Why It Never Pays to be a Jackass, Parts I & II

And possibly III & IV.

Last week (and probably into this week), I'm pretty sure I was suffering from PMS. Just some quick background for you so you have a frame of reference for my mood.

Some additional background: I was kind of excited about my birthday this year (Thursday, Dec. 6) because I realized for the first time in memory, there was no hockey practice -- we were all going to be at home to maybe actually do something on my birthday! In addition, the neighborhood Christmas tree lighting was on the same night as my birthday. We could go watch the tree lighting at 6pm and then go out to dinner. Fun!

Anyway, on Wednesday evening, Nov. 28, after working at ski school all day, I was going through e-mail and trying to get caught up on regular work when I opened a message from the school saying that Dec. 4 - 6 would be Christmas concerts at school each evening -- two grade levels performing each night. Finn's night was Dec. 6. at 6pm.

I was outraged. A Christmas concert (requiring props and costumes, no less) with one week's notice, on my birthday, and during the tree lighting. WTF?

I replied to the message in haste (NEVER a good idea) pointing out: one week's notice, during the tree lighting, and didn't they know it was my birthday and I wanted to go out to dinner (OK, I skipped the birthday part, but I thought it).

The next morning I went over to school and the office manager, who is a friend, said they'd been receiving a lot of e-mails like mine. I was there to volunteer in the library, and over the course of shelving books, someone said something about the tree lighting being on Tuesday, Dec. 4.

Uhhhhh, what? Total ding dong. I had misread the info about the tree lighting. It didn't actually conflict with the 4th grade concert OR my birthday.

I went to the office and ate some crow. They laughed. But did point out that there was still a conflict for the Kinders and 1st graders' concert and the tree lighting.

Oh well, so sorry for the little ones, but now I could go to the tree lighting on Tuesday and out to dinner for my birthday.

Except that I realized I had to go to Denver for a work meeting on Tuesday and wouldn't be back until about 8:30pm -- the tree lighting was at 6pm.

I told my friend who worked in the office. She laughed.

So that left us with going to the Christmas concert on Thursday evening and out to dinner for my birthday.

Until the music teacher apparently contracted the plague Tuesday morning and ALL of the concerts were cancelled.

Eamonn had never coordinated going out to dinner because he thought we were going to the concert. In the end, I stayed home and ate popcorn for my birthday dinner.

I hope the Kinders and 1st graders enjoyed the tree lighting!