Update: The Playground Is Officially Way Shittier!

I didn't think it was possible for the playground at LE's school to get any shittier, but huzzah! They managed to make it so.

Monday's kid pickup was a mess of disgruntled parents smashed into a small corner with service buses attempting to crowd in where the parents were standing. One mom went all batshit screechy on a service bus driver about having to stand in another place a few feet away so he could park the bus. His position was that the bus had to park. Her position was that everyone couldn't possibly stand where he wanted her to stand.

In the end, he had a bus so he won the discussion.

At least they didn't kill the tree.

I guess they're improving the sports area. Miş. For all I know, they could be building a luxury hotel there. Goodness knows why they couldn't have waited two more weeks till school was out to start construction. Before this hole was dug, the sports area consisted of a fenced-in concrete basketball court where only the big kids played. The little kids didn't have a snowball's chance of getting into the coveted basketball court. While parents are standing around waiting to get their small kids, older kids come to kick footballs around because the basketball court is full of service buses. The balls hit parents and their babies in the head. It's kind of annoying but I just try to find strategic places to stand so I won't get hit with a ball. There's fuck-all else for kids this age to do in the afternoons and the schoolyard is one of the few places in the world to play.

Still when their ball comes near me, I just move out of the way without trying to stop it, letting the ball roll away across the schoolyard so they have to chase it. It's the best I can do to protest the ball.

Another mom handed me a petition demanding the construction be stopped. She was all fired up, being the one brandishing the petition. I started to wonder aloud what the point was of stopping the construction, since the hole was already dug. If they took the fence down, the hole would still be there and while it would be a super fun hole, I'm pretty sure it would be a safety hazard or something. She was all, "Just sign it!" and I did because who am I to start spouting logic when a petition is afoot? "It would have been better if they'd just waited 2 weeks," I said in my butchered conditionals. "Yes!" she hollered, rushing off to accost another parent.

Another adventure in safety.

Today, part of the fence had already fallen down and I stepped inside to take a picture. LE grabbed my arm and looked at Security Guard Kemal nervously, "No! Don't go in there!"



I guess it doesn't take long for people to learn the new rules of the improved schoolyard.

In any case, whatever they build can't possibly be much worse than what was already there.

On the other hand, I find myself saying a lot of things can't possibly be worse than they already are, only to be proven woefully wrong. So maybe I ought to just just keep my damn mouth shut.

Goatherding is looking increasingly attractive these days.