My tech writing course opens tomorrow, and it is ready to go! I also cleaned all of (the inside of) my house this weekend.

I did not finish everything I wanted to finish this weekend, but my school stuff was priority.

My mom saw the house today for the first time since she left it last June. She was shocked and surprised and something else that may have just been “tired from travel.” Even though she never lived here, she has horrible memories of growing up in the house this one was built to replace. She never shared those with me, perhaps because she sent me here so often as a child. I asked her once about it, trying not to sound bitter and hurt, and she joked that she was building up my immune system (by exposing me to the filth and neglect, I guess). She has horrible memories of trying to clean it out after both of my grandparents died and her one remaining brother couldn’t be bothered to help. She did not expect it to look (and smell) as it did. I was beyond stressed before she got here, wanting to have a house that wasn’t disgusting. It isn’t disgusting, but do you know what I mean? Anyway. She walked around a lot and looked at things, and I imagine that she was trying to see the old house. It’s still here–we just washed away the dirt.