Tapping into musical therapy

I tried to be so good today. 

I was patient, polite, unhurried. I planned ahead; I was ready to not sweat the small stuff. 

And it worked. For a while. 

See, I knew the day was not going to be easy. Demeter wanted to do some banking. She wanted to update some funds and investments. We agreed she could do this, while I nipped off for some quick errands. 

As a precaution, I left my phone number with the banking staff.  They called me while I was just completing the first errand.  My signature was needed.  That was fine; I'm flexible.  I hadn't planned anything important. And I was patient, polite, and unhurried.  The appointment took three quarters of an hour.  That was fine.  I rather suspected this was going to happen; Demeter is at an age where financial types look at her and think:  estate planning.

What I hadn't planned for was the snarky bus driver as I helped Demeter disembark on the way home after a long afternoon.  Or the large white truck making an illegal right turn inches from Demeter's walker as we crossed to her block.  Or the neighbour who followed us into the small elevator at the condo, and seemed hurt when I hastily exited to take the stairs instead.

I came home and the Resident Fan Boy wanted me to locate a photo from the eighties, and younger daughter was watching a Friends episode, for the umpteenth time, from one of the latter five seasons (which stank, frankly).

In self-defence, I slapped on the noise-cancelling headphones, and stumbled across this latest Postmodern Jukebox video:

 

I'm not a fan of either the British nor the American versions of The Office, but I like quite a few of the featured songs here, to say nuthin' of the fabulous tap-dancing.  In purple boots, yet.

My savage breast was soothed.  (Not a euphemism.) I was only slightly cranky by dinnertime.

I gotta go, but my friend here can stick around

It's been one of those days.  Frankly, it's been one of those months, and I'm becoming increasingly afeared that this is going to be one of those years.  I'm going to attempt to write about it, but heavens, not now.

When younger daughter finished her science homework completely unaided, I invited her over to watch this video which I was sure she would love.  However, in her world, finishing her homework meant it was time to watch a selected DVD and a four-minute video, even with Muppets in it, was more than she could stomach.

Feeling just a tad rejected, I gazed glumly at the computer screen while the Accent Snob cowered under my shins.  He had picked up on younger daughter's agitation and thought it was directed at him.  (We can't help but wonder if tension in one of his other homes invariably led to someone kicking the dog.)

Anyway, this has always been one of my favourite songs.  This is Jimmy Fallon, in his last moments of hosting Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, before taking over The Tonight Show this week.  He's channelling the late great Levon Helm while Dr Teeth and his pals reenact one of the famous moments from The Band's Last Waltz. 


Here's the number as it played out in the film The Last Waltz, the Band performing "The Weight" with the Staple Singers:


I'm off to bed.  If there's any mercy in the world, I won't remember my dreams.  I just hope I don't wake up as a giant cockroach.

It's bleak, but it's not mid-winter

I missed my connections and ended up walking into younger daughter's school from Iris Station. In normal weather, this takes about 25 minutes. Today wasn't normal weather. Well, okay, it was normal for Ottawa in December. Now my knee hurts. And it's a full moon. Whiiiiiiiine.

My daughters are fans of Calvin and Hobbs. And Christmas. (Walking, not so much.) This is for them.

My day in haiku

Day dawns and pounces.
Daughter is misunderstood.
Compose note to teacher.

Shop with Demeter.
Mall coffee near shoe repair.
Special hell in Hades.

Carefully composed
Note to teacher with homework
Is returned unopened.

Late afternoon is
Grey and spent in crammed transit
Anticipating

More goddamned homework.
Guidance and suggestions still
Much like pulling teeth.

Was today that bad?
Okay, it had its moments.
Nice pasta for lunch...