back from the burn

I am back from an amazing week and Burning Man. Pictures will be forthcoming once I find my camera cords.

I loved loved loved my time on the playa, everyone there was so friendly and so giving. I will have many tales to tell in the coming days.

At the moment however, I am trying to make the best of a horrible situation. Life at hamsterdad's house is not cool. Like, my stepmom and halfsister barely speak to me or make eye contact.

Today was crappy for me for the following reasons:

Halfsister has taken to removing my shower supplies from the shower and putting them either in my room or in a box by the door of my room. When I politely asked if I could just leave the stuff in the shower because I was planning on showering fairly regularly while I lived here, I was told quite tersely to just be sure to keep everything on the one side of the shower. And, when I mentioned that when she moved my slightly expensive jar of sugar and oil body scrub, much of the oil leaked all over everything and made the soothing sugar scrub significantly less soothing, her response was a glare and a shrug.

Then, later, I added a couple of sheets and towels to a load of sheets and towels that had been in the washer for a day and ran the load, trying to be helpful, and stepmother gruffly told me not to mix my stuff with their stuff (even though the sheets and towel were from the house's hall closet, and so were actually not my stuff). Apparently there was a dark towel in with the light stuff and even though I washed it in cold water, the fact that I dared to try and help out a little was highly offensive.

Halfsister could have simply said, "hey hamster_grrl, there is not much space in the shower, could you please try to keep your stuff on the one side?" and I would have happily complied.

Stepmom could have simply said, "hamster_grrl, I appreciate that you were trying to help with the laundry, but I have a specific method of sorting, so could you please check with me before you want to add anything to a load of clothes?" And I would also have happily complied.

Instead they are just being plain rude and I am feeling quite awkward.

Thank goodness Sparkle was here visiting so I had a witness to much of the rudeness as well as moral support! I'm also happy that my best friend still lives in town and told me that I am welcome to stay there if things get too crazy (I already plan to spend all my weekends there).

Tomorrow I have a phone interview with a potential post-doc position in Belgium. Fingers crossed I get it so I can get far far away from this place as soon as possible!