Day one Hundred Sixty-Five

It occurred to me that I should probably start torturing myself by putting a kindergarten back-to-school photo next to a current year back-to-school photo, so here comes the torture.

Obviously, that one isn't TOO bad since it's only been a year, but hasn't 2020 been about 17 years long? Shouldn't Mila be driving by now? It's definitely been long enough for her to be able to vote. Let's make that happen.

We should let this one vote as well.

Annnnnnnd ... there's the torture. Time in 2020 is simultaneously moving in hyper drive and slower than molasses. Somehow it has been forever since little kindergarten Alexis stood on the front step with the chalkboard, and yet it just happened yesterday.

it's wild.

This year back-to-school looks ... different. Both girls are attending cyber classes because 2020 is dumb and stuff. That's going better than I would have expected, frankly, in part because they both discovered they had access to their classes last week and got started. If we're not careful, Alexis will be half a year ahead before the school year ends.

That would create a conundrum. She's not attending school in our normal school district. She can always transfer back, but if she gets too far ahead, that will ... suck. We shall see how it plays out.

Mila is also a day or two ahead, but I'm betting that she will catch on to the fact that there is no trophy for being done early and she will promptly stop being done early. There has to be something in it for her.

There are other things that are different about this year. There was no back-to-school shopping, for example. No supply lists, either, because everything was sent to us. There are no after-school programs and activities are limited (for now), which basically means the girls are stuck with me. A lot.

Fortunately, I like them. Mostly.

I say "mostly because" I'll be damned if I can get either one of them to wear shoes. At this point, I'm wondering if Mila will ever in her life be willing to wear shoes. COVID certainly is giving her permission to rock the bare feet far more often than normal.