At Least There's No Salmonella

For those of you who may need a translation of yesterday's video, here's some help. Basically, Monkey Do is asked (usually by SweetPea) what kind of day is she going to have. To which she replies:

Beautiful. Participate and perseverance. Participate means do what the teacher
tells you to do and perseverance means sticktoitivness. Use the bathroom at
recess. Don't play with Kayla because she's misguided and I deserve a better
friend than what she is. Make sure I bring my homework home so I can get it
signed and go to breakfast with you on Friday. Don't get any cards because it
takes away from my learning time and everyone else's for Ms. Arthur to write it
up.

That came about over, I believe, three years of morning drop-offs, and various issues that have come up in that time. I asked her to say it fast, because I had no idea how long I'd have to record it. Which is part of the reason you can hardly understand her. The other part is, no doubt, that the mic wasn't quite big enough to pick it all up.

It's a camera phone, for the love of pete!

Yesterday was a long ass day, spent almost entirely outside.

First stop, the college to pick up camera equipment and to make arrangements for the editing of the film.

Next up, the end of year BBQ for Adaptive PE. We hung out for awhile, made some chichat, SweetPea did some filming. Finally, when we were virtually the very last people there, we left to go pick Monkey See up from school.

After pickup, we stopped for some lunch. Because the problem with going to BBQ's when you're vegetarian, especially big bbq's, is that, a lot of the time, they really don't plan for vegetarians. We stopped at California Burger (huzzah for air conditioning!), where I had a Garden Burger and the three of us shared an order of onion rings. SweetPea and I also downed a ton of cold water and I had a couple of refills of diet Coke. To digress (more) a moment, the Garden Burger at California Burger is actually pattyless. It's onions, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, avocados, cheese with thousand island on a toasted bun. It's really damn good.

After a bit, it was time to get pick up Monkey Do and to help set up for the Open House BBQ. We got there to find out that just about everything was done. After standing around for a while, we got volunteered to pick up the ice. 10, 20lb. bags of ice. And that was way more fun, in that heat, than anything else we might have gotten stuck with. So yay for that, too!

When we got back, we ended up on the serving line. Monkey See and I dished out potato and macaroni salad. SweetPea greeted people at the front of the line and explained things. Monkey Do helped the girls with soda distribution.

Maybe it's my perspective from the serving side of the line, but it seemed like there was a lot less of a turn out this year than last year. I wonder how we did.

After about 45 minutes, I was relieved of my post, so I tore off to check out Monkey Do's classroom. Including her dissected owl pellets. Mmmm! And then I snuck off to the book fair. Monkey Do has been talking and talking about this one book, because the title has her name in it. Monkey Do has a rather unusual name, so this will never be a common thing. She told me the book was just $3.99 and please please please could she have it? So I had armed my pockets with five dollars so I could sneak off with that book and, low and behold, it was $5.99!

I ran back to SweetPea and got two more dollars and then ran back to the book fair and purchased it for real this time. Then I stuck it up my shirt and ran back like nothing had happened. A little while later I snuck the book into the truck and Monkey Do still has no idea we have it for her!

Hee hee!

We finally left school three hours later because we were not done yet!

We high-tailed it to Neighbor's house, where I hijacked Neighbor and we went to the store again. Bought some beer and came back, just in time to get the Driveway Party started. We had the three of us, plus two people we've met before, plus one person we'd never met, and one person we'd met but not gotten to know.

Three hours, a few beers and half a pack of cigarettes later, and we were headed towards home. Finally!

It was a long, good day and I don't think I'm nearly as sunburnt or dehydrated as I probably deserve to be. I tried to stay in the shade as much as possible, and even put my bucket hat on during the Open House BBQ. I also tried to be conscientious of my water intake, so I was drinking water at every opportunity.

Anyway!

What a long and boring post, huh?

Here, have some pictures:

First, we have the infamous LB. Hi LB!

Here's SweetPea, doing some filming. She'll probably be mad I posted this snap, but, you know what? That's what she gets for wasting good school film on my cleavage.

And here's a pretty, just because.

Up for today: birthday linner for LB and SweetPea. Followed by Hooters. And, hopefully, home. This morning, coffee with Neighbor. Hopefully, a nap before going out.