Recap of previous two weekends

There was no hockey.

The End.

OK, not really, but no hockey for weeks? It made me nuts. Our last game was on Tuesday, 8/29. I did free skate while we were off, but yesterday at the Beginning Hockey class at Oakland Ice, I realized I hadn't touched a puck for over two weeks. And it felt like it. Yikes.

Labor Day Weekend
OK, so what *did* I do? Oh, right, the weekend of 9/2 was Labor Day Weekend. Ed Miller was at the Pleasanton Highland Games, and I always try to see him when he's in the area, so K blocked out part of her Saturday (it is her "Thursday," as a minister) and the three of us went. Ironically, my boss was there and I never saw him--we compared notes and were both at the soccer game before Ed's 2pm set, and at Ed's 2pm set! Too funny.

We got to Ed's stage early, which was good, as he started a bit early. I went right up to him as he was warming up and introduced myself. He first said, "What?" and then when I repeated myself, greeted me warmly. I made my song request and he said, sure, he'd sing that. And promptly forgot. He was very funny and charming and interesting, as usual. He explained the background to some songs and that put them in such a different light. I hadn't understood that one song, to which I've listened for years, is actually about an old man whose wife has died and he is just waiting to join her. As I was near my period, I was tearful a lot. Wonderful songs.

Background: I know of Ed from his appearance at the Water Music Festival up near my mom's. She was involved with WMF for about 10 years. He stayed with her when he went up there to perform in WMF one year. She found him charming and likeable and has since done one of his Scotland tours, which she really enjoyed. When she was down here once, we went to go see him at a local festival, and she introduced me.

Sunday, I played flute at our church. I found a piece on the web that had piano accompaniment (I don't like to play solo) and had practiced it and found it not too hard. When we added the piano for the first time early on Sunday, it totally changed! The flute part is somber and slightly eery. With the accompaniment, it's much cheerier--odd! Sounded good, though, and we were satisfied. Got lots of compliments; people are very appreciative when I play. It's nice. And I always make a point to tell my parents, as they shelled out plenty of bucks on my flute and private lessons.

That afternoon, if I'm not mistaken, was the afternoon where I just started feeling awful and crabby. K was going to come over and emailed me that I could cancel if I wanted. I did--and she was very disappointed. Turned into another growth opportunity (and a repeat of the strain, 'Growth sucks'!). We are really working hard on communication through the hard issues.

The next day was Labor Day and I didn't have it off (we only have 5 holidays a year, and very rarely get Labor Day; but we have a very generous PTO package). K had invited me along to a friend's BBQ, so I got us up and out of the house, and to my work, early. We left about 2PM to get to the BBQ, which was on the Peninsula, with K's friend. K had left her driver's license at the church the previous day, so we went through SF (the Bay Bridge being open in the Westbound direction still) and I got to see her church! Charming small church. I won't link to it for her privacy. It was great to see where she works, though. She's right; she does have more books than I do (and you know how I hate to lose a competition).

We headed down the Peninsula to the BBQ, which was fun. Her friends have a small yard right behind their house, then a huge fenced yard that is mostly open, with a tree swing. Someone had brought their sweet, friendly, fairly calm dog who I got to love all over. G played with their son and another boy (when he wasn't getting irritated with the older boy) and ate a bit. I had a few Bud Lights (that I'd brought, and like) and ate some yummy food and had some good conversations. It was nice to get to know K's friends, the hosts, better. Neat people. Her connection with them is through theater, and they had connections with lots of other folks through lj, which was pretty fascinating to hear. G was very sad when it was time to leave, after K sparred quite nicely about religion with a guy who just loved to hear himself talk, so the hosts let us borrow the DVD he'd been watching with the other kids. Very kind. When we return it, we'll get his Cal cap back, which we inadvertantly left.

Weekend of Sept 9
My dad played football in the late 50's with a Cal coach named Pappy Waldorf. The men who played for Pappy get together every year for a Pappy's Boys dinner. Apparently, he was a very successful coach (except for my dad's year, sadly!) and the men are very enthusiastic about the reunion. My dad drove down from their new place in Oregon for this dinner and invited me along. I called all my usual babysitters, getting more and more frantic as I got calls back with 'no' for an answer (it was a high-school football night), until finally, K stepped in and said she'd hang out with G for the evening. I put on a blue dress I'd found at Salvation Army that someone made for a body just like mine and had a great evening.

The next day was G's first soccer game of the season. His coach is wonderful--so incredibly patient, and clear on his expectations of a team of under-7s. They don't even keep score or require legal throw-ins. (See why I'm not a great choice for coach?) G did well and K and my dad both came. K really helped me not to coach (my instinct and not a helpful one) and just to yell encouraging things. It was great to have her there.

Afterward, she went off to do ministerial things, and Dad took us out to breakfast at Ole's Waffle Nook. Yum. It took so long to get in and then to get our food that by the time we were home and ready to drive to the NCWHL picnic, I realized we'd be driving 45 mins to be there for the last 15. I nixed it. Dad went off to the football game and I started to get ready to see the Yarn Harlot at a local knitting store.

More knitting content over at my knitting blog soon, I'm sure, but I had a great time. It ran really late (everyone wanted to meet her and have her sign his or her books), so I called up my babysitter and told her to just leave when my dad came back and I'd pay her the next day (actually, she suggested that part, as I was loathe to have her leave without getting paid). That worked out great; G had been really tired and voluntarily went to bed early, so Dad just had to be home and not even get G to bed. I finally got home at 10PM, whereas I had predicted I'd be home by 8:30. The things we do for knitting!

Sunday morning, I got up at the asscrack of dawn to go to the Beginning Hockey class at Oakland Ice, in preparation for the Red tryouts. Got there right on time at 5:45AM (to be ready for the 6:15AM class), only to find that it had been canceled because of their St. Moritz figure skating somethingorothercrap. I was SO disappointed. It isn't often that I have an adult in my house so that I can go to this. The last time was maybe early this summer, when my sister was visiting. Argh.

So I went home and my dad was pleased to have me back early, as his wife had been pressuring him to leave earlier than he had planned. He was going to take us out to breakfast, but I had stopped at Albertson's on my way back from non-hockey and bought, among other things, cinnamon rolls in the can. (Whatever happened to orange rolls? That was our family tradition.) So I baked those and cooked some scrambled eggs. He ate some and took off.

So G and I got dressed and headed off to church earlyish so I could be there in time for the bell choir rehearsal. I played bells (and made a mistake, dammit, the first time through) and sat down for the rest of the service. Then watched the chancel choir sing and ended up in a blacker and blacker mood. Finally handed the babysitter money to a friend to pass on and just left with G (who was as antsy as I was) and went home.

Background: chancel (voice) choir rehearsal is 7:30-9PM on Thursdays. I found out, painfully, that G does way better with a solid 8:30 bedtime, which is, of course, preceded by bedtime stuff like brushing teeth, choosing the next day's clothes (a sanity saver right there), and stories. So 7:30-9PM rehearsal just had to be... out of the question.

Well, I love to sing. I love to sing for our choir director. And I just had a friend and choirmember tell me she missed singing with me. So I started thinking about that and just felt the loss so keenly.

So I went home and G was still being just awful. I tried a million ways from Sunday to get him to nap and finally gave up and let him watch a movie in the front room and I watched my latest Netflix movie (Billy Madison, sucked) in my room. He kept sneaking peeks and it seemed like a kid movie, so he kept trying to watch it, annoying the holy crap out of me.

It finally ended and K came over and we three watched the beginning of Treasure Planet together. K hadn't seen it, but we had; not that that made a difference when it was time for G to get ready for bed. Tears ensued. Got him to bed and had some cuddling time with K, phew.

Monday was the day of a 6PM Jim Wallis appearance that I desperately wanted to be at. I just couldn't get childcare, so gave up on being there or at friends' discussion afterward. They kindly moved the discussion to my house! So once I picked G up, we went on a long TJ's run and bought all sorts of yummies. Got home just before 8... only to find folks waiting on my porch, having called my cell phone that is so rarely on! Oops.

They graciously brushed off my apologies and settled at my dining-room table. I set out what I had and put some other yummies in the micro and oven. Had a lively discussion that was deeper and more passionate than I'd even expected. I put G to bed only to find folks fading away. K stayed and we had some grown-up time together, which was very nice.