Bustling

I am on the cusp of being 'officially on vacation', something which I have not said since this time last year when I took off Spring Break week - and then a coworker died during that vacation and that week pretty much was the end of that short vacation. It was a bad week - a bad memory that still haunts me to this day....

I left my desk fairly straightened and organized. I have a bulging folder of 'stuff' that requires my immediate attention upon my return on the 31st - but there isn't anything 'looming' too badly. And the great thing about working for the schools is: when you're off during Winter or Spring break, so is everyone else - so there's not going to be too much happening anyway and therefore, you can leave without too much worrying.

I am taking work with me - budget stuff that I do need to work on and hope to sneak some time in on while the kids and/or J. are out playing golf, etc. Hoping I can wedge a bit of work time in - and if not, I'll try to work a bit the weekend we're home before we return to the regular world. This job never, EVER ends - and that point was driven home when I was called on Monday during a 'non-work' day by my boss and asked to call back our local newspaper who was working on an article related to the effect the State budget crisis is having on the 'rural' districts in our town. I called the reporter back, gave her my answers - being very careful to NOT state a firm number related to what 'cuts' we will be making. Repeatedly said when she tried to put words in my mouth 'no, I'm not going to be able to give you a firm number'. So first thing Tuesday morning, I go online and read the paper and what does she say? She says '[xyz District]....will be cutting x%'. Which is NOT WHAT I SAID. My boss said 'welcome to the world of the misquoted'. Pissed me off. On a good note, though, I did, really, finally feel like a 'real' CBO. Like I'd joined the club of realizing that it doesn't matter what you say - the paper will print what they like. The are known for that. I don't trust them, would prefer to never have to talk to them but I don't have a job that allows for that. I work for a public agency and when I'm asked direct questions, I reply as best I can being very careful how I structure my response. Sneaky buggers! I'd stop my subscription in protest but the paper is free - they haven't charged for delivery in years. And they wouldn't care anyway.

I have a class all day tomorrow and my current plan involves staying up all night and sleeping on the plane. J. thinks we will breeze to the airport - I think there is no such thing as breezing through what is known as one of Northern California's worst commutes. Two hugely congested freeways with hellish interchanges. But he thinks we're leaving early enough (our flight leaves at 7AM, we're supposed to be at the airport by 5 and we're leaving at 3:30) that we won't have any trouble. And it is Good Friday and many people will take the day off. I told J. 'if we end up getting to Oakland seriously early, we'll head to a Denny's and have a nice breakfast before heading to the plane'. I hate early flights - I picked our evening flight time specifically to avoid what we are about to do: getting two teenagers up and in the car at 3:30AM with bags and bags of stuff. But the airline changed our flights and now we're stuck - and they have only one flight per day so we're stuck again. If we don't make the flight, we'll have to wait until the next day. SO we ARE going to make the flight. And then sleep most of the way there, I hope. I just hate to think of arriving in paradise and needing a nap. But it could happen. Just sayin'.

The kids continue to make me absolutely crazy - and I can only assume they will continue to do so even in paradise. But hopefully, it'll be easier for me to handle. I'm not doing to well on the 'mommy' front these days - they just piss me off on a regular basis and I feel like I don't know either of them. I don't feel like I'd choose to know either of them - and yet, they have my DNA and I gave birth to them. Shocks me lately. Not sure if they're just 'boys'? and I'm certainly not an expert on boys, since I didn't have many around growing up. They just test and test and test - and screw up...and somehow, no matter what the transgression is, it ends up being about one of us - me or J. Something we allegedly aren't doing for them, or with them, or because of them. It is exhausting to try to keep up with the crap that's been going on around here the past few months. But I'm trying. It's not like I have any choice. They live here; I live here. They're staying; I'm staying. Maybe a week in a new environment will help. At the very least, it will be a family vacation and we always have fun on vacations - ALWAYS. Here's hoping.

Aloha for now and the next time I write, I will hopefully be on a balcony watching a sunset with some sort of umbrella drink in my hand.