first up on my to-do list

IMG_1134, originally uploaded by dogglips2.

No vacation recap today. I have more pressing matters to address.

Evan is a creature of habit, sometimes frustratingly stubborn in his refusal to change. It's especially evident in his clothing selections. I literally have to tear clothes off his body so that I can wash them. And sweatshirts? Don't get me started. He insists on wearing one every day. He has shirts by the dozens, both short and long sleeved, but without fail he will reach for a hoodie 9 times out of 10.
This particular oft-worn sweatshirt has become his favorite in the last 6 months. No particular reason, except maybe the lack of hood. Hoods don't work well with winter jackets. The wearer looks like a hunchback.
Last Thursday was a whirlwind of activity. After school Evan had a soccer game literally right after school, so we had to hurry to get dressed and on the field in time. Naturally, he was wearing the beloved garment.
Sometime during the last wearing/washing cycle, the zipper tab came off. Usually this is no big deal; just attach something to the pull mechanism and you're good to go. Not this time. He had it zipped all the way to the top, with not a centimeter to spare (another maddening habit), and that sucker would not come undone.
He suffered through gym class, and a warmish mid 50's day, without being able to get it off. We tried and tried to pull it off over his head, but without removing his ears it wasn't happening. I tried spraying WD-40 into the zipper and using pliers to yank it down.Nothing. Now he's beginning to cry that he'll have to wear it to the soccer game and he's going to melt if he gets any hotter and blahblahblah.
So I did the only thing I could do.
I cut the jacket open down the zipper.
Evan was horrified that I defiled his favorite sweatshirt EVER in such a manner. How could I live with myself after causing him so much pain?
Easy. You offer to replace the zipper. Little did I know that he was going to hound me about it.
Friday he was disappointed that I didn't find time to fix it before we left on vacation. Never mind all the packing, vacuuming, snack gathering, dog dropping off that I did. I should have made time to go to the fabric store and buy a zipper, tear out the old one, and replace it. So that he could wear it to Florida, naturally.
Yesterday he asked me if I ever was going to get around to fixing it. Like it's been a year since I cut it off him. Sheesh.
So before I upload any vacation pix, or go to the grocery store, or relax for a minute, I'm headed to JoAnn's to find a 21" dark grey zipper. Wish me luck!