Fat Biscuit

Legend Lager

Was supposed to go to bed but I passed by my computer on the way to brush my teeth and got sucked in. I've just been looking at the pictures of strangers, again! Now I'm finishing off a bottle of Legend's Lager brought to us by the wonderful Alex and Kelley, whom we saw this weekend. They drove up from Richmond with baby Ben and spent the night so that we could catch up and watch our sons attempt to play together. However, I was very pleased by Owen's careful attention to Ben (18 months old); he was thoughtful and patient, even finding special toys for Ben to play with. Apparently, Bob the Builder is a bit too young for Owen, "But Bob the Builder might be appropriate for Ben." 

Ben and Owen share a love of music and spent a good half an hour dancing around our study, while I played selected hits from my iTunes. "Barbie Girl" was the favourite (but not for Taylor). Also popular was the theme from Scooby Doo. Later in the evening, after we had eaten dinner and Ben was asleep, Owen told us that, "This was my best day ever!" So, if Taylor and I moved into a large home and shared it with another family, Owen would be thrilled. Hmmmm . . . that would be a bit of a sacrifice for the grownups.

Taylor and I are still binging our way through the fifth season of The Wire. I'm still working on The Namesake and trying to pick the next book for book club. I could choose something by Gogol, but I might not like the response that gets. Also, I did sort of promise to choose something by a female author for a change. 

My sis is almost 32! Hee, Hee.

The weeks go by quickly now that Owen is in school and I'm trying to get more work done. It scares me. He's already noticed that the cool kids carry their backpacks with just one shoulder strap. He won't let me come to school to visit him for lunch. He never tells me the details of his school day, despite my nagging questions like, "Did anyone get in trouble today? Really? What did they do? Did you use the toilet? Who did you sit with at lunch?" 

How many years do I have before he starts masturbating?

Moving on . . . Nana was with us for a few days and drove back to C'ville this afternoon. My favourite image of Owen and Nana together was when they were both lying on Owen's bedroom floor with sketch pads and pens. Owen was drawing robots and monsters fighting, and Nana was being told to do the same. I had to explain to her that the bars and numbers at the top of their drawings were meant to represent the points and energy levels of the monsters. Owen had been drawing a computer game, but Nana with her obvious lack of gaming skills, didn't have a clue. 

Last night, Tay was a bit late coming home so Nana, Owen, and I drove down to the Subway to get sandwiches for dinner. We usually don't do Subway, but last night was a fundraising event for Owen's school, so I felt obliged. (Twenty percent of our purchase went directly to the PTA.) When we walked into the shop, I spotted several familiar faces. One little boy walked straight up to Owen and said hello. Then he (Christopher, I now know) turned to me and proclaimed himself to be one of Owen's friends. I'd never heard of him, and Owen just stood there, silently staring at this best chum. Some kids are shy. Some kids aren't.

Tonight we'll be watching the debate. Tay's home early from work, so we can both meet Owen at the bus stop this afternoon. Weather's going to be shit this weekend, so we'll overindulge in Othello and Battleship.

Engagements

Finally, my copy of The Namesake arrived in the mail so that I can start reading it for book club. Not surprisingly, the box from Amazon also contained a thick book for Taylor, The Tunnel by William Gass. Our moratorium on book buying has long since been abandoned. Instead, Taylor has added movie buying to his list of compulsive online habits and has in the last month purchased The Big Lebowski, Miller's Crossing, Lost in Translation, and Broken Flowers. We've also downloaded the complete season 4 of the Wire and have been watching it after Owen goes to bed, sometimes with a glass of cognac each. 

Owen has had another "purple" week at school and came home with a strange ball + wind sock hybrid toy (emblazened with the words "Sports Illustrated"); this was the prize he chose from the treasure chest. He's started speech therapy but says little about it. When I asked him what sounds he worked on today, he said, "It's hard to describe." Ok, then. I guess I'll wait to receive some worksheets from the speech therapist. 

Tonight we played a bit of baseball with our new glow-in-the-dark bat and ball. I can't say who won really. But I think with all Owen's screeching and my occasional outbursts, the neighbours definitely lost.

Now we're waiting for Owen to finish his damn lollipop so that we can brush teeth. I'm glad we can sleep in tomorrow. 

Please Don't Let Them Win, Please!

I think I'll die if McCain/Palin win this election. Or, maybe I'll just keep on keepin' on, like I did when Bush won . . . twice. I don't understand the appeal, and I never will. 

Owen went off to school this morning happy and enthusiastic. I was afraid he might be staying at home, because yesterday he seemed to be fighting something and his temperature occasionally was above normal. However, when I jabbed him in the ear with the thermometer this morning, he was back at 98. My only frustration this morning was that I couldn't convince him to wear his stylish, black hooded sweat jacket instead of his camo fleece. 

Today I'm work-free, so I'll visit the gym and then run some errands. If I fall into bed and end up napping, so be it. 

Taylor will be working late tonight. He's been morose ever since hearing about the death of David Foster Wallace. He reads every article about the suicide and has stacked up every DFW book he owns next to the bed. Last night he made me read an article from A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. It was good.*

*I could probably write reviews for NYRB, don't you think?

Behaviour Charts and Fundraisers

Take a look at that reading list. Obviously, instead of blogging, I've been devouring crap book after crap book, favouring the fluffy and the feminine. I feel like a book whore. But, with Owen starting kindergarten and me adjusting to my time alone, I've needed the escapism. Worrying about Owen at kindergarten all day is emotionally exhausting. I'm sure the anxiety will subside as the weeks go by, but for now I wonder what he is doing every minute: Is he being disruptive? Is he listening to the teacher? Is he being teased? Is he forgetting to take a pee break? 

Here are some highlights from his first two weeks at school:

1. The first day of school, he got off the bus with wet shorts. He had peed in his pants shortly before boarding the bus. He had held it in all day!

2. When he got off the bus, however, he said, "Kindergarten is fun!"

3. The second day of school, he was moved to a new seat because of his disruptive behaviour. He got "green" that day instead of "purple." According to Owen, "Miss Langley said you should get purple every day."

4. Owen told me it's hard trying to remember when to get off the bus. I told him that the bus driver knows when he should get off so not to worry. I can just picture him on the bus, waiting, watching, concentrating. Poor thing.

5. At school, they practice counting to 100 every day. They draw pictures and listen to stories. They do some worksheets. The teacher has taught them little "poems" to help them learn how to write their numerals. They also say the pledge of allegiance every day. 

6. Owen loves his PE teacher because he is nice and funny. They run around cones and practice doing some weird side gallop, which Owen tried to demonstrate for me, but I still don't understand it. 

7. At recess, Owen says he goes on the swing. One day he played "transformers" with two other boys.

8. Some boy named Louie in Owen's class has been out sick for two days.

9. Owen told me how one boy arrived at their music class late and how he was sitting in "one of those things where there are wheels to move it." I told him it was a wheelchair.

10. One day Owen and a girl who rides his bus never made it to the gym in the morning. They were talking, got distracted, and lost sight of the line leader. Instead of going to the gym, they went straight to the classroom. They were all alone in there when the teacher found them and told them off. Yet, Owen still managed to pull off a "purple" day.

11. If Owen has another "purple day" today, he will have had "purple" all week and gets to choose a treasure from the treasure chest. I get stressed about that damn behaviour chart every day!

12. Owen said he doesn't want me to come and have lunch with him at kindergarten. I likes it better without grownups.

Owen at Bus Stop on First Day