Professional Parents

After an epic break in posting i am back,,truth to tell there has been so little time..between managing the various family dysfunctions..painting applying ,for High schools worrying about the economy...the list goes on. I have yet again been doing the rounds of visiting schools , trying to enthuse my teenager to study for tests and filling in application forms. One thing I have noticed ..America loves red tape ..it is even more beaurocratic than India. Alot of the forms I dont understand. For independent Schools here one has to fill in a manual of maybe 30 pages..then send a manual to her current school where they have to fill in forms asking about your releyability as a parent and if you have contributed communally to the school..did you bake enough cookies for the school fundraising commitee meeting?.In England I would occassionally come across what I would call a "professional Parent" these people would have their child enrolled for every club from cooking to learning Cantonese. They would hot house their kids 3 years prior to applying to other schools..they would always be 1st to volenteer to be on the cake baking committee at school , on first name terms with the head mistress.. What I found miraculous is that they found time to do this..were they spending all night making the costumes for the school panto? Unsurprisingly most of these professional parents were American.
Although in England I would admit to scoffing at the enthusiasm of these parents I now admire their willingness to take an active part in the community. The British way is that we do not like to appear "too Keen". It is uncool and also why not let someone else take care of it . So I have joined the ranks here in America of providing Snacks for the School play rehearsal , doing playground duty and clearing up after fundraisers because here in America everyone mucks in.

Christmas Cheer

A difficult week..glad to see the back of

Last week started as I gathered with some of my lady friends on monday evening..I had bought a wedding present for my friend M, whose wedding party I had attended the previous friday. I was horrified to hear she had been burgled the night of her wedding as she stayed in the honeymoon suite of a Beverly Hills hotel. It was made all the more terrible by the fact that we all expected her to be in post marital bliss rather than in post traumatic stress.She was very dignified and philosophical about it all.
It was the coldest week I have ever known in California which brought my attention to the fact that our central heating was not working as we shivered in our arctic like living room. When I tried to tell our far from sympathetic landlady she said it was tough , this was a maintenance problem for which we would have to pay. I rushed out to buy a heater and guess what ?? most stores had sold out of heaters as it seemed like my fellow Angeleans were having the same problems as me. I went back to the house and thought I would bottle up my troubles by hanging out the washing in freezing cold and feel virtuous about still being Green..alas I discovered a mangled set of head phones and worse ..a nearly new ipod broken and soaked. I had thrown in a dirty old sweatshirt of my daughters without checking the pockets.It was now beginning to feel like I was lurching from one crisis to another. Things could not get worse but they did....
The next day I managed to find the last heater left in K mart..hallejulah ..at last good luck ..I took it home and switched it on immediately..within minutes the whole electric system had fused and would not mend...no power, no heat 3 children ..it did not feel pretty and the POOR MEs had begun in earnest. I rang our trusty plumber Edwards who came to the rescue and then the electrician hoping they would restore order in the home..It was now friday ..Philip was due to fly to Vermont from Van Nuys airport..after driving to what seemed like the nieghbouring state ..I dropped him off only to have to pick him up again 30 minutes later due to bad weather on the East coast.Once back in central LA , P went to take Grace to her doctors appointment in West LA ...half an hour later Philip called to say the car had been impounded due to lack of smallsticker (car tax) on the number plate and why I had I not paid...but I had paid...bla bla bla ..there then began a farce like chase across LA trying to get the relevent documents in order to get the car released..sadly we did not manage it and the car stayed the weekend in the pound and I have the task of getting it back tomorrow.
On a good and final note ..the heating was fixed and so was the electrics and I managed to get our wedding photos after 2 and a half years at a discount price....

holiday season

This has been far from a holiday for me , i have been trapesing around a multitude of highs schools, attending open -days calling admissions officers etc all in the hope of getting our lovely teenager into a descent school for 4 years. My preference would be to put her into a tunic wearing make-up banning all girls convent( my inner Nun dictates here) but I have been told that imposing my will on her future might lead to rebellion. All I know is that private school is out and trying to find a public school which is not dominated by gang warfare is my goal...me and a load of middle class parents who are victims of the credit crunch and looking at LAs public school alternatives.
As well as the High school debacle i have been doing my tax returns for both the English and American Tax man. There is a curious irony about me paying tax in the US given that I am not allowed to vote, work , have a social security number or do jury service, or have a Target store card. You may have no rights here but you may pay tax thank you.!My 03 visa has just been renewed for another 3 years .
i have not bought or wrapped one xmas present , I have not sent one card and am hoping to cram it all into one day before the end of term .It feels increasingly odd not to be in a cold crisp climate for xmas and to be honest i miss it. Xmas lights and palm trees just dont mix and there is an orgy of sentimentality that goes on around here that makes me gag.I thank the heavens for small mercies , that Philip still has a job, that there is no strike, and that we have no involvement with the stock exchange.Things could be alot worse

weddings and holidays

I attended a Batchelorette party on saturday in a beautiful home in Beverly Hills...As i found out at my own hen party there is a tradition here of giving gifts that my enhance the wedding night. I was at a loss..giving too much of a "slutty" present might offend and yet what does one buy the woman with everything?? I began my search at a shop which had intrigued me for some time called "Trashy Underwear" on La Cienega . As I entered this dark gothic shop which had their xmas underwear on display ( santa claus themed briefs) I was informed by the scantilly clad shop assistant that I needed to be a member to browse the thongs and panties and I was asked to hand over $2 ..I was outraged at this ..that i should pay for the privilage of entering a shop so I left promptly and decided to cruise up and down Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood where I had been told by reliable sources that the were a large variety of naughty shops. Sure enough I found one within minutes where I thankfully was not taxed on entrance and a very helpful shop assistant. I told him I needed an amusing gift for a batchelorette Party (3rd Marriage) and he led and talked me through the sex toys and latest novelties. I was very tempted by the gold lame panties with back thong 'for him' but I thought it might be a touch over familiar buying such an intimate gift for her betrothed so I settled on a vibrating phone and 'low carb' edible underwear for him.
The hen party was a tasteful ladies tea party with scones etc ..one of the gifts was a lap dancing demonstration(with lap dance instructor) who gave us a lesson in how to entice the man from his football game and the art of moving in a 'come hither ' way. It was most entertaining but I reflected that if my beloved would probably be highly alarmed if I started doing the "slow slow moves " and might think I need extra phychotherapy. She encouraged us to come to her weekly pole dancing class which she said was a great workout for the 'Abs'

philip and his New friend

here is philip as Camilla parker bowles ...I wish i knew how to add video links to the blog but I am not there yet. the sketch will be aired tonight and i cant wait to see it..he certainly looks like he enjoyed himself.

philip and his New friend