Here We Are Again, the Start of the End ...

Mindy and teacher pal, Joy. Mindy and teacher pal, Keri (Keri's 27, single and lookin' for love). I spent the last of my waking hours updating my blog for Saturday and Sunday. It was now officially Wednesday morning (1230am), and it was time for bed. Prior to heading home at 1130pm I was at Mindy’s and had fallen asleep. We were watching a movie on HBO, The Day After Tomorrow, for a while, but then went to bed. I was enjoying some popcorn while Mindy tended to the needs of her two young children. We didn’t even get to her house until about 840pm. We had been at her school’s 2nd grade Xmas concert from about 645pm till 815pm (Mindy had actually been there longer helping get her students prepped). The show was quite entertaining and touching all at the same time. There’s something about the innocence of children singing and celebrating Christmas that always touches my heart. While at her school I met her principal, Jane and Joy, another second grade teacher whom I had yet to meet. I also talked with a few that I had met at Mindy’s Xmas gathering. I guess it speaks volumes to the amount of respect some of the parents have for Mindy’s ability to teach. There were parents there telling me how she has had all of their children in her class and that they would be lobbying to have her teach their other children too. I had the pleasure of being in the classroom amongst a sea of youths, and I was tired in just the short amount of time I was there observing. Imagine babysitting 25 seven year olds all at once! HELP!!!!! I was home from work by 525pm and tending to my usual stuff; walking Ykraps, prepping coffee, cleaning lunch dishes. I also spent some quality time reading about some of the photo features of my new camera in hopes of solving some of the troubles I’ve encountered with certain shots. I fooled around with that for about half an hour. Work went really well. Not too many issues on this day. And my lunch time run was just as uneventful. I did get a call this morning from my daughter Lindsey with a unique request related to a Christmas. Lindsey had requested a new vacuum cleaner for Xmas from her daddy. Consequently, I had done my research and was prepared to make a purchase when last minute, Lindsey informed me that her grandmother, Kelly's mom, had called her and asked her to have me get something else, a carpet steam cleaner because she wanted to get the vacuum. After all, "she knew way more about vacuums than me". I cringed but ultimately obliged. I mean, hey, I hadn't made the purchase yet and certainly didn't want to rain on anyone's holiday. Well, today I get a call requesting the exact opposite. It seems Kelly's mother now wants to retract her request because she found it more convenient to get the steam cleaner. She apparently asked Lindsey to call me and redirect my gift list. Too bad! I had already found and purchased the steam cleaner and was a lttle taken back by the arrogance of the request (not Lindsey, but Rosemary). Time's getting short with the shopping season and I certainly don't want to be running things back already especially when we supposedly coordinated our efforts. This sounds too petty - i know, but it's the principle and lack of respect of another's time that irks me most. Anyway, I told Lindsey not to worry, that I'll call her. I did. I left a message with Al, her husband and my former father-in-law. he loves me! About a half an hour later I get a call from Rosemary at my desk. She's paying coy and we begin discussing the situation. She arrogantly told me that she went ahead a got the steam cleaner because she did her esearch throug hconsumer reports and got one heck of a deal. She was bold enough to ask where I bout mine and what breand it was. Reluctantly I shared those details with her. She then proceeded to tell me that Lindsey can simply take mine back. EWH!!!! The arrogance! I suggested that perhaps Lindsey should take hers back. And really, she should take it back and leave my daughter out of the middle. She got a little pissy with me. I gave her an earful of dial tone! :) I certainly didn't need that crap from her. My only regret is that I allowed that interaction to get to me far more than I should've. I am so much better than that. That's a great example of the pettiness of Xmas. Shame on us all!