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When one blog is filled, another one must open. |
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Coming soon: more work from someone creative, ambitious, and determined - often called a variant of insane/crazy. Notes: Genderfluid. Preferred pronouns (they/them) [& denotes married couples] Immediate Family: soon-to-be-ex-Dilbert, Tempest, Dogbert My Extended Family: (s)Dad, cousins (K, D, G, J, F, N) I guess it's good to be on speaking terms with someone. Voluntarily. AuntS Dilbert's Extended Family: SIL (+5 kids)& BIL, FIL's gf (only for holidays, mostly) Important People I Don't See Enough: Owl + Partner, Paradise ICON crew (which owl is a part of) People I've Known a Long Time/Long Distance: Doc & [husband], Sheer & DocSheer, Mrs. Light & [husband], Trillium & Diego (not married but close enough), Steph Local People: MotherDroid, Owl&Partner ... There are about to be new people on this list, because, well, I'm evolving. And it hurts. DnD: used letters, S (DM), D(doctor), Y(because I like him!), K(old RPGer friend who also attends church), P(church guy who does game night and is local and our families are also friends), A (went to church but moved back to Chicago, moved back locally then i moved) Tempest's friends: I don't know very many of her local friends. She's got an internet buddy who also talks to CousinK's younger daughter. the younger daughter is DRAMA. Dogbert's friends: Has a new group of friends based on a Pokemon thing and they have a DnD club at school and outside of school. Lucky kid! |
| Tempest took her shot at the gymnastics team today. I don't think she realized they invited her for a tryout. She's close - a strong maybe. She says "i'm scared" a lot, and she can't quite do a back handspring by herself on the floor. But all the other girls are 10-18, and she's 8. Which everyone has trouble believing because she looks like a six year old. The coach likes her- her strength is good and she has energy. [Coach was worried that 2.5 hours of class would be too much for my girl to take. T did great that way.] I have a favorable opinion of the coach. T cried a bit after we got into the car. I repeated the good things coach said about T, and that she did a good job. I understand being sad, but I also told her it might be to see what she does with the disappointment - does she quit or does she work harder? She says she's going to work harder. That's my girl! Dogbert has been off with my mom this morning, because 2.5 hours is a long class. I'm sure he's having a good time. Dilbert said it wasn't worth teaching my Monday class for that, to go to Milan, back to Bettendorf, back to Milan, back to home. (Home is 5 min from the B'dorf Y, and Milan is 20 min away. So we'd trek to gymnastics, turn around and go back to the Y, then I teach my 45 min class - arrive at Y approx 9:50, class at 10:15 to 11, then back to gymnastics leaving by 11:30 to pick her up at 12. And somewhere in there i'd prefer to shower. Dogbert could hang at the Y, as long as they still allow him in Y-pals. I told him it wouldn't be that long, maybe for summer and that was it. She's not even on the team yet, so I guess we can worry another day. Would've been so nice if that girl had taken me up on grabbing this class for the summer, right? Oh well. Still on my quest of personal improvement. Looking at changing diet to remove sugar - my last real vice - and while I'm not going to get rid of all of it, I'd like to have some options that are healthier that way. Like oatmeal instead of poptarts for breakfast, right? And not with a bunch of brown sugar sprinkled over the whole mess. It's far from a perfect no-sugar diet, but it's at least better. See how I feel with that. Also on the list - probiotics, a specific yoga practice that involves gut-brain and brain health, and adding in meditation, a breath practice, an possibly a mudra. Nothing big, right? But it is going to be a change where I am mindful about it. I haven't done that in a long time, and it's an important change. I feel a little bad I didn't do yoga when I got out of bed this morning despite all the hours I've spent researching this weekend. However, I have a bit of time this afternoon and I'm going to be continuing to find this path. It's important - maybe no-more-antidepressants-important. (and i mean, like, ever.) As a side note, the more I read the yoga books the more I feel I need a better handle on Sanskrit. I'm also working on Habit RPG (called Habitica now but wasn't the first time I downloaded it) to keep track of a few things. I've also reintroduced Duolingo in the last couple weeks. Only Spanish at the moment, but that could easily change. I feel like I have a good idea right now. Watch it just morph into a story on me. My teacher this weekend knew the sci-fi lingo. So when I said grok was the third (manipura) chakra, he got it. He said prana was the force, and thank you George Lucas for giving us that in pop culture (paraphrased) and he pulled out LOTR by calling a bunch of people where he's from (Sedona, Arizona) like Lothlorien Elves.  Next up: asana! |
| I think I'm on the edge of an epiphany. It's the yoga, it's the training, and it's the July thing converging. I'll be looking through several different references to see how I can accomplish this, but I have an idea, and please cross your fingers to see if it works. |
| Apparently Smarmy still is bothering me, and I haven't seen him again since Wednesday. Dilbert and I are both very tired today. I took a short nap - Dogbert woke me many times last night. Dilbert took a few hour nap (3? more?). The kids weren't too bad. the gifts were just okay. But *sigh* Dilbert is very worried about the housework. And it seems I'm not at home much at all. I'm worried. I think I feel July coming on. But it's something more. I've got a couple inklings of stories but they won't come out. I can't bring myself to edit - even the promo piece for my yoga class is daunting. What's wrong with me? Did I lose my writing connection? ICON updates came, and I have to have something together by August, I know it. So, first chapter of Next Jane, even though I haven't opened it in months? Something else? I feel like such a poser, the writer who can't anymore. I keep thinking of all the things i need to do, and I just don't have it, especially in the summer. Photogirl got a job and I'm watching her kids sometimes and she's watching mine. After a few weeks, the west Y has decided to allow 8 yr olds in child watch so Tempest (and other staff children) feel more welcome. But there's a bratty kid who acts like she owns the place, and the child watch staff are all fawning on her because though she's 8 they've known her their entire lives. The rules don't apply to her. She interrupted my class and I didn't appreciate it at all, but I tried to be polite when I took it up with her. Somehow I have to get connected. |
| Most of this year I've been procrastinating editing with something - whether it was Duolingo and languages or - more recently - a bunch of stupid games that I had stopped playing but now have reemerged. The games annoy me because there's literally nothing to get out of it. At least languages I could pretend I had some enrichment, and occasionally it overflowed into my stories of what was a specific point in a society. Like in Swahili they ask how is the morning, how is the day, and not how are you - which is quite a loaded question unless you follow the regular script and just say fine. But fine doesn't give any information at all, and half the time (at least) it is a lie. Feels like a meaningless question. Perhaps that's just my brain rebelling at summer. The first full week of summer kicked my butt. We biked 3 days at 7ish in the morning, I taught my regular 7 classes plus went to krav and kali (but missed tai chi to help a friend take her rv to rockford - which was another crazy early morning though we didn't bike). And I fell asleepish in front of the tv at 830 friday night. We also started swim lessons and a tumbling class so there is something going on every day m-f. And M is the only day (gymnastics where we miss swim lessons) where it's only Z that has something. S's mother drives me crazy when she asks what Tempest is doing and then says "oh, S does that." Then piles on all the other things that S does. And at this point, all I'm wondering is what her younger child does. Because Dogbert has his own thing, and I don't know how anyone could keep up with all of that. S is currently in track, gymnastics, and soccer but not swim lessons because "she's a fish" which is as far as the Y does lessons at that place without going to swim team. G has transitioned to swim team, and she rides a horse. Her mother doesn't compete with me, and I love asking how her kid is doing because of that. She answers and asks in kind. Oh. right- i don't hang out with S's mother anymore except when lunching with G's mom. All I have to listen to is how much Tempest misses S. She misses a lot of people lately. Dogbert is nearly out of training wheels, I think. but Tempest? Nope. She's scared of someone being behind her and falling over and going too fast. I do not know how to help her with this. She dove into the water at swim lessons for the first time this week. She has stopped saying she's scared in the pool, which is great. But the bike is not her thing at all. I have managed, barely, to keep up with my words. I haven't read much this month yet but I think I'll get there. So the question is how to edit. I can't go to book club or the other writer's club this week because Dilbert is out of town. Still trying to plan on krav and kali at least once because I need to work on my stamina. I could barely do anything last thursday. But I feel like if I take a week off, then I'm really going to miss out. So - Dilbert leaves tonight and returns Thursday. I need to change my goals around and be ready for the week ahead. Plus make changes like ditch the stupid games. I don't remember when I last duo'd, and that i kinda miss. I also sort of volunteered to have two extra kids for three afternoons this week, and I'm not sure how that's going to go just yet. I don't have a car big enough for all that. |
I'm having a frustrating day as far as the new washer is concerned.  Don't call me and say you'll be there between 2 and 4 (instead of 12 to 4) if you're clearly going to show up before 1pm.  I'm excited for krav tonight because I'm testing and because one of my writer buddies is coming to try it out. Kali left me with new bruises- most of my right arm is bruised at this point from some combat sparring within the last month. Newest one is the top of my right ring finger. Ouch! Another one got yelled at for hitting me too hard. I admit we're a bunch of ham-fisted loons, but it's a little out of hand. However, Kali also gave me the opportunity to spar with the 2014 world champ for tae kwon do with the stick!! That was fun and i'd totally do it again with her. Someone needs to ask the question: How do you hit fast without the strong force behind it that is making so many bruises on my arm? First day of summer with the kids: Went biking with Photogirl and her girls. Taught one class AND found a spot for Tempest among the kids where she was semi-supervised and felt safe but not where she wasn't allowed to go, then saw G and her mom at the park (which might have been why i missed the stupid delivery people but we can't stay inside forever and they said 2!), and T read books while at the Y so I just should lean on Dogbert to do a bit of homework, too, but my head hurts. G didn't have enough of a visit with Tempest, so T went to G's house. Dogbert was frustrated, then. And i hate that, but he can't always be friends with her friends. That's a struggle, too, for all of us. # This person is seriously not having as frustrating a day as me, because of course once i got delivery rescheduled for tomorrow Dilbert came home and wanted to understand via the spanish inquisition. Why is he home early TODAY?! "I'm not leaving this garage until that tiny furry creature leaves." I surveyed the three-car space with the extras stacked neatly along the sides. There was no place for those things inside my domain, and I had seen it out of the corner of my eye- a fast-moving blur of brown over the beige carpet runner that kept my shoe-dirt outside the house. My girlfriend laughed - but everything's funnier over the phone when you don't actually have to face off against a four-legged critter who always runs the wrong way from the great outdoors. "Stupid thing. Why won't you leave?" I approached it again, sideways to the door, hoping. "Maybe she has babies." I groaned inside. I didn't want to think about the thing guarding its young. There was no food in my garage. There shouldn't be nesting materials. There ought to be no critters. "That's not funny." And i hung up on her before she could respond. How much stuff would I have to remove from the garage before I urged it to take the run for the sun? I slumped onto the top step with the garage door wide open. Maybe all it needed was a little bit of time. The delivery people were supposed to arrive between two and four, and it was only one thirty. I didn't want to tear apart the entire garage before the guys came through with my new dryer. And I needed my new dryer. I've never known anyone to order a household appliance while the old one was still working, and I was no exception. I had hung all of the clothes that hadn't gotten dried the last time I washed a load, and I had ordered the new dryer. I was running out of clothes and I hated how they line-dried. Everything was stiff and hard and I couldn't even get my jeans on for work. "Knock knock." Old Mrs. Brass from next door pretended to knock on the open garage door. "You're home early. Did you miss the delivery truck?" She held a yellow sign in her hand. "No. They'll be here between two and four." It couldn't be. But Mrs. Brass toddled toward me, her cane in one hand but leaning more heavily on it than usual. "It's a lovely day today. You should get out and enjoy it." The words were written clearly on the note. They had arrived at 12:05. I blinked, blinked again, but the numbers didn't change. "They were supposed to call me." I checked my cell, and nothing. "Sorry, I have to fix this." "That's fine, dear." Mrs. Brass got too close to the edge where my tiny furry creature was hiding and it took off across the garage to another safe haven that wasn't outside. "Was that a mouse? Oh my!" "Thank you, Mrs. Brass." I didn't even bother turning around. I had to get that dryer. The creature could wait until I had that much handled. I hadn't planned on emptying the garage tonight, but since I was home early... |
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