Weekend Catchup: Accidental Stabbing

We didn't do *quite* as much partying this weekend.

Friday night we went swimming up in Fabulous Greeley with Nova & her clan. It's a therapy pool, which means no freezing cold water.

BLISS.

After some quick dinner, Nova & I attempted to go act like 25 year olds by going to the local pub for a beer, but we neglected to remember it was Graduation Weekend up there, and were thwarted in our efforts.

We did manage to grab a pint of Strongbow on tap and oh my friends let me just tell you...

The canned stuff is nothing compared to that! If you are even mildly inclined toward hard cider, you must find some Strongbow on tap.

Saturday morning The Kid and I got up and out early, and by 10AM I had managed to throw out my back. It was a combo of too much laundry-hauling, cat-box-cleaning and swimming, and I spent the rest of the day with my heating pad. AWESOME.

I had planned on completing a birthday project, but it's just as well that I had to sit around all day convalescing, because here's a tip for you seamstresses out there, or anyone who knows one. Pass it on.

If you purchase a jelly roll of fabric, which consists of 40 or so 2"-wide strips of fabric, don't wash the fabric.

I know, I know, the rule is if you're making something with fabric that has potential to alter in hot water, wash it first to pre-shrink so you don't end up with a lumpy mess later after you've slaved away sewing and stitching.

But in this case?

Just don't.

Whatever you make, just plan on spot-cleaning it if need be, and warn the intended recipient of your labor that they should do the same.

Otherwise you will spend about 8 hours disassembling the bait-ball like thing that comes out of your dryer, snipping off strings that unraveled themselves into snarled balls of evil in that same dryer, and then ironing those long, skinny (now slightly skinnier) strips into semblances of their old, flat, lovely selves.

Sunday was Mother's Day, of course, but like I told The Kid...

I don't need a special day.

I'm so lucky to have a kid like her, and I don't need her to stop being a jerk or do chores one day of the year - she's lovely every day.

We had some breakfast, she gave me a card she made (of course - she *always* makes cards, so now I expect it), and at about noon we headed down to pick up TR and head to the derby bout between the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' 5280 Fight Club and the Texas Rollergirls' Texecutioners.

It is unbelievable to see professionals do this. I highly recommend you attend a bout, you'll be blown away! The Kid was pretty impressed and, I think, inspired.

Also, our girls KICKED ASS.

The accidental stabbing took place on the way down to Denver... The Kid had her mechanical pencil in *just* the right place so that when pushing her hand away as she tried to Punch Buggy me on the sly (God help us if we ever pass a VW dealership), it smacked right into the very pointy tip of the pencil. OW! TR came to the rescue with pirate bandaids.

I am looking forward to this coming weekend... The Kid's grampa has agreed take her down to her practice Sunday so I can go have date night with TR (why did that sound like Showtime at the Apollo in my head?), which is good because I kind of miss that - which is weird since I see him every week and talk to him all the time.

I find I miss The Kid during the school year, too, which is equally weird because I actually *live* with her! How can I miss someone with whom I have constant contact?

I think what I'm missing is the freedom to just hang out and relax with my peeps, do nothing in particular, have a nosh and watch a movie or something. I don't get a lot of that these days! We've just got too much going on.

Do you find that to be true in your relationships, romantic and otherwise, dear readers? That you schedule yourself into oblivion only to find that you miss someone you see and talk to all the time?

Humans are strange creatures, no?

This introspective moment brought to you by Overactive Brainfunction, LTD., makers of What Are You Thinking gum and the often duplicated, never replicated "Interpretron 2000" Conversation Analysis Calculator. Now back to your regularly scheduled program!

Whoa! Where did that come from?!

Anyway, we had a lovely late lunch/early dinner at Pete's Greek Cafe after the bout, because I had a sudden yen for lemony, garlicky chicken soup.

The yen was... um, scratched?... successfully. So good.

On to another exciting week! This week is another packed one, of course...

Tomorrow is MESA day (The Kid was one of 11 to be picked - go her!), Wednesday is the Science Fair and volunteering at the humane society (that'll be fun, shoehorning those both together), Thursday is The Kid's *sniff* last ever middle school Orchestra concert (I'm totally going to cry, I just know it), and Friday is a beach-themed social.

I can't WAIT for summer vacation! And I don't even get one!

And finally, to those who read my Friday post, you'll be pleased to know that, even if it doesn't pan out, I have successfully...

• Submitted my FASFA application, which includes an automated application for a Pell Grant
  
• Submitted my Colorado COF (College Opportunity Fund) application
• Applied to Front Range Community College for the Fall 2010 semester (the CU free credit hours aren't going to fit right now, though I will use them later)
  
• Contacted the advisor group at FRCC to see with whom I should speak
• Contacted the placement testing facility for dates and hours (Saturday mornings)
  
• Decided on a course of study... can you guess what it'll be? 10 Internets to the one who gets it right.
  

Who knows if it'll work - it still may prove too expensive and time-consuming for right now - but at least I'll have gained a little bit of insight into what I'll need to do when things fall into place.

Wish me luck!