Windows Pride

A scene from the minivan as it speeds down the freeway:

Owen: Can we listen to that song..."Wind and Cried"?

Me: What? Windows Pride? I don't know what that is...who sings it?

Owen: I don't know who sings it. The beginning goes duh, duh, duh-duh. 

Me: I have no idea what that is...are you sure it's called Windows Pride? 

Owen (growing impatient): Not window! Wind...and...Cried!

Me: "Wind and Cried"? I don't...[lightbulb goes off] Do you mean, "When Doves Cry?" 

Owen: Yeah, "When Doves Cry." 

[Sigh of relief as the sounds of Prince fill the minivan.]

The Second Day

I almost didn't go to work today. I had a panic attack last night that lasted into this morning, during which I came up with a list of reasons to quit, excuses for quitting, alternatives to working this job...I really did not want to go back. And it wasn't that yesterday was terrible, I'm just neurotic and have trouble adjusting to change. Plus, once I start obsessing, things tend to get out of hand.

So anyway, since I'm a big girl and have decided to act like one, I went to work. And it was better. I dazzled my 20- and 23-year-old co-workers with the revelation that I am 31 years old. I thought I might actually have to get out my driver's license, their disbelief was so strong (yes, I look young, but I'm old, let's move on). And the big boss wasn't there today, so it didn't feel so much like my every move was being studied and critiqued. Mental note: Request to work on her days off.

One positive side effect of working (aside from the two-figure paycheck I'll receive next week) is that I appreciate the days when I don't have to work even more. Tomorrow I will get a day of rest before attempting my first 7-hour bakery shift on Friday. 

I realize I'm being a baby, but I don't care. 7 hours is a long time to stand in a 5' x 25' space, trying not to screw up when you're busy and trying to chat up bored 20-year-olds when you're not. Soon I will be wistful for a cushy office job that sucks out your soul, but at least let's you sit down and surf the internet.

Rookie

I survived day one of my return to food service. It was only a 4-hour "training" shift and it felt like forever...I'm just not used to standing continuously for that long. I am weak. 

I tried my best not to be in the way. I fumbled through many cash register transactions. I slammed my finger in the bakery case so hard that I was positive I must be gushing blood all over the fancy French pastry (I wasn't). But my personal favorite was when I was sent out to light all the candles that sit on the tables (apparently 2 p.m. is the romance hour there) and I nearly burned the place down. Seriously, the stir stick my manager instructed me to use turned into a torch and when I attempted to blow it out, I scattered smoldering bits of stir stick on myself and the foliage...I actually pondered whether that would make a good enough story as to make it worth getting fired on my very first day. Alas, the fire department did not need to be called. 

I'm trying really hard to be positive about this job. To find a way to enjoy it...or, at the very least, not hate it. You can't go to a job where you barely make enough to cover groceries and let yourself completely hate it or you will drive yourself nuts. And I have enough stuff to drive me nuts already. But...

Well, when I asked my manager if there was any kind of performance review schedule (I know, I'm an idiot, but I was wondering), she looked at me like I was crazy and told me that people don't usually stick around long enough to get raises. Oh! I smiled, Okay, then!

Best-selling-novel-set-in-a-bakery, I'm coming for you...you are my only hope. 

Party Politics

When I picked the boys up from school today, they were all aflutter. "It's XXX's birthday today! We're going to Chuck E. Cheese tonight for his birthday party!" Um...what?

I was forced to explain to the boys that we had received no invitations anywhere. As I grasped for a way to tell them it was possible that they just weren't invited to this kid's party, Aidan began to cry, insisting that the kid himself had just invited him...and really, in the mind of a 5-year-old, how much more of an invitation do you need?

Now, this particular kid is one of the few we've actually had a playdate with, so I have to admit I was a little surprised to hear that the boys hadn't been invited to his birthday party...surprised enough, in fact, that I began to wonder if I'd maybe overlooked an invite that had come home amongst the 5 zillion pieces of paper the school sends home every day. 

So I did the unthinkable...I called the parents and actually asked if there was, in fact, a birthday party and if my children were, in fact, invited (or not). SO awkward! If I'd stopped to think about it a bit longer, I probably wouldn't have done it, but the boys were upset and I was confused and...whatever.

Two incredibly awkward conversations later (first with the stepdad, who claimed to know nothing, and then with the mom), the outcome was that my children did go to a birthday party tonight and I found myself eating Chipotle, drinking a beer and watching a Food Network Challenge (Dr. Seuss cakes!) in peace. Did I overstep my bounds? Probably. It still remains unclear whether they were supposed to be invited in the first place.  

I guess all I know for sure is that the birthday boy wanted my kids to come and my kids really wanted to go, so all parental politics aside, I'd say all is well. Have I damaged my reputation among the mommy set? Maybe. Should I care? Probably not. 

The moral of this story is: Be pushy. Pushy wins. 

Contest Update

It occurred to me that some of you might be wondering about the status of our PB&J video.

Voting has officially closed and we're pretty sure we ended it in the top 10, which means our video will be reviewed by the real judges and evaluated on the following criteria: 

(i) Creativity/Originality - 25%
(ii) Use of Welch's Grape Jelly - 25%
(iii) Presentation and Communication Effectiveness - 25%
(iv) Relevance to theme - 25%

Based on all that, I think we've got a good chance! 

I haven't received any word from the contest people, so it's all just a waiting game now. The site says that the winner won't be announced until March 25, so we've got awhile. 

THANK YOU for voting. The boys read your comments (even their teacher went on and voted!) and are anxiously awaiting the outcome. I'll keep you posted.

The Sunny Side of the Street

I come bearing good news today, blogosphere. 

Firstly, I got a job! At a bakery! Not as a baker, of course, since I have no discernible skills in that area (yet), but at least I will get to hang out with the pastries, inhaling their sweet, sweet goodness. Let no one be surprised if I gain 10 pounds by summer. 

The outpouring of support from my friends has been amazing. I admit it, I feel a little sheepish about returning to the world of (almost) minimum wage food service after once having a mildly successful corporate career. I mean, it's not an obvious step forward. Except it is, kinda. I don't know if it will actually get me any closer to making pastry, but it at least sets me back in motion, heading in a new direction and that's something to be excited about. 

Next, I'm reading a really great book: Writers on Writing: Collected Essays from the New York Times. It's really interesting and insightful to read what writers have to say about their craft. It's inspiring. I think I might be on the cusp of (gasp) actually writing something. 

And for the final good news of the day, my BFF-turned-expat has arrived safely in India. Not that I didn't think he would, but you know, it's still nice to hear. (and if you want to get in on the ground floor of his expat adventures, the link to his blog is over there to the left)

AND the Top Chef finale is on tonight! It's a good day. 

FYI, Your Kid is Trouble

My sweet little Owen has been getting in trouble at school. He's received two of the dreaded pink slips in the last month. The title on the slip says "FYI Ticket," as if they just wanted to pass along a little info, but the checklist of "violations" is a bit more sinister...

My favorites are "Body out of control" and "Sitting inappropriately," although the grammar geek in me also likes the strange use of quotes in "Out of seat 'repeatedly'," as if the word repeatedly is some kind of jargon and not just a regular old adverb.

As you can see, today he got the "Disrespectful" box checked. (Btw, I also like how they write "Parent" above the signature line, as if he might attempt to sign it himself.) It's not funny, of course. He shouldn't be disrespectful to anyone, but I wish they'd provide more of an explanation because, based on his retelling of the story, it sounds like he was in one of his silly moods where he doesn't focus (vs. his spacey moods where he is silent, but also doesn't focus) and he ended up arguing with his more studious classmate, who told him to knock it off. 

Did we get slips like this when we argued with other kids? I don't remember. Plus, I usually just kept my mouth shut as a kid, so although I don't ever want him to be rude, I do appreciate the fact that he stands up for himself. I think it's a trait that will serve him well (and I think we have his twin brother to thank for instilling it in him). I do, however, think his autism makes (and will continue to make) it much harder for him to gauge when he's crossing over from honest to rude. 

Still, it seems we need to step up our efforts to teach him the different between standing up for himself and being standoffish or insubordinate. But, really, even if he was old enough to really understand the difference at this point, I'm afraid that my threshold for acceptable disobedience (the kind with a valid argument behind it) won't jive with the school's quest for unquestioning deference...I predict there are many more pink slips in our future.