The Big DumpTruck

I’m feeling bad for myself right now, and even though I know it’s silly, I still do. Maybe I’m just ready to have a day like that.

You see, we’ve hit one of the downsides to being a contractor. Today the company where I’m working is having an ice cream social. They’ve even hired a brass band to play 4th of July-patriotic-type music. Everyone got a ticket to make sundaes, and raffle tickets to win ice cream-related prizes. Well, everyone except the contractors. So I’m sitting here, and as close as I am to the cafeteria, I can hear the crowds, the laughter, and the brass band. But no ice cream for me! See, I told you it was silly. I can go out any time and either buy or make my own sundae. I think it just stresses that when you are doing contract work, you really are not part of the organization. And this is the part of working for a company that I like most. Oh well. That’s life in the big city. I’ll treat myself to something this evening…Junior is spending the night with Daddy so I may go hang out at the mall or something. Maybe I’ll treat myself to an Annie’s pretzel.

If I don’t accomplish anything else this week, I have the joy in my heart of knowing that I single-hanededly not only got it set up alone, but I took it down and, get this, folded it up and got it back in the zippered bag it came in! Can you believe it!?? I got it to fit!

I am superwoman.

I forgot to mention that my big project yesterday was to waterproof that Wal-Mart tent I got for $20. Taking it out, I got really nervous at the sheer volume of “stuff” (this is the technical term for the windbreaker or tarp-like plastic material this is made from.) that I pulled out of the box. Lots of it. Two bags of extras (tent stakes and the sticks that all go together to make the poles) instructions, a box with the remote control light, etc.

But lots of “tent”. So I went out to set that puppy up in the back yard. I am apparently tent-impaired because I could not get this thing going. I must have looked like a helpless moron because my neighbor actually STOPPED mowing her lawn to ask me if I needed help. At that point Junior was back from visiting dad so I had him sort of kind of help me. Plus I figured out one small thing I was missing. Anyway, once up, it looks pretty good. And I think I’ll be MUCH faster the next time I put it up.

So now I just have to get it folded back up. I sprayed it and sealed the seams, but wanted to give it 24 hours to dry, so it’s all inside the house. Tonight Junior and I will attempt to fold it back up. Okay, I will fold it back up. Wish me luck.

I’m wearing the wrong shoes today. By the time I noticed, it was to late to go home and change in the the correct shoes. See, I grabbed my LLBean slip-on thingies because the garbage truck was approaching and I still had one bag to bring out. But when I came back in the house, I didn’t take them off or put on the correct shoes. So today I’m wearing black jeans, a green shirt and blue shoes. Luckily there is some black trim on the shoes, but still….it’s such a Monday kind of thing to happen.

WHY DIDN’T YOU PEOPLE WARN ME!

I went to see this today and bawled my eyes out! Maybe it’s my current situation, or the fact that I’m a mom with a kid approximately the same age as Lilo, or maybe because I’m just a huge HUGE softy, but man, I was emotionally drained by this movie. Sheesh. And there were kids sniffling all around me, and Junior didn’t even want to stay till the end (but we did…I thought it might be important for him to see the happy ending, you know? Not assume it ends badly.

But really, I was wiping tears like a madwoman.