right field, again

Soccer last night was Casper taking her shoes off and showing her blue toenails to her coach, playing "take shots on goal" for about 5 minutes, declining the next practice-game and twining herself in the goal net for 5 minutes, then wandering about behind the bleachers and ultimately trying to play with the two 8-year-old big sisters for the rest of the hour. We asked her occasionally if she wanted to play but didn't push too hard. I am discouraged, though, and wonder if we should even keep showing up, if things are going to be this way. All the other kids were there and played the whole time; there was one girl who got upset towards the end and took breaks to cry in her mother's lap, but Casper was by far the least engaged. I also found out a lot of the kids are younger than I thought; Grady is just three, Ny is three, Amir is four (he looks the oldest of the lot).

This brings up all sorts of social anxiety in me, of course. Maybe Casper's just not a joiner. I am certainly not a joiner, but I wish I were a joiner, and I wanted her to do soccer so she would have a "normal kid" activity. I think right now we should make her keep going to the practices and the games, because of the obligation she has to her team, but not force her to play or participate, and not sign her up again unless she asks.

Names: The "Caitlin" is actually "Kaetyln" (sigh), and Ny is short for Tah-NY-ah (not sure how spelled). Siblings: Amir's sister is Naima (and a very very pretty 8 month old she is); Jimmy's older sister is Ingrid and younger brother is Gus; Santana's younger brother is Jordan.

small town politics

You know you've been living in a small city long enough when you know (as in have met & had dealings with) two of the candidates for office whose names are on every streetcorner sign.

A woman running for school board runs (or ran) a program for at-risk teens that included finding them summer jobs. I used to hire one of her students in the summers; I stopped when she started being able to find them jobs that were more suited to their eventual career goals (i.e. in the hospital).

A man running for county commissioner is the neighbor of a good friend, and I have chatted with him at child birthday parties.

200,000 residents, 6 years - I guess that's long enough.