My kid and the clumsy not so good weekend.

Two weeks ago I went to Berlin and the kid passed for a school trip to Budapest. I know she regrets that a bit because I had an awesome time and she did not.

Starting with Friday - somehow my elegant and graceful child managed to fall down a flight of stone stairs in the dark. She didn't break her ipod but did lose her headphones... that was the least of it though. She also managed to cut up her hands, her stomach and her legs as well as sprain her knee. She went back to her teacher's house, as the family was kind enough to care for her while I was gone, and slept on the floor in pain after a thorough checking over by the mother who is also a nurse.

This was within a few hours of our landlord coming over and telling us he had sold our flat and contrary to our written agreement, and Czech law, he was breaking our lease, not with the required 3 months notice, but with 3 weeks notice.

Saturday she had a birthday party to go to - she limped all over and managed to find her bus only to get off at the wrong stop in middle of the wrong nowhere... and some creeper got off at the wrong stop and waited there with her too.

Sunday they went to Budapest, did their thing, and she sat in the car for 3 hours at the end of the trip while her classmates sang worship songs. When they drove home (6 hours) the van started breaking down so they had to make a detour and find alternate vehicles and additional drivers.

By the time she made it home, nearing 1 am, she'd also developed a full blown cold.

Apparently, in her fall she also rattled her brain a bit - which isn't good when you're dealing with post concussion stuff... and has had some pretty icky pretty bad headaches ever since. Back to medication for her brain and head pain.

She's off crutches now but still limping and slowly getting over the cold but still has a headache. We've found a new place and will move next week... but that's a whole other story.

another monday

I really coulda taken a pass this Monday. Class hasn't started yet but I'm ready to go home and head back to bed.

I made a point of washing my hair last night - Monday's are always the hardest day for timing for us. I don't have to work really early and Coral has the same schedule every day so we're usually both trying to use the bathroom at the same time. This way we can avoid that.

I thought ahead, had everything ready to go, and made it out of the house in time to meet my bus. The 224. It never showed up. I was there on time, yet 15 minutes after it was due it still hadn't arrived. So I had to take an alternate. The 188. And for some reason the 8 minute bus ride was closer to 30 minutes. And everyone who had been waiting for the 224, and there should have been 2 in that time frame, was now boarding the 188. Which meant we were overcrowded.

I was smashed against the pole, a woman's chair, and other humans so closely that we weren't just standing shoulder to shoulder but buttcheek to buttcheek and calf to calf. I also kept getting my head slammed in to the ticket stamping machine. And people kept trying to board well after maximum capacity.

Finally we made it to the metro, which is when I called the school to let them know I would be late. I boarded the metro and promptly zoned out, like everyone else on the train. You just listen for the name of your stops and get off when you hear it called.

Well at one point in the journey I thought we were running pretty slow - it felt like we'd made more stops than the recording indicate. But then I zoned out again and got off when my stop was called.


Unfortunately I'd been right. The recording was off, which was discovered when everyone who departed the train reached the top of the escalators... and found we were all one stop beyond where the recording indicated. So, back down the escalator and in to the next return train and then out at the next stop and then a rush to catch the tram and a short walk and here I am sitting in a freezing cold room with a slow computer, empty except for me, and the speakers don't work so I can neither watch nor listen to anything I was planning on watching and listening to today.

Bleck. There's my indulgent self-pity. Now, I'm over it.

My really not so great day

I was ready for today about 10 last night. Anticipating the process and the progress I would make - school, job interview, etc.

Well, I got started on time and found I had extra time with which I could do some picking up. As I was sweeping and tidying up my phone went off - I found it stuffed away in my bag - actually in the purse in my bag, which I had to pull out and rifle through in order to get to my phone. It was my interview - we must reschedule as her son is sick.

Not a problem - it will take place tomorrow instead.

So I had more extra time - I chose to do some laundry as I would be home in order to hang it to dry, and mop the floors. Well the wash took slightly longer than I anticipated and then hanging everything took longer too - I had a queen sheet and other clothes and wanted to make sure the sheet would dry... I wouldn't be home to move or readjust it to follow the sun so it took a tiny bit of thought.

Not a problem. Figured it out.

At that point I needed to leave. I gathered my books and my bag and walked out the door and down the hall. I went back and picked up the lap top to take to school with me for the first time - that took some thought as my backpack is broken and it really weighs down my shoulder bag - but today was going to be a test run and I still had time for leisurely walking. Out the door again.

Realized I needed to use the restroom before the next hour expired and so went back inside. Left again and got to the bus stop - perfect timing. Got on and took a seat. I reached in to my bag to locate my purse - I have a little hook in my purse I lock my keys on to they're neither lost nor stolen. I realized at that point that I never put my purse back in my bag. Not a big deal was my first thought and then panic hit - NOT a big deal? HUGE DEAL!

My metro pass is inside my purse! The metro police are definitely making their presence known and without a pass or the cash to pay the fine on the spot it's an 800 crown charge! I think, in an attempt to squelsh the rising panic, I'll just buy a day pass. Wrong - along with my metro pass, inside my purse is my phone, my computer lab password, and my money and bank cards - all things I need today. And I realized I was riding illegally at that moment.

So, I got off at the first stop and tried to cross the street catch the next bus back home so I could get my purse. Interesting note here - the bus stops although named in pairs are not set on the road as pairs. I was at the bottom of a very steep hill and found I had to walk up the hill on a very hot day carrying a very heavy bag. I made it up just as the bus arrived. I ran on, got off at my home stop, rushed home, and grabbed my purse. I also left the laptop at home this time as I knew I would be rushing - class started in 30 minutes.

I ran back out, down the street, up the hill, down the stairs, on to the first bus and realized - I don't know if this bus gets to my metro!

For the past few days the bus line has not been going to the metro stop - we've had to take an alternate route in order to get there - it was supposed to be back to normal after the 9th but I couldn't remember what day it was. I was on the moving bus and approached the driver to ask - my words were:

Skalka, ano? Skalka?

Meaning, Skalka, yes? Skalka?

He just stared at me like I was a freak - not even a look of recognition at the word Skala - which is a metro stop. I just gave up and took a seat and stressed. Everyone on the bus was staring at me like I was the circus clown at a funeral. I was hot and sweaty and frustrated and wanted to be elsewhere - specifically at school at that moment.

I stayed on the bus and yes, it did go to the metro stop I wanted - which was NOT Skalka - when I said Skalka I meant to say Strasnicka - my bad. No wonder why he didn't register my question - not only was I not able to form a complete question I was not communicating.

I got on the metro at Strasnicka and off again at Mala Strana - my school metro stop. From there I take the tram - which I was rushing to get to. I could see it and started to run, turned my ankle the slightest bit - not enough to really hurt just to make me think - and dropped in to a fast walk, thinking that the doors are open now and people are loading but I'm across a courtyard and 2 lanes of traffic and will never make it. As I got closer and closer the doors were still open so I hurried again and 2 steps away the doors closed. I walked on, and the doors re-opened to allow another person on but I was too far. Not to worry, I thought - I can see the next 2 trams coming right now - only 1/2 block away.

Yes - there were 2 trams only 1/2 block away, and people started lining up. Those 2 trams became 3 became 5 and then I couldn't see how many were backed up. What I could see after a moment was that there had been an accident blocking the tram line and not a single tram could move.

I was stuck on the tram platform debating whether it would be faster to wait it out or to start walking. The debate was raging when I saw the police start moving cars in order to let the trams through. So I waited. And waited and waited and finally a tram came that I could take and I got on and got off at my stop and raced down to school - and in to a class that I had not previously attended but which was in full swing.

It was a classroom where everyone is facing the door - which isn't just a door in wall that you walk through, but a door with a little balconey and stairs you have to walk down - an entrance is required.

The teacher stopped teaching, asked my name, it wasn't on the roster as I'm an add, and then once I was seated he asked again and introduced me to the class, as in,

'Class this is Jennifer, Jennifer, you're class'

We, no, they talked about Durkheim for 2 hours and then touched on Marx and vaguely Engles for the last 30 minutes - we'll be studying Marx next week. I have a base level of familiarity with Durkheim but not enough to add to the discussion. I wasn't able to prepare for the class is there isn't a text - everything is based upon handouts and response questions and other situations arising from classroom discussions.

The teacher is cool. He referenced Star Wars and incorporated a Yoda impression in to a teaching example.

He's smart and interesting a portion of the time, but then he reads his notes and that drives me bonkers.

I just got my schedule for Friday and will be working from 9 till 9. I ordered a salad for dinner today and they gave me 2 spoons to eat it with. I do not have the laptop and so am not able to take care of the things on it that needed taking care of, and most of the computers in the lab are not working at the moment.

The plus side - I have plenty of time to read and am averaging about a book every 36 to 48 hours - the downside - english language paperbacks cost around $30 USD here. I am getting familiar with the school library.

It's only 4 pm and I'm tired and ready to go back home.