Computer problems

My laptop is having trouble. Big trouble.

It's too long and painful to go into detail, but here are some things I have learned from this experience:

1. Never, ever, allow Windows to run automatic updates when a deadline is looming.
2. Never, ever, touch a computer when Windows is updating, or even thinking of updating.
3. Backup everything.

I'm posting from old reliable, sweating it out to see whether my laptop will be able to pull through. We're not out of the woods yet.

Fruitful weekend

We had a pretty good weekend. All the kids had their first swimming lesson of the fall. It was Brian and Timmy's first lesson ever, and Abby's first in a year and a half. Everyone did pretty well -- Brian got very cold toward the end and got upset -- but other than that they were fine. Abby spent a fair amount of time afterwards telling me how she hated the pool, she didn't want to come back for another lesson, and besides, she already knew how to swim. Then she proceeded to tell the babysitter Saturday evening how much she loved it and can't wait to go back.

Abby also had her first CCD (religious education) class of the year. I mentioned to her this morning that it's a big year for her, since she'll be preparing for her first communion. She got all panicked and asked if she were going to have her first communion today. No, no, pumpkin, not until after Easter, in the spring.

Earl was out at a town event all afternoon. The kids were reasonably OK; Brian helped me cook and then he and Timmy played trains for a while. We all got excited when we saw that Veggie Tales was going to be on TV at 12:30, and then we were disappointed when an infomercial was on instead. This, despite the TV book and the cable guide listing Veggie Tales.

Things looked up for Brian when NASCAR came on. He's so into car racing these days -- of course from Cars, the movie. Abby and I worked on a craft together -- a "wish pillow" kit she got for her birthday. She did a great job, with some help from me. She did most of the stitching and all of the stuffing. It turned out pretty well.

Tomorrow we're back into another week. Hopefully it will be as smooth as last week.

Two items

I had a short religion story in the Patriot Ledger today, about St. Mary of the Hills School's 50th anniversary.

Just a Minute also ran this weekend. Watch your mouth, all you parents out there.

Friday night contentment

Apple crisp is the food of the gods.
Seafood chowder is right up there, too.
Clean sheets make going to bed even better.
Chatty children make me happy.
Clean floors do likewise.
Ditto for organized closets.

And now, it's off to bed in my clean sheets, where both McCain and Obama will be waiting for me. Should make for an interesting evening, since my personal financial adviser will be there, too.

(Oh, come on, now. I'm married to the guy.)

Confidential to Swinn: I rejected your comment by mistake. Sorry.

Cruising along

This has been a rather ordinary week. The kids went to school, Earl went to work, I taught all my lessons. I more or less kept up with all my Flylady stuff, so the laundry is done and the house is in good order. I've got ideas for next week's dinner menus and will cook ahead this weekend, for the nights I can't do it when I'm teaching next week. All is quiet and calm.

Perhaps it's this sense of order in the universe that made me override my resolve to say "no" as much as possible. Abby brought home a somewhat desperate note from school yesterday. Apparently, no one had signed up to be a room parent. I thought of Abby's poor teachers, with no one to help them. The class list that wouldn't get done! The field trips with no chaperones! The bulletin boards in need of snazzy educational displays! I couldn't stand by and let my daughter's second grade experience suffer because no one else wanted to help.

So, against my better judgment, I volunteered. And in the 12 hours since I did, I've received several emails about planning the first event for the second grade classes.

This is manageable, for now. So maybe I'd better do all my volunteering right away, before things get too crazy. But I've already told people I won't be setting foot near a bulletin board. I wouldn't want to inflict my utter lack of visual-spatial intelligence on anyone, let alone a classroom full of unsuspecting second-graders.

Apple-picking photos

Good intentions

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the end of a friendship, and how it was bothering me, months after the fact. Later that week, I got a call from the very friend (I called her A), and we had a nice discussion about what had happened, and it seemed like things were on the mend. I was so happy; it must have been a tough call to make, and it wasn't made any easier by the fact that I had to call her back because I was dealing with kid stuff when she called.

Anyway, we had a good conversation, and it ended with my thanking her and telling her I needed to process it for a little while. I've always been kind of quick to react, and I thought it might be best if I could give myself a little time to think about what to do next, even though I was very happy and would have liked to drive over to her house right then.

So I took a little while -- I don't remember how long; it could have been later that day or certainly within the next day or so. I sent her an email, asking if she'd like to meet for coffee this week. When I didn't hear, I wondered if perhaps she wasn't checking her email, so I left her a voice mail with the same message.

That was over a week ago, and there's been no response.

So my conclusions are: she's not checking her voice mail or her email; she was irreparably offended by my taking a little time to think; or she really isn't interested in patching things up.

Or maybe she just doesn't like coffee any more.