The Chaperone and the Pushover

"Hey, mom, guess what' I'm doing tonight?" Little Girl asked as we headed toward school one day this past week.

What would that be, besides homework? i asked.

"Well, I really don't have much work left to do.  It's time for finals, and I don't have to take any of them, I just have to sit through the study lessons.  And I finished my EOC tests, and passed, so my grades are already determined for the year."

So what will you be doing?

"Well, Sammy has a date!  You know, little Sammy?  He's big enough now that he has a date!"

Really?  He would be about 7th grade now, right?

"Yes.  And his sister Annie is going to chaperone him, and she doesn't want to go alone, so I'm going along!  Plus she doesn't have her license yet, so I'm going to drive them."

You get to chaperone Sammy with Annie?  That's one I never expected to hear!

The next day i asked how it went, and she said, "It was cute.  We took them to the mall, and they held hands as we walked and looked at things, and they had dinner in the food court.  We had to have his date home by 8pm because it was a school night."

Ah, young love, i thought.  And your sister and her friend to chaperone.  They do grow fast.

****************************

In totally different news, after working at Ms. P's on Thursday, and telling them i was delivering flowers all day Friday and Saturday, The Big Boss called and asked if i was available Friday night to babysit!

The upshot of it was i agreed to do my deliveries, go take care of the cats at the shelter, Little Girl would be at Ms. P's by 5pm, and i would get there as soon after that as i possibly could so she could get back home and get back to her plans for the evening.  This would mean being out a lot later than i planned, and make Saturday even more difficult because of lack of sleep, but what can i say?

 

When i went in to do the deliveries after Bible study, i was handed my first manifest and about dropped my teeth!  The route optimizer, which i have been saying is drunk and needs to go home for a couple of years now, had actually planned out a logical route!

It seems they sobered it up.  Of course, they called it reprogramming, but i like my term better.

When i got back after my third route, i really wanted to take a fourth, but had to pass because of the cat shelter and babysitting situation.  It's something i regret, because i really would have loved that fourth route.

There may come a day, whether The Big Boss likes it or not, that i will just have to say no to certain things.  Except that i'm a pushover.  Oh, well.

Today is:

Albany Tulip Festival -- Albany, NY, US (celebrate spring and Albany's Dutch heritage; through tomorrow)

Armed Forces/Amateur Radio Crossband Test Day -- US (today and tomorrow, ham operators and the US military team up to test ham operators ability and expertise in contacting appropriate military radio stations in an emergency) 

Birth Mother's Day -- the day before Mother's Day, for all the women who have made an adoption plan for their babies

Bladder Cancer Awareness Day 

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Awareness Day -- shedding light on this rare genetic condition 

Europe Day -- European Union

Giro D'Italia -- San Lorenzo Al Mare to Milan, Italy (one of cycling's three Grand Tours; through May 31)

Independence Day -- Romania (1877, from the Ottoman Empire)

International Migratory Bird Day -- original date second Saturday in May, but the IMBD organization encourages you to celebrate when birds are migrating in your area, and this year to focus on the importance of bird habitat; one special celebration on this date:
     International Migratory Bird Celebration -- Chincoteague, VA, US (walks, talks, tours, art, and children's activities, all outdoors with the birds)

Jamestown Day -- Jamestown, Williamsburg, VA, US (special demonstrations and programs for the anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, America's first permanent English colony)

Lawn Mower Day -- a rotary blade mower was patented this day in 1899

Lemuralia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (first of 3 non-consecutive days dedicated to getting rid of the spirits of the malevolent dead; rituals performed today, the 11th, and the 13th)

Letter Carriers "Stamp Out Hunger" Food Drive -- US

Liberation Day -- Guernsey; Jersey

Lost Sock Memorial Day -- they go to the hozone layer!

National Babysitter's Day -- US, giving recognition to the babysitters who make your date nights possible

National Bake Sale Day -- US (recognizing the tradition of raising money and expanding waistlines through the old fashioned bake sale)

National Butterscotch Brownie Day

National Miniature Golf Day -- this one should be in every country, mini golf is too much fun to hog!

National Moscato Day 

National Train Day -- US (a day to explore why trains matter, with events sponsored by Amtrak kicking off in Chicago today)

O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships -- Austin, TX, US (presented by The P.U.N.Y. [Punsters United Nearly Yearly]) 

Olympieia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (spring festival for Zeus; date approximate)

Remembrance for Gudrod of Gudbrandsdal -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (pagan martyr)

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Fairies Founded -- Fairy Calendar

Stay Up All Night Night -- as declared by George Mahood of Northampton, England, everyone needs to relive the excitement of staying up late like you always wanted to as a kid at least once a year

St. Beatus of Lungern's Day  (Apostle of Switzerland)

St. Nicholas Albergati's Day (Patron of learning)

Sun Awareness Day -- like Melanoma Monday, a few days back, a day to remember the damage the sun can do to skin and stock up on sunscreen, if you haven't already

Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure Day 2015 -- Washington, D.C., US

Tear Tags Off of Mattresses Day  -- yes, you can!  If you bought it, you're allowed to.

Victory Day / Victory and Peace Day -- countries that didn't celebrate V-E day yesterday, mostly Russia and former SSR's

Windmill Day -- Netherlands (on the second Saturday of May each year, more than 600 windmills, including many that are now national monuments, are open to the public)

World Belly Dance`Day --  to celebrate the wonderful art of belly dance 

World Fair Trade Day -- sponsored by the World Fair Trade Organization; this year's theme is "Be an Agent for Change" 

Xotira va Qadirlash Kuni -- Uzbekistan (Day of Remembrance and Honors)


Birthdays Today:

Rosario Dawson, 1979
Steve Yzerman, 1965
Tony Gwynn, 1960
Billy Joel, 1949
Candice Bergen, 1946
James L. Brooks, 1940
Charles Simic, 1938
Glenda Jackson, 1937
Albert Finney, 1936
Glenda Jackson, 1936
Richard Alonzo “Pancho” Gonzales, 1928
Mike Wallace, 1918
Howard Carter, 1873
J.M. Barrie, 1860
Belle Boyd, 1843
John Brown, 1800


Today in History:

The first battle recorded with what is considered historic accuracy and detail, the Battle of Megiddo between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Kadesh, BC1457
Christopher Columbus leaves Spain for his 4th and final voyage, 1502
Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal England's Crown Jewels from the Tower of London, 1671
British inventor Joseph Bramah patents beer-pump handle, 1785
The city of Reno, Nevada, is founded, 1868
The Vienna stock market crash (Der Krach) heralds the Long Depression, 1873
The first horse-drawn bus makes its début in the city of Mumbai, 1874
Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show opens in London, 1887
The first horseless carriage show in London opens, featuring 10 models, 1896
The lawn mower is patented, 1899
Australia opens its first parliament in Melbourne, 1901
The steam locomotive City of Truro becomes the first steam engine in Europe to exceed 100mph, 1904
The Australian Parliament  first convenes in Canberra, 1927
Edgar Bergen and Charley McCarthy take to the airwaves, becoming an overnight radio sensation, 1937
Rainier III of Monaco becomes Prince of Monaco, 1949
Sam and Friends, with Jim Hensen and his muppets, debuts, 1955
The FDA announces it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle's Enovid, making Enovid the world's first approved oral contraceptive pill, 1960
Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian is executed by firing squad in Tehran, prompting the mass exodus of the once 100,000 member strong Jewish community of Iran, 1979
The South African parliament chooses Nelson Mandela as president, 1994
Estonia ratifies the European Constitution, 2006
A report reveals that hackers using fraudulent ATM cards in February, 2013, stole $45 million, 2013