Another Day, Another Dollar

So the electrician came today to tell me about installing the lights. I am feeling a little woozy. First of all, I called another one already. Kevin wants me to return the lights. The first thing the guy said was, "do we want to do this with or without a permit?" Then he proceeded to tell me what he wanted to do, all the while running electrical cable just six inches below ground. He claims that to do it with a permit, it would have to be 18 inches. But then he said something about 16, and then he mentioned that some "guys interpret the code differently, and they just do 12." =:-O

Anyway, those were the options: do it illegally and, well, be illegal, or do it with a permit and have to go down 18", in which case, he can't be responsible for sprinkler lines. Hmm. This is why I think Kevin should always stay home when these people come. Anyway, I found the name of the guy who ran the electrical wiring for the pool filter and heater and left a message for him. I know I will trust him, he's done it before. Also, he works with the pool company, and he'd never jeopardize that. But, will he return the call? We can also ask the opinion of the landscape architect, but he may hesitate to give us too much information for fear we'll use his suggestions and not use the garden center for the job.

I have to work tomorrow. I am not terribly looking forward to it, but at least I know where I'm going. Back to the resource room with the kid who looked at me like I spoke Greek when I said there were 36 inches in a yard. I expect to work most Fridays, if I haven't said that before. All of the teachers are using up their time, and taking three day weekends.

Update: I have returned from a long break on the telephone, so my segue will not be smooth. Also, I finished my glass of wine during this time. Ok, back on track. After working tomorrow, I must spend the weekend preparing the house for the Fresh Air visit. It is a mess right now, but I sort of figure why bother, if I go to too much trouble now, I'll only end up having to do it again. It was a mite embrassing when the electrician came in, but, hey, he was talking about drilling holes in my walls, cutting through my sprinkler lines, and only burying electrical cable six inches below the ground, alongside my pool. He told me that the 5' from the pool rule for lights is just because they don't want you IN the pool CHANGING the lightbulb. I know I am stupid, but I'm not THAT stupid.

Anyway, the only other thing is that the banquet book won't go away. Today I got an email from the printer, and he wants to be paid. I, of course, have nothing to do with this. I asked him if he had sent an invoice, and, if so, to whom. He says he isn't sure, his bookkeeper has sent several. Perhaps to the attention of "Jane or Tim". Huh? I thought we were disorganized! I told him to get me an invoice and I will get it to the proper person. (Who, by the way, is 'Tim', but he does have a last name.)

So, in other news...Brian is done with his standardized testing. Megan is going to make a Spanish delicacy on Sunday night. I don't know what it will be but I hope it won't ruin our chances of being selected as a Friendly Town family. My hair is still cut, and my friend Denise has been offered a job at the Y. I have also told her I will invite her to view the blog, but first I have to go through and make sure I haven't written anything bad about her! Heh heh. Brian's baseball practice was cancelled for tonight, so that was good. And I am trying to get on Megan about writing her essay to volunteer at the school's extended year program for the summer. She needs 100 hours to be in the National Honor Society. And, I am sure, a certain average. Hopefully, she will still have that, now that she has gotten two A's. :-)

Wasting Space

Yep. That is what I'm doing this week, just wasting space. I've been catching up on all the chiari blogs and carepages that I follow, two in particular are very alarming. It's never good when a child goes in for surgery, but when they aren't recovering well and the doctors don't have any idea why - that's when it's really bad. Just as I typed that, I got an email alert to an update on another little girl. Her joints are so swollen that they don't work right anymore, as a result of arachnoiditis, which is her body's inflammatory reaction to all the surgeries she has had. It's incurable, and causes a lifetime of pain. Right now she is in the hospital waiting for an umpteenth shunt revision. Her mother writes that she is more upset than ever before.

So on Sunday night, I turned down that sub call, and she has not called again. I will work tomorrow, but that will be it for me for the week. Maybe she'll call with some more. I don't mind the down time, I even went for a couple of walks, but I would like to have the paycheck.

Brian has a baseball game tonight, the first time he will play with the Little League team. It should be interesting, he missed their first game on Saturday while we were away, and kids told him that his team got clobbered. I don't know why, but perhaps will find out tonight.

It's nice not having to drive to swimming, but weird. Megan decided not to do spring track after all, since she has already missed almost half the season. The coach won't know her, and she probably won't get many opportunities to run. She certainly doesn't need to do it for exercise, as spring training at the Y starts in just another week (actually it starts Monday, but she doesn't have to go for an extra week since she went to Nationals). I'm still waiting for them to post the 2009 Qualifying Times so we will know if she is guaranteed a trip back next year, or if she's going to have to swim her butt off again to beat the new times.

On that note, she has stayed after school to catch up on some missed work, so I must go fetch her and prepare to shuttle Brian to his ortho appointment and thenback for baseball. Stats to follow!

In other news: Molly's leg seems ok today. She had pulled off almost all of the fur, but she hasn't tried to go at it at all since yesterday. I'll leave her helmeted anyway. Kevin continues the Battle of the Moles, half of one now lies bloodied in the middle of the street and our yard looks like it's strewn with mousetraps. They came around and picked up the leaves and itchy balls today, but we didn't know, so our yard is still littered with junk on top of all the metal traps.

But now the sun is coming out! Let me go and join it.