Part-ay Wrap-Up
Well, my next-door office mate just got a new puppy. And her older dog (they are both weiner dogs) is having a hard time adjusting. How do I know this? Apart from the fact that she told us all and brought in photos (yeah, Dachshunds are cute � but they�re still dogs) but I�ve had to hear her tell the story to everyone on the phone over the last week or so, as well as to everyone who has stopped by her office. And because she is the PR person, that�s a lot phone calls and a lot of pop-ins. First chapter is: Adopting the Dog. Then comes, Older Dog is Not Amused. Followed by, He Seems to Be Warming Up to New Dog. Ending with, Oh, And We�re Thinking of Moving the Wedding Date to the Spring.
On the edge of my seat, am I.
Dusty had her birthday party yesterday. It was, I believe, a success. She had four friends over: three from school and her friend, Nina, from Beloved Preschool. I did manage � miracle of miracles! � to take a number of photos this year which I�m taking to get developed today (along with what I hope will be The Xmas Card Photo). I will let you know when they are posted. (And for those of you who missed my scintillating Mid-Weekend Post) the children�s official portraits are now on flickr.
I�m quite proud of myself. The girls all dressed up in Dusty�s princess/fairy collection and I tried to get them to pose but they were in Squealing Pack Mode and ran off to hide from me. So I took the Hiding in the Closet series and the Cowering from the Camera in the Bathroom series. All award winning stuff, let me tell you. I did get a picture (I think) of the cupcakes arranged in a �6� with a candle for Dusty to blow out as well as the Ladies eating their sugary crap. Dusty berated me later by telling me I didn�t give them anything to drink like they are babies that can�t speak for themselves. Plus, there were plenty of other ADULTS in the room who could have picked up the slack because, I�ve said it before and I�ll say it again, I am not a Hostess. I do not do party planning well and I am a lousy host. I am incapable (not by choice) of making sure everyone has sufficient food and drink and is properly chatted up. I do my best but always fall short. I mean, it�s all right there for the taking so my motto is: Help Yourself!
Two of the parents stayed this year and two went home and picked their daughters up later. Which is fine with me. The girls are now getting to that age where they can be left for two hours without a parent to run interference. But it was funny, both parents (the father of one, the mother of another) were a bit hesitant to leave. We�re all sort of groping around and trying to figure out the new party dance step now that our children are school-age. Is it okay to go? Do I need to stay? Are you comfortable with that? Plus, the majority of children who came this year live in our general area so it�s not like they�ve made the 45-minute trip (apart from family and Nina�s dad) out here and are stuck for the duration.
And, it was nice to meet all the strange new parents who all seem nice and normal. One girl�s mother is a vet and recently purchased a vet clinic in the college town here. I think that�s cool. The father seemed goofy and nice and down-to-earth. AND, we shared our dismay at Chuck E and Pump It Down parties we�ve had to endure. So BONUS POINTS! Yes, bring your daughter over to play anytime!
The mom that stayed was pleasant and talkative and non-judgmental (I didn�t get the feeling my less-than-up-to-middle-class-standards house was being summed up with disapproval � which I know says more about me than others) and interestingly had her children very late in life. But, she was also a bit clueless about life in general. On the good side, she�s originally from the Pittsburgh area and I�m always down with Not From Here�s. Breath of fresh air! So, she remains in the plus column even though she had no idea what an �adjunct professor� was. Then again, perhaps I�ve been on the sidelines of academia too long. I forget how others live. I know nothing of the corporate world.
And Red was completely subdued throughout the party. She sat back (while my mother fed her sugar and ginger ale and more fucking sugar! Thanks mom!) and watched the Big Girl Parade and picked at her SUGAR cupcake and�..hey! Who gave her that ice cream sandwich and cookie? The woman cannot be trusted. But, I was good and didn�t start a fight. I would bet know one guessed how mad I was to find my mom giving Red sips of ginger ale behind my back. What two year old needs soda? What human, for that matter? Why not just feed her motor oil and battery acid? How �bout some of that old fashioned �medicine� with opiates in it? Yeah, that�ll cure what ails ya.
Sigh. I really didn�t mean to go there but can�t seem to help myself.
All in all, a nice party. Dusty got good loot and we won�t have any more excitement for another couple weeks. Thank goodness. I need a seriously long nap.
