Blah, Bloh, Blog

I'm not dead. Yet.

First off the bat I must give a warm welcome to Richard, Ana, SmallIslandGirl, Mad Bull and YamFoot; my appreciative thanks for adding me to your blogrolls. Now I've got to go hunt down a good statistics software so I can really bore Mr YingYang with lots of blah blah about referring URLs, in-depth analyses of links, search words and the like.

I'm feeling very guilty about not writing more often and I apologise. Its not that I don't want to. In fact, now that I am enjoying the delights of public transportation I spend my commute composing very lengthy, utterly witty blog posts. Don't mind that none of them seem to end up online.... It's the thought that counts. [OK, the thought doesn't count but no need to go there. Jeez.] One of my co-workers is on holiday, so I am filling in for her while doing my own job as well so blogging from work is difficult to say the least.

Well, for all the parents out there you can get a laugh about the fact that I'm frantically potty-training Toddler YY. She is supposed to start nursery school on September 6th and it is a requirement that she be able to use the toilet. By herself. And pull her pants back up I guess. I'm giving myself a panic attack just thinking abut it. She has mastered wee-wee. But poo is another matter. She's got some hang up about poo; she doesn't announce it (like she does with pee - "Mummy, wee-wee inna potty"), she just poops in her pants. And THEN whines and moans about it because she hates to have it hanging around in there. And then she says as an afterthought "Mummy, poo-poo. Inna TOILET!" By which time I am having a fit, muttering frantically to myself under my breath while holding a teeny little panty full of toddler crap, all the time worrying about those ridiculously expensive private school fees that might go to waste if they send her home for not being potty-trained properly.

Speaking of which, WTF is up with school fees? Dayummmmmm! I'm sending ToddlerYY to Westmorland School, my alma mater. Quite a lot has changed since my day and it's rather surreal when you realise that the head of the PTA is a girl that was 2 classes below me. Anyways, its a private school so exorbitant fees are to be expected, but when I got the official prospectus and fee list I was blown away. Let me give you a small sampling:
1. An application fee. Non-refundable. [But of course]
2. An enrollment fee. Of EC$1,500. Payable ASAP.
3. An annual PTA fee.
4. An annual registration fee for .... I dunno.. Isn't that covered by enrollment and applicaiton? Guess not.
5. Oh yeah, regular school fees. Of EC$675. Payable every term.

Above does not include books, uniforms, etc.
But does include requisite snotty little elitist attitude inherent in private schools. Plus the added bonus of making YingYang one of the baking-for-the-weekly-cake-sale, volunteering-for-the-crappy-school-related projects, PTA-attending, soccer-and-swim-team-assistant-coach, SuperMummies. [Major eye-roll]. Might I point out that my own mum thinks this is hilarious.

Why private school you might ask? Well, as I mentioned above, it is my alma mater so I like that she will be going to a school where many of the teachers remember me. The class sizes are small (only 10 in her nursery class) and the school's academic record is excellent. And at the risk of sounding elitist myself, I think I prefer that she be in the company of snobby, petit-bourgeois wannabes than some of these damnass, uneducated, delinquent thugs that seem to be proliferating Grenada's primary schools these days. Case in point: our babysitter's grandson: 9 years old, is happily rattling off frigging 50 Cent lyrics, doing that collar-flicking thing that rappers do, gangsta-posing, etc., but cannot recite his TWO TIMES TABLES. The 2x tables?!? Say wha'? I still haven't managed to wrap my mind around that one yet. How can a 9-year old not know the 2x tables? And still get moved on up to the next form? Oh yeah, at his school a few months aback, there was this incident with some kid brandishing a cutlass, and some other kids threatening a teacher with knives. And these are primary school kids, note well. Man, I remember getting suspended for passing notes that were poking fun about a teacher's hygiene [well it was funny until I got caught]. I can't imagine bringing weapons to school and threatening to cut up your teachers. Times sure have changed.

It's raining and I am pleased to say that for the first time since Ivan, our roof is leak-less (kinda). My brother and some of his partners came over last weekend and nailed down bits and pieces of galvanise over the gaping holes and exposed plywood. We have finally put away the buckets, pots and other assorted water-catchment items. For now at least, knock wood. :)

Peace out and don't forget to register for the Cariblogr list. Tell them Uncle Mad Bull send yuh.

Posted by YingYang at 8:49 PM