Sometimes Patting Your Head Just Isn't Enough

Tonight was a birthday party. The Numismatist and her sister, Always28 (as I have dubbed her) share a birthday and so we got together with all of my extended family. It was all my cousins - except C and K, who were sorely missed - and all their children.

Great cake, and always nice to hang out with everyone. But, Littlest Ms. Eris was not at her best.

She fell asleep on the drive there and got maybe a 20 minute nap. Then she woke up surrounded by my uncle and his two sons. Now, my uncle is a fox, always has been (he married Always28) so you'd think any girl would love to wake up looking at him. Um, not so much for the LME.

Littlest Ms. Eris never quite recovered. She was in a small, hot house (not a hothouse) with a bunch of people she hardly knows and she was not happy about it. Not even the cupcake she inhaled made her happy. In addition to nap thing, she is also cutting her last two teeth, so pleasant was not in her vocabulary.

Here's the problem. I had to spend two hours listening to people describe the Littlest Ms. as "pretty glass half empty" and "just naturally unpleasant." And some of these folks don't even know the kid! I am the first to describe her as a challenge, but it was kind of a bummer to watch everyone relish how unhappy she was.

Excuse me! Over-bearing mom, coming through!

UPDATE: We have been home for an hour, and I am happy to report that after two children's Tylenol she is on her way to being nice. Acetimenophin rocks! Those teeth look pretty mean, though.

Where Was Your Mother in 1974?

I have made a friend at school. We will call her "Roy" because I am certain she is the sibling my mother never knew about (movie reference, there). Anyway, this girl is two years older than I and she has quite a few physical characteristics that resemble my paternal family:

1. Tall
2. Thin
3. Identical smile (you know the one that shows your gums. Man I hated that smile when I was a kid.)
4. Prominent nose
5. Bares the feminine version of the Nincompoop's name...

I have told her that I suspect we are related, but I'm not sure how to tactfully ask her if her mother frequented any Navy bases in the the mid-70s. Does Hallmark make a card like that?

I am enjoying working with this woman, but I miss my friends outside of school.
Mrs. Diamond and I don't get to talk except at the shoe store.
Mrs. Frysauce? Haven't seen her since May.
The Duchess and I have agreed we should eat lunch together. I'm thinking we'll get to it in 2009...

Can I Get Some Help Here?

I am working on my first true assignment for school. This is not the usual read 100 pages for class and participate in discussion work (which is unfortunate because I am rather gifted at that, even when I haven't read it all). NOOOOO, this is a write a 5-page essay type of assignment.

Um, does anyone have a Free Speech Philosophy I can borrow? I have to write five whole pages on my philosophy on free speech, and I don't know how to stretch "I can say whatever I want. The rest of you shut your pie holes" to five pages.

Maybe if I use a really big font....

Checking In

Not much to say here. School - Work - School - Work - Home - School - Work.

Repeat.

Um, Littlest Ms. Eris asked to go potty in the toilet for the first time tonight. She's gone before, but we had to ask her. Cross your fingers. This one may make it before she's two!

Little Mr. Eris and I finished HP #1 last week. He liked it so much we have started #2. He asked to read 3 chapters tonight!

Little Ms. Eris is plugging along. What a firecracker!

As for me, I am happily stressed to the max with school. Interestingly, I found out yesterday, through chatting with some of my fellow students, that there are people in my cohort who got a master's without writing a thesis or doing a project. They "comped" out. My fellow students were shocked to find out that for my masters I was required to write a thesis and take 8 hours of comprehensive exams with a 2 hour defense. I plan on writing my former department and asking when my second diploma arrives?!

Seriously, though, the other folks seemed kind of jealous that I had lived through that fire so I'll be passing along my thanks to the people who tortured me at USU (a la the fab job the Duchess did torturing me in preparation for my work in grad school).

I'll be checking in again soon. Feel free to email or call if you miss me.

Oh, and love and good vibes should be sent to the GP in S.M. Two words "bladder scrape." Yuck.