere else for a while. Is that horrible of me? Yeah, part of me says it's horrible, but a bigger part says that it's a rational and reasonable thing given the circumstances and situation. I'm going to listen to the bigger part.

I'm getting tired of writing about the kids and the family. Don't I think about anything else? I have been blog surfing this morning, enjoying myself immensely. Warrior Scout has a thought-provoking post today. He talks about "pride" and what it means to him now that he's clean (off drugs). I have some thoughts about the issue, the different definitions of the word, how it relates to gay pride, what it means to be proud of myself in the larger scheme of things. I would wax poetic on the subject, but I've just typed the only thoughts that are clear enough for words.

And speaking of words, as you may know, I am taking a composition course this summer. I've been writing a good bit. I like to write, though sometimes I get so wrapped up in the technical aspects of writing that I don't know what I'm saying. Which is weird, because part of the technical aspects of writing is to clearly communicate the message. Once again, my brain is chasing its tail, going around in circles, making no sense.

It's been hot and muggy here. (Oh, look! Now I'm talking about the weather.) I have not been out of the house in days. Superman took the little car away this weekend, so the only vehicle here was Manny. Dear, dear Manny. One rainy day last week Superman drove Manny, and forgot to turn the lights off when he got home. Yep, dead battery. He plugged it into the charger thingie he has, the thing that's supposed to charge a car battery using the electric current from the house. It didn't work. So when I got in the truck to take Sproing somewhere, it gave me no response whatsoever when I turned the key. Oh, well. Sorry, son, but we can't go. I wasn't broken hearted, to tell the truth. He was, but I don't care. All that to say that I haven't been more than 20 feet from the house in four or five days. It's too damned hot and humid to be outside. And it isn't even wickedly hot. Poor ol' Jackie, in Texas, says they've got temps over 100. We will probably see temps that high for a few days before the end of summer.

Which brings me to what Superman said to me last week. He mentioned something about the possibility of living in Vermont. As a matter of fact, Light said pretty much the same thing. She wants to come visit us in Vermont. When I first started looking at colleges I was attracted to the University of Vermont in Burlington. OK, I know it gets really cold up there in the winter, and I don't know what that means because I've never lived north of the Mason-Dixon line. But I feel up for an adventure, you know? And I want to get the hell out of South Carolina! So there. I hear Vermont is beautiful. The political climate looks pretty good from here, too. I've never been. Not even visited. I'd like to. The predicted high temperature for Burlington (per weather.com) is 78F. The predicted high for this area is 92F. I like 78 better.

OK, having just looked at the UVM website, I don't see any kind of master's degree program that looks applicable. PhD, yes, but I don't want to take that big a leap. I may go on to get a PhD, but probably not, and anyway I want to get a master's first. So, there we go. Does anyone have any recommendations for a master's degree program in clinical psychology, or even better, a graduate program with an LGBTQ emphasis? I've heard good things about UMD. It's in the D.C. area, which doesn't improve my weather conditions any, but what's the most important thing here, anyway? (I honestly don't know the answer to that question.)

This is the final week of class for the first summer term. I'm nearly finished with my composition class. It's been fun. I like the online format. Beginning next Monday I start my Summer B classes. I'll have another online class (Econ. 101) and I will be sitting in a classroom from 10 - noon Monday through Thursday learning Statistics. I think this is the only math class I'll need. I hope so, anyway.

I'm rambling on about absolutely nothing. How can you stand it? I'm going to do something else now, as I'm boring myself half to death here.

Thoughts, reflections, rants, etc.

• Do you often have flashes of insight or grand ideas while bathing? My shower is like a tile covered think tank. 
• To those of you who do not live alone: is refilling the ice cube trays an issue in your home? Perhaps many of you have automatic ice makers, rendering this a moot issue. That is not the case in my home. It often seems that I am the only person in the whole damn household who ever refills the ice trays. If anyone else does, it is because I'm standing over him (it's almost always the males) giving him the "evil eye" until the tray is returned, full of water, to the freezer. Yes, it's a minor annoyance, but an annoyance nevertheless.
• I've pretty much decided not to take a road trip in May. It's getting too warm, my wanderlust is lackluster, and I just don't feel like going anywhere. Then there's the issue of this Swine Flu thing. The closer I stay to home (i.e. don't go out the door) the safer I figure I'll be from this influenza outbreak.
• I don't really want to leave the house at all. I need to pick up some hair care products for the lovely little Diva, but damn, I don't wanna go out. I must get the older boy from school today, and I don't want to do that either. I just do not want to leave the house. It's not that I'm nervous or frightened or anything (though that has been an issue in the past) I just don't want to go out. 
• I also don't want anyone to come home. The kidlets are away at school from approximately 7:30 every morning until nearly 3:00 in the afternoon. I dread the arrival of 3:00. I love my children, but right now (this stage of my life, maybe?) I don't want to be with them very often. 
• This house is too big. OK, really, it's too small and we have too much junk, making it even more crowded. But I want to simplify to the point of minimalism. I'm thinking one bed, small; a sink, two feet of counter space, small refrigerator, small stove, and no more dishes than will fill one small dish drainer; one comfy chair; my laptop and a small desk; kitchen table that seats 2 at the most; the minimum bathroom essentials; only enough clothing to last for a week; 24 inches of closet rod and perhaps three shelves upon which to store said clothing; shelving for books, approximately 30 inches wide and 6 to 7 feel tall, filled with my favorite books and those I am eager to read; my sewing machine and I'm not sure how much fabric (this is where it gets dicey with the minimalism) plus the yarn, knitting needles, and whatever else my crafty ass thinks she needs. Add to that a double fist full of DVDs (or conversely a Netflix subscription) and cabinet space to hold basic necessities such as cleaning solutions/equipment, personal care products, basic food stuffs, etc. And me. No one else but me, except by special invitation. All other comers can go the hell away. Does this sound pathologically antisocial to you?
• I've recently been contemplating (once again) my femininity, general gender identity/non-conformity, and such. It's an area on which I briefly focused when all gay was breaking loose a couple of years ago. The pain went away, washed out by other pressing needs. But being back in academics has opened that portal a tiny bit. And frankly, I'm very uncomfortable. I find myself feeling angry about little things having to do with feminine stereotypes. I get unaccountably upset over adverts for make-up. The disparity in clothing styles between men and women pisses me off. For example, so many of the shorts for women are tight and/or short, whereas the men's shorts styles tend toward knee length and loose. And then there are shoes. OMG. Women's shoes are cruel. Men's shoes are (more) comfortable. I could go on, but you get the drift. 

Pastiche

The idea is for me to do my homework. What really happens is that I sit here and search desperately for distractions. I have so far completed one very simple assignment and have barely begun two other papers. 

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Now in simulated woodgrain finish

This is my favorite recent LOLCats. icanhascheezburger.com is the happy place I go to for a good laugh these days. 

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There are only 2.5 more weeks of school! A couple-three days of exams, and I'm DONE for the semester. I'm thinking of taking a summer class or two, possibly at the local community/tech college. I haven't looked into it yet, though.

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I'm getting restless. I want to GO somewhere. It is time for me to get in my truck and drive north. I cannot leave until after May 4th because Superman and I have an appointment on 5/4 with a psychiatrist at the hospital who will be doing some tests on Diva. If I take summer classes that will define my free time. Twitch graduates from high school on June 5th (IIRC) so I obviously need to be here for that. My mama is coming into town a few days before his graduation. So are the in-laws, for that matter. That is an interesting dilemma. I want to be here to see my mama, but I don't want to be here to see the in-laws. Doesn't matter what I want, I have to be here. I want to see my son graduate, and that's the most important thing. 

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A friend of mine just dropped by. That almost never happens! I often say that I don't have many friends. The sad thing is that I really do have friends, I just forget them. Isn't that terrible? This is a gal who has a daughter Diva's age. I worked with her when our girls were in kindergarten and first grade in the girl scouts. I was a girl scout troop leader for a while, and this sweet lady was a great help to me. She took over leadership when I left. I am so glad she came by. I really like her a bunch, but we never get together. We could, though. I know we'd both like it. Maybe we will now that we have remembered each other. 

It isn't easy to be my friend. I don't do the right kind of reciprocating, or something. I'll have to think about that. 

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Superman has been building today. He got Light's bed nearly finished. I've been taking pictures that I will (most likely) post soon. The nifty thing about him getting Light's bed done is that it also got my office space done. I have my own study cave now, under Light's bed. I like it.

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I baked a cheesecake this evening. It has been cooling on a rack on the stove but now I'm going to put it in the refrigerator to chill overnight. I used a spring form pan, four eggs, and four 8 oz. packages of cream cheese. It's the lower fat cream cheese, so it has fewer calories but tastes just as good. As for those fewer calories, though, it won't make much difference. You and I both know that. But it sounds noble!

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That's all I've got. There will be more later, but I don't know how much more or how much later. 

Um, where was I?

More snippets. It's all I know anymore

• I deleted my MySpace page this evening. I feel so free!! I never have liked my page or profile on that site. It just didn't fit who I really am now. I set up the account right after I met C, I think. It might have been before he moved in here, even. It was set up as more of a Mommy site, but that's not primarily how I identify myself now. And I never checked the site anyway. I get mail every so often referring to MySpace, which is how I remembered it tonight. And I figured out how to cancel the account all by myself. I feel so smart and shit. 
• Diva is going to join a bowling league. Y'all, no offence or anything, but I have a prejudice against bowlers. Not so much those who go occasionally just for a night out or something. I don't know why they bother me. Perhaps I was bitten by a bowling ball as a young child. I don't like bowling alleys (the noise drives me insane) and there's just something about the kind of people who typically hang around bowling alleys that sticks in my craw. Anyway, one of Diva's friends is in this kid league that plays on Saturdays and she's begging Diva to join the league. Seems one of the other girls on the team doesn't show up regularly and they have to forfeit the games. I'm can see where this will be good for Diva. You know, being part of a team, doing positive things with friends, yada yada. I just can't stay with her at the lanes. I'll flip out and start shooting people. Naw, I wouldn't do that. I'd start correcting their grammar over the PA system. Then they'd shoot me. 
• I have tests next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I'm not ready for them. I'm supposed to be studying tonight, but damn. The blogs trapped me. 
• I got really tired yesterday afternoon when I was trying to write notes on index cards for my counseling class. I couldn't keep my eyes open, so I decided to take a little nap. I lay down at 5:30. I woke up with my alarm clock at 5:25 this morning. I felt really good when I woke up. However, I went to school early this morning to do some more studying for this counseling class. I kept falling asleep while writing up the note cards! What's up with that? I'd just had 12 hours of sleep!! I stayed awake just fine in the class, which started at 9:45. But the hour and a half before that I kept drifting off. Weird. Anyway, I have my first test in that class on Tuesday. I haven't even read one of the chapters we're being tested on. 
• I talked to Light this afternoon. She just finished up her January mini-term class today. She'll be coming home sometime soon, perhaps this weekend, then returns for the regular Spring semester early next week. It will be good to see her again. However, I have my study area set up in her bedroom. There's no room for a bed in here now. Oops. We'll have to work on that this weekend. 
• So on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have this counseling class. It's called Interviewing and Counseling, and is something of an introduction to clinical psychological counseling. Did I mention this class already? The first chapter of the book, which I have read, talks about the typical stages that new students go through as they begin to learn how to counsel. For instance, according to the book I'm supposed to be looking for one right answer to a client's problems. But there isn't only one right answer. See, I know that already. I'm then supposed to be all confused because I can't tell which of the many possible solution paths to take. Well, frankly I'm pretty much past that one, too. I usually have a sense about what kind of response is appropriate to give to someone in this or that dilemma. It's a sense, not something one can easily learn from a book. The fact that I'm 25-30 years older than most of the students in the class probably makes a huge difference. I have invaluable life experience. I do, however, have to know what the book says, know how to answer the questions on the test, and pass the damned class. The later chapters in the book are a bit more informative, thankfully.
• And I saw my therapist this afternoon. A lovely lady. I adore spending time chatting with her. I had all sorts of questions for her about the crap I'm learning in that counseling class. She blew it off, said to learn what I need to know to pass the test and not to worry too much about the stuff that doesn't make practical sense. This gal knows me pretty well. She is familiar with my abilities to talk to and listen to people. I need to be careful not to let the book learning hamper my natural abilities. Funny, too, that point is mentioned in the book! Eh. Whatever. 
• Someone snuck into my study earlier this week and got into my box of candy. I got a super good deal on my favorite boxed chocolates. Russel Stover Dark Assortment. Great stuff! One of the local drug stores had a special on Sunday and Monday only, a 12 oz. box for only $3.99. That's more than half off the MSRP. I got it Monday evening. I'm not sure who knew it was in here. I hid it at the bottom of one of the desk drawers, under a bunch of paper. I haven't touched it since I put it in there Monday, not until this evening when I went to get the box out of my drawer. It was opened. The box was covered in the cellophane wrap when I stuck it in the drawer. It wasn't covered this evening, and somebody had eaten about a third of the candies. Pisses me off! They do this to me all the time. Boundaries, people. What's mine is mine! If you want some, ask me. I might say no, I might say yes. But I won't be mad at you if you ask. Now I'm pisssed off. And guess what? There isn't a lock on the door to this room. Hell, there isn't a door to this room! This is the room C and S used to be in, and they tore the door to pieces. It has holes and dings and smudges all over it.(More boundary issues, really) Superman took the door off, intending to replace it, but we haven't gotten a new door yet. So there isn't a door here to lock. But dammit, I shouldn't have to lock the door! These monsters I live with should respect my stuff. They don't, obviously. Did I mention I'm pissed off? 
  
• I have some homework due tomorrow, so I'm gonna do that now. I'll be back as soon as I can. Maybe this weekend for a little while. I miss you all!

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.)

Hodge Podge

• We appear to have survived Mother's Day. I didn't call my mother, actually, although I did talk to her the day before (if it wasn't the day before that). Perhaps I should call her.
  The kids around here did well. Twitch got me a funny card, Diva found a blank card in some of my stationery and wrote a sweet note on it. Diva also brought me a handful of rose blooms (no stem to speak of- she picked them off of the volunteer rosebush along our fence.) and also baked a chocolate cake for me. She really enjoyed all that, and I did too because she is so honest and sweet about it. Sproing briefly told me "happy Mother's Day" and gave me a hug, then bounced out of the room to do whatever it is he does. I didn't hear from Light at all, but had visited her on Friday anyway, so I'm fine with that. She often tells me how much she appreciates me, so I don't need to hear it from her on the one "special" day. Phooey on "special days." I didn't hear peep one from S and C. Am I pissed? No, not really. Maybe a little sad, but not mad.
• I saw my therapist today. Between her being out of the office for one thing and another, and me being out of town, it has been almost 6 weeks since I last saw her. We really need to not go that far between sessions! It was a good session. I see her again next week. The week after that, though, her daughter is getting married, so she's out of the office again. Eh. We'll get me scheduled in there somewhere.
• My allergies are annoying me. I don't know what is blooming, but whatever it is, I'm allergic to it. Every time I'm outside for any length of time my eyes get itchy. I tried to wear my contact lenses today, but I had to take them out this evening when my left eye got too irritated. After half an hour my eye finally stopped itching. Ugh.
• Sproing had his final visit with the child psychiatrist this afternoon. She is moving away next month. She's been great ever since we started having issues with Twitch about 4 years ago. Twitch, Diva, and Sproing all see her. She's the only child psychiatrist in town. Oy. Diva sees her in 2 weeks. Diva and Sproing will continue to see counselors in the office. Twitch really needs to be under the care of a doctor because of the combination of conditions from which he suffers. At this point, though, he doesn't need regular therapy sessions. My stars but how that boy has improved over the last 2 years!!
  
• I'm feeling blue again. An overwhelming wave of sadness washed over me this afternoon on the way home from Sproing's doctor's office. Maybe the stress of parenting three difficult children is weighing on me. Maybe I'm just tired. Hormones probably play a part somewhere, somehow. I dread the summer heat, we are seeing warmer temperatures now. It's time. Whatever the combination of causes, I'm feeling sad and tired. I'll try not to whine too much.
  
• I fixed supper tonight. Superman cooks more often than I do anymore, but now that I'm not working, I know I should take on more of that responsibility. I told him when he got home that supper was in the oven, and he was thrilled. That made me feel good. We all sat down together at the table to eat (not C and S, but the other three) and it was miserable. Diva was pouting and slouching over her plate. Twitch was in a foul mood. Sproing was whining about not being hungry, though I knew he was and that he needs to eat. And each one of the ungrateful wretches complained about the food. Superman liked it. He is wonderful. The rest of them can go jump in a lake.