ninanevermore

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So it wasn’t the worst day ever. Not by far. No matter how many incidents are on my son's daily report, a day that the school does not call me to come over and intervene is, by my definition, pretty good. Some shoes were thrown. A teacher got bit. The P.E. coach was told that he can't wait for her to die and that, in fact, he wanted her dead. But it could have been worse.

Having low standards helps me cope. I'm always relieved when it is an adult rather than another child that gets bit. I'd rather no one get hurt, but I don't feel as guilty about injured adults. I'd just as soon the parents of the other kids not be demanding that “something be done” about my son. The fact that the teacher’s husband probably wants something done about him doesn’t hold near as much weight on my conscience as all those other parents.

( ”I’ve )

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With no income (my unemployment is still listed as "pending" with the Texas Workforce Commission; until they deny me I can't even feel angry yet), I didn't go all out on Halloween this year like I wanted to. Which means that I only had a few more decorations than last year. I usually add a few things every year. I am the Halloween Lady in my neighborhood. It's my favorite holiday, hands down. I think the main reason I love Halloween is because it is the holiday they tried to take away from me as a child. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 8 the week before Halloween and sent me home from the hospital the morning of Halloween. I went trick or treating that night only to see my parents take my candy away from me as soon as I got home. All these years later I'm still ticked off about that. Because of that trauma all those years ago, I do Halloween like no one else. It's a holiday centered around handing out candy, but unlike my candy back when I was 8 no one can take it from me. It's mine. Keep your hands off it.

( The Go-Ahead-and-Take-Candy-From-Strangers Holliday )

Today on my drive into work, I was thinking about carving Jack-O-Lanterns, which I actually took a day off of work to do yesterday. I haven't carved Jack-O-Lanterns since I moved into my house three years ago. Mild mannered as I am, I do love mutilating pumpkins.

I don't use the kits that some people us to get those results that look like you hired a professional pumpkin carver to come to your house and do all the work for you. I did that one year, and while the result was impressive, in the end I didn't feel like it was my pumpkin. It was too perfect, and it happened to look like the pumpkins of thousands of other people who bought the same kit. Since then, I only carve freehand, and each year they look a little different, but they are all distinctly mine, and no one else anywhere has pumkins that look like them.

( Click to see the results )

Today on my drive into work, I was thinking that my diabetes turns 29 years old this month, and I must eat some candy to celebrate. It's a tradition for me. Not a lot of candy, just something small. One single Smartie, to be exact.

Anyone reading this outside of the United States will think of a different candy then the one I have in mind. The Smarties over here are sweet-tart type pill-looking candies that come in a roll:



( No treats seems like a cruel trick )