| Friday night is easy to summarize. Well, pretty much. I had a helluva day, exasperated by the migraine that was beginning to stew in my brain. Actually, my left eye. In much the manner that it would probably feel if someone were stabbing an icepick into it. But amazingly (or unsurprisingly), it began to subside as soon as I exited AcronymCo. Calvin was in a good mood when I got home, so relief #1. Marie was also in a good mood, so relief #2 (Michael was at work, as usual). Dinner was a matter of making some potatoes and heating up corn, as the chicken had been crocking for the day. Relief #3. Calvin and I went on a beer and munchie run, and picked up a couple of movies. Relief #4, 5, and 6. Calvin and I took a bath together, and I got a great massage from him. That, on top of the new migraine medicine we picked up at the store, alleviated my headache. Relief #7. (And I do recommend Advil Migraine. I only took a half dose and it stomped out the ice pick. But you can't have Calvin. He's mine, all mine. Down down down! Back back back! Mine mine mine!) We settled in to watch some TV, and somehow got on the conversation (with Marie) of kids, and parenting, and responsibilities, and expectations. Michael admitted to me in Thursday's two hour phone conversation that he didn't really want to go into the Marines, as has been planned for the last several years. He was terribly concerned about how best to approach his father regarding this, because understandably Calvin has been counting on this for Michael. He really has very few other options for what to do with his future, for various reasons. The conversation turned to point/counter point, with Calvin standing on his soapbox of viewpoints and opinions, and me standing on mine. Marie did the tennis match thing, watching the two of us "discuss" things. Marie disappeared sometime during the conversation. Calvin and I ended on a note of agreeing to disagree, and he went off in search of Marie. He found her sitting on the floor of the computer room, upset. So we sat on the floor in there with her, and we all talked some more. She's apparently observing the crossroads that Michael is at, and taking it upon herself as well, even though she's twelve and he's seventeen. She feels that it should be her expectation to have her life all mapped out even at this point. So we reassured her that, aside from some obedience and behavioral problems at home, she's on the right track. She's taking care of her responsibilities academically speaking, and she has an idea in mind of some things she might like to do in life. As long as she continues as she's been going, she'll be fine. She voiced the concern that the idea of being on her own scares her, but we reassured her that it's normal for a girl her age to feel that way. She shouldn't be ready to spread her wings at twelve, but the next five or six years will develop a change in viewpoint about that idea. Michael is a concern in that he seems less enthusiastic about being on his own than what *Calvin and I* think should be normal for a seventeen year old. He's expressed quite a bit of fear regarding his future. And now, he's reluctant to go into the Marines (which Calvin and I feel would pretty much guarantee his success). He doesn't really have a clear goal in mind for what he should do if he doesn't go into the Marines. All he knows is that he claimed that goal more to make his dad happy than to make himself happy. While Calvin doesn't want to tell Michael how to live his life, and doesn't claim that what makes him happy is the same as what should make Michael happy, Calvin and I both agree that Michael doesn't posess long range thinking abilities. He's thinking about his life, comfort level, friends, and job of today, and doesn't want to give them up. He acknowledges that the Marines may be the best thing for him, but the thought of going in makes him miserable. So. Michael agrees to come up with a game plan, and Calvin agrees to be as open minded as he can be toward Michael's change in goals. We'll have to see what happens. Michael doesn't want to make his dad angry, and Calvin doesn't want to see his son fail, or stumble, or have less than a successful life. But, as is typical of father and son, Michael's idea of success and Calvin's idea of success are vastly different. They're just enough alike that they butt heads, and just enough different that there's a communication gap. Michael views the world through an emotional filter, and Calvin views the world through a logical filter. It doesn't make either viewpoint wrong, just different. We've got until April to figure things out. That's when Michael's car goes back (the lease is up), and that's when he turns 18. The deal is if Michael wants to make adult decisions, he needs to go out and *be* an adult, on his own. Calvin will never abandon his support for his son, but it comes to a point where if the son needs to take a path so different from the one recommended to him, he needs to go out and try it on his own. No hand-holding. No net. All we can do is wish him well. We shall see. Anyway! Today, Saturday, I got up at about 10:00 and threw a stew together in the ever-present crock pot. I read a book ("Island of Ghosts" by Gillian Bradshaw, which isn't too bad) while Calvin read the paper, and we sipped coffee. We unfortunately had to get into it again with the kids (it's been a highly involved week, parentally speaking) because Michael didn't come home until 2:00 am the night before, and Marie was caught in a lie involving shifting the blame to her brother. Typical pre-teen/teen stuff, but it required added disciplinary measures. Currently Michael is bouncing around, relieved that his punishment doesn't involve having to stay home tonight (his rather elaborate plans have been in the works for weeks). Marie is sullen and silent, doing her chores and preparing to go on an overnight thing with her mother. What this means, though, is that Calvin and I will have the house to ourselves beginning at about 4:00 this afternoon. *Those* details I may or may not fill you in on, depending on their rating (PG, PG-13, R, XXX - heh). I've desperately missed having alone time with Calvin, and plan on soaking it in as much as I can before he goes to Chicago. ******************** Okay! So now it's Sunday, 11:30. Calvin and I had a *great* night last night. The details that I can fill you in on (heh) are as follows: We went to a new restaurant in the area, a place called "Voodoo Daddy's Magic Kitchen". It is, as you can anticipate, cajun cooking. We figured it'd be a nice switch from the same run of Italian/Chinese/Fast Food/Steakhouse/Teakwoods we've been stuck in. This place actually served alligator, which we stayed away from. Instead we had a cold shrimp appetizer served with a horseradish/ranch type dip, and a couple of beers. Calvin ordered the grilled Game Hen, and I ordered the grilled Catfish. Both were excellent, and served with gumbo and jambalaya. We finished up with a dessert of butter pecan ice cream topped with a bourbon syrup and whipped cream. The food was quite good, with the snap of cayenne without being too overwhelming. It was quiet, yet busy enough to show the restaurant will do well. The decor was kind of kitschy (plastic crawdaddies adorning the walls, construction string lights hanging in corners, crawdad traps and old fashioned canister bug sprayers, netting, etc. etc. etc.). But they can be excused because their catfish was like butter. Even when we go out to eat without the kids, Calvin and I sit on the same side of the booth. Awwww... Um. Well. That's pretty much all the details I can fill you in on. This *is* a family site, after all. ~grin~ Today is starting off much like yesterday - I'm tappidy tapping on this entry, Calvin's reading the paper, and we're watching football on TV (the Vikings are getting trounced by the Giants). The stew is re-heating in the crock pot, I have a modicum of housework to do, and some homework to get on. Multiplying and dividing fractions. I'm doomed. Ahem. That was sarcasm right there. |
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Your Mission, should you choose to accept it...
Go to the library and pick three books at random to read. Don't read their jackets, don't go immediately to an author whose works you know. I've gotten some very successful reads out of just grabbing books at random off the shelves.
Results From Yesterday's Mission I don't think there's anything specific that I do to gain inspiration. Get some quiet time, perhaps. Inspiration tends to come seeking me out, at least when it comes to what to write. Ideas just kind of hit me, regardless of the time or place I'm in. I have a lot of favorite books, but they're just comfort reads. They don't give me insight into anything, they're just like wrapping myself up in a quilt. They give my mind a breather. The show COPS gives me a sense of perspective, though. And Jerry Springer. No matter how hard my life gets, it could always be harder. Heh. Is it a strange thing to admit that I have no heros? When I was young I wanted to emulate certain characters in books, if that qualifies. Anne. Jo. Trix |