I feel like I’m obsessing over my lack of a robot maid like I do with my search for a rainbow-farting unicorn. I figure, it’s 2013 and I have a device in my pocket with more computing power than was used to put a man on the moon, why do I not have a robot maid? We’re living in the future and the future is a wee bit disappointing, if you ask me. Also? I should probably learn to use a slide rule for the dark days when all the devices rise up from their pockets and overthrow their finger-tapping overlords.
But I digress.
Today A had a VEX robotics competition, the last one before the BIG ONE next week. This is the same robotics league that Kim at The Maker Mom is involved in, and I credit her for passing along the info that got our team going. Our team is small, just three boys, all young homeschoolers; I think A may be the oldest. And it’s a damned good thing he’s as into this as I am into band, for robotics is a beastly time suck. Our team got a very late start, starting in November for a February competition, with nary a coach in sight. They have been practicing every week, through the holidays, since mid-November. Practices are in Chicago. That is nearly an hour from here. Imagine my delight. It is equal to his, though his has considerably less sarcasm. We finally have a high schooler mentoring the boys (and DAMN I have never in my life seen a young high school boy crack the whip like this; his classroom management is better than most veteran teachers), and the end is in sight. Another week and then we can breathe, regroup, and plan for next year with a little less pressure.
Back to today. The boys did well, came in 14th of 26 (or something like that). Not bad for a group of rookies.This is A’s thing, so I suspect it won’t be the last robotics competition I ever attend, far from it.
But I write about this all as preface to why I’m sitting here with an extremely strong drink. We stayed with my parents last night, as the competition was hell and gone from our house, they were closer, and we had to be there at 7:30 am. And yesterday was co-op day, and J didn’t have school, and Tom was out of town, and we finally got measurable snow. So it was a helluva rush to get out of the house yesterday morning…and I forgot the boys’ ditty bag. The one that had A’s meds. You know, those little pills for the ADHD that keeps him from driving me batshit crazy focused? Yeah. Unmedicated, all day today. After the competition came several hours of oh my God there’s an ice storm predicted for tomorrow and we have zero groceries or batteries or liquor errands, and cleaning the house from yesterday morning’s crazy dash, and watching Tom’s flight as he was returning early from Colorado to avoid being stranded there…and all the while my son is bouncing off the walls. They are finally in bed, Tom just pulled up, and I am coming down off the crazy ledge.
If I’d had a robot maid, none of this would have happened. The future future can arrive now.
I think you should get A to build you one! Good next project. I will happily take one once you’ve got the kinks worked out! Or two…