Strange Day
*I almost killed a teenager on the way to pick Erik up from school. We live kitty corner from the high school and they let out about five minutes before I have to leave. I always feel like I’m in a video game, trying to avoid frogger like pedestrians and teen drivers. Today I had a green light. I noticed the van in the far left lane was stopped and sort of saw a flash of running kid. I decided I better slow way down. Good thing I did, because right as I came up to the intersection a kid dashed in front of me. If I hadn’t been paying attention I totally would have plowed into him. The car in the right lane came even closer to hitting him. A group of girls saw all the stopped cars and decided to saunter across the road against their light. I was sure we were all going to get rear ended. We have a lot of pedestrian deaths in our area and the newspaper is always talking about the horrible, reckless drivers. Of course I feel bad for the kids who are killed and my heart goes out to their families, but it is not always the drivers’ fault. I feel like calling the police and demanding a crossing guard to keep the kids in control.
*Erik decided he wasn’t going to school today. I don’t know why. When we arrived, he hid behind my legs while we were waiting for his classroom to open. Once open, he refused to go in. Eventually the secretary asked if I wanted her to take him in. He was clinging to me, totally weepy. She pried him out of my arms while he punched and kicked her. It was heart wrenching! I kept waiting for the school to call and tell me to come get him, but they never did. He was happy and playful when I picked him up, so I don’t know what the problem was.
*When we got home from preschool I had a really weird message on the answering machine. It was some lady, who happens to have the same name as one of my real life friends who calls a lot, so I was really confused because I knew it wasn’t my friends voice. The person acted like we were best friends and said “I wanted to hear more about [mumble mumble] so I’ll try your cell phone, or you can call me back.” I was going to call my friend to figure out what was wrong with her voice, but when I checked caller ID it wasn’t her. I googled the name and number and came up with an employee of THIS SITE. I can’t figure out if it was a journalist or telemarketer. Either way, I’m not calling back. It was very curious.
*I took Erik out for a scooter ride and we ended up going to visit one of our neighbors. I was trying to make conversation, so asked how she had met her husband. My jaw hit the floor when she explained it was an arranged marriage (they’re Indian). She met her husband for the first time the day before the wedding! I asked if she was afraid, but she said no “I knew his family so I knew he wouldn’t cheat me.” I honestly have no idea what that means. I really wanted to ask if she was afraid of the wedding night. I would have been terrified to know that I would be having sex with some guy I didn’t even know! Sure, people do it all the time with people they pick up in bars or whatever (or maybe that is just on tv), but at least that is not really planned out and it is your choice. It sounds like she did get to approve this guy and she had a friend who had a friend who had a friend who was his cousin, but still! To know months in advance that you would be having sex with a guy you don’t know and that then you would be his wife and have to live with him and all that. I would be terrified!
*After the arranged marriage discussion, she hit me with another whammy. She asked me how I make my hair so straight and finished looking. No one has ever asked me for any type of fashion advice before! I generally hate my hair. This woman is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Her hair is gorgeous with some natural waves, but not exactly curly. It is no surprise she was chosen for an arranged marriage. The guy is very, very lucky to have her if we are basing it on looks alone (I don’t know enough about her to make judgements on any other criteria). And here she was asking me for hair advice? I don’t do anything to make it straight. I use a big curling brush to give it some body, and finish it off with shine serum. I think shine serum is the secret to finished looking hair and am so happy I discovered it (thanks Kisha, for taking me coupon shopping!). That’s the extent of my fashion advice. Oh, and if you have big boobs, you should wear v-neck clothes. Avoid scoop necks like the plague.
*I watched the Dead Like Me follow-up movie this afternoon. It was beyond lame. How disappointing.