This is the post that I wasn’t going to do anything with. It’s pretty long and rambling and, as an added bonus, there’s no real point to it. And don't look for conclusion. it's not there. But, I'm posing it anyway. There's so many words here, it seems kind of a shame to waste them. So, here you go...
The other day, I was thinking about how tired I am a lot of the time, and I was wondering why this was. Other than getting up and going to work, and then spending a few waking hours at home before an early bedtime, I don’t really do a whole lot.
I decided to try and keep track of things by making a loose list of the highlights of the week - and it kind of got out of control. Let's start at the beginning...
SUNDAY:
Last Sunday, Sam and I sat down and went through the voting guide that came in the mail earlier in the week. This guide is something that the State sends out and it basically covers the questions that are going to appear on the ballot. There are four ballot questions this year. I went through each one of them with Sam and I did my best to to try to appear impartial and to break down what each one meant and what voting “yes” or “no” would do.
Sam gave me his response for each one of them and he did his best to read my expression every time to see if I agreed or disagreed with him. Sam is a master at this. Any slight twitch of an eyebrow, any blink, any movement at the corners of the mouth - Sam will pick up on it and try to give you the answer he thinks you want. But I think I did well and Sam gave some pretty good responses.
We finished going through the book and I made a few notes. The plan was that we were going to try to make it to early voting later in the week so we could avoid the presumed havoc at the polling place on the following Tuesday.
MONDAY:
Monday night was Halloween, so the plan was to go trick or treating. This decision is driven by Sam, which in turn is driven by the fact that a woman along his route, hands out stuffed animals instead of candy. This woman has been handing out stuffed animals since his brother and sisters were little, and though her mom is no longer with us, she seems to be going strong.
This is right up Sam’s alley. Sam is not much of a candy guy, but he is definitely a stuffed animal guy. I think that he feels that it’s his mission in life to make sure that every stuffed animal in the world has a safe bed to sleep in. The evidence for this can be seen by looking in Sam’s bed.
Anyway, when I got home from work, I got Sam some dinner and then he got into his costume.
The original intention was that Sam was going to be a cowboy, but the toy gun belt didn't fit around him, so we decided to leave that part of the costume at home. Helaina remarked that Sam looked like Indiana Jones, which was true.
Sam finished getting ready and, along with Helaina, we headed out into the cold, growing dusk. The area that we go Trick or Treating in, doesn’t have a lot of street lights and on Monday, there was no moon, so the stars were shining extra bright. When you looked up in the sky and stared long enough, even someone with my poor eyes could make out the Milky Way.
We made our rounds and house by house, Sam collected his candy - most of which he will never eat. We went along until we came to the house where the woman with the stuffed animals lives and fortunately, she was still around. And even more fortunately, she was still giving out stuffed animals. This was all that really mattered.
We finished walking around the block, and headed back to the car. Along the way, Sam hit up the remaining houses while Helaina and I stood at the far end of each driveway. Occasionally, someone would ask Sam what he was supposed to be and he would answer, “Indiana Jones.”
TUESDAY
Tuesday is when Sam works for Bob, sweeping up sawdust in his workshop. Actually, it’s every other Tuesday and this was the every other Tuesday. So like every other Tuesday, I got home from work and grabbed a few things to get ready for his dinner, and then I rushed back out to pick Sam up at Bob’s. And, just like every other Tuesday, I made it there just in time.
Back at home, I made Sam his dinner and sat with him while he ate. Then, being Tuesday, we collected the trash together.
Since it was still barely daylight outside, I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk. Like usual, he said, “Sure!” And when I asked him where he might want to go, he suggested a walk up to the tower.
It had been a couple of weeks since we had last gone to the tower and, with the amount of daylight decreasing more and more as we head deep into autumn, it may be a little while before we’re able to go again - at least during the week. So we drove to the tower’s access road, parked and headed out.
Our walk up to the tower was a little more brisk than usual. The sun was getting low and it left us just a few minutes at the top, before we had to return back to the car to beat the encroaching darkness.
By the time we got home, there was just enough time for each of us to take our showers and get ready for bed.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday night is the night that Sam has speech, so this week, like most weeks, while he was gone, I went through and paid some of the bills, did the dishes along with a couple of loads of laundry. I also made a list for him to take with him when we went to go vote. I left most of the spaces blank for him to fill in, just to be sure I got it right.
Next, I got ready to send off an email to someone at Sam’s school to get clarification on the field trip that Sam wanted to go on this coming Saturday. This field trip is something that had first come up a couple of weeks earlier and was in some ways getting way more complicated than it needed to be. I won’t get into all of the background because that would be a long post in itself. But it all boiled down to the fact that I needed to know if Sam was indeed registered to go or not, and if I was also registered as well, so that I could chaperone him on the trip.
I know Sam had filled out some kind of form. But it wasn’t clear exactly what it was or if he had turned it into the right people or not. He tried to tell me, but he wasn't sure himself. I also needed to know other minor details, such as where were we leaving from, and what time were we supposed to be there. To try and keep it simple, I wasn't even asking where it was we were going.
When Sam got home, we wrote the email, which went pretty quickly. Then I showed him the ballot list, and we quickly went through the ballot questions again. Sam gave me his answers again, and again, he checked my expressions before, during and after each answer. Apparently I passed the test because his answers were the same as they were the first time. I had him write his answers on the paper and had him put the paper in his wallet.
On Wednesdays, I let Sam stay up an extra half an hour longer. This is because of his time at speech. I figure it gives him a little bit more time to unwind. So like most Wednesday’s, when Sam got back, we each took our showers and then he sat at the computer and watched his cartoons, while I sat on the couch and struggled to stay awake.
THURSDAY
Normally, I get home about a half an hour later on Thursdays than I do on Mondays through Wednesdays. This past Thursday though, I had to meet someone about mid-afternoon. Because of this, I happened to be heading by the house earlier than usual.
Along the way, I thought it would make a good time to go and vote, so I called Sam and told him that if he was ready, we could shoot over to the town offices together. Since this was unplanned, I had to explain it to him a couple of times, but once he understood, he was good with it. I told him I would be there in a few minutes and to make sure he had his wallet with the paper in it. He said he did, so moments later, I picked him up and we were off to the town offices where we both voted - Sam for the very first time.
Outside the town offices, I congratulated Sam, shook his hand and took a picture to commemorate the important day, and then I brought him back home and headed off to my meeting.
Afterwards, it was back to home to make dinner, do another load of laundry, and try to stay awake before bedtime.
But, before bedtime, I had to write another email. This, once again, was about the upcoming field trip. The email I had sent last night, resulted in some back and forth emails during the day. The response I was getting was that since Sam is considered an adult and because of Federal privacy laws, they can’t share student information with me. I’m all for privacy, but all I wanted to know was if Sam was registered for their upcoming trip, and if I was registered as well - and if so, where and when were we supposed to leave? It wasn’t like I was asking for his healthcare records. And I still wasn’t even asking where we were going.
So I started yet another email but just then, my phone rang. It was one of his instructors - a different on than the one I had been emailing, so I had a long conversation with her - as always, upstairs, outside of Sam’s earshot. Ultimately, she suggested writing another email, along with Sam, to someone else, asking them the same information, this time cc’ing Sam, so they could answer him instead of me.
I went back downstairs and sat down with Sam and explained the issue to him and we began writing ananother email together. We got about a line or two into it when my phone rang again. It wasn’t a number I recognized and I almost didn’t pick it up - but I did.
The woman on the other end had a thick Hispanic accent and I braced myself for either a sales pitch, a warning about all of those computer viruses I didn’t know that I had, or some scheme to save me all sorts of money that I don’t have in the first place.
As I was about to hang up, I heard her mention something about “Sam.” It turned out that this woman was also from Sam’s school. She was calling to follow up on the field trip. Because she had a thick accent and my hearing is not the greatest, the conversation, like the email exchanges, also lasted a lot longer than it really needed to.
I kept having to ask her to repeat herself - sometimes gleaning slightly more information than I had before. At least I was hoping I was. I would repeat back what I thought she said, often more than once, and sometimes I got it right, but mostly I didn't
She said something about a police station and something about a bus stop across from it. I had no idea what she was talking about. I’ve never seen any police station. I asked her if this was the bus station where Sam gets dropped off for school. And after some more back and forth, it was clear that, no, this wasn’t what she was talking about at all.
She said something about the front of the building and something about the back of the building and when I thought I understood enough of what she talking about, I would ask a question and find out that, while I kind of understood the words, I had no idea where she was referring to.
This went on for a while.
To her credit, the woman kept trying to say it in a way that she hoped that I would understand - trying to enunciate the words a little more clearly (and a littler more loudly - which really wasn’t helping, but I appreciated the effort) until finally I thanked her and pretended everything was clear to me now.
Even if I hadn’t understood everything, I managed to get somewhat straightened out on some of the questions I had. At least I now knew that Sam had already turned in his form. And I kind of knew the time we were to be at his school. And I was pretty sure that we were leaving from some bus stop somewhere at Sam’s school. Plus, she said she would me mail me a form that I needed to fill out. So, this was progress.
I thanked her again for her help, and after hanging up, she emailed me the form - just as she had said she would. The form was a release , so that I wouldn’t sue anybody should the bus crash or if/when I got lost in the museum, etc. I filled out the form and Sam stuck it on the refrigerator and we headed up to bed - which was good because it was now well past both of our bedtimes - and my head was about to explode.
FRIDAY
Every Thursday night when I put Sam to bed, I remind him that tomorrow is Friday, and Sam almost always responds, “And it’s Monk night!” But Friday, is also the day that I call him when I’m on my way home from work, to find out what Sam wants to do about dinner. The choices are usually leftovers, getting something from the grocery store, or, rarely nowadays, fast food.
For the past week, the two of us have been eating some variation of a meal involving leftover meatballs, so leftovers, specifically meatball leftovers, was not something either of us were going to consider. Instead, he decided that going to the grocery the grocery store was the best option and I was more than fine with that.
We went down and got him some chicken strips and potatoes and then we spent a few minutes scoping out the store in anticipation of our usual weekend errands.
Back at home, Sam ate while I got out the popcorn in preparation for our watching “Monk” later on. After dinner, we went over our plans for the following morning and then we both showered and got ready for a night of watching our TV show and eating popcorn together.
SATURDAY
On Saturday, I got up and made breakfast for Sam, just like I usually do every weekend, and just as I had always done for his brother and his sisters. After he ate, we went over our plans for the day, one last time, gathered up our stuff, including the all important form, - and then we made the forty minute drive to his school.
Like usual, I got there a little bit early. In this case, it was because I wasn't really sure where I was going. We drove around a few of the of the parking lots, but I didn't see anything that vaguely looked like it could have been what the woman had been trying to tell me.
Finally we drove around the back of the school, which, as it turns out, is really the front of the school(!)- and all the bits and pieces fell into place. There, on one side of the road, was the police station she had been trying to describe to me. And there, on the other side, was an actual bus stop!
Sam and I parked and we hopped out of the car with our form in hand and we waited for the others to show up. We weren't there too long before the Hispanic woman showed up. She was glad to see Sam - and especially glad to see the form.
Little by little the rest of the group showed up as well until there were maybe about 15 or 20 people in all. One by one, we climbed onto the minibus and headed down to the art museum.
The ride was about an hour and a half or so, from the school. I expected Sam to be more tired than he was but he did fine.
We spent about 3 hours or so at the Museum which is maybe about 40 minutes longer then I think Sam had an interest in. But he did great. He spent a lot of time looking at the paintings and at the ancient objects and reading the little plaques next to the displays, which told a little bit about the history of the piece.
 |
| Sam pointed out this Bart Simpson from the past. |
When we were done walking around, we went down the lobby and waited for the rest of the group to show up. It wasn't long before it was time to go. We all loaded up on the bus for the long ride back to Sam's school.
By the time we got back to the school and by the time we got back home, it was late afternoon. Still, Sam and I decided that we had enough time to go to one of the two grocery stores, which make up our weekend errands, so we took off almost as soon as we got back home.
We did a little bit of grocery shopping and Sam bought a couple of slices of pizza to have for his dinner - and then we headed hom, this time for good.
In the two or three hours between dinner and bedtime we spent them as we usually do - Sam on the computer and me on the couch. Then, after bringing Sam up to bed, Helena and I watched our TV show together before we finally headed up to bed as well.
SUNDAY (again)
Which brings us back to Sunday. This time, Sunday was spent raking leaves. Part of Sunday, anyway. For the past week, our front yard had been a mess with the leaves that had fallen from the old maple tree. This particular Maple seems to lose its leaves earlier than other any other tree and our neighborhood. And with the wet weather and because of my not having the time or the energy to do anything about it, the leaves have been laying there, plastered all over our front yard.
So, while the sun was struggling to stay out, I went outside and started raking the front and side yards, until I had a fairly massive pile of leaves. Sam came out and helped me load them into our neighbor's wheelbarrow and then went with me to dump them in the woods at the end of the street.
After a couple of loads, our neighbor came out and suggested that, instead of using the wheelbarrow, we instead rake the leaves onto his tarp - and then drag them to the woods. This sounded semi-reasonable to me, so Sam and I loaded up the tarp and I dragged the first load down into the woods. Sam walked alongside of me.
It was pretty much a struggle because the leaves were still so wet from all of the rain earlier in the week. On the next load, Sam insisted on helping me drag the second massive bundle of leaves. He said he was concerned and, he "didn't want to hear you panting so hard." I appreciated the thought - and the help.
Together, we dragged the bundle down the street and into the woods. This left only a small wheelbarrow load of leaves to finish it up. Next weekend, if all of the leaves have fallen, we’ll tackle the backyard. Maybe.
After washing up, we decided it would be a good time to head to the second grocery store which we didn't have the time to go to on Saturday. So, off we went, to finish our Saturday errands together - even though it was Sunday. We’re pretty crazy that way.
-----
So, there you have what amounts to a pretty typical week. Some of the details change from one week to the next - things like trick or treating, for example. But, regardless of the events, a lot of my free time is spent in very much the same way.
So why am I tired so often? Who knows. I still can’t figure it out. And I guess, in the end it really doesn’t matter. Some things are just the way they are.
