The Adventures of the Introverted Author and Three Tetchy Teens! (part 2)

It took three days.

Three days before the teen boys began to get tetchy.

Not too surprising, and really, in the grand scheme of things it was more like a test than actual tetchiness. LOL The routine to be observed: Work on school related stuffs (as best as you can given that they haven't posted anything for you to work on...) from 9:30 am until after noon when you get lunch - lunch is not allowed before noon just to get you out of school stuffs. *roll eyes* Because, yes, they would try that so I specified early on. You will be dressed, teeth brushed and all personal hygiene will be observed because I will not live with gross to that degree. After lunch you can do whatever, go outside if its nice and you remember distances etc... but not loud and obnoxious, please. Video games/game boxes and all that screen time crap is for WEEKENDS only. PJ day is still Sunday and only Sunday. No school stuffs on weekends. You know... sticking to a laid back version of the norm.

Three days in, these parameters were tested and teens were cranky. I was crankier because reasons and PMS... booyah.

Meanwhile, each day was a special torture for us with Ms. 19. "Just one more day with no curve balls." became our mantra. "Just one more day... Just let us get to Thursday when she can move her shit out of the dorm and get to Atlanta... Just. One. More. Day."

There are no words for the relief felt when Ms. 19 called to say she was out of the dorm. Actual laughter happened when she sent pictures of her "boujee" hotel room. Oddly, the least expensive room near the Atlanta airport was at the Marriott. It was plush according to Ms. 19.

The hotel, with their lovely 24 hour airport shuttle, dropped Ms. 19 off at the airport early Friday morning and she sent a text of shock and amazement that it only took 20 minutes to get her baggage checked and through security. Following this was the "well poop... plane is delayed and gate was changed... good thing I was here early." text.

As the texts on Friday morning proceeded to arrive, they became increasingly anxious. We're on the plane... got a whole row to myself.

We're off the plane, there are mechanical problems.

We're changing planes... hour delay.

At this point, I reminded Ms. 19 that it was "good she had a 4hour layover in St. Louis" then I sent a text apologizing that my "4" and "hour" were having trouble social distancing. This netted a chuckle so she calmed a tad.

Then we got the text that she was back on the plane - again with a row to herself - and was on her way to St. Louis. She was only worried that she wouldn't have time to get from gate to gate because of the delays. I didn't bother to remind her that there would be a time change and that her layover would be two hours rather than four. No point in adding that to the conversation when she was still in "not processing properly panic mode".

Long story short, Ms. 19 is home, healthy, and safe. Now she gets to fret and fuss over her classes that are now all online. - Her circus, her monkeys.

But, on a slight tangent, I have to say the lack of common sense being displayed by so many American's is disheartening. There is a cavalier attitude that is dangerous and stupid that seems to be outweighing the science of this situation.

The notion of "flattening the curve" only works if people actually practice social distancing. That means don't go out to the park. Don't go visit Aunt Marge. Stay the hell at home unless you actually HAVE to leave. Let your inner introvert shine... or if you've already done that (like myself) rest easy knowing you're not the problem.

Don't be part of the problem. Don't be a spreader.

My tetchy teens get it... why are grown ass adults having such a problem with this?

#BeAlertNotAnxious

#UseCommonSense

#BeKindStayInside

The Adventures of the Introverted Author and Three Tetchy Teens! (part 1)

A little backstory, if you please...

You already know I write all the words for psychological contemporary romance/women's fiction. You probably know I have three teens (one in college in Georgia and two at home) - Ms. 19; Mr. 16; and Mr. 14 (his birthday is in 13 days so 14 is close enough for government work). You probably also know I live in Washington state - home of the Seahawks, the Space Needle, and way too much rain.

March 11, 5:23 am

So, to start our adventure, I received a text from Ms. 19 in Georgia with the warning that her university was contemplating... CONTEMPLATING closing campus and reverting to online classes only. A few things to note... 1 - she is in her Capstone studies, thus meaning she has an internship hour requirement to fulfill; 2 - she does not have a driver's license or know how to drive; 3 - there is no way in hell her father or I could just drop everything to go to Georgia. So, rather understandably, Ms. 19 had a moment of panic.

Mr. P and I did as we always do and began brainstorming possible options to get Ms. 19 either home or to a trusted friend or family member. We had a plan with many options should the campus be shut, Ms. 19 calmed right down and we carried on.

March 12

Contemplation got a swift kick into "we are closing campus effective March 22" with the notice that all classes for the week of the 16th - 20th were cancelled for students to pack and vacate campus. All students must be off campus no later than Sunday the 22nd. And to make this even more exciting, the decision was made with such haste that the staff was given no more notice than the students.

Cue CHAOS!

Professors trying to calm students while attempting to get solid info from the Administration.

Students scrambling to find boxes, rides, make arrangements, deal with homework, classes, and all the things.

Parents trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Pure madness.

What were out of state students and international students to do?

I spent the entirety of Thursday on the phone with Ms. 19; movers (because how am I going to get her shit from the dorm to a storage unit?); the storage facility we'd used before; the airlines; hotels in Atlanta; Mr. P... my ear still aches from wearing the bluetooth so long. Tickets home were purchased (thank the stars for that early tax refund!!) for Friday the 20th; hotel for the night of the 19th reserved; storage unit secured... all we needed was a mover to get crap from dorm to unit. Plans in place... breathe deep.

Then I got the email from our own public school district...

Effective immediately, all OSD schools would be closed on MONDAY, MARCH 16. Only March 16...

Sigh.

March 13

Ms. 19 put herself to the task of getting her ducks in a row, she found a staff member to help her move her shit to storage on Thursday the 19th so things settled... slightly... for a moment. Until the next email came in at 11:55 am...

Effective immediately: "ALL OSD schools will be closed from March 16 - April 27. Practice social distancing, don't let your children hang out with other children, don't go anywhere, we don't know what the hell we're going to do for classes but if you need to, you can drive through the parking lot and get your kid(s) breakfast and lunch to go. Wash your hands." (-Cliff's Notes version of a really long email.)

SIX WEEKS??

sigh...

March 14

Mr. 16: Hey, Mom and Dad, my friends want to go bowling tomorrow.

Me: That's nice but no. Mr. 16: Why? (teen whiny voice)

Me: Because that defeats the purpose of "social distancing". If your friend's parents are letting them go bowling, then your friend's parents are stupid.

Mr. 16: Fine! (growly, snarly face with a phone toss after a text saying he can't go.)

Me: Remember, son, you aren't the one who is at risk but if you go and become a carrier then run into someone else who has grandparents or compromised health, you spread the mess. Also, when you start feeling sorry for yourself... remember that your brother was supposed to be at Comic Con right now.

Mr. 16: Sigh... I know. I just think it's stupid this crap is ruining everything. Me: I know. But it's life.

March 15, 6:30 pm (so 9:30 pm Georgia time)

Email from Ms. 19 comes in.

"Effective immediately: All students must vacate the campus no later than 5 pm (EST) Wednesday the 18th... oh and stay the hell away from everyone and wash your hands." (-Cliff's notes version)

WEDNESDAY??

Finally, an email that sent my blood pressure through the roof. How the hell can they expect students to revise plans like that? On a Sunday? At 9 at night? A big part of me was ready to get on the phone to the asshat who'd sent that email and give them a piece of my mind.

Deep breaths ... lots of them.

Text to Ms. 19 from me: If they don't let you stay on campus that one extra night, I am going to start deducting the cost of this fiasco from the bill we still owe on.

Ms. 19: Fair enough.

Monday (Today)

Ms. 19 forwards me an email from her university giving her permission to stay on campus until her scheduled (by plane ticket) departure date. Cool. Now I don't have to go all sorts of pissed off mama bear on the university admins. LOL

Mr. 16 and Mr. 14 and I work out a plan for them to do homework/schoolwork from 9 in the morning until lunchtime with no lunches before noon. Any homework due that day must be completed before they are done for the day. If none is due that day then noon is their stop time. Then they should go outside for a minimum of 30 minutes in the afternoon because it's a rare opportunity for them to get air/exercise they don't usually get.

So, barring any travel restrictions, Ms. 19 should be home on Friday evening and I won't be a complete basketcase of sanity by the weekend.

Stay tuned for more adventures of the Introverted Author and Three Tetchy Teens!

#BeAlertNotAnxious #Covid19SocialDistancing

#WeCanDoThis

Food for Thought on the 18th Anniversary.

Have you ever wondered if he really meant to do that?

When September 11, 2001 it thought of, mentioned, discussed, or remembered, it is with horror so mind-boggling that it’s still difficult to process and sorrow so deep that it was and is being felt hundreds of thousands of miles away as though it was yesterday. But with that sorrow and grief, there is also anger.

“How dare anyone challenge the United States of America in such a horrific way?”

“How could anyone be so diabolical as to attack innocent people?”

That anger was felt from the moment the first airplane hit in icy, overwhelming ripples that didn’t just span the US, but throughout other countries – neighbors, allies, and victims of the events occurring in the US. And it fueled the country and its neighbors and allies, uniting us in a way that was almost poetic.

But, did the terrorists who spent months and years plotting and planning the events that

unfolded on September 11, 2001 sit down and plot their “short terms goals and long term goals”? There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Osama Bin Laden intended to deal a harsh and crippling blow to what he considered the epicenter of Western evil. He intended to show the US that they were not as awesome as they thought they were. But did he intend to strike like a viper and then move on to the next lesson to teach Western society? Or did he think, “If I get this plan to go off on 9/11, the world as we know it will end, I just have to be patient.”?

Did he contemplate the long-term effects of his actions beyond the day of attack and its immediate aftermath? Because the effects are certainly continuing.

Why do I say this?

Because through the grief came the anger – which is a normal part of grieving. As the dust settled and things got clearer, the US as a whole realized that they were no longer safe. Safety in our own homes, our own towns, our own states… our own country was gone. Poof. In the space of less than two hours. Two. That was all it took for the entirety of the US to lose their sense of security. If he could hit New York and the Pentagon the way he did with that much success when would he hit somewhere else in the US? His associates – the ones who actually executed the hijacking and attacks – they’d been hiding in plain sight right here in the US! Were there more?

People who’d been sobbing on each other’s shoulders days before, mourning the loss of so many lives and helping each other cope with everything began looking at each other with suspicion and doubt. And so began the long, slow descent into madness.

Over the last eighteen years, the US has sought someone – anyone – to fix the country. The people wanted to feel safe again. The people wanted to return to the innocence of thinking “it’ll never happen here”. The people wanted the overwhelming anger they had regarding the losses of that one day to ease and to stop magnifying every little thing. But they had no way to cope, it was so very overwhelming.

“Surely this president will fix the country, make it what it was before September 11, 2001.”

“Well, he couldn’t so this guy surely will.”

And all the while the anger has festered, rotting the US from the inside out. At the current rate of hate, racism, discrimination, and cruelty, the US will absolutely destroy itself. It’s backsliding so fast down the slippery slope that I’m not sure what can slow or stop that momentum. It’ like the country as a whole is caught in an endless cycle of anger, bargaining, – although who to bargain with is fuzzy at best – and depression.

“I can’t believe people aren’t being properly *insert whatever is the annoyance of the day*!”

“If we just do this *insert fix of the day*, it’ll be better.”

“Well, crap, that didn’t work either, I guess I’ll *insert method of handling depression* and go to bed.”

How do we break this nightmarish cycle? How do we stop the backward slide? How do we find our way through to acceptance that things will never be the way they were before September 11, 2001? There is no group therapy that can possibly be organized to work through the anger and depression. There is no quick fix to the problem because the problem lies with the loss of trust and safety and innocence. And as a country, accepting that things are different means that we have to accept a new vision of ourselves as a country and that’s terrifying. What if it’s not as good as the last vision?

We know the terrorists wanted to hurt and devastate the US on September 11, 2001. We know it. But were they fully aware of the seeds of destruction they were sowing that day and how those seeds would slowly destroy the US from the inside out?

And at the end of the day, do we really want to let the terrorists win? Do we really want to let them destroy this country? Is accepting that we, as a country, have been changed and now need to embrace that change and let ourselves move beyond the hate, anger, and depression so difficult that the United States of America must become the Divided States of America?