Happy Days

In continuation of my epic story of the epic past two weeks of my life:

Nathan came to visit from Ohio the day after the Reel Big Fish show and so naturally everyone wanted to hang out that day. Gill and Nathan came to my house, soon to be joined by Paul and then Robby. We watched Ranma 1/2, this preposterous show about a guy and his dad who fell into magic ponds that caused them to turn into a girl and a panda, respectively, every time they touched cold water for the rest of their lives (but luckily, warm water could turn them back). My mom got us pizza and then we all went to the playground at Derby again, where those of us who were so inclined proceeded to act like five year olds. We were pirates and fought over the crow's nest. We were farmers and planted corn in the sandbox. We were artists and made sand sculptures (Robby naturally made a Caterpie). Then we went down to the water, where I risked life and limb climbing out on a fallen tree, and followed the trail up again to the sports field, where I rolled down the grassy hill yelling "AS YOU WISH!!!" like in The Princess Bride. Then we went back to my house to watch some horribly violent anime that Paul chose, which was an all right movie except for some reason I really couldn't keep up with what was going on. Maybe I was too distracted by all the blood and sex. Ugh, anime sex. That's an experience I'd rather not repeat thank you. Then we left my house just as Cara and Jane got there, because the fam needed to go to bed, but my mom and I had a falling out first. I hadn't planned on going anywhere because I was tired, but then I was mad and didn't want to get yelled at just then so I left anyway. I accidentally passed out at Gill's house and got home later than I should've, but I'd texted saying I'd be home so I had to go back. I got yelled at the next day and then apologized to because apparently my one responsible act of the night, texting that I'd be home, was never seen. =/

I was pretty tired the next day, but things at work were going all right. We took the kids to the music circus, which means we have to walk with them down the street and keep track of them at the show. Everything went smoothly until we were leaving. Coming out of the tent, I had all my kids and then Ian started crying again. It had been like a week and a half of this - he literally hadn't stopped crying since the fourth of July. So I was trying to console him, and the next thing I knew, two of my girls were nowhere to be found. I searched the whole place and couldn't find them. But when I got back to the group, they were back. Aaah. I do not envy parents; that's a freaky experience, and I can only imagine how bad it is if the kid's your own. Martha, my boss, said I handled it well and stayed very calm (this alleged calm was actually exhaustion but shh). She wasn't even mad that I lost them to begin with and had only good things to say to me at the end of the day. Ummkay. Then I joined up with Gill, Cara and Nathan and we went to the beach. We drove to like five different ones before settling somewhere, and the one we finally picked had bacteria-infested water, so we couldn't go swimming, and was roped off for like half a mile because of endangered birds in the dunes. That night we were going to go dancing, but Gill had to go home for dinner and I passed out at Paul's house after that so obviously I didn't go. I guess it turned out the others didn't either.

Friday Paul and I went to the beach with Gill, Cara and Nathan. We didn't stay long, but long enough for me to convince Paul to get in the water, which was actually quite nice for ocean water. I didn't even have goosebumps. My dorkburger of a boyfriend was wearing scrubs instead of a proper bathing suit and we made fun of him. Or rather I did, I think the others actually had very little to say on the topic. We left pretty soon. Paul, Nathan and I walked to Scoops, ate ice cream, and walked back while waiting for Gill and Cara to be done with.... whatever it is they do when nobody sees them for hours on end. Getting dressed, I guess. XD Later Erik and his friend Fred showed up and we all went swimming in Gill's pool. We'd already been in the ocean so the pool felt especially warm after that. And the heater had been on all day. It was practically like taking a bath.

Saturday: same time, same place, same people. Cara made delicious gooey brownies and Fred serenaded us all with Gill's guitar. Then everyone went swimming again, but by this time I was so tired that even the warm pool water would have felt chilly. I react to exhaustion by getting cold. My body just doesn't have the energy to warm itself up. Since Paul didn't feel like swimming either, we went downstairs and he played video games while I slept AGAIN. I need to work on my sleeping patterns. I just kept not catching up at nights and involuntarily trying to catch up at all manner of inconvenient times.

Sunday night, I went to hang out and swim with people again. Gill and Cara's new buddies Gerry and Alex came and we swam for a little bit. After that, someone started playing video games and before I knew it I was asleep again. In my sleep I recruited Nathan as a space heater since Gill's basement is frigid at all times of the year. Everyone else went on some adventure, probably to Wal*Mart, but I was dead to the world. And didn't feel much better when I had to get up for work the next day. Ughhhh.

Tuesday night, Nathan's last night here, we all went to see the new Harry Potter movie at midnight. I got Paul to come even though he's not into Harry Potter at all. What a good sport. But yet again, since I still hadn't caught up on all the sleep I'd been trying to catch up on all week, I was brutally tired. Unlike Nathan I managed to stay awake for the car ride there, but I kept nodding off for the first half of the movie. Then it got funnier and laughing helped me wake up a little. That was the strongest point of this movie, I think - the humor. Because it's really just a set-up movie for the last one (or two, since I think that's what they're doing with the last book). Romance was a big factor in the story but the actors made it hugely awkward. I think the director must have realized that and purposely made things even more ridiculous so it wouldn't be as painful for the rest of us. Anyway I definitely passed out for the entire ride home, and when we got back to Gill's house, Paul had to drive us back in my car because I couldn't even walk in a straight line, let alone drive in one. We bid Nathan farewell and drove back to Paul's. The sun was already coming up by the time we got home and crashed.

Work really sucked on Wednesday. This one kid who's always causing trouble kicked someone and I was told to bring him to Martha (she's the highest order threat we can pull on these kids), but he refused to move so I just dragged him down the hall. In hindsight I'm sure that was a terrible idea. I figured that after a couple feet worth of dirt and embarrassment, he'd realize he was being ridiculous and get up, but he made me drag him all the way across the school. We walked by this random guy about my age or a little younger, I don't know why he was there because he definitely wasn't with the rec program, but anyway he laughed at us and said he wanted a turn, which I'm sure didn't encourage the kid to get off his behind. So the moral of the story is, try to sleep when you have a job that involves working with children, because they will push you to your limits even if you're well rested and lord only knows what you'll do to them if you're not. XD

Things only got worse later that day because I had to get a shot, which is a bad enough ordeal when I've slept because my body passes out when foreign substances enter my blood stream. I've developed a terrible phobia of needles because of the reaction I have to them. I knew I couldn't drive myself home after that, so I got Paul to take me (long story short, I was absolutely justified in doing so rather than having my mom bring me) and he handled it really well, even when I saw the needle and started bawling and shaking, all while curled up in the fetal position. Unfortunately I exaggerate not. I managed to stay conscious while we were at the doctor's office and all the way out to the car but I passed out on the way home, and I mean actually passed out, not like I just fell asleep again. I hate the feeling because first I get really nauseous. Then I start sweating. Then I get this ringing in my ears, which gets louder until I can't even hear myself speak (but I knew that I was telling Paul I was going to faint, I just couldn't hear it or feel my lips saying it). My vision goes black around the edges and I get this aura in the middle, which would be really pretty if it didn't feel like crap. And then I go out. But I always come to, and we got home all right and then at long last I got to go to sleep for real, for the first time in over a week, uninterrupted sleep alone in my own bed with my blankie and my beary. Mmm yay

Well that was really long and I don't blame you if you didn't read it all. Haha Nathan, you thought you were special to get a mention in my blog? How about a novel, here ya go XD

Ban the tube top!

I just ordered these sexcellent new galoshes! I've spent way too much money today but I really do need new rainboots, it was a fabulous deal, and I mean, look at them:



Soooo.... I went to this Reel Big Fish concert with Gill and Cara foreverrr ago and I'm finally getting around to blogging about it. Life's been that way. No time, busy busy busy. But in a good way. More on that later. Anyhow, the concert was great. The venue was awkward in a new-agey-meets-parent-of-a-kindergartener's-fridge sort of way. There were these weird paintings that looked like my campers could've done them, with nonexistent words painted clumsily across the page. A big oval plaque up front over the stage bore the image of what I'd say was a hand, but with three fingers and a curly thumb on each side; it read, "All is one. Who do you love?" Perhaps supposed to be endearing, like our "Home is where your Mom is" sign, but really it only managed to be unsettling. The ladies' room was circular, which also made me uncomfortable, and the coloring/lighting did not help my phobia of public restrooms.

The openers were good enough, but you know how it is when you don't know any of the songs and you're waiting for the main act to take the stage. When they finally did, I let the circles sweep me away. Somehow I hardly got bruised at all in the melee. Although I did get knocked to the ground during "Beer" and while down there, managed to trip another three or four people before someone pushed the crowd back and helped us up. I love it when moshers are kind and helpful. Gill had a personal protector all night. He kept pulling her out of messes and saying things like, "you'll be safe now."

We had to leave before the encore because we thought we'd miss our train. But then we weren't sure where the station was and walked past it, at which point we encountered some random dudes who had a question for us. "Hey, hey, can I ask you an honest question?" one of them asked in this brilliant accent that made us all melt a little more than we wanted to admit. "Does it look like I am wearing eyeliner?" I was confused why he was talking to us and didn't manage to say anything, but finally Gill or Cara was like, "no, no - you just have, uh, really dark eyelashes." So I nodded and agreed. Then they asked us to go to the Roxy with them and we were like ummm no. Then it was double awkward because we realized we'd passed the station and had to turn around and walk by them again.

Then, on the train, we befriended this one kid who was also at the show, and he was a sweetheart and didn't hit on any of us, which was great of him, because as soon as he left, two more guys came up to us with another question. "Does he look drunk to you?" said the first guy, pointing to his friend. I didn't particularly think so or care, so I was like "no, not at all... tra la la la la" and went about my business. But then, after me Gill and Cara had a long and loud discussion about the Disney channel, they tried to get us to come for a ride in their limo (what? What is attractive/seductive about discussing the Disney channel?). We told them unless their limo had ice cream, we'd have to pass. Then we got in Cara's car and drove to Wendy's, where I got ice cream. The end!

Oh, but I did promise to explain why I've been so absent. Aside from work, my social life picked up and I've spent 80% of my waking hours (and a lot of my sleeping ones, too) at Gill's and Paul's houses. I've been swimming in Deluxebury countless times in the past two weeks (my poor gas tank, but well worth it anyway). Gill's friend from school, Nathan, who we befriended when he visited last summer, came for another visit and I basically moved in at Gill's for the week he was there. But not as much as Cara, who literally moved in. I have many a story about said visit, but it shall have to wait until my eyes no longer burn from staring at a computer screen and not sleeping in order to make this 30-second short I'm entering in a scholarship contest. I found out about it a week ago. Shot it this weekend. Captured yesterday. Rough cut done today. I mean business here; $5000 are on the line! I'm supposed to show how I'm saving money for college. It's allowed to be funny and creative. I hope that encompasses "fictional" because my concept is that I try to sell a few things we don't need and end up selling everything we own. So, final cut will hopefully be done tomorrow, which coincidentally is Paul's birthday!! Yay, happy birthday!!!

And now this post is officially over.

Episode Three: The rockets are burning

Once the house was spotless, I drove to Cara's, where we waited for Gill to get unstuck from traffic. Unfortunately this took over an hour since there was a parade float taking up all two lanes of the highway, which is the only sensible way for Gill to get from her house to Cara's unless she wants to drive an extra 15 miles or something. She finally arrived and we stuffed our faces yet again, then set out for Paul-yo's cliff by the sea. They dropped me off at Paul's, since I was going to his and Dave's bonfire, and they went to meet up with some other friends. I helped the guys haul wood palettes down to the beach for the fire, although we weren't sure we would be able to light them since the po-po were being very strict about no bonfires happening on the beach this year. Luckily we were at the end of the beach and would have plenty of warning if they decided to crash. And they did. Before we'd even dared to light our own bonfire, we saw them dousing someone else's a ways down. Some celebration of freedom. I couldn't help pointing out that our country was founded on rebellion and there's really no better day of the year to uphold that tradition than on Independence Day. However, I don't think the po-po would've liked that explanation.

The menfolk (a.k.a. 90% of the people there haha) amused themselves by shooting Roman candles at each other, in greater numbers and with less accuracy as the amount of alcohol in their systems went up and up and up. Me and fire don't really mix that well so I mostly observed from a semi-safe distance, poised to bolt if something stupid happened. Oh and it did. We had a few fireworks stick in the seaweed after they were lit and explode all over the ground, nearly smiting us all, not to mention the little whizzing sparklers that basically go where they please, especially if you can't throw (like me). One of them nearly owned my face but luckily I dodged it by falling on my bum. Gill and Cara kept calling to try and figure out where we were. It shouldn't have been that difficult since we were the last group on the entire beach and I kept telling them that, but it wasn't sinking in (thank the Jell-O shots).

At last they found us. Gill goes "Mandii. This, is our new friend GERRY!" Gerry was kind enough to walk them most of the way down the beach because he didn't want them to die/get raped/wander into the ocean unawares in their drunken state. Cara announced that she and Gerry were getting married. By Gill. Aww, cute...? We didn't stick around long after that. Cara was going to pee her pants so I took her and Gill to Paul's to use the bathroom, where she peed for two minutes straight (and I have no problem announcing that on my blog, as she came down the stairs and announced it to Daddy Paul when she was done.) As soon as we got back to the beach we ended up deciding to leave for good and had to walk up that awful hill again. Honest to God if I walked up that hill once a day for a month I would be 100% in shape. That's all it would take. Anyway. Then I talked Paul into driving Gill and Cara back to their friend's house, except I didn't really know where it was and they didn't remember either so we basically drove the entire length of the peninsula and back before finding the place. And then they were too lazy to find their friend so they ended up sleeping in the car! When I'd offered them their own room with a bed in it at Paul's house!

They woke up early and were waiting outside the house when Paul and I woke up. I went with them, he went to work. We stopped for breakfast and then lounged uselessly in Cara's bed watching Family Guy and listening to music until noon, when I left to go home and see my family. At which point I announced that two people would be staying in our house that night - Sarah and her friend Ashley were spending Sarah's last night in MA chez moi before embarking on the cross-country road trip Sares and I were supposed to take last summer. I'd known about it sooner than that day, I just hadn't brought it to anyone else's attention. They were gone, you know? They ditched me. No one was there to tell.

Sarah and Ashley got here around 5 and we had dinner and dessert. Then we went to the grocery store for them to get provisions, which took forever because they're both apparently very indecisive. After that we walked a bit on the beach (Ashley has pictures on her camera, but I won't have them until those two make it back to Phoenix in a couple of weeks) and then went to watch fireworks at the neighboring town's harbor. I was glad I'd get to see a real show, and glad that I would not have to fear for my life since Paul and Dave weren't in charge of the fuses. We met up with Robby and Robin in town and we all found a spot on a narrow strip of beach, which only got narrower as the night went on until there wasn't any more beach to sit on and we had to climb the rocks or swim. After the show, to avoid the traffic, we went to the Derby playground to kill time and Robin took a bunch of sweet long exposure shots of us running around with cell phones. Twas a lovely evening in every way imaginable!