Congratulations to Ron Wolf, former GM of the Packers, who made it into the NFL Hall of Fame!
Why do I care about that?
'Cuz his amazing daughter is my assistant, that's why!!
If the Packers had made it into the Super Bowl, she would have headed to Phoenix...but she sent me a low-key text just now to confirm he's in! Of course he's in! Never doubted it for a minute though she said it wasn't for sure until they let him know.
Yeah!
And congrats to her brother Eliot Wolf who was promoted to Director of Player Personnel over the holidays. And he just got engaged!
It's an exciting year for this family - and they are all so deserving of these honors. A stellar family - every one of them. And the one I work with every day is just amazing and I am so, so lucky to have her on my team! She is just tremendously great!!
J. is heading to San Leandro tomorrow to watch the game with both brothers (younger brother arrives here mid-day and then they will head to the East Bay). H. and I will hang out here and I plan to make finger foods and/or cheese and bread fondue for dinner. Snacky things.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Friday, January 30, 2015
Delights
Scandal started
again last night and I’d totally forgotten how amazing the ending was way, way
back BEFORE THANKSGIVING. Geez…two
months without. I watched the brief
memory refresh of the last episode as the new one started and danced to "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" (Stevie Wonder) like I did when I saw the cliff hanger in November.
November….wow.
Tempest fuget.
So I will be Olivia-like …..she talks really fast and just
keeps talking things through. Convincing
herself and others what needs to happen….what should happen…and why….I can’t
wait to watch tonight I started to watch last night but I knew if I did, I
would stay up way late to see it and then How
to Get Away With Murder comes on right after and I’d get sucked into that
and have an overwhelming urge to also try to simultaneously watch the Series
Ending of Parenthood so I just had to
give up and turn off the light and curl up and try to shut my brain off but it
wouldn’t shut off ‘cuz maybe I should have had some wine to urge me into sleep
but then I might wake up too fuzzy for a day of work but then again wine helps
with all things and the $2.50 wine from Trader Joe’s isn’t too bad all things
considered so I could drink wine more often since I’m not drinking the $22.75 a
bottle from ViSattui….
I could keep going all Olivia like….but I’m having a hard
time not punctuating.
Needless to say, I’m looking forward to tonight when I can
carefully and diligently catch up on the things recorded as we head into a
weekend.
J. and H. leave for Rome on Wednesday morning though they
leave the house Tuesday late-afternoon to head to SF to spend the night near
the airport. Early flights are much
easier if you don’t have to drive an hour plus to get to your ‘be there two
hours before your flight time’ so one of our other concessions to our age is to
arrange to spend the night on that side of the Bay.
This weekend, I plan to prep for the couple of days I will
be ‘alone’ and working. Grateful it’s
just Wednesday and Thursday (I took Friday off to turn a three day weekend into
a four day weekend). Will prep veggies
(carrots and celery) to easily pack; buy some sliced ham or turkey to easily
just grab some meat and cheese slices to nosh on. Yogurts, fruit, V-8, maybe a treat of a
Stouffers Escalloped Chicken and Noodles (my all time favorite go-to comfort
food that is hard to find and too expensive to actually feed a family – which
is totally fine ‘cuz the boys never liked it.
They see a mushroom? And the dish is crossed off the list of things they
will eat forever).
We are in the details of finishing up the house refinance
which truly has been a pleasure and so relatively painless (all things
considered). Thanks to hubby who stays
in touch and gets everything needed into the DropBox upon request. We are (fingers crossed) hoping we may be
able to actually sign this Tuesday before he departs for Rome and close
sometime later next week. Will be a real
blessing to have this done – and the house appraised for enough to roll BOTH
the pool and the equity line into the mortgage.
It was a teeny bit short on what was needed but we said we would scrape
together the difference just to get this done.
It’s cutting the interest rate on our existing mortgage down a full
point and cutting the interest rate on our pool in half. The equity line is about the same rate – but
it’s adjustable so it will be great to know it’s protected against any
economics that result in interest rates going up. I keep telling J. ‘I won’t believe it until
I’m sitting in the office signing a bajillion documents’…but it’s looking
pretty good. For a few months, we’ll pay
the difference between the old and new payment on the flooring bill – ‘cuz
since we had to come up with a little extra to roll everything in, we aren’t
paying off the floors right now – we’ll use the no interest financing as long
as we can and pay it off just before interest would begin to accrue.
I have a terribly crazy week ahead next week which includes tons of meetings and out of the offices along with board prep - yes, again. The late January meeting makes the February regular 2nd Tuesday of the month meeting come around again pretty quickly. It will be busy for sure - and two of those days, I will be wedging in getting home mid-day to give Chloe a break. It's been a really long time since she's been kenneled during the day much...so this will be a huge change for her. I am determined to take her for walks morning and evening - and hopefully can train her a bit to chill the heck out at the sight of her harness and leash. That's the most challenging part of the 'take her for a walk' plan - she goes nuts when she knows there's a walk in the works. Jumps around like a crazy dog.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Warm Heart
Happy birthday bro. I admire your passion and dedication towards everything you set to achieve and you inspire me to be the best man I can be. Love ya bud, cheersSeeing this on Facebook from younger brother to older brother on older brother's 24th birthday warmed my heart. For all their bickering and bluster towards each other (at times), they have a forever bond and do, truly like and love each other.
I see this and think 'we've done a couple things pretty damn well'.
They are my heart - the two of them plus their dad, of course.
Happy 24th anniversary of the day I became a mom and happy birthday to my first born.
It's going to be a beautiful day - in every way but the weather. And B. had snow in El Paso - enough to force the Army to cancel his unit's planned maneuvers and give them a couple unexpected days off.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Plan On
Feeling more and more like I'm back on track after a Winter hibernation, this arrived in my work In box attached to a retirement flyer. Perfect for the day when I gave my assistant a pep talk about tackling one thing at a time and not letting the sheer magnitude of the list of things to do be overwhelming. Write things down as they come up, prioritize based on date due (or who it's for - our boss gets things right away regardless of other more pressing items) and just move forward.
It's easy to let it all feel/be overwhelming - I've been there. But I've learned it's just best to keep up with keeping up - lists are my friend - and just plug away. Make solid, repetitive, concerted effort for the majority of the day and little by little, things get crossed off the list.
I also take deep breaths and align my chakras periodically when I feel overwhelmed and that helps, too. Stand up straight, shoulders back, hands up over my head prayerfully and a huge stretch. It works!! Shakes off the muddled mind cobwebs and helps me refocus and get back to it -
It was also fortuitous to find this given J. spent the day in San Francisco meeting with our financial planner. He (financial planner) doesn't understand why I haven't retired yet - I think he's delirious. No one on the planet has crunched those numbers more than I have - and with a house payment, it's not feasible. We don't have an amount equivalent to another house payment to pay out of pocket for health care - and we sure can't live without that. And yes, we've looked into the Affordable Care Act offerings on the California website - and the plans we could get through that are comparable in pricing to the insurance I would have through my (former) employer if I retire. So no savings there.
It's OK. At least for today. J. knows I will be frantic at some point in the not-too-distant future that I can't keep doing this - it's been happening periodically since he retired. But I will snap out of it - and have this card posted on the tack board above my desk. A reminder to keep planning and stay calm. Things will work out. I'm sure of it.
We had SUN today! It was lovely. Our office was actually warm enough to open the doors and windows a bit - which necessitated some of us delayering a bit to be comfortable.
Busy two days ahead - meetings booked solid with other things wedged in between. Weekend work is coming up. I haven't worked a weekend since June so I'm 'due'.
Here Comes the Sun
There was briefly sun yesterday and my friend (in another building) called and said 'go outside!'. We spent a few minutes just basking in the glow of the first sun we've seen in at least a week. It was lovely!
I have no idea what today's supposed to be like - it's still pitch black outside so I can't see a thing.
Board meeting day post three day weekend is really hard - and we all shuddered to realize we have the same predicament next month. Love the Monday's off but a long board meeting day after a three day weekend is almost physically painful. I survived - and am very glad it's Wednesday and after today, the week will be more than half over.
Plenty to do.
My horoscope yesterday:
And, the Independent Spirit Award goes to…you, Gemini! This week, liberation floods your forecast. You are so ready to shake it off and leave any heavy, obligatory energy from early January behind you. It begins on Tuesday, when sun blazes into Aquarius and your worldly, optimistic ninth house until February 18. If you’ve been hanging on to hope with little reward, you’ll drop that MO like a bad habit. Why limit yourself to a depressing fate, when the world is so full of options? Your wide-angle lens on life is restored, and the view is filled with promise and possibilities. Put your feelers out there, whether you’re casting for a new love interest or career leads. With the amazing network of people you know, it won’t be long before someone hooks you up. Tuesday’s new moon in Aquarius could usher in exciting news from afar. Check that passport, and pull your luggage out of storage. You could be traveling internationally — or at least a significant distance from home — before the winter is through. Long-distance opportunities percolate with promise. So, you live in NYC and your heart lies in London? Don’t be so quick to write it off as unworkable.
It fits 'cuz yesterday did feel like I'm finally shaking off the long winter blahs I've had - got back into making lists, delegating things like crazy, planning future project....it's soon to be Spring and it's the busiest time of the year in my world so let's get into it. I can hear the Home Depot guy - those commercials where he lists the things you CAN do....like a cheerleader.
Let's do this!
I have no idea what today's supposed to be like - it's still pitch black outside so I can't see a thing.
Board meeting day post three day weekend is really hard - and we all shuddered to realize we have the same predicament next month. Love the Monday's off but a long board meeting day after a three day weekend is almost physically painful. I survived - and am very glad it's Wednesday and after today, the week will be more than half over.
Plenty to do.
My horoscope yesterday:
And, the Independent Spirit Award goes to…you, Gemini! This week, liberation floods your forecast. You are so ready to shake it off and leave any heavy, obligatory energy from early January behind you. It begins on Tuesday, when sun blazes into Aquarius and your worldly, optimistic ninth house until February 18. If you’ve been hanging on to hope with little reward, you’ll drop that MO like a bad habit. Why limit yourself to a depressing fate, when the world is so full of options? Your wide-angle lens on life is restored, and the view is filled with promise and possibilities. Put your feelers out there, whether you’re casting for a new love interest or career leads. With the amazing network of people you know, it won’t be long before someone hooks you up. Tuesday’s new moon in Aquarius could usher in exciting news from afar. Check that passport, and pull your luggage out of storage. You could be traveling internationally — or at least a significant distance from home — before the winter is through. Long-distance opportunities percolate with promise. So, you live in NYC and your heart lies in London? Don’t be so quick to write it off as unworkable.
It fits 'cuz yesterday did feel like I'm finally shaking off the long winter blahs I've had - got back into making lists, delegating things like crazy, planning future project....it's soon to be Spring and it's the busiest time of the year in my world so let's get into it. I can hear the Home Depot guy - those commercials where he lists the things you CAN do....like a cheerleader.
Let's do this!
Monday, January 19, 2015
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
I returned victorious from Jackson at 12:30AM this morning. I did not win 'quit my job' huge but I did more than double what I took to lose and that feels great! And I had a great time - arrived at 2:30PM and departed at 11PM. There was a slot tournament event as well yesterday - I read about it before deciding to go up - but figured the likelihood of me earning enough points to qualify given the little amount I was taking to play with weren't good. But I DID win and played enough to earn not one but five entries into the tournament. Killed about an hour playing those (have to wait in line each time) and made my arms sore - you hit the play button over and over while simultaneously watching for balloons to pop up on the screen - you pop those by touching the screen with your other hand. I didn't place - but I had to stay until 11PM to know I didn't place.
I hit an $850 jackpot earlier in the afternoon and was pretty far ahead. Lost a little putting some back in the Titanic. At 9:30PM, I got my car out of valet parking (free!) and charged my phone a bit. Parked in a space near the top so I could call J. to tell him that either I drive back on Saturday (you have a week to 'claim' the tournament prizes - which are not published anywhere) or stay until 11. Decided I would stay to find out.
I had $2 on my points - so I used that in a slot machine near the tournament area. First spin - 50 cents and I won 12 free games. That got me up to $14 and then $8 into that, I hit $65, Played that for awhile then took the $30 and went to play my new favorite 88 Fortune machine (the one I won on earlier that day). Didn't win big but won enough to keep going for awhile. Finally, it was 11 and I went to see if I won - and the boards weren't up - they'd already switched the machines back to 'regular' machines. So I had to wait in line at the player's booth to find out - and I didn't win the tourney - but had fun trying. My arms were tired and it felt like a workout in the 4th and 5th rounds.
I enjoyed my VIP status - the buffet was 1/2 off (and will be for the next six months, at least). I did visit the 'high roller' lounge which I'm now eligible to play in - but it didn't have many machines and the minimums were (obviously) higher - I wasn't interested. Tried $20 in one of the 2 cent machines in there but didn't win a thing.
It was a nice day and glad to have returned with money above what I took to lose - that gives me the emotional 'ok' to attend some of the upcoming VIP events in a couple weeks! Something to look forward to!
The drive home was foggy and had a few white knuckle moments - coming into Tracy, the fog was so thick, I couldn't see the freeway exits. At one point, the freeway lane indicators were all I could see and it felt like I was flying - nothing visible but the signs for a bit. It was disorienting and I was glad to finally locate the exit and be on the downhill stretch of the drive for home. Foggy!
Chloe was confused when I arrived home. I thought she would stay asleep in her kennel but I heard her doing her 'stand up and shake' wake up routine. Took her out then came back in. I took my nightly meds, counted my money, and locked up the house. (The only door locked when I arrived was the sliding door. Front door unlocked. Grrr.) She headed to her food dishes - 'cuz that's our morning routine - and I said 'time for bed'. She tilted her little head to one side quizzically but then dutifully trotted back to her kennel to burrow in for the (rest of) the night.
OK - today, I am hoping to cook up a storm. Butternut squash soup and some roasted butternut squash and beets. (Produce bounty from our farm delivery). Also thinking I will try to toast the seeds with a little sea salt on them - hear they are like pumpkin seeds.
It's overcast and gloomy again today - day seven, I think. Had a brief glimmer of sun in Jackson upon arrival which was nice to see - to confirm it does still exist. There is no evidence of that here in Tracy. Hasn't been for days. Not helping my Vitamin D deficiency on bit.
I hit an $850 jackpot earlier in the afternoon and was pretty far ahead. Lost a little putting some back in the Titanic. At 9:30PM, I got my car out of valet parking (free!) and charged my phone a bit. Parked in a space near the top so I could call J. to tell him that either I drive back on Saturday (you have a week to 'claim' the tournament prizes - which are not published anywhere) or stay until 11. Decided I would stay to find out.
I had $2 on my points - so I used that in a slot machine near the tournament area. First spin - 50 cents and I won 12 free games. That got me up to $14 and then $8 into that, I hit $65, Played that for awhile then took the $30 and went to play my new favorite 88 Fortune machine (the one I won on earlier that day). Didn't win big but won enough to keep going for awhile. Finally, it was 11 and I went to see if I won - and the boards weren't up - they'd already switched the machines back to 'regular' machines. So I had to wait in line at the player's booth to find out - and I didn't win the tourney - but had fun trying. My arms were tired and it felt like a workout in the 4th and 5th rounds.
I enjoyed my VIP status - the buffet was 1/2 off (and will be for the next six months, at least). I did visit the 'high roller' lounge which I'm now eligible to play in - but it didn't have many machines and the minimums were (obviously) higher - I wasn't interested. Tried $20 in one of the 2 cent machines in there but didn't win a thing.
It was a nice day and glad to have returned with money above what I took to lose - that gives me the emotional 'ok' to attend some of the upcoming VIP events in a couple weeks! Something to look forward to!
The drive home was foggy and had a few white knuckle moments - coming into Tracy, the fog was so thick, I couldn't see the freeway exits. At one point, the freeway lane indicators were all I could see and it felt like I was flying - nothing visible but the signs for a bit. It was disorienting and I was glad to finally locate the exit and be on the downhill stretch of the drive for home. Foggy!
Chloe was confused when I arrived home. I thought she would stay asleep in her kennel but I heard her doing her 'stand up and shake' wake up routine. Took her out then came back in. I took my nightly meds, counted my money, and locked up the house. (The only door locked when I arrived was the sliding door. Front door unlocked. Grrr.) She headed to her food dishes - 'cuz that's our morning routine - and I said 'time for bed'. She tilted her little head to one side quizzically but then dutifully trotted back to her kennel to burrow in for the (rest of) the night.
OK - today, I am hoping to cook up a storm. Butternut squash soup and some roasted butternut squash and beets. (Produce bounty from our farm delivery). Also thinking I will try to toast the seeds with a little sea salt on them - hear they are like pumpkin seeds.
It's overcast and gloomy again today - day seven, I think. Had a brief glimmer of sun in Jackson upon arrival which was nice to see - to confirm it does still exist. There is no evidence of that here in Tracy. Hasn't been for days. Not helping my Vitamin D deficiency on bit.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Anomalies
Is it wrong that I just chugged a substantial 'sip' of wine and it's only 9:35AM on Sunday morning? It was leftover from last night and it was the 'good stuff' - which cannot go to waste. And suddenly, I can turn the heat down 'cuz I feel warm from the inside out. Maybe I've solved a world issue - use less oil for heating and drink wine instead!?
If the leftover wine had been the $2.50 Chuck ($2 Chuck has been a victim of inflation, sadly) I procured at Trader Joe's last weekend, I probably wouldn't have considered drinking it. But a $15/bottle Gamay Rouge? I'm not letting it go to waste.
I was surprised to see it still here by my desk this morning 'cuz if H. had seen it, he would have consumed it. (I want to use the past tense for 'drink' at the end of that sentence but it looks wrong and I always am reluctant with that verb so I will use a synonym instead). And I don't want to spend time looking up the tenses for 'to drink'.
I did look up how to spell anomalies, though.
H. is a big fan of our Gamay Rouge - I appreciate that he's got a sense of 'good wine vs. bad wine'....but on our nickel, he doesn't get treated to the good wine that often. Come to think of it, we are running low on that vintage and there's no money in our budget at the moment for another case.
How wrong would it be to pencil in a 'wine budget' monthly? Is that too pretentious?
I reminded myself this morning that the months where we didn't stick to our budget as closely as we'd hoped (there was a sale on K-Cups so I splurged and ordered a bunch - it's the coffee that got J. interested in coffee [Green Mountain Sumatran Reserve] and we haven't had it in a long time) - all that 'overspending' situation means is we put less in discretionary savings that month. And considering our incoming budget has been greatly reduced for quite awhile now with J. being officially retired, the fact that we have ANY discretionary savings is something I should be proud of. Instead of stressing myself out that we were 'over budget' a bit, I should just let it go and think of it as 'we didn't quite reach our savings goal this month'. 'Cuz that's what's really happening.
(I may have just convinced myself to order a case of Gamay Rouge).
Most mornings, I know H. is home by the volume of dishes in the sink. I'm fine with it 'cuz I give the kid extra credit for being completely happy with leftovers. He comes home when he gets home and raids the refrigerator and last night, two containers of something were consumed. He is the only child of ours who will eat leftovers - B. won't consider it under any circumstances - and I'm happy he will. I think it's born of necessity - B. will cook for himself but H. is reluctant to do the same - so survival requires he eat what's available that he can reheat easily.
I could also know he's home by the King Cobra Malt Liquor bottles I find in recycling some mornings. The reviews on that particular beverage say it's horrible but it's cheap and does the job.
I try not to judge. It's hard. But I try.
H. went to Santa Cruz with friends yesterday and had a good time. Surprised they wanted to go when Tracy has been socked in under clouds since Tuesday - and still again today, darn it! - 'cuz the coast will almost certainly be a foggy mess if we are. But they went and had fun so it's all good.
Today, I'm heading up to Jackson for the afternoon. Carefully creating budget by saving leftover lunch money (I used not a single dime of my weekly allowance last week - bringing breakfast and lunch to work and making my iced teas - all with J.'s help, of course!). And a little out of savings 'cuz it is my entertainment. Yesterday, a bunch of invites arrived from the casino including a 'reception' for the new VIP players - and another event that I'd like to wedge in - we'll see how that plays out. They are all on 'weeknights' which makes a 3 hour round-trip drive more of a challenge - but it might be do-able. I told J. 'I will probably only be a VIP for the next six months - so I just want to enjoy it a little bit'.
Though I might win big again today and have another six months of fun ahead. It's all about the possibilities.
And the best part of this lazy Sunday morning is that tomorrow is another day off! The sleeping in is lovely -
If the leftover wine had been the $2.50 Chuck ($2 Chuck has been a victim of inflation, sadly) I procured at Trader Joe's last weekend, I probably wouldn't have considered drinking it. But a $15/bottle Gamay Rouge? I'm not letting it go to waste.
I was surprised to see it still here by my desk this morning 'cuz if H. had seen it, he would have consumed it. (I want to use the past tense for 'drink' at the end of that sentence but it looks wrong and I always am reluctant with that verb so I will use a synonym instead). And I don't want to spend time looking up the tenses for 'to drink'.
I did look up how to spell anomalies, though.
H. is a big fan of our Gamay Rouge - I appreciate that he's got a sense of 'good wine vs. bad wine'....but on our nickel, he doesn't get treated to the good wine that often. Come to think of it, we are running low on that vintage and there's no money in our budget at the moment for another case.
How wrong would it be to pencil in a 'wine budget' monthly? Is that too pretentious?
I reminded myself this morning that the months where we didn't stick to our budget as closely as we'd hoped (there was a sale on K-Cups so I splurged and ordered a bunch - it's the coffee that got J. interested in coffee [Green Mountain Sumatran Reserve] and we haven't had it in a long time) - all that 'overspending' situation means is we put less in discretionary savings that month. And considering our incoming budget has been greatly reduced for quite awhile now with J. being officially retired, the fact that we have ANY discretionary savings is something I should be proud of. Instead of stressing myself out that we were 'over budget' a bit, I should just let it go and think of it as 'we didn't quite reach our savings goal this month'. 'Cuz that's what's really happening.
(I may have just convinced myself to order a case of Gamay Rouge).
Most mornings, I know H. is home by the volume of dishes in the sink. I'm fine with it 'cuz I give the kid extra credit for being completely happy with leftovers. He comes home when he gets home and raids the refrigerator and last night, two containers of something were consumed. He is the only child of ours who will eat leftovers - B. won't consider it under any circumstances - and I'm happy he will. I think it's born of necessity - B. will cook for himself but H. is reluctant to do the same - so survival requires he eat what's available that he can reheat easily.
I could also know he's home by the King Cobra Malt Liquor bottles I find in recycling some mornings. The reviews on that particular beverage say it's horrible but it's cheap and does the job.
I try not to judge. It's hard. But I try.
H. went to Santa Cruz with friends yesterday and had a good time. Surprised they wanted to go when Tracy has been socked in under clouds since Tuesday - and still again today, darn it! - 'cuz the coast will almost certainly be a foggy mess if we are. But they went and had fun so it's all good.
Today, I'm heading up to Jackson for the afternoon. Carefully creating budget by saving leftover lunch money (I used not a single dime of my weekly allowance last week - bringing breakfast and lunch to work and making my iced teas - all with J.'s help, of course!). And a little out of savings 'cuz it is my entertainment. Yesterday, a bunch of invites arrived from the casino including a 'reception' for the new VIP players - and another event that I'd like to wedge in - we'll see how that plays out. They are all on 'weeknights' which makes a 3 hour round-trip drive more of a challenge - but it might be do-able. I told J. 'I will probably only be a VIP for the next six months - so I just want to enjoy it a little bit'.
Though I might win big again today and have another six months of fun ahead. It's all about the possibilities.
And the best part of this lazy Sunday morning is that tomorrow is another day off! The sleeping in is lovely -
Friday, January 16, 2015
Snakes
We have pigeons living/nesting/mating and assorted other activities under the solar panels on our roof. Not noticeable except for the constant cooing (is that what pigeons do? I don't know the technical term for it - I call it 'pigeons getting it on on our roof'. Bow-chick-a-bow-wow. Constantly. Like rabbits).
J. has contacted multiple vendors purporting to be skilled in dealing with pigeons. We're finding their level of expertise is a pretty broad range of skills. I'm not really confident (nor is J.) that anyone will effectively resolve the issue long-term and I'm not proposing eradicating them in any way that will harm them. I want them to go do their business (all their businesses) somewhere else and never return but don't feel compelled to end their existence.
Their nests are constantly raided by the blue jays that live in our trees and we have a variety of egg splats on our patio cover. It's not easy to get gross egg goo off a patio cover.
Should be easy to scare them away. Then clean up as much as possible under the panels. Then put something up to prevent them from going back under the panels again.
J. took to Facebook this morning and one suggestion was 'throw a bunch of rubber snakes up there and they will leave and not come back'.
So I Googled 'rubber snakes' and holy cow! There's a HUGE variety - and they are not inexpensive. Do we have to get snakes the pigeons in our area will recognize as 'scary'? If we get the brightly colored fake snakes from all over the world (which are $15-20 each and definitely stick out with all the crazy colors and patterns), will they be afraid? Or will the $3.99 each coiled what looks to be common garter snake work? Are pigeons smart enough to know what kind of snakes stand a chance of traversing across the ground, up the side of a two story house and slithering across shingle roof? Probably not 'cuz if it works, the pigeons will be too dumb to notice the snake never moves and has stayed their virtually forever.
So this weekend's activities will include 'shopping for snakes'. I need a few other things at Target so we'll check out the toy department.
Three day weekend approaching! Though I got my mojo back today and am now so motivated to work on things at my office, I'm tempted to work tomorrow just to keep the momentum going. I doubt I will work tomorrow - but Monday for a few hours could happen.
Today was day 4 of dense fog - yesterday was especially bad and I drove to Sacramento for a workshop in the afternoon with my boss. He offered to drive but being a passenger with him driving would be far harder on me than driving in fog. Thankfully, it wasn't so dense you couldn't see cars in front or behind you - but it was thick enough that you couldn't see any landmarks or landscapes around you - leaving me feeling disoriented.
The workshop was good; the drive to/from was enjoyable AND we had a nice lunch at a favorite Chinese place in Stockton on the way up. Nice day and we transacted a ton of stuff during the drive -which is why I think I'm now ready to jump in and tackle some really huge projects. Amazing how just talking things through leads to clarity.
I didn't spend a dime of my weekly allowance this week - and combined with what I've saved before from lunch money plus a little from savings (a really little), I am heading to Jackson on Sunday for a quick visit. My player status changed as a result of my playing the last six months - you win, then you play - so I can't wait to get 'upgraded'. I can visit the High Roller lounge - where I won't be able to afford to actually play but I can see what it's like. I know it's stupid. But it amuses me.
It's my 'golf' and my husband is so sweet to indulge me.
Three days of sleeping in - and shopping - and gambling. What's not to love about these weekend plans?
J. has contacted multiple vendors purporting to be skilled in dealing with pigeons. We're finding their level of expertise is a pretty broad range of skills. I'm not really confident (nor is J.) that anyone will effectively resolve the issue long-term and I'm not proposing eradicating them in any way that will harm them. I want them to go do their business (all their businesses) somewhere else and never return but don't feel compelled to end their existence.
Their nests are constantly raided by the blue jays that live in our trees and we have a variety of egg splats on our patio cover. It's not easy to get gross egg goo off a patio cover.
Should be easy to scare them away. Then clean up as much as possible under the panels. Then put something up to prevent them from going back under the panels again.
J. took to Facebook this morning and one suggestion was 'throw a bunch of rubber snakes up there and they will leave and not come back'.
So I Googled 'rubber snakes' and holy cow! There's a HUGE variety - and they are not inexpensive. Do we have to get snakes the pigeons in our area will recognize as 'scary'? If we get the brightly colored fake snakes from all over the world (which are $15-20 each and definitely stick out with all the crazy colors and patterns), will they be afraid? Or will the $3.99 each coiled what looks to be common garter snake work? Are pigeons smart enough to know what kind of snakes stand a chance of traversing across the ground, up the side of a two story house and slithering across shingle roof? Probably not 'cuz if it works, the pigeons will be too dumb to notice the snake never moves and has stayed their virtually forever.
So this weekend's activities will include 'shopping for snakes'. I need a few other things at Target so we'll check out the toy department.
Three day weekend approaching! Though I got my mojo back today and am now so motivated to work on things at my office, I'm tempted to work tomorrow just to keep the momentum going. I doubt I will work tomorrow - but Monday for a few hours could happen.
Today was day 4 of dense fog - yesterday was especially bad and I drove to Sacramento for a workshop in the afternoon with my boss. He offered to drive but being a passenger with him driving would be far harder on me than driving in fog. Thankfully, it wasn't so dense you couldn't see cars in front or behind you - but it was thick enough that you couldn't see any landmarks or landscapes around you - leaving me feeling disoriented.
The workshop was good; the drive to/from was enjoyable AND we had a nice lunch at a favorite Chinese place in Stockton on the way up. Nice day and we transacted a ton of stuff during the drive -which is why I think I'm now ready to jump in and tackle some really huge projects. Amazing how just talking things through leads to clarity.
I didn't spend a dime of my weekly allowance this week - and combined with what I've saved before from lunch money plus a little from savings (a really little), I am heading to Jackson on Sunday for a quick visit. My player status changed as a result of my playing the last six months - you win, then you play - so I can't wait to get 'upgraded'. I can visit the High Roller lounge - where I won't be able to afford to actually play but I can see what it's like. I know it's stupid. But it amuses me.
It's my 'golf' and my husband is so sweet to indulge me.
Three days of sleeping in - and shopping - and gambling. What's not to love about these weekend plans?
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Tule
After days of the clearest, bright (though very cold) mornings, this morning dawned with Tule fog. Of course! on the day I have to drive to the County Office of Ed for an 8:30 meeting.
I was up very early today and in my office just after 6:30AM and the 1.7 mile drive from our house to my office in the pitch black fog was the hardest. I couldn't see the road; couldn't see parked cars on the side; prayed everyone was using headlights; prayed walkers and runners were wearing something reflective and/or lights to be sure they could be seen. It was a scary 4 minutes and it made me so nervous. Luckily, I left the office for my meeting after the sun was 'up' (not visible but at least it was light outside) so the fog wasn't as hard to navigate. Still a little stressful but at least it wasn't as hard as it was in the pitch black.
Thankfully, fog doesn't happen too often and it usually burns off by noon. Today, it's been gray and gloomy the entire day - and cold.
Work was great today - we're getting back in the groove after the Winter Break. So much to do! Feels good to feel some momentum building and there's some real energy in the air. It's still hard for all of us to be using alarm clocks to wake up but we're getting back into our 'routine'.
H. posted on Facebook that he is loving going dirt bike riding and he wants his own bike. I've learned a thing or two about your kid's posts on Facebook - DO NOT POST COMMENTS. If he says something on Facebook that I want to talk to him about, I will usually send a message. If I comment, he will usually delete the post or call me to say 'delete what you just said'. So I just private message him on Facebook and and say 'no, you will not have a dirt bike' and 'it will be a good incentive for you: find a good job [resisting the urge to add the words 'and keep' after find]; move out and buy a bike and a trailer and a nice truck to tow it with - on your own. Your money'. He wrote back and said 'yeah, you're right'.
Yes, I am. I told him he got away with the tattoo by the skin of his teeth but absolutely no dirt bikes allowed. Move out. Then you can get one.
Mean Mom. That's me.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Queasier
Sunday night found me in the bathroom more than not...over and over and over. It was miserable. Monday morning arrived way too quickly. I slept in until after 6 - very late for me and that's saying something 'cuz I have moved my wake up time a full hour (later) in the last month already. I wrestled with 'I can make it'; 'no, I can't'; 'yes, I can'. 'No, I can't' won the day - and I stayed home yesterday. Too late for the 'call-in' to the robot line to report my absence (even though my job doesn't require a substitute, it still won't allow me to 'record an absence' after 6AM) which necessitated a lot of emails to various people to be sure they knew I would be out and to ensure the absence was recorded against my sick time.
Maybe it's a sign of my advancing age but I have quite a bit of sick time available and it's starting to occur to me 'use it'. Why go in feeling punky and miserable from some stomach bug when sick time is there to assist?
And I am no sloucher. When I call in sick, I am sick. I retired to my bed, watched some Good Wife videos on the iPad and pretty much slept most of the day. Woke up with a huge start at 10:30AM thinking I was hearing our dog crying out over and over - pictured her in the pool drowning - raced (as fast as I could given my condition and that no one races down our new laminate stairs anymore - they are slicker than slick and still hard to navigate) downstairs to find J. had replaced (FINALLY!) the gasket on the pool filter and the tightening of the cover back onto the filter sounded like the dog. Geez! I made myself some toast with the thinnest coat of almond butter and some honey and a cup of hot tea. Went back to bed and slept until after 4. I did help get dinner ready, dared to eat and stayed up for a bit. Then went back to bed and slept all night.
My body needed that rest.
This morning, I felt 'so-so' upon awakening but I made it out the door - meetings that happen once a month are not to be missed and there's plenty to do. Grateful to be reminded this weekend is a three day weekend so yeah! Just get through Friday and I'll have three days to just rest.
We ordered the Euros from our bank for J. and H.'s trip to Rome - they leave on 2/4 for Rome and will spend the night of 2/3 near SFO. I am excited for them. And a teeny bit excited for me, too. I will miss them with every ounce of my being the entire time they are gone and this huge house will feel so empty with just me and Chloe dwelling in it - but I am excited about close to a week alone. Plenty of projects to work on; reading and movie watching; piddling around. I get so much done when no one is home and I look forward to quiet evenings and the weekend alone. I will be coming home a couple times during the day to give Chloe breaks - we thought about taking her to the kennel so I won't have to worry about her - but it's expensive and I will appreciate her company in the evenings and weekends when the family is gone.
We haven't heard much from B. since he left - he told J. that he's been staying completely 'sober' since he left 'cuz his unit is on standby for some activity. It's not that he's a raging drunk - but he and his buddies do go out pretty often and drink beers, etc. - pubs and bars are all over the base - so it's been different for him to not do that. He told J. that it's 'so much easier to get up in the mornings'. Yes, sobriety will do that. I don't begrudge him 'partying' - he'd be doing that in college, I'm sure...it's just that in the Army, it often feels like that's all they do for entertainment. Maybe a movie now and then but dinner and drinks is the standard way they spend their time.
Oh well. Young men will be young men. He's pretty level-headed and has his priorities pretty straight, so I am probably worrying way more than I need to.
It's post-dinner and I'm craving something sweet like crazy - so I need to get up and go do something. The cleaning ladies came today so there's not actually much to do - but I'm sure I can find something.
I re-read some older blog entries tonight to celebrate the anniversary and I chuckled out loud at quite a few things I wrote. Maybe the blog was just more entertaining when the boys were around more? I'll have to work harder at posting some of our travel escapades now that there isn't as much 'young men' amusement afoot.
J. and I can be pretty amusing. :-) Thanks for reading!
Maybe it's a sign of my advancing age but I have quite a bit of sick time available and it's starting to occur to me 'use it'. Why go in feeling punky and miserable from some stomach bug when sick time is there to assist?
And I am no sloucher. When I call in sick, I am sick. I retired to my bed, watched some Good Wife videos on the iPad and pretty much slept most of the day. Woke up with a huge start at 10:30AM thinking I was hearing our dog crying out over and over - pictured her in the pool drowning - raced (as fast as I could given my condition and that no one races down our new laminate stairs anymore - they are slicker than slick and still hard to navigate) downstairs to find J. had replaced (FINALLY!) the gasket on the pool filter and the tightening of the cover back onto the filter sounded like the dog. Geez! I made myself some toast with the thinnest coat of almond butter and some honey and a cup of hot tea. Went back to bed and slept until after 4. I did help get dinner ready, dared to eat and stayed up for a bit. Then went back to bed and slept all night.
My body needed that rest.
This morning, I felt 'so-so' upon awakening but I made it out the door - meetings that happen once a month are not to be missed and there's plenty to do. Grateful to be reminded this weekend is a three day weekend so yeah! Just get through Friday and I'll have three days to just rest.
We ordered the Euros from our bank for J. and H.'s trip to Rome - they leave on 2/4 for Rome and will spend the night of 2/3 near SFO. I am excited for them. And a teeny bit excited for me, too. I will miss them with every ounce of my being the entire time they are gone and this huge house will feel so empty with just me and Chloe dwelling in it - but I am excited about close to a week alone. Plenty of projects to work on; reading and movie watching; piddling around. I get so much done when no one is home and I look forward to quiet evenings and the weekend alone. I will be coming home a couple times during the day to give Chloe breaks - we thought about taking her to the kennel so I won't have to worry about her - but it's expensive and I will appreciate her company in the evenings and weekends when the family is gone.
We haven't heard much from B. since he left - he told J. that he's been staying completely 'sober' since he left 'cuz his unit is on standby for some activity. It's not that he's a raging drunk - but he and his buddies do go out pretty often and drink beers, etc. - pubs and bars are all over the base - so it's been different for him to not do that. He told J. that it's 'so much easier to get up in the mornings'. Yes, sobriety will do that. I don't begrudge him 'partying' - he'd be doing that in college, I'm sure...it's just that in the Army, it often feels like that's all they do for entertainment. Maybe a movie now and then but dinner and drinks is the standard way they spend their time.
Oh well. Young men will be young men. He's pretty level-headed and has his priorities pretty straight, so I am probably worrying way more than I need to.
It's post-dinner and I'm craving something sweet like crazy - so I need to get up and go do something. The cleaning ladies came today so there's not actually much to do - but I'm sure I can find something.
I re-read some older blog entries tonight to celebrate the anniversary and I chuckled out loud at quite a few things I wrote. Maybe the blog was just more entertaining when the boys were around more? I'll have to work harder at posting some of our travel escapades now that there isn't as much 'young men' amusement afoot.
J. and I can be pretty amusing. :-) Thanks for reading!
Anniversary
10 years ago today, I started this blog. The kids were 14 and 12. We'd lived in this house 4 years. I started it to just have a place to chronicle the everyday ordinary of my life - no other reason than basically a diary that happened to be online.
I wanted to end every post with the lyrics from a favorite song. I gave that up pretty quickly...not that there weren't plenty of lyrics that moved me but the effort required to try to find the lyrics that reflected the mood became too onerous for me. So I stopped doing that.
I often wish the blog was more - though more what? I have no idea. I write because decades from now (hopefully), I will be able to read it and remember things that I might otherwise forget. In my blogging life, the only thing I will ever regret is that I didn't start way sooner - and/or had just written a handwritten journal that I could then transfer online - 'cuz I wish I had retained more of the memories from when the kids were little.
Oh well. Their littleness went relatively easily vs. their grown-ness so the blog serves as a good outlet to chronicle the wild adventures of getting two boys to manhood. I'm grateful to have it and I like going back and re-reading things. Everything is a stage in their young lives so it's nice to have the various stages and events written down.
Lately, I feel like the blog is uber boring and then I remind myself 'who cares'? There are a small handful of people who read regularly (yeah! all of you!!) and they are people who choose to keep in touch and appreciate knowing how things are going at Casa Majah. The ordinary life of four people unfolding on these pages day after day -
There's likely 10-ish years of me working...I often wish I could write more about that 'cuz like most jobs, there's tons of entertainment value in the shenanigans grown adults are up to in any work environment. Someday, when I don't work there....but for now, I bite my tongue a lot. A LOT! 10 years of work; vacations; house projects; health stuff; getting son #2 out of the nest and on his own; ensuring son #1 is truly on his own when the US Government is no longer covering his expenses (though he may be a career Army person - I can totally see that happening); me eventually retiring.
The story will continue - and it will all continue to be chronicled here. Simplistically, sporadically...but chronicled no matter what.
I wanted to end every post with the lyrics from a favorite song. I gave that up pretty quickly...not that there weren't plenty of lyrics that moved me but the effort required to try to find the lyrics that reflected the mood became too onerous for me. So I stopped doing that.
I often wish the blog was more - though more what? I have no idea. I write because decades from now (hopefully), I will be able to read it and remember things that I might otherwise forget. In my blogging life, the only thing I will ever regret is that I didn't start way sooner - and/or had just written a handwritten journal that I could then transfer online - 'cuz I wish I had retained more of the memories from when the kids were little.
Oh well. Their littleness went relatively easily vs. their grown-ness so the blog serves as a good outlet to chronicle the wild adventures of getting two boys to manhood. I'm grateful to have it and I like going back and re-reading things. Everything is a stage in their young lives so it's nice to have the various stages and events written down.
Lately, I feel like the blog is uber boring and then I remind myself 'who cares'? There are a small handful of people who read regularly (yeah! all of you!!) and they are people who choose to keep in touch and appreciate knowing how things are going at Casa Majah. The ordinary life of four people unfolding on these pages day after day -
There's likely 10-ish years of me working...I often wish I could write more about that 'cuz like most jobs, there's tons of entertainment value in the shenanigans grown adults are up to in any work environment. Someday, when I don't work there....but for now, I bite my tongue a lot. A LOT! 10 years of work; vacations; house projects; health stuff; getting son #2 out of the nest and on his own; ensuring son #1 is truly on his own when the US Government is no longer covering his expenses (though he may be a career Army person - I can totally see that happening); me eventually retiring.
The story will continue - and it will all continue to be chronicled here. Simplistically, sporadically...but chronicled no matter what.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
He Limps
H. confesses somewhat sheepishly that the 'bad fall' he took on a dirt bike yesterday was actually one of those 'over the handlebars' falls - with him landing on his back. He can barely move. He's scratched up on his arms and legs and is so sore, he shuffles to walk. I lean towards rushing him to the emergency room but of course, it's been 24 hours since the injury and he seems OK. Just bruised, scabbing and slightly stupid (my opinion). I know it's all good fun, but geez. The last thing we need is a head injury or broken bone -
I have J. looking into buying travel insurance for their trip (we can within 14 days of paying for the trip) 'cuz I'm terrified he's going to seriously injure himself. Thus wrecking the trip.
Had a wonderful breakfast with a dear friend yesterday - we've known each other since 1989 and while we don't get together too often, when we do, we just pick right up where we left off. She's got a lot of fun, exciting things happening in her life and it was fun to swap stories and laugh our heads off. I need to do that more often.
This will be a busy work week so likely not posting too much. I am out of the office a fair amount at various meetings and it's a board prep week. Early to arrive and late to leave will be the likely result.
The days hum by and thankfully, things move quickly. Most days lately, I think 'I can do this another 10 years'. Most days....
It's an optimistic Sunday evening - but alarm awakening Monday is just around the corner.
I have J. looking into buying travel insurance for their trip (we can within 14 days of paying for the trip) 'cuz I'm terrified he's going to seriously injure himself. Thus wrecking the trip.
Had a wonderful breakfast with a dear friend yesterday - we've known each other since 1989 and while we don't get together too often, when we do, we just pick right up where we left off. She's got a lot of fun, exciting things happening in her life and it was fun to swap stories and laugh our heads off. I need to do that more often.
This will be a busy work week so likely not posting too much. I am out of the office a fair amount at various meetings and it's a board prep week. Early to arrive and late to leave will be the likely result.
The days hum by and thankfully, things move quickly. Most days lately, I think 'I can do this another 10 years'. Most days....
It's an optimistic Sunday evening - but alarm awakening Monday is just around the corner.
Friday, January 09, 2015
Premium Everything!
The airline industry made a sweeping change as of January 1st and after a few days of 'what the heck??' and grumbling, we are embracing the change and just saying 'to heck with it'.
God bless my stellar husband who said 'look, we want to travel now while we're both able to walk a lot and are up to the challenge of traveling. We have plenty of years ahead where we won't feel like doing big trips - but that isn't now. It's only money and we'll figure it out'. I love this man. He helps remind me that fretting about spending money is pointless. We will adjust.
We are booking our trip to Paris in March and to ensure we will have extra legroom and upgraded seating, we are booking in Premium Economy class. The good old days of booking economy seats and then upgrading for relatively little money are over. Instead of being able to move to 'more legroom' seats for a few hundred dollars each leg of the flight(s), we are paying WAY more than that now to confirm Premium Economy seating right out of the gate. Pun intended. The airlines, recognizing that we were all doing that - upgrading for not too much money - have created multiple classes of travel on most long-ish flights - and if you want those seats, the only way to get them is to pay for them. Now. Right now. It's still far less than 'first class' - and it's worth it, especially for long flights.
Eight nights in Paris at a stellar hotel, very centrally located and within walking distance of all the places we most want to go. And Disneyland Paris 'cuz my hubby truly knows how to make me happy. We might spend our actual anniversary in the park - we haven't decided about that yet - but that's the beauty of a longer stay in just one city - we have time to figure out what we want to do and when.
Sure, I'm a wee bit nervous about the recent terrorist activities in that beautiful city - barbaric and cruel and shocking. Life will move forward. And for 9 days, we will be a part of it. We saw armed guards at the airport in France last year - and we expect to see many more armed guards all over the city when we visit - and we are grateful for their service and their mission of protecting people.
So - we're at the last day of the week after the break and I'm still alive. It's been hard to get up (hence lack of posts) but this morning, I woke up before 5 and came downstairs! Yeah me! I am so looking forward to sleeping in - only a friend reminded me that we are scheduled to have breakfast together tomorrow thus necessitating me getting up early to drive to Livermore. It's OK, really - 'cuz I can also go to Trader Joe's tomorrow as well out that way which will save me driving to Stockton. But I see a Saturday afternoon nap in my future.
We are stepping back on the refinancing roller coaster when our mortgage broker emailed to say rates are at historic lows again and now might be a good time. Fingers crossed 'cuz we feel pretty confident that this time, our home has enough equity to roll the pool and equity lines into the loan - and that may save close to $500 a month in 'outflow' which is a beautiful thing as well. Docs are already uploaded and ready for the loan process to commence. Hoping for an appraisal pretty quickly so we'll know what's possible.
I have a 'no meeting' day which is great 'cuz I am in the mood to toil away on some 'big' things that need a steady, firm application of effort to accomplish.
I'm obsessed with Sia - her new Elastic Heart is playing over and over and if I weren't in a study underneath Son #2's bedroom, I'd be singing at the top of my lungs. There's something to be said for commuting - 'cuz I don't have a lot of opportunities to sing without time in the car.
Chloe is completely recovered and gets her stitches out today. She's running around like her old self and is back to wanting to play or snuggle constantly. I was flaming angry at H. when he left a plate (paper) on the coffee table in the family room last night and SHE ATE IT. J. says 'it's paper - she should be fine'. But still. Geez, people - it's already so irritating to have a young adult living here who treats us like hired help - I told H. if she eats something else that requires surgery to remove, he's paying this time. $2000 gone. Poof!
Alright. Ranting over. Back to Happy Friday!!
God bless my stellar husband who said 'look, we want to travel now while we're both able to walk a lot and are up to the challenge of traveling. We have plenty of years ahead where we won't feel like doing big trips - but that isn't now. It's only money and we'll figure it out'. I love this man. He helps remind me that fretting about spending money is pointless. We will adjust.
We are booking our trip to Paris in March and to ensure we will have extra legroom and upgraded seating, we are booking in Premium Economy class. The good old days of booking economy seats and then upgrading for relatively little money are over. Instead of being able to move to 'more legroom' seats for a few hundred dollars each leg of the flight(s), we are paying WAY more than that now to confirm Premium Economy seating right out of the gate. Pun intended. The airlines, recognizing that we were all doing that - upgrading for not too much money - have created multiple classes of travel on most long-ish flights - and if you want those seats, the only way to get them is to pay for them. Now. Right now. It's still far less than 'first class' - and it's worth it, especially for long flights.
Eight nights in Paris at a stellar hotel, very centrally located and within walking distance of all the places we most want to go. And Disneyland Paris 'cuz my hubby truly knows how to make me happy. We might spend our actual anniversary in the park - we haven't decided about that yet - but that's the beauty of a longer stay in just one city - we have time to figure out what we want to do and when.
Sure, I'm a wee bit nervous about the recent terrorist activities in that beautiful city - barbaric and cruel and shocking. Life will move forward. And for 9 days, we will be a part of it. We saw armed guards at the airport in France last year - and we expect to see many more armed guards all over the city when we visit - and we are grateful for their service and their mission of protecting people.
So - we're at the last day of the week after the break and I'm still alive. It's been hard to get up (hence lack of posts) but this morning, I woke up before 5 and came downstairs! Yeah me! I am so looking forward to sleeping in - only a friend reminded me that we are scheduled to have breakfast together tomorrow thus necessitating me getting up early to drive to Livermore. It's OK, really - 'cuz I can also go to Trader Joe's tomorrow as well out that way which will save me driving to Stockton. But I see a Saturday afternoon nap in my future.
We are stepping back on the refinancing roller coaster when our mortgage broker emailed to say rates are at historic lows again and now might be a good time. Fingers crossed 'cuz we feel pretty confident that this time, our home has enough equity to roll the pool and equity lines into the loan - and that may save close to $500 a month in 'outflow' which is a beautiful thing as well. Docs are already uploaded and ready for the loan process to commence. Hoping for an appraisal pretty quickly so we'll know what's possible.
I have a 'no meeting' day which is great 'cuz I am in the mood to toil away on some 'big' things that need a steady, firm application of effort to accomplish.
I'm obsessed with Sia - her new Elastic Heart is playing over and over and if I weren't in a study underneath Son #2's bedroom, I'd be singing at the top of my lungs. There's something to be said for commuting - 'cuz I don't have a lot of opportunities to sing without time in the car.
Chloe is completely recovered and gets her stitches out today. She's running around like her old self and is back to wanting to play or snuggle constantly. I was flaming angry at H. when he left a plate (paper) on the coffee table in the family room last night and SHE ATE IT. J. says 'it's paper - she should be fine'. But still. Geez, people - it's already so irritating to have a young adult living here who treats us like hired help - I told H. if she eats something else that requires surgery to remove, he's paying this time. $2000 gone. Poof!
Alright. Ranting over. Back to Happy Friday!!
Saturday, January 03, 2015
Second to Last
After a night of my stomach being hugely bothered (I think it was the dessert at the restaurant that threw my carefully balanced innards over the edge), I slept in until after 10. Grateful for my Kindle which kept me company in the bathroom off and on all night. Note to self: the kids bathroom is freezing - and we have to get the garage insulated 'cuz I don't know how B. survived two weeks in his freezing bedroom. So, so cold in the rooms over the garage). B. and I moved our breakfast to lunch and had sushi instead of Perko's cafe. So now we have 'two places' that he considers 'ours'...though he also enjoyed Mikasa once with his dad this visit, too. J. fixed all of us a delicious brunch so it seemed wise to go to lunch vs. another breakfast.
He also made my day by agreeing to watch "Frozen" with me while we enjoyed a leisurely morning. He hadn't seen it before and it was fun watching him get the humor throughout the movie. And he willingly tolerated my singing the songs as they played. I found out later that he bought a pair of totally noise cancelling headphones at WalMart this week - and was relieved to realize that he hadn't been wearing them during my singing. Though he was wearing computer headphones off and on 'cuz he's taking some online classes for his job and he has a lot of them to get through by Monday. Always the procrastinator.
Loved talking to him. He's such a great conversationalist. Asks about my music tastes and we both marvel about how you can Google any lyric, identify the song and purchase on iTunes in a matter of minutes. How great it is to hear such a variety of things in everyday life - television shows; waiting in line at Starbucks. Even sitting in the restaurant trying to figure out what the song was. He asked if I was listening to country music and I confessed that no, I don't much - though I do tend to listen to the country station(s) he listens to when he's here 'cuz they are in my car when I start to drive it again and 'his' music gives me a few days that I feel closer to him after he's left. Then we talked about my job and about how long I will still work. We drove out to one of the construction projects in our district so he could see the new school buildings going in. It was a nice time and I'm always glad we have a little mom and son time before he heads out.
He confirmed with me (for the first time - I know he's told his Dad before) that it looks like his unit will likely be deployed to Iraq in the fall. He said he didn't want me to worry about it - still quite a bit of time before it might happen and nothing's ever for certain in the Army until they are on the plane or otherwise officially en-route. It's the Army. Nothing's for sure. But he thinks it's likely. He said he's heard that his time there will be 9 months to a year which means if it happens, he likely won't be here for next Christmas. I reassure him that I won't fret about it - and that if it's his unit's turn to go, then they should.
He is enthusiastic about his career and from the sound of it, I think it's likely he will re-enlist for sure and possibly for a longer term. He does enjoy it - and he's toying with the idea of being an officer at some point. He likes to lead and he's good at it - he's always just had a way about him that gets other people to do what he wants them to do. The only person he can't seem to influence is his brother. Never his brother. But others, he can manage. He just has a lot of things/roles he wants to accomplish before he considers moving into officer-ship - and he's got plenty of time to consider all those roles.
He heads out tomorrow around 1 for the airport and we have no idea when we'll see him again. He's back in the state in May possibly for some training exercises but we know from past experience that doesn't mean we will see him nor that he'll have any time before or after the training begins and ends.
I made a quick run to the grocery store and bought the minimal essentials...didn't go all the way to Winco and you sure notice the difference in prices at the store closer to us. I am starting the year attempting to eat better (I know....I know....I always say that).....so procured a few quick things to have on hand. Prociutto wrapped around pear slices was a perfectly delicious dinner for me. The sushi lunch was pretty late and I feel full without eating a big dinner.
Tomorrow, I have to plan wardrobe and breakfast and lunches for the week. Trying something new including making iced tea at home each morning and packing breakfast and lunches. Giving up my McDonald's drive thru time which is 10 minutes more sleep. Sort of - I will have to get up earlier or give up computer time in the mornings to wedge in the new stuff I'm adding but then again, I have the world's best personal assistant every morning and I know he will help me.
I dread the Monday morning alarm with every ounce of my being - and B. and I agreed that we will be thinking of each other as we arise, knowing we are both suffering together. That will help. He's going to head out when he gets up for a long, fast run - I won't be doing that.
OH - he tried really hard to get me to go CrossFit here in town. Suggested I go there, tell them I'm his Mom, ask for a specific trainer and try it. He's a huge CrossFit fan and has converted many other friends into going - he thinks if I try it, I will love it. So I'll think about it. I have a lot of work friends who do Cross Fit and frankly, I don't want to work out with people I work with. No way.
It's sure been a lovely holiday season and it's been fun having the whole family together. I wish the two brothers had made more time to spend together but they both are out and about more often than not. That's OK.
Chloe is feeling much better. Her tummy looks good and she doesn't seem bothered by it. She's not licking or chewing at her stitches at all so far. She even got a toy today and played a little bit. Glad she's on the mend. J. will call on Monday to find out if she will need an appointment to get the stitches removed....we think she will. The only concern is she hasn't pooped since Monday and that seems like a long time to go without going. We are feeding her less food than usual - but still. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
The pool is having issues - it drained out 3 inches of water from a leak somewhere. Hoping J. can figure it out soon. The house is 14 years old now and it feels like it's all going to heck in a hand basket now - at a time when repair budget is non existent. Oh well.
All good things must come to an end. But 2015 feels like we're headed into still more good things and I feel great about that. It is going to be a wonderful year, I hope.
He also made my day by agreeing to watch "Frozen" with me while we enjoyed a leisurely morning. He hadn't seen it before and it was fun watching him get the humor throughout the movie. And he willingly tolerated my singing the songs as they played. I found out later that he bought a pair of totally noise cancelling headphones at WalMart this week - and was relieved to realize that he hadn't been wearing them during my singing. Though he was wearing computer headphones off and on 'cuz he's taking some online classes for his job and he has a lot of them to get through by Monday. Always the procrastinator.
Loved talking to him. He's such a great conversationalist. Asks about my music tastes and we both marvel about how you can Google any lyric, identify the song and purchase on iTunes in a matter of minutes. How great it is to hear such a variety of things in everyday life - television shows; waiting in line at Starbucks. Even sitting in the restaurant trying to figure out what the song was. He asked if I was listening to country music and I confessed that no, I don't much - though I do tend to listen to the country station(s) he listens to when he's here 'cuz they are in my car when I start to drive it again and 'his' music gives me a few days that I feel closer to him after he's left. Then we talked about my job and about how long I will still work. We drove out to one of the construction projects in our district so he could see the new school buildings going in. It was a nice time and I'm always glad we have a little mom and son time before he heads out.
He confirmed with me (for the first time - I know he's told his Dad before) that it looks like his unit will likely be deployed to Iraq in the fall. He said he didn't want me to worry about it - still quite a bit of time before it might happen and nothing's ever for certain in the Army until they are on the plane or otherwise officially en-route. It's the Army. Nothing's for sure. But he thinks it's likely. He said he's heard that his time there will be 9 months to a year which means if it happens, he likely won't be here for next Christmas. I reassure him that I won't fret about it - and that if it's his unit's turn to go, then they should.
He is enthusiastic about his career and from the sound of it, I think it's likely he will re-enlist for sure and possibly for a longer term. He does enjoy it - and he's toying with the idea of being an officer at some point. He likes to lead and he's good at it - he's always just had a way about him that gets other people to do what he wants them to do. The only person he can't seem to influence is his brother. Never his brother. But others, he can manage. He just has a lot of things/roles he wants to accomplish before he considers moving into officer-ship - and he's got plenty of time to consider all those roles.
He heads out tomorrow around 1 for the airport and we have no idea when we'll see him again. He's back in the state in May possibly for some training exercises but we know from past experience that doesn't mean we will see him nor that he'll have any time before or after the training begins and ends.
I made a quick run to the grocery store and bought the minimal essentials...didn't go all the way to Winco and you sure notice the difference in prices at the store closer to us. I am starting the year attempting to eat better (I know....I know....I always say that).....so procured a few quick things to have on hand. Prociutto wrapped around pear slices was a perfectly delicious dinner for me. The sushi lunch was pretty late and I feel full without eating a big dinner.
Tomorrow, I have to plan wardrobe and breakfast and lunches for the week. Trying something new including making iced tea at home each morning and packing breakfast and lunches. Giving up my McDonald's drive thru time which is 10 minutes more sleep. Sort of - I will have to get up earlier or give up computer time in the mornings to wedge in the new stuff I'm adding but then again, I have the world's best personal assistant every morning and I know he will help me.
I dread the Monday morning alarm with every ounce of my being - and B. and I agreed that we will be thinking of each other as we arise, knowing we are both suffering together. That will help. He's going to head out when he gets up for a long, fast run - I won't be doing that.
OH - he tried really hard to get me to go CrossFit here in town. Suggested I go there, tell them I'm his Mom, ask for a specific trainer and try it. He's a huge CrossFit fan and has converted many other friends into going - he thinks if I try it, I will love it. So I'll think about it. I have a lot of work friends who do Cross Fit and frankly, I don't want to work out with people I work with. No way.
It's sure been a lovely holiday season and it's been fun having the whole family together. I wish the two brothers had made more time to spend together but they both are out and about more often than not. That's OK.
Chloe is feeling much better. Her tummy looks good and she doesn't seem bothered by it. She's not licking or chewing at her stitches at all so far. She even got a toy today and played a little bit. Glad she's on the mend. J. will call on Monday to find out if she will need an appointment to get the stitches removed....we think she will. The only concern is she hasn't pooped since Monday and that seems like a long time to go without going. We are feeding her less food than usual - but still. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
The pool is having issues - it drained out 3 inches of water from a leak somewhere. Hoping J. can figure it out soon. The house is 14 years old now and it feels like it's all going to heck in a hand basket now - at a time when repair budget is non existent. Oh well.
All good things must come to an end. But 2015 feels like we're headed into still more good things and I feel great about that. It is going to be a wonderful year, I hope.
Thursday, January 01, 2015
Bartering
Santa brought boxes of Pepperidge Farm cookies to the boys with their stockings.
Santa's helper (me) only bought two boxes of the Classic Favorites 'cuz they were $5 a box at Winco and it just seemed really wrong to spend $20 on four boxes of cookies. Santa's helper has regretted that decision many times since Christmas morning...though I did manage to sneak more than a few from one box. I wasn't sure who's it was but was pretty sure I could consider it B.'s. He's been uber, UBER, impressively careful this trip and he didn't seem to care that his box of cookies made it's way to my side of the study and stayed there.
And then it disappeared. And I've been sweet-free for a few days. Until.....
H. just bartered his box to me (via J.) in exchange for Taco Bell for his dinner. Even with 12 hours sleep, he's feeling 'not well' and confesses he's hungover.
I suggest a big glass of water. And for me, I'd be eating a greasy burger and fries. But he wants Taco Bell - so his sweet dad is bundling up against the cold and driving to procure tacos and things spicy.
I'm watching a Rehab Addict marathon and catching up on reading blogs I haven't read in years.
Santa's helper (me) only bought two boxes of the Classic Favorites 'cuz they were $5 a box at Winco and it just seemed really wrong to spend $20 on four boxes of cookies. Santa's helper has regretted that decision many times since Christmas morning...though I did manage to sneak more than a few from one box. I wasn't sure who's it was but was pretty sure I could consider it B.'s. He's been uber, UBER, impressively careful this trip and he didn't seem to care that his box of cookies made it's way to my side of the study and stayed there.
And then it disappeared. And I've been sweet-free for a few days. Until.....
H. just bartered his box to me (via J.) in exchange for Taco Bell for his dinner. Even with 12 hours sleep, he's feeling 'not well' and confesses he's hungover.
I suggest a big glass of water. And for me, I'd be eating a greasy burger and fries. But he wants Taco Bell - so his sweet dad is bundling up against the cold and driving to procure tacos and things spicy.
I'm watching a Rehab Addict marathon and catching up on reading blogs I haven't read in years.
Happy New Year!
It's 2015!
Today is the eight year anniversary of my official start date for my current job. What an amazing eight years it's been.
Today is also the second anniversary of the day B. officially joined the Army. Two years ago today, he left with the recruiter. That was a hard weekend. His departures don't really get easier - it's only a few days away and it already feels 'sad' for me. He wants to go to Perko's for breakfast on Saturday - just the two of us. It's our 'thing' and I appreciate that he makes a point of setting aside some one-on-one time for his mom.
H. just woke up at 6PM after being out all night. He got home at 6AM and headed for bed and slept twelve hours. His days and nights will for sure be turned around for a couple days.
I spent the day re-working our budget. It's amazing the things you learn just by writing it all down. Haven't done that in awhile and things have changed since my last sketch out. Tomorrow, we are going to the bank to switch the checking account our debit card hits which will revolutionize our budgeting. It's a small change but making it will eliminate a lot of moving stuff around as the month progresses. Having a visual reminder of what things come from where and when will also help tremendously. I've got a notebook set up to write down expenses as the month unfolds with hope that if we continue to write it all down, we will identify other places we could shift things around.
We're having lively discussions about what accounts to tap first. It's a conundrum. No right or wrong answers and a reminder how blessed we are to have different choices to make.
Of course, the largest budget derail-er is the six foot tall young man still living with us - but that's OK for now. He plans to start looking for work pretty soon and fingers crossed he finds something. If he stays here, he will pay us room and board as soon as he's employed - and we hope he tries to save up and find a roommate - but that's a ways off. I feel glad in some ways that he's OK with being here - that we've created a home and an environment where he feels he wants to be - or at least can be. I'm as proud of that as I would be if he'd left the nest immediately at 18 and done his own thing. Home is a wonderful thing to have in your life - with people you want to be with. There's a lot to be said for that - for all of us, all around. Sure, I want him to leave the nest. But he can nest here as needed. And that will pretty much always be true - though I hope the nest stays shorten and end at some point. I look forward to him being a visitor someday. Someday.....whenever that is.
The Rome trip is officially planned including upgrading to the more legroom flights for the two of them. It's a long flight and comfort is important. We will start planning Paris next -
I've felt pretty OK today - my nose is red and I cough a bit now and then. We've kept the Keurig running (and have had to refill it a couple times) with herbal tea and hot cider pods. The biggest pain (literally) is a cut on my left thumb - acquired from the slicing attachment for the food processor. It's in a horrible place and reopens and bleeds with the slightest bump. Hard to pull up your pants without using your thumb(s) but I'm learning.
We didn't do a mad-dash donation run yesterday - we spent a good chunk of the morning at the vet with Chloe and I just decided to let it be - whatever the tax bill is, we will be fine.
It was so, so cold here today that we skipped taking down the outside Christmas stuff - but we will need to get to it shortly. I noticed when I was taking stuff out of the garage to take to the hospice thrift store in Jackson - thus making the trip count in more ways than one - that we have a ton of Christmas stuff that J. didn't even take down from the rafters! We really should go through the bins and get rid of stuff we won't use anymore.
Note: 'Make It Count' is one of the Titanic slot machine bonus rounds - so the pun was intended. J. always texts me 'Make it Count' when I'm in Jackson. :-) It's our catch phrase.
Additional Note: I didn't play Titanic much this trip 'cuz it's so expensive to play. I enjoyed a new machine that's 88 cents a pull and had a blast -
Chloe is begging me to pick her up and I don't want to do that....her tummy is really tender and it's hard to lift her up to my lap in a way that won't strain her tummy.
Only three more days of the break - time flies.
Today is the eight year anniversary of my official start date for my current job. What an amazing eight years it's been.
Today is also the second anniversary of the day B. officially joined the Army. Two years ago today, he left with the recruiter. That was a hard weekend. His departures don't really get easier - it's only a few days away and it already feels 'sad' for me. He wants to go to Perko's for breakfast on Saturday - just the two of us. It's our 'thing' and I appreciate that he makes a point of setting aside some one-on-one time for his mom.
H. just woke up at 6PM after being out all night. He got home at 6AM and headed for bed and slept twelve hours. His days and nights will for sure be turned around for a couple days.
I spent the day re-working our budget. It's amazing the things you learn just by writing it all down. Haven't done that in awhile and things have changed since my last sketch out. Tomorrow, we are going to the bank to switch the checking account our debit card hits which will revolutionize our budgeting. It's a small change but making it will eliminate a lot of moving stuff around as the month progresses. Having a visual reminder of what things come from where and when will also help tremendously. I've got a notebook set up to write down expenses as the month unfolds with hope that if we continue to write it all down, we will identify other places we could shift things around.
We're having lively discussions about what accounts to tap first. It's a conundrum. No right or wrong answers and a reminder how blessed we are to have different choices to make.
Of course, the largest budget derail-er is the six foot tall young man still living with us - but that's OK for now. He plans to start looking for work pretty soon and fingers crossed he finds something. If he stays here, he will pay us room and board as soon as he's employed - and we hope he tries to save up and find a roommate - but that's a ways off. I feel glad in some ways that he's OK with being here - that we've created a home and an environment where he feels he wants to be - or at least can be. I'm as proud of that as I would be if he'd left the nest immediately at 18 and done his own thing. Home is a wonderful thing to have in your life - with people you want to be with. There's a lot to be said for that - for all of us, all around. Sure, I want him to leave the nest. But he can nest here as needed. And that will pretty much always be true - though I hope the nest stays shorten and end at some point. I look forward to him being a visitor someday. Someday.....whenever that is.
The Rome trip is officially planned including upgrading to the more legroom flights for the two of them. It's a long flight and comfort is important. We will start planning Paris next -
I've felt pretty OK today - my nose is red and I cough a bit now and then. We've kept the Keurig running (and have had to refill it a couple times) with herbal tea and hot cider pods. The biggest pain (literally) is a cut on my left thumb - acquired from the slicing attachment for the food processor. It's in a horrible place and reopens and bleeds with the slightest bump. Hard to pull up your pants without using your thumb(s) but I'm learning.
We didn't do a mad-dash donation run yesterday - we spent a good chunk of the morning at the vet with Chloe and I just decided to let it be - whatever the tax bill is, we will be fine.
It was so, so cold here today that we skipped taking down the outside Christmas stuff - but we will need to get to it shortly. I noticed when I was taking stuff out of the garage to take to the hospice thrift store in Jackson - thus making the trip count in more ways than one - that we have a ton of Christmas stuff that J. didn't even take down from the rafters! We really should go through the bins and get rid of stuff we won't use anymore.
Note: 'Make It Count' is one of the Titanic slot machine bonus rounds - so the pun was intended. J. always texts me 'Make it Count' when I'm in Jackson. :-) It's our catch phrase.
Additional Note: I didn't play Titanic much this trip 'cuz it's so expensive to play. I enjoyed a new machine that's 88 cents a pull and had a blast -
Chloe is begging me to pick her up and I don't want to do that....her tummy is really tender and it's hard to lift her up to my lap in a way that won't strain her tummy.
Only three more days of the break - time flies.
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