Hodge Podge

We had a weekend. Good? Bad? It depends on one's perspective.

My poor darling Diva got sick Friday night. Really sick. She basically turned her stomach inside out. After she had lost everything she had in her stomach she kept retching for hours. She was up almost all night. Superman sat with her until about 1:30, and I stayed with her until 3:00. She had been on a chair in the living room, but at 3 she crawled into her bed. I asked her if she wanted me to stay up for her, or if I could go to bed. She said "Go to bed, Mommy." It was so sweet and sad! But she got Superman out of bed before 6:00. And this was all before the air conditioner was working. We all felt icky and sticky.
Diva update: I took her to the doctor this morning. She tested positive for strep. She is now taking an antibiotic and hopes to feel better soon. But right now she just feels icky. Her head is throbbing and her throat hurts. I'm trying to encourage her to rest, but Sproing keeps trying to engage her in conversation, activity, or argument. It's time for another dose of Tylenol now...

Saturday morning the poor dear had a fever. I didn't take her temp, but she felt very hot. We got some Gatorade for her. She had trouble drinking because her throat was so sore. She slept almost all day. Sunday she felt a bit better, drank some more, but her throat and her head hurt. This morning she still has a headache. The fever is gone, though. I'm calling the doctor in 45 minutes when the office opens.

Twitch came home from scout camp on Saturday. He had a wonderful week. He is a senior patrol leader for one of the patrols in his troop. He is well on his way to Eagle rank. At 17 now, he only has until mid February to complete all the Eagle requirements. On his 18th birthday he turns into a pumpkin. Or an "adult," and is no longer eligible to earn scout ranks. Last week at camp he completed the work for two badges required for Eagle. He was in a great mood, had a terrific attitude when he got home. He's been kind and helpful ever since. This is nice!! The older he gets the more pleasant he is to be with. Now if we can just get Sproing and Diva through puberty and the teen years...

Other stuff happened this weekend, too. Can't remember if any of it is noteworthy. Laundry is not noteworthy at this time. Neither is reading the Sunday paper. I painted a little bit in Sproing's room. The walls are nasty. I got a first coat of primer on the wall in one corner. Made a mess. Dripped paint on his bedsheet. Oh, well. My hands and feel are both speckled with paint. I managed to get the spots of paint off my face this morning in the shower. Besides that, I can't think of anything else worth mentioning. And frankly, this entire paragraph doesn't say anything worth mentioning, so you might as well not read it. Oops! Too late.

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.

Road Trip meme

It's about time for something more cheerful, don't you think? I was tagged for this meme by Rod at Kickin Tina.

This is a great meme for me, since I love to take road trips. Parties, not so much, but we’ll do what we must.
So … you’re about to embark on a road trip to a theme party. You’re only allowed 5 CD’s, 3 essential items and are prompted to take along one outrageous/stupid item of clothing that you have to wear at the theme party to make you stand out (you must currently be in possession of this item of clothing).
My 5 CDs

1. The Kingston Trio/ …from the "Hungry i"- Kingston Trio
2. Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3; Carnaval des animaux- Dutoit, Montreal Philharmonic
3. The Road and the Radio- Kenny Chesney
4. Life in Cartoon Motion- Mika
5. Greatest Hits- James Taylor
   

My 3 essential items

1. C-PAP
2. cell phone
3. laptop
   
   

My outrageous wardrobe item

My long hooded purple cape. This assumes the weather is cool, of course. I made this cape many years ago for a similar event. The fabric of the cap is a dark purple wool blend with flecks of gray and other colors woven into it. The hood is lined with deep purple velvet. It is quite striking.

For this meme I tag Indigo, since he'll be taking a road trip next week to come to South Carolina!! I also tag Sorted, since he hasn't done a meme for me in a little while, and Gregory, because I'm always fascinated by his eclectic music choices. I also want to know what sort of outrageous item of clothing Gregory has hiding in his closet. Three is the number of bloggers I tag, not 2. And 5 is right out.

As a matter for update: I am feeling much better today, even though I still don't have air conditioning. It's amazing what proper medication can do for a girl. J Hopefully we'll have cool air flowing through the ducts by evening. PLEASE!!!!!!!!

Further information

My life still sucks, but I realized part of the problem. It seems that yesterday I failed to take some important daily medications. My bad! I didn't notice that they were missing from the pill organizer I use. I ran out. The refills were waiting for me at the pharmacy. I've just returned from the pharmacy, and have taken the meds. Maybe, oh maybe today will be better.

The air conditioner is not working, though. Sproing is very fussy. Diva is working (mopping the kitchen floor as I type) but is beginning to get that pouty look on her face. We shall see what the day brings.

Enough of this rediculous cheerfulness

It is time to get back to the clusterfuck that is my life.

Diva got herself kicked out of summer school this morning. Diva was angry because she was put with a different working buddy at math time. The pairing was rearranged because she had begun getting too chatty with her other work buddy, laughing and playing instead of working. In her anger she wrote "Fuck Mrs. H_____" (her teacher) on her worksheet. One of the other teachers overheard her say "I'm going to kill Mrs. H______." She was sent to the office. I got a call.

And let's talk about Sproing. Remember him? That "sweet" little boy who yesterday said "I haven't stolen anything today, Mommy." He can't say that today. Diva lost a tooth, and the tooth fairy gave her a dollar last night. Sproing stole her dollar, rode his bike to the convenience store, and bought some candy with his sister's money. He isn't supposed to steal. Duh. He isn't allowed to ride to the convenience store. He can't have candy any ol' time he choses. And now he can't go with his Dad to the scout camp to see Twitch. He gets bupkis. I believe we'll have gruel for supper.

Diva is spending the remainder of the day in her room. She is supposed to be cleaning up in there. Last time I looked in on her she was sitting on the floor singing to her teddy bear. I took her teddy bear away, told her to clean. I still hear singing. I don't have the emotional strength to look in on her again right now.

Children will be children. This is no excuse for bad behavior. Bad behavior needs to be punished; discipline is necessary. The behavior I see in my children now, if it continues, will cause serious legal trouble when they get just a little bit older. It is unacceptable behavior. They know better than this!! It's not like I never tell them, haven't taught them right from wrong. They just seem to not care. I care.

I know the sorts of things I need to do with them/to them (I'm afraid to get close enough to touch them right now. I'm afraid I might not be able to control my urge to smack them across the face.) They need discipline, hard work, close supervision.

What do I need? Is it wrong for me to feel overwhelmed? Frustrated? Like my world is spinning rapidly out of control? I'm lost.

Merry Christmas!

We are halfway there. In exactly 6 months it will be Christmas. It isn't too early to begin your Christmas shopping.

It never gets any better

Here are the visual aids for the previous post. This first picture is for comparison and a piece of background information. See the bit of the wheel well on the right? There, in front of the door. It should have a piece of molding over it, continuing the line of the curve and filling in the triangular gap. I knocked that piece of fiberglass molding off a couple of years ago when I was backing up too close to a post. I was watching behind me and forgot to check the front. This is on the driver's side of the car. My bad.

This is the front wheel well on the passenger side of the car. See that bit of wheel well on the left? There, in front of the door. It should have a piece of molding over it, continuing the line of the curve and filling in the triangular gap.
That's what S did yesterday when he backed his car out of the driveway and got too close to the van. He also knocked off that metal rim that covers the inner edge of the tire. Either he or Superman knocked it back on there. It looks alright now. So there is no difference between what S did yesterday and what I did 2 years ago. Should I really be making a fuss?

It isn't about the van. It's about the stress. Or something. Or is it all about me? Should I just shrug my shoulders and get on with my life?

Here is the crack in Manny's windshield. It's a bit tricky to see. This is from the inside of the cab.

And here's the origin of the crack. Does that look to you like it was hit with a rock or something? This is the outside of the windshield. This one needs to be repaired.
The windshield has had some scuffs in it since before I got the truck. The whole surface of the windshield is pitted. I have needed a new one from the beginning. Now the insurance will pay for the repair. I was pissed off to see this crack, but at the same time was glad that I finally get a new windshield for the ol' boy.

Today was a hard day for me. I am so worn out by all the shit in my life. I've been tired, tired, tired all day. Not so much sleepy (well, I was this afternoon, and had a lovely nap) but just worn down to nuthin'.

Sproing was being his usual annoying self this morning. His self-defined purpose in life is to get on other people's nerves. He is very good at it. It brings him a perverse joy. I am so tired of dealing with it, of trying to convince him to have a friendly, helpful attitude, to get along nicely with his siblings (and his parents!).

I think it shouldn't be this hard. Maybe I'm disillusioned, and parenting really is this dreadful. It just seems wrong to me that I dread spending time with my child. Is it me, or is it him? Or both?

I had a tearful talk with the boy this morning. He was dry-eyed, I was tearful. I told him how discouraged I was. I try to teach him the right way to behave, to have good manners and treat others with respect. Really, though, he knows how to do it. I told him he did. I said, though, what I cannot do is make him behave well. That's something he has to decide for himself.

He and Diva both lie and steal. Someone stole some cash out of my wallet recently. "Nobody" did it, of course. I told Sproing today that it is incredibly important for him to make good decisions about how he conducts himself NOW, while he is 10 years old. Because what he does now sets the precedents for what he'll do when he is older. I asked him if, when he is grown up, he wants to be known as a thief and a liar. He said he didn't. I told him he MUST begin NOW to make those changes in his behavior so that he is not a thief and a liar.

Maybe the discussion will do some good. He told me late this afternoon that he hadn't stolen anything today. Oy. Well, good for you, dear. Keep up the good work.

I need to have a similar discussion with Diva at some point soon. She lies and steals a lot, too. She tends to be nicer to people than Sproing is, usually, although she can be a real foul-mouthed bitch when she gets on her high horse.

Damn this is hard work. Damn I'm tired.

Tired

Not just sleepy, or over worked. No. I am tired. As in "tired of it all." Tired of all the crap I have to deal with around here.

The latest, in two parts
Part the first:
Manny's windshield has a big crack. He has been parked in the back yard for over a week. I haven't needed him before today. Today I needed the truck.
Superman had the van, I needed to run an errand. So Sproing and I got in the truck to head to the store. I looked up the driveway and noticed a large crack down the center of my windshield. I asked Sproing "What happened to my windshield???" Guess what his first words were?
"Diva did it..." I could have made book on that one.
According to him, Diva was trying to get away from the neighbor's dog. This is the same dog who was in heat a few months ago. Friendly young girl. Enthusiastic. Likes to jump up on the kids, but isn't harmful. Mainly just annoying. And they jump and bounce, too, getting her more excited. Then they wonder why she jumps up on them. Arg! The story is that Diva got up on the hood of the truck to get away from the dog, then climbed up the windshield to get on the roof of the cab. The windshield cracked.
Diva was home from summer school when Sproing and I got home. I asked Diva about the crack in the windshield. She didn't do it. Of course not. No one ever does these things. She did not blame Sproing, though. She said she did get up on the hood, but went no farther. She noticed the windshield was already cracked when she got up there. Well, maybe.
Superman and I looked carefully at the crack later in the afternoon. It looks as though a rock or something small and hard hit close to the edge of the windshield, causing a starburst crack pattern. One of the cracks extends from the top of the glass all the way to the bottom, between the windshield wipers. I don't know how it happened, or who "happened" it. Doesn't really matter, I guess. The fact remains that the windshield needs to be replaced. :::Sigh:::

Part the second:
S backed his car into the van today. Superman was home for lunch. Sproing and I were out running our errands. It was mid-day, around noon. The boys left to go do whatever it is they do. S woke up, got in the car, and backed out of the driveway. I doubt he'd been out of bed more than a minute before he put the transmission in reverse. He told me that he looked behind him to the right. Thing was, the van was parked to the left of him. He hit the area around the front wheel well. Crushed parts of the fiberglass body, and knocked the rim ring off the tire. And he drove on, oblivious.
He called me at 4:00 this afternoon to mention that he may have bumped the van on his way out this morning. He said it was kinda dark when he left. I asked (knowing within half an hour) what time he left. Um, about 11:30. It wasn't dark at 11:30 this morning! "It was for me. I had just gotten up."
Superman called me right after he got back to work to tell me that their car had hit the van. He was quite mad, especially about the fact that they hadn't even stopped to come in and tell us. He had been trying to reach their cell phones since he first discovered it. They conveniently didn't answer. S called me a good 4 or 5 hours later. I know he called me because I don't yell at him. I speak crossly, but don't holler (much). Superman hollers. I told him that Superman was mad.
S dropped by the house while we were eating dinner. He spoke very briefly to us, then left again. It's 10:00 now, and they still aren't back.

What is going to happen with our cars? The windshield must be fixed. The van works, but is getting uglier and uglier, pieces "falling" off bit by bit. This isn't the first bump the van has experienced, and I don't know if we should bother having it fixed. Why this one, when the wheel well on the other side looks almost as bad. (Not quite, but almost. And that one was my bad) Why do I have to mess with all this crap? Why can't the other people in this house be responsible about things?

I am tired. Tired of it all. Too tired to get worked up about much.

(Will try to get some pictures of the broken bits and will post them here. Check back later in the day to see if I've accomplished at least this much.)