Another Update about the Dresser

A guy was supposed to come get the dresser at 10:00 am on Sunday.  He messaged me at 11 and said he woke up late and was about to be on the way AND asked if it would fit in a small sedan.  I told him he could come with a bigger car at 7:00 pm.  He messaged me at 9 pm and said his dad was in the hospital and could his girlfriend come get it early Monday morning.  I told him if he paid me immediately, I would put it outside our front door and she could come get it whenever she wanted, but warned him that it's too big for one person to carry alone AND that it needs to go down a flight of stairs.  He paid.  I put it out and... miraculously, it was gone by the time I got home yesterday.  Moral of the story: have people pay up front so they actually come get the things.

Avondale Evening

We went out with friends to try Heaps New Zealand pies (delicious) and then to play arcade games at My Parents'Basement. A very fun evening!

Dresser vs Small Car

A guy came to pick up a dresser we're selling.  I included the dimensions of the dresser in the post, but dude still rolled up in a little 2 door car. I told him I don't think it would fit. He insisted it would. We carried it down the stairs and tried shoving it into the trunk and passenger seat of his car for 10 minutes before he admitted defeat and we carried it back up the stairs. I was so annoyed. 

Rainbow shawl

Over the summer I was gifted a skein of yarn. I finally finished the shawl that I decided to make with it. It's far from perfect but I've already unraveled and re-crocheted it so many times, I'm happy enough with it. 

Hispanic Heritage Lunch

Today for Hispanic Heritage Month, we had a super delicious school lunch- the yucca fritters stuffed with cheese were the best!

Old Books

I've put some very old, outdated, and torn up paperback books in the school recycling twice... and twice they've made it back to me.  I can't give them away or even recycle them.  I guess today I'll have to put them in a big black trash bag and throw them away.  Ugh.

F--- Flat Tires

I got a flat tire last week. Thankfully I was near a bike shop and it was a quick fix. Korra got a flat yesterday and today I got another flat. This is ridiculous. 

Student Quotes of the Day

"That activity was actually fun." -4th grader

"What is that on your face? I don't think that IS a mole. It doesn't look right." -kindergartener

"it's giving college dorm" -5th grader while looking at Van Gogh's bedroom painting

And... we had TWO kindergarteners have bathroom accidents in the library in the past week- #1 AND #2

On Our Balcony

Our balcony was an interesting place this morning. I decided to hang our laundry on a line on the balcony- in part because it's such a bucolic task that makes me feel peaceful and happy and in part as a big middle finger to the HOA, who doesn't allow things like clotheslines. While I was out there, I heard a cat meowing. It didn't sound at all like Alex, but Nate came out to investment and there was our indoor cat on our downstairs neighbors' balcony. After 3 years he finally jumped or fell down. I went downstairs but he wouldn't come to me. Nate had to push through the wet grass and scratchy bushes to grab him. While he was scared, I feel no doubt he'll do it again. 

Stupid Shaky Knees

Last night, Nate and I had planned a date to the botanical gardens and the restaurant they have there. Unfortunately, we forgot about the huge music festival that's taking place this weekend in Piedmont Park- the same park that the botanical gardens is in. Even though there are different entrances and parking, the area around it (really ALL around our part of the city) was completely impassable. We were super bummed but consoled ourselves with Trader Joe's treats and a long walk. We'll try again another weekend. 

Lion Women of Tehran

I just finished the book Lion Women of Tehran- which follows 2 Iranian women in the 1960s to 1980s.  It was a really good book, but upsetting in large part because of the similarities between Iran and the US.  Iran in the 1970s was considered progressive and stable, but by the end of the decade, there was a revolution where religious extremists took over the government- a regime they are still under today.  Censorship of the media, punishment of journalists, arresting students, controlling what schools (particularly universities) teach and generally making people afraid to criticize the government, rolling back women's rights in the name of the "founding values" of the country, spreading misinformation in order to cause confusion.  Sound familiar?  It's terrifying.  

Cleaning with Korra

When she's in the mood, my kid enjoys cleaning out and organizing as much as I do. She was in the mood tonight so we cleaned out under her bed (I went through all my old report cards and student of the month certificates!) and her closet. She has a bunch of toys she's outgrown and is ready to let go of and now we're running the robovacuum under her bed to get all the cat fur tumbleweeds. 

Genius

Korra got her scores from the nationally normed test they take twice a year. She scored in the 99th percentile in math and science and the 97th percentile in reading. 

Korra's Smile

Korra (like her father) has a very forced smile in most photos, so when I finally get a picture of her real smile, I've got to share it. 

Escape Room

For her 13th birthday party, we took 5 of Korra's friends to an escape room. They had a great time and escaped with less than 5 seconds left!

Bad Mood

 I've been feeling really angry this week. Part of it is just the state of the world right now. Part of it is hormonal. Both are valid reasons to have bigger than usual feelings. After telling a coworker how I just couldn't shake this bad mood she invited me to a perimenopause affinity text group. While it doesn't fix things, it sure is nice to have a bunch of people say, "I get it."

20 Years Ago

20 years ago, September 11th was on a Sunday.  I know 2001 is the day most people have seared into their memories (and I do, too) but 9/11/2005 was a life-changing day for me.  I was at a church where I had just started working as a youth director as part of a scholarship for my senior year of college.  During the church service, the pastor asked everyone to stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance.  I stayed in my seat, with my head bowed, to pray for all the people who were grieving.  It wasn't meant to be rebellious.  I wasn't taking a stand.  I just genuinely felt moved to pray.  Little did I know that everyone around me noticed.  That night, the church had a meeting about me without my knowledge (very un-Methodist of them).  The pastor called me that night.  While I'm pretty sure she did ask me why I didn't say the Pledge, I don't think she really cared about my answer.  They were angry at my perceived disrespect and told me not to come back.  I contacted my scholarship advisor and he tried to mediate, but they wouldn't back down from their position that I was unfit to teach the children in their congregation.  The advisor informed me that a scholarship is a contract and since I hadn't broken any part of the contract I needed to keep going to the church twice a week if I wanted to keep the money.  The church didn't want me there but didn't want to be the one that broke the contract either, so every Sunday and Wednesday from September until December I went to that church where no one talked to me and where I was forbidden to speak to the children.  They didn't want me to spread my liberal, America-hating propaganda.  There was no opportunity to explain myself, no kindness or empathy.  I cried in my car on the way there and on the way home every time.  That church and experience did more to make me liberal (and question the church and America) than anything else I've ever experienced.  Their callousness made me into what they already believed and feared me to be.  In December, the church decided they would rather pay me the rest of my scholarship and never have to see me again.  I haven't said the Pledge in 20 years and never will again.

4:30 am

Overall I've made peace with waking up super early but some mornings, I feel so frustrated that I'm awake at 4:30 am. 

HOA and Bike Update

The HOA management continues to be petty and unhelpful.  After more back and forth, I asked to speak directly to the HOA board.  She said they can only be contacted via the homeowner portal, which she knows we don't have access to because we're renters.  I know this isn't a huge, serious issue, but my indignation and rage are irrationally strong about this.

Both cats

For over 2 years, Mrs Reynolds has been in our bedroom and Alex has had the rest of the house. He was exhausting her by chasing her every time she moved and trying to eat her food. This evening, he snuck into our room while the door wasn't properly closed and we discovered them both laying on the bed 30 minutes later. 

Hammock Weather

Enjoying reading in the hammock. One of my absolute favorite ways to spend an afternoon. 

First 6 Weeks DONE!

I've made it through the first six weeks of school which is really fantastic because starting on Monday, instead of teaching 5 classes a day, I'll only teach 2-3. That means I'll have time to process the new books that are piled up all over my office, I can prep for Reading Bowl, repair books, organize the shelves… I love seeing all the kids for the first few weeks of school but I am so ready for this next season in the library. 

FB Marketplace

This week I've sold $168 worth of stuff on Facebook after cleaning out our outdoor storage closet. Now I'm eyeing everything in the house. Do we really need that?

Pain and Swelling

Korra woke up in pain and with a good amount of swelling on her cheek, so we let her stay home again today. She's doing ok as long as we keep up with the pain medicine, but I'm hoping she'll be able to go to school tomorrow. 

Prescription woes

Adding more frustration to my day… I called Publix to check Korra's post-op prescriptions would be ready by 1:00. They said yes. I arrived at 1:00 for the pharmacy to tell me that they don't carry either of her prescriptions. I called the oral surgeon to ask if they could check if Walgreens actually had it. They said no. I called Walgreens to ask if they'd please call me if they don't have them.  I don't even know what the medications are so I can't call around and check. Two hours later I called Walgreens again and they said they hadn't received any prescriptions for Korra. I called the surgeon's office. They told me they'd check on it and call me back. I waited 45 minutes and then called them again. FINALLY, the doctor called Walgreens directly to both give the prescription AND check they have it in stock.  Now we just need to keep our fingers crossed they fill it before they close at 9 PM...

Thankfully, Korra's been ok with just Tylenol and Advil.  I'd really like to have the pain meds for tonight (just in case) and we should definitely start those antibiotics ASAP.  

HOA and the bike

HOA sent out an email yesterday that no one can leave anything in "public space" such as stairwells or outside front doors.  This includes Korra's bike, which is locked up under the stairs at the bottom floor of our unit.  I've emailed the HOA board multiple times about providing a safe, protected place for people to lock up bikes for MONTHS and have gotten lots of "we'll look into it" responses.  I emailed back that I'll move her bike when they give me some suggestions as to where we can put it.  They responded today with basically "not our problem."  I'm LIVID.  She uses her bike to get to school every day.  She can't carry it up the stairs.  The bike rack the condo has is right by the gate where a) bikes get stolen ALL THE TIME and b) totally unprotected from the elements.  Her bike isn't blocking anyone.  It's not in the fire escape.  I've even checked with all our neighbors about locking it there.  They're threatening fines.  I'm so mad.

Irritable, but Good

Korra's out of surgery and home.  The first thing she said was "I saw colors."  Then she tried to get out of the chair and complained, "this is boring."  She continued to be irritable about having to ride in the wheelchair back to the car.  The surgeon gave us the tooth.  The roots are HUGE and he had to cut it in half because they were wrapped around the adult tooth underneath.  She'll stay home from school today (she's already happily eating Jello and playing a new Pokemon game) and then is cleared to go back to school tomorrow.  Going to pick up antibiotics and pain meds when I pick Nate up from work in a bit.

Oral Surgery

Korra is having her last baby tooth surgically extracted. Her orthodontist said it need to come out. I got a second opinion from our dentist who agreed. I've taken off school so I can be with her all day.  They let me stay with her until they started but now I'm in the waiting room. 

Even with 3 expert medical opinions, our dental insurance only wants to cover the actual extraction ($120) and not any of the anesthesia ($690). So in addition to worrying about my kid, I'm fighting with the insurance company. 

Birthday Girl

 I can't believe she's 13