March 14, 2008

• Been busy here, as usual. Joe mentioned this week that we had not driven the Porche for awhile and we should, to keep the battery charged. It had been about 6 weeks. Oops, too late. After several days trying to recharge it, the battery was given last rites and turned in at the parts department to be replaced by a new one. The Porche is happy now and we have a trickle charger now, so if it is in the garage for more than a week, we can keep the battery topped off. I also took the car out today and got it washed and cleaned for spring and summer driving. Joe loves to go with the top down, and I have to admit, I find it fun as well.

  Last Saturday I met with a new mini group that does quarter scale (1:48) projects once a month for a couple hours. This group has specific projects everyone does each week, instead of just letting people do what they wish. Each member takes a turn coming up with a project for the group. We made a little work bench/table with a tiny dollhouse project in progress. I had a lot of fun doing it and learned a couple tricks for aging little things better and doing wear and tear. I think it turned out pretty good. Here is a picture:

  

  Today I have been trying to come up with a card design on my own, rather that following someone else's idea. I wanted to make the Easter cards I send out this year. Here is my first attempt. There is green glitter at the bottom where the grass is, but you can't see it in the photo.

  

  So, things learned. First, I think I need a softer ink color for the wording. I am using rubber stamps in a typewriter font there. Second, the aging ink to give the brown tint to the graphic doesn't look right to me. I am going to experiment some more to try to get it look 'right'. Only way to learn is to try, I guess.

  Tomorrow, I am off to my monthly regular mini meeting. I missed last month due to Girl Scouts, so I am looking forward to this meeting.

  Girls Scouts is a bit on the frustrating side for me. I got an e-mail from the other leader (I am technically the co-leader). She told me she had been asked to pick girls from the troop to do a flag ceremony for a special event at the school today. I was never told at the time, not till it was all said and done.  She picked her daughter and the daughters of her friends to do it.

  In addition, it seems that most meetings, I end up doing all the organizing and work. I spend hours preparing things for crafts, getting things together for projects, etc. Last meeting felt so chaotic. The girls were running all over the room. There was not enough planned to keep them busy, and while I brought the supplies she wanted, she seemed to have no plan as to how to have the girls do things.

  So, I sent her e-mail, saying I was concerned about the communication we had (or lack thereof).  Because once again, there are no plans for the meeting this coming Thursday. I told her I felt like meetings were often chaotic and not planned well enough and perhaps we could talk more and try to avoid this in the future. I tried to be as nice as I could. I am not good at conversations like this, heck, I am not good at pretty much any social skills. LOL! But I suspect I have offended her. It has been three days with no reply from her. But she has sent out an e-mail to each parent in the troop about an upcoming campout. I am not sure what to do now. Should I leave it alone? Press it? Just shut up and keep doing what I can to keep the troop running as smooth as possible?

  I think part of this is that I just don't feel accepted by her. When I asked to have Megan join the troop, she said that I would need to attend meetings and help, because she couldn't handle 12 girls herself, alone with the previous co-leader. So I did, I showed up at every meeting and tried to help. At the end of the year, at the bridging celebration, she thanked a number of parents for help and thanked the co-leader, and never said a word to me. It rather hurt, but I suspect I was being too sensitive.

  In addition to Girl Scouts, she is head of the school's PTA. She is also very active in her church, in politics and laws involving education, in charity work, she takes her kids to some sort of after school activity almost every school day, and worked at the fire shelters last fall. She is sorta like this super mom. She was unhappy that this coming Thursday (our normal Girl Scout meeting time) was also the time for the volunteer's tea at the school. She has arranged to have someone cover her so she can attend. Perhaps I am wrong, but it seems like she does this all to just get people to tell her how great she is.

  I don't know. I know I am not good socially. Given the choice, I would rather be home and read a book than go out to a bar or party. I don't fit in well with the uber-successful people in the area, that seem to even worry about how an 8 year-olds after school activities might effect a future university application. I don't wear makeup. I don't wear designer clothing, most of my stuff is from places like Target. I don't think I am easily approachable. I am not sure why. I know I can be critical, so perhaps that is why. I have been trying hard to be better about that. Do they have a school for socially spastic people?  So I am confused and unsure if it is her or me or both. But it is frustrating and I can't help but feel I am just a work house for her, to run the troop, while she gets all the glory.

  Oh well, for now I will focus on doing minis tomorrow. That will be fun and relaxing and something I do know I am good at. Hope everyone is having a nice March.

  • 8:16 pm
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