Monday, March 14, 2011

Not the most fun I've had this week

Sweet Daughter came home last week with a flyer advertising the “planetarium” that was going to be at school tonight. I told her that I was REALLY BUSY this week, and didn’t know if we’d be able to go. She came home from school today telling me I had to read the flyer in her book bag about the presentation in the school cafeteria tonight. Shorter Half had a meeting from 6:00 until 8:00 tonight, so even though I have reports due at work tomorrow, and a HUGE weekend to pack for, and food and clothing to document, I agreed to take her. She SO wanted to go.

We got to the school at the appointed hour and walked in to the cafeteria to find what looked like a giant silver mushroom cap inflated in the middle of the floor and chairs set up in rows behind it. I naively hoped that the presentation would be projected onto the outside of this thing. No such luck. Have I mentioned that I’m a bit claustrophobic? And that it seems to be getting worse as I get older? So when I found out that they expected us to crawl through this tunnel thing like it was some kind of space-age igloo, I asked the parent of one of SD’s friends if he’d mind keeping an eye on her, and told him he was free to rip off her arm and beat her with the wet end if she misbehaved. I went to go sit and wait things out when the Guy In Charge lifted up the side of the giant mushroom for those of us that were old, infirm, halt and/or lame to enter. I thought that I’d try that way – after all, there was plenty of room inside, right?

The good news: I ended up sitting by the fan that was blowing fresh air into the giant Hefty bag. The bad news was that the fan was so loud I couldn’t hear the presentation. We were packed in there like sardines. We had to sit on the floor, and being closer to 50 than I am to 45 these days, that wasn’t terribly comfortable. It was stuffy in there. And when he started spinning the stars across Kinderdome, I thought I was going to hurl. Did I mention that there was no way out that didn’t involve a bladed instrument?

So I sat with my head down next to another claustrophobic mom and waited it out. Then the sick bastard giving the presentation told us those of us ducking under the side had to wait until everyone else had gone through the tunnel before the rest of us could exit. I thought I’d done pretty well until I got home and found that my stomach was still in knots an hour after leaving. And to top it all off? I found out the kids had already sat through the same, if not more extensive presentation, earlier that day.

9 comments:

  1. And I suppose they didn't let you have a knife on the school campus to be able to cut your way out? Or do they only do that to students?

    I can just imagine a crazy eyed mother whip out a knife, scream, slash through the material and run from the room, and the presenter just going on to the next constellation...

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  2. I can neither confirm nor deny having a 1 1/2" folding knife with me. Although a nail file would have done the job just as well.

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  3. I'm not claustrophobic but I get in places like that and get grossed out by the bad air and germs I start imagining entering my healthy system! You are a good Mom!

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  4. I bet you a fat man, (and here he sits) that you NEVER thought that you would have to go through those kinds of contortions when you had the little whipper. Ah the joys of parenthood.........

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  5. Of course, since Nancy didn't find out about it until after 4:30, I didn't find out about it until about 4:40. . . a little over an hour before a meeting concerning (among other things) some serious violent incidents in the schools.

    I have been informed I am responsible for taking SD to future Bubble Boy events. {grin} (No problem, I like planatariums.)

    But SD retained a lot of good information -- she pulled out her Solar System placemat and explained it all (including why Uranus's rotational axis is so funky) to me this morning after I got her ready for school and we still had 20 minutes to wait for the bus. So, clearly a respectable presentation.

    Bluesun -- under Virginia law, an adult who is not a student may carry a knife of up to 3" (with exemptions for people working on school grounds carrying knives for that work). Anything bigger is treated the same as a gun (so a historical demonstration with a sword requires special permission, just as if you wanted to bring a musket). That's why I had to switch knives when I got on the School Board, because my previous pocket knife was nearly 4".

    Shorter Half

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  6. Oh, and she pronounces Uranus correctly -- putting her ahead of 99% of American adults. {grin}

    Shorter Half

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  7. HA HA HA!! I can sympathize with you to a point but let me tell you, you ain't lived til you've shepherded 25 squirming, hyper-active first graders into that thing and then been in charge of making sure they all behave!!! "No yelling, no touching the sides, no pushing, no shoving, raise your hand if you have a question, no touching your neighbor and NO FARTING!" Yeah, been there, done that...as a teacher!
    Well done, Mom!!!!!!

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  8. Hey Shorter Half!

    Bet you didn't know there is a ring around Uranus.

    (Sorry, I was channeling my inner junior highschooler)

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  9. Heh. Michael W. said what I was thinking...

    Good on you for going, Nancy. SD will remember those times...

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