Cassie's Journal - January 29, 2013

This has been one of those strange weather days where we’ve gone from warm spring temperatures straight down to winter freeze in just over twenty-four hours.  It’s been raining off and on too, and the forecast is for some freezing rain and snow by morning.  I’d say that everyone in town would agree with me that going from cold to warm was way more fun than the big reversal today has been.

The change around school was obvious too.  The yard was basically empty all day; the whole atmosphere and mood seemed to drop right along with the temperature; and I didn’t even see one classmate blankly staring out a window and daydreaming of being outside instead of concentrating on our lessons.  Yes, one of the guys did get caught dozing off by Mrs. Warren, but that really wasn’t that unusual for him regardless of the weather.

After the tween issues in the park yesterday afternoon, I was doing my very best today to stay under the radar as much as I could, though that’s not always easy when Rowen, Michael, and I are frequently the go-to answer whizzes for all of our teachers.  That’s never really bothered me before, and I’ve honestly never really even thought about it, but having a few of the girls in our class watching me, and seemingly annoyed with just about everything I do, has forced me to think about things like that a lot.

I’ve been thinking about Lisa and her best friends too, and think I should mention that we’ve always gotten along just fine before now; and they’ve always been as friendly, even while they’ve also always hung out with different groups than Rowen and I have.  Hopefully this will just be a tween phase that we’ll all get past soon, since I seem to be fairly lousy at handling the situation.  That does make me wonder how hard being a ‘normal’ tween must be when it’s like this for a Magi Master with a broad, post-graduate college level education.

I mostly managed to avoid most of the tween weird today except for a couple of comments before our first afternoon class that were related to the lunchtime music practice that Michael joined Rowen and me for.  Since our practices are always fun for us, I really wish our classmates in general would cut us some slack; that the guys would stop razzing Michael about it; and that Lisa would not get so upset about Michael practicing with us twice a week when she has nothing to worry about from me.

Going home to work in the office after school was a good way to stay out of any more tween trouble with the bonus of being dry and warm.  Alicia and Mom were busy with the twins and working around the house while I did my homework and spent a couple of hours on the family business.  Dad was a bit late getting home after his last appointment went longer than expected, and then we all spent most of the evening in the office after having dinner and cleaning up.  We split our time between work, Magi lessons, and a little computer play time until it was time for Ethan and Ehlana to get ready for bed.

I came up to my room then, and had a long soak in my Jacuzzi while Mom and Dad did the bath and bedtime routine with Ethan and Ehlana.  While in the tub, I finished the archive assignment that went along with my lesson tonight; did my nightly computer checks while getting ready for bed and drying my hair; and worked through my language studies after getting into bed with Mandy.  Starting all of that early let me get a bit extra done, and though I could have kept going, it’s after midnight; and I’ve had enough fun for today.

Until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor; logging out!

Cassie's Journal - January 28, 2013

The last four work and school days of January have started off with an even nicer spring-like day than we had yesterday, and I’m really glad that Rowen and I were able to go outside and enjoy it; since we’ll be returning to more normal temperatures again over the next couple of days.

It wasn’t quite warm enough to take our Tai Chi – or the twins – out to the river first thing this morning, but it seemed like everyone was more cheerful today thanks to yet another break in what has again, so far, been a very mild winter.  There seemed to always be at least some kids and teens outdoors all day while we were at school.  Quite a few gym classes were out on the track or football field; a handful of teachers found some excuse to do lessons or some kind of exploration outside; and nearly everyone was out during lunchtime – and at recesses for the younger kids.

With less than a week left to go until the Super Bowl, a lot of the guys were in full football mode, and while there weren’t any pick-up matches until after school; there were groups of guys tossing footballs around – including at least a few dozen ‘illegal passes’ in hallways and classrooms.  Rowen and I managed to mostly stay away from both the talk and action while we were at school, but we took Ethan and Ehlana with us to the park; Ethan really needed to go play football with the guys; and Michael was happy to help him do that when we got to the football field, and Ethan toddled out to join him and the other guys.

I’ve managed to get through a few days without writing about any of the usual tween problems that seem to crop up so regularly in my life, but having Michael play with Ethan brought a little unwanted attention my way from Lisa and a couple of her friends.  They were there with probably close to twice as many girls as would usually be watching the guys; and Lisa was not happy while watching Michael with Ethan; the hug and kiss Ehlana had for him when he brought Ethan back to us; and my smile, thanks, and close contact with him while he handed Ethan off to me was probably not interpreted well either.  All of that would have been enough, but Ehlana innocently decided to make things a bit tougher for me by inviting Rebecca to go with us when we were ready to head over to the playground with a devastating combination of dimples, a hug, and a simple “Come too?” question.  I didn’t need to look back to see the looks directed my way, though Rowen did let me know about them later when we were back at my house and hanging out in the lounge.

It’s too bad that hanging out with Rebecca for a little while upset Lisa, but Rebecca was glad to get away from Jenny and the rest of the girls who were mostly talking about their boyfriends and upcoming expectations for Valentine’s Day; and I was happy to spend a little time with her.  She still isn’t really looking for a boyfriend, but Grade Eight might even be worse for that in a small town than either Grade Seven or high school is – especially for girls.  Grade Eight guys can date girls in Grade Seven, but girls rarely date the younger guys; mostly because of the height difference.  Niners almost never date younger teens, so there aren’t many dating options in the first place; and right now, there aren’t any available guys in her class anyway.

I’d make a comment about why the most beautiful – and one of the smartest – girl in Grade Eight was also the only girl in her class not dating anyone; but that would be just a bit too close to what Aunt Leanne has said about me more than a few times; so I won’t do that.  Let’s go with the idea that being the brightest girls in our grades is helping Rebecca, Rowen, and me be smart enough to stay away from guys while they’re going through the worst of the tween and early teen years – even if two out of three of us would give up their single status in a second for the right guy.

That’s more than enough of the whole tween-teen thing for me right now; so let’s move along.  Rowen and I had a music practice after getting home to go with our little chat time; we did a little surfing on my computer; and then Rowen headed home when Mom drafted me to help out with making dinner.  It still seems a bit strange to not be doing Monday night Magi healing lessons with Uncle Adam, but he and Aunt Leanne went for a walk with us after dinner, and then stopped in for a while so we could have a family business meeting.  That was good for a couple of hours of fun while they were here even though we were mostly talking business and future plans.

Our meeting pushed back my Magi lesson with Mom until after Ethan and Ehlana went to bed, so it was nearly eleven by the time I started my nightly computing and studies.  I cut back a bit on the language lessons, but did all of the archive research and reading that went along with my Magi lesson; and I kept my email, news, entertainment, and sports checks to a minimum when I didn’t even get that started until after one-thirty.  It’s going on two now, and I’m ready for some down time, so it’s time to wrap this up and get some sleep.

Until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor; logging out!

Cassie's Journal - January 27, 2013

Rain moved into the area overnight, but most of what little did fall came overnight, it moved on by lunchtime; and we had an overcast but very warm afternoon.

My morning started out great after my nice, long winter’s nap.  From the time that Mom, Dad, and I exercised together until we went to church, we had fun; and even the work before and after breakfast was entertaining as we played as much as we worked.  Mom, Ehlana, and I had some extra fun playing dress-up and doing our hair; and Dad and Ethan had time to actually play games while we were busy.

There isn’t anything special to report from church or Sunday School today – we’re in a bit of a lull for kids and teens, and that probably won’t change much until sometime after Valentine’s Day when Easter-related practices and projects will start.

Rowen invited me to spend the day with her family, so I only stopped in at home after church long enough to get changed and grab my saxophone.  Patricia and Owen were actually taking the entire afternoon off for a little play time with their kids, and since Rowen had invited me, Patrick had Scott with him for the afternoon too.  I don’t think they were intentionally taking the day off from their usual antics when they’re around us, but we also spent most of the afternoon biking and playing outside; Owen kept them busy most of the time we were indoors around lunch and dinnertime; and there just weren’t many good chances for them to get into full-goof mode.

I needed to stop in at home again long enough to get my bike once the decision to go riding had been made after lunch, so Rowen and I did that while her parents had a short chat with mine, and Patrick and Scott put on a little riding show for Ethan and Ehlana while my brother and sister sat on the front porch steps with Mom and Dad.  Yes, that sounds weird to be sitting out on the front porch steps on the last weekend of January, but like I mentioned; we’ve had a warm afternoon, and it felt more like spring than winter today.

After leaving my house, we biked out River Road for a half hour or so before returning again and doing a loop of the park on the trail before stopping to catch a little football action and hang out at the playground.  Since there were some other fathers playing football, Owen was recruited as a substitute for a while, and I think he did pretty well for a computer geek even if Patrick and Scott razzed him.  If Lee Landry was coming after me, I’d be trying to dump the football off to anyone else too; and Owen did manage two laterals that were successful – at least until Lee caught up with the guys who then had the ball instead.

Rowen and I didn’t stay to watch the football game for very long, and part of the reason for that is because Patricia and several of the other Moms are as much sports groupies as some of the tween and teens girls are – and possibly even a bit more scary.  Football did work as a great diversion for Patrick, Scott, and most of the other boys, which allowed the girls to rule the playground.  We had Ehlana with us for a bit of that time after Mom and Aunt Leanne dropped her off with us before going on to watch their boys – including Ethan – join the football game too for a while.

There was only a little more football intervention in our time at the park, and that only lasted until we talked the parents into an afternoon snack break at the Inn.  Dad, Uncle Adam, and Owen took some heat from the other guys for abandoning the field of battle, but before we left the Inn after our Olde Bakery treats and hot drinks break; more than half of the other players had decided to do the same thing; and Miranda had some unexpected, but welcome, bonus business to help fill up the interlude between the lunch and dinner rushes.

After leaving the Inn, we split up again, and those of us with bikes rode back to the Emerson’s.  Rowen and I had time for a long music practice, and then we helped her Mom with making dinner for six while the guys spent all of that time playing video games in the living room.  Sitting down for an hour and having dinner was fun, and even the bit of goofiness from Patrick and Scott was mild enough to stay entertaining instead of getting annoying.  That might be at least part of the reason why Patrick and Scott were set free after we finished dessert to return to their video gaming while Rowen and I helped her parents with the cleanup.

I biked home shortly after that, and we had a third quiet night in a row at home.  Mom did an early lesson with me; she, Dad, and I all helped with the full bath and bedtime routine for Ethan and Ehlana; and I was in bed and doing my nightly computing and studies by shortly after nine o’clock.  All of that is done now, and I’ll still be sleeping before midnight if I finish this up now, so...

...until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor; logging out!

Cassie's Journal - January 26, 2013

We’ve had another quiet day around the Proctor home, and I’m good with that; though quiet did not mean that there wasn’t anything going on.

There was the usual Saturday morning chores; Rowen and I got to spend the afternoon together; and Mom and Dad spent the evening playing with Ethan, Ehlana, and me before we all went up to bed early again tonight.  Cleaning the third floor; helping with the laundry; and doing a bit of work outside with Dad didn’t include anything special worth writing about here.  Rowen and I did a little biking after lunch and hung out with some friends at the park for a while, but then we spent the rest of the afternoon in the lounge until she needed to head home for the night.  It seemed strange to not be having even one sleepover this weekend, but I guess even best friends should take a weekend off from things like that now and then.

I didn’t want to write about any more tween issues yesterday, and I’m happy to report that there wasn’t anything weird or annoying to report today.  Maybe I should hide at home most of the day more often!

Taking the night off from studying was an option, so I’ve only done my usual nightly computing, and I plan on being out for the night within a few minutes of wrapping this up and shutting down my computer, so...

...until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor; logging out!

Cassie's Journal - January 25, 2013

I wrote about enough tween weird yesterday, and don’t really want to do that again tonight; so I won’t.

That actually doesn’t leave much else to report, since there isn’t anything else of interest from school today; Rowen and I just hung out in the lounge with Ethan and Ehlana after we were set free for the weekend; and it was a quiet, no-company family night here from the time Dad got home and Rowen headed out for the dinner she and Patrick were having with her grandmother.  Ethan, Ehlana, and I had fun getting to play with just Mom and Dad for a few hours, but even an hour of Magi-powered entertainment didn’t include anything new worth mentioning.  I came up to my room early; spent a little time in my Jacuzzi; and caught up on the language and archive studying that I didn’t get done last night.

Not thinking about bunnies won’t be necessary tonight, since I’m pretty much ready to crash for a few hours.

Until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor; logging out!