babysitting/life

here is the latest update in the life of davis. sorry if this is lame. this is mostly just for myself bc my memory sucks. enjoy!

i have been having issues finding a real job and so, to supplement our income until i find something, i have taken to babysitting. it has been interesting and i have been learning tons about taking care of/raising kids. i dont have a ton of experience with kids: i am the youngest in my family, i only recently inherited nieces and nephews, and i didnt babysit a ton growing up. before starting, my experience was pretty limited to say the least. on the other hand, i get a long pretty well with kids and i can handle/dont get grossed out by diapers.

when i first started, i babysat for a really cute 20 month old baby. i actually really liked babysitting this kid. he was really easy going and had the cutest laugh. but, dealing with his parents was not fun. there were a lot of issues with the way they handled their kids but how they raise their kids isnt my problem, it was how they treated me that i found ridiculous. this particular baby could only fall asleep in the car. he had to be driven around to fall asleep. personally, i think driving a baby to sleep is a dumb method and should only be used as a last resort, but, despite my personal opinion, i agreed to do this. i informed the parents that i would be expecting reimbursement for gas. (gas is expensive and driving the baby to sleep was not a condition laid out in the original agreement). the parents informed me that they felt that i shouldnt be asking for gas reimbursement because i was already getting payed enough. the stupidity of that statement... so, i stopped driving the baby and started taking the babe out in the stroller to get him to fall asleep for naptime. it wasnt a perfect substitute, but it worked.

the next hiccough came during the time that the baby was napping. one particular afternoon, after taking the baby out on a walk and then transferring him from stroller to crib, his mother informed me that she felt uncomfortable paying me to sit around doing my own thing while the baby was asleep. i told her that she had two options: one, i would stay in the house and she would continue to pay me for my availability or two, i would leave during his nap. she responded that i should be doing housework and setting up "play stations" for him to play with when he woke up. again, this wasnt in the original agreement but i didnt think it was too outrageous and so i began doing dishes, folding laundry, and preparing "play stations" that would be destroyed within .0002 seconds of the baby's waking. it was all a bit stupid.

i was very relieved when my time there ended. when they told me they were going to let me go, they also told me what a fantastic sitter i had been, that they would be happy to act as a reference, and that they would tell everyone that i had gone "above and beyond!" i definitely left that place scratching my head and i definitely havent used them as a reference. even if they do tell people i went "above and beyond" i dont want to be associated with them. like i said, how one goes about raising their child is none of my business, but lets just say their logic in their dealings with me was nothing compared to their parenting logic. i came home every day ready to burst with stupid stories.

ive since had a hard time finding a consistent nannying job. i dont regret standing up for myself and expecting to be treated and payed fairly. i see and talk with other nannies that feel as though they too are being taken advantage of with both gas and availability issues, i myself still feel taken advantage of by some of the families i work for . im grateful that some of the people i work for are fair. i work every friday taking care of a really sweet 1 year old and sometimes get calls to take care of twins and other kids in the area but still havent been able to find a solid job. its admittedly pretty depressing. im really glad to have opportunity to catch a glimpse of different parenting styles. im learning lots and lots of ways that i dont want to raise my own kids and, on occasion, im learning things that i do want to do with my own kids. its been an interesting ride.

ricks is still enjoying law school. he recently took his first midterm and he has no idea how to feel about how he did. he hasnt received a grade or any feedback yet and, since it was unlike any test he has taken before, he cant really gauge for himself how he did. overall, he is feeling happy and confident at law school and is gaining more and more interest in IP law. he loves toying with the idea of working as a copyright lawyer for a gaming company. although hes halfway through the first semester already, law school is still very new and his options are wide open at this point. it will be fun to see where his interests take him. im excited and happy that he is enjoying himself and loving what he is learning!

other updates.... lindsie and jonny came to visit last weekend. we had a lot of fun in SF! during stars weekend, lindsie and i found a cheap/awesome hotel in the middle of nob hill and purchased alcatraz tickets. the day the mendenhalls drove in, i had a weird inflammation in my gums and, afraid that something was wrong with my teeth/tooth, went to visit the dentist. the dentist told me he thought something was stuck up there (gross) and, after shooting me three times with an anesthetic, got to work digging around. after everything was said and done, there was nothing in my gums, they were just inflamed. i was given an antibiotic and, due to the anesthetic, i looked like a stroke victim. it was awesome. i was numb up to my eye.

so we all piled into the car and drove into SF. we immediately hit the town and wandered around chinatown looking for some good eats. chinatown was fun but we couldnt find a restaurant that looked appetizing, in fact, it all looked pretty sketch. it wasnt until we wandered towards north beach that we found somewhere we would want to eat. we had stumbled upon the stinking rose. when ricks and i realized where we were, we ran inside and they sat us immediately. it was really yummy. i won the best dinner between ricks and myself - i got the gnochetti. you bet your butt there was definitely gorgonzola in there along with pine nuts, asparagus, and GARLIC!!!!!! for dessert we went to ghiradelli square and then ate our minty, chocolatey creations down by the bay amongst the rats. seriously. this was all followed by a long walk in a very hilly city. calories burned.

saturday we hit mama's. after an hour long wait and some fun watching the older asian people exercise in washington park, i had the cinnamon chocolate french toast which was a win. we then wandered back through gross, poopy china town to check out of the hotel. north beach is clean and delicious. we like north beach. back in the car, we drove through and then walked through the castro. it was... unique. a man told me that he had had a banana for breakfast. next we found ourselves at chrissy filed in the presidio. it was way neato. great views of both the rock and the bridge, not very crowded, free parking, and a hot dog vender... what else could a person want!? ricks and i were inspired while being there that our next trip to SF should involve kayaks and crab pots in the bay. way excited. the only thing left on our agenda for the day was alcatraz. we had some time to kill so we found ourselves at pier 39/ fishermans wharf. it was fun to wander around but even more fun when we found awesome, hidden parking for alcatraz.

alcatraz was crazy cool. we loved it times a million. we also loved getting dinner afterwards because we were tired and hungry times a million. ive been alternately weirded out by the fact there are 3 on the loose alcatraz escapees/ wondering if the scene from CATCH ME IF YOU CAN was filmed at alcatraz. it looks the same. Linds and Jonny left way too early the next morning and Ricks and I suffered through, i mean enjoyed the primary program.

and to finish off this super duper, out of control, crazy long post. i wanted to share some pictures from our BBQ/pumpkin carving partay the other night. it was fun in the warm CA sun with some wardies. ps. i love hot dogs with caramelized onions. the end.

PICTURES:


the view from our room


stroke victim


the bridge


awww!


an old lady tried to put her arm around this pelican it snapped at her. ricks tried to sit by it. it snapped at him. it was funny,


alacatraz!


awesome possum view.


coolio farm. sunny eyes.


our pumpkin that i cut in half because im a genius like that.


the cute ryans. i need to email you this photo.