Plans and Schemes

It just occurred to me that all of the things that I want to do right this moment are the things that I never actually get to during my free time. I’d really love to do a large oil pastel drawing, or cull interesting roommate stories from my old journals for that “bad roommate” book I’m going to write someday. (Seriously – have I mentioned the crazy woman who told Shon that she really understood how people could just snap and murder other people?)

Me, I don’t make a lot of plans. Or, wait, that’s wrong. Me, I make plans, but I rarely stick to them, unless they’re social plans I’ve made with people. Me, I make plans, but then I decide that I’d rather do something else. And that’s fine with me.

Just this weekend, I was planning on going to a powwow. It’s one I go to every year, one I’m sure I’ve mentioned in this here blog. I always have a good time there, watching the Native American dancing and eating the Indian tacos, and generally enjoying the music and the good time.

I was planning to go, but on Saturday I didn’t feel like it. Mom and I were watching Izaak and Malachai and Owen while Nicky and Billy worked, and I think we had a better time hanging out together than we would have had sweating it out in the crowds, under the relentless sun. Because it was HOT OUT.

Yesterday I was planning to go to the powwow, and I was going to take the boys with me (my mom didn’t want to deal with the crowds or her walker). Then I found out that Izaak and Malachai were already back at their dad’s, and it would just be Owen and I. And it was even hotter than Saturday, and humid, with a chance of rain.

And maybe this is a revelation to you, or maybe I’ve already mentioned it, but I don’t handle crowds well at the best of times. Tired and sweaty and crowded, with a four-year-old who turns evil at the drop of a hat? I’d just rather not.

So Owen and I went swimming again! I’d bought a new swimsuit since last time, one I could actually swim in, which is, surprisingly, not easily found in the world of women’s swimsuits.

I pretty much let Owen direct our fun. He wanted to go in the big pool and hang on to my shoulders while I swam around – OK. He wanted to go in the kiddie pool and race, standing up, running – sure thing, and hey, what a workout for my quads! He wanted to go to the sprinkler part and giggle while one of the sprays hit him in the bum – uh, alright!

So we just cycled through all of the different pools and play areas, and we had a very good time. Owen even put his face in the water, which is progress from his “NO, DON’T PUT ME UNDERWATER!” stance from last time. I think a few more pool trips this summer, and he might go underwater with me at least once, for a few seconds. And then, in no time, he’ll be swimming with Izaak and Malachai, and I can race them all and beat them (they need to learn some swimmin’ respect!).

So, regarding the intriguing projects I’ve got floating around in my head: I might get to them sometime soon, and I might not. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be having a good time. Indeed, tonight I’ll be having dinner and watching a cheesy 80s movie with my good friend Julia. Hey hey.