Game called

On account of stupidity.

Football games don't get cancelled much in Texas. Actually, ours wasn't cancelled. It was postponed and relocated.

I took Mayhem #2 to the high school at six for band inspection. When I came past the stadium, I noticed what looked like smoke. Then I thought, "No. It must be some kind of a mister to keep the players cool." That idea went out the window when I realized it was coming from one of three transformers up one a pole by the stadium.

They just finished putting in these massive new lights at the stadium last week. (We could've used that money on say...lockers that WORK at the high school or say teachers that can actually teach AP classes. Guess not.) Anyway... I guess they hadn't checked the system so when they flipped on the lights and the scoreboard the transformer blew. Unfortunately, our drum majors were standing under it when it blew and got covered in yuck. Fortunately, they weren't in their uniforms, oh and no one was hurt.

Mr. Mayhem and I show up at seven to find out the game had been postponed for Saturday night and moved to Glenrose. I hate playing at Glenrose. The refs have a designated winner...Glenrose. Plus it takes at least an hour to get there. The band didn't go to the game because half the band couldn't be there because of work schedules or prior commitments, and one of the band directors couldn't go either.

So, we get to save our sweat till this Friday night.

Not very bright

If I had been bright, I would have taken a nap this afternoon instead of continuing to clean Mayhem #1's room. (I'll tell you about that later.)

I have to leave in about 20 minutes to head to the high school for Mayhem #2's first pep rally. Mom has to take pictures, right? It's what I do. I should have napped to save up some energy for the first football game which is tonight. (I know Mr. Mayhem told you about this at his place.) Of course, he doesn't doing anything during the game except watch the game. Before half-time, another mom and I hand out the "Holy Water". We make sure the kids all get a drink before they hit the field. We also do this for every competition, so that's why it's the "Holy Water." After the show until after the 3rd quarter kick-off, we get the kids' cokes ready. We're cheap. We fill cups with ice and pour from 2 liter bottles. If they want more they have to buy their own. At away games we take cans and bottles of water. Sometimes I even get sucked into working in the concession stand since it's run by the band boosters. Talk about hot. That's the worst place north of you know where.

Like I said...I should have taken a nap.

Drama Mama strikes again

On Monday, Mayhem #2 tried out for a part in the school musical. This year they are doing Beauty and the Beast. It's a big deal because it's in honor of the 50th (I think.) musical the high school has produced. Even the band's marching show is in honor of the musical. The three songs for the movements are "Maria", "On the street where you live", and "The bottle dance."

Anyway, Mayhem #2 wanted to be "Babbette", the feather duster. She didn't make the call back list, but neither did the other girl who had tried out for that part. She found out yesterday that she didn't make the part, but only made the chorus. She's disappointed, but she's still gung ho. Who knows? Someone could have an accident? Her friend, who happens to be the theater teacher's daughter, did make the call back list, but not for the part she tried out for. She tried out for the Wardrobe, but got called back for Babbette. Thankfully she didn't tell Mayhem #2 this until after the cast list was posted. They are both in the chorus. Why is it that in the theater world there is a great deal of nepotism? The worst place I've seen it happen is in church. (SHOCK!!!) Choir directors are the worst at casting their own kids in the main roles, whether they're any good or put forth any effort or not.

A new chapter

The deed is done. Mayhem #1 has been delivered to college. We left early Saturday morning after Mr. Mayhem had loaded all her worldly possessions in the two cars. (Ok. It’s not really all her worldly possessions. That bedroom is still crammed full of stuff.) She seemed pretty excited.

We got to the school and checked in and found out that she was in the basement of her dorm. She was so excited! That put her in very close proximity to the piano! When we got to the room the roommate and her family was already there. There were awkward introductions all around, but everything was good. We were surprised the girls had a handicapped room. That meant their bathroom was bigger with a shower the length of one wall and no counter to put stuff on and only one towel rod. I’m going to mail her the over-the-door rack that’s in her room.
Mr. Mayhem pulled the first car up to the back of the dorm and all these eager college students started unloading. When he told them which room they were excited. Instead of having to climb flights of stairs, they only had to go down about half a dozen steps to get to the basement. Mr. Mayhem got the second car and repeated the process. The big bag I had put Mayhem #1’s shoes in broke open and dumped all her shoes down the steps. I felt sorry for the guy that had been carrying them, but he was a trooper and went back and rounded them all up for us.

Though still excited, Mayhem #1 was overwhelmed. All her stuff in that little room just seemed like way too much. She and Mr. Mayhem took her computer to have it checked out with the IT people and Mayhem #2 and I started unpacking. She wasn’t extremely helpful until she crawled under the bed to pull out some boxes that had been stashed there. Then she stayed there so she was at least out of the way. Mr. Mayhem and Mayhem #1 came back and hooked up the computer. We cleared the bed so we could make it up. Her roommate was running around buying books and such while her older sister helped with the unpacking.

Mayhem #1 is getting stressed and a little less excited. We go to lunch at the cafeteria and look at some of the many papers she has been given. We check out the schedule and see that they are kicking the family out in about three hours. After lunch, we head to the business office to take care of finishing the registration process. She picked up her id and got it loaded with her meal plan. Mayhem #1 was getting quieter by the minute. She didn’t seem to like that I was pushing her to the front to ask the questions and handle her business.

I went to the Parent Seminar while Mr. Mayhem went to finish helping with the computer stuff. It was basically the same question and answer time they had had at the weekend we had visited in the fall. I was all together until the guy prayed at the end about the changes in everyone’s lives. I thought to myself, "Don’t do this. God and I are handling things ok so far. Don’t get me started."

I went back to the dorm to find everyone so we could go to the reception at the president’s home. On the walk over there, Mayhem #2 said, "I guess I missed my chance to tape her to the door?" "Yeah," I said. We took some group pictures in front of the president’s house and a picture of Mayhem #1 and her roommate. We joked around with them and said that since the president’s house was so close to the dorm, they should drop by every once in a while and see what’s for dinner. The roommate got in the spirit of silliness and said, "My roommate and I had a fight, and she’s locked me out. Can I spend the night here?"

One the walk back to the dorm, Mayhem #1’s lip was trembling and the tears were on the edge. Actually, we were all trying not to cry. There were hugs and joking and tears. The hall director and resident assistants were there in the lobby. The RA’s saw Mayhem #1 crying and they were trying not to cry. The hall director gave her a hug and we left. We got around the corner of the building and Mr. Mayhem called her and said, "I miss you already."

Mayhem #2 kept saying it wasn’t fair that Mayhem #1 was gone. She cried half the way home until she fell asleep. We got home and she went to Mayhem #1’s room and said it looked empty. When she got ready for bed, she went back to stand in her sister’s room. I kept being silly and finally got her in bed. Mr. Mayhem and I decided that she wasn’t ready to face people at church who would talk about Mayhem #1 being gone so we stayed home. When we got up, we found her on her sister’s bed reading. We kept telling her that Mayhem #1 didn’t die. She’ll be back…in three weeks even.

Mayhem #1 called a couple of times Saturday night. Once just to talk about what she had been up to. The other time it was about 10:30 and we are all in bed. I answer the phone and she says, "Mom, where’s my toothbrush?" I hope she’s found it or bought one by now.

Almost time

In about 25 hours we leave to take Mayhem #1 to college. If she ever finishes packing. I think putting most of her life into boxes is a bit overwhelming for her. Mr. Mayhem looked at the growing pile in the living room last night and said, "It looks like someone's moving out." I said, "Yeah. You want to cry?" "Not now," he said.

I never got her scrapbook finished, but I'm going to send what's done with her and keep working on the pages to add. I put together some pictures for some frames she got as gifts. The family pictures are pretty funny. My mom use to take a ton of pictures and sometimes it was embarrassing, but I'm glad I have them. I'm trying to pass on all the stories that go with our crazy family pictures.

I think the plan is to go out to dinner tonight and then come home and load the trunks of the cars. The rest we will put in the backseats in the morning. Then off we go into "A Whole New World."

Stupid cold

How in the world do you get a cold in the summer? Actually, I got it from Mayhem #1. Thanks Sweetie. I keep telling the family it's really West Nile Virus. Around here West Nile gets more news coverage than the war. It's so stupid. I think that's my word for the day.

Anyway, I need to get better fast because Mr. Mayhem and I were going dancing again tonight. If we don't go tonight it will be a long time before we can go because next week we take Mayhem #1 to school and the next week high school football starts. As the parents of a band member we have to be there. We are looking into taking more lessons if it will fit into our schedule.

The girls and I have some errands to run today. We have to deliver some soup to a friend who had surgery yesterday, take my mom to pick up her prescriptions, walk Mayhem #2 through the high school so she can find her classes on Monday, take Mayhem #1 to the bank, and do a little shopping. We're looking for a Tinkerbell shirt and maybe a purse for Mayhem #2. The only reason I think she's into Tinkerbell is because everything with Tinkerbell comes with either glitter or or rhinestones. She's my bling child. Doesn't everyone have one?

Humphrey, Max, and the prom

Since I mentioned Humphrey in my last post, I guess I better explain. His story starts with the fact that we have a very old sprinkler system. It has copper pipes. I mean…it’s old. We live on a hill that is made up of about 18 inches of soil and then a bunch of rocks. Another 18 inches of soil (maybe) and then a bunch of rocks…ad infinitum. So the hill shifts, the dirt settles, and the sprinkler system doesn’t cover the whole yard anymore. It leaves brown patches. I’m sure this could be fixed somehow, but as you may recall, Mr. Mayhem isn’t the handy sort. He keeps it running for the most part, and then he tells Mayhem #2 to go water the brown patches by hand. It’s hot however. And she doesn’t really like to do something when she’s told to do it. (If I said, "Put on you swim suit and run around in the sprinklers." She’s there in a heart beat.) Anyway…the brown patches weren’t getting enough water so I decided to get a little sprinkler to set out. I just wanted a little donut looking sprinkler like the neighbor has so I could move it from brown patch to brown patch. Off to Wal-Mart we went. We looked in the gardening center and found one that was sort of like the neighbors’, but still a little fancier than I wanted. Suddenly Mayhem #2 spots a little resin figure that’s a sprinkler. It’s a hippo sitting up with a hose connector on the side of his bottom and a sprinkling device in the middle of his snout. I just wanted a little simple donut sprinkler!!!! His name was Humphrey before we got to the check out.

While all of this was going on, Mr. Mayhem and Mayhem #1 were in MO visiting Grandma and Grandpa. They finally got back and said, "We brought you something. His name is Max." They handed me the little Playmate cooler, which is half-full of dirt. After that shock, and on closer inspection, I discovered that Max was a turtle about 3 inches in diameter. Mr. Mayhem found him crossing the road one morning. He was going to name him Yertle after Dr. Seuss’s "Yertle the Turtle", but since he was so small he named him Max after the little turtle in the story who was on the bottom of the stack of turtles and didn’t like it so he made the whole stack fall down. (Now you need to go find the book and learn the rest of the story.) We decided he was too small to put in the pen with Harry and Euripides, not because they’d hurt him, but because we wouldn’t be able to find him. The grass hasn’t been mowed in the turtle pen. The St. Augustine in there has gone to seed. It’s the best grass in the whole yard. Anyway….Max now resides in our old recycle bin. It’s about 24 by 16 inches and he has a little flower pot bottom for his pond, a rock to climb on or under, an old saucer for his food dish, and all that dirt out of the cooler. The funny thing…I think he’s a girl like the other two.

I took Mr. Mayhem to the prom last Friday night. It was our graduation dance for our "Dancing for the Rhythmically Challenged" class. The dance was held at a dance studio. It’s not the tap and ballet like my girls took when they were little. They teach social dancing. We no sooner sat down at our table when our dance instructor took me out on the floor to dance a waltz. Ahem…That was not one of the dances we learned in class! Once we got going it wasn’t so bad. When I got back to the table, Mr. Mayhem was gone. HE BOLTED ALREADY?! Then one of the lady instructors brought him back. We had both learned to waltz. Woo hoo! We’ve been dancin’! We were the first ones there from our class but the others started trickling in. We had to do a waterfall dance. It’s a mixer thing. The guys make a line and the girls make a line and whoever you wind up facing you dance with down the floor. The first guy I danced with was another instructor. We had been watching him across the floor and he had some moves. We had to do a waltz, and wouldn’t you know, I just learned how to do that! I found out right quick that no two guys waltz the same way. Our merengue is our best dance and we did that several times. We were cheered by the class for our smooth moves in our swing dance. Our instructor took me out and taught me the West coast swing, and Mr. Mayhem was taught the rumba. The fox-trot is our downfall. Those dances where you have to go around the whole floor are tough. We two-stepped once and did pretty good, and another time I thought he had cut my toe off. Tonight we are having our free private lesson to see if we can fix that fox-trot so that it’s not such an aardvark stomp. The studio has these dances every Friday night and I’d like to try to go again before high school football season starts. We may even try to take some more lessons. Hey, it’s a built in date. And don’t let Mr. Mayhem try to tell you otherwise…He’s been having fun!