Backup - What's the Damned Point?

Yesterday, the Squeeze and I cleaned out the garage.  It was hard work but today - it’s a thing of beauty.  We are not where I intend it to be yet, but it is getting closer; you could actually swing a cat in there if we had one.  We spent the afternoon lugging boxes, sweating and sweeping – which meant sneezing out the dust; eventually I gave up and just vacuumed the damned thing.

No help from kid 3.  Kids are decidedly lazy these days.  Maybe they always were and I just forgot.   In fact I noticed that Kid 3 was migrating into the “hostile” land of “teenager”.  He has arrived at that time when they think it is fine to say “no” if asked to do something.  This ought to be interesting; because the Squeeze and I are at opposite ends of the parenting universe, which means he’ll ignore the cheek and I’ll bite my tongue.  There is hope, as long as there is a flat screen with surround in the spare bedroom and a computer hooked to the net, then we hardly see him.  I can’t help but think how unhealthy a weekend with a remote glued to your hand is, but I suppose it can be weighed against the weeks of zip technology he gets at home.

 After the garage, I showered off about thirteen layers of grime and got dressed to go out for dinner with friends of the Squeeze.  Usually, I find this difficult.  I still do; mostly, given that there was no ‘separation’; but I am at relative ease with the couple who were having the dinner and even the old “velvet land” friend that I met for the first time didn’t make me feel as though I had 2 heads, so that was fine too.

Today I’ve spent all day on my laptop.  All.  Day.  It is now 5.36pm and I’m still in my pj’s.

I have been attempting to get some semblance of order on my laptop – to no avail.  I had to get remote assistance from Norton’s because the “restore from backup” sure as hell didn’t work the five times I tried it.  Now..?  Well I got some of it back but there is some sort of weird default user so stuff is going between the two of us.  In the end, I decided that if I had to spend another second sorting it out, I’d seriously start having a tantrum – so I basically left it half done and began designing a website.  This proved about as frustrating as the damned laptop!

The Squeeze has done his standard ‘back to Velvet Land’ to take the kid back.  Things are a little easier these days when he comes home from Velvet Land.  I’m not sure if that means I’m no longer concerned that his testicles live elsewhere, or if it means he is actually sticking up for himself.  In the end, they are his testicles.

Still; even with my new found “tolerance”; the reality is that if it affects me, he sure as hell better deal with it.  It’s just that sometimes the line between what affects me and what affects him, becomes muzzy…

I find it totally offensive that the Harridan would change schools without any discussion or consultation with the Squeeze; but he has to deal with it.  For my mind, I don’t care what school he goes to.  If a kid is going to make it, they will; no matter what school you send them to.   The new school can have the greatest music program on the planet – but I’m not seeing the kid destined for stardom.  He isn’t committed.  He isn’t like Kid 1 who used to drive me mad practising the damned piano until I wanted to storm in there and slam the damned lid shut on his fingers….

No; he isn’t like Kid 1 (thank god) I could count the times I’ve seen him practise over the last two years – on one hand.

So sure, change schools… Again.  But don’t whine that he has no friends, because three schools in three years means no stability in the friend market I’m afraid.  And don’t browbeat the kids to lie about it; like it is some huge conspiracy theory – because it’s not like the Squeeze won’t notice that he changed schools (because she will sure as hell give him the bill); just like he was going to realise at some stage, that they moved house – even if they all lied about it.

So while taking the kid home, the Squeeze was supposed to address the fact that organising things behind his back and instruct the kids to lie about it was out.  He was also going to do a reminder that rather than stealing his tent, she had in fact purchased it.  Plan away, but plan with $250 less than she would otherwise have planned for Christmas.

Will he do any of that..?  Probably not.  Will he ensure he sticks to what he has said..?  Not sure.  Will he do what he is told and then lie to me about it?  I don’t think so; I’ve already told him the next lie is the last lie in my world.