2 out of 3 is kinda bad

I started yesterday with high hopes and excitement as I approached the court house.  I was thinking that at the very least, the judge would make sure that I would start getting my monthly support check from John.  I don't think that I believed I would leave the court house a divorced, free woman, but I thought I'd be leaving with some kind of forward movement.   John showed up without an attorney again.  He told the judge that he was financially unable to retain an attorney last month, but that in two weeks time, he would be able to do so.  (He must have a pretty penny riding on the Super Bowl. ) And the GD judge granted him ANOTHER court date.  I'm not allowing myself to get too worked up over it.  She is the law, after all. 



I wanted to cry as I left the court house.  Defeated.  The judge DID sign the motion to send an order to the Manhattan D.A.'s office so that John can't use the monthly check for financial restitution in his criminal case. So, I suppose that's one small victory.  I was just so disheartened by the judge's apparent lack of personal stake in my case.  Last month, she told John that if he shows up unprepared for the next court date (yesterday), that she has the right to grant me a default divorce and that she would have the right to make any and all decisions regarding the divorce.   And she clearly didn't review my case at all before we were called...  I'm pretty confident that she would have sided with me whole heartedly if she had.  Anyway, that's that.  Next court date, February 27th... I think.  Need to double check with my lawyer...  I kind of checked out, mentally, in the courtroom once I realized the way things were going.

Since I got out of court so early, I figured I'd go to the food stamp office.   It's just down the street from the court house.  Right in the heart of the ghetto.  It felt really good to be walking the streets among crack and meth heads while I was dressed in my court-house-best.  Not scary at all.  I had to walk around a small group of 20 somethings that were all screaming, ranting about the girl on the bus that should have minded her own business, and had threatened to come back to the food stamp office with a gun to finish their fight.  Super.  I got on line, got my ticket, and headed upstairs to wait.    Happily, I only had to wait for about 40 minutes or so before they called my number.  The woman behind the counter told me that my replenishment had just hit my account that morning, and everything was good to go.  SIGH...!!!  I asked her if I could call the number on the back of my benefit card right there, just to make sure.  She smiled and told me that I was welcome to step aside and make any phone call I wanted to...  I put my tail between my legs and stepped to the side. 

I left the food stamp office with a little more of a pep in my step, creating a grocery list in my head.  As I strolled, I took out the train schedule to see when the next one was due.  ONE MINUTE!  NOOOOO!!!  Picked up the pace and crossed my fingers.  Sure enough, the train pulled away as I was flying down the station stairs.  Par for the course.  I didn't let it bother me.  I have food money for the whole month, all was right with the world.  I called my sister to check in on how she was doing with all the kids... she slept over to babysit.  It total, she was in charge of 4 kids. 6, 4, 2 and almost 1 year old.  She had her hands full.  They were fine.  Doing arts and crafts and playing outside.

Weirdest mailbox ever.  Hangs on a seemingly abandoned lot at the bottom of my street, next to the train station.  Had to take a picture because it was so weird.

My babies running down the street to greet me, as I walked home from the train.  What's better than that?

I put the kids in the car and drove straight to the grocery store.  I filled the cart to the top.  I can't remember the last time I was able to do that.  It felt like I won the lottery.  I got evvvverything.  Pastina, cookies, bread, frozen fruit AND fresh fruit, juice, juice boxes, chicken, cereal (grown up cereal- kashi), bag of sugar, oregano.....  everything I've been needing and or wanting for 2 months.

We enjoyed a few hours of down time.  Played in the back yard with some of the neighbor kids.  We got "called on" for the first time ever!!!  We have a neighbor that lives 4 houses down from us that's just about 6 months older than my 4 year old, and she came knocking on our door to ask if he could play.  How great is that???  So we did.  Around 4ish, I had to put an end to play time, because I had to start getting ready for my first day of college.  My next door neighbors were going to watch the boys at their house.  I would have them come here, but the boys do better, behaviorally, when they're on someone else's turf.  I packed a bag with their wii games, some dvd's, diapers, snacks, etc.  Got the boys dressed in their pajamas, and made some fresh coffee to put in my cute new reusable coffee cup.  
Surprisingly, the were both very agreeable about going next door and letting me go.  Pretty sure it's because of my pep talk where I explained that when I become a nurse, we will have SOOO much money that we can buy candy and go to Disney World.  So, I brought them next door, and they jumped right into the action of playing with the neighbor's couches that have buttons to recline the end seats.  Excellent.  I headed to campus. 

I got a great parking spot about 100 yards from my building.  As I was parking, I noticed that the woman from the next car over was watching me very closely.   When I got out of my truck, she stepped closer to me, so I said hello.  She countered with "Are you going to move your car over so that I can open my passenger door to get my books out?" (Inside my brain chuckle) Ooookay.  Sure, no problem.  So I did.  The parking spots are extremely tight, so really, she might have gotten an additional 4 inches, 6, tops.  As I got out the second time, I said, "that's about all the wiggle room you're gettin, if I go to the right anymore, the other car won't be able to open their driver's door at all."  Hit the door-lock button on my keychain and headed to class.   The weirdo proceeded to circumnavigate  my car to see just how much room the other car had.   

Yup.  That's right.  Notice of class cancellation.  Thaaat's right. First class.  Cancelled. I have to laugh.  So now I've had two dry runs to campus.  Excellent.  The notice says to see the blackboard for the syllabus and text book information...
Door's locked.  I laugh some more.   Well, at least now I can go to CVS to pick up my prescription and maybe browse the aisles for a little while for fun.  I love drug stores.  So many things to see and fantasize about buying.

I just had to include this picture.  It's J's drawing of Plankton.  And it's really funny.