A beautiful, sunny day today and I decided to tackle a project. Then I decided to do the 'easy' way of tackling the project.
Cleaning the oven. Ugh! It needs it.
So I used the 'self-clean' feature for the oven. 1.5 hours into the cleaning cycle, we have an error code that we can't shut off. The incessant beeping is crazy making. Sure, we can turn off the circuit breaker - but the oven is uber-hot and we're concerned that if the fan shuts off, the cabinet surrounding the oven are going to catch on fire. So we're leaving it on for now while it cools off. The door is locked. I can't get the cycle to recycle - yet. I think this happened before....I need to search my blog to see if I wrote down what I did to get it to stop. It is not working right - it's 13 years old and we've never had it serviced. Guess it's time.
For now, it beeps to remind me that the self-clean oven feature doesn't work. :-(
In other news, we also aren't currently recording solar power with PG&E 'cuz our 'inverter' is not working. We've called for service and haven't received a call back yet - so we wait. Thankfully, we're not using AC today (it's lovely here today!) so that's a good thing.
We're heading to Costco 'cuz I haven't been in a long time - and Christmas stuff is there. We're going to do a 'big cook' - stocking the freezer with our sauces, chili, etc. that helps us have meals ready quickly on week nights. Even with J. home, it's still nice to be able to make spaghetti in 20 minutes. Freezer meals rescue the day.
It was a hard week at work - just stuff. I saw my old boss briefly yesterday - his knowing half smile and an encouraging hug did wonders...but it's still just hard. I've been feeling like my finger is in the dam but the water is spewing out all over the place in spite of my best efforts. Karma that the week ended with a huge plumbing problem at one of our schools - two plumbers and 24 hours of leaky toilets later and it's all fixed. Darn kids. Stuffing stuff down the toilets for fun. Kudos to the assistant principal that spent all day Friday interviewing kids and found who'd done it.
UPDATE: It's now Sunday morning. J. was able to get the oven beeping to stop and it appears to be fine now. And while it didn't run the entire 4 hour 'self-clean' cycle, upon opening the doors, it was visibly, awesomely better. I've been wiping it down with water and a sponge (which will have to be thrown out after I'm done) and it looks so much better!!
Today, we will spend time at the Memorial Car Wash for the young man that passed away a week ago. His friends and the whole town are raising money to help the family offset the expenses for the memorial service which is a week from today. It's been amazing to watch a group of young people really work hard at getting this event together - and what I envisioned has a few kids with buckets and rags has turned into a huge town event. Banners, flyers, lot of publicity and dozens of people rallying around the cause. It will be a fun event - while we remember a wonderful young man.
The mom specifically requested to see H. - and we've been trying to coordinate times. We made it over there last night after H. got off work - he got off at 7 last night. I went with him - mainly to support him. He was a nervous wreck about it - he wasn't sure what to say. As we pulled up to the house (one street up from ours), he was visibly nervous. I gave him a hug and said 'it's OK to say that you have no words - 'cuz it's the truth'. He said 'I haven't even cried yet and I'm afraid I'm going to'. And I said 'and maybe that's why M. (the mom) wants you to come over - to let you get it all out with someone who knows him and loves him like you do'. He did have a good cry. The mom took H. into the son's bedroom and they talked for quite awhile. I spent time in the kitchen with the dad and the sister while they baked brownies. One of the nicest families on the planet....wonderful people. I heard H. and the mom laughing a bit as they shared memories about N. - and I felt so relieved to hear H. laugh. And when we left, the mom said 'H., you keep laughing. Promise?'. I think kids think that grief 'stops' all joy - or that it should. And it doesn't nor should it.
Birdy has a new album coming out soon - and as usual, I'm obsessed with a song that totally resonates - mainly because of H. . He's pulling inward again - as is his way - and given he's lost a really good friend, I am on high alert. Pulling inward is kind of normal and expected when you're trying to cope with something monumentally huge - but at some point, you have to start to let some of it out. H. used to write a lot of rap - yes, really. And he's pretty good at it - but he doesn't write much anymore so he just tamps it all down and doesn't let it out.
For H., I share the chorus of the new song "All About You" - because this is your mom, honey - and I already know all about you. I love every single thing that makes up you - and your parents are here for you 1000%. We've proven that over and over in your life - and we'll keep proving it. It's OK to hurt. And it's OK to let some of it out. And it doesn't have to be us. Just find someone it can be.
"All About You"
By Birdy
You don’t have to do this on your own
Like there’s no one that cares about you
You don’t have to act like you're alone
Like the walls are closing in around you
You don’t have to pretend no one knows
Like there’s no one that understands you
I’m not just some face you used to know
I know all about you
And you should know that someone cares about you
I know all about you
Here's a link to the video - there is an ad at the start - but 5 seconds in, you can 'skip' the ad.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2433615/Birdy-debuts-single-All-About-You-new-Fire-Within-album.html
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
We Met
Happy 25th anniversary of the day I met my beloved husband....a blind date that was a complete and total success! Here's to the next 40!
We celebrated by tossing out all logic, rhyme and reason - giving up all the things we plan to the n'th degree. Forget about budgets and calendars. Toss out board meetings and to-do lists.
We booked a trip to Europe! We travel in March, 2014. Three cities - London, Paris and Rome! My top three and J.'s, too. The madness was nudged by the Groupon offer that was too good to be true - but it was true and it was awesome. It will be an adventure and we are sure to have a wonderful time! I am so excited!
We almost conned ourselves out of it last night - with things like 'well, we want to add time in New York and this trip won't do that'....or 'we want to fly Virgin Atlantic 'cuz their Premium Economy is amazingly awesome and not a budget breaker like first class on other carriers....
And then this morning, we were both like 'let's do it. Just do it. Life is short.'. So we did. I did check with my boss 'cuz he will have to present one of my 'big reports' in March 'cuz I won't be at that board meeting - I will be in London! But he was super awesome about the plan.
As if the day wasn't made better by taking the plunge and booking a trip we've dreamed about for years, Team Oracle pulled off a fricking miracle and WON the America's Cup. Down 8-1 last week, they won 8 races in a row and pulled off an incredible comeback and whipped New Zealand's butt today! What a win! I watched the race with J. when I got home and holy crap - they were amazing. That boat is FAST!
The parents of the young man that died on Monday morning sent an email to district staff thanking everyone for the support. They explained that their son officially died at 3:05AM Monday morning but he was brain dead before that. He was a daredevil and he lived life to the fullest - and he died trying to jump over the irrigation ditch they found him in. He always was an adventurous kid.
I know for me, the Europe trip sort of felt like a 'hey, why do we keep waiting to do all these things we want to do? Life is short. Will we go hungry if we spend money on a Europe trip now vs. two or three years from now? No, we won't. Let's live now - not waiting until I quit work; or we have more savings; or ....the list never ends.
The first Europe trip will commence in March - and then we'll start planning our next one when we get home. Maybe go back to those cities and explore more - or head to Italy and Germany next time?The possibilities are endless - and adventures are a great thing to look forward to.
We celebrated by tossing out all logic, rhyme and reason - giving up all the things we plan to the n'th degree. Forget about budgets and calendars. Toss out board meetings and to-do lists.
We booked a trip to Europe! We travel in March, 2014. Three cities - London, Paris and Rome! My top three and J.'s, too. The madness was nudged by the Groupon offer that was too good to be true - but it was true and it was awesome. It will be an adventure and we are sure to have a wonderful time! I am so excited!
We almost conned ourselves out of it last night - with things like 'well, we want to add time in New York and this trip won't do that'....or 'we want to fly Virgin Atlantic 'cuz their Premium Economy is amazingly awesome and not a budget breaker like first class on other carriers....
And then this morning, we were both like 'let's do it. Just do it. Life is short.'. So we did. I did check with my boss 'cuz he will have to present one of my 'big reports' in March 'cuz I won't be at that board meeting - I will be in London! But he was super awesome about the plan.
As if the day wasn't made better by taking the plunge and booking a trip we've dreamed about for years, Team Oracle pulled off a fricking miracle and WON the America's Cup. Down 8-1 last week, they won 8 races in a row and pulled off an incredible comeback and whipped New Zealand's butt today! What a win! I watched the race with J. when I got home and holy crap - they were amazing. That boat is FAST!
The parents of the young man that died on Monday morning sent an email to district staff thanking everyone for the support. They explained that their son officially died at 3:05AM Monday morning but he was brain dead before that. He was a daredevil and he lived life to the fullest - and he died trying to jump over the irrigation ditch they found him in. He always was an adventurous kid.
I know for me, the Europe trip sort of felt like a 'hey, why do we keep waiting to do all these things we want to do? Life is short. Will we go hungry if we spend money on a Europe trip now vs. two or three years from now? No, we won't. Let's live now - not waiting until I quit work; or we have more savings; or ....the list never ends.
The first Europe trip will commence in March - and then we'll start planning our next one when we get home. Maybe go back to those cities and explore more - or head to Italy and Germany next time?The possibilities are endless - and adventures are a great thing to look forward to.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Shock
Yesterday started out OK. I don't think I will be on vacation the week before I have auditors ever again. Not that there are things I have to 'do' much before they arrive - but mainly 'cuz their presence requires a Herculean effort to 'jump back in' at the deep end of the pool within minutes of arriving at my desk vs. a slow, leisurely wade into the shallow end.
But the plunge happened and the day went on it's merry way.
My boss came in just after 8 - he looked pensive. He told me that an employee lost her son in a dirt bike accident. He said her name. And the pieces plugged into place one at a time - sort of in slow motion - and I realized it was one of H.'s good friends. I said 'you mean [insert his name]?'. And he replied 'yes'. I said 'OMG - I need to call my husband so we can talk to H.'. My boss said 'I thought he might be a friend of your son's'.
The friend had gone out dirt bike riding on Sunday afternoon and wasn't home when he said he would be. The details yesterday were sketchy - but then it was on the local paper's website late evening. He'd been thrown off the bike into an irrigation canal - two feet of water. It appears he drowned. The area he was riding in was gated off and rescue vehicles took awhile to get there. Locked gates have a way of stopping huge trucks - but allowing small bikes and young men to get in where they shouldn't be.
H. reacted the way H. reacts - shock. Disbelief. Then he shuts down and admonishes us 'I don't want to talk about it anymore'. That never works. Right? I mean - you think you don't want to talk about it. But you do - and you need to. But he won't. At least not to us.
He went to work at his usual time - then texted J. several times that he wanted to come home. He said his phone was buzzing like crazy - all his friends texting back and forth about what happened. We reminded him that today is his day off. Not really saying 'no' - he's 20 years old and can do what he wants - but attempting to gently remind him that he's a temporary worker in a job he's had for less than three weeks. I think he made it through the day - his work boots are here in the study this morning and he wasn't home when I went to bed.
I'm hoping that he can use a day off to attend the services if he wants to -
The mom of the young man who died is one of the sweetest people ever. She has welcomed H. into her home on a regular basis - and when I'd see her at work occasionally (we don't work at the same site), she would always say what a nice young man H. is - and I would always thank her for allowing him to 'chill' there on a regular basis.
Now friends all over town are devastated. My son, and two other sons, were like the 3 Musketeers through most of grade school and into high school - and one of them is gone. It's shocking - just so sad.
There were a lot of tears at work - the receptionist at the DO had to go home. Another person who reports to me needed to leave for a bit to be there for her son who was devastated. I kept asking J. 'should I come home?' - but he handled it. As well as you can handle stuff like this.
When the kids were younger - you look at them and think 'wonder how it will go as they grow up?'. You realize things can happen -
You just can't really be prepared for it. I took Chloe out this morning and looked at the moon and the stars and felt so sad for my friend who's looking at the same moon and stars - only her world just got all 'off kilter' in a way that will never be the same. For her, the moon and stars will never feel 'right' again. I can't wrap my head around that much grief. I really can't.
But the plunge happened and the day went on it's merry way.
My boss came in just after 8 - he looked pensive. He told me that an employee lost her son in a dirt bike accident. He said her name. And the pieces plugged into place one at a time - sort of in slow motion - and I realized it was one of H.'s good friends. I said 'you mean [insert his name]?'. And he replied 'yes'. I said 'OMG - I need to call my husband so we can talk to H.'. My boss said 'I thought he might be a friend of your son's'.
The friend had gone out dirt bike riding on Sunday afternoon and wasn't home when he said he would be. The details yesterday were sketchy - but then it was on the local paper's website late evening. He'd been thrown off the bike into an irrigation canal - two feet of water. It appears he drowned. The area he was riding in was gated off and rescue vehicles took awhile to get there. Locked gates have a way of stopping huge trucks - but allowing small bikes and young men to get in where they shouldn't be.
H. reacted the way H. reacts - shock. Disbelief. Then he shuts down and admonishes us 'I don't want to talk about it anymore'. That never works. Right? I mean - you think you don't want to talk about it. But you do - and you need to. But he won't. At least not to us.
He went to work at his usual time - then texted J. several times that he wanted to come home. He said his phone was buzzing like crazy - all his friends texting back and forth about what happened. We reminded him that today is his day off. Not really saying 'no' - he's 20 years old and can do what he wants - but attempting to gently remind him that he's a temporary worker in a job he's had for less than three weeks. I think he made it through the day - his work boots are here in the study this morning and he wasn't home when I went to bed.
I'm hoping that he can use a day off to attend the services if he wants to -
The mom of the young man who died is one of the sweetest people ever. She has welcomed H. into her home on a regular basis - and when I'd see her at work occasionally (we don't work at the same site), she would always say what a nice young man H. is - and I would always thank her for allowing him to 'chill' there on a regular basis.
Now friends all over town are devastated. My son, and two other sons, were like the 3 Musketeers through most of grade school and into high school - and one of them is gone. It's shocking - just so sad.
There were a lot of tears at work - the receptionist at the DO had to go home. Another person who reports to me needed to leave for a bit to be there for her son who was devastated. I kept asking J. 'should I come home?' - but he handled it. As well as you can handle stuff like this.
When the kids were younger - you look at them and think 'wonder how it will go as they grow up?'. You realize things can happen -
You just can't really be prepared for it. I took Chloe out this morning and looked at the moon and the stars and felt so sad for my friend who's looking at the same moon and stars - only her world just got all 'off kilter' in a way that will never be the same. For her, the moon and stars will never feel 'right' again. I can't wrap my head around that much grief. I really can't.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Almost Over
With some trepidation, I found the 'to do' list I made at the start of my stay-cation. I've been more off than on and haven't really done much - either work related or here at home. I was relieved to see that I had made progress on some small things I listed at the start of the break - so I wasn't a complete and total slug. Though I did sleep in until close to 9 most mornings.
Tomorrow is going to be very hard. Waking up very early is going to be unbearably hard.
Clearly, work is causing stress 'cuz this evening, my stomach tightened up and started misbehaving. It's had it's share of 'issues' this week - but I attributed that to eating really badly - we ate out a lot this week - and I don't drink enough water when I'm here at home. But this evening, the pain and issues are back in full force - and since that hasn't happened the entire time I was off, I am positive it is stress related. I hate that. I've always felt 'stuff' in my stomach and even at 53, it still gets to me. I haven't had stress-related stomach stuff in decades - but here it is.
I dread work. OK - I said it. I dread it. I want to stay home all day and just be home. I don't want to 'have to' work. And no amount of fretting and stressing about that won't change the facts - I am too young to retire.
If the Great Recession (is that what we're calling it?) hadn't happened, I think there would have been a chance that I could be retiring sooner than I will now. It's just the nature of what happened - and we are certainly not alone in that event altering our plans.
It did happen - and we are still in recovery mode - and financially, I can't not work. Not yet. I wish I could 'cuz this week has been a taste of enjoying plenty of rest and fun and just hanging here with J. . What's not to love about that?
For now, it's back to the grindstone. Trying to put a positive spin on things as I trudge off in the morning.
I found another job that I could apply for - with a hellish commute. It turns out that district is in more turmoil and upheaval than mine - so why move to that? Best to stay where I am - enjoying the thrill of a very short commute. One that enables me to get to/from quickly.
Tomorrow is going to be very hard. Waking up very early is going to be unbearably hard.
Clearly, work is causing stress 'cuz this evening, my stomach tightened up and started misbehaving. It's had it's share of 'issues' this week - but I attributed that to eating really badly - we ate out a lot this week - and I don't drink enough water when I'm here at home. But this evening, the pain and issues are back in full force - and since that hasn't happened the entire time I was off, I am positive it is stress related. I hate that. I've always felt 'stuff' in my stomach and even at 53, it still gets to me. I haven't had stress-related stomach stuff in decades - but here it is.
I dread work. OK - I said it. I dread it. I want to stay home all day and just be home. I don't want to 'have to' work. And no amount of fretting and stressing about that won't change the facts - I am too young to retire.
If the Great Recession (is that what we're calling it?) hadn't happened, I think there would have been a chance that I could be retiring sooner than I will now. It's just the nature of what happened - and we are certainly not alone in that event altering our plans.
It did happen - and we are still in recovery mode - and financially, I can't not work. Not yet. I wish I could 'cuz this week has been a taste of enjoying plenty of rest and fun and just hanging here with J. . What's not to love about that?
For now, it's back to the grindstone. Trying to put a positive spin on things as I trudge off in the morning.
I found another job that I could apply for - with a hellish commute. It turns out that district is in more turmoil and upheaval than mine - so why move to that? Best to stay where I am - enjoying the thrill of a very short commute. One that enables me to get to/from quickly.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Vacating
Guess it should probably be 'Vacationing'...but Vacating seems also strangely appropriate.
Happenings today:
My best beloved is officially 64. He is officially retired and his first Social Security check arrives in mid-October and every month thereafter. Yeah. He played golf this morning - in under 4 hours - and even better - the round was free! 'Cuz it was his birthday - all he had to pay for was the cart.
Does a Mom proud when her eldest says the Sargent Major (highest non-officer in the company) commented "Jesus Christ, does anyone f-ing live here"? upon inspecting B.'s living quarters. My question to that was 'is all the stuff under the bed'? But still, perhaps the young man is learning to keep a tidier living space. He'll be home for a couple weeks in December, so we will see.
H. is finishing up his second week of 'more than full time' employment. His back hurts constantly and he has a huge blister on one of his fingers. Ibuprofen and yoga stretches were prescribed for the back issue. He has back issues. Always has. His answer is 'I need to go to the chiropractor'. I agree - and as soon as he can make the $30 co-pays for each of the two to three visits a week, he's welcome to. He has exercises prescribed by the chiropractor - which he doesn't do. I'm hugely sympathetic to back issues - but you have to do all you can to mitigate them on your own. Ab work to strengthen his core. It's a hard job on essentially a food conveyor belt....hard work. His first payday is tomorrow and that should help make it 'worth it'.
I went to Jackson yesterday. Won $450 on a nickel Monopoly machine that put me in the black a couple hundred dollars. Then I tried a dollar slot. Almost sat at the one next to the one I sat at - but didn't. A lady sits there, puts in $40 and proceeds to win $800 in about 5 minutes. She cashed that out - put in another $80 and won $250 in another 10 minutes. I did not fare that well on my machine. Oh well. Blessed that I had money in our Fun Money account to blow in my pursuit of big bucks. Spent the last of the fun money on Power Ball tickets along the journey home - and didn't win that either. Darn. Life changing would be lovely.
This morning, I was thinking 'why do you keep searching for something life changing'? The life I have is pretty darn awesome. But so would not working anymore. I could really get used to sleeping in every single morning and doing as much or as little as I please every day.
Just makes me prioritize 'pay off the house' at the top of the list. Or 'buy a smaller house that has a lower mortgage payment ASAP'.
For now, I head into the evening - going to pick up cupcakes and cheap Chinese for dinner. Tomorrow is the last official 'work day' off. My plans of 'I'll work a couple hours every day just to get caught up on some projects' hasn't happened. I've done the bare bones minimum.
It's been a lovely vacation. I'm planning another week off at the end of October! Can't wait!
Happenings today:
My best beloved is officially 64. He is officially retired and his first Social Security check arrives in mid-October and every month thereafter. Yeah. He played golf this morning - in under 4 hours - and even better - the round was free! 'Cuz it was his birthday - all he had to pay for was the cart.
Does a Mom proud when her eldest says the Sargent Major (highest non-officer in the company) commented "Jesus Christ, does anyone f-ing live here"? upon inspecting B.'s living quarters. My question to that was 'is all the stuff under the bed'? But still, perhaps the young man is learning to keep a tidier living space. He'll be home for a couple weeks in December, so we will see.
H. is finishing up his second week of 'more than full time' employment. His back hurts constantly and he has a huge blister on one of his fingers. Ibuprofen and yoga stretches were prescribed for the back issue. He has back issues. Always has. His answer is 'I need to go to the chiropractor'. I agree - and as soon as he can make the $30 co-pays for each of the two to three visits a week, he's welcome to. He has exercises prescribed by the chiropractor - which he doesn't do. I'm hugely sympathetic to back issues - but you have to do all you can to mitigate them on your own. Ab work to strengthen his core. It's a hard job on essentially a food conveyor belt....hard work. His first payday is tomorrow and that should help make it 'worth it'.
I went to Jackson yesterday. Won $450 on a nickel Monopoly machine that put me in the black a couple hundred dollars. Then I tried a dollar slot. Almost sat at the one next to the one I sat at - but didn't. A lady sits there, puts in $40 and proceeds to win $800 in about 5 minutes. She cashed that out - put in another $80 and won $250 in another 10 minutes. I did not fare that well on my machine. Oh well. Blessed that I had money in our Fun Money account to blow in my pursuit of big bucks. Spent the last of the fun money on Power Ball tickets along the journey home - and didn't win that either. Darn. Life changing would be lovely.
This morning, I was thinking 'why do you keep searching for something life changing'? The life I have is pretty darn awesome. But so would not working anymore. I could really get used to sleeping in every single morning and doing as much or as little as I please every day.
Just makes me prioritize 'pay off the house' at the top of the list. Or 'buy a smaller house that has a lower mortgage payment ASAP'.
For now, I head into the evening - going to pick up cupcakes and cheap Chinese for dinner. Tomorrow is the last official 'work day' off. My plans of 'I'll work a couple hours every day just to get caught up on some projects' hasn't happened. I've done the bare bones minimum.
It's been a lovely vacation. I'm planning another week off at the end of October! Can't wait!
Monday, September 16, 2013
Concordia
Not as exciting as a royal wedding....
But holy cow! What an amazing feat of engineering.
Below is a time lapsed video of what's happened today.
For now, go to live.reuters.com (no www. in front) and check out the videos of today's activities. It's as slow as watching grass grow but over the course of 10 hours, it's pretty amazing progress. Parbuckling works!
Once the sponsons (those are the boxes [tanks] on the side of the ship) are able to be filled with water, gravity will take over. Once the ship is upright, they will build another set of sponsons on the other side....which will help stabilize the ship and eventually help it float and be moved.
Pretty amazing!
But holy cow! What an amazing feat of engineering.
Below is a time lapsed video of what's happened today.
For now, go to live.reuters.com (no www. in front) and check out the videos of today's activities. It's as slow as watching grass grow but over the course of 10 hours, it's pretty amazing progress. Parbuckling works!
Once the sponsons (those are the boxes [tanks] on the side of the ship) are able to be filled with water, gravity will take over. Once the ship is upright, they will build another set of sponsons on the other side....which will help stabilize the ship and eventually help it float and be moved.
Pretty amazing!
Cirque
A new Cirque de Soleil show is coming to San Francisco in November - Amaluna.
Did I ever tell you that J. and I went to one of the very first Cirque de Soleil shows ever? Like Amaluna, it was in a tent in a parking lot. I was pregnant with B. at the time. The show was wild and crazy - and it 'hooked us' right away. I wasn't feeling particularly well at that point - and remember not really wanting to go. But it was worth the trek. You could feel it was the start of something big. Who could have known 23+ years later, their shows would be a staple of a visit to Vegas and watched for all over the country? Still so many we haven't seen and look forward to seeing.
I scored Goldstar discounted tickets to a performance of Amaluna the Tuesday evening of Thanksgiving week. My cooking confidence must be increasing 'cuz I'm not the least bit worried about wedging in a trip to the city midst all the shopping, chopping and prepping that goes into that week. It's also a good excuse to take M-T of that week off - so yeah! And I'm even thinking of making homemade pie this year, including a from-scratch crust. I can do it!
J. took my car to Costco for new tires. It's over five years old and while the 46,000 miles on the car haven't worn the tread much, the sides of the tires look pretty worn. Since I drive on the freeway a bit for meetings, better safe than sorry - so we're procuring four new tires today. Waited for the coupon. Yeah for Costco coupons!
Tonight, we see REO Speedwagon at The Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto. When I shared that at work last week, a bunch of people spontaneously broke into 'Can't Fight This Feeling' - including one person who used her cell phone as a 'lighter' and waved a bright light. I quickly loaded a flashlight app on my cell phone, too! Looking forward to a fun evening and wine in our sippy cups! Or maybe a Heineken. Equally delicious. We're having dinner somewhere, too....
I turned off the 'chime' on my phone so I won't hear every single email hit my In Box. It still 'buzzes' softly but it's easier to ignore the buzz vs. a chime. Psych!
I am getting pretty good at going back to sleep at 4:30 for another few hours - except the few hours is filled with the most bizarre dreams....some I remember. Some I remember just enough to feel 'uneasy' for a bit. Odd.
Last night's season finale of The Newsroom was absolutely perfect. Not often that television can bring me to tears - but it was a perfect ending to a great season and my only complaint is it's the shortest season ever! 10 episodes.....wishing HBO would produce double that. It's just so, so good.
Off to get dressed and work on my list of stuff to do whilst on vacation.
Lists never end.
Did I ever tell you that J. and I went to one of the very first Cirque de Soleil shows ever? Like Amaluna, it was in a tent in a parking lot. I was pregnant with B. at the time. The show was wild and crazy - and it 'hooked us' right away. I wasn't feeling particularly well at that point - and remember not really wanting to go. But it was worth the trek. You could feel it was the start of something big. Who could have known 23+ years later, their shows would be a staple of a visit to Vegas and watched for all over the country? Still so many we haven't seen and look forward to seeing.
I scored Goldstar discounted tickets to a performance of Amaluna the Tuesday evening of Thanksgiving week. My cooking confidence must be increasing 'cuz I'm not the least bit worried about wedging in a trip to the city midst all the shopping, chopping and prepping that goes into that week. It's also a good excuse to take M-T of that week off - so yeah! And I'm even thinking of making homemade pie this year, including a from-scratch crust. I can do it!
J. took my car to Costco for new tires. It's over five years old and while the 46,000 miles on the car haven't worn the tread much, the sides of the tires look pretty worn. Since I drive on the freeway a bit for meetings, better safe than sorry - so we're procuring four new tires today. Waited for the coupon. Yeah for Costco coupons!
Tonight, we see REO Speedwagon at The Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto. When I shared that at work last week, a bunch of people spontaneously broke into 'Can't Fight This Feeling' - including one person who used her cell phone as a 'lighter' and waved a bright light. I quickly loaded a flashlight app on my cell phone, too! Looking forward to a fun evening and wine in our sippy cups! Or maybe a Heineken. Equally delicious. We're having dinner somewhere, too....
I turned off the 'chime' on my phone so I won't hear every single email hit my In Box. It still 'buzzes' softly but it's easier to ignore the buzz vs. a chime. Psych!
I am getting pretty good at going back to sleep at 4:30 for another few hours - except the few hours is filled with the most bizarre dreams....some I remember. Some I remember just enough to feel 'uneasy' for a bit. Odd.
Last night's season finale of The Newsroom was absolutely perfect. Not often that television can bring me to tears - but it was a perfect ending to a great season and my only complaint is it's the shortest season ever! 10 episodes.....wishing HBO would produce double that. It's just so, so good.
Off to get dressed and work on my list of stuff to do whilst on vacation.
Lists never end.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Feeders
J. put up a couple hummingbird feeders in the backyard this week. I have seen a bunch of hummingbirds searching - they approach every wind chime hanging from the patio cover looking for nectar. I felt bad for them that the shiny things were attracting them but then didn't reward them for being so brave and approaching the house so closely.
I was ecstatic yesterday when I saw two hummingbirds at one of the new feeders! Yeah - success! Equally as ecstatic to enjoy leisurely time where noticing things like that is the reward for doing not too much of anything.
J. is at church this morning. H. is napping after a busy evening - he and J. went to Gallo Center for Lewis Black. Sounds like it was a great show. H. went out with friends to 'the beach' - a place in the Delta where young adults hang out. He got home late (early) and is now napping a bit. Mainly he's sleeping 'cuz his Mama reminded him that he has to work today and you can't do your best work on a conveyor assembly line if you aren't well rested.
I am catching up on cooking shows and balancing the check book. I hope to be showered and dressed by 10 this morning - a couple of hours ahead of yesterday. Will head outside to work in the yard a bit. We're working on cleaning out dead stuff from the ground and feeding all the plants as we head into Fall. I call it 'winterizing' 'cuz when Fall really gets here, it's too cold (and usually too wet) to do a lot outside.
We talked to B. yesterday. He's working really hard on keeping up with his bank balance and obligations. He called my work cell phone this week (which I always answer - even if I'm in a meeting - I just say 'excuse me, but my soldier is calling') to confirm that his car insurance had already come out. His balance was really low and he was worried that car insurance hadn't come out - which would mean he would need a short term cash flow loan. But, it was OK. His car insurance had been paid already. Yesterday, he called to confirm that he's spent a lot of money this weekend - there is a funeral there this week (a soldier who has been fighting to survive injuries he suffered five months ago) and B. was asked to be the soldier who checks in everyone who attends. That requires his dress uniform which needed cleaning ($50!) and also updating his pins and patches (another $25).
Then he had to order new boots for an upcoming activity - another $110. Yikes. And he had to pay his car payment to us. (His old car was in front of our house yesterday as the new owner visited her family across the street). It made my heart hurt a bit to see it there - just like when B. was here. I miss that kid.
J. applied for Social Security officially on Friday. The only 'regret' I have is that we could have collected SS for the past year or so - it isn't affected by his severance. Had we known that, we could have saved all that 'extra' money and used it to pay down the equity line - or something. Though J. reminds me that had we done that, it would have been at a reduced amount - the extra year of waiting is another $150 a month forever....so I guess there's that....
It's a complicated process. Next is his pensions. Then we await December when the only income we will have from him is those - or savings. We will both be 'paid' once a month - so cash flow will become something else to keep an eye on as the month progresses.
At least with H. working we are enjoying a decrease in 'outflow'. Well, sort of. He won't get paid until next week - so we've fronted him some cash to get him through the two weeks - he does need to grab a quick dinner and needs money for that. (He did pack a dinner the first couple nights - but once we said we would loan him $, he prefers to eat out - it's what people do, apparently).
OK - I've already missed my 10AM 'must be dressed by' deadline. Time to go!
I was ecstatic yesterday when I saw two hummingbirds at one of the new feeders! Yeah - success! Equally as ecstatic to enjoy leisurely time where noticing things like that is the reward for doing not too much of anything.
J. is at church this morning. H. is napping after a busy evening - he and J. went to Gallo Center for Lewis Black. Sounds like it was a great show. H. went out with friends to 'the beach' - a place in the Delta where young adults hang out. He got home late (early) and is now napping a bit. Mainly he's sleeping 'cuz his Mama reminded him that he has to work today and you can't do your best work on a conveyor assembly line if you aren't well rested.
I am catching up on cooking shows and balancing the check book. I hope to be showered and dressed by 10 this morning - a couple of hours ahead of yesterday. Will head outside to work in the yard a bit. We're working on cleaning out dead stuff from the ground and feeding all the plants as we head into Fall. I call it 'winterizing' 'cuz when Fall really gets here, it's too cold (and usually too wet) to do a lot outside.
We talked to B. yesterday. He's working really hard on keeping up with his bank balance and obligations. He called my work cell phone this week (which I always answer - even if I'm in a meeting - I just say 'excuse me, but my soldier is calling') to confirm that his car insurance had already come out. His balance was really low and he was worried that car insurance hadn't come out - which would mean he would need a short term cash flow loan. But, it was OK. His car insurance had been paid already. Yesterday, he called to confirm that he's spent a lot of money this weekend - there is a funeral there this week (a soldier who has been fighting to survive injuries he suffered five months ago) and B. was asked to be the soldier who checks in everyone who attends. That requires his dress uniform which needed cleaning ($50!) and also updating his pins and patches (another $25).
Then he had to order new boots for an upcoming activity - another $110. Yikes. And he had to pay his car payment to us. (His old car was in front of our house yesterday as the new owner visited her family across the street). It made my heart hurt a bit to see it there - just like when B. was here. I miss that kid.
J. applied for Social Security officially on Friday. The only 'regret' I have is that we could have collected SS for the past year or so - it isn't affected by his severance. Had we known that, we could have saved all that 'extra' money and used it to pay down the equity line - or something. Though J. reminds me that had we done that, it would have been at a reduced amount - the extra year of waiting is another $150 a month forever....so I guess there's that....
It's a complicated process. Next is his pensions. Then we await December when the only income we will have from him is those - or savings. We will both be 'paid' once a month - so cash flow will become something else to keep an eye on as the month progresses.
At least with H. working we are enjoying a decrease in 'outflow'. Well, sort of. He won't get paid until next week - so we've fronted him some cash to get him through the two weeks - he does need to grab a quick dinner and needs money for that. (He did pack a dinner the first couple nights - but once we said we would loan him $, he prefers to eat out - it's what people do, apparently).
OK - I've already missed my 10AM 'must be dressed by' deadline. Time to go!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
The Zoo
Re-watched (for the 4th time, I think) the most recent episode of Newsroom last night - entranced by the dialogue. Found myself totally smiling at a scene that resonated in my life at the moment. Mesmerized by the crafting of the words and the brilliance of the flow of the scene. I know you haven't seen it - but these are the things that brought a (much needed) smile to my face and giggle to my lips.
"....the unhappiest guy in the building is in charge of morale. We have gone to the ZOO!"
"Yes, but on the bright side...."
"There is no bright side, Father Flanagan! Don't finish that sentence!"
Between Charlie (the President of the news division) and Will (the anchor).....Will is the guy who appointed himself in charge of morale.
I particularly find glee in the 'there is no bright side, Father Flanagan'. Wow...ain't that the truth.
J. and I both re-watch the episodes over and over and I always find something new that I didn't pick up on the first (second, third) time through. It's fun to get lost in the characters - to root for them and care about them. And it's even more fun when suddenly, after a(nother) really long day, you hear words that just make you giggle. And smile. 'Cuz ain't that life sometimes?
Yes, truly. It is.
There is a bright side for me 'cuz today is my Friday - and I am officially off for ten days.
I am giddy. Feel slightly guilty at the pile of stuff I am leaving 'undone' at this point but I will never have a time when things are ever completely 'done'. If I keep waiting for that moment to take some time off, I will be dead. It's that simple.
I just have to step away.
"....the unhappiest guy in the building is in charge of morale. We have gone to the ZOO!"
"Yes, but on the bright side...."
"There is no bright side, Father Flanagan! Don't finish that sentence!"
Between Charlie (the President of the news division) and Will (the anchor).....Will is the guy who appointed himself in charge of morale.
I particularly find glee in the 'there is no bright side, Father Flanagan'. Wow...ain't that the truth.
J. and I both re-watch the episodes over and over and I always find something new that I didn't pick up on the first (second, third) time through. It's fun to get lost in the characters - to root for them and care about them. And it's even more fun when suddenly, after a(nother) really long day, you hear words that just make you giggle. And smile. 'Cuz ain't that life sometimes?
Yes, truly. It is.
There is a bright side for me 'cuz today is my Friday - and I am officially off for ten days.
I am giddy. Feel slightly guilty at the pile of stuff I am leaving 'undone' at this point but I will never have a time when things are ever completely 'done'. If I keep waiting for that moment to take some time off, I will be dead. It's that simple.
I just have to step away.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Boots
Morning! Happy Tuesday!
In an effort to put a more positive spin on things, I will not get snippy about the giant pair of black work boots left in the middle of the family room floor last night.
And you know why I won't get snippy?
'Cuz they were on the feet of Son #2 who went to work yesterday!! Yep! H. got a job at a produce plant here in town. He got called yesterday (there is a story about that call but I will not say anything except it's a miracle H. got the job given the call was disconnected and he had to call back and track down the person who phoned him) and started yesterday afternoon at 3PM! Until 12:30AM this morning.
I'm sure he is wiped out - it's hard work on a production line - but it's a job. They were very interested in his previous warehouse and forklift driving experience - so hopefully after he works 'the line' for a bit, they will move him to equipment. Trying to encourage him to work hard and stay positive 'cuz this is the new norm - you've got to start at the bottom and work your way up.
Here's hoping he makes the cut. I'm sure they weed out a lot of people 'cuz this place holds open houses twice a week and hires everyone who attends, from what we've heard.
And another positive twist: I am going to be off beginning this Friday until Monday, 9/23. I am missing a zillion meetings that I usually schedule around - but what the heck! I need a break and meetings can be missed. So I'm gonna!
It's 6:15AM and I am just heading to the shower 'cuz I am NOT going in at the crack of dawn this week. Board meeting tonight which makes for an incredibly long day just going in at a more 'normal' time...
I am excited about a break. I really need a break. A stay-cation will do wonders for my psyche, I hope.
In an effort to put a more positive spin on things, I will not get snippy about the giant pair of black work boots left in the middle of the family room floor last night.
And you know why I won't get snippy?
'Cuz they were on the feet of Son #2 who went to work yesterday!! Yep! H. got a job at a produce plant here in town. He got called yesterday (there is a story about that call but I will not say anything except it's a miracle H. got the job given the call was disconnected and he had to call back and track down the person who phoned him) and started yesterday afternoon at 3PM! Until 12:30AM this morning.
I'm sure he is wiped out - it's hard work on a production line - but it's a job. They were very interested in his previous warehouse and forklift driving experience - so hopefully after he works 'the line' for a bit, they will move him to equipment. Trying to encourage him to work hard and stay positive 'cuz this is the new norm - you've got to start at the bottom and work your way up.
Here's hoping he makes the cut. I'm sure they weed out a lot of people 'cuz this place holds open houses twice a week and hires everyone who attends, from what we've heard.
And another positive twist: I am going to be off beginning this Friday until Monday, 9/23. I am missing a zillion meetings that I usually schedule around - but what the heck! I need a break and meetings can be missed. So I'm gonna!
It's 6:15AM and I am just heading to the shower 'cuz I am NOT going in at the crack of dawn this week. Board meeting tonight which makes for an incredibly long day just going in at a more 'normal' time...
I am excited about a break. I really need a break. A stay-cation will do wonders for my psyche, I hope.
Friday, September 06, 2013
Ditziness
Could be age....could be exhaustion. Could be ordinary live intervenes busy-ness. But somehow, I managed to pay our mortgage twice this month. Yep! Realized it when I downloaded from our bank yesterday morning and there was ANOTHER payment for our house. Yikes!.
Then I had to call our new lender - no, not 'cuz the refinance is going through - the new lender that our current (now former) lender sold our loan to while we were trying to refi with our current (now former) lender - and realized that it is absolutely impossible to get through to a live person. I finally figured out that they had in fact acknowledged that now September AND October payments are made...so it's fine. When October gets here (before we know it), I will move that amount back into our savings account and we'll be good as new again.
We thought we were on the path to refinancing until we got decline letters (both of us - sent separately) last Friday. Came as news to us since we had been on the phone with the 'team' of people only two days before and nothings was mentioned.
J. is refusing to back down and is working with them again (still). It's ridiculous. Here's how stupid it is. We have a pool. When the pool was built, our loan was for $47K. (Yes, really. Cement ponds are very expensive). We now owe far less than $47K. Way less. However, when they underwrite our loan, they are using the $47K as the 'amount of obligation'. Doesn't matter that it is an installment loan - no open, available credit line to draw on. We will never 'borrow up' again - 'cuz it's for the water filled hole in our yard that we're not building again. Doesn't matter that what we actually owe the lender is LESS than that -
Take that same scenario for our equity line (a much higher 'former' limit - 'cuz we haven't been able to 'draw' anything for years as they zeroed out our 'available credit during the financial crisis years) and you can see the issue. Our ratios are being run using 'limits' that we will never reach again - and don't currently even owe.
There is no 'rational' to this process. It's like the mortgage industry botched it so badly in the past ten years, they just want to torture all of us with their stupid-ass criteria.
I was totally fine with saying OK, we're done for now. Had a backup plan all ready that involved waiting until January (new tax year) and taking a chunk of money from retirement savings and paying off the pool and equity line ourselves - then it's just a straight refinance of our primary mortgage....we just want a lower interest rate. But J. phoned them on Tuesday and the process is still 'in process'. They've re-opened our file and we'll see. I'm not convinced and at this point, I don't have any emotion left to invest in whatever happens. We'll figure it out - whatever it is.
J. gave his official notice to his former employer that he is retiring as of December 1st. That starts a chain of events that will involve a lot of paperwork and stuff to read and consider. He is filing for Social Security and his pensions as well so come December, we will have income. Less than his paychecks but still - we will be OK, I think.
Except for the adult son living here who must see an ATM machine every time he looks at us. He does a gazillion chores and the house is looking pretty spiffy these days - I just don't have income to sustain a $40 per day personal butler/assistant. Wish I did.
Hey, I do! His name is J. and he assists me in all things for free!!
I am heading to work super-duper early today 'cuz I still have massive amounts of board prep to finish and today is IT! Must be done by end of day today or else!
I hope to be done by early afternoon so I can come home. I want to sleep the entire weekend.
Really.
Then I had to call our new lender - no, not 'cuz the refinance is going through - the new lender that our current (now former) lender sold our loan to while we were trying to refi with our current (now former) lender - and realized that it is absolutely impossible to get through to a live person. I finally figured out that they had in fact acknowledged that now September AND October payments are made...so it's fine. When October gets here (before we know it), I will move that amount back into our savings account and we'll be good as new again.
We thought we were on the path to refinancing until we got decline letters (both of us - sent separately) last Friday. Came as news to us since we had been on the phone with the 'team' of people only two days before and nothings was mentioned.
J. is refusing to back down and is working with them again (still). It's ridiculous. Here's how stupid it is. We have a pool. When the pool was built, our loan was for $47K. (Yes, really. Cement ponds are very expensive). We now owe far less than $47K. Way less. However, when they underwrite our loan, they are using the $47K as the 'amount of obligation'. Doesn't matter that it is an installment loan - no open, available credit line to draw on. We will never 'borrow up' again - 'cuz it's for the water filled hole in our yard that we're not building again. Doesn't matter that what we actually owe the lender is LESS than that -
Take that same scenario for our equity line (a much higher 'former' limit - 'cuz we haven't been able to 'draw' anything for years as they zeroed out our 'available credit during the financial crisis years) and you can see the issue. Our ratios are being run using 'limits' that we will never reach again - and don't currently even owe.
There is no 'rational' to this process. It's like the mortgage industry botched it so badly in the past ten years, they just want to torture all of us with their stupid-ass criteria.
I was totally fine with saying OK, we're done for now. Had a backup plan all ready that involved waiting until January (new tax year) and taking a chunk of money from retirement savings and paying off the pool and equity line ourselves - then it's just a straight refinance of our primary mortgage....we just want a lower interest rate. But J. phoned them on Tuesday and the process is still 'in process'. They've re-opened our file and we'll see. I'm not convinced and at this point, I don't have any emotion left to invest in whatever happens. We'll figure it out - whatever it is.
J. gave his official notice to his former employer that he is retiring as of December 1st. That starts a chain of events that will involve a lot of paperwork and stuff to read and consider. He is filing for Social Security and his pensions as well so come December, we will have income. Less than his paychecks but still - we will be OK, I think.
Except for the adult son living here who must see an ATM machine every time he looks at us. He does a gazillion chores and the house is looking pretty spiffy these days - I just don't have income to sustain a $40 per day personal butler/assistant. Wish I did.
Hey, I do! His name is J. and he assists me in all things for free!!
I am heading to work super-duper early today 'cuz I still have massive amounts of board prep to finish and today is IT! Must be done by end of day today or else!
I hope to be done by early afternoon so I can come home. I want to sleep the entire weekend.
Really.
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
Emotional Rollercoasting
J. and I had 'word' on Monday - about something stupid. Actually, I had words. He just listens....he did apologize when he realized how upset I was. And it was sincere. We are both human - strong in our convictions. Getting old together isn't any less challenging than getting old(er) alone. I swear he doesn't communicate - he swears he does and I don't hear him.
The truth is somewhere in the middle.
I huffed off to work and sent him an email that basically said I felt totally disregarded....and that the night before, I had dreamed we weren't together anymore. Dreamed we went our separate ways at some point in the future. And it seemed like his 'actions' (which involved him leaving the house for a walk without telling me he was leaving) were leaning towards him operating as if I don't live here. Just doing his own thing - vs. being in a marriage where we consider each other and let each other know what we're doing.
And I said 'sometimes I think that's where we're headed - living apart'.
As soon as I pushed 'send', it hit me like a bolt of lightening - what if he wrote back saying 'I've been thinking the same thing...'? And then I proceeded to sob at my desk for a few minutes.
It actually felt really good to cry. I don't cry much anymore and sometimes, I think I need to. I've become a bit too adept at tamping down whatever stuff if festering and emotions aren't shown most of the time. I'm not sure that's really all that healthy for me sometimes - and the cry felt so damn good. I was sad at the thought of losing him and realized 'that can't happen. It just won't happen'.
It won't. I wrote back saying "I love you and I plan to be married to you for the rest of my life" and he wrote back "I would be nowhere without you".
We bicker sometimes but we are both committed to being committed. Even when sometimes, I should be committed. Menopause, demanding job, etc. - the man is a saint. Just saying.
Sometimes, I sit in my car in the driveway at the end of the day and sing as loud as I can whatever song has been resonating the most that day. There are so many - but some days, I just want to belt it out - in the car. The neighbors probably think I'm nuts.
I might sing it through a couple times before I put on my 'Honey, I'm home' face and head in.
We watched the movie Broadcast News where the female news producer would make herself cry every single day. I think I need to re-learn that skill. I had it down perfectly in my 20's and even my 30's. I need to revitalize the ability to just let it all out. BOOM! A good, cathartic cry every week or so would probably do wonders for my psyche. And I'd probably sleep better.
On a fun, mood lightening subject, B. actually Facetimed us yesterday for the very first time - so we got to SEE him while we chatted. That amazing smile made all the difference and we chatted away for many minutes. We are trying to convince him to Skype 'cuz we can do that on the iPad - but his computer is limping along barely holding together and he can't really do that on his computer right now. It was fantastic to see him -
Goodnight. Hope for sleep....
The truth is somewhere in the middle.
I huffed off to work and sent him an email that basically said I felt totally disregarded....and that the night before, I had dreamed we weren't together anymore. Dreamed we went our separate ways at some point in the future. And it seemed like his 'actions' (which involved him leaving the house for a walk without telling me he was leaving) were leaning towards him operating as if I don't live here. Just doing his own thing - vs. being in a marriage where we consider each other and let each other know what we're doing.
And I said 'sometimes I think that's where we're headed - living apart'.
As soon as I pushed 'send', it hit me like a bolt of lightening - what if he wrote back saying 'I've been thinking the same thing...'? And then I proceeded to sob at my desk for a few minutes.
It actually felt really good to cry. I don't cry much anymore and sometimes, I think I need to. I've become a bit too adept at tamping down whatever stuff if festering and emotions aren't shown most of the time. I'm not sure that's really all that healthy for me sometimes - and the cry felt so damn good. I was sad at the thought of losing him and realized 'that can't happen. It just won't happen'.
It won't. I wrote back saying "I love you and I plan to be married to you for the rest of my life" and he wrote back "I would be nowhere without you".
We bicker sometimes but we are both committed to being committed. Even when sometimes, I should be committed. Menopause, demanding job, etc. - the man is a saint. Just saying.
Sometimes, I sit in my car in the driveway at the end of the day and sing as loud as I can whatever song has been resonating the most that day. There are so many - but some days, I just want to belt it out - in the car. The neighbors probably think I'm nuts.
I might sing it through a couple times before I put on my 'Honey, I'm home' face and head in.
We watched the movie Broadcast News where the female news producer would make herself cry every single day. I think I need to re-learn that skill. I had it down perfectly in my 20's and even my 30's. I need to revitalize the ability to just let it all out. BOOM! A good, cathartic cry every week or so would probably do wonders for my psyche. And I'd probably sleep better.
On a fun, mood lightening subject, B. actually Facetimed us yesterday for the very first time - so we got to SEE him while we chatted. That amazing smile made all the difference and we chatted away for many minutes. We are trying to convince him to Skype 'cuz we can do that on the iPad - but his computer is limping along barely holding together and he can't really do that on his computer right now. It was fantastic to see him -
Goodnight. Hope for sleep....
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
Departures
H.'s friend heads back to Houston tomorrow. Today, the 'boys' are going to the Sacramento Zoo for the day. I'm glad they're getting out for a last day of fun. I think H. will be very sad when his friend heads home - we will just have to suggest a visit again soon. We don't know if/when his friend is planning to enlist (Air Force) so that will definitely be a factor. Maybe we can try to surprise H. with a ticket to Houston for Christmas.
Oh wait. He's getting a bologna sandwich 'cuz he's playing with his 'big' present right now.
That's right. He got up at 4AM this morning - and is playing video games in the family room.
I am heading into work momentarily loaded up with all kinds of stuff. Another birthday celebration this morning....it's sort of nice that we have a birthday in August, September, and October - and then another in late December (that we will likely celebrate when we get back from Winter Break). Gets 'em all done sort of 'in a row'.
I made Brown Sugar Oatmeal cookies 'cuz they seemed breakfast like. Delicious.
I worked yesterday and made progress - though I also discovered two goofs that will need to be fixed first thing this morning. Glad I checked yesterday but wish I had checked far earlier. Oh well. It's all fixable.
I did not sleep well for reasons unknown so will look forward to being uber-exhausted tonight. The only good thing about uber-exhausted is I will sleep more soundly. Pretty pathetic to look forward to being so tired, you feel 'drugged'...but at least it results in decent sleep for 4-5 hours in a row.
It's the 'in a row' that is key.
Oh wait. He's getting a bologna sandwich 'cuz he's playing with his 'big' present right now.
That's right. He got up at 4AM this morning - and is playing video games in the family room.
I am heading into work momentarily loaded up with all kinds of stuff. Another birthday celebration this morning....it's sort of nice that we have a birthday in August, September, and October - and then another in late December (that we will likely celebrate when we get back from Winter Break). Gets 'em all done sort of 'in a row'.
I made Brown Sugar Oatmeal cookies 'cuz they seemed breakfast like. Delicious.
I worked yesterday and made progress - though I also discovered two goofs that will need to be fixed first thing this morning. Glad I checked yesterday but wish I had checked far earlier. Oh well. It's all fixable.
I did not sleep well for reasons unknown so will look forward to being uber-exhausted tonight. The only good thing about uber-exhausted is I will sleep more soundly. Pretty pathetic to look forward to being so tired, you feel 'drugged'...but at least it results in decent sleep for 4-5 hours in a row.
It's the 'in a row' that is key.
Sunday, September 01, 2013
Words to Live By
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Phones
B. called late yesterday and talked to his dad about politics, etc.. Then he talks to me - and the conversation is stilted. I could 'question him' about a gazillion things to keep the conversation moving but the truth is: I don't know what to talk to him about. He is so homesick that I try to just keep it light and lively - vs. talking about stuff going on in the neighborhood, or at work. I don't know how to fill those gaps - the moments of silence that creep in - and I hear his heart hurting a bit as he realizes that we will be saying goodbye soon.
It's a constant struggle - 'cuz talking to us makes him miss us more.
I am just not good on the phone. I never have been. I can write letters easily - newsy, funny, entertaining....I'm good at writing. But on the spot phone conversation - I suck at it.
It bugs me.
I'm going to have to work on it more 'cuz I want him to call...and I want to talk to him.
I'm turning into the mother of sons that has nothing to say to them when they attempt to communicate and I don't want that pattern repeating in my life with my sons. It makes me so sad inside.
The boys (H. and his friend J.) ate close to two dozen Krispy Kremes LAST NIGHT - with/before/after dinner - yikes! I thought I'd have a dozen left for work but that's OK. I plan to make Brown Sugar Oatmeal cookies later today as a 'test'. We have another birthday to celebrate on Tuesday and I need to make a sweet to go with the breakfast burritos we will be getting from the taqueria for a breakfast celebration.
The 'spell-check' word suggested for taqueria is equestrian. LOL...
J. and I purchased the Latin American version of Rosetta Stone and we both have it on our computer. We take turns wearing the headset and microphone and work through the lessons. The early stages are super easy for me - so maybe the 4 years of high school Spanish and the two years of college Spanish did more for me than I realized? I still struggle with verb tense and so far, we are all in 'present tense' - but that's what's so interesting 'cuz it doesn't actually say that.
Example: La nina bebe. The girl drinks. You would never say that, right? You would say 'The girl is drinking'. Not 'the girl drinks'.
I hope we eventually get clarification on the tenses 'cuz that's what I need to most assistance in. I'm also going to start writing down the words as a 'vocabulary' refresher. It's easy to know the word for bicycle when it's one of three pictures and you know the word for the other two. But I need to have a way to 'review' vocab so I start to recall a lot of the words I learned in school but don't use too often.
In the mean time, it's fun and so far, I do like it. It uses pictures and makes you speak to correct pronunciation, etc. (Neither J. or I have any issues with pronunciation - except I've never been able to 'roll' my r's...but thankfully, it lets that pass in the score.
I've created a grocery list for J. so we can have two really great dinners this weekend - I do love having time to cook. It's a favorite activity and it's typically weekends that I have the time to do that. Tonight, we're having chili con queso, homemade refried beans, pollo asado (grilled on the BBQ!) and cookies for dessert. Tomorrow is grilled pork chops with mashed potatoes and blueberry cobbler for dessert.
Adios - hasta pronto!
It's a constant struggle - 'cuz talking to us makes him miss us more.
I am just not good on the phone. I never have been. I can write letters easily - newsy, funny, entertaining....I'm good at writing. But on the spot phone conversation - I suck at it.
It bugs me.
I'm going to have to work on it more 'cuz I want him to call...and I want to talk to him.
I'm turning into the mother of sons that has nothing to say to them when they attempt to communicate and I don't want that pattern repeating in my life with my sons. It makes me so sad inside.
The boys (H. and his friend J.) ate close to two dozen Krispy Kremes LAST NIGHT - with/before/after dinner - yikes! I thought I'd have a dozen left for work but that's OK. I plan to make Brown Sugar Oatmeal cookies later today as a 'test'. We have another birthday to celebrate on Tuesday and I need to make a sweet to go with the breakfast burritos we will be getting from the taqueria for a breakfast celebration.
The 'spell-check' word suggested for taqueria is equestrian. LOL...
J. and I purchased the Latin American version of Rosetta Stone and we both have it on our computer. We take turns wearing the headset and microphone and work through the lessons. The early stages are super easy for me - so maybe the 4 years of high school Spanish and the two years of college Spanish did more for me than I realized? I still struggle with verb tense and so far, we are all in 'present tense' - but that's what's so interesting 'cuz it doesn't actually say that.
Example: La nina bebe. The girl drinks. You would never say that, right? You would say 'The girl is drinking'. Not 'the girl drinks'.
I hope we eventually get clarification on the tenses 'cuz that's what I need to most assistance in. I'm also going to start writing down the words as a 'vocabulary' refresher. It's easy to know the word for bicycle when it's one of three pictures and you know the word for the other two. But I need to have a way to 'review' vocab so I start to recall a lot of the words I learned in school but don't use too often.
In the mean time, it's fun and so far, I do like it. It uses pictures and makes you speak to correct pronunciation, etc. (Neither J. or I have any issues with pronunciation - except I've never been able to 'roll' my r's...but thankfully, it lets that pass in the score.
I've created a grocery list for J. so we can have two really great dinners this weekend - I do love having time to cook. It's a favorite activity and it's typically weekends that I have the time to do that. Tonight, we're having chili con queso, homemade refried beans, pollo asado (grilled on the BBQ!) and cookies for dessert. Tomorrow is grilled pork chops with mashed potatoes and blueberry cobbler for dessert.
Adios - hasta pronto!
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Our cleaning lady D. is here today - she wears earbuds and chats on the phone while she works. She is the third cleaning 'person(s)'...
