Oatmeal Helper

Back in the day when the Hubs still ate what I cooked, he said I was a very good cook, as long as the meal preparation didn't involve boiling water. There is some truth to this. I had a couple of corned beef disasters on St. Patrick's Day in the early years, and I've inherited my mother's absolute inability to measure the proper amount of dry pasta into the pot. I am notoriously poor at timing boiled eggs to come out the way I want them to.

Sunday morning, I could not make myself a bowl of oatmeal.

My first mess was actually earlier in the week, when I tried to microwave a bowl of regular -- that is, not instant from a packet -- oatmeal. It all looked great until I took it out and it was more like gruel, thin and runny. Sunday's endeavor boiled over and went everywhere, but what was left was edible. This morning, with a reduced portion, more boiling over. I need to work this out. Oatmeal is apparently The Thing to eat in the morning if you expect to have any health at all.

My in-laws dropped by yesterday afternoon, which is a huge production, even though they stayed less than a half hour. We knew they might be coming, but not exactly when, so that requires everyone to stay in the house at the ready. The in and out of the house takes some time for the FIL, who has a lot of trouble walking. It wasn't a long visit; they came up mainly to see Uncle Al (married to Aunt Marie, who is the FIL's sister), who just got out of the hospital. He's not well, and I think, not going to improve much. A very dear man.

My personal husband, as usual, is strange, but that's not new. He could go visit Uncle Al, I'm thinking, whom he adores, but he hasn't done that. Ah, hell, maybe I'll go over there without him, but it just seems like it's his family, he should make the move. And it's not as if he wasn't raised right, because he was. He's just weird.

Anyway, we went out to dinner last night with R and the GF (Gentleman Friend), who is a sweetie. He's moving into the rented house next week, she will move in April; it's all based on when their current leases expire or can be properly broken. I'm very excited and happy for them. Closer would be nice, but this is nice, too.

My back is just terrible, and I really don't know why. I don't think it's the Wii. I've had this back thing coming and going for a long time -- I think I was 20 or 21 when I first hurt my back -- and it's unpredictable both for cause and treatment. A few weeks ago when I had it, Tylenol was my wonder drug. Now I'm reluctant to take the Tylenol because of the liver thing, but when I do take it, it doesn't do anything anyway.

We're having half-days through Wednesday because of mid-terms, and they called a special faculty meeting today, which grumped everyone out, but I knew it was the farewell meeting for the SCM and the guidance counselor who's also leaving as of Friday. I was supposed to get up and say a few words, but then the meeting was canceled, so I guess they'll hand him his gift on his way out on Friday. He's got tomorrow, and then he'll be out Wednesday, and then two more days and he's done. On the one hand, that seems very strange, but on the other, I feel like, okay, next stage, let's go, let's get it started.

Even so, in honor of his last week, let me present to you a picture of the library staff:



I am in the front left, of course, and the SCM is beside me. Behind me, the lovely young blonde lady is Media Girl, who is the part-time aide who takes care of scheduling and delivering TVs, our video collection, and a wide range of other things. The other lady is our part-time secretary who is Not The Colleague, and who is an absolutely lovely person who does nothing at all in the library that I can see.

---------

Later.

No happy face tonight, although today was fine. It's about 6:45 now, and for the last hour, at least, I have entered one of my panic states over K not being home. I knew she had a student teaching orientation to go to "this afternoon", so by 5, 5:15, I started to wonder where she was. I texted. I waited, and then I left voicemail. I was sure this thing was in the early afternoon, because she had emailed me around 1, and I emailed her back, but she never answered, so I assumed it had started then.

Oy. She just called; it was from 4 to 6:30. I am a wreck. You cannot even imagine how many times I have gone over this very issue in therapy, and here I jumped right off the deep end again, and after two really, really good weeks.

I don't want to eat or anything; I just want a really good long cleansing cry. (But it's hard to keep crying once you know the kid is okay, of course.) Maybe just a lot of deep breaths, and more iced tea.


WATCHING FRIENDS :: ENTRY #1972
READING: ---- by ----