Saturday, April 23, 2016

I'll have the usual...

I began compiling this...chronicle of rambling nonsense (right, I mean "blog") in 2008. Somewhere along the way I fell into a rhythm of writing about 8 posts a month--which works out to about every 4 days or so. Being...hmm...let's say "somewhat a creature of habit" (rather than the more truthful but less kind "overly-organized-bordering-on-compulsive", okay?), I find myself hung up on the schedule at times. What I mean is, if the day is approaching that I "should" sit down and compose something, I feel a tangible sense of...pressure...to do so. Not that anyone is actually hounding me to get it done by a deadline...or that I'm getting graded on it...or that it counts as actual, you know, WORK. So there are literally no negative consequences whatsoever, whether I put something out there or not.

And yet....I get anxious if I don't feel like have a good story to tell...even though I know this is utterly ridiculous. I mean, let's face it...sometimes, life is just...well...mundane, yeah? Not everything is a vacation, or birthday festivities, or a momentous family event with implications beyond the immediate moment. So...today-- since the last time I actually had something I felt compelled to share was last weekend, and nothing of particular import happened during the Monday to Friday grind--I thought I'd just...celebrate the everyday routine...such as it is. Without any promises of excitement or intrigue...Welcome to WestEnders World: (And by the way, how's that for an excuse to "stop reading right now and go do something much more interesting or worthwhile"? But if you're still here, continue on, you precious glutton for punishment!)

Monday started with the usual--school, work...whatnot. Then I had to pick up Derek for his checkup at the doctor's--which might sound simple, but when dealing with a Teenage Boy Brain, involved a verbal reminder in the morning as he left the house...then a text message at dismissal time to ensure that he didn't get on the bus and come home while I waited at school. To add to the...fun...when we were finished getting him weighed and examined and all of that good stuff that happens once a year whether you need it or not, we had to make a stop at the place where he got his glasses, since the frames were bent out of shape and required adjusting. By the time we were done, Rush Hour (such as it is, around here) had commenced, leading me to grumble at a backed-up stoplight. "But Mom, think of this as extra bonding time in the car with meeee!" Derek advised. (Huh. You're not wrong, son. Alrighty, then...) My reward for managing all of this was that I got to take a nice run when the commuting was done...aaahhhhh....

Tuesday began the same way, but after my stint at the office I had to gather a few things from the grocery store, and then make sure I was home in time to shuttle Riley to practice, while Husband took care of Derek's soccer chauffeuring. I snuck in a bike ride while the boys were off doing their thing, and then somehow (don't ask me for details, it's all a bit fuzzy by now) people got fed. (I'm sure. Mostly. If not, they would have complained, so we'll assume it happened, and leave it at that...)

Wednesday brought the standard cycle of everyone scattering to their "job". Then my late-afternoon To Do List got a little...off the beaten track. Make a massage appointment: check. Buy Braves baseball tickets for our planned trip to Atlanta in July: check. Take Derek to his soccer game, stand around while the team warms up, then watch them play for 80 minutes: check. Oh yeah, then it came back around to normal, as there was a heaping load of laundry to do when we returned home. (Sigh..."An Endless Pile of Dirty Clothes" would be the most apropos subtitle for my life right now....tragically...)

Thursday opened with the aforementioned blah blah blah...then boasted a brief change of course when Husband went in one direction (um, that would be "Durham") with Derek for practice, and I went in another with Riley for...yeah, practice also. While the boys cavorted with their teammates on the field, Husband jogged several miles on the American Tobacco Trail, and I walked the neighborhoods surrounding the Rainbow complex to get my steps in for the day. (And by the way, doesn't it sound like...I don't know...unicorns should be frolicking at that place? I mean, c'mon..."Rainbow' is sooooo NOT a fierce, competitive name, am I right? But I digress...) And then to end the evening...yeah, you guessed it: laundry....

Fridays are my prime time to Get-Stuff-Done, and this week was no exception. But I find it's best to kick off these...errand-paloozas...with a fortifying jaunt to Dunkin' Donuts first. Then it was a whirlwind of: the mall (retrieve an order I'd placed online), Target (obtain household supplies), DSW (replace a worn-out pair of casual sneakers I wear on a daily basis), Lowe's (window latches, bolts....a weird collection of homeowner purchases). What else? Oh yeah, workout...laundry....yawn...

Which brings us to today. I joined my walking group in the morning, for our weekly stroll-and-coffee appointment. Aaaannd I revisited Lowe's, to return the items I'd purchased that didn't end up working in the manner I wished....oy. Meanwhile, Husband conveyed Derek to his last match of the regular season, in Asheboro (over an hour away). Upon my return, I announced the news to Riley--in the manner of one informing a lottery winner of his impending good fortune--that he was privileged to participate in that most epic and beloved of events: Monthly House Cleaning. (Well, his GROAN was pretty epic, anyway....) Derek touched base for only a very short time, to shower and prep for an outing--bowling and pizza with some friends. Afterwards, he showed back up with the guys in tow, and they're now goofing off in the Bonus Room...doing Guy Stuff. (You know, video games, Nerf basketball...and general goofiness...)

And...that's it. Nothing earth-shattering, just...The Week That Was. It took quite a bit of coordinating and running around, as these things naturally do--and frankly, looking at it in print makes me feel like I have very much earned my Adult Beverage for this Saturday evening. So that's what I'm going to do, as a matter of fact....sit back with a frosty drink, watch Pitch Perfect 2 (recorded while HBO is free for a couple of days) and R-E-L-A-X...before we get up and do it all over again...maybe I'd better go peek at and update the agenda first...peace out!

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