Dance, Dance, Dance

Last night was 8th grade promotion at our school, following which was the promotion dance for all middle-schoolers.  Parents of the 7th grade students traditionally put this on, so that the parents of the kids promoting don't need to worry about that on top of everything else they must have on their plates.

Well, with all I've been juggling, signing up to chaperone the dance seemed like the least amount of effort for me.  I'd just need to show up. And therefore although #2 seemed too young at 11 years old to be attending, I told both of the girls that they could go, since I'd be there.  

They had a ball.  They were clearly (to me, anyway) new to the school dance scene, but they had a good time--always on the dance floor.  No wall flower kids for me!  #2 danced one slow dance with a boy who is in the flute section with her in orchestra.  #1 was disappointed that no one asked her to dance.  But other than that, they danced all dances, slow and fast, with each other and their friends.

One on-going situation with a few of the 7th and 8h grade girls made the dance a little less enjoyable for the chaperones.  Yet the only true regret I had in attending was how old I felt.  I am the mother of two dance-going, mascara-wearing, hair-spraying, Jonas Brothers-listening, middle school girls.  How on earth is that possible?  Wasn't it yesterday that I was putting on the teal eyeliner and heading to my own jr. high dances?  Wasn't it yesterday that I was 12 and thought I was a grown-up?  Of course there were some slight differences--we were requesting Madonna and Michael Jackson and the only "rap" was by Wham!  

I am fully aware that this lament only serves to make me sound older still.  But it's all the truth.  It's been 22 years since my first dance.  Yesterday was 22 years ago.  Even so, the comforting old adage applies-- the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Last night the kids rocked out to "Thriller."

Nothin' funnier than Brain Surgery ...

I have a neurological disorder somewhere in the Trigeminal Neuralgia family (see link on side bar).  I take an anti-convulsive medication which largely keeps my pain at bay.  And what pain there is is quite bearable. 

However, there are some treatments for this class of disorders that I would like to explore to see if they are even options for me.  One of them involves invasive brain surgery.  Neurosurgeons specializing in this are easier to find in Southern California than in Idaho.  Still, I'll be driving out to Irvine for a fine cut MRI.

Of course, I'm doing all of this at a time when I'm already pretty booked up both time-wise and emotionally with moving up north.  It's June 2nd.  Estimated departure date:  August 6th.  Hmm.  2 months.  And no, our house isn't even on the market yet.  We're shooting for June 16th.  And the market is slow.

So what I really feel like I'd like to add to sorting, tossing, donating, organizing, packing, and staging in the next 8 weeks is ... brain surgery.

Did you just laugh?  Even in your head?  You're not alone.  Any time I've tried to confide in people about these major stressors in my life, they've laughed at the mention of ... brain surgery.  I guess it's pretty funny.  And the folks laughing at me are not just random careless jerks.  One was my mom.  Another was my chiropractor who is also my ecclesiastical leader.  I think to myself, "does it sound like I'm doing material, here?"  Maybe I could take a show on the road.  Brain surgery can keep 'em laughing for a while.

And it's not just MY brain surgery that makes people chuckle.  Last Thursday night at Open House, I was discussing sentence diagramming with my daughter's teacher.  I noted that I hadn't learned to do it because my 8th grade teacher was having brain surgery during the time when that was taught in our curriculum and the substitute wasn't comfortable with it.  She laughed the minute I said ... brain surgery.

It's amazing.  I'd love to see some kind of study done.  It'd be perfect for undergrad psych majors.  Anyone?  If you do it, you can take all of the credit for the idea.  Just let me know the results.