We Love You, Miss Hannigan

PDQ: Acronym for "pretty damn quick." Faster than "ASAP."
I need the money PDQ.

You may remember from way back when I was considering various get-rich-quick schemes. Ideas included selling plasma (not necessarily my own), gambling and working as an unregistered cabbie. Well, I pursued none of them and instead worked and babysat like a normal, boring person.

When I'm not at my internship, I feel like I'm usually entertaining someone a fifth of my age. I have lost count of the number of times I've heard a high-pitched "Scuse me, I tooted!" followed by incessant laughter.

I totally get her now.

But I must admit I've really grown to enjoy kids' company. They are an endless supply of absurdity and optimism, both of which are good for me.

Sometimes I play around in Photo Booth with them.

I also document the way they make their dolls bald-headed.

However, my biggest challenge as a caregiver has yet to come:

Beginning tomorrow, I am house sitting for a couple visiting their son in Chile for 10 days. Oh yeah, and they're also leaving their three teens and two dogs under my supervision. Jebus, help me. My head is still spinning from going over everything with their mom today—meals, alarm system, soccer practice, orthodontist appointment. Make it stop.

The daily schedule:

• 6-8 am: Walk dogs, shower, get dressed, wake up the youth, make them lunch, drive the youngest to school
• 8:30 am-5:00 pm: Try to uncross my eyes in front of the computer screen
  
• 5:30 pm-10:00: Make them dinner, help with homework, ensure no one is sniffing glue in the bathroom, escape to Twitter
• 10:30-6:00: ZZzzzzZZZZzzzz or something like it

I lead a rich life.

But you do what you got do to make things happen. And in four short weeks, that thing will happen, and I will leave for Thailand. Yes, I'm excited/apprehensive, but my emotions are still very hazy because it hasn't really hit me yet. I'm far more preoccupied with the preparations than the actual journey at this point. I don't expect my "Holy shit, what am I doing??" moment to occur for another 23 days.

Until then, you can find me driving someone else's minivan.


J.