Tuesday, August 29, 2006

What I don't have to do anymore

1. Be a mom.

Remember, I got Super Phone...

and I don't have to parent any longer! He was at it all day yesterday, except while we were out getting the car serviced - the very reason I got a phone like that, to occupy us while having to wait, but he'd worn down the batteries from being on it all morning. Gaming = auto-pilot parenting! I would say "who knew?," but I am fairly confident everybody else knew and I avoided. I never thought I would hear my 8yo would exclaim, "Mom, these graphics are great!" Where do they learn this stuff?

I'll give him a few days, warning him that it will not be the routine because I have to earn my mothering frequent flyer wings somehow. He's been coached and hopefully the fascination will wear off. Humph. And tomorrow morning he won't wake me up rooting around for another game card like today.

Which makes me say wooooooo at it occurs to me to fuck with him and call while he's on it. I could turn the volume really high and scare the bejesus out of him, except see number 2.


2. Feel smarter than my phone.

I can't even figure out how to turn the ringer off, much less make it loud. It is humbling to find that your phone is smarter than you. Things just aren't evident, even for the intuitive. I turn it off if I don't want it to ring. I turn it off because I can't figure how to close the web window and I don't want extra charges. (You hear the one about the American soldier in Germany who passed out drunk and left his phone off the hook? This was at least twenty years ago; charges were incurred whenever the phone was off the hook, +/- being in a call. His bill was large, because somehow it became days off the hook. Okay fine, somebody tell me it is Military Urban Legend. Doesn't matter; I do not want to become Web Phone Urban Legend.)

The phone came with a CD-ROM instead of a booklet. I am frugal with my printer ink and I do not care to print out 200 pages. I do like being about to do an electronic 'find' but believe it or not nothing comes up using anything like ringer or off or silence or shut the hell up thing. I wish I could thumb through it electronically. Maybe I'm really tactile; need the paper, man. Maybe my phone is smarter than I am. ETA: Wait. Glen sent me a link to try when I get it back in my hands; see the phone is smarter than he as well. Okay, the phone is smarter than he is while tipsy on a grassy knoll.


3. Wait for Norma or feed the guinea pig.

They got in last evening bearing a couple gifts for J, one being for his collection of elongated/flattened pennies and a real hit to him. We will resume walking tonight.


4. Weigh more than when I had my son.

Last night I borrowed a 9V battery from Norma for my scale this morning. Mine said I've lost a quick little chunk, as in knocking through a plateau I've held for months, and I figure it has to be the scale, not me. ETA: Nope, it's me. Down into another decade and over 20 pounds since last Thanksgiving. Hope the after effects of a hangover hold.

9 comments:

Kellie said...

Congrats Cricket, outstanding. I'm convinced it's the walking - if only I would have figured this out a few years ago.

That phone looks super cool. Can't beat the hand held toys...any of them. :)~

Cricket said...

This is fun.

He's in there merrily whistling and joyfully humming.

3MGA mom said...

Pete has the same phone, so if you need me to ask him how to make it do things, just let me know. He's had his for more than a year, so I assume it's slightly different, but he quite handy with it (and yes, uses it mostly to play games in the airport :)

Anonymous said...

Good for you!

Klynn said...

Well, the Boog is only 2, but I'm guilty of letting Blue's Clues and/or various DVD's babysit so I have time to cook dinner or get on the internet. I only have a basic cellphone (Motorola i90c), but put on the keylock, and the beeps and lights are enough to keep him occupied for 15-20 minutes if I'm lucky. Great for Dr. office waiting rooms. :D

Oh, and I'm so jealous of the weight loss. I'm about 100 lbs over my pre-kids weight. I really need to get my fat ass to the gym.

Oh, and it's really nice to "hear" that things are looking positive for you. Funny how just reading about someone elses happiness can make me happy, too.

Walid said...

Hi
You said you disliked lurkers, so I guess I'll leave a comment. My cellphoneis a Treo 600 I got off E-Bay for about $100, and I can play games AND movies on it. Bu it takes a few hours of computer to rip a DVD and compress it poperly. Still, a good investment if it's a kid movie that my boys will want to watch over and over again.
W

Anonymous said...

Just another lurker de-ing. I read through a lot of your old entries, TOO much time on my hands at work. Love your writing. And your paintings.

Orange said...

All these good things, plus the O-face? Girl, you've got it goin' on these days.

Question: What does EDA mean in the Familes: Babes/EDA blogroll?

Cricket said...

It is my distinction, purely. Estimated Date of Arrival. I put people there when they are far enough into the adoption process to know they're getting a kid, like it's pretty much a done deal.