Wait...what?

Just a quick post to catch people up on what's going on.

TL is about done with her first year of graduate school.  She'll be coming down to visit in about a month.  We have a trip to Louisiana in May and then I'll be going up to Illinois for a couple weeks.  I've been given the opportunity to work remotely for a week, then take a week of vacation.  If that scenario works out, I might be able to do it again in the future.  I will also be returning via MegaBus.  I'm excited yet wary.  22 hours on a bus might be too much for me, but I will hopefully be able to sleep/read/draw the time away.

Ms. A is also graduating in a couple weeks.  She'll officially, after 20 years we figured, be done with her undergraduate studies.  She already has several plans for graduate studies.  Very exciting.

The biggest news lately is that Lil G officially has been diagnosed with ADD and as of today is now on medication for it.  I know a lot of kids are medicated for it and I know it's not a failure on our part that he needs it.  I still can't quite shake the feeling that he's going to change and it won't be the same little boy.  When I got the news I literally teared up and needed a moment.  After giving it some thought, it's going to be good for him.  Lil G is one of the sweetest kids I know.  He would give you the shirt off his back, provided it isn't a Beyblade or Star Wars shirt.  His downfall is just his lack of attentiveness.  He doesn't have bad grades (all As and Bs) and he's not mean or prone to outbursts.  He's just twitchy and it keeps him from being able to read and focus and learn.

So we're hopeful.  Today is STAAR testing and there's a good chance he will do well enough on it that he won't be held back.

On the other end of the spectrum, Lil Miss Austin has been having some behavior issues.  Recently it's resulted in some major disciplinary action.  She too is not a bad kid, but over time we've all discovered she's not the nicest.  If given the proper attention, (which let's face it parents, it's exhausting, right?) she's equally as sweet and fun.  If that slips for just a moment, she becomes manipulative and deceitful.  Punishing her, and Lil G if it's warranted, is the hardest thing to do as a parent.  I'd rather change diapers for an extra 5 years if it meant I never had to cancel a party or take away an object of affection or forbid an activity.

Hopefully, it's still early enough in her life that she won't follow this pattern and we're able to keep pushing her in the right direction.  Her grades are also good (all As at last check) but she has a problem of waiting till the last minute and panicking at the slightly hint of difficulty.  Some of her behavior is entirely too grown up for her, and some of it is obviously too young.  That's always been her MO.  Just when you think she's mature enough to handle something, she acts like someone years younger and the illusion is shattered.

Still, that's not all that's going on.

There's wedding planning.  We've put a deposit down on a place in Chicago where you spend the day learning metallurgy and at the end you forge your own rings.  TL's parents are helping with the planning in Louisiana and we've already got a place booked and a menu picked out.  TL and I are still debating about favors and decorations, but rest assured it's going to be 100% nerd.  We've also decided on a place in Austin to host a party and there will likely be karaoke.  It will be lots of fun.

If you haven't heard, I'm still drawing robots.  In fact, I finally got a commission to draw something and get paid in LEGO.  There was a guy who was the manager of the LEGO store in Austin who then moved on up in the world and became a community relations rep for LEGO.  So I'm drawing a nice big 14x17 of him as a cowboy space robot fighting an alien slug creature.  Just a reminder that you too can order a drawing.  I'm actually also trying to figure out ways to be paid in Starbucks cards.

I've also been exercising and eating better.   Since the end of February I've lost 14 lbs.  I haven't noticed any health improvements, ie I don't feel any different, but people have noticed and that's pretty cool.

That's all for now.  Carry on.

PS, the little guy in this photo was seen on the Capital building here in Austin.  I've been playing a game called Ingress, which is an Android based GPS turf war ARG.  (If you have an Android and are interesting, I can get you an invite code.)  So it involves a lot of walking and I'm really close to the Capital.  I just saw him sitting on the building as I was walking in from the bus.  TL says people would see them at UT and it meant you'd do well on your next test.