Time spent with a good parent and a bad parent

My mother's birthday is on Wednesday but we had tickets to the ballet last night (read: she bought two tickets; I got good seats!) so I took her out to dinner. Turns out a nice dinner in NYC is really really expensive. Okay, I knew that but seeing the bill was still a bit of a shock. In the end, though, it was worth it to feel kind of grown up about taking her out to dinner, even if I did have to ask her exactly how one paid with a credit card to include a tip. See, when I go out to dinner I'm almost always with a bunch of people who all pitch in cash and somebody else always figures out the tip. Mom has a little cane now that she can fold up in her purse, which is good because it helps her walk but bad because I wish she could walk without it hurting so much. I get this insane urge to yell, "Cut it out!" Like she's limping just to upset me.

Edit: I felt less guilty about that after she started yelling at me in the middle of the street about the hole in my shoe.

( Mom and I go to the ballet. )

Did you know spell check tries to change La Bayadere to La Boyardee?

( I witness a disturbing display of narcissism. )

Btw, tomorrow I have all-day detention at work. Who knew that would happen post-high school?