Friday Night at Fridays (011/366)

TIME:  10:55pm to 11:43pm
PLACE:  Fridays
SUBJECT:  The bunch, signs, and bottles

I went out and met up with the old group at a local tavern this evening.  Back in the day (1989 until about 1995), the four of us would all go out at least one of the weekend nights (if not both) and maybe even a Tuesday night at quarter beers.  We were much younger then.  And single.  And child-free.  Fridays was one of the bars we would patronize.

And just for the record?  I only had 3 of those beers and one Kamikaze shot (equal parts vodka, triple sec and sweet and sour mix). 

Then I drank soda.

Slender Man (300/366)

TIME:  5:51 PM
PLACE:  Front yard
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen, friends and Slender Man
 
MonkeyBoy had a Halloween dance and decided to go as Slender Man.  Here he is “stalking” DQ and her friends in the front yard.  Creepy.

The Graduates (138/366)

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Poet, Lecturer and Essayist, 1803-1882)

TIME:  6:49 PM
PLACE:  Junior High School
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen (center) and friends

8th grade graduation this evening.  She wouldn’t let me take an individual picture of her.  And I had issues taking pictures during the ceremony.  I did, however, manage to catch her walking back from getting her diploma…


She looks so happy.  Congratulations DramaQueen…I’m so proud of you!

Pre-8th Grade Dance (132/365)

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”These are my daughters, I suppose.
But where in the world did the children vanish?”

Phyllis McGinley, "Ballad of Lost Objects," 1954

TIME: 6:56-7:26 PM
PLACE: Home & at the Junior High
SUBJECT: DramaQueen and friends
(that’s her date in the purple tie!)

When did she grow up?  This is just not right.

Slumber Party Of Two (097/366)

SpongeBob: What's going on here? Why are you in your pajamas? Are we having a slumber party?

SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 1, Episode 15, Sleepy Time/Suds (17 Jan. 2000)

TIME:  10:06 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  StellaDella and friend

MonkeyBoy had a friend spend the night last night.  DramaQueen is spending the night at a friend’s house tonight.  So SD wanted to know if she could have a friend spend the night – ‘cause it wouldn’t be fair if everyone-else-had-a-sleepover-and-she-didn’t don’t you know.

TV Togetherness (208/365)

“Let us all bask in television's warm glowing warming glow.”

Homer Simpson, The Simpsons, Treehouse of Horror V-“The Shinning”, Dan Castellaneta, perf. (American Actor and Writer, b.1958)

TIME:  9:28 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  StellaDella & Oreo watching TV

I believe that they were watching Johnny Test on the Cartoon Network.  That thing that SD is holding across her mouth?  An empty paper towel roll.  The excitement never ceases around here.

Cliff Hanger (136/365)

“Cliff Hanger, hanging from a cliff, and that’s why he's called Cliff Hanger!…Can't -- hold -- on -- much -- longer!"

Cliff Hanger, “Between The Lions.” PBS series-WGBH Boston and Sirius Thinking. LTD.

TIME:  1:41 PM
PLACE:  City park
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen and friends on Cliff Hanger ride

Today was the annual public school parade and picnic – it was feeling more like October (low 60’s) but we had sunshine - Yayaya!
~*~*~
The logistics of this day for me were extremely ugly – I had to drop off MonkeyBoy at the Jr. High at 8 am for the band; come home and take StellaDella to school; drive to the picnic area; park the car; walk to the beginning of the parade route so I could walk the parade with SD; walk the parade; drive back to the Jr. High with SD to pick up MB as the band was bussed back there after the parade (DQ remained at the picnic with friends); return again to the picnic with MB & SD – wait in many long lines for rides; stalk DQ and her friends; text her occasionally to irritate her even more; spend entirely too much money on food ($24 for 2 orders of fries, one chicken on a stick and a jumbo hot dog? – insane!!!!); return home; find out MB’s baseball game is cancelled because of field conditions, therefore he can make Boy Scouts; drive MB to Boy Scout meeting; stay with MB as Scouts require adults to supervise as they take down flags from light poles on Main Street; walk Main Street (about 10 blocks up and back again) with Scouts as they take down flags; drive MB and 3 other Scouts back to the school to finish their regular meeting; return to the school at 8:30pm to collect MB; pick up a Blizzard ice cream from McDonalds (because I needed it!) and finally return home for the night.  Stick a fork in me, I’m done.

BFFs (035/365)

“God gives us our relatives—thank God we can choose our friends.”

Ethel Watts Mumford (1878-1940), U.S. novelist, humorous writer, Addison Mizner, U.S. architect, and Oliver Herford (1863-1935), U.S. poet, illustrator. The Cynic's Calendar (1903).

TIME:  11:53 PM
PLACE:  Dining room
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen & Erin B.

Erin B. is spending the night…again *heavy, put-upon sigh*  I’m kidding – she’s a good kid and I don’t mind having her here.  Since she was here, I put her to good use - I made her and DQ pose with two of the chunky crayon lips StellaDella and I created the other night.  Aren’t they just the most adorable girls you’ve ever seen?

Before The Dance (295/365)

“On with the dance! let joy be unconfined;
No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet.”

George Gordon Noel Byron (1788-1824), British poet. Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, cto. 3, st. 2 (1812-1818). Referring to the grand ball in Brussels interrupted by the start of the Battle of Waterloo.

TIME:  6:19 PM
PLACE:  Front porch
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen and her friends

Busy evening.  HH had a 5th grade basketball game to coach, SD had her Girl Scout Halloween party and DQ had her junior high Halloween dance.  Three friends of DQ came over and helped each other get ready.  DQ decided to wear a dress, while the others went with a western theme for their attire.  She was supposed to wear an orange wig that we bought, but for some reason decided against it.  I don’t know why, it looked so cute.  I drove the group to the junior high.  Apparently, once I started driving, I became both invisible and deaf, because they started chatting and gossiping about who’s dating who, which girl is snobby, which boy is cute, which one is nice, but not “dating” nice.  It was an amusing and an educational experience.

Walk and Talk (231/365)

 
“You send your child to the schoolmaster, but 'tis the schoolboys who educate him.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (American essayist, philosopher and poet, 1803–1882)

TIME:  8:15 AM
PLACE:  School playground
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy, StellaDella and Friend

Today was the first day of school, well, until 11:30am anyway.  It was a cloudy and overcast morning and the pictures I took in our “1st day of school” spot on the front lawn look gloomy because of that.  Since tomorrow is the 1st full day, I will take pictures again and they will count for first day shots.  The kids will roll their eyes at me, but too bad, so sad!  I’m the mom and I can call a photo do-over if I want to!  

Our school does what is called a “Walk and Talk” in the morning from 8am until the first bell rings at 8:20am.  When the kids arrive at school, they walk in a large circle around the playground and talk to their friends.  MB and his classmate took SD under their wings during Walk and Talk this morning.  SD was disappointed, she thought that she would get to climb and slide on the play structure until school began.  And apparently she was disappointed in the curriculum as well. While we were eating lunch, she informed me that “Mrs. K--- did not teach me how to read today!”  Hmmph, tomorrow I shall have to tell Mrs. K--- that I am very displeased with the fact that SD cannot read yet and that my faith in her ability to teach kindergarten is quite shaken. ;) 

Sleepover Scene (158/365)

 
“The essence of childhood, of course, is play, which my friends and I did endlessly on streets that we reluctantly shared with traffic.”

Bill Cosby (American Actor, Comedian and Producer. b.1937, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)

TIME:  11:04 PM
PLACE:  The living room
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen, her BFF and various Little People

DramaQueen asked to have her BFF spend the night.  I agreed and they have giggled, whispered and banished StellaDella from playing with them...eliciting a waterfall of tears from SD and a lecture from me about being nice and would they please include the little sister for 30 minutes; and then an explanation to SD about how sometimes older kids need time alone to play with their friends.  Here, they have unearthed all of our Little People figures, houses, garage, farm and other accessories from the basement and have set up an elaborate scene in the living room.

Margaritaville (121/365)

“Enjoyed it! One more drink and I'd have been under the host.”

Dorothy Parker (American short-story Writer and Poet, 1893-1967)

TIME: 8:12 PM
PLACE: Margaritas Mexican Restaurant 
SUBJECT: $1 Margarita on the rocks

I got a "kitchen pass" to go out to dinner with my old college roommate and good friend, Denise.  She wanted to take me out for my birthday and catch up because we realized that we hadn't gotten together since StellaDella's birthday in February!  So we went to a local restaurant, had dinner, some beverages and chatted.  Then we went to a tavern that happened to have a band whose keyboard player/singer is a friend from high school.  His wife, who was there as well, is another former high school classmate.  We haven't seen either of them in quite some time.  We ended up doing even more chatting and catching up with her and when the band took their breaks, we did the same with him.  As for the bar scene, all I can say is I am SO glad I am married (and happily so most of the time -right honey? *wink*) and am not out there in the "searching for someone" arena.  It's brutal out there!