Happy Halloween?

So I have complained about the kids that live in this neighborhood, and the way they treat Brian. One in particular will decide that Brian isn't worthy of his company, and he will purposely leave him out, and his cronies will follow suit. Then suddenly he'll come over and invite Brian to play, and help himself to two or three cans of iced tea from the garage, and a half dozen poptarts, under the guise of friendship, giving Brian false hope, only to knock him down again.

Today, Brian thought he would trick or treat with these kids. Apparently they discussed it on the bus, or he thought they had. Brian texted the main kid, and asked if he was leaving. Kid texted back that he was not. Then he proceeded to leave and walk right by our house. Then he had the nerve to come up to my door with his troupe, half of them not even in costume. At the age of nearly 14, that is just disgusting. I'm pretty sure they did the same thing either last year or the year before.

For some reason, Brian refuses to turn his back on this treatment and repeatedly takes it. If there was ever any doubt that the gum ended up in his hood at the hands of this particular crowd, that's pretty much been erased by what I experienced today. One has to wonder what it is to make a kid so nasty and yet so blatantly in-your-face about himself. Not to take him is one thing ... maybe they don't like him, and that's fine. But why come to my house? It's not like the neighborhood is small.

Anyway, Megan is at the Y swimming and so far the trick or treaters have been only the ditchers, and then Brian and his group. His group is sort of a motely crew, but they are also a crew with whom you always know where you stand, unlike the ditchers.

E is up to the usual. Sleeping over somewhere, doesn't know where, going somewhere, doesn't know where. I haven't heard and if history is any indicator, don't expect to. Perhaps in fact the difficulties I experienced back in May with Dr. NoCallBack were the fates' attempt to intervene.

But in other news, this will be a busy weekend between the two-day swim meet, the placement test tomorrow, and all the usual goings-on of the weekend. We have a lot of days off from school in the next couple of weeks, with elections, teachers conventions and Veteran's Day. And the next thing we know, it will be Thankgsiving, and then Christmas. And then Nationals. And then the school year will end! I can't believe it has flown by already. :-)

On second thought, I hate all kids. The doorbell just rang (no idea who this group was) and I gave them each two pieces of candy. Not one said thank you, but one said, "oh wonderful" when he saw what I was putting in his bag!! I really believe there should be a program like the Fresh Air Fund in reverse, where suburban kids have to go and live in the South Bronx for ten days. (amendment.. the first girls just came and they were friendly and polite; the previous statement applies to only boys!)

False Alarm

So I have written about our hyperreactive smoke detector before, I believe. And tonight, it struck again. Brian was in the shower (of course it would be Brian) and when he came out, again the alarm sounded. This is the first time with Kevin being home, so of course he flew into dork mode and snapped at all of us. I tried to reset the alarm from the keypad, and he tried to push the button on the ceiling. In my panic, I did the automatic keycode and hit .. the wrong button. The big red one that says 'FIRE' in it. :-/ But we were able to cut it off, and told the ADT folks that all was well.

I sat down to finish some surfing, when all of a sudden some flashing lights flew past the window. (Note to self: invest in reflective house numbers ASAP) I ran outside to avert further embarassment but it was too late. So, two huge fire trucks, several pick-axe wielding fireman and two police officers later, our excitement has died down. I guess that because this time it took us longer to shut down the alarm, ADT had to call in the fire alarm.

Meanwhile, I can almost feel sorry for Tampa Bay and that area roughly between first and second base that seems to be cursed for them. But of course, the night is young. I'm just glad the Phillies get to be up four times to Tampa Bay's three. A one run lead is not much of a cushion. (Edit: a tie is no cushion at all, I don't feel sorry for anyone anymore)

In other news, my three days of full day working are over. I am working tomorrow, now only in the afternoon, and I have been called to work Friday morning as well, but at a different school. Which is OK. I am ready for a break! Sometimes it's hard to go to the same school so many days in a row. People start making comments like, "well, you're a regular fixture here" or "you might as well take up permanent residence" which sort of serves simply to remind me that I DON'T really work there.

Otherwise, Brian seems to be still doing well following his alleged blackout after his fall the other day. After I spoke to the pediatrician, I did check with the neurologist and both said that he will be OK, even if he has had a concussion, so just to watch him and keep him out of contact sports for three weeks. He doesn't have gym this marking period, so that won't be a problem anyway. I am still concerned that nobody knows or seems to care what happened or why he fell. The only witnesses were kids, and nobody is asking them what happened, and if Brian knows, he ain't tellin'

Unlucky Monday

At least it is if you're Brian. I was at work, and the phone was making sounds like they were trying to call the room, but they never said anything. A few minutes later they beeped in and asked me to pick up. When I did, they told me the middle school nurse had called. Turns out Brian "fell" and hit his head on the wall at school, hard enough that he now claims amnesia directly surrounding the incident. He remembers walking, and he remembers getting up. But he doesn't seem to understand why he fell. Falling over someone's foot seems very suspicious to me. Especially for someone who came home from school and put up his hood to find that a criminal had put a wad of gum in it, and their prank had been successful, and the gum had entangled itself in his hair. I worked on it for half an hour, and managed to get it all out with barely any hair loss, so the villains won't know of their success.

(Phillies score one!)

So I am at a loss as to how to proceed. Do I let it go and assume it was truly an accident, or do I contact the school and let them know that I am unsure of the circumstances surrounding the fall? Did someone think it would be funny to trip him up, but then feel bad when he fell harder than they expected? I know middle school is an awful, horrible place, but this is just ridiculous. Is it coincidence that this would happen on the day before they are set to visit the public high school for their tour? I think someone tries to send a message to me, this is what it must be.

Anyway, my day was OK. The kids are cute and one of my most favorite students in the entire school is in the class. The day goes so fast because there is just so much to be done, and there are a few aides and a resource teacher in and out of the room throughout the day so I never have to wonder what is going on for long. And by the end of Wednesday, hopefully I will have it down to a science. Just in time to be done :-) Another teacher asked me if I can work for her Monday, Wednesday, and the following Monday, which are the next three school days for our district. We're off Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and then the next Tuesday as well. So maybe I will be able to foot the food bills after all.

(Phillies score another!!!)

Otherwise, nothing of excitement to report. The only other news is that Halloween is Friday and Megan and Brian have no idea what they will be. E has an ever-evolving costume, which ranged from a 20's girl to various pop icons of the 20s through today, set partially in motion by the discovery of an old dress I let her try on, complete with shoulder pads. That created a costume idea, which she has since recreated to include everything BUT the dress. But she may be the only one with anywhere to go anyway. Megan will have practice, and I just don't know what Brian has in mind. Now I am off to the Phillies.

School Pictures

Lucky 13

We have a birthday in the house today! It's Molly's 13th birthday, although she seems unaware of her advancing age. I got her an edible Nylabone, which I made her take outside because it smelled so bad, and also a stuffed chipmunk, so she can feel like she is keeping up with the cats. I took her for a long walk and then brushed her. Now she is asleep on the rug under Kevin's feet.

We split up for two swim meets today, the girls won 110-108 and the boys won 109-108. Megan swam OK, not too exciting for her, being a distance freestyle swimmer, the shorter events at the dual meets are not her best, nor are the stroke events. The shortest freestyle race in this meet was 100 yards, and she swam it and came in third. Not a big deal, she looked fine. Just a little boring as a spectator! Later in the season the race will turn to a 200 and that will be better for her. But the meet itself was exciting. We had a couple of ties, and some of the relays were so close that the screaming was deafening. That's when the meets are really fun to watch.

So my career is picking up a little. I worked my scheduled half days on Wednesday and Friday but also was called in for Thursday, and that teacher called me at home yesterday to see if I would work for her Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all day. The only problem was that she was trying to call in to the sub line, and she was having trouble getting through to the voice mailbox. So she was going to keep trying and is supposed to get back to me before the end of the weekend. But that would be helpful, three full days in a row. Megan doesn't have spinning this week, so I don't have to be back to drive to swimming until 4:30 instead of 2:55.

I am a little over in my spending, and I can't believe how much things cost these days. At Target today, I noticed that all the laundry supplies have gone up by $1-$2 per item! And of course, I had to replace my hair straightener. I got a deal, though. It was on sale for $99 and I got it for 20% off that price!

I also got called yesterday morning, already scheduled for a half day of work. They somehow had not gotten a sub for the Spanish teacher so they asked me to come in a little early and cover her classes for the morning. I watched the first 40 minutes of The Lion King three times, in Spanish. I understood about three words in the entire thing. Yesterday was a tiring sub day, though, the afternoon was a little challenging; and the morning was a bit slow with the Spanish SEEEEMMBA.

In other news, this week will be Halloween. Megan tells me she will be Count Chocula, but I don't understand how that will happen. And she has a swim meet all weekend at Princeton, so she won't be able to have any fun anyway. Brian hasn't even mentioned a costume, but I don't know what he has in mind if anything. He actually has one of the high school entrance exams on Saturday morning; not that he would be out late celebrating anyway. I am trying to plan a costume for Molly. I'm afraid I may be turning into a Halloween shrew. I have a strong desire to turn off all the lights and pretend to have left for Disney World.

Pinky Woes

Well, Megan's finger is injured. Some time last week she came home, saying she had been kicked in the little finger by a finned foot. Her little finger was all black and blue, and someone had taped it to the one next to it. She insisted it was not broken, because she could move it, and said it was jammed and had been cared for. So I never called the doctor.

Now here we are and it looks sort of like a tree branch, or a little twig. It comes up, goes out, and then comes back to the center again. It still hurts. It's white from being taped all the time. It is, of course, her left hand, the one she uses to write. So now I don't know what to do. At this point, it's set the way it is. Will it straighten out on its own? I don't know. I guess I'll have to have it checked out.

And so Kevin is somewhere across the Great Blue Sea. Last I heard he was in Copenhagen, but he was waiting for a flight to Oslo, and that was 7 hours ago. I guess those are long flights. I am off to a morning of covering for child study meetings, hopefully some well scheduled ones. There is no day more wasted than one in which I have to work all morning for one meeting. I end up having to roam the school in search of work to keep me busy.

The alarm at the house across the street continues to go off sporadically, but the authorities seem to understand now that it is malfunctioning, and it's been confirmed that the homeowners are on vacation. As long as those firetrucks don't keep pulling up at 7am and midnight, I won't complain. I can't hear the alarm unless I am out in the back of the house.

I guess things are a little boring at the moment, or all that I would care to pen in cyberspace, at least. This weekend we'll have a couple of swim meets and that's it. Next weekend is a big meet for Megan, at Princeton, but not one of the biggest of the year. That's in December at Rutgers. Then we have the high school meets in January and February, and Nationals in April. Look at the year flying by.

In other news, E has decided she should cut her hair short and dye it. This is to take place on Friday, so let's see if she keeps up the nerve that long. We had our monthly check-in with the agency rep, and she told me that she's having a little gathering of all the students in December. So that should provide us with some entertainment. As far as that goes, I am still trying to find the balance between what's right and wrong as far as freedom goes where she is concerned. Some of the places she wants to go are not places that Megan would ever go, and they are certainly places I would never LET Brian go. So I find myself in a difficult spot. But that's all I can say on that topic in this venue. (Disclaimer: clock strikes 8. Post not proofread)

School Selection

As Kevin attended his Mickey Mouse meeting down in Orlando today, I awoke to the sound of a fireman on a two-way radio, saying, "...and nobody's answering the phone ..." when I remembered OUR malfunctioning fire alarm and wondered if it had gone off and cut the phone line, without my hearing the perpetual shriek. I jumped out of bed and noticed that they were actually at the house across the street, which appears to have noone home. They didn't stay long to investigate, but left the house with its own alarm perpetually shrieking indoors. I'm pretty sure it's still going on now. They are a retired couple, so they could be anywhere. Even in Florida.

Anyway, once I ascertained that this was not another humiliation served up by my own over-active monitoring system, Brian and I headed out for the final school under consideration. I will call this school MD. The grounds are very nice and serene, something like 32 acres of mostly playing fields and a beautiful huge new church that the parish just completed last year. This is actually the church where Brian was baptized, but since he has moved toward heathenism by joining an Episcopal church, he can't be a Catholic without undergoing some sort of ritual. But it doesn't matter. They'll still take our money.

So the school has the same laptop program as the one we visited last week, which is nice (call it SJV). However, when the students changed classes, we saw many of them moving through the halls with large textbooks in hand. I didn't think they needed to carry them, SJV did not, but this is still something that can be worked out under the 504 plan if he does choose MD. The problem that I am seeing is that his first choice school is morphing into whatever school he has most recently seen. So today it's MD. Last week it was SJV, and before that, the all-boys one.

The advantage of MD would be its size - they aim for 125 students per class, and there are only about 400 in the entire school. SJV has about 1000, as does the public school, and the all-boys Catholic school as well. I don't think MD generally has gotten there yet, they have not got the best reputation in town in some ways, although they seem to be doing better at reaching their goal. I know of several very selective parents who have sent their children here and are happy. The school is neat, clean, and bright. Even if they did just do this for the open house yesterday, the other two didn't look that way at THEIR open houses. Interestingly, MD has three levels: low, mid, and honors. SJV has mid, honors, and AP. They won't take the lower ones, I guess. This is the reason for the negative perception of MD. On the other hand, it gives certain kids the opportunity to be big fish in a small pond.

And one to go - the public school. Next week, on the 28th, Brian will visit the public school with his middle school. He would also like to spend a day as a student at MD; they offer that as part of their admissions process. Then, on November 1, he takes the test at the all-boys school, and on November 15, he takes it at SJV. This test will serve as a placement test for either of the two co-ed Catholic schools. He'll have to complete an MD application and pay for that as well; although he's already paid up for SJV. Confused? I am. My current front-runner is still SJV, plus it is the 'cheapest' of all. I think he hears from all of them in January. and of course, don't rule out public just yet.

When we got home, we found Megan sitting in front of the TV. Apparently E had woken her to tell her she was going out to lunch, and then couldn't lock the front door, so Megan had to come down and do that. This was five hours ago, and still no sign of her or word from her. Kevin is in Orlando and at last check was frantically speeding towards the airport. Come to think of it, he suddenly stopped texting me back (he was not the driver) so hopefully that meant they reached their destination and he is too busy checking in and finding the gate to text me back again.

Megan is exhausted from the swim workouts. The hayride she went on the other night wore her out because it turned out to be a highly popular touristy place and they were waiting on lines for hours for the attractions. She didn't get home till nearly midnight, after having been up early for the PSAT. Then the swim meet yesterday was long, and her finger is injured from a collision in the pool. Add to that her cold (which at least seems to be improving) and her flaring up eczema, and, well, she is falling apart. Good thing there was no school today, but I do hate that these days are always spent recuperating instead of taking little trips or doing little activities.

And in other news, I am working, so far, two half days this week. I guess that's better than nothing. I just got my social security report (which I get every year, ironically, and Kevin never gets one) and I made more money in 2007 than I have made since I stopped really working, in 1999. I made over $6000!!!! In ONE year!! Amazing. This year I am already up to 5, so I am challenging that amount. Of course, at this rate, I'll never make it. It's only that high because of the 07-08 school year, anyway. I've made about $400 so far this school year. Gross pay. No pun intended.