Rule of thumb: the fewer people that live in your house, the less conflict, ergo, less stress for you. Or, at least, for me. I don't know what it is, because my grown children don't argue or fight with each other, ever (although they sometimes play the passive-aggressive game, but not this weekend). It's just more people in the house. My darling baby, K, truth be told, simply leaves a trail wherever she goes. If she sits on the couch, there are socks and shoes on the floor in front of it. If she's reading a book, suddenly there are books and magazines all over the coffee table, and hair rubber bands and food wrappers. I swear, she doesn't even see it there. It's not in her field of vision.I just feel the need to make them happy, a weird holdover from their being little and my wanting to make sure that they grew up safe and secure and didn't develop anorexia, or want to kill themselves. It's not even about buying them stuff, because they mostly buy stuff for themselves. But we did go to Target today, the main thing K wanted to do at home (since there are none near her in D.C.) and also to a Staples where R got herself a Palm. Happy happy! We went shopping, we had a nice time together. On the way home, R showed us the adorable place she is now working, an art center for children. It was charming.
The most astonishing thing of the day was that K's computer seems to be working, after I was on the phone with New Delhi for some time. I am completely amazed. Yet there is something weird with our Internet, or with the computers in the house, because not only is the Hubs' computer not connecting -- sporadically at best -- but neither is R's, and neither is her Palm. Of course, I feel responsible for this lapse in technology, but what else is new. Hey, I'm up, I'm down.
In fact, at the moment, I'm amused. I stopped writing after the last paragraph when the phone rang. It was the FIL, to tell me that he passed by the high school construction after they visited here Thursday, and he's going to light a candle for me. Heh heh. He's the former superintendent of schools here in town, and he knows a whole lot about adding on to schools and the like, and he can't believe what he saw. He also cruised by a couple of the elementary schools with building going on, and he was pretty appalled there, too. I feel so validated.
Anyway, I've got a colossal headache, probably due to unnecessary stress -- really unnecessary; I can't tell you how nicely everyone's getting along -- and maybe a little being hungry. I had lunch late, so I put off dinner, but now it's 7:15 and I just put the pizza in the oven. A few more minutes, then.
K's train back tomorrow is at 12:30. After that, R is committed to helping me get into the attic -- she has stuff piled in front of the door -- to look for those Christmas ornaments. I'll let you know.
