I'm feeling better

Indeed, the nervous breakdown was a brief one. I feel nearly back to normal, whatever that is. Thank you, those who sent well wishes.

Upcoming: Light is moving to Indianapa tomorrow! She and Superman are packing up the vehicles. Light has her minivan and Superman will be driving our little Aveo. They plan to leave early tomorrow morning to arrive in Indiana in the late afternoon/early evening. They'll move her into her apartment tomorrow night and Monday, then Superman will drive back home Tuesday.

Which leaves me here with Diva and Sproing. It's Sproing who has been upsetting my delicate emotional balance. I don't want to talk about details now, but it isn't that much different from the shit he usually deals. He knows my buttons, he's smart, and he manipulates me waaaaay to easily. I need to be more cautious and stuff.

Diva is low-key. She's cruising through life with a relatively low profile these days. As loud as Sproing is, it's easy for her to stay under the radar. Thankfully there seem to be no big problems with her currently. I am very thankful.

Then there's the heat. 103 degree (F) (39 C) heat index at noon today. I'm inside, though I need to go bake a peach cobbler this afternoon. You know they old saying "if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen." I've got to go into the kitchen. Yes it will be warm, but really, it's just the kitchen. And this shouldn't take too long.

I'm nappish. Think I'll go peel some peaches, whip up a quick cobbler, then take a nice nap.

I wish you all a pleasant Saturday.

A case of the crazies

I done gone round the bend again, folks.

It's yet another nervous breakdown. I've been so strong recently, have been able to handle the mess that is my life. But it finally got to me, I guess. And Sproing is a major contributor to my insanity, as usual. I think he's getting worse. He refuses to do what he needs to, is rude to me, argues about every single thing I say. Some may say that's fairly normal for a 13 year old, but I say thee nay. I know normal 13 year old behavior, and this is much more intense than normal. He's a very intense young man.

His social worker was here Monday evening. I told him about some shit that went down with Sproing Monday morning, and I lost it. Anxiety attack. Crying, wringing my hands (really? isn't that cliche? It's a nervous reaction, no joke). And I've been on edge ever since. Every little thing sends me into anxiety mode.

Oh, and Sproing was acting out with his oppositional behavior in full fury. That was the first time the social worker had ever seen him in full blown mode. He was surprised.

I was able to get in to see my therapist this afternoon. She suggests we give the boy two options: take medication willingly and without fuss (because right now he refuses to take any meds) or go back to the psychiatric treatment facility. I will discuss that with Superman this evening after supper.

I called the agency that directs the boy's mental health care, talked to one of those ladies. Told her what's going down. Told her that he's driving me over the brink. She asked a few questions, I told her a few things that probably didn't make sense because I don't make much sense when I'm in anxiety mode. Then she suggested, very nicely, that perhaps I should have my meds adjusted. ... Wait. What? Sproing can go willy-nilly doing whatever he damn well pleases regardless of what his parents say, and I'm the one who is the problem? Yeah, I have a problem with that, thankyouverymuch. If I were stronger I'd have told her how insulting that is. I was, however, strong enough not to immediately burst into tears.

I'm confused. Can't make simple decisions. Keep forgetting stuff. Get nervous and flighty when I have to talk to someone. Can not concentrate. And I'm so damned depressed. Everything I see looks dismally depressing. I asked Light this afternoon if I enjoyed Indianapa, because I don't remember. She said I seemed to. From my current perspective everything is dismal, even my memories. I hate depression.

If there was more I planned to say I don't remember.

Fun ways to waste an evening

When I should be getting a good night's sleep, I'm surfing silly websites instead.

Those look like Magnums to you?

Is this sweet little girl trying to protect her feet? From what? At least she will already know how to put on a condom when she gets to sex ed class. OK, the truth is that I put this picture up here so that the next picture would not be at the top of the blog. Because DAMN.

This is f***ing creepy

Was this supposed to be fashionable?

To comment on my dreams, I guess.

I so want to do this. I think I know a few sources for the raw materials.

What funny-picture-blog-post isn't complete without an LOLCats?

These pictures were gathered from various icanhascheezburger and failblog sites, including Lovely Listings, Poorly Dressed, and If Style Could Kill. Save yourselves. Do not go to those sites!

Funny, or in poor taste?

Daily frustration

I miss Pennsylvania. I miss the climate, mostly. It's very hot and humid here. Hot and humid is incredibly uncomfortable.

And I'm irritable today. I had a whole week away from Diva and Sproing, but I'm back with them again. They drain the umph out of me. I don't like younger teenagers. I'm often fond of older teens, like 18 and 19 years old, especially if they aren't my own children. These 13-year-olds are driving me over the edge.

After I woke up from my nap Saturday I drove Twitch back to Charlotte, NC. Sproing came with. We had a pleasant drive. I like driving. Sproing likes traveling. As much as he and I fuss with each other, a road trip with him is usually pleasant. We stopped at the IHOP on Cox (say it out loud) Road in Gastonia, NC for supper and I had jizz pancakes again. Love those things. They seem to taste better at the IHOP on Cox.

I miss being in school. I miss working on my art, working with clay. I could do it, but I don't. Why not? I don't know. I've got some clay that is my very own at the studio at school. I have special permission to work in there. But I stay home to keep the kids from killing each other. Or whatever other excuse might work. Perhaps tomorrow morning I'll go over there and work for a few hours. I should. I need it.

Meh. That's all I'm going to talk about today. Unless I think of something else and add an update or something.

Home again

No pictures, not much to say.

Light signed her lease yesterday (Friday) before we left Indianapa. We drove all the way home, most of the trip through the rain. At times the rain was torrential and we crept along at 25-30 mph. Arrived home shortly after midnight after 14 hours on the road. My eyes were screaming to be released from their contact lenses.

I slept very well, but not nearly long enough. Woke up this morning, showered, had my favorite breakfast lovingly prepared by Superman. Now that I've checked my email and checked in here, I'm going back to bed.

We need advice

As you know if you've been following along, Light and I are apartment hunting here in Indiana PA (Indianapa) for a home for her while she's in grad school. We saw one this morning that she really likes and has tentatively chosen. It's the second floor of an older house close to the center of town. The landlord lives within a couple of blocks in what I guess is a much nicer place. This place isn't bad at all, but it's an old house with lots of character. A few tens of thousands of dollars could make it nice. Quite a few of those ten thousands, I suspect. But it's relatively clean, seems pretty safe, and has amenities she likes. And did I mention it has character? We both like that about the place.

Here's the thing. She asked me if she should tell the landlord that she's gay. The point of this question concerns her minivan and its messages. This is the front bumper, nothing too controversial here:

The back of the car, however, is more opinionated. The apartment comes with off-street parking in the driveway beside the house. It's just a short driveway and the end of the car would line up adjacent to the front of the house. The front of the house is used for business purposes by the landlord. So clients/customers would possibly see this
and this
as they came into the office. Or she could back into the driveway, I suppose.

I told her she probably should not tell the landlord she's gay, but that's my opinion based on gut feelings and ideas I can't articulate clearly today. But I thought you, my readers, may have a better perspective on this issue. I told her I'd ask you.

If you have any other questions, anything I should clarify, put them in the comments. I'll answer via updates here. And I'll let you know what she decides.

Update

Light just talked to her future landlord to express her intent to rent the apartment. She told him that she's gay and asked if that would be a problem. He said no, as long as she's the only one living in the apartment. Since her girlfriend lives in South Carolina, I doubt that will be an issue. At least not anytime soon.

She didn't tell him what her bumper stickers say, but he is aware of her sexual orientation anyway.

In the comments Tobey asked about the safety of an apartment above a business. This business is not one that sees a large volume of people on a regular basis. The nature of the business excludes the lower end of society's riff-raff, not that that's a guarantee of anything. But it makes me feel a little bit better for what that's worth. And there's a deadbolt on the door (separate entrance) leading up to the apartment.

Road Trip update

Warning: drunk blogging ahead

I gotta tell you, the summer climate here is SO much better than back in South Carolina. The temps this week are about 10 to 15 degrees (F) lower than what poor ol' Superman is suffering. It's warm here, but bearable. Here's a thermometer I saw in the shade at noon. Isn't this lovely?

We don't want to talk about what this thermometer will look like 6 months from now. It hangs beside the mailboxes at an apartment complex where Light was investigating housing options. We've looked at some apartments, and have more to look at tomorrow and maybe Thursday.

As we drove around the area today we come upon this view. Isn't it lovely? This is a hillside west of Indiana, Pennsylvania.
Also, Pennsylvania is fun to type. As is Massachusetts. Schnecdity isn't nearly as fun, because I don't really know how to spell it, even though C and I stayed in a very scary motel in Schnectidy last summer. Scnectidy. Schnectity. OK, using spell check now: Schenectady. See? That was not nearly as fun as Pennsylvania or Massachusetts, which I can type without getting those mean red lines under them.

Now, about the drunkenness. I'm not really drunk, just a bit buzzed. On of all things, beer! Yes, I'm developing a taste for beer. I've been working on it for a few months now, starting at a local Greenwood eatery I may have mentioned before, a pizza place with lots of beer options. Tonight I'm drinking Shock Top, a Belgian white beer with a hint of orange. I've had two, which is all I'm going to have tonight. I got a great deal on it, though, from a bargain beer store where I had to buy a case of bottles. That's the smallest quantity they sell. The price per bottle was just over $1.20. Actually, I don't know if that's a great deal or not. I hardly ever buy beer from a store. I get it at restaurants, where it's more expensive. I don't even know how much beer costs from the restaurant. I rarely pay attention, since Superman pays the check.

We left the quaint rustic hotel today. The window unit air conditioner was blowing something we suspect is mold into the room, causing Light's sinuses to explode (metaphorically). She could barely breathe. We didn't use the air conditioner at all the last day and a half, and that helped a bit, but she was still suffering. So was I, what with my intolerance for heat. It wasn't terribly hot, but it wasn't comfortable either. So we're at a Comfort Inn on the south end of town. The room is probably three times the size of the one we had in the other place. It is prettier, but has much less character. We're paying twice what we did at the other place, but saving a bit of money with discounts available at local eateries by presenting our key card. Yes, our key cards are also discount coupons. Cool, huh? There is some other kind of savings over the other place, but I forget now what it is.

And speaking of character, here are some pictures of the bathroom in the old place. This is the floor of the shower.
The shower floor has the same tile pattern as the rest of the bathroom floor. It has a pleasant geometric balance, though these colors wouldn't be my first choice.
The shower looks almost like it could be a tub, but it isn't quite. It's big, almost 5 feet long and 3.5 feet wide. Light took her showers in the morning and had irregular water pressure, but my evening showers had near perfect pressure. I dunno.
I seem to be rambling. I'm getting tired and my beer buzz is nearly gone. We've got apartments to look at tomorrow, and perhaps we'll go to the Jimmy Stewart museum. Did I mention that Indiana, PA is his hometown? Yes, and his voice instructs pedestrians crossing all the intersections along the main east/west road through downtown. It's charming and disarming. The locals who work downtown are probably sick of the man's voice by now.

Oh, look, I'm rambling again. I got hot and sticky today, so I'm going to take a shower and go to bed in my nice cool motel room. Light just went to bed and is covered with a blanket and the comforter. I'll probably only need the sheet. This is great.

Oooo! Look!

It's a new picture of ME! Light took this shot while we were eating breakfast. I like it because it doesn't show all of my many chins. She likes it because it looks like me, and features the java of which I am so fond. Notice the "halo" above my head, indicating my holiness or something like it.

I took a few pics of her, too. This is my favorite.

I want to check out some of the Independence Day festivities going on in town. There's a demolition derby in about an hour. How fun, huh? Light isn't interested. I think I found the park where everything takes place. We're currently hooked to the interwebs at Starbux, and the park is fairly close. She is on the IM with her girlfriend (said with a dreamy look), so I might just leave her here for a while and go see what kind of trouble I can find on my own.

Over and out from Indianapa. (Indiana, PA)

Road Trip! With pictures!

Hi! I had too much caffeine this morning! I am hyper!

The ADD is on overdrive because of the caffeine, which makes little sense. Stimulants are used to treat ADD symptoms. This caffeine is making me hyper-spastic.

Light and I are in Indiana, Pennsylvania. She will start grad school next month at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). We're here to secure housing and some kind of part-time employment for her.

We got to Indiana yesterday (Saturday) late afternoon. It's a quaint little place, seems like a college town, but I'm not sure yet. It isn't big; smaller than Greenwood SC where we live. We've been to Wal-Mart twice already (sigh). We're staying in a rustic, quaint little place on the east side of town. "Rustic" and "quaint" means cheap and old. I kinda' like it. Do you remember the trip I took last summer to Massachusetts with C? He would HATE this little motel. The place reminds me of my grandmother. It smells old and musty, but in a good, nostalgic way. It's plain, but clean and functional. There's an air conditioner, a very noisy window unit that cools slowly but well. We turned it off this morning to get some peace and quiet. It makes good white noise for sleeping. I will have to take some pictures of the place to show you. I'm particularly fond of the shower stall and the tile pattern on the bathroom floor.

So I've been taking road trip pictures to share with you. Let me tell you about the no-tell motel where we stayed Friday night. It's a Knights Inn in Ghent, WV. OMG, West Virginia! It reminded me forcefully of South Carolina, but with cooler temps and prettier scenery. I was amused. We were on I-77. We saw quite a few "adult entertainment and novelty" establishments, more so than I've seen in SC. So, this Knights Inn: a large gravel parking area with plenty of room for truck parking; an "adult books and video" store in front of the place.

Here's a pic of the Lion's Den

Panning left, the hotel

You may need to embiggen this to tell, but landscaping is not high on the priority list.

View of the Lion's Den from our room

View of the large gravel parking lot with huge pot holes; Lion's Den entrance on the left

Moving down the road a bit, this is the ladies room in the visitor's center at the New River Gorge park. IIRC, it's a national park. I'll show you more of that shortly. The sign taped to the wall says "Hand Washing ONLY." Why? What other kind of washing are they precluding?

Does this mean I can hand wash my delicates in these sinks?

Moving on from the bathrooms, here's a picture from the little museum area in the visitor's center. The area along the New River was used in the mining industry back in the early 20th century. This is an example of a homemade mandolin. Cool, huh? Makes me want to get my scroll saw out try it myself.
There is an overlook of the New River Gorge and the bridge that crosses it. This visitor's center shows the history of the mining industry as well as the process of building the bridge. The bridge is pretty impressive!

A pretty flowering bush (mountain laurel, maybe? Rhododendron?) on the way to the overlook

The bridge, looking south.

We of course were driving north, so we crossed the bridge then came upon the park. I couldn't resist. Light humored me, we stopped. She was in a hurry to get to Indiana. I am all about enjoying the trip. She's a very patient daughter.

The bridge is very high. I'm not fond of being on bridges, but the engineering aspect of bridge design and construction fascinates me. This bridge, as you can see from the diagram below, is as high as the Washington Monument plus two Statues of Liberty. Cool, huh?

Looking east into the New River Gorge

The place is beautiful. Superman has been to the Pacific Northwest and seen the Columbia River Gorge, which I understand is logarithmically more impressive than this, but this is what I saw, photographed, and am telling you about. Interesting factoid: The New River is actually very old, and flows north. In the northern hemisphere most rivers flow south. The St Johns River in eastern Florida flows north. It is one of the largest north-flowing rivers in this hemisphere, and is at sea level. The New River in West Virginia runs through the mountains, so I'm pretty sure the northward flow is all about gravity and downhill. Not as impressive as the St Johns*, imho. Here's what Wikipedia says about the New River.

I've been sitting here in this Starbucks for a few hours now. It's time to move along. Haven't had internet access in two or three days, so I'm catching up a little bit. Haven't had a chance to look at other blogs in almost a week. HOPEFULLY I'll do some of that later this week.

*OK, according to Wikipedia, the St Johns flow is about gravity, too, but it's a minor drop in elevation.