Ice, Ice, Baby

The ice storm managed to hold off until well after we drove to the plaza to drop off Bob Friday evening. We took the video camera, and got some lovely footage of db ripping open the bag containing Bob's snowboots and medication, pulling the medication out, and hurling it into my car through the open passenger side window. It's on youtube. Send me an email and if I like you enough, and trust you're not some freak child predator (my kid's face is in the frame), I'll send you the link. It's not very interesting footage, and it was dark, but I'm hoping it will be damning enough to get db restricted to supervised visits, and in short order. Preferably before Christmas. Yes, that would make my holidays happy, indeed. At least I now have proof that db isn't giving Bob his medication for lack of any good reason, and that's all the reason I need to file a motion for contempt. Assuming, of course, My Fearless Lawyer gets off his ass. Yes, I know he has a 2 year old and a newborn at home. Yes, I know I haven't paid him in...a while. Until he files a motion to withdraw as my counsel, he should still be answering to me. Yeah.

The ice was then supposed to hit yesterday around noonish. I was supposed to be at my sister-in-law's house, waaaaay out in BFE, for a cookie/candy-making party at 10:00am. I had already told her I'd be there closer to 11, but I didn't expect her to call me at 10:30--when I was halfway there--to tell me everyone else had decided to "wait it out til noon or so" to see what the weather would bring. Pussies. I lived in Nebraska for almost 5 years, meaning I can drive a small, old, no-wheel-drive Japanese car through a 30 foot snow drift on solid ice without difficulty, so I wasn't terribly concerned. The "party" ended up being me, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, but it's probably for the best, because SIL just came down with the cold I've been battling and I got hit by one of my Killer Headaches shortly after popping my jam pinwheels in the oven. Ain't we got fun?

Ben was supposed to go to some basketball game last night, but after sliding down our street, decided against it (his car isn't worth our deductible, and we can hardly afford a new one at this juncture). So we spent the evening doing what we do best--nada. Zip. Zilch. Nothing.

Which is pretty much what we're doing today. I'm going to try to begin my Afrin detox, assuming my ongoing nasal congestion is the result of my Afrin addiction. It happens every time I get an upper respiratory virus or infection--I use the Afrin, I get hooked on the Afrin. I should know better--my mother was an Afrin junkie for a good 10 years. Still, I can't get over the thrill of not being a mouth-breather, even if only for an hour or two.

Tomorrow I'll begin the self-induced torture of punishing Bob for acting up at after-school care last week. I've been trying to drive home the point that Adventure Club is optional; he doesn't have to go there, and if he can't behave himself, he won't. Of course, that's utter bullshit--Adventure Club not only covers the hour between school dismissal and the end of my workday, it also covers early dismissal days, some non-school days, snow days, and summer. Still, I like to make him think the Mommy giveth, and the Mommy can taketh away. So when I got called at 4:30 Friday afternoon to be told Bob had stuck his nose where it didn't belong and yelled at a teacher for disciplining two other boys, then kicked said teacher and fled the room, I called Ben, who was on his way to pick him up anyway. When Ben arrived, they had launched a school-wide search for my now-missing evil child. Jesus. H. Christ. When they found him, and Ben hauled his ass home, I made the decision to drive home my "Adventure Club is optional" point by picking him up at 4:00 for a few days this week and taking him back to my office to sit for an hour.

I know how much he'll enjoy that--he won't. Not at all. Unfortunately, that just means he'll be a pain in my ass for an hour. So instead of a week, as I'd originally planned, I'll probably just impose my wrath on Monday and Tuesday. He's got the attention span of a gnat and likely won't even remember by the time he goes to school tomorrow morning. Fuck it.

On a happy note, the church FINALLY sent my $25 back. It arrived in yesterday's mail. A mere month after they received it. Good work, Random Christian Dude. And don't try to feed me that bs about having a "limited staff." My mother works for a smaller church than yours, and she's there at least 6 days a week. So pppppbt.

Going to go wrap some gifts now.