Is he gone? Good. Back to our regularly scheduled programming...
I've been spending my evening trying to figure out Kindle. Luddite though I am, I am determined to stay abreast of whatever technological wave is cresting, all the while mixing my metaphors madly as I go. So far, all that I've figured out is that it costs one heck of a lot of money, and then I still have to pay for the books to download to it. I could pay a lot of library fines with that sort of dough.
[Whaddaya mean, Luddites don't have blogs? This one does. I can't work the DVD player, I can't work my cellphone, I can't work my microwave, for heaven's sake - but I do blog. I'm a little leery of electric toothbrushes, also; but that is another story.]
This evening Anna asked if we could look for different shoes for the dress we bought her for Easter that she refused to wear (even though she picked it out). Bummer - I was just about to E-bay it. So I took her to Target and we didn't find shoes that were satisfactory and I could feel her hot, angry breath on my neck all the way out of the store. The silence in the car on the way home was deafening. I spent the ride recalling how fun it used to be to have Anna in the car with me, chatting away about whatever it was she was looking forward to at that particular moment. She was the type of person who would get up and treat each day like a present to be opened. Does growing up require a girl to lose a perfectly pleasant temperament? I can't remember. Maybe I should ask my mother. Odds are, though, she would refuse to answer me, all the while smiling like the lovely lady to the right.
That's okay - she'll have waited 30 years for that moment; I'll let her enjoy it.
ahh yes because it is SOOOO your fault that Target did not have what she wanted. What is the matter with you?
ReplyDeleteThe MOTHER's curse, oh yes, my mom LOL (how rude) as she hears my girls back talk me while on the phone!
ReplyDeleteI am a Luddite. I confess that I frequently ask my children to make things work because I am inept.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to understand Kindle too. I'm not convinced it would work in the UK, so I'm not buying. An e-book sounds like a great idea... but I love seeing real books on shelves too.
ReplyDeleteDeafening silences... wish I could set Ellie on Anna for you. She has a talent for finding the sulking person in a crowd and INSISTING they smile at her.
Luddite? Good, so am I. We'll throw our shoes at techonology together, okay?
ReplyDeleteI'm not too fond of electric toothbrushes, either. What's your story?
ReplyDeleteI answered your kindle questions in my comments.
ReplyDeleteaimee - do you think we could use Crocs instead of sabots, though? Call it Croc-o-tage?
ReplyDeleteWhat does Luddite mean, anyway? Is that a cousin of Amishness?
ReplyDeleteYep. I had a happy sunny child once too and I'm not sure I get the whole Kindle thing either....
ReplyDeleteBUT Joni MIitchell! I'm the old tired Mama in everything you said but THAT!!! :)
So you're telling me that boys are actually better? Because one of your boys is older, right? Was he that way? My 16-year-old is Dr. Jeckyll/Mr. Hyde.
ReplyDeleteJust remember, in 30 years, you will be listening to Anna complain about HER teenage daughter, and you will be the one calmly smiling (while trying hard not to burst into hysterical laughter and doing the happy dance)
ReplyDeleteWhen I taught high school I used to say, "I love your child so much!" and the parents would look at me like I was crazy. Apparently, they are much nicer to people who are not their parents. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteYour mother would just smile and not SAY anything??? Geez lucky you. I've had chapter and verse what a rotten teenager I was since I was oh 21. My mother has the memory of an elephant and she's not afraid to use it. I've stopped complaining to her about kids because she just laughs at me.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever seen a mother moose kick the crap out of her gangly moose offspring to get it to leave? Well, that moose offspring had developed a rotten attitude and that is Mother Nature's way of MAKING you WANT them to leave. Nuff said. You just make me glad the bulk of mine are grown and moved out, cause nanny, nanny, been there done that, survived it with the help of anti depressants and I would never do it again. Ha!
ReplyDeleteOh who wants Kindle? Who would give up the sweet sound of "crack" when you open a brand new hardbound book, or the smell of pages in a new paperback? Not me. Besides I am not sure Kindle could survive my night time reading habit in bed and of falling asleep with the book on my chest, or in bed, or drooled on.
ReplyDeleteI haven't embraced the Kindle, either. I think I would have to see someone else using it with glee to be convinced. I suspect I will still prefer the feel of a book in my hands.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it's your fault that Target didn't have the right shoes. Though there are some days when I would very much prefer deafening silence to what I've been hearing these days.
There is a saying in the south-"You always pay for your raising."
ReplyDeleteIt is the curse of elders everywhere. I am sorry she is being unpleasant. Have you ever tried using guilt? I went to Catholic school and they had it down to a fine art. You know you could tell her that there are poor young ladies in China who have just lost everything and would be more than happy to have a nice room, more than one dress and pair of shoes. You get the gist.
I am so thankful I have a son.
Busted!Geez, I was really curious about sisters dressing up in diapers? You're so judgemental.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with Kindle and the girl. I don't see either in my future.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what's wrong with you. Every day around here is like a walk in the meadow with the Von Trapp kids!
ReplyDeleteMy day has been just about as good as yours
ReplyDeleteMy mom actually laughs at me when I complain about my teenagers
My two new words of the day: kindle and twitter. I can barely manage my blog, we have one cell phone in our household, I don't know how to record on our DVD . . . I think I'll leave kindle and twitter alone.
ReplyDeleteSo when do you think Anna will be sweet again? That girl you loved to spend time with is coming back to you... right? In her 20s?
ReplyDeleteI may have lost some of my pleasant temperament when I was a teen but it never revolved around shopping. Curfew? Yes. Shopping, no.
ReplyDeleteI like the trading kids idea.
ReplyDeleteEveryone's a luddite compared to a 14 year old. Anna ought not be the standard for anything.
Oh, I've had the smug mother q&a with my mom, who lacked the restraint not to do an end-zone dance in my face while cackling and squealing "payback is brutal"
ReplyDelete