| Wednesday July 10, 2002 -- 5:45pm My head hurts. Today was challenging. Fortunately I started out in a good mood and was fairly determined to keep it that way regardless. All the same, if it wouldn't just serve to make everything more difficult, I think I would call in sick tomorrow. I am going to make macaroni and cheese now. -- 7:00am It might comfort some people to know that sometimes I do really stupid things. Like last night, I finished the last of the orange juice and decided I'd make more (from concentrate; we're poor). I opened the canister and set it upside down in the pitcher to let it melt a little. Then I completely forgot about it until 6:45 this morning. Hehehe. Luckily, Dee saw it when she got home last night and completed the process. I am wearing black pants today. As soon as I put them on, Bennett hurled himself at my legs and proceeded to cover me in cat hair. Next time I want a cat, will someone please remind me about hairless cats, or goldfish. Monday July 8, 2002 -- 7:20pm Oh yeah! A big old gold star for Deana Rae! I made it to kung-fu and I got to punch men. Hehehe. I really need to hurl something - like a live racoon - at the neighbors who set off their car alarm every time they get in their stupid little Volkswagon convertible. Maybe I will leave an anonymous note on the windshield that suggests turning the alarm off before getting into the car. God. I wonder, Is it safe for these people to be operating a motor vehicle? Ha, I forgot to mention that I had to evacuate all the kiddies from the building twice during camp this morning because the construction of the new exhibit set off our fire alarms. The kids didn't seem to mind and were actually pretty psyched to see real firemen and a fire truck up close and personal. Then we just got a good game of Duck, Duck, Goose going and all was well. Kids can be so wonderfully flexible. I had them milking a fake cow and making butter. It was super cute. I wish I had thought to bring my camera. -- 4:00pm Ok. So here it is, Monday again. Kung-fu night. The big question on everybody's mind is, "Will she make it?" I'm in my kung-fu pants (which are covered in cat hair) and I know the address of the place. Now, if my brain will cooperate, I think I'll actually make it. Wish me luck. Camp started today, in museum-land. It wasn't too bad. The kids were pretty tame. But that's Day One. Tomorrow they will start testing the limits. But that's ok because I am handing the camp over to an educator tomorrow. I hope to be completely camp-free by Wednesday. This will be helpful as I am supposed to run Wednesday's staff meeting and conduct an interview for a new educator, both during camp. Between camp and interviews and visits from DFY supervisor people, I got about 1/2 a thing done today. It's good when I have things after work that obligate me to leave on time. Kung-fu today. Therapy (for the first time in three weeks) tomorrow. Thank GOD. Sunday July 7, 2002 -- 7:20pm Oh, I ate all of the frozen strawberries. Bad Deana! Bad! But I am craving fruit like a mad woman. In fact, I am going to make myself a fruity-soy-shakey thing, and that requires getting off my butt and putting some effort into it, so you know it's bad. This has been a very stupid day and I'm glad it's almost over. All in all, though, I did fairly well for having two days off in a row. Please do not point out that I spent roughly 5 hours of said 2 days off doing stuff for work. That would only serve to annoy me. -- 12:40pm Blah. Have I ever mentioned that I hate Sundays? I went to the museum because I had to get ready for the first day of camp tomorrow. I hate camp. Of all the annoying things that go on at the museum, camp is the worst. Furthermore, I am way too busy to spend 3+ hours of my day herding around hyperactive children. Wah! Wah! Wah! Anyway, normally the museum makes me happy, but today it made me pissy. I had to speak to one of my kids about his attitude, which I have been receiving complaints about. That was amusing. He had a look on his face like he knew a little secret about me. My old ex-friend, Paul Leary, came to mind. Innocent face, evil mind. But the kid's only 15. Then a co-worker, whom I love when she's not talking shop with me, poured out unsolicited sympathy for how busy I am. Ok. Good. But then she proceeded to ask me all sorts of questions about what she should do today and so on. I don't know! You've worked here for about 20 years longer than I have! You figure it out! I might be a bad person, but I think I am allowed to feel a little overwhelmed now and then. I think I hate Sundays because there isn't even a chance that something interesting will come in the mail. I am spending way too much time in front of this computer. I need someone to force some limits on me. I'm becoming a cyber-junkie. It's not doing anything to counteract my anti-social tendencies. 9:30am I got up early today. Not early enough to risk venturing to The Daily Grind for a Sunday Morning Mocha, but early enough to waste a great deal of time sitting in front of the computer drinking home-made coffee and still have plenty of time to do the things I need to do today. I was woken up, not suprisingly, at 3:30am by the revelrers returning from the bar. I swear, they are like clock work. 3:30am, every Sunday. I guess, if I cared more, I would call the police and report the disturbance of the peace. But I don't really care that much, nor can I be bothered to do anything requiring that much effort at 3:30 in the morning. I watched "The Goonies" last night. It's a good movie. I started to cry at some completely inappropriate point in the middle of it though. Can't quite explain that one. Saturday July 6, 2002 -- 6:40pm Every time I try to watch a movie in my living room, someone comes around to mow our lawn. It's amazing. Another sign that I am getting old: While I was making the list of Signs That I Am Getting Old, I forgot that I had pasta cooking on the stove and basically turned it to mush. -- 2:45pm There was some seriously poor judgement being exercised around here last night. Ugh. Friday July 5, 2002 -- 5:40pm I got to see one of my baby friends today. Natalie is just the most adorable child in existence. Well, actually, she's running neck in neck with Kai. Sigh. I wish I could see Kai as often as I see Natalie. I hope he knows how much he is loved in the East. Kat's coming over with gin and a movie. I am feeling uncharacteristically non-pathetic. Thursday July 4, 2002 -- 11:00pm Nothing like a holiday that encourages the use of small explosives by the frequently idiotic and drunken masses. I'm back in Albany. I timed it just right. If I'd left 10 minutes earlier (or driven the speed limit for a few minutes) I would not have had a chance of finding a parking space. I always forget what prime territory we are in for the suburban hordes who come in for a visit twice a year. -- 1:45pm By 11:00 this morning, the fireworks had been cancelled. Something about humidity and bad weather coming through. Connecticut has no sense of adventure. Next time anyone asks me why I don't like it here I am citing this incident. I'm mildly concerned about storms, given that I am sleeping in the trailer. Maybe I'll relocate to the van tonight. It's kind of fun to have a crowd here. My parents haven't had a party since I was a kid. I just wish there was someone else here under the age of 50. I'd settle for my brother even, if he was in a good mood. Wednesday July 3, 2002 -- 9:30pm The efforts of my "self-destructive unconscious" (as my therapist called it) have become increasingly clever over the past few days. I thought the whole vanishing kung-fu thing was pretty ingenius, but the dreams are really much more effective at ruining my good mood. I have these dreams - depressing, or gory, or just disturbing - shortly before I wake up in the morning. So I wake up feeling whatever I was feeling in the dream. Being half asleep, it takes a long time and a lot of effort for me to realize that these were dreams and that I'm actually pretty happy lately. Evil, evil brain! I really love my job. I even enjoy the director for the unintentional comic entertainment he provides, and for giving us all someone to rally against. Also, I think I was a criminal genius in a past life, and the residue is still with me, because I very much enjoy getting evil people to trust me so I can sabotage their plans from within. A little prediction: The museum banners we have had for 2 years will be mounted within the next 90 days. I could be wrong, but we'll see. Tuesday July 2, 2002 -- 6:45pm This afternoon I attended a meeting with 6 tolerably sane people and one crazed maniac. This guy wants to install an exhibit about - I don't even know. No one could actually understand what he was talking about. Fiber optics or something. All of us tried to explain to him the cognitive developmental stage of the average 7 year old, but he insisted that even pre-literate children could understand nanotechnology (whatever that is). He was extremely excited. I was in fear of my life, given that I was sitting next to him. For once, I have to give the director a little credit. When Crazy Maniac Man declared that the children "don't have to do anything! They can just look!" el jefe said something to the effect of , "Uh...yeah, they do have to do something. That's how children learn and that's why we're called a hands-on museum," although he used much more kiss-ass terms. I'm glad he did because I was going to say it differently. In other news, I hate this week. My brain is hell-bent on sabotaging my pleasant state of being, and new surly kids started at the museum yesterday. I hate the first two weeks of new-kidness. They all seem miserable and look at me as though I had eye stalks sprouting from my head whenever I speak to them. Today was the first minor break through: They started speaking to each other. On the bright side, we got our latest free movie passes today. The Crocodile Hunter. Woo-hoo. There was also Crocodile Hunter sunscreen (clever) and Crocodile Hunter coloring pictures with velvet on them! It all made Joe giggle a lot and his giggling lifted my spirits considerably. Monday July 1, 2002 My brain is amazingly insidious! I am truly impressed. I intended to start kung fu tonight. I wanted to start - I finally felt ready. Something happened. At some point I realized I had driven too far and must have missed it. So I turned around, at about 5:00 - which is the starting time of the class. Since I was pretty surprised at having driven past it, I paid extra careful attention driving back, so I wouldn't miss it again. I didn't find it!!! I gave up at 5:15. No sense in arriving late to a one hour class. I am still baffled. And fairly aggravated as well. Sunday June 30, 2002 -- 8:00am Sunday. I don't much care for the day. There is something inherently boring about it. Anyway, I'm off to work. I'll be stuck at the front desk all day, trying to avoid slipping into a coma from boredom. Yesterday was fun though. I just went in for a few hours for the garden opening. There was a giant bee waving at cars, and there were cookies. In fact, I'll bet there were some left over! NOW I'm excited about going to work! |
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