Thursday, September 04, 2003
Syllabus and Sneakers
The semester is gearing up, and I am woefully unprepared. By Monday at 7:20PM, I have to have my fifteen page syllabus prepared, copied, and stapled. It's a graduate school class and there is no textbook, so I have to create an outline, find appropriate articles, and write the lectures from scratch. Since I don't have a TA, I have to make my own copies and fill out paperwork for the reserve desk at the library. I have to input my syllabus into the university's on-line system. It's a pain in the ass, and I can't remember I agreed to do this. Remind me again.
This morning, during babysitting time, I assembled an adequate outline for the class. In the afternoon, I took the kids to Target to buy them fall shoes. Fall snuck up on me, so Ian is wearing bright green socks under his sandals. He looks like a crazy old man.
I spent a stressful forty minutes, sifting through shoes at Target while vaguely watching two hyper boys. Buying shoes at Target is a NIGHTMARE. The shoes are on random shelves and in random boxes. A size 4 sneaker is definitely going to be in a box that says size 10. A size 5 sneaker will be in a size 3 box. So, pretty much you have to pick up and examine 50 shoes to find the right one. And I needed two pairs. Ian long since screamed his way out of the cart, and the two boys ran up and down the aisle. Then they disassembled an underwear display. Finally, I found the shoes. I let the boys relax in the train section until my blood pressure returned to normal.
The boys were then returned to the cart. Ian in the seat. Jonah sitting in the back. In the clothing section, I picked up t-shirts for the boys and sweaters for me without stopping the cart. Stop the cart and all hells breaks loose. Out of my peripheral vision I would see a black sweater and grab it with one hand. There is no trying on clothes. That's for sissies. "Cruise and Shop" is the ohly way to bring a 4 year old and a 1 year old to Target.
In this blur of a shopping trip, I somehow managed to spend $103. All those $5 shirts add up.
The day isn't over. I've got a parent meeting at the preschool tonight where I'll hide in the back row and read the North Korea article in the New Yorker.
UPDATE: Michelle would HATE me.
The semester is gearing up, and I am woefully unprepared. By Monday at 7:20PM, I have to have my fifteen page syllabus prepared, copied, and stapled. It's a graduate school class and there is no textbook, so I have to create an outline, find appropriate articles, and write the lectures from scratch. Since I don't have a TA, I have to make my own copies and fill out paperwork for the reserve desk at the library. I have to input my syllabus into the university's on-line system. It's a pain in the ass, and I can't remember I agreed to do this. Remind me again.
This morning, during babysitting time, I assembled an adequate outline for the class. In the afternoon, I took the kids to Target to buy them fall shoes. Fall snuck up on me, so Ian is wearing bright green socks under his sandals. He looks like a crazy old man.
I spent a stressful forty minutes, sifting through shoes at Target while vaguely watching two hyper boys. Buying shoes at Target is a NIGHTMARE. The shoes are on random shelves and in random boxes. A size 4 sneaker is definitely going to be in a box that says size 10. A size 5 sneaker will be in a size 3 box. So, pretty much you have to pick up and examine 50 shoes to find the right one. And I needed two pairs. Ian long since screamed his way out of the cart, and the two boys ran up and down the aisle. Then they disassembled an underwear display. Finally, I found the shoes. I let the boys relax in the train section until my blood pressure returned to normal.
The boys were then returned to the cart. Ian in the seat. Jonah sitting in the back. In the clothing section, I picked up t-shirts for the boys and sweaters for me without stopping the cart. Stop the cart and all hells breaks loose. Out of my peripheral vision I would see a black sweater and grab it with one hand. There is no trying on clothes. That's for sissies. "Cruise and Shop" is the ohly way to bring a 4 year old and a 1 year old to Target.
In this blur of a shopping trip, I somehow managed to spend $103. All those $5 shirts add up.
The day isn't over. I've got a parent meeting at the preschool tonight where I'll hide in the back row and read the North Korea article in the New Yorker.
UPDATE: Michelle would HATE me.
