Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. I'm gonna

My husband, with his sweet tooth, has programmed the 2 younger kids to expect dessert of some kind every night.

Last night, after a "breakfast" dinner of pancakes and eggs, the Youngest asked for dessert, spawning the following conversation:

Hubster: "There is no dessert. Your pancake was dessert."

Youngest: "If there is no dessert, I'm going to run away."

Me: "If you run away, what will you eat?"

Youngest: "Plants. And I'll dig for worms."

Hmm. Maybe I need to stop making the cute rice krispy treats with those gummy worms.

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ow I know why snakes are so grumpy when it's shedding time.


We took the dog to the doggy beach. We all had a great time. Turns out the dog does a great impression of a hippo underwater. He doesn't swim as much as he walks around on the bottom. Rather silly. He WILL swim if he has to get to me, though!

If you know me well, I used to be the one in the full length shirt, skirt, and hat at the beach. NO tan for me, I liked to be white, thank-you-very-much, and I really do not want the alligator skin that accompanies well tanned women.

Well, sunscreen technology has advanced and I decided to risk it in the bathing suit. I made sure the kids were well covered in spf 50 with uvA and Bb protection before we even finished up the drive. I got all the areas on me that I could reach. In the chaos that ensued with dog and kids at the beach, I forgot about that spot on the back that I COULDN'T reach in the car.

That was last Sunday. Monday and Tuesday were spent in excruciating agony. Clothes hurt. Air hurt. Wednesday began with the twinging spot itches that hurt badly. AHH THursday--felt like a normal sunburn, finally, still had those small spots of incredible itch/pain--but still too red to actually touch those spots! Still red, still sore, but manageable. Look, I'm peeling a bit....

FRI??!! Still burned and peeling like a snake. It's gross, this much skin coming off. AND ITCHING!!! I don't even care that it hurts to itch. It started in my office, which thankfully has a door. I have never experienced anything like this itch. I can't concentrate on anything else!! Since I can't actually really reach the area, I am reaching for anything that can help. Right now the preferred method is the closed blade of the scissors. Yup, here I am wiggling and sighing with the scissors up my back and small pieces of my skin drifting like snow around my chair. When that stops helping, I occasionally have to apply lotion to the back of my brush to get it to the right spots.

Yup, I am a model of office professionalism

Border War

So, this whole hectic, frenetic schedule means that I don’t usually have time to write. I have cool things happening that never get mentioned.

Like Border War. This was the 13th anniversary of my first SCA event. (Which I don’t usually talk about here….for good reason, if you know me and what I do there...)
For my first event, (invited by a friend while giggling upside down on my couch) I went to some guy’s house who I didn’t know, borrowed his wife’s clothes, and the rest is history.

Last time we did the position we hold now, it wasn’t much fun. It was “local girl does good” so I got glommed on pretty hard. Not a SECOND to myself—and 2 small kids to care for. Some people were really rude because of the familiarity. (Something along the way I’ve noted in ANY society—the lower the rank of the person, the more familiar they are with perceived “importance”. The upper ranks, people who are ENTITLED to be familiar, usually only are in private. I notice this at work ALL the time!!)

Not so, this time!!!
I expected pure Hell. Hubster was meeting me there from a week long camping trip in Missouri, so he would be tired. I expected the same horrible treatment from a bunch of people I barely knew. NOPE!

I got there to find that Hubster, who had both tents, got stuck in traffic in Chicago and would not be there until 11pm-12am. Hmm. Boy, was he going to be happy! So, I unpacked my vehicle, fed and bug-sprayed the kids, set up the dog, and set about happily unpacking my vehicle. Tee Hee. I got to shoo people away who were horrified at watching me work!! “You’re not the boss of me!” When he finally did arrive, 20-30 people grabbed our stuff and set up two pavilions in what must have been record time and mysteriously disappeared! WOW! This was so impressive that hubby forgot to be grumpy!!

Aimless showed up w/her kidster. I’m very happy about this as I’m hoping that she uses some of my “artiste” friends who are functioning adults as a role model. She is SO talented that I don’t want it to just waste away!! She’s actually finished some college courses AND taught an art class or two lately!! Yippeee! More of this and I will re-nickname her!

The Surrogate Mom, Val, stopped by both nights. (It’s good to see you doing better. I hope you had fun. You should try things next year when I have some time to take you around—and you can sing!! THANKS for the lovely oil lamps and the breakfast bread!!!!)

She got to see an old friend of Sascha’s that I finally met for the first time. Not at all what I expected!! I expected him to be larger—taller at least!! And more bold. He almost seemed frightened of me. He’s a really good, though girlish, dancer. (Really?? What did I expect?? Well, not ALL gay guys have to be a stereotype!!) Actually most of the straight Middle Eastern Dancers dance girlie, too. I REALLY want to see more strong, macho MALE Middle Eastern Dancers!!!!!

Everyone was great! Yes, I still got swamped every second with someone who needed a few moments, but that’s part of the gig. The spirit behind it was much nicer this time. I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend—except the mosquitoes. I STILL look like a leper from the leftover bites!