Stuff

Just some random things to share. In no particular order.

There are pros and cons of sharing a bathroom with a roommate.

The pros are:

You're not the only one responsible for cleaning.
If you run out of shampoo (conditioner, etc) in the middle of a shower, you can usually use your roommate's shampoo (etc) without a problem.
You will be reminded when it is time to feed the cat or water the cat or when you accidently dropped soap in the shower and didn't clean it up.

The cons are:

You will be reminded when it is time to feed the cat or water the cat or when you accidently dropped soap in the shower and didn't clean it up (in Keem's defense, the shower gel I use is made from olive oil and is green and kind of gross looking).
There are sometimes what I will tactfully refer to as scheduling problems. Fortunately, Jeff has his own bathroom and it can usually be used in a pinch.
Waking up to hearing the most disgusting sounds emanating from the bathroom. These sounds would be "Gak. Blech. Retch. Gag. Splat."

Yes. Keem is sick. We're not sure what the problem is but it has resulted in vomiting. This may have an effect on our plans for the evening but hopefully not. We are supposed to go to a going away party for a woman from NABABNA. Which, honestly, we don't really care about, the real reason for going is for the chance to see Beth. Beth, we will update you as soon as possible if we're not able to go tonight.

Okay, I know I said stuff but it is hellaciously busy today again. Which is just wrong since it is Friday, dang it! Maybe there will be more on my break.

I willingly spent the day with children. Many, many children. Apparently, I am on crack.

Keem and I volunteered for the Junior Achievement program that NABABNA helps sponsor. Well, actually, Keem volunteered. I was dragooned into it by Keem (I like the word dragooned. It is fun). What we did was spend a day assisting in Exchange City, a place in North Saint Paul that was set up to help children get a grasp on working in the business world.

Suprisingly enough, it was fun. Usually the program is for students in 4-6th grade but we were actually working with English as a Second Language students that were between the age of 15 to 21 years old. Most of them were Hispanic but there were also a lot of Arabic teenagers as well.

As a volunteer, my job was to watch them run their "business (ours was a retail shop called the International Shop)." There was an owner, a production designer, accountants and sales associates. They worked together to make products in the hopes of paying off their bank loans. One of my responsibilities was to help them with their checkbooks (they got paid in Exchange City money so that they could buy snacks and products from other stores). Keem got a good laugh out of this, as you can imagine. I am rather math challenged.

I also had a bunch of them sort of disappear. All of my accountants vanished, the owner ended up having to leave at 12, one girl told me she was an accountant when she was really a sales associate and we needed to have one of the teachers come in and straighten the mess out, there was a teacher that was working in the same room that was really irritating me because he didn't pay attention to anything that was going on and started telling people to do one thing when they were supposed to do another and oh, yeah, no one got their first paycheck so they couldn't go on their first break until almost a half hour later. It was a very interesting day.

As you may or may not know, babies terrify me. Toddlers wear me out (well, Josh is really the only toddler I spend any time with but he is very energetic) and small children puzzle me (small children are between the age of three to thirteen). But, oddly enough, I enjoy teenagers. So, being in a small room with over eight teenagers was absolutely no problem for me. I had a good time.

There was one girl, Rachel, who was in 11th grade. She was Hispanic, smart, funny in a subtle way, patient (I'll explain that in a moment) and had a great work ethic. She quickly decided what she was going to make for a product and started making god's eyes.



We started talking about how I remember making these years ago and how much fun it had been. Without batting an eye, she asked me why didn't I just start making one? She got me set up with the craft sticks (remember when you had to eat a ton of popsicles to get the sticks to make these?) and the yarn and explained over and over how to do this.

It's a simple thing, really, to make a god's eye. You just wind the yarn around the sticks multiple time. There were directions. But for some reason, I would wind the yarn and then completely lose my place. I would try to figure it out and end up making a bigger mess out of it.



At one point, I turned to Rachel and in desperation said "How do I do this again?" She smiled and patiently explained it. When I expressed frustration over how pathetic it was that I couldn't figure this out and maybe I should just give up, she said something that made me realize that this girl, who is maybe 16 or 17, is wiser than me in some ways.

"If you just give up, then you'll never know if you could do it."

When our owner had to leave, I asked Rachel if she would take over. She did so, stepping up to the plate. When other people were wandering off and laughing with their friends, she stayed where she was, continuing to work on products. Out of the six hour day, I think she maybe took a ten minute break. So when the mayor of Exchange City came around and asked me who I thought should be recognized for employee of the day, I had no problem writing Rachel's name down.

When the end of the day came, she flashed me a sweet smile and then was gone.

I have, since I was about 25, known that I do not want to have a baby. I am not good with small children. I don't know what to do when they cry. I can't handle vomit very well. I can and have changed a diaper before but it is not one of my favorite pasttimes. I have heard all of the arguments about how it is different when it is your own child but you know, I don't really think my viewpoint is going to change on that. If that was the truth, I wouldn't be trying desperately not to gag every time the cat heaves up his dinner (damn cat. I swear he is bulemic) because he is my own.

To me, kids really don't get start getting interesting until they are about six.* I think this has something to do with the fact that I can understand them. I do not speak toddler. I have been known to have a conversation with a three year old by asking his six year old sister to interpret. That's an experience, let me tell you.

*Josh excluded, of course. The kid is obviously a genius and is so a cross between Kari and Eric that it cracks me up. Plus, I see some of myself in him.

The weird thing is, I enjoy reading what a lot of people refer to as mommy blogs. I am fascinated in the stories that Diana and Teri tell about their children. I have seen pictures of Diana's children and had to go shopping in a crowded store with screaming, crying children to get the biological clock to stop its damn ticking ALREADY. This, fortunately, has kept me from asking random strangers to impregnate me. Because that would be bad.

Anyway, my point to all of this is, on and off again, I think of adopting a teenager. After meeting Rachel, I'm back to thinking about it again. I know I'm not ready to be a parent, I'm not financially or emotionally secure enough but maybe in a few years?

Yeah, I can't really think of anything else that is going on.

Except, of course, that there was karaoke last night and I got to see Beth and Steve and meet Sarah who is just as funny and cool as Beth said she was. Liz, Matt and James were there. I got to go through James and Matt's wallets. I do not know why I find men's wallets so fascinating but I do. James has a four leaf clover in his. Is he not the coolest guy ever? And I thought it was cute that Matt's wallet was a Punisher wallet. What is it about comic book geeks that is so endearing?

It was seriously busy at the Chalet last night, probably the busiest I've ever seen it. I hate it when it gets crowded and there aren't any tables open. We ended up sitting at the bar which is kind of annoying, I have found it works better to be facing people I am having a conversation with because, even if I can't hear them, I can see their lips moving and realize that they are talking to me. Doesn't help me figure out what they're saying at all but at least I can sometimes figure out what they mean by body language and facial expressions.

Oh and I told Ryan he was man pretty. I am so brilliant sometimes. But dammit, the man is hot and makes my brain melt sometimes. He mainly just laughs at me. It's kind of fun.

Anyway, must go to bed. I have an appointment early tomorrow morning. See you all!