ok, there are some days that I just can't take it here and today was one of those days. Clark worked 7 days straight this week (yup, everyday, 12 hours). It's sad really, he's exhausted but I am so needing attention, and it's just not going well. I'm annoyed, he's annoyed...ug.
But back to the town I live in...yikes. I went to the local market, thinking that would take at least an hour of the day. HAHAHA. There were 3 stands and 1 of those was about the WIC program. Let me try to explain to you what happened today. Started out with the fire alarm going off at 8am, but don't worry, definitely had been up for at least 2 hours, I was actually feeding Connor. So I grabbed the keys, by phone, and carried Connor down the 7 flights of stairs. Chatted with a few neighbors at the bottom, trying to figure out what was going on. The alarm announced that it was an emergency that we had to evacuate, so my neighbor decided that it had to be someone crazy wanting to commit suicide (yes, because clearly that is the first thing I would conclude...what?!?!) (found out later there was a fire on the 8th floor. hmmm...good thing I signed an insurance rental policy last week). I am cat watching, so I just walked over to their place to feed the cats and burn the next hour until the coast was clear.
I then came home and finally put up decorations, so our apartment doesn't look so barren. While doing that I watched "fiddler on the roof." Comical really, but I rented it from the local library, I had never seen it. It was really long, but I liked it. Connor and I then went on a walk to return the movie to the library. We hung out at the park for a bit in the shade. It was still only 3pm...hmmmm now what to do. I was thirsty, so thought I would walk to dunkin to get a hot chocolate coolatta (if you haven't tried it, I would recommend, it's tasty). But it's closed on Saturdays (like a lot of things here). Disappointed I decided to go to the little cafe instead and bought an over priced lemonade and some sweet potato fries. Connor of course decided to poop his brains out while I was there, so home we went after that. We then did nothing really; I got him to giggle and squeal, so that was fun. We took a bath, then dad came home and put him to bed. Clark and I then finished planning our sunday school lesson for tomorrow.
He is now reading stuff on-line and I'm sitting here...bored and kind of lonely...
But the main reason to this post was to describe Lawrence. Here are two ways others describe this place and I quote directly from Urban Dictionary:
Lawrence
A city in Mass. If Lowell Ma is the "armpit of America" Lawrence is
the Taint. With a population consisting mainly of Puerto Ricans and
Dominicans, it can tend to get a little stabby. Once a booming mill city
along the Merrimac River, It's population's main income is welfare and
drugs, although there is a thriving Barber Shop/Auto Accessory market.
Exorbitant sums of government grant money has recently been used to
build an enormous new High School, it has been historically
unaccredited, and has 2,000 freshmen, 1,500 sophomores, 12 juniors and a
graduating class of 2.
Care should be taken by the outsider when driving through Lawrence,
as everyone from the smallest barely clothed children all the way up to
the belligerent drunken day laborer, and everyone in between enjoys
jumping into traffic without looking, double and triple parking(they
think it's legal if the hazards are on), and opening doors into your
moving vehicle.
All in all the city government is corrupt, it's school system
broken, and it's residents the result. Rent is cheap, Restaurants ESL,
police incompetent, drugs available, and stabbings plentiful.
On Broadway st. in Lawrence, you can get a haircut at 23 different
barber shops, a car stereo at 18 separate locations, Crack, weed,
heroin, Dunkin' Donuts, a handgun, El Tipico, prostitutes, stabbed and
arrested. On a half mile stretch of poorly maintained road.
Then there's this article from the Boston Magazine, the title alone describes it to a tee:
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/2012/02/city-of-the-damned-lawrence-massachusetts/
Who wants to come visit :) I'm free, any day, everyday, all day...
Um...this post was hilarious, Shelly! I am so sorry, but I laughed so hard reading it. Feel really badly that you were so lonely, though, and that apparently you're living in the City of the Damned. haha No bueno for you, but very entertaining for me! :) I can SO relate to that part where you had outlined like five million things you had done that day already and then were like, "It's 3 o'clock... What do we do now?" Oh, that describes my life to a T most days. Especially with kids who think it's cool to wake up at like 5 am, and now that my oldest two don't nap, the days just feel SO ridiculously long. And my husband works insane hours, too, a lot of the time, so it gets very lonely sometimes. Anyway, just wanted to let you know I can relate and you have my sympathy! Hope Clark's work schedule is better right now and that your cute family is doing well!
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