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Jilida
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Name: Jil
Birthday: 5/28/1983
Gender: Female
Interests: Running, going to cross country and track meets, reading, learning German, listening to music, hanging out with friends, watching movies, church growth, staring at the wall,
Expertise: Christian music, running strategy, checking my email just one more time, weirding people out, inadvertently scaring people
Occupation: Babysitter
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
4/5/2005
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| A mutual friend came over to hang out with my roommate. Part of me wants to be jealous that my roommate, who really hasn't hung out with me in months, won't intentionally spend time with me, but will make time for others. But theirs is a teasing, snapping love. Between the two dominant personalities I mostly just want to crawl into my room and hide. So maybe I'm okay with not really being part of the group tonight... | | |
| Today while babysitting I watched an episode of E.R. (the kid was in the middle of his 3 hour nap). In it one of the doctors comes to the realization that as he has an inoperable brain tumor and about two months to live he should quit work.
That got me thinking about the whole, "if I knew I had two months to live, what would I do," question. The first thing that came to mind, ironically, is that I would watch less television. That might be a good thing to do less of, no matter how much longer I live. After all, the people on the screen are imaginary, and my time would be better invested in those who actually walk this earth.
But I also think that I, like that doctor, would quit my job. Or at least work less. I love the families I sit for, but I would also take more trips and schedule more hangouts with friends. Some of that I could do if I manage my time better.
Here is the thing, though: I'm not dying. I mean, yes, I'm slowly dying, but I don't have cancer or any other known ticking time bomb within me. So while we sometimes talk about the whole idea of living as if we are dying being a good thing, for me to permanently go into that mode would be irresponsible. That mentality is positive if it means that a parent cuts 80 hour weeks into 40 and spends more time with kids, if people reconcile with estranged loved ones, and if we seize the day instead of doing that thing "later" that we've always wanted to do. The mentality is negative, however, if we use it as an excuse to blow off responsibility and become selfish. | | |
| Last night I had a craving for ice cream. Strawberry ice cream, to be specific, which is odd, as that isn't my favorite flavor. I'm more of chocolate with chunks of something in it person, like cookie dough or heath bars or peanutbutter cups. But last night it was about the strawberry, or any other ice cream I could get.
First I perused the freezer of the people I was babysitting for. Meat, lasanga, blueberries, waffles, no ice cream. I thought about my options for once I left. I could stop by an ice cream store, pay $3+ for a small icecream. Or, I could stop by a grocery store. The route I take home has an Ultra, a Jewel, a Trader Joe's, and an Aldis. Jewel is having a 1.5 qt. sale for $2.77. But Aldis could be better. Yeah, found a 2 qt. Neapoloitan for $1.99. Some stuff I won't get from Aldis; I mean, their chocolate chip doesn't have as many chocolate chips as I think it needs (here's a thought: next time I could buy the chocolate chips, 12 oz. for $1.69, and mix them in myself, thus still saving money and having chocolate chips left over) but the plain flavors are legit.
Ah, the weird dilemmas of ice cream cravings and knowing what a good price is.
P.S. And yes, I care that it is 77 cents cheaper and a 1/2 qt. more. If you think that is bad, two weeks ago I walked out of an Ultra because they were out of the $2 per gallon skim milk. I asked a worker if they had any more, and he said they didn't. I asked when the shipment would arrive and it was between 40 and 100 minutes. I toyed with waiting but opted not to. He pointed out the $2.25 milk, and I sweetly smiled and said I specifically came to that store to get the $2 milk. So yes, I will walk out of a store and go without milk for another week rather than pay the extra quarter.
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| It is a sad truth to being a self-employed babysitter that most of my clients seem to wish I was a highly skilled underpaid jack-in-the-box. They want someone really well trained (I tend to avoid the ads for elementary school teacher and CPR certification) who they don't have to pay very much (if they knew how frequently I consider ditching medical insurance, would they still be reluctant to pay me what I'm worth?) but who is available whenever they need at a moment's notice (I'm sorry, but I have plans for tomorrow afternoon. I'm more sorry you waited this long to find a babysitter when you've known about this event for weeks). And then I hear people complain about the cost of babysitting: here is reality - personalized child care is a luxury. It is a luxury that you can have someone come to your house instead of sticking your children in a packed daycare with minimal supervision. It is a luxury that you get to live away from relatives who would provide free childcare for you. It is a luxury that I am not a robot who just cares for your child's physical needs, but a human being who cares for their spirit and emotions as well. | | |
| A few weeks ago I was visiting my grandparents in eastern PA, and I went to church and Sunday school with my aunt who lives down the street from my grandparents.
In the Sunday school they did that thing where they pass around an information sheet for visitors. I watched, and I clearly was the only new one there, they were clearly passing it around for me, so I decided to humor them and filled it out, including my home address in IL.
Now I'm on their email list. Yes, they seem like a cool group, but I'm not going to commute out several hundred miles to go on that bike ride, so I'm not sure what the point of including me in the email is.
What do you guys do? Defiantly pass around the register refusing to sign it? Or filling out the information in the knowledge that if they do contact you it will be a waste of everyone's time?
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