Oh dear.

We live a few doors down from a kink shop.

It's actually a nice, tasteful, well-stocked shop with friendly and helpful staff, and they're fine neighbors. The only problem is that the shop is at basement level. Which means that their display window starts at ground level, i.e., toddler/preschooler eye level.

They used to regularly have window displays of stuffed animals in bondage gear. It's been a while since I've noticed something like that, so either they've moved away from that design technique or, now that Alex isn't a toddler anymore, I'm not spending quite so much time inching along the sidewalk looking at every conceivable thing there is to see.

But they do still display wares in their window. Alex has asked about it, and I've told her, in my best off-hand voice, that the store sells things for grownups who like to play dress-up. That's satisfied her.

This weekend she got a bag of dress-up clothes for $2 at a yard sale. It's been an exciting new treat; we didn't previously have dress-up clothes at home.

You see where this is going, right?

This morning I explained that this will be her first day of coming home from school at lunchtime to stay with Colin and our new nanny. I encouraged her to be friendly and helpful to the nanny "because she's new at our house."

"Okay!" Alex said cheerfully. "And if she wants to play dress-up with me, she can go to the store that has things for grown-ups who like to play dress-up."

...

...I was so pleased with myself for giving her that explanation, too.

State of the mental health.

I followed up with my psychiatrist today for my postpartum anxiety disorder. ( Read more... )

OMG I suck so much.

I almost never drive to work because parking is such an issue. But today I had my shrink appointment, so I drove. Came back and parked across the street from my office. This is a major thoroughfare, no rush hour parking allowed, and many's the time I've seen tow trucks lined up at the corner at 3:55, waiting to tow the unpunctual or unwary.

But I figured, no problem, I'd move my car by four. It was the only spot I could find, anyway.

I went in to work. Drama happened. Extensively. I did my best to negotiate around the drama without getting any stuck to me. I pumped. I did some work. At 4:30, I packed up my things and, as I always do, walked briskly to the light rail. I was a block away from the light rail stop when I remembered that I had driven to work, and where I had left my car.

Futilely, I turned around and walked all the way back, just on the tiniest million-to-one chance that it hadn't yet been towed. Of course it had. I trudged back to the light rail. Two trains roared past, one after the other, while I was a block or so away.

I stood on the platform, dejected. As I waited for the next train, the temperature dropped by about fifteen degrees. Black clouds rolled in on the chilly wind. Lightning flickered, first in the distance, then quite close up. The first drops of rain fell just as I got on the train. By the time I got off, lightning was flashing all around, thunder close at its heels, chilly needles of rain whipping in as I struggled to keep the wind from blowing the umbrella out of my hand.

Awfully convenient thunderstorm. If my life were a book, I would be rolling my eyes right now and muttering about the pathetic fallacy.