The Real Life Plague

First of all…it’s the last day of my summer vacation. No really. Already. It has flown by. Everyone keeps saying that…what happened to summer? Already? How are you teaching already? I have no fucking idea. And then everyone asks if I had a good summer, or “How was your summer?” Well, you know, it wasn’t very relaxing and a lot of stressful things were going on, but at least I wasn’t trying to work (as a teacher, because I worked as a writer and an artist all summer, and let’s not even get into the working as a mom thang) at the same time.

That’s all about to change. I’m not ready. I am incredibly not ready. Mentally, physically, with paper in hand…not ready. Except I am. Because I was in counseling yesterday and she mentioned I seemed emotional, which I am, and which I should be. It would be strange if I were NOT emotional about sending both kids back east and spending all this time on my own. And I’m so buried in artwork at the moment that I can’t go out and hang out with people much. I have too much to do. But I also have this “whatever” attitude that I think is good. And she’s been seeing me for the last 2+ years, so this is the third start of the school year she’s seen me go through. And this is a good thing. I’m just not going to worry too much about all the crap that comes with being a teacher: new principal, new AP, new teachers, changes coming up the pike with teams disappearing (I swear, it doesn’t matter how many times we tell them the pendulum swung that way once before and it was a clusterfuck, they want to do it again). Whatever. I’ll deal. I said it to my principal. I said it to my counselor. I say it to myself every single day.

Because I will. The hard thing is that it means I care less about work and I come home and make something that is all me, in me, about me, My Art, and that is what does matter. I still love my students and work my ass off for them…it’s just a degree or ten down from where it used to be. And maybe that’s healthy. Because this job can suck it all up and still ask for more and never say thank you. Or pay you a decent wage. Whatever.

So I ironed yesterday…but only 4 hours, not the 6 I wanted.

Butterfly…legs to be embroidered at a later date. Honestly, I’m sitting here trying to remember what I did yesterday. Slow start in the morning. Ironed a little, about an hour, then had to take the dog to the vet. Then counseling and Costco and blood sugar crashed (whoops…going back to school will help with the forgetting-to-eat thing). The kids left and I slept off the crash and then cooked dinner and ironed again, starting around 9.

Just like school, really. The start time anyway.

There’s lots of little fussy bits still (will that ever stop on this quilt? Probably not. I should stop commenting on it or its name will become Small Fussy Bits, which isn’t a BAD name for a quilt…it just doesn’t convey what I WANT with this quilt, although honestly, I’ve been tumbling names and words around for DAAAYYS and still haven’t come up with a name). Yes, that is how my brain works…with many parenthetical statements that you rarely hear.

The green stuff is meadowy grass that is supposed to be on the right breast…ironed separately first.

Kitten came and slept with me. She was ON the phone for a while (it tracks how much time etc, plus distracts me from the tedium of endless ironing with texts from friends and stupid games). When it vibrated, she got a bit worried and annoyed, but eventually realized she had conquered it and continued to sleep on it.

That web and spider were actually fun to do.

Then I started fussing with the arm, which had flowers and a bee…

I quite like how that little section turned out.

And then I forced myself to finish the rest of the arm, although there is one other cloud hanging off of it…but I think it’s in the 900 box. I might find it today and iron it on, because I’m going to fold this part of the torso up and put it in the box for a while as well…

By then, most of the torso was just loose anyway, not on the ironing sheet at all.

It has been the summer of the Screen Lizards. They drive kitties nuts, but I really love seeing them cautiously crawl across the screens for bugs. Every screen in the house, really.

That might have been what set Kitten to escaping a few weeks ago. I’m glad she came back. Today is her 6th birthday and she is still my constant companion. Yeah, like the others aren’t. When the kids are gone, I’ll be like the Pied Piper of furry beasts. Mommy’s moving to another room! Everybody up and follow! I even tell them, “I’m only going to be gone for a minute…” and they still follow me out, plop on the new floor section, and then sigh as I head back.

So obviously I didn’t get (close) to yesterday’s crazy goal, but I have to say, it does keep me ironing longer. I would have given up after the bee if I hadn’t already thought I was heading for completion of that figure. So then, standing there at 11:30 PM, tired as heck, I reset my goal to finishing the arm. And I did. So that was good. I did really want the bird done last night, but it’s pieces 849-966. Not a small number. I can do that this morning. Except I need to get the car smogged and go to Home Debit (boychild gets annoyed that I call it that). So I should do that NOW. FAST. Except I haven’t eaten, and we all know what that looks like. It’s too HOT to eat. Damn summer is finally kicking in.

Realistically, I got about 250 pieces ironed yesterday in about 4 hours. SLOW. But getting there. Almost halfway done. Whoo! So another 250 pieces would get the bird and the one larger figure done (still have to do face and hair, which is not uncomplicated). Probably more than 250 pieces…yup, just short of 300. So I should AT LEAST finish that today. And think about lesson planning. Really. I need to do that shit.

Aargh. Real Life. Why do you have to plague me so persistently?

Progress…I’m getting there. Somewhere.