Things that annoy me

1) Having to wash Osher. He hates it, with a passion. (Simcha, on the other hand, blinks a few times and then purrs at the warm wet massage). We had to wash Osher tonight because... wait for it... he CAUGHT AND ATE A BIRD. Jonathan actually caught it on camera, we'll download it later.

2) Paint and mattresses that off-gas. Sticking a mattress in the basement for a few days is one thing, but we were all ready to put up the painted letters in Xander's room, only to realize that they still smelled like paint. A few more days went by, and they're now up. Again, pictures will follow later.

3) Racism, in all its myriad forms. Xander and I were in the JCC (Jewish Community Center), in the main lounge reception area, reading a board book called My First Passover. An Orthodox woman came over to say hello to him and chat. She saw the title of the book and was taken aback. "He's Jewish?!" she asked, sounding very surprised. "He doesn't look Jewish! With that blond hair, blue eyes, and cute little upturned nose, he doesn't look Jewish at all." I honestly didn't know how to respond.

4) Bureacracy. Red tape at school sucks. Enough said.

5) Flights that leave god-awful early in the morning. I'm so excited that we're going to California in a few days, but OY! We have to be out of the house by 5am.

And I'm sure there are many more things on this list, but that's enough for now...