My Funk

I'm in a funk. The lack of structure is getting to me. The cold out there doesn't help either. It's not that I have nothing to do. Too much to do in fact. But I just don't feel like doing anything. I think I've been brooding for a couple of weeks now. Or maybe I'm just getting over my illness. It's funny how being sick makes you think the end of the world has come.

So to stop myself from being sucked into a vortex of despair, I've volunteered to do some work for my friend at the book and periodical council. I'll be doing research to help relaunch her web site. Another friend has also asked me to help her publish her school newspaper. I think I'll say yes to that as well.

But you know what I'm glad about? Despite my bad mood, things are going well for The Man and The Boy. The Man's work is going through a good phase and we are grateful for that.

The Boy. Well, The Boy is The Boy. He refuses to go to bed at night and gets up late. He's late for school almost everyday. I feel like I am fighting with him daily to get him moving.

At noon today, he phoned my cell to say he needed his suit because the school orchestra is having their photograph taken so could I bring his suit to school. At exactly the same time, the house phone rang. It was the school office saying he was late for first class, again. I had a bird.

I said no to The Boy. I told him he has to solve this one on his own as I am not going to go out of my way to accommodate him when he can't keep to his basic job of going to sleep and getting to school on time.

Half an hour later, he showed up at home, singing and in a great mood. He came back to get his suit. He said on leaving the school, he ran into the music teacher in charge of the pit orchestra. You have to be invited to be in the pit orchestra, which performs when the drama or musical theatre department puts on a play. He's been asking to be part of the orchestra since last year, but the teacher always give him a reason for why he can't be in it.

So running into this teacher outside the school, the teacher asked The Boy if he wanted to be in the pit orchestra. Their percussionist has a conflict of schedule and now the orchestra needs a replacement. The Boy was overjoyed to say yes. He produced a schedule of rehearsal dates. Now he'll be at school every Tuesday evening as well. Then he rambled on about how his band teacher had asked him to try out for a special ensemble, how he's stage managing a grade 12 musical production, and how he and Butterfly Boy are emceeing the school's talent night.

Despite my funk, I am glad The Boy isn't suffering by it.