Note: For those of you that don't have two year old boys or don't let your young children watch videos incessantly, this title and the last are in reference to a Thomas the Tank Engine Episode "Mud, Glorious Mud" Really, I just titled it this way for the amusement of my husband and brother, who probably have even more Thomas memorized than I do...quite a feat, although my brother has had a 6-year head start.

So, anyways, a funny thing happened on the way to Trader Joe's. I'm about to head out the door with Asha, when she says, "Uh oh, what's going on?" And I'm thinking, "Oh no, it's a spider and she's going to be twitching all day," but I look where she's pointing and from my dishwasher is leaking soap suds. "Awesome," I think, "More plumbing? A new dishwasher? What could be the next magical disaster to befall the money pit duplex?" But then I had a flashback-epiphany of the night before when Aisha began doing the dishes by dousing them in dishwashing liquid soap. Then Asha volunteered to finish the dishes since her sister had done her dishes on Friday night. She, of course, proceeds to load them into the dishwasher (on my counsel, I must admit) without rinsing them. I don't know if anyone's a Cal graduate and remembers what happened when Bubble Bath would get poured in Sproul Fountain, but let's just say, the floor in front of the dishwasher got a good scrub down. (it's kinda funny in retrospect--especially since it's nothing major).

Aisha's first day went pretty well, which I'm relieved about. Her boss seems to have some serious issues. I mean, my daughters are both pretty soft spoken and quiet, but one of the first things she says to Aisha is to ask her age. When Aisha said she was 18, the woman says to her, "Oh, well you talk like you're 12" Excuse me? I mean, I understand that the girls may sound young for their age, but why would you say something like that when you first meet a person (and this was after Aisha had brought her a gift to thank her for the opportunity to work there in order to try to make a good first impression). Then, upon seeing Aisha's lunch in the lunchroom, she tells her, "Oh, you don't have a good lunch". What? I mean, I could excuse the first comment as just a passing thought--perhaps even a counsel that Aisha should be more assertive and confident (not that she doesn't have a more assertive side to her personality, she just was trying to make a good impression), but when I heard the crack about her lunch, I just really wanted to lecture this woman on professionalism. I mean, what the heck? Sorry, as most of you know, the one thing I can't stand is when people mess with my children. I was like that in the classroom, but it's a million times worse when it's your own kids. And poor Aisha has had the worst luck. As Jenny once put it, it's like running over a little lamb. I mean, she's the sweetest kid on earth when you first meet her, really unassuming and kind. I'm pretty sick and tired of people being jerks to her. Aisha was really classy about it and didn't say anything at work, but she was upset about it when she got home. After speaking with Donna (our friend who's retired from AC Transit), Asha, Hans and I about it, she felt a little better, but I told her to just note if the woman continued to make comments to her like that and report her unprofessionalism, if it continued.

Other than those snide comments (I mean, really, Aisha may sound 12, but at least she doesn't act 12), the day went well for her. They're paying her to make sure the buses come on time. So, basically she gets to work with schedules and ride the buses and make sure they arrive to their destination on time! It's awesome--she gets paid to do what she was doing already! And since she works in scheduling, she gets access to all the old schedules as well and can make copies of them after she's done with her assigned work. It's bus heaven! I'm really proud of her. Oh, and she gets an ID badge which allows her to ride free on all the buses! Woo-hoo.

So the job thing is overall good. She's focused on her work, not her boss, and I am trying to counsel her on the right thing to do, when I just want to scream in frustration under the surface (Asha, however, says she'd just quit if they were disrespsecting her...sigh, there's some coaching to do on that front before she starts a job!).

After Aisha got home, Asha wanted to look for lace-up boots at the thrift store, so we picked up Nate and went to Buffalo Exchange. If any of you ever go shopping with Asha, bring War and Peace or your whole summer reading list because girlfriend knows how to take her time in the store. This is okay when it's just the two of us, but with a two year old who just got out of daycare, not the most relaxing of times. He actually did really well and ran up and down the disabled persons ramp and stairs in the store for awhile (playing "I'm going to get you" with Mommy). Luckily, Mommy came prepared and when I was too tired to chase him around anymore, I pulled out your favorite tank engine and mine, mini Thomas. Then Nate drove Thomas all around the store, into corners with dust and cobwebs and onto dusty window ledges. Fun was had by all...well, okay by Nate mainly, but Aisha took a turn playing with him in the store, which was nice. He really enjoyed it, and it was nice to see the two of them bonding a little bit.

Finally, finally, we got home and ate dinner. Then, I made this weird observation. So, I've been hanging out with Asha all day. I love my kid, don't get me wrong, but the child starts in the morning at a mouse volume level. Sometimes I'm not sure if she's speaking or I'm hearing the voices in my head. Somewhere around 7 at night, she starts speaking like we're deaf people in a rock concert. It started when Aisha got home around 4, but my 7:45, I started wishing I had Tourette's syndrome so I could shout obscenities without being rude. And then the funny thing is, she calls up an adult friend on the phone and her volume drops to normal and she's like Asha, the super polite child again. Is this payback for me? Was I like this to my mother? James, maybe you'd care to comment on this?

Okay, so if you've made it to the end of this day with me, congratulations. I'm going to bed. I actually have to work tomorrow, for the first time in two weeks--I mean, like be somewhere and interact with others in a coherent and professional manner. Wish me luck.