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Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Back from b-ball camp

And sitting on hard bleachers up in Anacortes for hours on end.

However, in the end, a good time was had by all. When I first walked up to Jennifer -after not seeing her for a week - she put a finger up and shot me a glare that said "don't you dare hug me," and then she asked for $$ and if we'd brought any food. Sigh. Still the walking ATM and snack bar - although she was affectionate later, once her friends were out of sight.

Gary and I were the only parents from the JV team up there Friday night, which was odd, until the coach explained. Many parents for V and JV use this as a vacation from said kids. But more and more parents showed up as the weekend wore on, and we traded stories about our kids, Cascade Middle School and what's ahead at Auburn Senior High.

Gary even got to tell some parents on a select Canadian team to shut up, after they got after their kids and the opposing team. And wouldn't you know it, they did shut up and were suddenly his best friend for the rest of the tournament. Odd. Eh?

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Didn't you know about that?

Was chatting with some college students, who were busy rewiring the computer system in the office, and one of them turned out to be a student teacher at Cascade Middle School.

She had seen Jennifer in the play, had liked her performance, and then the conversation turned to the general nature of the school.

"Did she tell you about that big fight there," student teacher asked.

Nooooo

"Yeah, 20 kids were in a brawl in the courtyard during lunch, and they had designated students to distract the teachers in the lunchroom, so the fight could start."

Great. No I hadn't heard about that. Since Auburn Senior High is a larger version of Cascade, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she won't be around, if and went that happens there.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Open shower bays

"What do you mean they have open show bays in college!"

This was the outraged conversation I was having with Jennifer last night, as she was settling in in the Western dorms for b-ball camp this week. Gary couldn't stand not talking to her last night (he'd seen her approx. 3.5 hours before when he dropped her off at camp). Once he checked in, he handed the phone over to me.

And Jennifer bemoaned the fact that she was going to have to get up in the early am to make roll call at 7 am to start camp. When was she going to have time to take a shower, or iron her hair? Yes, you read that last sentence correctly.

I calmly asked whether there were individual stalls or show bays in the dorms. Usually it's one or the other. Horrified silence.

"I'm not going to a college with open shower bays," she sputtered (I guess this tops scholastic ranking now)

"Well, some colleges have them, as do some high schools."

At this point it dawned on us both. We hadn't talked about high school shower bays that are the routine torture of every high school girl. Except of course if you have a perfect body. And remember Jennifer won't even let me see her naked anymore, so I think she'd do well in the sizing up routine that goes on, but this is all conjecture.

It was then pop corn time and the girls behind her were getting loud, so she signed off. I'm sure we'll have this conversation later.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Please do not beat up on the kids

But you can beat up about psycho guy sitting next to us if you want. On second thought, just leave him be.

That was the conversation this afternoon as Jennifer and I saw one of the first showings of The Dark Knight this afternoon. And wouldn't you know, some idiot parents brought their kids. I mean young kids, like 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7. This is not a movie for any of these age groups. It's great, don't get me wrong, and will probably get the deceased Heath Ledger an Oscar nomination. However, it is dark, violent and disturbing in some parts. And you might run into creepy people sitting next to you laughing as someone gets a pencil through their eye. Yeah. Real funny.

Now there were some funny lines by The Joker or Alfred for comic relief. But of course weirdo guy didn't laugh at any of these.

Jennifer swore if the kids started to cry, she was going to order the parents to take them out. Not really out of concern for the kid's psyche, mind you, but because she didn't want the noise spoiling "her" Batman movie. She's been obsessed since the opening date was announced.

Plans to buy a t-shirt tomorrow. (her dad later said no) We have two large boxes of cereal going stale on our kitchen counter so she could get the Batman and Joker toys out of the bottom.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Goodbye girl

Jennifer was so excited.

Could she please, please, please go on a three day trip with her friend Haley to the girl's lake cabin near Olympia. Now gary and I had not met said family yet. So we negotiated. She had to come to the Stevie Wonder concert with us Friday, but we'd take her out to the lake house Saturday morning.

Good thing we did. That cabin (which is bigger than our house) was to heck and gone past Olympia. And I could tell that Haley's parents knew we were giving them the once over. They reassured us several times they'd keep her save, make sure she wears a life jacket and not do something stupid like swim out to the island in the middle of the lake. Gary couldn't help calling her once and texting her once over the weekend (she finally texted back and said to stop).

Next week should be interesting, as she's going up for a week-long B-ball camp at Western with her new teammates at Auburn High. She's never been away that long before (never did the Girl Scout thing) and it will be interesting to see how she does. Frankly, it will be interesting to see how her father does. I might have to limit his phone calls.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Stevie who?

That was about the response from Jennifer, as Gary and I proudly told her this week we were taking her to a Stevie Wonder concert out at the White River Amphitheater in Auburn.

We had an extra ticket. Did she want to take a friend?

"None of them know who Stevie Wonder is, or care. It's only the old people that go and see him anymore. I don't have to go, do I?"

Well, since we already bought the ticket, yes you do.

While standing in line last night, waiting for the gates to open, Jennifer was taking stock of the line demographics.

"See, what did I tell you? Old. And white. What is with that? Didn't you say he was black? What songs does he sing again? Can I at least get some food?"

This stream of consciousness went on until we got inside the gate, and purchased her some $4 bottled water and a $8 hamburger. Once the concert began, fashionably late at 8:30 pm, some of the old folks, in the racially diverse crowd (she finally saw some folks who weren't white) began to dance, vigorously, in the grass, where we were, as well as in the stands.

Jennifer glared: Don't you dare.

I admit, it looked as if some of the dancers were going to drop of exhaustion before the end of the night, or hit someone in the face with their gyrating arms. It was mostly jazz and his new stuff, but toward the end, his golden oldies came out. And then Jennifer didn't want to leave, even when Gary and I threatened to dance.

She also started receiving texts from outraged friends who realized that she did have a ticket to the sold out concert, they loved Stevie and why didn't she invite them!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Don't mess with the nice doctor the first time you meet her, please

That was what was going through my mind as Jennifer, dressed in those wonderful open backed robes, sat on the table, while her new doc (a woman and my current doc) grilled on any sexual activity (no), bulimia (no), drugs (no), alcohol (no) and her general habits.

I could tell by the look on my daughter face that she was thinking of fessing up to it all, just to get Debra to stop. This was for the sports physical that all athletes have to have every year and Jennifer REFUSED this time to go to Pediatrics NW.

"All there are are kids and babies there!" And she has a man doc. A nice one mind you. But a man nonetheless. And Jennifer wasn't going to put up answering questions about pubic hair and sexual activity from him.

So we switched to my doc. And hence the grilling yesterday.

"What, exactly, did she expect me to say in front of you," Jennifer asked later, after getting a cervical cancer vaccine shot (I've given up telling Jennifer that she's through with shots. Every time I say that, they come up with another).

"I was about ready to say, yes, I puke after every meal, is there a problem with that?" Jennifer grinned.

Since Debra is such a nice lady and a good doc, I'm glad she didn't. But I can see Jennifer's point.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Do you think I'm fat?

It's a question that sometimes I'm a whisker from asking Jennifer. And then I stop. What type of message does that send to her? (who now won't even tell me her weight - she's fine a size 2 and all - but still)

After my last pregnancy at about 38, my metabolism must have done a nose dive, because the pounds came on, and now I have about 30 to lose. Started Weight Watchers last week, and lost about a pound and half, so only 28.5 more to go. However, I try to keep the fussing about my weight to a minimum around Jennifer. The only time I'll get close to that question is if the clothes look okay, or "how do I look?" and then brace myself for the always honest answer only a 14 year old can give.

I am pleased that Jennifer has all shapes and sizes of friends, so what someone weighs doesn't seem to be an issue with her, in fact, she thinks a few of her friends could stand to gain some weight. So through these years, I'll just have to keep my neurosis to myself.