4/15/05--its been one long freakin week

I finally figured it out, doing a little quick math.  They changed our hours at work, basically forcing us to take a lunch, so now instead of leaving work at 4pm, we leave at 5pm.  Over the course of a week, that's 5 hours which basically comes close to an entire day---so basically I'm working what amounts to another day of work.
No wonder I'm so tired!  Not that we're getting PAID anymore, naturally.
How much longer until my 30 years are done?  (10 1/2, thank you very much)

I got upset tonight at something that Kellie told me about Andy.  Apparently a couple of kids that Kellie knows were making fun of Andy for some reason or another, and Kellie jumped to her brother's defense.  Now, I'm happy that she did that, but I asked Andy what happened.  He said the kids were sorta making fun of him for one reason or another.  I asked him what he did in response.  He told me that he just told them that they should stop.  I asked him why he didn't....ya know, zing them back verbally.
I might as well been talking to a plant.  And I grew frustrated, first and foremost that someone is making fun of my kid....2nd that he's not doing anything about it....3rd that he doesn't appear to have the wherewithall to do anything about it....and 4th that he doesn't appear to be bothered by it.  Sometimes he reminds me of that dog that's been kicked before and has just resigned himself to being occasionally kicked.  Not by me of course, but by the kids at school.  I got him into tae-kwon do so that he could physically defend himself, and he now can....but how can I teach him to be able to defend himself verbally---without going that extra step and engaging in a fight.  I realize that he doesn't have the ability I have to engage in the sort of verbal diarrhea that I can......hey, that took YEARS of experience.....but I want the kid to defend himself.  I asked him if he ever just zinged some kid back when he gets insulted....and he has ZERO idea what I'm talking about.  I told Kim that sometimes its like dealing with someone who's had absolutely no social interaction.  I mean, I can understand that he's introverted.....but geez, you know---"Up yer nose with a rubber hose?"
So now....I will attempt to teach my son the subtle art of laying the verbal smackdown on any kid that tries to make fun of him.  It makes me sad in one sense, because part of that innocence that surrounds Andy will be forever gone when he learns to use the skills to verbally defend himself.
But....I've decided.....don't fuck with my kid.

Later,
Jeff