Terrible Twos & Things Roommate Should Already Know

Godson is over today. His mom works in retail, so her hours are variable and his regular sitter can’t always take him. So, when I’m unemployed, I take him about once a week or so. Today, she brought him over a few hours earlier than her shift so that we could hang out and eat lunch together.

However, Godson is having a week of the Terrible Twos. This is especially odd because he is usually such a well-behaved, sweet little boy and usually is content to play near us or sit on a lap while we catch up. Not so, today. Since he arrived at 11:00 am, he’s had two time outs, a quick swat (what my mother always calls Shock Pops, since they don’t hurt at all, are very quickly administered, and serve merely as a warning and a redirection of attention), and is now napping, earlier than usual. We're into the whole bending-the-knees-refusing-to-stand-failing-to-listen-defiant-and-grumpy-and-clingy phase. I think it might be a growth spurt or a flu bug, but it doesn't really matter. We've still got to deal with the behavior. Which is not always fun for Auntie Elise (all of you moms out there are laughing at me and rolling your eyes. I can totally see you; don't think I can't!). I’m hoping to get this post done before he wakes up and we go for Round Two. We’ll see.

Yesterday, I posted Roommate’s answers to my Sunday Meet & Greet Survey, which I hope served as a good introduction to one of my favorite people. Today, I thought I’d attempt to answer at least some of the questions she posed. It all depends on Godson, really, and today is probably not the best day to test that. Oh well. Here we go:

My questions to you (whenever you feel like it, add your reasoning behind your answers)

Question the first: Out of the states that you have yet to visit, which is your favorite?

This is a ridiculous and silly question, but I will answer it as best I can. Since I was a little girl, I have always loved Colorado. Except that I have never been there. I think it’s because one of my childhood friend’s had relatives there and would go visit and have a great time and came back with wonderful stories, so I always wanted to go. Also, I think the Carolinas hold a certain appeal. But to be honest, I would love to visit most of the states I have never been to. With the exception of maybe Kansas or Arkansas, because I’ve been told all kinds of (probably stereotypically untrue) things about how boring those places are.

Question the second: What is your favorite spot in the entire world?

I’m kind of in love with Roommate’s Uncle’s beach house that we stayed at in Hawaii (minus the tiny ants that I went all ninja on). But more than likely, if there was any place in the world that I could choose to be at any given time, it’s tucked into the corner of my awesome purple couch with a good book and a blanket. Although I am rather partial to being tucked under my Papa’s arm on my parent’s couch watching educational TV. It’s just so… soothing? comfortable? It’s just so right.

Question the third: Coke or Pepsi?

Pepsi. Diet Pepsi, actually. But definitely Pepsi. In fact, Roommate… I’m kind of offended you even had to ask…

Question the fourth: What is your single favorite memory from college?

Funtain Diving, hands down. Someday, I will blog about Funtain Diving. But every time I try to write it, I can’t quite capture the essence of the ceremony and tradition. That's just the favorite, though. I really enjoyed the rest of it, too. Especially the times we lived together (without Liar). Those were pretty awesome times.

Question the fifth: What is your favorite flower?

Alstroemeria? Or maybe Crocus? All I know is that I love flowers, especially colorful and good smelling ones. I’m not really picky about which ones, as long as they are beautiful and arranged nicely. This will either make it very difficult or very easy for my future husband. Maybe someday, I’ll develop a favorite…

Question the sixth: Orange or black?

Orange. Again, I am a little annoyed you’d have to ask. ALWAYS COLOR! Especially the warm colors like reds, oranges, and yellows.

Question the seventh: Give me your best explanation as to why the sun is yellow (your answer is encouraged to not be scientifically sound).

The sun is yellow because God knew that we would all be looking at it every day to judge time, to seek light, to find warmth, and to produce food for us. He understood that yellow is one of the most pleasant colors he had created and wanted use to enjoy everything about the sun. He’s also a very good designer and knew that the yellow complimented the blue of the sky, the reddish-brown of the earth, and the green of the plants. It’s all about coordinating colors, you know.

OR! The sun is really made out of molten nacho cheese and that’ why it’s yellow. Because really hot nacho cheese is yellow, not orange. This whole “the moon is made out of cheese” thing is just plain ridiculous. Wallace and Grommet got it wrong. The moon would be a very dry, crumbly, dusty, yucky cheese that smelled bad. If it were made out of cheese. But it’s not. We ALL know it’s powdered sugar. Duh. So yeah. The sun is yellow because it’s made of nacho cheese. Is that non-“scientific” enough for you, Roommate?

Question the eighth: What is one place outside of the United States that you have never been that you would like to visit for three months?

Costa Rica. If I wasn’t allowed to be an American anymore (which would be a really interesting set of circumstances, since I’m such a law-abiding line-toer and everything), I would move to Costa Rica and build a bungalow in the jungle and drink wine and salsa dance and eat slightly spicy food on the back deck every night for the rest of my life.

Question the ninth: who decided the order of numbers?

I’m going go with either the Romans or the Martians. Either way they were friggin’ brilliant. What I have ALWAYS wanted to know is who put the letters in order? I mean, the order of the numbers has ACTUAL significance because of, well, you know, the COUNTING part of numbers. But the letters? Their order only matters when you put things in alphabetical order and even then, it’s only alphabetical because someone SAID SO! Who was that???

Question the tenth: was that person brilliant or just finding a way to ease his or her OCD?

I have no answers for this. I mean, yes, brilliant. Probably also OCD. But maybe it’s because of the combination of brilliance and mental disorder (can you call an compulsive need for order a mental disorder?) that makes this so hard to answer. Because if I were making up a way to count things that had to start from scratch and put them in order, it would never get done because I would not know where to start. So, yes? Hmmm…

And there’s the murmur of a wakeful toddler. I’d better go get him before he decides to climb the bookshelves or something. I mean, he’s never done it before, but he’s having an off week… No crashes yet, though. So I guess that’s a good sign.

Until next time, remember to spay and neuter your pets. No, wait, I think that’s someone else’s line… Anyway, have a nice day or something, okay?

UPDATE: Godson is still asleep. But I swear I heard him. Either I’m going crazy (likely), he woke up and fell back to sleep (highly irregular), or he murmurs in his sleep (unknown). But now I have time to fold that other load of laundry and maybe even empty the dishwasher. Look at me, being all domestic! 

UPDATED THE SECOND: Satan's Cat just climbed a high shelf and dumped an entire box of her toys all over the floor. A box of jingle bells and rattle balls and Mylar crunchie things. Which of course made a giant crashing noise loud enough to wake the dead, let alone a toddler. While I was silently running after her to grab her and tell her a very stern but quiet "bad kitty," I stomped on one of the jingle balls, busting it in a raucous fashion, injuring my foot, and almost swearing loudly while toppling into other furniture. So much for that laundry getting done (I mean it! I can totally see you mothers snickering with glee! Knock it off!)...