Attica! Attica!

Ok, so on Monday this week, we get an e-mail from our younger daughter's teacher. Seems that she was asked to sit out of Suzuki lessons because she was being "disruptive." She also was not listening to her teacher very well in regular classes. Needless to say, this didn't go over very well with Gene and I. We kind of pride ourselves in at least attempting to civilize our kids. So Katie did not have a pleasant evening on Monday, spending most of it in her room. I talked to her about how important it was to behave and listen, blah, blah, blah. Then I threatened not to take her to grandma's house that week (horrors! no spoiling!). So on Tuesday, we get a note saying she had a much better day. Problem solved, right? Not exactly. Today, we get a note telling us she had another good day. Um, over report much? I'm wondering if I should invest in orange jumpsuits and teach her how to whittle soap into the shape of a gun. Sheesh.

Bitchy Moods

What do you do when you're in a bitchy mood and you know that you're probably not being reasonable but seem to have no control over your reactions? Yeah, I'm in one of THOSE moods today, where all I want is for people to leave me the hell alone. You might wonder how it differs from any other day (smart ass), but believe it or not, I'm usually pretty nice to people. Except for today. And maybe yesterday. OK, maybe I had a few moments the day before that too, but that's it. Honest.

But now, every time someone asks me to do something, it feels like a major imposition, like why the hell can't you do it yourself? Why do I need to get involved? Like I said, major leave-me-alone mood. Of course, it's days like this when I realize I really gotta find a way to win the lottery.

Oh, and to add insult to injury, freakin' Buy.com STILL hasn't shipped my Supernatural DVDs. Oh, they charged me for them on October 9th, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of them since. Not buying from them again.

On Being a Utility Infielder

Been thinking some more about the job thing. The only thing that really stinks in how firmly I'm entrenched as a utility infielder. I can do a number of things well - and (at the risk of being immodest), generally do. But there's no one thing that I can say I do better than anyone else. I used to be top of the line accounting type, but it's been so long since I've done that, I don't think anyone sees me in that vein anymore. I do all right in a number of other positions I've filled since then. In fact, I tend to shuffle from job to job, filling in where they need a warm body. If things go particularly well, I'm bound to be shuffled somewhere else so they can get an "expert" in the position. Just like in baseball, every team wants a utility infielder, is glad to have them, but no one is interested in paying big bucks or (G-d forbid) respect to the position. On the bright side, I'm probably about as secure as you can get - moderately competent and cheap. On the downside? Well, let's just say no kid grows up wanting to be Jose Hernandez (betcha don't even know who he is, right?).

Jobs and Hobbies

Well, looks like I probably won't be getting the job I mentioned below. Strangely enough, I can't say I'm upset about it. More to the point, I think I'm relieved. I guess I dislike change more than I realize. Now my only fear is that the guy they want to give the job to turns it down because if that happens? Turmoil city again.

This weekend we had three soccer games. Despite what my younger daughter believes, the girls were on the winning side for all three games. It's really interesting to watch their approach to the games. My older girl plays soccer more for the social aspects. She was on the sidelines goofing with her friends when the game ended. I didn't see, but based on what I heard, I wouldn't be surprised if she was surprised to find out they won the game. She tends to kind of sit back even when she's in the game, taking the ball only when there is absolutely no one else on her team around in a panicked sort of way, looking to kick it away as soon as possible. But she says she likes soccer, so go figure.

The younger girl is actually pretty good. If she would work on her kick, she could be really good. She's much more aggressive and not afraid to get in anyone's face (should I be proud or concerned). Defense is her forte. It's kind of interesting, there's another girl on the team that complements her very well (an offense powerhouse - well, as least as much as you get with a 5 yr old). They played together on the same line only once - they actually started plotting about getting the ball to each other. They were so dominant that the coach won't put them on the same line again (it's really kind of sweet - she also helps coach the other team when they are on her side of the field and the girls can't hear their coach. She just doesn't want to embarrass the other team.) When my daughter's off the field, she follows the game closely, cheering on her teammates. This is the same girl who can't be bothered to remember a thing you tell her five seconds after you tell her. Here's hoping she sticks with the soccer so I'll have something to motivate (threaten?) her later on in re to her schoolwork.

Should I Be Concerned?

This weekend, we took the kids to the Apple Harvest festival. Ideally, we were going to pick apples ourselves. The whipping wind and 40 to 50 degree temperatures dictated otherwise - particularly given that our girls were wearing short sleeve shirts and didn't have jackets (so sue me, I'm a bad mom). Instead we got the stuff-it-to-the-brim $15 bag of apples, where you get as many apples as you can fit into your bag for $15. Which basically means we should be running out of apples sometime next May. And hopefully, hubby's back will recover by then too (just kidding on that part - though the sucker were heavy). We were actually kind of calm in our apple grab compared to some of the others - If it takes two people to carry your apples, one on each handle of the bag because 1) it's too heavy and 2) you can't close the bag, perhaps you've overdone it just a tad.

Anyway, Sunday was grocery shopping and the should I be concerned part of the weekend. A local radio station was supporting some sort of literacy thing at the store and were giving away CDs. We won one, and given that I know little to nothing about popular music, I let my 5 year old pick out the CD. The choices were Nick Lachey, Nickelback (I think), and the American Idol guy with grey hair. Of course, our daughter picked out the American Idol guy, which was slightly embarrassing, but the real kicker? She picked it out because she thought he looked like Dr. Who. *ahem* I think I may have done her irreparable geek harm.

Dialing the Prayer line - Press 1 to sacrifice a goat ...

At work, we used to have a job opportunity line that was not-so-affectionately known as the Prayer Line. It was a bit like playing the old game press-your-luck because you were just as likely to hit a whammy (sucky job) as you were to get something good. Most of the really good jobs were already decided before they even went out on the prayer line. Anyway, this being a new century, we've replaced it with an online version. Given how quickly some jobs disappear, I suspect that the old rules have just been automated, but anyway, I decided to try for one of the positions. It's not that I think I would love the job, it's just that it meets my two major criteria - more money, less stress.

Of course, the last time I tried something like this, I ended up with the worst job of my life. It was the kind of job where by 10:00 in the morning I was done with everything I had to do that day. Sure, the money was good, but I ended up actually begging to get back to my old job. Ultimately, you could say things worked out (I got out after 3 months and still got to keep the money), but it was kind of miserable for me. So needless to say, I'm a bit hesitant. Oh well, there's no saying I'll get the interview anyway. And even if I do, it doesn't mean they offer the job. And even if they do, I don't have to accept, right? Right? Oy, I think I'm approaching this with the wrong attitude.

Down, Doobie do, Down, Down

Haven't posted much recently, mainly because I've been fighting myself. Been kind of depressed lately, and I try not to do anything when I'm depressed. Why share the "joy"? No real reason for being down, just kind of tired and feeling blah. Read a friend's blog about her job and how she really wanted to start doing something else for a living. That's great, but there really isn't anything else I want to do for a living. I can't think of one job that I would want to do for the rest of my life (or even the next 10 years) - let alone one that could allow me to afford the glamorous lifestyle to which I've become accustomed (that's a joke, folks). But seriously, even taking out the money angle, I don't really know what I want to do with my life. I know I want to be good at whatever I do, but that seems less and less likely. I mean, I'm more of an adequate kind of person. There's nothing I can think of that I do particularly well. A bunch of stuff that I'm ok at, but nothing that I excel at. So, whatterya gonna do? Anyone? *shrug* I can't even think of something I would be good at if I devoted myself to it. Eh, I just need to get things organized a bit more and I'll snap out this. I always do. It just takes a little time.