I'm BACK!!!!

What to share? How about a list of yesterday's new risks?

1) 9 wanted to ride his bike over to his friend's house. His friend M lives across a striped highway, rides without a helmet (which 9 stipulates is STOO-PID), and generally ignores traffic rules. 9 got turned down by me not just the once, but over 23 times, right up until I told him if he asked again, I was going to send his friend back home on the bike he rode in on. So, what was the new risk? He really wanted to play at M's house and I don't mind him doing so. So, I left my house with 11 in charge of reading to 7 (giving him all the directions about don't open the door to anyone, don't answer the home phone, call my cell if there is a problem - not 911, we have a rather hilarious history there) while I quickly scooted over to M's to drop 9 off. I was gone all of seven minutes and 11 wasn't even done with the book by then, but dang, it felt like an eternity. I may have to wait until 11 turns into 12 before I do that again!

2) I got 7 a new haircut. He wanted a gel cut which vastly differs from his normal surfer cut. The gel cut is much, much shorter and very similar to the cool cut that 9 gets every four weeks or so (and also got yesterday). 7 was very, very specific about wanting the gel cut, yet...when it was done, he did NOT like it. And boy, his dad totally despises it. But guess what - hair grows back, so chill people! Sometimes a short haircut is the easiest risk to take in life.

3) Grad study awaits...and waits...and waits...I keep checking my application status at Rutgers for whether my college transcript has arrived to complete my application. It was sent by U.S. Mail [tm] on June 5 for a June 15 deadline. The undergrad institution is about 2 hours away from the grad school, I could have walked it there in three days (I ran a marathon, after all), yet here it is, June 22 and no transcript. Undergrad insists it went out and that they are constantly having problems with Rutgers and transcripts, but "if Rutgers wants to call to confirm it was sent, they will happily let Rutgers know that the problem is on the receiving end." So does this risk my application? Cripes!