November 07, 2003 - 12:19 a.m.

Funk-y Town

Last entry before I head down to Charlottesville in the morning for a much needed weekend with Sam. I cannot say how good it will be to see his smile, to hold and be held...

I got up this morning in quite a funk. There have been a ton of factors stressing me out or threatening to make me feel down, and they all just crowded in on me last night and into the morning. Luckily, though, my day fell together in such a way that I am feeling much better now - more settled, more optimistic, happier.

First I made myself go to the gym even though I didn't feel like it and could have used the excuse of needing to pack for the weekend to convince myself there was no time. I took it easy, only doing a half hour on the bike, but it felt really good, and cleared my head a bit. I also spent about ten minutes outside playing fetch with the dog, which couldn't help but make me smile.

This afternoon, B and I were invited to one of his classmates' house for a playdate. It actually ended up being a group playdate, with six of the kids from B's class there. The kids had a blast, B managed to keep his emotions in check and be almost entirely well behaved, and I got to sit around and have conversations with grown ups! Even though I was the only nanny in a room full of moms, I didn't really feel out of place. I'm probably closer in age and education level to those women than I am to most nannies, actually. We had a good time comparing stories of the kids' funny and annoying moments as well as discussing the weird politics of the private preschool. B had fun, the afternoon flew by, and I didn't have to lift a finger. What's not to love?

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the usual chaos of giving out after school snacks, making the next day's lunches, supervising homework, and setting up and clearing away an art project. The kids were really getting along well, though, and H seems to finally be accepting the concept that she has to do her homework whether she likes it or not.

Tonight was role playing night, and earlier in the day I was really not looking forward to it. I was tired, had a headache, and just wanted to start packing and looking forward to my weekend with my boyfriend. It ended up being a good evening, though, and we laughed a lot. If tonight was any indication, this campaign is going to be a comedy of errors! I won't bore you all with the details, but let's just say our little group of adventurers was not exactly competent in our first combat. We spent much of the battle swinging at thin air. Despite the fact that our opponents' performance wasn't much better, at the end, two of us were unconscious and another nearly so.... Oy! I wonder how we'll top it next week - by getting tarred and feathered?

Gotta go pack and get some sleep before this little bird flies south for the weekend.

today's project: bucking up

musing about: leaving on a jet plane

�

flutter back - fly ahead