Epic Fail.

Is it possible to be both a great babysitter and awful one? I think so.

Ever since the success of my last babysitting stint I knew I would be sitting again come Spring Break. Outside of not being able to sleep on my day off, I generally like babysitting. It's easy money, I get to stay home and Nicole, my landlady's daughter, is a spunky,creative, nine year old who is both funny and introspective.

We had a blast the last time. We colored mandalas, listened to new and old music and watched a crap load of Disney movies on Netflix. I got paid $100 for the two days of child watching. That's pretty amazing, if you ask me.

The last time I babysat Nicole I promised that next time around we would watch Matilda and make cupcakes.


She mentioned to once that she isn't much of a reader which almost crushed my nerd heart beyond repair. At nine I was so in to reading that I can't remember a time when I didn't have a book in my hand. My mom, brother and I spent more time at the library than any other place. We even had designated reading time. When we would all camp out in the living room with our respective books, reading until the hour was up.



But then again, we didn't that many distraction in the 90's either. No Internet, few video games and I don't even think a cellphone seemed possible back then. So when she said she didn't like to read, I sort of got all 'but why, it's so awesome. I mean, it's not an Ipod or anything but reading takes you places man"



But she said 'nothing really interest her' in books and that 'reading is hard'. The nerd in me started talking about all the books I read as a kid and how much fun my friends and I had talking about the ones we finished(a white lie). That yeah, some books are hard to read but it's because they are meant to challenge you. I sounded all too much like a book nerd but reading is awesome folks, kids need to know this.

She seemed a little intrigued by my excitement and asked"what kind of books" are interesting to read.

"you know, books like, that...."


But I got tripped up. I was about to mention the last book that I read the one about a dead teenager in some small new england town and the cover up the town folks are involved in. But then I remembered she's only nine and I'm 25 and the last children's or teen book I read was "the world we knew" which I really wasn't that interested in to be honest about.

So I said:

"you know the one about that.... girl who name is Matilda...and her mind powers something or another.'

I don't know why this Roald Dahl book flew out of my mouth. I love the movie Matilda but do not remember reading the story as a kid. I may have taken the short route and just watched the movie instead. I think I may have down that with all the Roald Dahl books to be honest.

But my explanation was good enough because Nicole was all: 'Omg! Can we watch Matilda the next time we hang out. Please. Please. Oh, and then we can read the book and stuff'. What was I going say? no.

So, with Tuesday just around the corner I had Netflix send me a copy of Matilda and bought cupcake making goodies prepared for our nerd day of Roald Dahl and sweets.

But at the last minute, landlady asked if I would mind watching Nicole and her friend, Julia. She apologized for the short notice but knew that I could handle watching both girls after my success the last time. I agreed, because it was the night before, but quickly wondered if two pre-teens would be interested in a nerd day.

The answer is no.

A already jaded and tough, Julia, spent the first hour giving me the stank eye while we waited for Nicole to wake up. I tried to engage her in 'so how's it going' pleasantries but she was having none of it and I quickly felt like the uncool older person trying to make someone like her. I knew that until I was deemed worthy by Nicole, I would be given the stank eye all day.

When Nicole finally woke up, I feed them breakfast and listen to them both explain to me what the word 'shit' meant. You know just encase I didn't know.

It was then that I knew my cupcake making, Matilda watching plans were not going to work. I needed to tire out these kids quickly to make the day go by faster. They spent most of the morning wanting to watch Piranha 3D on youtube. When I asked 'don't you think that movie is a little scary for you guys' they admitted they'd already seen most of it but wanted to show me the gory parts.


So we watched a version dubbed in Dutch, while I reminded them that the piranhas in the movie weren't real and that Adam Scott and Jerry O'Connell should not be refer to as 'those old guys' in the movie.


They then asked questions like 'why do boys like boobs' and went through my cell phone asking if "matt, josh' and every other male name in my phone were boyfriends of mine.

I quickly decided that I needed to get this kids away from my phone, out of the house and far from any and all youtube videos featuring Piranhas' (and references to people my age as old).


So I took them to the movies with the food money landlady left to order pizza. They'd already seen Rio (le sigh. i wanted to see it) so Soul Surfer was our only option. They were actually very excited about this film and it made me remember how impressionable pre-teens are when it comes to films targeted to their age.

While I was rolling my eyes at the sheer cheesy of the movie (yes, I know Bethany Hamilton gets her arm torn off by shark, overcomes tragedy and accomplishes her dream of being a pro surfer. But the movie was a scene away from a Hallmark picture and there were so many God references I was uncomfortable) the girls were glued to the movie.

There are several scenes where you know the produces were like 'we want people to cry....now". At one point as I was suppressing laughter at a truly corny scene, I turn to see that Nicole is crying. Bawling actually. She is rubbing her eyes and breathing deeply and I thought she was choking on the popcorn. But no she was simply 'overcome' by this terrible terrible movie (with Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid looking hella old).

At this point I check to make sure Julia is alright only to see that she too is consumed with tears.
When I asked them what's wrong they both say that the movie is 'so inspirational they want to be a one armed surfer too'.

I shit you not!!!

After the movie, I dragged both red faced children from the theater and ask them what the wanted to do next. There response.

'Man that shark was scary. Can we watch the movie Jaws when we get home. I hear the shark in that movie is scarier".

Yes folks. After being traumatized by killer piranhas, a shark who tears a girls arm off (a scene in the movie that made me jump) they both begged me to watch Jaws. Begged me. And because I freaking love that movie I said:

Alright, but the moment you two freak out we are turning off the movie and watching Disney.

So we head back home and I allow them to watch the first 15 minutes and last 20 minutes of Jaws. I didn't see the harm in it, until both recoiled in terror as the shark nearly eats poor Richard Dreyfus.

I got up once, during the boat shark scene, to go to the bathroom and they gave me the 'hey where are you going, you aren't going to like leave us during the movie are you' stare. So i stayed.


If these kids aren't traumatized by Tuesday they must have hearts of steel. It was a ocean infused day of monsters and missing limbs. I had to leave soon after the moms came (to meet up with some people at work) but I did hear both exclaim that I was the best babysitter ever and that they wanted to do the day all over again.

Good Job, Beckett. Good Job.

Next time I think I'll stick to Roald Dahl and popcorn. Lesson learned.

This week has been long and stressful. I feel all over the place and disconnected from everyone and everything. I was suppose to turn in that reader response last week but only did so today after staying up until 3am to write a two page response.I've never felt such ambivalence for a book before and found nothing exciting at all to say.

The bookstore drudgery continues and our crew is getting smaller than ever. ANDI may have inadvertently pissed of Dan, hot new manager, to some degree that has caused uneasy tension between us.

The only highlight of the week was that I finally saw Scream 4 and geeked out big time when Neve Campbell appeared on the screen.

But everything else remains the same. I applied to handful of jobs this week and am near my desperation point. Everyone around me is applying to graduate school programs because they too cannot find a job in this economy. And it is making me uneasy about my own decision to not pursue school, for now.

I'm just not sure if I want to go to grad school or what I would actually get a degree in because I'm not really sure what I want to do. Graduate school is not an option right now especially because the thought of having any more student loans gives me so much anxiety that I'd rather focus my energy of getting a job. Any job at this point.



I simply need more money and better prospect and those thoughts alone have worn me down.

In other news, I have finally attached a link to Grilled Cheese on the side though.



Because a lot of people from my job, and potential employers, have access to that journal I ask that if you do visit, please don't make any references to Everything Was. I'd like the keep these two spheres as separate as possible and the thought of people from my job accessing my inner thoughts here is mortifying.

Outside of that feel free to visit and say hi. My username is Just_A_Girl (for commenting purposes) and entries are all book, movies and television related. So far I only have a few posts up (both in regards to Scream 4) but I'll provide some more random pop culture entries every week or so.

Now time for sleep. I have Saturday off and can't wait for it to get here already. This week has been the longest and I could use a break away from things.

~Beckett.