Sistah Pat

Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy. 

Good advice.  I’m going to try to take it today.  It’s a work day but it’s parent conference day and my kids are sooooo good I only have three conferences scheduled.  That means the rest of the day I can work on computers and try to get caught up on things.  I’m a bit pertubed, though, about the ROTC Booster Club meeting.  It’s always 5:00 on the first Tuesday of the month.  Major, Sarge and I were high-fiving each other because we were supposed to work from 11:00 to 6:00 today and figured we wouldn’t have to make a special trip for the meeting.  We’d be there anyway!  We made sure all of our conferences were scheduled early so we could meet.  I sent out the reminder to the distribution list of parents and the principal and the principal emailed me and said, “Pat, you can’t do that.  You’ll be on work time.”  I get a little testy about these things.  I mean…come on!  We’ll be in the building, in the classroom, and only a couple of people will show up.  We’ll be discussing the school’s ROTC program with parents.  What’s wrong with that????  It’s a school program and we don’t get paid anything to have these meetings or do any of the after school events we chaperone.  I told the principal we’d work though the “4:00 to 5:00 break” which is the time the school scheduled so we could have dinner but she said we couldn’t do that.  Crap!  I finally gave in and told her Major, Sarge and I would come in at 10:00 this morning to put in an extra hour.  I mean, really, like we don’t give the school hours and hours of unpaid labor as it is.  I’m feeling a little nasty about it and felt like telling them I won’t be able to work in the booth and chaperone kids during the upcoming Highview Festival Event on Saturday, the 16th.  (sigh)

Okay, enough about that.  Yesterday’s event went pretty well but the traffic was a disaster.  It was supposed to start at 8:30 but so many people were trying to get in the fairgrounds and find a parking space that they couldn’t start until 9:00 and people were still coming in at 11:00.  It wasn’t much better getting out.  We didn’t get back to school until 1:20.

I called the social worker yesterday afternoon and he told me Stacy is correct.  They do have to file a motion to vacate the No Contact Order in spite of what the judge said.  He said he’ll still be on the case for 90 days.  I’m still supposed to be stuck in the middle for a while.  He “suggested” I work closely with Stacy to have her give me a weekly schedule of times and days that she’ll be bringing the kids to avoid last minute changes and phone calls.  I told him that’s only part of the problem.  David’s visitation is a disaster and it’s forcing me to be available Monday through Friday so he can drive 30 miles to have one hour a day with the kids.  He said that’s something David and Stacy will have to work out.  He seems nice enough but he’s totally fallen for Stacy.  Told me she’s working so hard to try to work things out for the kids.  Told me he really “appreciates” my support and flexibility because it’s sooooo important in these kinds of cases.  Said Stacy’s told him how “wonderful” I am and how much she “cares about me and misses me”.   (gag)  I didn’t argue with him.  I have to admit that she looks damn good at the present time.  She’s doing exactly what she’s supposed to do and David is coming across as a pain in the ass because he’s upset with the visitation and everything else.  David was angry when the caseworker called me back because he left three messages for him yesterday trying to get the same information and the guy never called him back.  I wonder, sometimes, if I’m blind to something.  If I’m not seeing something that everyone else sees but everyone who understands the situation assures me that I’m not.

Alright, enough ranting for one day.  I need to get a shower and head to school.