well. got some stuff done. not enough to WOW anyone, but if you had seen the "before", you would say "hey! things are shaping up nicely!"

my problem is that when i pick up somethings from one area, and take those things to their designated place, well there is stuff that needs to be done there as well.

and i have decided that i will work smart, not hard. well, not sure where the "smart" comes in, but i am not working hard, that's for damned sure! i can live with a modest amount of disarray. i will put my shit away whenever i fucking well please!

that's years of living under the iron fist of a control freak speaking there.

---

had a bit of a WTF earlier. #8 went and spent the night at her friend's house last night. came back at 11 this morning with friends in tow. then headed out again. didn't tell me where they were going, but she is a freakishly intelligent and mature kid. i was a bit peeved that she then missed the noon deadline for being back. then the friend's mom called, pissed to high heaven that they were gone and no one knew where. she found hers and left mine behind with a couple of boys. then she started freaking me out. i'm not even 100% certain of exactly what the scenario was.

i ended up going out to #8s other friends, the boys she was left with, to find out where she was. SWEET boys. glad i now know who they are. i met the one boys parents too. nice family.

no big deal as she was just hanging out at the duck pond alone, chilling. just the girl friend's mom is a bit, well, strict. i took that road a long time ago, and i learned it doesn't do anyone any good.

rules are important, yes. but you really have to sve your energy for the important battles, once you figure out what they are. her not being here while we were all straightening things up was more of an irritation than a problem. not telling me where she was going was just discourteous to me. my standard "rule" of being back at the house at noon after a sleepover elsewhere is more a courtesy for the other parents.

so everything is back in proper perspective. and her friend is grounded. ah well.

something that sticks in my mind about my trip over to the campus...

i took #8 with me. and in our meanderings we had to stop at the library. we crossed over the cooper street pedestrian bridge, and saw the building with the word "library" on it. her eyes got big.
her: WHOA!
me: yeah.
her: is that whole building the library?
me: yeah. tell you what, when i start school here, you can come with me to the library and i'll check out books for you on my card.
her: COOL!

i like ricecakes. i really do.

so my 10 year old decided she wanted to try some last week. i let her. she had no comment about them until sunday when she and i went to do the grocery shopping.

me: "we need to pick up some more rice cakes."
her: "ok."

then when we found the aisle and i picked up a package...

her: "OH! THAT'S what they're called. i thought they were called foam."