2
Jul
I have writers block, again. NaBloPoMo suggests I write 30 posts on routine. I’m bored already. In fact I yawned so much, I think I locked my jaw. I wrote about routine already! Look down there at the delightfully interesting subject of supermarkets. It’s been a full week and I have been prompted to write. I’m looking at you Dee! I have nothing! I am having a moment of complete drain bamage! Not even my music is inspiring me, and considering how great it is, it really should be. These guys rock. You should all go out and find their CD’s. Look them up on youtube. I shared Start Wearing Purple with you, go watch it! It was fashioned entirely out of awesome – oh, you’ll find them at the end of the post.
Okay fine. Here’s some routine. Or rather, this is what went down today. You’re riveted already aren’t you? I’m yawning again, hang on just a minute…
I went to dance this morning. I was late. I ran around the house in a flap trying to pull my costume together, trying to remember my water bottle, trying to find my shoes, wishing that I wasn’t still recovering from a migraine and feeling pretty dubious about the wellbeing of my stomach. I made it only 5 minutes late, which is a record for me. And proceeded to be extremely dazzling. No, it’s true. Aside from the fact that I am terrified, internet..absolutely terrified I’m going to shimmy out of my bra, I was delicious. One of the girls videoed us and we watched it at the end of class. I shook out my hair, put on my bra with only a few tears at the freezingness of walking around half naked, and I danced, beautifully. I really did. I was quite inspired by myself. If I dance like that on the night, I’ll be very pleased. Of course, I need to remember to suck in my tummy. And the shoulder shimmies – which I am totally being modest and making much smaller than they’re supposed to be, make my boobs move much, much too enthusiastically, which I am sure will offend parents of young children and have the male part of the audience completely unsure where to look, and yet, uncomfortably mesmorised to the swaying of my ginormous bust. Honestly, Michelle, couldn’t you have like, had the decency to HAVE A BUST! So that maybe mine could be less huge?? It’s totally your fault. You were born first. You were supposed to share the bosom.
And after I thrilled our teacher, and the other dancers who were all “mmmrawwrrrr Kellyyyyyyy in the red and green!” with delicious gloves that run right up my arm and stop just at my tattoo, deliciously framing him to complete perfection, I drove home in the rain and the cold and I re-lit my fire and I played, and cooked a gorgeous stew, and we watched Harry Potter 3 – which remains my favourite one to date. They will have to do something superb to win me over with the next two movies, because nothing, and I really mean nothing beats Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. I’m having a moment. Okay it’s over. Honestly, who can not love Gary Oldman? And while we were watching Harry Potter 3, in preparation for Harry Potter 6 – obviously we’re watching them all right now…I got a phone call.
I never get phone calls. Do you know why? Because I never ring people. I don’t! I am the most hopeless friend in the whole world. I will text, but I won’t call. Every time I make a new friend, I warn them, many times, that I don’t call them on the telephone. If you tell me to ring you? Like in a text five minutes before you want me to ring? I will have a slight angst moment about it, and then call you. But otherwise, I have this severe dislike, of picking up the telephone and ringing people. I’m not entirely sure what it is, I think it stems from the fact that it feels so much like an infringement on people’s personal space. I also have a huge dislike of people knocking on my door. I am not very polite to religous and sales doorknockers, and I hate, hate, HATE it when people just show up unannounced. Normally because you’ll catch me in my pjs, with a messy house, and it grates on me when people just turn up! Unless they have presents, or food, or presents AND food!
I actually love to talk on the phone. Once you ring me? You won’t ever get me off the phone, unless I really have to go somewhere. I go to the bathroom, while I talk on the phone. It’s usually okay right up until I flush the toilet. But you know what? If you’re my friend, you’ll be used to me oversharing with you. I am the queen of overshare. Anyway, I got a call from a friend I’ve been thinking about for -weeks- now, and really been missing.
We probably won’t meet anytime soon, I did try to invite myself over for dinner with the added bonus of fixing her computer – at least, Ollie would. She sounded a little thrilled, but not enough for me to know it was going to happen, which is perfectly fine with me, because let’s face it, if she invited herself over for dinner at my house? I would probably hang up on her. No I wouldn’t!! But wouldn’t that be hilarious? We talked for not long enough, but that’s to be expected at an indecent hour of the night when you’re midway through watching Harry Potter with your daughters…about fantastically interesting and wonderful things. She is, as I expected working hard and being fabulous, and it was so great to hear from her.
So that’s been my day! It’s been really nice, considering the horrible day I had yesterday…I’m relaxed again and feeling better about life and it’s all good. Of the bad – Greebo got in a fight and tore his head to shreds, literally. He has a drain in his head, stitches and a cone which is really frustrating him. It cost a stupid amount of money and I might have cried, a lot about it. I’m so sick to death of him doing this…I can’t tell you how much money he has cost us over the years. It’s ridiculous, and I’m too soft to do anything, but nod and agree with the vet, who then charges us retarded amounts of money. *sigh* I picked him up yesterday, I had a migraine…I started to panic about dancing and being sick..it was a mess. Today was great. Thank you my girls, for spending it with me. Your company keeps me sane when I feel like I’m going to explode. love you.
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Now playing: Gogol Bordello – Baro Foro
via FoxyTunes
24
Jun
Do you remember when shopping trolleys used to be fun? Were they ever fun for you? I have fond memories of them, drunken evenings when you were too tired from dancing all night to walk home, so the boys you were with would help you get into a shopping trolley and wheel you at breakneck speeds through the city parks. Maybe that’s just what happened to me, since I have always been small enough to fit inside one. I don’t recall ever having a falling out incident either. Once I was taken half way around Rocks Road in one, there was lots of laughter and singing involved. Man, those really were fun days.
Now shopping trolleys hold a morbid sense of horror for me. As soon as I pull into the supermarket, my heart drops and I feel like I’m walking towards impending doom. I try very hard, internet, to avoid the pension days, because old people – don’t get me wrong, I love old people, they have great stories – but old people in supermarkets is something to be avoided at all costs. Pension day, has always seemed to be Tuesday. So I’m doing my groceries lately, on Wednesday’s, because even though I’m up and out of the house early on a Thursday, Thursday’s, from what I recall are dole day (unemployment benefit) and the unemployed are equally as frustrating to meet, in a supermarket.
I hate supermarket shopping with a vengence. I remember being a bright eyed new mother at the age of 20, and going shopping was so fun. We’d buckle Siobhan into the baby seat and we’d have all these choices. We could buy, whatever we wanted! On an extremely tight budget of course – so really we couldn’t at all, but it sure seemed like it, while we put all this stuff that we’d chosen ourselves into the trolley and felt grown up and awesome. I can’t tell you how many awful eating mistakes I made in those early days. Like the time we bought a green curry paste, and I cooked a beautiful chicken curry. I am not an instruction reader, by the way. I get no pleasure out of instruction manuals. I tear things open and toss aside instructions, because I am awesome, and I know how everything works! Actually, I hand them to Ollie who meticulously reads them and then tells me how to work it, while I huff impatiently at him and say “yesyesyes!” while pushing buttons and shrieking when it doesn’t work. You love me a little for it, I know you do. Anyway, this green curry paste was the ultimate ingredient, and I dutifully added the entire contents of this little jar into our chicken.
Not even the dog we had at the time would go near it. It wasn’t just eye watering, internet…it almost turned us blind. I read the instructions on the back of jars now. That is one thing I have conceded to do. And so we blissfully went around the supermarket and it was so fun. Then we had Aleeya, and having two children in the shopping trolley just wasn’t quite as fun. It started to lose its novelty very quickly. Particularly when they were both walking. Supermarkets, do not please me. They always hold awful surprises, or tempting specials, or both. And I do not enjoy watching the price go up to $170 just because I really wanted that bar of chocolate and those biscuits (cookies) that were on special, and maybe I needed those really expensive razor blades too. It’s not nice! I don’t like it! Food, should not cost as much as it does.
Anyway, shopping with children is always an experience. I remember this one time, Siobhan was in kindergarten, and it was just Aleeya and I. I’d gone out for coffee with Lou, and we stopped in the supermarket to buy, I don’t know, bread and milk probably. That’s almost an every day purchase in this house, and it certainly was in hers with six kids to feed. So we’re talking, like we always do, completely engrossed in each other. Aleeya’s there at my side, she would have been two at the time. She was always shy and clingy. I never had any reason to think she wouldn’t be at my side, and whenever she wasn’t, she roared. I’m not lying, she actually would roar. I’m paying for my food and looking at Lou, and I turned around and my daughter is gone.
She’s two years old, and she’s gone. I have this strange panic reaction. What happens is, time slows down and so does my heart. I become, almost zen like. It’s really weird…it’s like, nothing is wrong, and all I have to do, is consider the situation carefully, and the answer will come. So the world is slowing down, and the blood is running out of my face and I’m trying to rationalise this. She’s two, how far could she have gone? – This supermarket by the way, is in the busiest mall in Christchurch and yes, my thoughts were most definitely “she’s been kidnapped!!!” But really, I -have- to be rational, and interestingly I usually am when I’m terrified so I’m thinking, how far could she have gone? So I’m listening for the telltale sign of her roaring, and I hear…nothing. Absolutely nothing. This is when I start to get little spots behind my eyes which are telling me that if I don’t resolve this situation and soon, I’m going to pass out. I went all through the supermarket again, and then up to the information area, and I’m trying to remember what my two year old daughter was wearing this morning when she got dressed, and I just couldn’t. I drew an utter blank. And just as I’m about to cry, I turned around and I saw this tiny little girl, sprinting back to me. All amazingly large greenblue eyes and white faced terror.
I’m almost crying just remembering it! She’d followed out a woman with a shopping trolley after having had a staring contest with a little girl in one just opposite us. The woman in front of us in the checkout line moved off, and Aleeya followed blindly. I dropped to my knees and was just about to ask her where she went, when she burst out in the most amazing lung explosive roar I’ve ever heard in my life. She flung herself into my arms and I just can’t explain the incredible sense of terror and relief I felt at hearing her scream like that. It was…there are no words that can describe something like that.
So, my experience with supermarkets, is not a fun one. I no longer look at shopping trolleys and feel a little rush of adrenaline because maybe next week that one is the one I’m going to be screaming through the city in, now it’s more like I’m choosing the vessel in which a little part of me will die once I get past this 90 year old couple, who in other circumstances I would find completely adorable, sighing and wishing that they could just have a little bit of respect for those of us who don’t walk at the pace of a snail and LET ME PAST!!!! And yet, as much as I complain about doing it, I find having your groceries delivered even more annoying. There is just something about filling that trolley with food and bringing it into the house that makes the entire experience of being stuck behind daydreaming men who have their trolley’s sideways in the aisle and are now contemplating -very seriously- what flavour chips they want ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE AISLE!!!! Hello? What are you thinking??? – Worthwhile. Actually, I’m lying. Maybe I’m just a sucker for punishment.
What, internet, is wrong with people in supermarkets? Do they instantly walk in there and their IQ’s just drop 20 points instantly? Do supermarkets make us stupid? I think they do. I think, people walk in there, and they switch off. Even those people like me, who are straight in and out shoppers. We want to go around the supermarket as quickly as possible and get out again, and yet, I know my eyes glaze over and I go into this little place in my head..which saves me from the idiots and the old people who have to pick up every.single.packet of meat before the realise that maybe their lack of teeth can’t actually process that meat anyway, so they go back to the mince (ground beef) section and pick up every packet of meat there, with their trolleys stretched across the entire meat section while you lament the fact that all you want is a piece of stewing steak which you cannot reach even though you can see it right there…*sigh*
We’ve already discussed my pain when it comes to high shelves. I will say it again though, if you supermarket people put something out of my reach? I will climb your shelves. I am not above using those shelves as a ladder! Not all of us are amazons!!! And it’s always shampoo. What, are children likely to drink the shampoo so you must put it on the highest shelf IN THE WORLD? It’s not right. Not even when there are lovely University boys who I can go “uhm. Do you think you could just reach that for me?” You just know they’re talking about the cute wee lady they had to fetch something down for. I’ve been climbing shelves all my life. Right Michelle? I have to do it in my own house. I do! Ollie is a cruel man. He buys chips and then puts them in the top shelves so I can’t reach them. I KNOW! What sort of husband does that, right? I think he does it, just to watch me climb up on the bench like a four year old.
There needs to be a supermarket shopping ettiquette written up I feel. Something that says that all people over the age of 65 must shop on a certain day, all single men with a penchant for chips on another day, and all the fast shoppers get a day for themselves. No more of this two neighbours or old friends catching up rubbish and talking to each other while blocking the entire aisle business. No more taking 5 hours to choose which packet of meat is the best bargain when they’re ALL THE SAME! No more putting things in high places so short girls have to climb shelves or ask a stranger to fetch them something like they’re small children again. None of that! I don’t want any of it. And please, please give me a trolley that does not have a mind of its own. I’m not 18 anymore, and I do not find the ones that only go left and mean you spin around in wild circles fun. I do not! I want a trolley with a little self respect. One that goes in a straight line when I want it too, and turns the damn corner when it’s supposed to!
Is that really, too much to ask? Is it?!?!
21
Jun
Finethen. Don’t comment. SEE IF I CARE!
I don’t.
Sothere.
Internet! I am a bad, horrible blogger, it’s true. I actually have some very interesting things to say, but I’m always a little on the nervous side when it comes to posting them up for all the world to see. But maybe I’ll rework that post I wrote and put it up for you to read, maybe it will spark some interest and people might comment again. How I miss your comments. They are the spice of my life, you know. They make me most happy. They keep me writing! When you stop commenting, I stop being interested! So there, it’s YOUR OWN FAULT I am neglectful of my blog.
So, I never did get my thirty heroes done, and it’s almost the end of June already. Can you believe there’s only one week and four days until it’s July? That’s..7 months into 2009 all ready! NUTS!
I thought, instead of burning out trying to blog huge and inspiring posts about all my heroes, I’d give you one post, with twenty five people who have influenced my life in some way. I’ve already done five posts, so I only have 25 people to go. I’m going to do it all right now, and get it over with. Are you excited? You should be. I haven’t even thought about who these 25 people are, and they will be put in no particular order. I’m not very orderly you see, it’s best to just write I feel. Okay, here goes nothing. *L*
Literary Heroes
Janet Frame.
I wrote a post about her once before, but I can’t find it now. She is one of the most amazing NZ writers ever. She came through so many things that are so very similiar to things I have faced, and she made it. Her writing is deeply personal and maudlin, and represents the NZ way of life beautifully. She focussed on the lower classes, on hardship and family and her work is a huge inspiration to me.
J K Baxter.
What can you say about J K Baxter? He’s possibly one of the most brilliant poets of all time. He wrote intensely profound poems as a child, and an adult. His life is fascinatingly bizarre and he is one poet, that I can always read and love.
Leonard Cohen.
Whatever people say about Leonard Cohen’s music, the man is and always will be, a literary genius. His poems are some of the most influential poems I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. He wrote an amazing book too. I love him. I love his deep voice, I love the way he’s changed over the decades, I love his philosophy and his mind. He’s amazing.
Salman Rushdie.
This man changed my life. His writing is so beautiful, so full of depth and intricacies and Indian political failures…he is so incredibly inspiring and possibly, one of the most intelligent men on earth. I love him.
Stephen King.
I started reading him when I was about 12, and continued to read and collect his books until I was about 20. He knows his genre inside out, and is a remarkably influential writer because he -always- sells. It doesn’t matter how many books he writes, or what you might think of them, they still sell thousands. Stephen King has mastered the art of writing a bestseller, and while I don’t read his books anymore, he’s my hero for that reason.
Dance Heroes.
Jude.
Jude was my first belly dance teacher and still remains a very influential person in my life. I respect her greatly. She taught me for eight years and the grounding I have in folkoric dance and the understanding of classical Eygptian and North African belly dance comes from her. She gave me my first chances at performing for an audience, and paid performance, and while I no longer take her classes, her support and her deep knowledge of Middle Eastern dance still puts her right up there in my heroes list.
Rachel Brice.
Rachel Brice is amazing. She’s one of the strongest and muscular dancers I’ve ever seen. Watching her dance inspired me to learn Tribal bellydance, which I love. I love the lack of choreography, the sychronised movements, the costuming, the music. It’s a very beautiful dance form. I don’t learn it anymore either, but I still do love to watch it performed. Rachel’s dance style blows my mind. She’s awesome.
Gendi.
Anyone in New Zealand who didn’t manage to take a few of Gendi’s classes really missed out. She started the school I’m currently dancing with, and was my first Tribal and Orientale teacher. I came in, just as she went out unfortunately, but I knew her for years before I took classes with her. Watching her dance was awe inspiring. Being in her class was too. Love her.
Yurie.
I’ve danced in Yurie’s classes on and off for a few years now, and her choreographies are always incredible, beautiful, and challenging. Yurie’s a great teacher, she’s very supportive and encouraging and very, VERY precise. Her dance style is absolutely stunning. She’s elegant and beautiful and if I could dance like her, and make it look as pretty and effortless as she does? I’d die a happy woman.
Randa Kamel.
She’s my new hero. I just love her! I love her dance style, her energy, her passion. She’s just amazing to watch. She’s very influential at the moment, and a lot of people are learning and adopting her style, which is great, because it’s gorgeous, and being given the opportunity to learn it, is fantastic.
Family Heroes.
Mum.
I think everyone considers their mother a hero in some respect, don’t they? Mine certainly is. For many reasons, but mostly because no matter what happens, she always bounces back. She takes control of her life and she lives it. I think everyone can learn from that. Everytime she’s been stepped on, she comes back stronger. I love you.
Dad.
My dad is an amazing man. He’s one of the deepest thinkers I know. Having conversation with him, always leaves you thinking and analysing, and coming up with your own ideas. He’s my biggest supporter, we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but he’s always been there for me. He’s given me some of the best advice I could ever hope for, and he supports me, even when he thinks I’m wrong.
John.
My brother is an amazing man. He’s so terribly New Zealand blokish, just like my Grandfather was. John always seems like a hard ass, but if you sit down and talk to him, he always listens to what you have to say. He’s turned into an amazing father and husband, he does so much for his family. He’s been working since he was a kid, and his work ethic puts me to shame – which isn’t hard. John is one of those people you can always count on if you need help with something. He’s my hero, because he’s mastered the art of being an amazing provider, father and stable presence in everyone’s lives.
Aunty Lee.
Like my brother, Aunty Lee is one of those people you know you can count on. She’s been there for us, in whatever form she could be, since she came back from Australia when I was like, five years old? She’s the life and soul of the party and you are guaranteed a good time if you’re with her. She’s very non-judgemental and supportive. She’s my hero because, she opens up when I ask her things, she never judges me, and she was there when we needed her.
Mrs. Gear.
Okay, she wasn’t really family..at least, not related family, but she will always be family to me. Mrs. Gear was the heart and soul of our neighbourhood. She took in all the kids and her house was never empty. She’d feed you if you were hungry, or just let you stay there and watch tv if that’s all you wanted to do. I never saw her out of the kitchen, I never saw her turn anyone away, and she used to change my pants when I was small. She’s my hero for certain. I don’t know how she ever put up with us, but she did.
Personal Heroes.
Stephanie.
I met Steph at Teacher’s College, and it took me next to no time at all to warm up to her. She’s one of those people who is passionate and intelligent, and hilarious. Nothing phases her at all, she’s vulgar and I could say whatever I liked to her, without her getting offended. She was the sort of teacher that I would have desperately loved to have had at school, and I do believe she’s very busy working at one of the alternative high schools here now. I don’t hear from her much anymore unfortunately, but that’s partly my fault. Steph is my hero because she stuck with it when it got tough, she doesn’t let anyone tell her how she should be and she is perfectly at ease with who she is.
Anna & Erika.
Ha! Just as you find my blog. I can’t believe you thought I’d forgotten about you. Impossible! I’m putting you both together, and still counting you as two heroes, since you are both individuals after all, but the reason you’re my heroes come down to the same thing really. You were both such influential friends in my life. Right when I truly needed friends like you, who understood me, and the things I was going through. You guys helped shape me into the person I am today. Without you in my life, I’m not sure I would have made it through those dark years. And then, with your own hardships, the both of you turned into wonderful women whom I’m still extremely proud to know, even if it’s at a distance.
Mary Dawn.
What can I tell you about Mary Dawn? Aside from the fact she was waiting for her hero post? Here it is damnit! *L* She’s really amazing. She’s one of the most interesting women I’ve had the pleasure of meeting online. I still remember the first debate we got into, about Memoirs of a Geisha, when I was disappointed by the use of a chinese actress and she was not. It got pretty heated from what I remember, and after that, I was kind of hooked. Our friendship built pretty slowly, over time and hours of conversation and graphic making. She’s my hero because she’s one of those people who has faced serious hardship and won. Even though she doesn’t think so. She never sugarcoats anything, she’s always deadly honest, and you can’t ask for anything more than that in a friend.
Rachel.
Rachel already knows why she’s my hero. But the rest of you may not. Rachel is pretty young, and yet, I can never remember how old she is, because she’s more mature than I am most of the time. She’s serious and quiet and extremely clever. She is perhaps the best graphic designer I’ve ever seen. Her work astounds me. She was difficult to get to know, it took a long time before she began to open up, and then when she did? She blew my mind. She’s a very gifted writer and the kind of friend I know won’t ever turn her back on me. She’s proven that already. Rachel has a heart of gold, and is working her ass off right now. She’s the girl you can tell anything to and know that she won’t judge you for it.
Ailise.
Ali’s new in my life. I’ve known her, from a distance for a number of years, but like Rachel, she was difficult to get to know. She finally joined my room and completely blew my mind. I have to admit that I never would have picked her as the writer she is. Ali’s another one of those incredible graphic artists, like Rachel and Mary Dawn. Her work is always stunning, but she was -so- shy. I have had the emmense pleasure of watching her blossom in my room. Bloom from one character to almost a million hee! She’s intensely sweet. She has become the light in my life. I love her, deeply. She’s my hero, for so many reasons, but what it all boils down to is this: she’s not afraid to let go with me. She gives me herself, in her characters without reserve…Ali is loyal and sweet and extremely charming. She’s intensely self conscious, and that makes her so much more special to me, every time she shares. I love you.
Kathryn.
One of my oldest online friends. She’s incredible. She’s the most honest, loyal woman you could ever hope to meet. She has stood by what she believes in, for longer than anyone else I know. She’s always there for me if I need her, she never expects my time, she’s grown and blossomed and I have to admit, she was one of the most influential people to have come into my life online. She taught me a lot about myself, and what I believe. She gave me friendship, love and companionship when I needed it. She’s amazingly sweet and giving. Totally my hero.
Tina.
I never call Tina, Tina! It’s funny how online names will stick. This woman, is another one of those extremely inflential people in my life. She and I have been friends for many years now, and she has always inspired me. She’s truly amazing. I look up to her a lot. She has two beautiful sons now and is a high school teacher. Tina helped me rationalise things and was always there to listen when I needed to talk to someone about my teacher training. She inspired me in many ways. A lot of ways she probably has absolutely no idea were inspiring at all. Tina makes the best of every situation, she never lets anything get the better of her.
Sara.
Sara moved halfway across the world and picked up a completely new life, more than once, from what I recall. She’s also, another amazing graphic designer. Her work is so beautiful, and she’s amazingly generous with her talent. She runs one of the largest online communities for people interested in graphics and the lack of drama for a place with over 400 members, really blows me away. She’s a great writer, and an inspiration to a lot of people, including me. Sara will give you her time, even if she doesn’t have it. She’s supportive and caring, and takes part in everything that anyone else is doing. She’s really amazing, her kindness and her caring nature, and the fact that she is so very supportive totally earns her a place on my hero list.
Lori B.
I wrote a post about LoriB awhile ago, she’s right up there with all my other graphic design people. She’s such a fantastic friend. She’s always there for me when I need her, with advice and her shoulder, and anything I could ever want from her. She’s never turned me down for anything. She has me totally hooked on silly facebook games and I love her for it. Her graphics are astounding. She has an amazing talent. Her eye for detail is just so incredible, and I love her to death. She hasn’t had it easy, and she’s always totally honest with me. I appreciate and value honesty more than people will ever know. Lori’s definitely my hero. You should see the gorgeous kids she gave birth to. Stunning.
Wow! That took me FOREVER! Please don’t be offended if I missed you out. It’s not intentional, and it doesn’t mean you’re not important to me. I just wanted to try and get a range of different kinds of heroes out there. I love you all, and you all know it.
15
Jun
Today was the day we had to go and meet a senior member of staff at the high school Siobhan and Aleeya want to go to. I’ve been a little dubious of this. We already know that I trained as a high school teacher and then, just like me, decided I didn’t want to be one. I actually know some really lovely teachers, but ever since I went to high school, I’ve had an issue with them. I was not the child my children are – far from it! And I did not particularly like school. I vaguely recall having a meeting actually, with my mum, and I guess that must have been what this meeting was.
Ollie wasn’t going to come, since it was at 5pm, but then he decided he would, which was really awesome, considering at 4pm today the power just died! I was sitting here, just about to start to reply to a post and BAM! Everything went black. It was scary. Then our alarm, which isn’t an alarm, because it was the previous owners alarm, and we never had it reinstalled or whatever it is you do with alarms started beeping at me. I’m like WTF? How does it have power? So I pushed a button and dear lord, internet…the noise was horrendous! I could NOT shut it up. I have no idea what the code is, or why it was even making noise at all and it was screaming and I totally panicked and called Ollie. On my cellphone, because the power was out…and the phone is a cordless thing which, you guessed it, runs on power. “OH MY GOD!” I wailed at him. “What do I doooo?” He tried to calmly explain it to me, and that didn’t work, and then I finally just mashed a whole lot of keys and it shut up.
Anyway, there was still no power for ages. He rung the power company and they said there were no outages in our area, so we figured, it must have been a fuse. Don’t look at me when it comes to fuses. I don’t even know what a fuse is. I did dutifully look at the fuse box, with perplexion and annoyance, but that didn’t work. So I lit a fire and mourned the loss of internet, and hoped to hell that my computer didn’t die in the power failage. And then, just like magic, the power turned back on! I knew this, because my computer flashed, bless him…and then the fridge made noise and I may have done a dance of rejoice when I tried the power button and my computer burst forth into life again.
That was utterly beside the point. I was going to tell you about this meeting! How did I get so far off topic? Oh right, Ollie coming home early. So he got home and I didn’t need his help anyway. I did consider for a moment telling him I replaced the fuse myself, because wouldn’t THAT have shocked him. Instead, I told him the truth, and we were perplexed together.
Anyway!!! We ended up with the assistant principal, who was about 8 foot tall and had the coolest top on. Seriously, I wanted it so bad. It had thumb holes. I’m easily satisfied, alright? She was really lovely and spent her time making Siobhan feel comfortable. Which she did. She was great internet. Really wonderful. She talked about herself, and why she wanted to go to that school and not the other, and said amazing things that teachers want to hear like “English is my favourite subject!” To which Miss AP said “you said that because you know I’m an English teacher!” And we knew we were given to the right woman. “Why do you want to come to this school?” She asked, to which Siobhan replied “Well, one reason is you have more languages than the other school does, and I really, really REALLY want to learn German.” Oh.my.god internet. You’d have thought this woman just hit the jackpot.
She was totally impressed and excited. We left with her telling us that she was -definitely- going to give her recommendation that Siobhan be accepted and that we should get an acceptance letter in August. She did say that it wasn’t up to her, but that we should feel very positive about her acceptance. I was so thrilled I may have almost cried. I know how important it is for Siobhan to go to this school. I mentioned things like her extension classes and her reading ability and that she is the child that the teachers sit with the Korean and difficult students because they know she’ll help them. I also mentioned that she tended to be shy and often slipped under the radar. She assured me that they nurture students like Siobhan rather than letting them be the positive people in other people’s lives and that she would be encouraged to shine as herself. I liked her a lot actually. I felt very good about the entire interview, and I so hope that she will be accepted, because I have a feeling this school is going to be the place that sees both my kids turn into amazing adults.