Things are pretty OK. I was afraid that my reply to a reply to one of my mondo e-mails would be met with bad feelings, but thanks to a happy attachment (the picture shown here; heh, must steal from Sarah s'more!) I think my depressing rambles were somewhat uplifted. So I did not hurt my friend's feelings, which is great, and I am also done with babysitting, which is GREAT.

It seems like some kids should really, really, REALLY have siblings just so they don't turn out to be completely jerky. It's probably hard to tell if a six-year-old will grow up to be a jerk, because a disturbing number of six-year-olds ARE jerks, but I got that feeling many a time in the past six weekdays. One should keep in mind that with this kid I am EVEN MORE the inept babysitter, though. Ah well, we had some fine times:

+ today -- building sandcastles in the beach volleyball court in the park

+ almost every other day -- watching a movie (Star Wars Episode I, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, High Noon, The Adventures of Robin Hood [1938])

+ yesterday -- playing the classic game MONSTER MASH!!

and some rough ones:

- one of those days -- a kid taking the ball from my client; my kid proceeds to let out an extended bloodcurdling scream, goes postal and throws sand

- almost every day -- going to the pool where the kid's family claims membership; being in a crowded pool with many young ones who have undoubtedly, at some point in their pool stay, left some sort of body fluid into the water; the kid riding on my back in the water and then somehow LOCKING HIS LEGS AROUND MY THROAT several times; me wearing a bathing suit in a very populated area. I think anything ending in "-kini" was meant to embarrass. I did get to swim, at least, and I rocked those jumping boards, oh yes I did. (literally)