Walking Man

Lately, I've seen Walking Man more and more. Two weeks ago I saw him walking from P Street down to Rock Creek Parkway around 7:45 in the AM. A few days later I saw him walking out of Old Town Alexandria towards the airport around 5pm.

Today I saw him on Connecticut Avenue around noon and at a bus stop no less! This explains so much but I thought he walked everywhere. He was wearing his usual red shorts and yellow shirt. This time we got a photo:

Photo credit: Mini Red and Mom's cell phone.

It was another great weekend at the beach

Dad and I walked the boards Saturday morning to some perfect weather. Not to hot and a nice breeze. We beat our time and walked the 2.25 miles in 33 minutes.


We spent a few hours on the beach before grabbing a late lunch. We all went our separate ways. Dad took a nap while watching TV, Mom worked on her beading and Sis was talking about heading up to the pool on the roof. I laid down to wait for her but crashed and woke about two hours later with only a few minutes to pull myself together so we could all head over to Seacrets and check out the plethora of live bands on the roster for the rest of the day and evening.

We checked the place out and grabbed a drink. Some old woman got mad at Sis for sitting in her seat but Sis had been sitting there for some time and the woman had said nothing of it. We moved to a table near the water and Mom was tickled to find her favorite school teacher up to his old antics for the summer. I now call him “Mom’s Seacret Summer Boy”. Every once in a while Dad and Sis would go inside and check out the Jim Long Band plus I think this gave Dad a chance to check out the bevy of beauties that abounded. We even bumped into some friends and fellow Clemson fans.

My drink of the late afternoon was the famous Pain in the Ass. These are some fabulous frozen drinks and I think I should have passed on the last one. Well I did pass on the last one but I mean the one before that. We decided we were done and it was obvious the late afternoon crowd was leaving and the early evening people were arriving. The early evening people are older and take hours to get dressed a/k/a Cougars. The next round of younger crowd usually arrive around 11pm

We made our way home just a few blocks away. Dad was done and headed off to bed. Sis wanted to watch a movie and decided on Borat. I wanted to go to bed but knew if I hit the hay at that point then I would have to sleep with one foot on the floor to keep the room from spinning. We hadn’t gotten far into the movie when I noticed I had a message. I went into my room to check it out and the next thing I knew it was 1 in the morning. I didn’t remember climbing into bed but I got up and changed and had a hard time getting back to sleep.

This morning Sis tells me she found me passed out fully clothed and on top of my covers with the lights on. She turned the lights out and shut the door and proclaimed me the winner of the Cootie Brown Award. At least I was pretty tame and the headache I had on Saturday was definitely gone by Sunday morning.

The drive home was much better than it was two weeks ago due to a horrible accident. I did run into some traffic on the Bay Bridge but I don’t mind being stopped on the bridge because it gives me a chance to look around. I love that bridge!

Next weekend we are going back and this will be Mini Red’s first trip of the summer. Oh that reminds me I have to schedule her surf lessons for August. She has talked about trying that and I can’t wait to see her in action.

Talk to the hand cause the face just don't want to hear it

There have been times in my life where I’ve become grumpy. I say grumpy because it just didn’t seem to be enough to refer to it as a bout of depression. My divorce brought on a lot of this and the struggling I have done to make it all work and forge forward and create a great life for Mini Red.

I have come to rely on only myself but to not be afraid to ask family for help. Asking is the key because they can’t know unless I ask them and asking for help is not easy for me.

There were times I would come home from work and turn off the home phone and the cell phone. For me it was shutting out everything that was bothering me or causing me stress. I would then focus on Mini Red and we would fix dinner and do homework and have the evening and I would do my best not to think about what was bothering me. I was even shutting out my family and would go weeks without speaking to them. This was before Mini Red was hanging at the folks after school and before family dinner nights. I thought they would miss me and be worried and try to contact me to make sure everything was ok. The funny thing is they didn’t even notice because we were all so busy. I think the family dinners started because I would then talk to Mom about this and she realized we were all drifting apart.

The family dinners have been so good for our family. With the large age difference between my siblings and I there was a disconnect. Since starting the family dinner nights we have all become closer and more family members are joining.

My goal is to provide a great life for Mini Red as she grows into her own. I have also understood that if I don’t take care of myself then I can’t effectively take care of her. So I would try to get out and do stuff like date and hang with friends. I felt this was important for Mini Red to see so she would do the same for herself when she was older. Part of me always thought I would meet someone and we would work together have more kids and create this great life I couldn’t make work with FN. I left FN the day before I turned 30 hoping there was still enough time to meet someone to have more kids and build that home life I couldn’t make work the first go round.

So almost 9 years later I see it differently. I want to have a home and a dog for Mini Red but I want to get to that point on my own. I don’t need some guy but some guy would be nice to have. I still yearn to have at least one more child but I’m resolved that probably won’t happen. The goals and the outlook have changed.

Lately, my life is harry at best. I’m in college taking one course at a time and this second class is condensed which makes it more difficult. This is on top of a full time job, being a single Mom and trying to find some time for myself after I have had some time with Mini Red.

This is all ok and there is a definite goal that will be reached and a lesson for Mini Red to learn. What is really bothering me is some of the people in my life just don’t get it.

I have a friend who is a stay-at-home Mom caring for two kids. That is not an easy job but she has a husband that works so she can do this. She is forever asking me to give up something to help her. Help her!? So I help and I’ve taken off work to watch her kids and I stayed over to drive her and the kids to the airport for her vacation, closed up her house and even drove to her place several times a week to water the lawn and garden for two weeks. While she was on vacation I started my next class, which is condensed meaning twice a week from 6 to 10:50 at night. She then got mad when she called from her vacation to see if I could pick them up from the airport. When I said I couldn’t for some really valid reasons, one of which is Mini Red needed to catch her bus and I wouldn’t leave her to get ready on her own, she got mad. Yes, she got mad and even hung up on me. She called about a week after they got home and acted like nothing happened. Not even a thank you for watering or checking on their home. She doesn’t get it and I just don’t have the time to deal with this right now so I guess I’m shutting her out.

There’s this guy and he is really sweet but he isn’t for me. I have let him know this three times and he agreed that we would just be friends. We have hung out and had fun but he is really pushing for something more. It looks like we can’t even be friends and I can’t deal with trying to fight him off right now so I guess I’m shutting him out.

I realized that right now I’m shutting people out and turning off the phones so-to-speak but not to my family. I need my family and these weekends at the beach with them are perfect. I don’t have to do anything but be me and relax and have that bucket of alcohol to wash away the week’s crap. There is no stress here and that is what I need after my crazy weeks.

When this class is over I will talk to my friend and we will work it out because I love her. That guy can’t be in my life anymore because nothing will happen with us and he can’t seem to accept that. I still hope that one day I will meet a guy who can accept my craziness and me and can accept that I have Mini Red (that also seems to be an issue with many guys).

For right now I’m shutting some people out because sometimes you do what you have to do so you can get through life.

The Spice in my Dad's life

My Dad doesn’t want us to ever get him anything because he doesn’t want us to spend our money on him. Not for his Birthday, Christmas or even Father’s Day. When we would ask him what he wanted he would say “Just a kiss and a hug”. This year he let me get him something because it’s something he loves.

Dad liked his salt and then it turned into a Seasonal All spice which progress to specific brands and recipes. He went through Old Bay and J.O. and finally found his favorite Wye River. Not just any Wye River seasoning but Crab House Style, Red formula.

Dad has not been able to find it at his usual Wal Mart in Ocean City. So I found the website and joined. The weekend before Father’s Day and we were in The O.C. I was online and said to Dad that I was gonna get him some of his Wye River Spice for Father’s Day. He was more than happy and willing to let me get it for him and I placed an order for 25lbs of the Red Formula.

After a week I heard nothing and the order was still processing. For Father’s Day I didn’t have his gift but he knew it was on its way. Dad actually asked me about it at one point because he was excited.

I finally got word the order would be shipped this week and I was tickled when it was due arrive today. I even left a note on my door for the UPS Person to leave the package and here was my signature just in case. With my luck a signature would be required and I would have to chase down the package next week.

Throughout the day I checked the status to see if it was delivered. I wanted to take it to Dad at the beach. It all worked out perfectly and was sitting on my doorstep after work. I put it in the car and headed over to pick up Sis and Chase to head to shore. We had to take the box out of the trunk to fit Chase’s golf clubs in and when he went to put it back in the car he got a whiff so Sis moved in for a smell and all three of us were standing on the curb smelling this box.

As we got on the road Sis tells me the folks car got hit in a parking lot when they stopped for a bite on there way to shore. Dad was not a happy camper so I called and told Mom we were on our way with spice in hand and let Dad know. She agreed this would definitely perk him up.

Our drive couldn’t have been more perfect. Not even traffic at the Severn River Bridge. We dropped Chase in Arnold for a Bachelor party and Sis and I continued. It was perfect weather and absolutely beautiful.

We arrived, while listening to Bob Marley, and I carried the spice in. Dad popped outta his seat and whipped out his pocketknife to open the box. We were all curious how the spice was packaged. I don’t think any of us expected this:

Tomorrow morning Dad and I plan to walk the boards again and hoping to beat our time. Mom has already bowed out and we will see if Sis is up to the challenge.

I’m sure the next thing Dad does is run to Wal Mart for his spice containers because that’s all he is talking about now. This has made my week and it’s always nice when you can give back to your parents and make them happy.

Guest Post: IT Support May I Help You?

A friend at work has a second job in the evenings supporting a help desk. He’s been working help desks for 8 years now and gets all sorts of strange calls as I’m sure you can imagine. The other day he told me one and I thought it was so funny I asked him to be a guest blogger.

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When working in technical support I assist different types people. I assist the person who works in IT and swears they know everything, and wants to call just tell me how our system should work. I assist the person who knows damn well they shouldn’t even be near a damn computer.

I even assist the person just learning how to speak English. I have no problem assisting these people; it's my job to help those that are in need.

I calmly do my job until I get a person who simply wants to waste my time; even though I spend my spare time between calls is sleeping or playing PSP. These people are bored and have nothing better to do such as this woman:

Me: Tech support, how may I assist you?

Woman: HELLO?

Me: Tech support, how may I help you?

Woman: Where are you located?

Me: Virginia

Woman: Where in Virginia?

Me: _______, Virginia

Woman: No your not! Most companies like yours outsource overseas, I know you’re located in India or China.

Me: What? No. I’m an American, and we are not located in India I can assure you. Do you have a question?

Woman: They trained you well, you even sound like an American. You even sound black.

Me: What? Huh?

Woman: What's your name, not your fake American name but your real name?

Me: Goodbye douche.

A little while later she called back and spoke with co-worker, who happens to be Asian with a thick accent. He hung up on her when she wanted to know where in china he is located. What a crazy lady.

How cool is that?

I just got home a little after 11pm and my cell phone rings. It’s Tex! He must be at the Extended Blogger Happy Hour. He says, “Where are you?”

I tell him I thought Mini Red was going to be at the beach with Grandma but plans changed.

He tells me, “There are people here who want to meet you!”

“Oh yeah? It must be because I’m The MILF Blogger.”

“Here’s one now. Hey… Hey… It’s Red!”

Someone grabs the phone and says, “Hello, hello I wanna meet Red!"

I’m cracking up and ask who he is when Tex takes the phone back and I hear him say, “She’s says good to meet you.”

I promise to try and make the next one and bring PSUAcoustician and Shortie.

How cool is that?

Nicole came into town this week and schedules were crazy. She, Mrs. M and I couldn’t all meet up at the same time so she met up with Mrs. M on Wednesday and Mini Red and I were hoping for some time tonight. Ends up, after all the time she lived here, she had never been to Old Town Alexandria so that was our destination.

First we met up with some of my co-workers at a Going-Away Happy Hour for my Sister from another Mister, Na’Imah. We then walked town to the Torpedo Factory and out to the water. This is where we found a man playing some amazing music with goblets. We had to hang around and listen for a bit.

Then something caught my eye. Do you see it?
The things kids put in their mouth?!?!?!

We ended up grabbing a bite to eat at The Fish Market and an ice cream cone at Pops and took our time walking back.

It was so good to see Nicole. We both have such crazy busy schedules that we don’t talk much but our friendship is strong.

How cool is that?

Wednesday, I had taken the day off to take care of some things. Mom and I tackled some errands together and then went for lunch and some shoe shopping. When Mini Red got home I took her to get a Father’s Day gift for her Dad. After looking for ties at Macy’s I stumbled across a bra sale. I’ve needed some new ones for some time now but never had the time or patience. I bought two and was very pleased at the prices although still a bit pricy. One even has a bit of lace and I’m very excited about that. As we walked out of Macy’s I exclaimed to Mini Red, “Boobs are expensive!”

This morning I pulled out one of the new bras (the non-lace one). I was amazed! My boobs looked ten years younger and were up in my neck. They looked so good and so perky I couldn't help but think “Damn, I could hang a coat on each of these pups!”

How cool is that?

This is why I blog…

So I have someone to tell all about my odd little days filled with good and bad, especially the good.

The day started off well enough. I got to work and ate my oatmeal with berries. I logged on to see if my test of the Preventive Maintenance (PMs) auto generation worked properly. It did… sort of. This meant tinkering with it all morning and it still wasn't working right. Finally, I set it to run while I was out to lunch and figured I would work on it when I got back.

Trish was picking me up and we were meeting Justin for lunch at Chevy’s at one of the Pentagon malls. First I ran to my car to grab the gift I had for her and the baby. She had offered to pick me up since I was just over the bridge and I was more than happy to let her. So I stood out there on 14th Street waiting for her holding a bag that said “TaDa”. I quickly turned the bag around and gave myself a quick once over to make sure I couldn’t be mistaken for a… You know. Then again they don’t hang around there anymore… Do they? I couldn’t help but laugh and hope she would show up soon, which she did.

I could have stayed at lunch all day. We had a seat outside and Justin and I decided to get the Frozen Watermelon Margarita. YumFookingYum!! We covered a wide range of topics including Boobs. Trish keeps asking me how I deal with them because it’s taking some getting used to. She’s hoping she gets to keep them after the baby arrives. Time flew by too fast and I knew I had to get back and get the test PMs running for the client. We all agreed that our lunch reminded us of a “Sex In The City” episode. None of us could claim to be Samantha but in the end we decided that today Trish was a “Pregnant, Put Together, Charlotte”, I was a “Too Busy Miranda with no Man”, and Justin was “Carrie” because he has the boyfriend, the social life, and just got back from Aruba and is lookin so fine. Beotch! I tried to arrange something where we all go out before Trish has the baby because she could be the DD. Plus she doesn’t need a drop to drink to have a good time or instigate something. I can’t wait to have lunch with you guys again soon. I miss the whole gang not being together anymore.

Back at work I found that all my hard work paid off and the PMs ran perfectly. I documented it and successfully finished some other tasks before heading out. Tonight is class you know and I need to see Mini Red on my way there. I was in a great mood til I came up against Metro Area drivers. They are all over the place and my point was proven as I drove up Cathedral Avenue. Some nut bag not only hit a parked car but his right front wheel was in the parked car’s front windshield. WTF!?!? I know I need to be faster with the camera but I need to see Mini Red before getting to class.

Can I tell you how much I hate Connecticut Avenue on the Maryland side of Chevy Chase Circle? The lanes are so narrow it’s scary and on top of that one of those “Potomac, Suburban Driving, on the phone without a earpiece Mom’s” pulls out from a side road and comes into my lane nearly hitting me. WTF?!?! I even mentioned this to Mom, when I got to her house, who gave an “Oh, one of those” looks because aren’t we all familiar with those women?

So I grabbed a quick bite to eat and a little bit of time with Mini Red before I was off to class. I suggested to Mini Red that instead of watching TV she could read, practice her violin or even write up a review for the blog. I said all of this loud enough so Mom could hear and I think the writing came as a great idea to both of them.

Class was uneventful but a lot of information I'm hoping to retain. When I picked up Mini Red I was glad to hear she spent her time constructively and wrote a post (see previous post).

It was a long day and full of everything imaginable. I think the frozen margarita was key for such a successful day. You should try it sometime, but only one or your right front tire could end up in someone’s windshield.

Mini Red’s Critic Corner

Pirates of the Caribbean, At Worlds End

Everyone is talking about something this upcoming summer and it’s not the fact that school’s out. No it’s the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie where Jack is back and better then ever.

Yes, I mean Jack Sparrow… Captain Jack Sparrow.

When Jack first appears he is in Davy Jones locker. The reason Jack is there is because he needed to settle a debt with Davy Jones as we learned in the last movie “Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Mans Chest”.

Well, in this movie Jack and the gang (Will, Elisabeth, Barrbosa, Tia Dalma, Pintel, Ragette, Gibbs, etc) face Lord Cutler Becket, the entire East India Trading Company with Davy Jones and his crew. Thankfully, they are not alone when 9 Pirate Lords from around the world meet to reclaim the sea from the Company and Jones. There is not only action in this movie but lots of funny scenes but no rolling water mill.

The rest is history and you have to watch it to find out. Remember to keep reading Life of Red for more CRITICS’ CORNER by Mini Red. Thanks for reading.

How I met the Ocean City Fire Department

Friday, I headed down to the O.C. This past week was full of tension and turmoil and I just wanted to get away and relax with the folks. I took my time driving and even stopped at the Queenstown Outlets to see what I might find. When I hit traffic in Easton is when I noticed all the specialty cars and realized it was a big car weekend in O.C. This meant tons of noise and craziness along with all the high schoolers that are down for senior week.

I didn’t arrive until nine and I hit the hay shortly after that. When I woke at 7:30 the next morning I felt as if I had been hit by a train. You would have thought I had been out partying the night before. Of course Dad was already up and chilling out on the couch. He was itching to walk the boards and I was more than happy to get some exercise. On our way there Dad was telling me his best time was 35 minutes beginning to end and the boardwalk is 2.25 miles long. I was up for the challenge and what lay ahead of me because he walks fast and I didn’t want to slow him down. I thought for sure I would end up jogging just to keep up with him.

The morning was perfect and it was a little cloudy which held the sun back from blaring down on us. Walking the boards there is always something to see. There are so many people early in the morning and all sorts of bikes and surrey’s to rent but the newest things to rent are Segways. Why rent those unless your just plain lazy? We made it from one end of the boardwalk to the other in 35 minutes and Dad thinks we may have beat his record but only by 30 seconds.

Consistently, throughout our walk we passed people due to our fast pace. We even passed one of the surreys but on our way back up the boards two young women passed us with baby strollers. Dad was rather amazed we were passed yet couldn't help but be impressed.

It was a great workout and I was feeling better but I was looking forward to a bite to eat and a nap. When we got back Mom asked if I wanted to head into Berlin to our favorite store Tada. How could I pass that up so the nap would have to wait. As luck would have it Berlin was having its Annual Berlin Village Fair. So Mom made sure to let Dad know we would be longer than originally expected.

The first thing we saw as we headed into the fair was the stage with the live music. Two men were playing and one pulled out his electric piano and was singing. This reminded me of a scene in a movie where this kid was playing his electric piano thinking he was cool but he wasn’t. I wish I could remember which movie that was. Anyhow, I found my little piece of happiness in the Polish Pottery booth. Forget that my head was still hurting and I was feeling the walk from the morning… I had added to my collection and this tickled me pink. We left before the bathtub races but we needed get our late lunch and I was still in need of a nap.

After a kick ass sandwich from Anthony’s I took a nap but my headache was still there when I woke. By this time Happy Hour at Mackey’s was in full swing and I figured a little alcohol might just be what the doctor ordered so the folks and I headed over. We procured some seats at the bar and Mom and Dad had their favorite bartender, Danny, tending to them. A couple of beers later I was finally feeling better but I couldn’t deal with the happy hour food. I was warned they would be getting the bucket but I was clueless as to what the bucket was until they ordered it. The bucket is a beach pail, with an attached shovel, filled with alcohol. It was brought over with three straws and let me tell ya I was scared. It was surprisingly good and every sip was better and better.

I left a little before the folks because It was getting cold and the headlights were on if ya know what I mean. Dad likes to stay for the sunset and Kate Smith singing the National Anthem and were then home soon after me.

I tried to put on a movie but realized I had too much to drink and couldn’t follow what was going on. I figured it was time for me to hit the hay so I climbed into bed at the ungodly hour of 9pm. This was a really good thing because I was rudely woken up at midnight with the fire alarm blaring throughout the building.

Ever notice how you become a bumbling idiot when you’re woken like that? Mom and Dad weren’t in the mood to be leaving the condo but they threw on some clothes and we headed out. The fire engine display was impressive. It was just a false alarm due to kids hitting the alarm box located between my car and my parents.

The Fire Engines left with their sirens blaring as they ran off to the next emergency and have passed at least three four five more times running up and down Coastal Highway to various emergencies. I guess these boys are busy this time of year.

So I am wide-awake and blogging. Sounds like the neighbors are up too! I hope I can get back to sleep soon but at least that damn headache is finally gone.

How do YOU spell Happyness?

If you’re familiar with this blog then you are aware that I commute through DC everyday and I have found Connecticut Avenue can be very interesting. I don’t think anything will ever beat the afro mullet I saw in Cleveland Park years ago but it encouraged me to finally purchase a camera-phone.

I know I’ve mentioned some characters I’ve seen in my travels such as Walking Man, who I saw this week on Cathedral Avenue. Another one is Grandma Dressing Man who I saw just yesterday. He was wearing a floral matching skirt and top and it got me thinking… How does someone get to that point? He walks to and from Cleveland Park to work, in Van Ness, everyday wearing women’s clothing. What do his co-workers say? What does he do for a living that his job can look past what he wears and take him seriously?

I have so many questions and would love to be a fly on his wall. Well maybe just his wall at work. I can’t help but think he would have to be so incredibly confident and secure in himself to just do what makes him happy, which is wearing women’s clothing. This is the epitome of not caring what other people think and to a point that it may exclude people out of his life. I’m impressed that he is secure enough to do what it takes have happiness in his life, but I guess that depends on what makes a person happy. Isn’t one of the goals in life to just be happy?

Happiness is something I’ve contemplated for sometime now. What makes each of us happy is so incredibly different. When you’re feeling low what do you do to make yourself happy? My Mom knits and she’s spoken of my Sister’s “Happy Place” as the Starboard in Dewey. For me, often times its music and usually Bob Marley’s Could You Be Loved does wonders for me. Then again a hug from Mini Red will cure anything.

The other thing that does wonders for my state of mind is running. One day I hope to complete a marathon but for right now my schedule allows for once a week if I’m lucky. I’m not a great runner but if something is bothering me running is the best way to clear my head. When I first started running I hated it and it took a while to be more comfortable and figure out the form, pace and breathing. People always say you don’t need much to run and you don’t need any special equipment but you do. For women you need a really good sports bra. Then there are the clothes that wick away moisture to make you more comfortable but most importantly are the shoes. Personally, I have gotten over what I look like when I’m running and I’m not out to impress anyone because my goal is how I feel at the end of my run. Each person has their own way of doing all of this but can be interesting is to see what people wear when they run.

This morning I saw two women running on Connecticut Avenue that were stopped at a intersection. One was in spandex leggings and the other was in running shorts but both had short tops on bearing their middles. Now don’t get me wrong because I, definitely, don’t have a runner’s body but I could have pulled of those tops better than them.

I commend anyone for getting out there and exercising but their midriffs should NOT have been showing. There was a decent amount and it was jiggling all over the place. I couldn’t help but wonder if they had both recently given birth. Seems to be another case of being secure with yourself and I’m all for self confidence. So if you want to let it all hang out that’s cool too but I would think on the busy streets of DC some form of modesty should be maintained.

Maybe it’s all in the eye of the beholder? I find Grandma Dressing Man fascinating and I felt a little embarrassed for the Big Midriff Running Chicks. Others might feel completely different and be bothered by the likes of one or the other.

It boils down to everyone is trying to find their own happiness, people are fascinating creatures and the city seems to bring it all out. I guess I’ll sit back and watch it all because it seems to be something that makes me happy.

The Reds went a Running

Last night was my night to run with Mrs. M but due to thunderstorms we had to cancel. So when I got home I piled my hair in a bunch and was putting on some comfy clothes when I noticed IT. There was a big white hair at the top of my head. Not gray because redheads don’t turn gray but white.

I tried to take a photo but it didn’t do it justice. I guess I’m not really surprised and I’m grateful to still have my natural color at my ripe old age of 38. I’m gonna chalk this white hair up to the chaos that is my life lately. At least life has not been boring.

Mini Red and I decided to dive into our leftovers and turn on “John Tucker Must Die” during the storm. I dozed and she got on the computer. It wasn’t long before the movie was over and so was the storm so I gave Mini Red options as to what was gonna happen next.

She could get off the computer and clean her room while I worked on my project for class or we could get out and go for a walk/run. She opted for the walk/run and soon realized there would definitely be running. We had tried to get it together to run before but it never happened. I’ve suggest running since she is often out of breath after swimming and wanted to improve her running for gym.

We walked up the hill and as soon as we were on a downward slope I suggested running. We hadn’t even gotten two blocks before she wanted to stop and complained of a side cramp. I told her to walk if she needed to but walk fast and I would continue running but not far away from her. She pushed herself to keep up or rather keep down. She didn’t understand that running didn’t mean she had to be fast just consistent at least while her body was warming up.

She offered up the definition of running as only one foot on the ground at a time. This means she is listening in school… Wahoo!

We had a great time and I gave her some pointers but explained I’m no great runner by any means. We discussed the how running benefits not only your muscles and lungs but great for your mind. She also got a lesson on spitting since I think I might have the beginning of a cold and tossed a few loogies. She wanted to try but ended up spitting on her shoes. I explained that when running your flem can get thick so you hock it up and roll it on your tongue so you can shoot it out as far away from yourself as possible. Plus when you do shoot it out you make sure no one is around to see you, no spitting on cars and more importantly no spitting on yourself. Spitting as well as burps and farts do happen when running but there is no reason that you can’t try to maintain a lady like sense about you.

By the end of our run she was beat and I was just warmed up. She was walking and I was running back and forth so we were never far from each other. Part of me wanted to just give her the keys so I could go for longer but it was getting dark and with my luck she would lock me out. So I ran around the apartment building and up seven flights of stairs while she walked in the front door and took the elevator. We were drenched with sweat due to the humidity and I gave her the last lesson which is to drink a ton of water and shower as soon as possible because we were stanky.

I just don't get no better than a rainy Sunday

Today has been a relaxed rainy Sunday. Thank goodness cause I needed it. This is why I got stuff done yesterday.

I did accomplish a huge task that has been looming over my head. Scheduling and planning Mini Red's summer as well as creating the color coded calendar is now marked off on my to do list. I feel so much better that it is all planned now. Phew!

We were then treated to a nice dinner and finished it off with a movie at home. If you haven’t seen it Happy Feet is a fun movie for just such a day as this.

All evening Mini Red has been working my nerves. I usually offer to beat her, which often gets strange looks when we are out in public. This evening I tried sitting on her but that didn’t help. She finally got into bed and I went in for my usual kiss goodnight once the lights were off. This is when Mini Red said, “Thanks for not beating me tonight Mom.”

I hope next week isn't as tough

It has been a very chaotic week. Not sure how I’m gonna do this for another seven weeks but hopefully Mini Red’s drama is over and that will help a lot.

After all the crap with the hate list there was more to the story. The bully had bothered Mini Red so much that she wrote some not so nice things in her journal. Mini Red had a friend spend the night some weeks ago and somehow the friend saw the journal and told the bully. This is, supposedly, why the hate list was created. Then Mini Red retaliated and created her own hate list. She had a few people sign it but then trashed it realizing it was wrong. She hadn’t told me about it because she knew I would not be happy but she readily admitted it to the school administration.

After all that the two girls were punished equally and were suspended from going to the amusement park with the school and I’m out the money. I wrote a long email to the principal and the counselors stating that I agreed with Mini Red being punished BUT pointed out that her punishment was by her own admission of acting out after being bullied whereas they had the bully’s hate list in their hands.

I know the school is limited and can only deal with this so far. My concerns have been noted and Mini Red has learned that retaliation has put her in the same light as the bully. This also means she should have listened to Mom from the git.

Tuesday, I started my class and there are a whole different lot of people in this class. I have learned there are different levels of geeks. I consider myself a geek but then there is a higher level of geekdome. This higher level consider themselves to be the End-All-Be-All and compete to show how awesomely smart they are. Two such people found each other in my class and during the break proceeded to attempt to communicate right in front of me. I swear they were both speaking a different language and weren’t listening to each other. They were loud and I have concluded this is to help others understand just how smart they are. On top of that they are both in their mid forties yet the dude talked like he was in high school and would use words such as “Sweeeet!” These are also the two people that will pop out of their seat grab your mouse and show you something rather than letting the teacher answer a question you have just asked. I am staying very quiet in this class and becoming very amused by all the different characters but if someone pops up behind me and grabs my mouse my redheaded temper might just get the best of me.

Wednesday, brought a bit of a free day. The family dinner was cancelled so I met up with Mrs. M for a run. It was a tough run since we had been slacking the last week and it was hot out. We pushed forward and it felt good but dehydrated us. I cleaned up after sucking down a ton of water, and took Mini Red for a bite to eat before we headed to Columbia to water a friend’s property since they are out of town. I swear there just aren’t enough hours in a day and for a free day we were pretty busy.

The second class, on Thursday, was much better and some familiar faces showed from my spring class. We have been given our first assignment and I’m enjoying it.

Thursday, definitely required some scheduling so I could get to class. Mini Red had her last swimming class and her last concert of the school year plus my parents were heading out of town for a wedding. I didn’t want to miss class so I did some planning. She would have to miss swimming because the concert is part of her grade. I contacted her father and I was able to get him to come out and get her to the concert. This meant he needed to get her before I had to leave at 5pm and have her at the school by 6pm for the 7pm concert. He didn’t want to have to feed her so I would leave work early to do that. He said something about an hour not being enough time. Go figure. After the concert he would drop her off at my cousins and I would pick her up from there on my way home from school. Sounds easy but that’s a lot of people to pull together.

Things got a little turned around when the day came but it all worked out and her Dad took her shopping and out to get a bite before the concert. Mini Red did well in the concert but, evidently, it was so hot that everyone was soaked with sweat by the time it was over.

Friday, brought the end to a crazy week and a change of plans for Mini Red. The original plan was the Nats game and she and I would each bring a friend. Instead she babysat for the cousins kids and they came to the game with me. The Nats pulled it out to win in the bottom of the 10th and Mini Red earned some money to pay me back for the money I wasn’t getting refunded on that school trip she was suspended from. She did an excellent job taking care of the kids and I couldn’t be more proud. So I let her keep the money. She has gotten off easy and I’m out money but if she has learned some lessons then it’s all worth it.