Sunday, July 21, 2013

Not Intended

Weekly posts are not the intent.  Drafts in progress and then things intervene - or I just don't feel like posting whatever I just thought I wanted to share.  Could happen instantly.  Sometimes takes a day or two.  Mulling is my life these days.  So much to mull.

Second to the last Friday off and enjoyed a three day weekend doing not much at all.  Why am I so tired?  No.  I mean really, really tired.  Not ordinarily tired.  It's probably post-vacation let down. And/or I miss my old boss.  It's like the life is sucked out of us - and not that our new boss isn't going to be fine.  I'm pretty sure he is.  It just feels so hard right now.  Everything is impossibly hard.

I think it's sucked the energy out of me.

I made a delicious blueberry smoothie for breakfast this morning.  Maybe it's getting back on the 'clean eating' track that's zapped my energy.  Lack of sugar could be part of it.  I'm back to avoiding processed foods, sugar and dairy.  Resorting to that 'cuz I feel so awful these days that I have to try something - anything.

Oh! - we had quite a bit of excitement on Saturday morning.  I was sitting here at my desk and I saw something walking along the patio.  It was a skunk!! He was small - a young one - which only made it worse 'cuz I think 'where are his parents?  Siblings?  How many are there of you and your kind?'.  He wandered around - clearly looking for a way out.  He disappeared in the far side yard.  H. saw him again last night out front - making a nice resting place in the ground cover in the front side yard.  We are his hotel, I think.  I am less than enthused.

It does explain why the dog has been frantic about running around every square inch of the yard. She's been running around the pool, up behind the pool....sniffing like crazy.  Now we know why.

I am stocking up on tomato juice - though J. says 'we're OK.  We have a whole case of V-8 in the garage'.  Um...OK.  I guess that will work.

I am mailing the deposit check for next year in Playa.  I feel uneasy about doing it.  I don't know why. Maybe it's the money.  We shouldn't spend it, really.  But then I think 'screw it.  It's money.  I can earn more.  And I can't work this hard for 13 more years or so without some incentive.  Some amazingly relaxing trip that makes it all worth it.  14 days next year - 12 days there and two travel days on either side.

I think I've just figured out why I feel uneasy about it.  I've been back at work a week - and it's like the vacation never happened.  Except for one last mosquito bite still healing - oh, and FYI - this year, I used Benadryl cream on every bite immediately - and absolutely did not scratch.  The bites still look awful - and they heal very slowly - but they were manageable this year.  Much better than year's past - OK - so back to my angst.  It's like vacation is already not even a memory - it's just gone.  Vaporized.  Yes, it was awesome - and someone yesterday commented 'you're so tan!' so there's evidence it was awesome.  But it's over.  So over.  It goes so quickly.

Maybe I have buyer's remorse - which makes sending off another significant check for next year a little harder.

Oh well.  I'm still mailing the check.

Monday, July 15, 2013

How Can it Be?

Logging into my work email remotely and I begrudgingly said 'yes' to the 'turn off out of office notification'.  Bummer.  Total bummer.

On the bright side, I did sleep last night - though there were weird work dreams scattered in off and on.  I truly rarely dream about work - I do wake up and think about work - but dreaming about people, places and things related to work doesn't happen that often.  So it was a weird off and on sleep night - but there was sleep and I'm grateful for that.

The weekend passed relatively uneventfully and it's now officially the first Monday back from vacation. Two more weeks of our four ten hour days left before the school site staff will start to return.  It will be a busy year as they always are.

I turn my attentions to closing the books for the year; revamping and revising our district budget based on the State budget passed.  Governor Brown's proposal to completely revamp education funding in our state passed so we have no idea what our 13-14 funding looks like.  I should get a glimmer of that today as I dig back in and start sketching things out with the info we have.  I head to Sacramento tomorrow where it should all be as clear as swamp water.

The Army Ranger class B. was in graduated this past Friday and I felt a little melancholy that we weren't there to celebrate our Ranger graduate - but I reminded myself that I truly believe things happen for a reason and this just wasn't B.'s time to pursue that goal.  His good friend Daniel did successfully graduate as an Airborne Ranger and I am happy for him!  And while I was melancholy and sad a bit about it all, I was also a teeny bit grateful that we didn't have to head to Georgia from Cancun.  Though I do love Georgia and feel sad about not having any reason to go back there anytime soon.

Plenty of other Army bases to visit in our future....

I'd better get moving.  I have no idea what I will wear to work - I wore jeans most of the week before we left on vacation but I felt 'under-dressed'.  Our new sup is here now so I want to at least dress in work clothes vs. casual clothes.

The ironing board is covered with 'stuff' from the unpacking that's been going on since we arrived home...so I need to clean that stuff off to press whatever it is I plan to wear.

And so it begins....

Friday, July 12, 2013

Home-like

Wednesday night, I noticed I had hives on large sections of my body....true sun poisoning.  I felt like I was channeling my mom who spent most of her time on the beach with long sleeves,  a huge hat and some uber-powerful sun screen on 24/7.  If she didn't, she would end up so physically sick, she would be in bed.  And she'd get horrible sores on her lips.  I didn't get those - thank goodness - but probably only because I knew what the bumps were and knew that my plans for spending a couple more hours soaking up rays on our last morning at the beach were now going to be in doors.

We packed and left right on time - and then proceeded to have an incredibly long travel day.  I decided to pay the fee to watch Direct TV on the flight from Cancun to Houston - which unfortunately ended with me missing the very end (the most important part!) of a movie and being so distracted that I left my Kindle in the seat pocket.  J. rushed back and one of the flight attendants looked and said it wasn't there.  But I knew it was - and J. went back again and they let him check the pocket himself now that others had left the plane - and he found it!  Thank goodness!!

Our flight from Houston to San Fran was delayed due to the crash at SFO - so we taxied out to the runway and waited for a bit.  Thankfully, they offset the delay by cutting the flying time 40 minutes (fast plane!) and we arrived only about a half hour later than our original arrival time.  Home by 11PM - which was 1AM where we were.  Boy, were we tired!  We arrived at SFO just before sunset and the plane wreckage was on my side of the plane (we sit in aisle seats across from each other usually). Surreal to see it there....a crane at the ready to lift it onto a truck but four days after the crash, it's still there.  Still news crews around the airport; lots of bright lights on the site; and a whole lot of planes lining up to land on one runway that usually land on two.  The guy sitting next to us had a quick connection to get from SFO to Burbank - and I felt so bad for him when I looked at the departure board as we were walking to get our bags and his flight was delayed until after 11PM.  He was already dead tired and had a bad cold - felt so sorry for him having to sit around SFO for a few hours before hopefully being able to get on a plane and go.

Want to clean out your pantry?  Leave a 20 year old male in the house alone for a couple weeks and you won't have much left.  He used all the powdered sugar for something - then put brown sugar in the powdered sugar canister (it is clearly labeled with a silver sharpie on a blue lid).  I don't think he knows the difference between different types of sugar.  Come to find out:  there are a heck of a lot of things he doesn't know how to do - every single dish in the house (practically) was dirty and still in the sink. The only things in the dishwasher were the few items we placed in it as we left the house our last morning home - he had not rinsed or washed or loaded anything for close to 12 days.  The kid is seriously inept.

Welcome to your summer, H. .  My name is Majah and I am your basic life skills teacher.  Your mother apparently did a horrific job of teaching you basic skills so I will be teaching (read: torturing) you with lessons like how to load the dishwasher; how to do laundry; how to clean up after yourself (wiping counters, table tops, etc.).  The kitchen was a disaster - to the point that both J. and I dropped some choice expletives that rarely, RARELY leave our mouths.  I said my piece and went to bed.  J. got up uber early this morning to keep working away on the disaster formerly known as our kitchen (that I admired as we were leaving - tidied, clean and ready for us to be away).  I am so sorry, kitchen - I had no idea we had unleashed a monster upon you.

Klink is OK - he's here talking to me now.  Telling me all about how he's been so lonely.  He's getting lots of extra love today and I will make him a meal of fresh shredded chicken later today.  J. and H. went to pick up the dog - missed her, too.

I've already been up and out on a work related call to one of the schools where we think there was an attempt at copper pipe theft.  One of our other schools had a huge incident last week - and we think they hit this school last night attempting to get pipe to sell.  2 hours and I'm back home - tidying up the kitchen a bit (counters and tables, etc.).  Scrounged in the pantry and made oatmeal.

It's only left 'cuz he can't boil water.  I'm eating it with brown sugar I got out of the powdered sugar canister.  No milk.

Let the lessons begin!


Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Fin

The last full day here dawned clear as a bell and still as still can be.  My brave husband headed to the big market to get a new pair of sandals.  He's been wearing the ones he purchased here a couple years ago and loves them but the Velcro straps are wearing out.  We saw they still have them when we shopped there last week (can't believe it's been over a week already) and so he's trekking to get a new pair.  And a couple cookies.  Last treat before departing tomorrow.

I am in my swim suit which is still not dry from yesterday, making pulling it on an acrobatic escapade I'm glad no one else witnessed.  I am heading out to the pool for one last day of sun.  I actually look like I've been on vacation - the combination of tan and slight burn.

Friends posted on Facebook they were delayed in Hawaii for four extra days as the crash at SFO affected travel into that airport.  We would be more than happy to have an excuse to be 'stuck' here another few days - but what is more likely to happen is that we will make it to Houston (we don't have a non-stop flight this time) and be stuck there.  My face lit up - thinking 'Texas!  B. is in Texas' - but El Paso and Houston are a long ways away from each other so that won't work either.  We shall see.

There are a lot of heavy things weighing on my mind today - maybe it's just to reality of returning to 'normal'.  And returning to work.  I am dreading work.  Hoping it passes 'cuz it has to.

We are still finagling with Bank of America and praying with fingers and toes crossed that the refi goes through.  While I certainly understand the criteria required for obtaining a home loan, I have to say that the banks we have worked with the past couple months are making it seemingly impossible to comply with what they want.  It makes me so angry....the hoops we jump through; they say every thing's fine; then it's more hoops - and more hoops - and then they add some fire on the hoops just to make it interesting.  If they won't refinance us - with income and assets and stellar credit - then how is it that others are managing?  We don't qualify for the 'HARP' program - so we have to go through plain old ordinary refinancing - which at the moment, I'm pretty sure is impossible.

Trying to 'let it go' and see if it will all work out.  We've jumped through the hoops, including those with fire - and await more information back re: what other obstacles await.

Yesterday, we 'used up' the fruit juice we had and drank rum punch most of the afternoon.  We spent a good portion of the day outside on the beach - it was a lovely day.

Tonight, we will treat ourselves to delicious lobster again - a final splurge before heading back to 'normal' life where you don't spend $100 a night on dinner.

I am already making reservations for two weeks next year.  Screw the 'every other year' plan - it's only money and if I have to work an extra couple years to make a once a year beach vacation happen for the rest of my life, I will.

Take that! end of vacation blues.


Monday, July 08, 2013

Second Monday

There is a lot of joy in getting to Sunday evening and knowing you still have three full days here.  Aldi - the guy that tends the chaises, pool, etc. who is a very sweet young man and helps with anything we need - said yesterday 'so it's your last day'...and I gleefully said 'no, we're here until Thursday!'.  Yeah us!

The weather has been a lot different this time.  The mornings are clear, sunny and beautiful.  We get up and eat breakfast, linger over coffee and then head down to the beach.  Usually, there are thick, black clouds over Cozumel - we watch the lightening and hear the thunder while soaking up the sun on our beach.  At some point, the wind picks up and the water starts to have more white caps - and that's our signal that rain is imminent and we head inside.  We shower, eat lunch and then cocoon inside until the rain passes - sometimes sitting outside on the patio watching 'the show'.  It's wild.  Yesterday there was such HUGE thunder so close to us, the sliding doors were shaking.  You could feel the building shake.  The break between lightening and huge thunder was milliseconds - crazy!

J. rode a wave runner (Jetski) yesterday and enjoyed it.  I thought he would be able to stop and pick me up but they wouldn't let him come near enough to shore.  Safety first is always the best thing.  We may ride together sometime in the next couple days.

Last night, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at The Blue Lobster - our first visit there ever.  I had the most delicious lobster and filet - every bite was melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.  Loved it and can't wait to go back.

We decided against going to Xcaret - at our core, we are both just homebodies and have just as much 'fun' sitting on the patio together or being on the beach together.  Why spend money to visit an 'amusement park'?  So we stayed 'home'.

J. has me walking with him most days - not anywhere close to the mileage he does at home during the week but at least he's helping me get up and moving.  We walked to Walmart yesterday - a mile round trip - and that was in very high heat and high humidity, carrying grocery bags of stuff back too.

I have re-read the first two Harry Potter books and am into the third.  It's fun to leisurely read - it's one of my favorite things to do on vacation.

The boys are doing OK as far as we know.  H. called yesterday asking if he could 'save' the WinCo gift card for me and then I could give him another amount of $ to use going out with his friends.  I said 'no'.  He said 'but we want to do [insert a long list of things that cost money to do]' and I said 'but you apparently don't have enough money to do those things, so I think you will be telling your friends you can't.

It didn't go over well.  It never does.

I dread being back home with all the 'drama' surrounding him at the moment.  He needs $ 'cuz he spends money - and he has no job.  And while we have been having him do projects large and small around the house and paying him for his work, we can't keep doing that.  We don't have the budget for $100's of dollars a month in 'projects'.

He doesn't know what he wants to do - can't find a steady job.  It's frustrating for us all.

Still having a blast in paradise.  J. is arriving back soon with Japanese take out.  We planned for Thai but forgot that Babe's Noodle House is closed on Mondays.  Drat!

We will eat there tomorrow!!

Thursday, July 04, 2013

Hola! Como estas?

Hello!  How are you?

Practicing.  Always practicing.

Fourth full day here and it's coincidentally awesome that we are celebrating the Fourth of July in Mexico!  There are certainly more than enough Americans here to form quite a parade - though it's not likely to happen.  It's pretty much a party atmosphere 24/7 - it's not like people on vacation need a reason to celebrate!

We are having a great time doing not too much of anything some days.  Yesterday we had planned to go to Xcaret - a jungle park - for the day.  Mother nature had other plans.  We were slammed with a HUGE storm - rain just pouring down in buckets and wind that made the rain come down sideways, seemingly.  So we hunkered down and spent the day indoors.  We did finally get out for a bit in sprinkling rain and headed into town where we ordered two small pizzas to go.  Watched them being prepared and enjoyed getting out of the rain for a bit - then back to our condo on the beach for quite possibly the most delicious pizza EVER and movies on the computer.  (The condo does not have a DVD player - something that irks us but oh well.  Thankful for a computer that works fine - and the computer screen is about the same size as the punky TV screen so it's OK either way).

I have made J. happy by sitting through The Godfather with him - and I really enjoyed it!  Yesterday, we watched Disc 1 of The Godfather 2 and I loved it even more.

Today, the weather is still sporadically awful and since tomorrow is a full day of sailing, we are keeping it low key today also.  We will undoubtedly head out eventually to procure something to eat - but we'll watch the other half of The Godfather 2.

I've re-read the first Harry Potter book and started on the second.

As far as we know, the boys are good.  We aren't spending a lot of time tracking them and we're not really forcing communications.  Trying to take a break from everything - not just work.

J. had a reminder on his phone.  I said 'what's that for'?  'To remind me I'm on vacation'.  Huh?  Dude - you aren't working.  Isn't everyday officially a vacation day?  He reminded me that calendars aren't just for remembering commitments - they can also be for remembering events.  Ahh.....glad he plans to remember.

Leftover pizza for brunch!  Yum!

March

I'm starting to think maybe I will just do a monthly post and call it what it is - whatever month we're in.  Here we are winding dow...