sistawendy | Entries tagged with pta

I spent my last day off of the holidays, yesterday, as the MS Access database monkey for two different organizations.

First, the PTA at my son's school. Other folks have taken over the part I find stressful, namely arranging all of the activities and making sure the presenters have what they need. I'm doing the part they find stressful: scheduling the students per their preferences as much as possible. Symbiosis is happy making. I find a DB much less anxiety-inducing than pissed-off students & parents.

Second, Lambert House. I've been tweaking a monstrous and VB-infested pair of DBs to do things like remind volunteers to fill out annual intake forms, and get the race data sliced & diced the way the city of Seattle, one of our donors, wants it. Yes, Access is silly, but rewriting the whole damn thing is not how anyone wants me to spend my time. Besides, Access does a fairly decent job of building & integrating custom UIs. If only it didn't speak pidgin SQL.

Current Mood: rushed
Current Location: Shangri La
Current Music: Junior Boys, "That's the Truth"

Had a long, lovely evening at the Merc with

rigel_p. It kills me that she lives so far away.

My phone is dead, Jim. I was in the middle of unlocking it last night after I got home when the phone refused to believe that I'd stopped pressing one of the numbers on the screen. Then it refused to respond to any touch at all. I'm draining the battery in the desperate hope that a reboot will fix it. I do not want to lose what on that phone, mainly pics.

ETA: Popping the battery out did the trick duh. Nibs had to remind me to try that. I'm so used to iPods, which don't let you do that.

Gonna be a PTA DB monkey in 20 minutes. Mabye gonna be a Lambert House DB monkey again this weekend. Ook!

2011 was arguably the best year of my life. I'm left wondering if I'll ever improve on it. I've got some gnarly life problems to deal with in the near future, but I think there's plenty of room for improvement. It's even possible that my solutions to the gnarly stuff can be part of that improvement.

Current Mood: wistful
Current Location: my tiny desk in Lhasa

Beyond hate now with work. Into Kafka or maybe Old Testament territory now. However:

Had Pride lunch right just 100 yards from my building. The power failed right before our "executive sponsor" took the microphone, but we still heard him talk. He seems all right for a straight guy; he said he'd never heard the term "straight ally" until recently. Cute. It warmed the cockles of my heart to see nearly all the available outdoor seating occupied by queers. Saw friends, met peeps.
Compile & test jobs are taking so long to run that I should have time to see folks at the CSPC.
C the Hot Blond Straight Woman texted me for a mani-pedi & brunch the day before Pride. Aw, yeah. My last one is nearly grown out.
PTA stuff is over. Really, truly, stick a fork in it. Amen.

Current Mood: blank
Current Location: Shangri La
Current Music: Vera Lynn

I spent a couple of often excruciating hours at the talent show for my son's junior high. The noteworthy thing is that I was there at all: remember, m'boy had forbidden me to be on the school grounds when his schoomates were. There I was, seen by a whole bunch of them, and of course being to them just another parent in the background. I'm not sure the Wendling noticed that, but the ban does seem to have been lifted. Nibs may have gently prodded him to lift it.

In the next eighteen days I have

conference week at my son's school, i.e. parents taking over the school, for which I'm in charge of the schedule
a major milestone at work
Pride

Here's hoping I make it to July intact.

Current Mood: hopeful
Current Location: Shangri La
Current Music: LP: Distance to Goa 2, courtesy of ionan.

A quick check of my recent posts shows me that I forgot something: last week I went to my first PTA meeting en femme. That would have been no big deal, because all my fellow parents knew it was coming, but there were six or eight kids there with business* of their own. They saw me give my conference week shpiel.

M'boy doesn't want any of his schoolmates to see me, and today one of them demonstrated why: he snickered as he asked my son, "Is your dad a girl?"

My son said no.

Nibs and I are united - without even consulting each other - that m'boy needs to own this. I suggested that he say yes to this kind of question, and Nibs points out that nominally, my son doesn't even have a dad anymore.

Yes, I want my son to be as proud of me as I am and yes, I'm absolutely convinced that'll be the easiest way for him in the long run. (Who knows? Maybe the short run too.) In the mean time, though, he's a small, awkward boy surrounded by morally undeveloped, insecure teens something like him only not as burdened. I'm not sure I've ever felt this sorry for him, and there's nothing more I can do about it.

*They want to extend their junior high into a high school. Believe it or not, there's a precedent from at least one other "choice" school in the district. I understand why the kids like it: it's a small, close-knit school that has some of the most active teachers & parents in the district, plus a curriculum that encourages creativity and independence. I'm right there with them. I worry, though, about what would happen when they reach the giant, impersonal machine that is college, but what little information I have suggests that students from this school have done very well later in life.

Current Mood: sad
Current Location: Shangri La
Current Music: Daft Punk, the TRON soundtrack

Conference week is all over but the thank-you notes & surveys. And thank Bob, too, because work is getting really busy right about now. Best conference week screwup: I completely spaced an entire talk. I didn't put it anywhere in my spreadsheet; apparently I was under the impression that the parent who was organizing it hadn't nailed down a time slot. So this neurology prof from the UW shows up yesterday, and my illustrious predecessor, who was my appointed minion that day, saved my butt by rounding up students. She said his talk was fantastic.

Due to conference week toastiness, tomorrow's zappy schedule, and prospect of crazy work on Monday, I decided I needed a drink and maybe danceable tunes, but I had no idea where when I left the house. Last night turned out to be singularly dead, music-wise - that happens around here in the first two months of the year, dammit - and I ended up at the Baltic Room. They got rid of their big, beautiful bar and replaced it with seating; the floor in that area is concrete. The cups were plastic and the music was early '90s pop nostalgia. How they seem to have come down in the world. It made me sad because it used to be such a beautiful, packed place with good acts and vibe. So, I took refuge at the Merc & chatted with people. That's always good for the soul.

I think the post-Full Time loneliness is starting to hit. It makes me more likely to mail or text random people. You have been warned.

Current Mood: blah
Current Music: The Pinker Tones, "Working Bees"

I can has tikkit! For Burning Man! Yeah, after a six-and-a-half hour wait yesterday - they said they were having technical difficulties - I got my order in. It's very likely to lead to some serious aggro with Nibs because she likes to have me around for the first week of school, but you know what?

The Wendling will be fourteen (14) years old by then. Chances are he won't want me around, much less need me.
No Grand Snip this year. The universe kind of owes me.
PTA slavery for the past couple of weeks had me completely meshuggah yesterday. It's a miracle that I only want to strangle two parents out of nearly two hundred.
It's been four years, dammit.
The theme this year is "Rites of Passage". If that isn't God pointing at me out of the sky and saying, "You! Go to Burning Man!" then what is?

I work in a small, somewhat isolated corner of MyCo's campus. A bunch of us from the GLBT employee association got together for lunch. Good networking, good times. We were all born into the same tribe and we all know it.

I think I've had more birthday wishes this year than ever before. I'm gobsmacked. I'm... squeeing to myself.

I'm old enough to know better, but young enough not to act like it.

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: Shangri La

It feels like too long since I updated. I still love you, readers, but life has been kind of hectic. Read on for details.

A week or two ago I thought of somebody who used to be associated with the Space Virgins, who as you may remember are the theme camp I camped with at Burning Man back in '07. Yeah, I thought of C because she was one of these infuriating women who look absolutely stunning without the slightest effort. I sent her mail with the subject line, "I've changed sex. How are you?" and she invited me on what turned into a two-hour coffee date. She's gained a little weight, but she wears it very well. C showed me the rock on her finger (Yes, I knew she was straight. Le sigh.) and said we should do a mani-pedi sometime. Awww!

Had dinner at Blue Ginger with the housemates 'cause I'm social like that. They're all right, but they're... quirky. One, whom I've dubbed M3, has a tiny parrot whom he dotes on. J is bitter at MyCo but an otherwise normal gamer geek, for certain values of normal. M2 is - How to put this in case he reads it? - ambitiously squirrely. M2 should fit in well at OurCo. Will I turn into one of them? Am I already?

Had a relaxing couple of absinthes with the ever-fabulous

mahariel. Now that I can finally go to the Merc in the same clothes I wear during the day (Aw, yeah.) she and I looked around and noticed that except for the staff we were the only representatives of the old crew there. And I'm not that old: back in '03 or '04, I was a Janey-come-lately. I was never on the SeaGoth mailing list. Fruit flies like a banana. I had a lovely time, but I feel a little remiss for not mingling with the relative noobs.

On Sunday I scheduled 90 kids for 12 hours of conference week activities apiece according to their preferences, first-second-third for each hour, as given to me on paper. No conflicts, no holes. Behold the power of the relational database! Tonight: make it all pretty for teachers, helpers, and students. Tomorrow: helper reminder mails, the last errands. Wed-Fri: Be nervous but absent.

Plans: Re-bar for Flammable on Sunday. I have zappy this weekend, so I'll be too ugly to party earlier.

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Daft Punk, the Discovery LP

A bit of background: At the end of every semester at the Wendling's school, the PTA basically takes over the classroom. We do speakers and activities. This year, I'm in charge of scheduling all of it - presenters, helpers, rooms, and equipment.

I've just found out that we don't have access to the nearby high schools drums for a drumming class on Friday the twenty first, so now I NEED TO BUM DRUMS from you. What we need are congas, djembe, and doumbeks. If you can lend any of those to us on the 21st, please comment or mail me today.

There will be up to twenty kids. The presenter is scrambling too.

Huge adv(thanks)ance.

Current Mood: nervous
Current Location: Shangri La

PTA: Not a disaster. Yet. I have all my presentation and volunteer slots filled with six days to go, after hundreds of emails, but now there's an unforseen equipment shortage. I'm not above begging on LJ, as you're aware. Stay tuned.

I get to spend the weekend getting crazy with Access & Excel.

Yes, the MyCo has lifted its insurance cap for the Grand Snip and yes, Dr. Shrink will give me a surgery letter before the usual twelve month "real-life test" wherein medical types determine if you really want to change sex. But no, apparently MyCo will not pay unless I've had my twelve months no matter what any docs say. I think. I have to talk to Dr. Shrink about this.

If there really is to be no snip until December at the earliest, I refuse to feel guilty about buying a Burning Man ticket.

No improvement on the dreaded butt thing despite increased fiber intake. Now Dr. Leather Bear says it's time to talk to a ~~masked, knife-wielding fiend~~ general or GI surgeon.

This weekend is raver weekend 'cause last weekend was goth. There's a Monkey Loft party whose dancy sets are all slated for 2:00 or later, and even now I can't stay up that late. Poo! I think I'll reward myself with Flammable on Sunday night for being such a good PTA lady and scheduling everything over the weekend.

Current Mood: worn out
Current Location: Shangri La
Current Music: samples of Kevin Saunderson. A bit hard for my taste.

Parent-teacher conference week is a giant stone ball. I am Indiana fuckin' Jones.

I have one remaining one-hour schedule hole. I wonder if my son would let me give a talk about transsexuality to his classmates. I'll ask, but I don't think he'll say yes. Believe it or not, I would never hold that against him.

At work, I've learned that complete identity switcheroo, gender-related or otherwise, is not always a supported scenario. The PMs responsible should walk a mile in my heels.

Current Mood: stressed
Current Location: Shangri La
Current Music: Cibo Matto, "Working For Vacation"

I spent much of yesterday flattening my phone and setting it back up because my work email address changed. Similarly, I spent an hour or two this morning on my desk phone, which is VoIP and therefore uses - wait for it - my email address.

Also, I'm in PTA hell for the next seventeen days: I'm on the hook to arrange over forty-eight hours of activities during parent-teacher conference week. I predict either glory or disaster.

Happy thoughts:

Many lunch or coffee dates this month, including a grad school classmate whom I haven't seen since we were in school, and an absurdly beautiful camp mate from )'(.
My driver's license picture looks even perkier in color.

( my intro letter to the GLBT employee association )

Current Mood: Gyaaaah!
Current Location: Shangri La

I came out to the PTA at my son's school last night because it was the last meeting before Full Time, and just showing up at the next one might have discombobulated people. My peeps on the conference week committee would have necessarily found out sooner anyway, and I'd told one of them.

It went something like this: I gave my conference week committe report, then said, "Those of you who've exchanged email with me may have noticed that the name attached to the mail is Maura, and you may have wondered, 'Who is this Maura person?' She's me."
A woman laughed.
"Seriously, I'm changing sex." Blah blah blah.

And then we went back to our PTA business for the rest of the hour. I'm proud to say that at m'boy's school, the PTA consists of grown-ups; not all of them do. I really should have brought something to drink, though.

After the meeting the woman who laughed apologized (after talking some conference week business) and told me that her daughter was into androgyny in a big way, so they'd talked about gender stuff. Another PTA mom told me she'd been dating trans woman (!) who's in a band of trans women. Of course I didn't get either of their names because I was too frazzled, but I remember their faces and I'll see them at the next PTA meeting.

I'm sure I've blown a lot of minds with my comings out, but mine has gotten blown plenty of times, too.

Oh yeah: I wrote up a form letter and sent it to high school chums, aunts, uncles, and a cousin or two. I think I'm well and truly out of people whom I know personally to come out to.

Nibs, of all people, was nagging me to do this because she's afraid they'll call her at the Abbey. She didn't want to do any explaining. Okey doke.

My group's holiday party is Dec. 3rd. Megan Wallent just talked me out of showing up en femme. Surprising people I work with would be a bad idea, sad to say.

31 days.

Current Mood: amused
Current Location: Shangri La
Current Music: Legion of Green Men, the Floating in Shallow Water LP

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sistawendy

June 2025

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Page Summary

Our Lady of Databases
the year and night that was; the databases that will be
We'll meet again / Don't know how, don't know when
a minor milestone; meshuggah month
in which my son and I make life hard for each other even when we're apart
conference week crashes to a close; Baltic blues
Happy Birthday to me!
coffee & absinthe with hot straight women; housmates; PTA victory!
I need to bum drums.
Rain is trying very hard to fall on my parade.
PTA as action movie
May I please go back on vacation?
coming out to the PTA , et al.

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Maura's Illuminated Manuscript

Non-Papal Bull

Entries tagged with pta

Our Lady of Databases

the year and night that was; the databases that will be

We'll meet again / Don't know how, don't know when

a minor milestone; meshuggah month

in which my son and I make life hard for each other even when we're apart

conference week crashes to a close; Baltic blues

Happy Birthday to me!

coffee & absinthe with hot straight women; housmates; PTA victory!

I need to bum drums.

Rain is trying very hard to fall on my parade.

PTA as action movie

May I please go back on vacation?

coming out to the PTA , et al.