Last day of last year’s money

Registration for my 22nd event opens tomorrow night. It’s definitely one of the more panicky event openers I’ve experienced. So many new things - new website, new registration system, new everything. Yesterday I got pretty worked up about it - spent the whole day pulling my hair out trying to fix all the issues, finally reaching out to the guy who transported my website from squarespace to Wordpress, who said he could set up a page for me that would automatically load at 8 PM tomorrow so I could just basically flip a switch. It’s so hard because you have to think ahead to a million possibilities and put yourself into the mind of your customers - is this easy to read? Does it make sense? Will they try to do this if they don’t see this, and then how do you help them get back on track? Will this cause confusion? Will they be able to cheat the system? 

After stressing out about it all week I think I finally got all the issues that I could possibly anticipate at this moment. The one big unknown is what will happen after we open - how the whole back end part works as far as keeping track of people, running reports, etc. It’s all new. I hate new things.

The kitchen is limping along. Yesterday they were supposed to install the sink...until they discovered it had a big chip in one corner. After some back and forth it was decided to install it anyway and try to fix it or get a replacement later, just so I can finally get out of the utility sink. They are working on the dishwasher now. Stove vent has been installed. I believe the plan is to move the stove into place and refrigerator as well by the weekend...maybe. Replacement windows due in about a week, and then the majority of the work can continue. I don’t expect the kitchen to be done and useable until closer to the end of February, however. 

I’m going to ask that my kitchen designer, who’s made countless errors and sent this project two months over schedule, at least buy back the custom sink I ordered that now doesn’t fit, and take it off my hands. That’s $700 off my bill. I think that’s more than reasonable. That’s going to be a fun conversation. 

Bobby continues to be poop-free. I’m not entirely convinced anything has changed except that we’ve trained his body to only poo in the morning and after dinner. He still won’t go at school - but if his body doesn’t need to then it doesn’t matter. He says he’s getting feeling back but I don’t know if he’s just saying that because it’s what I say. Anyway, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If he’s not pooping his pants, that’s all I ask. Every day after school I ask him how’s his butt, and he rolls his eyes and says, “fine...”. That’s far better than his usual sheepish grin which tells me he pooped again. 

We had quite a nice day Tuesday when I had to pick him up from school because his violin lesson was canceled but it was too late for afterschool. So I hiked up to school to get him, we walked home, then went to a farmer’s market and got some produce and juices. It was one of those fun mother-son days, the type I wish we could have every day, and I’m sure he does, too. Alas, things can’t always be so idyllic. That’s family life for you (or really, life in general). 

Today my period started and my house is full of strange men clomping around, so I’m hiding out in the bedroom watching Australian dating shows and knitting while listening to the pouring rain. It’s pretty nice. The calm before the storm?

Strike is over!

It was announced on Tuesday that the strike had been resolved and students would be returning to school the next day. Hallelujah! It sounds like the teachers mostly got what they wanted - smaller class sizes, more support staff, raises. So, six days wasn’t so bad. I wonder if social media and the current political mood helped move this process along? The strike in 1970 lasted five weeks. One wonders.

It’s been challenging getting back into the swing of school craziness. Homework, rushed mornings. I’m not a fan. However, I am a fan of having an entire day to myself. 

Bobby’s had two poop-free days at school. Coincidence? Perhaps. I’ve given him Miralax in apple sauce every morning; I make him poop every morning and every night. You would think this should guarantee that he wouldn’t have to go in the middle of the day, too. My hope would be that he’s getting feeling back in his colon and is able to hold it. That would be the best case scenario. But it could also be that we’ve just been lucky. I won’t believe it until we have at least a couple of weeks with no accidents. Then I can start celebrating. 

In other news, registration for my event opens next Friday. I am very nervous, as always. This year has a couple of added stressors - not knowing how attendance will be based on the country’s financial insecurity, also the “sister” event moving to the fall; and a brand new website and registration system. It’s good that I have a year’s experience with any kind of online system (beyond the clunky one I’d been using for years); but this one is especially scary because I’m really on my own - they do have a support team, but they’re only available during work hours. And guess what? My registration is set to open Friday night, so if there are any issues I’m going to have to wait until Monday morning to have it fixed. Which, quite honestly, is such a huge problem that had I known this was the case, I would have moved my opener. I’ve been testing it all week and have found lots of issues with it, and the people I’ve been dealing with have not been very responsive. So far I am not impressed. 

I am also not impressed with my kitchen progress. The guys came to install some cabinetry a couple of weeks ago, and since then...nothing. The countertop guy is going to do the counters Tuesday, but nothing else is planned for next week. The fucking windows, which we discovered in mid-December had been ordered wrong, wont even be done until Feb 8th, and who knows when they’ll be installed, and not much can happen until that happens. So basically the screw up with the windows set this whole project back a whopping two months. Still no real idea as to when it’ll be done - I’m hoping end of Feb? Ugh. 

At least today I’m having the burglar alarm put back as a reaction to what happened here Saturday night. This one will have a doorbell with a camera. That’ll make me feel a little better.

To counter my various anxieties, I’ve taken up knitting. It’s so hard to start a new discipline that’s so complex and full of tools and jargon - but I know I can do it (especially in the age of YouTube) and I know especially as you age it’s good for your brain to experience learning new things. I am currently working on a scarf for Theo after turning my first stumbling effort into a snake scarf for Bobby:

Our grandmothers knew busily working on a project each night was a terrific stress reliever; I’m going to see if that works for me, too!

Strike, week two

Bobby’s pink eye cleared up enough on Thursday that I took him to his afterschool program - and discovered to my delight that his is one of the rec centers that had been offering free all day childcare for the duration of the strike. So they both went Friday and I’ll take them next week and as long as I need to. Whew! Thank you, Mr. Garcetti.

The rain cleared up as well, so I dressed in red, hopped the train and joined a massive teacher rally at city hall on Friday. It was awesome. 

Saturday was the return of Resistance Witch at the third annual Women’s March:

In the middle of all this, I drove down to Newport Beach (two hour drive) Fri & Sat nights to sing at an event, then returned Sunday to be interviewed for a podcast. It’s been a Tetris-style weekend with non-stop running around, little sleep, and crazy tight scheduling. I have a headache. I am exhausted. 

Everything went smoothly, though - even the new songs I had to sing - except for the fact that last night as I was at the gig, apparently a couple of guys came up to our porch and poked around in the windows, looking to break in. The BF and kids were on the couch with the lights off watching a movie. When they saw my BF they ran off. Thankfully the kids had no idea what happened and still don’t - but I am thoroughly freaked out. The fact that two guys would walk through our gate and come up three flights of stairs to our house is so scarily ballsy, I shudder to imagine what would have happened had I been here alone (which I am almost every night). And I currently have nothing but a thin piece of plywood leaned against the open holes in my kitchen where the windows should be. Anyone could just walk right in here. It’s horrifying. And I hate this feeling like I’m a sitting duck. How I wish I could still sleep with a loaded gun under my pillow like I did for years! Those days are over. At least until the kids leave home. I may have to oil up that .38 once I no longer have to worry about kids getting their hands on it. 

Strike continues this week for an indeterminate time. One day at a time. 

Strike, week one

Welp, LAUSD teachers are on strike. We just finished up day two. The situation is so acrimonious I can’t imagine it will end well. Honestly? I think it’s going to end with the teachers’ union having to cave just to get back to work. I don’t want this - but I’m not the one facing financial hardship. I want them to hold out to the bitter end. But that’s easy to say now.

There are several other circumstances making this week more difficult than it should be for us - Bobby has pink eye, which means he can’t go to his afterschool program and I can’t work out at the Y or get any exercise, and today we had to forfeit his violin lesson. It’s also been pouring rain, cold, and miserable, and this is going to continue all week. So...let me get this straight...it doesn’t rain at all for seven years and now when the teachers have to march around outdoors all day and I can’t send the kids to school or afterschool, it suddenly decides to pour rain for an entire week? You’re kidding me...right? 

Still, so far it’s not so bad. We have that heady mix of vacation feeling while not actually on vacation...I don’t roll out of bed until after nine, the kids languish in front of the tv, I cook and clean and squeeze in work time while they watch movies, and...it’s really ok. The only thing I miss is exercising. That may come back when Bobby’s pink eye resolves. We’ll see.

It’s hard to predict how this will go as time drags on...right now it feels easy. Being stuck with kids all day, day after day, when they’re old enough to entertain each other and themselves, is way easier than little kids who need way more supervision. 

The kitchen is going to be left untouched all week. The countertop/tiling guy came to take measurements but can’t do any install until next week. Meanwhile we wait on the re-make of the screwed up windows, which, honestly, could be more than a month away. The kitchen designer won’t tell me, and I kind of don’t want to know. But just doing the math...yeah. I think we’re looking at February. Sigh. 

Uncertainty

The strike has been postponed to Monday. There may be a Hail Mary negotiation...but I’m not holding out much hope at this point. Teachers have sent out information about school work during the strike; people are raising money for snacks and drinks for strikers. I don’t know when we’ll know - Sunday night? Monday morning? All I know is it’s time to walk the walk - I’m progressive, I’m pro-union. These views are not always convenient nor comfortable. Here we go.

Cabinets were installed in the empty kitchen on Thursday and Friday. Of course, there are issues. The nook meant for the microwave is too shallow to fit any microwave, and the sliding out box they built for the garbage cans will of course not fit any garbage cans, by about one inch. One shouldn’t be too hard to fix (I’m thinking the box meant to hold the garbage cans can be removed and a steel sliding cage with garbage cans in place can be installed instead) but I don’t know what they’re going to do with the microwave spot. My kitchen designer said she’d fix it somehow. She also found someone to buy my old stove that’s been sitting on my porch since Halloween. So that’s a relief. Not sure what happens next. The window re-make has stalled out; not much can happen until that’s resolved. We’ll see what next week brings. 

My website has been updated and launched. It still has a few issues that need to be addressed before I can announce it, but that work is done. Now I need to focus on the new registration system. I did all of the accounting and 1099s and business license renewals for both band and event. Also, like the rest of the nation, inspired by a sweet Japanese lady with a penchant for folding, I’ve been inspired to start tidying and organizing the house whether the kitchen is done or not. We now have a game closet, both boys have memory boxes, and I have one big box of baby things for both boys (cards from baby showers, baby clothes, baby cups, hospital wristbands, positive pregnancy tests, ultrasound pics, even a post-it note I wrote of all the steps I would need to take to get pregnant - get off birth control, monitor periods, check out sperm banks, get insurance that covers maternity, check costs of childcare and preschool - remember those days?). I cleaned out my broken and messy sewing box; poignantly, I kept a yellowing pattern for doll clothes my mother made me, with her tiny handwriting barely still there. 

Next up for organizing? The final two shelves in the game closet - which include tons of vhs tapes of my dancing from the 90s and collections of clips the old timers gave me. Until I can get the funds and mental energy together to have these all transferred to a hard drive, they need to be put somewhere less prime real estate in the house. I also want to do that cool vertical folding thing with all of my clothes, and clean out my various linen drawers full of unused sheet sets and mismatched towels. When that kitchen is done this house is going to be efficient, organized, and clean, if it’s the last thing I do!

Did I mention I’ve also taken up knitting and formed a Facebook group for dancers who knit? Yes. Because I don’t have enough going on.

Bobby’s poop issues seem to be somewhat better, thanks to a small bowl of apple sauce with Miralax in it every morning. It’s still largely behavioral, though - if he just went after lunch at school he wouldn’t have accidents. This week he only had one. A big improvement over multiple times a day, but not a magical fix. Once school is back on (?) I’ll contact his teacher. But until then, not knowing what happens next week...we have other things to worry about. Both boys were pretty miserable back at school but soon adjusted to it and we even had a nice rainy day today playing board games and working on sewing projects (Bobby’s latest interest which delights me to no end). Here’s today’s project they did in the couple of hours with their old babysitter while I took time off to hike with a friend - they finally built their LEGO Yellow Submarine!

Onward, ho

We had a pleasant last day of winter break. Late wake up, big breakfast, looked for a couple of geocaches (didn’t find them), stayed at a nearby playground for a few hours, lunch at In-N-Out, home, light dinner, bed. As much as I’m psyched for school to start, I’m not looking forward to the early mornings and rushing around. I’m especially dreading the wake up tomorrow.

Still, it’s very likely the teachers will strike on Thursday and we’ll be plunged right back into vacation mode. This strike is hanging over me like a sword of Damocles. There is so much conflicting information - the school system claiming the teachers are being greedy; the teachers claiming the school system is being stingy. I’m worried the boys will have a truancy on their permanent record if I keep them out of school - but I’m also worried about the unsafe conditions at school with no teachers. It’s a real conundrum. They meet at the bargaining table again tomorrow. Here’s hoping resolution happens. 

Apparently the 1989 strike ended after nine days because at ten days the union has to offer loans to striking teachers. So maybe even if the strike happens it will only last a couple of weeks. I think (?) I can manage that, especially with afterschool still open. We shall see.

Thankfully one of my issues is nearly resolved - the fridge repair guy delivered an awesome fridge, a step up from our old one. It’s huge and full of cool features. It is the same old brand but we have a warranty so if nothing else it should buy us some time. Now he just has to take away the crappy loaner that’s graced our dining room since July. And hopefully deliver a missing shelf.

In the hopes of getting inspired about my stalled kitchen, I went to an antique hardware store to look for knobs and pulls. It did inspire me.

Despite my negativity in my last post, I have fumbled together a resolution of sorts. Last year I did stick to my “no fast fashion” rule; this year I want to reduce waste. I’ve ordered bamboo toothbrushes, bitable toothpaste that comes in a refillable glass jar, bar shampoo, beeswax food wraps, silicone ziplocks, and have signed up for a monthly green product delivery service. I recognize all of these things may be meaningless gestures in the face of a massively wasteful consumer culture; but as with all things, I feel like you at least need to try. You can be part of the solution or part of the problem. 

I’ve got my professional gardener friend coming over for a consult Wednesday. I’m hoping to really up my gardening game this year and start growing at least some of our food. But I need serious guidance and tools. I know nothing about growing food in this extremely hot, dry climate. I’m also flirting with getting chickens again...but I honestly don’t know if I have the right kind of space for them. This is something I’ll ask her also. 

I worked my butt off on my website yesterday. There’s still tons of text to write - I don’t know how I’m going to get all this done before the strike - but I’m hoping to launch it this week. Fingers crossed. 

I also have to renew my event and my band’s business licenses, send the event and the band’s 1099s (which both involve doing an entire year’s accounting), and at least start the band’s taxes, all before the end of the month. Gah. 

This and keep track of Bobby’s poop schedule. Sigh. 

It’ll all get done. Be of good cheer. Leave all the crap in 2018. Right? Right. Onward.