So I went to bed all excited and happy last night because I thought I would get to be home alone for a bit today. But then I remembered this morning that today is Dad's day off from the program, so he's here, and since Xander is at USC and the kids are at school and Mom is at work, there's no one else but me and the Father of Sighs in the house. Which shouldn't be a bad thing, but I fear for my very mental wellbeing here. He's going to come have a Heart-to-Heart conversation with me, I just know it, and it will be deeply uncomfortable. I think I will mix up my vodka-cranberry today. I've been saving it precisely for a moment like this.
Dad just came in and asked me if I wanted to hang up laundry, and I really don't, so I said no, but then he asked if I wouldn't do it even if it was with him, and I was like no??? I just said I didn't want to?? ugh. Now he's going to be all mad at me. But honestly, I think that's better than having to go hang up laundry with him and have him talk to me all serious-like. I'm such a bad person! It's my job to take care of my family, and I'm not doing it! It's hard, though. Like, it's so hard to even make myself get up in the morning, especially knowing what's coming, and then when it does happen, it's so hard to get through. Unless I'm drinking. But even then, it doesn't help as much as it should.

Yesterday we had to go to CKC, which was awful, but now it's over for another week, and we won't have to go back until the next time. I had to teach all these little kids, and they were nice enough, but they all are working on different things, and have different skill levels, so not even the time-honored trick of making them play chamber music together would work. I sure did try though, yes I did! And they all got their lessons, even though some of them were a bit rushed and there was a bit of waiting around involved for some of them. But then one of them went off to throw up in the bathroom and came back, possibly without washing her hands, and now I'm afraid I'm going to catch Child Flu and have to be hospitalized and quite possibly receive expensive and inconvenient surgery to remove my stomach or something. Woe is me! Why must these families be so dedicated to coming every week? Maybe I should invest in a biohazard suit or something. Then that girl's little sister asked me why I had a pseudo-lisp (except she didn't say that, since she's like eight), and I wasn't sure what to say. I mean, it's because my tongue position on the alveolar ridge is lower than average on my sibilant fricatives, but you can't exactly tell that to a third-grader, now can you? She didn't mean any harm by it, and I'm perfectly fine with my speech patterns because I'm a linguist, not a prescriptivist, But I felt self-conscious all the same, and spent the rest of the day trying to avoid making any [s] sounds. Such are the trials we face.
After CKC, we headed home so we could drop off Anselm and freshen up (and I could change into heels and put on lipstick), and then we went off to meet Xander's friend Michael (whose church we played at recently). We're all geeks, so we wanted to go see Ultron and then dissect it afterwards, and everyone was pretty excited about this. It was so worth it! We all hated the unnecessary romantic subplot between Natasha and Bruce (like what the hell, guys, that's so wrong) and were suitably indignant about the treatment of the Maximoff twins. We also had quite a nice discussion about the properties of vibranium, and it was just a really lovely time overall. There weren't that many places open at that time of night, so we went to BJs, and I was okay with this, because I got to eat some egg rolls and a beignet and an obscene amount of ice cream, and I was even lavish enough to order a strawberry lemonade instead of a water (it's not extravagance– it's sophistication). Michael managed to guess my MBTI type immediately, which was very impressive, and I guessed his without any problem, which was probably less impressive because he's an engineer, and therefore more than likely to be an INTJ. I'm still not sure he knows my name, but at least we can talk to each other now. We had a nice discussion about how badly The Imitation Game treated Alan Turing, and how terribly offensive that was to our sensibilities (okay, mostly my sensibilities. But still). He's really such a nice boy. I would like for him to marry Talia.

Okay, I'm back! I was out with Natalie just now. We went to the College Night™ at the local bowling alley, and it was super fun! The last time I was there, I was on a truly horrible date, so this time was much better, and managed to purge the place of all its bad memories. I got three strikes! Which you'd think would be bad, but a strike is really a good thing, and means you knocked all the pins down, and then you get a lot of points! So I got a lot of points, and I was suitably proud of myself. Also, the word "strike" makes me think of labor and revolution and cool stuff, so that was a nice little added bonus. Bowling balls are so heavy, though. I developed a technique based on the one from Parks and Rec, and it worked decently, but not as well as the professional-looking people around us. But who cares? We had a lovely time, and that's all that matters. There were some pretty cute guys there, and they all seemed to be very friendly, especially since we were looking super hot, and that always adds a nice little touch, you know?
Afterwards, we didn't want to go home yet, so we went to the 24-hour donut shop in my town for a little pick-me-up. We got sweets and shared a Thai iced tea, and it was unhealthy and wonderful. We stayed there for maybe an hour, just chatting about random things, and it was so nice that I barely even thought of death or anything. Is this what living in the moment is all about?

Oh yeah, so I got my new bras finally, and they're super cute. I got this silky hot pink push-up one, and then this mink padded one with lace trim, and they both make my boobs look awesome (well, more awesome). Ordering online is where it's at, guys. I don't support Victoria's Secret because they have problematic business practices and disseminate bad information and promote unhealthy body images (and they're hella expensive besides), but it's sometimes hard to find a substitute, you know? Fortunately, I found a cheap online retailer based in the UK, and they have good sizes and decent shipping, so I can get stuff from there. Why do I love shopping so much? Maybe it's been engrained into me because of the materialistic society I live in. Maybe it's an internalized gender stereotype. Who knows? But it's one of the simple pleasures of this life.
Actually, I was hoping to do one last big summer blowout before the kids started school, but that didn't happen. I wanted to go to LA or at least to Irvine and get some good deals on shoes and dresses and such (maybe I could finally even buy the big floppy summer hat that I've been dreaming of for years), but no one wanted to go with me, and I didn't want to go by myself, so sadly that dream never came to be. But let's look at it this way– at least I saved a lot of money.

I should probably go to bed soon, because my habit of staying up until all hours is definitely not a good one. But (in the words of Skye Whatsit from Guys and Dolls) this is my time of day, and there's not a single doll that I'd like to share it with. What can I say? I've never been in love before.
(That was a lie for the sake of allusion. I'm sorry.)
It's really too bad that time passes so fast when I'm not doing something distasteful. If I'm even sort of content, on it goes, into oblivion! And I'm left wondering what on earth happened, and how I got to be so old. (It's only about four months until I'm 21. Can you believe that?) But then during the day, everything goes by really slowly, so I can't win. Tomorrow, we have to perform with CKC, but that's in the evening. But still, it'll be hanging over my head all day. Hmm. Maybe I should do my nails. I'm in desperate need of a manicure. And while I'm doing that, I could try that avocado face mask I read about yesterday, and possibly a hair mask too because my hair is seriously dead (literally and figuratively), and really thin and fragile. (Oh no, my hair is just like me.) Let's have a spa day, guys! I'm totally going to put tea bags all over my face. I'm pumped. Let's do this!
All righty, time for me to go. I will return (probably). Goodnight!