For the first time in a few years, the kids are both attending the same school. This time it’s a middle school, and tonight was its open house. They had a weird approach this year, consisting of ten minute segments punctuated by schoolbells. The idea is that the parents and child would go through that child’s schoolday, getting to briefly meet the various teachers and familiarizing themselves with the environment.

Well, great, but what do you do when you’re the only parent and you have two children attending the school? The kids and I scampered all over the place, though we focused primarily on Erica’s schedule and classes, diverting to Alex’s corresponding classes when time permitted.

We did get one good thing out of it. Okay, we got two good, related, things out of it. They fed us, which was nice. They also gave away freezer baggies of leftover pasta and bread slices later on, which we were lucky enough to take advantage of. Yay, we have reheatable foodstuffs for when we’re too lazy to cook up a real meal. Go, us.

I expect that parent-teacher conferences in November will be almost as entertaining. I can wait.

I’ll be at work tomorrow. Honest.

It’s amazing what a regimen of napping and keeping hydrated will do for your ability to shake off a cold. Of course, we’ll see how much of this progress is undone by the inevitable stresses of going to work after a day and a half away… but that’s how it goes, eh?

I came home early, today, because I found myself breathing only with difficulty, thanks to the crud in my head and lungs. Let’s not forget the wooziness and general tendency toward the horizontal.

Yep. The first head cold of the fall season has arrived. Joy. Depending on how I’m feeling by morning, I may be home tomorrow, too. Bah.

I was supposed to visit the rugrats today, too. Le sigh.

My daughter turns a dozen, today. Yep. (Next year they’ll both be teenagers. Heavens help us.) Okay, seriously, she’s an incredible kid. Or, young person, I suppose it’s about time to say. I’m awfully proud of her, and I look forward to seeing in what direction she decides to take her life.

Happy Birthday, sweetie.

(The entry title refers to a little game she and I have been playing pretty much her entire life… “Meep” is a touch on the nose, “Koosh” is a pat to the top of the head, and the newly-added “Wiggle-wiggle” is grabbing earlobes and wiggling. That one’s her own invention. Way to go, Miss Exe-Koosh-ener.)