Today is the day I completely and totally lost my mind. Last month, when we went to the Gold Fever! exhibit, I'd looked smugly on those poor parents who were chaperoning school groups... so why in heck did I volunteer to go with Sam's class on a field trip?

It started with me paying Sam's way, as the teacher was going to. I think he had paid for two or three children. One little girl in the class has been "despended" so much she wasn't allowed to go, and she was in floods of tears. Anyway, I knew the minute I got onto the bus with all the third-graders, that this was going to be a LOOOOOOONG day.

The exhibit is in the Memorial Auditorium with all the one-way streets running so that you have to cross the street to get in. Then they made us stand while a man with a bullwhip tried to get their attention and talk to them, but traffic noise was just too much. I was given 6 kids, and supposed to shepherd them through. They were given recievers and I had the transmitter.

I had no luck with the little stories I tried to tell on the way by, and they only paid a smidgen of attention when I put them on a ship berth and explained about ship travel. I don't think they were well prepared for this exhibit at all, but I fault the exhibit people more than the teacher for this. Soon they were bored with the stories and were running ahead. Sam wasn't even the worst, though certainly not the best, either. I was going nuts reminding them "do not touch." I kept looking, but I couldn't find my mind anywhere. Finally, with three of them racing around behind the exhibits, I lost my temper, yelled at them, grabbed two by the hand and marched off to the seats by the theater and made them SIT. I really felt bad that I couldn't control only six kids. Have I lost my touch? One little girl, though, had been great. She commented after we marched to the seats that "this was embarrassing."

That was probably one of the longest hours of my life. Suddenly, Sam remembered s/he was HUNGRY. Then, of course, that's all that child could think about. We could barely make it to the bus, never mind the drive to Howe Park. The sack lunch was interesting. I think the people at the school must have packed the carrot and celery sticks (did any kid eat these? I doubt it) but apparently the fresh apple bits are commercially packed. We had these, a PB&J sammich, fruit rollup, and chips. Not badatall. They played on the playground, then loaded up and were back to the school by 2. I went and waited in the car for a half-hour, then went back to the wolves' den to tutor Sam. This was pretty much a waste of effort, except for the consistency.

Home, to collapse. Steak and potatoes for dinner. I had been going through newspapers and Rich needed to find something, and got me all in a stressed out mess. He seems to be catching, at least the irritability part.

Oh, I didn't mention that my uncle says he has a new girlfriend. Of, he hastened to explain, the four-legged variety. That made better sense. Tika is an 18-month-old sheltie.