Turtle Soccer

Went to see nephew Tom-Tom's soccer game this evening.  He is four.  Soccer for four year olds consists of three players from each team on a tiny little field, kicking each other in lieu of the ball, wandering off, tipping over for no apparent reason, and occasionally propelling a soccer ball in the direction of a goal, sometimes even the correct one.  Each game lasts twenty minutes and is completely hilarious.   The little kids remind me of those baby sea turtles that hatch and then flail like hell toward the water...

FI even managed to maintain her composure for pretty much the whole time, and for a brief stint at Dairy Queen afterward (at which Yours Truly was good and had a diet soda, and only a couple bites off BH's dipped cone).  There was a certain amount of squalling on the way home but it couldn't be helped; she was hungry and tired.  I knew the feeling.

BH had a run-in with evil Stick Insect neighbor, a round of "bus chicken" in which they found themselves on the same bus home from downtown.  (SI attends the local university, courtesy Mummy's checkbook)  SI evidently said a somewhat cheery Hello and seemed to expect lively neighborly banter.  BH replied with a polite Hi and then proceeded to rummage in backpack for her book (A Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin, I highly recommend) and read the rest of the way home, ignoring SI altogether.  She could tell this was disturbing to SI as she could see her from the corner of her eye, and then SI got off the bus a full twelve blocks early!  Interesting.  I wonder how SI could think that BH would want to converse with her after being thoroughly bitched at for more than a half hour over nothing? 

Until/unless we get an apology from SI, am determined to just pretend they don't exist.  See, it's all about Image to them.  They are fit, attractive (by their own standards, not so much mine), moneyed (SI's Mom is loaded apparently), childless, social drinking, etc. etc.  We are not fit, attractive in our own ways (but not theirs), modest living, with child, don't drink, etc etc.  This makes us Uncool.  We were at least semi-Cool being all gay and everything but then we had to go blow it by saddling ourselves with a baby.   It just tipped the scale from its tenuous Neutral balance. 

Plus am irritated by SI's power play.  She would like us to think that she is very powerful and BH really pissed her off by not buying into it.  BH is maddeningly reasonable and very quick, would make excellent lawyer, and there's nothing more annoying to emotionally reactive individual than someone blandly pointing out flaws in argument.  (Ask me how I know this...)  SI and MI are really into their own sense of power and it's been interesting to see how it all works, or doesn't, in the face of someone who won't back down and kiss their collective ass, i.e. BH.  She done me right proud...

To further irritate evil neighbors, we are looking in to having walnut tree removed from back yard.  We have been talking about doing so for some time so it's not like we are doing it just to annoy them; that's just an added bonus.  The tree spews crap into the yard three seasons out of the year, the dog eats the nuts and vomits them onto the rug, (or worse, farts like a rhino), etc etc.  I'm looking forward to witnessing the inevitable temper tantrum from SI when she sees the tree coming down...  it shades their yard quite nicely in the afternoons, how dare we have it cut down!  Don't we realize it's all about them?!  Plus she told me once that "you don't just remove healthy plants" when I told her we were thinking of taking out an evergreen shrub that borders their driveway.  Yeah, yeah.  Tell it to the Sierra Club.  We want to re-do the back yard in sort of a quasi zen thing, lots of grasses and trees, not so much flowers, and this stupid walnut tree just won't fit.  Not that I'm in favor of just yanking things out willy-nilly but honestly, it makes the yard unliveable by killing the grass with its tassels, leaves, nuts and hulls.  You can't walk barefoot out there in any event.  I'd like a nice place for FI to play, and it's not going to be under that damn tree.

So, that ought to be amusing.   Maybe I'll take pictures.  At least pop some popcorn and get an icy cold beverage, set up a chair to watch the fun. 

Well, should get going.  Am up now for no good reason, think it was diet soda, lot of caffeine for me this late.  Should have thought of that.  Told self only to stay up one hour, or else will be sleep deprived and crabby tomorrow.  As opposed to usual crabbiness-for-no-reason.