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Tuesday, August 14, 2007

But I try, and I try, and I try

I feel like Brenda Lee Johnson, aka Kyra Sedgwick, of TNT's fabulous _The Closer_: when asked in madated therapy following almost being killed via cattle prod and other torture devices if anything unusual is going on, Brenda replies, sweetly, "why, nuthin." At the end of the session, the psychiatrist sums up what is actually happening: "So, besides going through early-onset menopause, having your parents in town, getting engaged, buying a house, and almost being killed, there's nothing out of the ordinary happening to you...Do I have that right?" After which, Brenda is declared a danger to herself and others.

Sadly, there is no mandated therapy available for me (acupuncture notwithstanding), so I have to self-diagnose: "So, besides being pregnant, trying to buy a house, packing up the current apartment, preparing for a new semester, preparing to teach early-morning (6:15 am) bible study (on the Old Testament, no less) to teen-agers, and adjusting to the husband's new but still aggravating job, there's nothing out of the ordinary happening to me...Does that sound about right?"

I hereby declare myself a danger to myself and others. Stay back!

So, updates: we found the perfect house! Hurray! just one catch: it may be in a very unperfect neighborhood. When we visited this lovely 1700 square foot gem on James Island in our price range (gasp!) on Sunday afternoon, the streets were deserted and all looked well. However, when the husband returned last night in the evening just to check things out (I had no idea he was planning on doing this), there were various and sundry 20-something men just...hanging out, all around. In this area, that is not a good sign. So we are torn. On the one hand, did I mention perfect house?? On the other hand, lots of loiterers. And, to complicate matters even further, this appears to be a predominantly African American neighborhood. Which for me, means next to nothing. For re-sale purposes in the South, however, it means everything. But I am morally opposed to caving to such unwarranted prejudice. But at the same time, I am deathly afraid of being saddled with a house that won't sell in the future because of said deep-rooted prejudice. And so we are in a quandry of huge philosophical and economic proportions. Just FABULOUS!

The pregnancy proceeds, which is the good news. People are slowing starting to find out as I am rapidly unable to fit into any of my former pants/shorts/capris. I am down to elastic waist skirts from my former life (and happy I have so many of them!) and first-line maternity tops, which are just slightly roomier than normal (not to be confused with the voluminous yards of fabric that await me in my future tops). Maternity clothes are a racket, but thankfully my generous mother bought me a ton and a life-saving friend lent me a ton and all I have to do is get a few obligatory white t-shirts and some capris because it is dang hot here, and I simply can't stand the thought of wearing pants to work for awhile, no matter how cute they are. Mine aren't hot flashes so much as my core body temperature seems permanently raised by 10 degrees. The poor husband is sleeping under a heavy denim comforter in long pants at night in the middle of a heat wave while I have both the fan and the AC going and still I wake up sweating. LOVELY!

I procrastinated generating the syllabus for a new version of 101 until I simply can't wait any longer, so it should be done this week. I finally made progress yesterday, after having a panic attack re the housing situation. As my acupuncurist has suggested, I decided to direct my stress at the unknown into something I could control, ie my syllabus, and off I went to Starbucks to do so. This strategy worked wonders, so I am now confident it will be done in plenty of time for the kiddies. HALLELUJAH!

Unlike the Old Testament class I am also teaching. Thankfully, the husband, who is insanely, somewhat perplexingly excited about this prospect, has decided to team teach with me. Otherwise, I would really be sunk, for multiple reasons: first, 6:15 am. Need I say more? I am not, not not a morning person, as my 8 am classes can attest (although, this semester, they are going to be getting a fully awake me, for the first time ever). Second, has anyone read the Old Testament lately? It is really not the Disney version we have all been fed over the years, as even a cursory reading reveals. So it's going to be a challenge to navigate that morass. Third, we have a very, very small class, which at that time in the morning will be death, since I envision us talking the whole time while the 14 and 17 year-olds wake up. Fourth, add in the prenancy and packing and moving in the next month or so (ideally) and this whole situation has the makings of a bad sitcom! CLASSIC!

This is the way to go, weaving television seamlessly into my real life. SATISFACTION!

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