Round one goes to the playground

 
I've learned two things from the picture. The first is obvious - watch where I'm going. The second is that I really need to invest in make-up and skincare products. Now that I'm looking for work, I'm thinking about my appearance again after a long hiatus. I really didn't fuss much at the Hyatt, since I wasn't in a customer service area. But I'm getting older, and it seems that the medications I'm on are contributing to the red splotches. What to do, what to do.

I really don't know where to start. My skin has always been shiny and weird, the glasses complicate things, and my mom was not a good role model in this area. (blue eyeshadow and too much blush) The only thing I have in my house is some Dove spf face cream. So, I figure I have three choices.

1. Read some magazines or websites, go to the drugstore and hope I make the right choices.
2. Find a Mary Kay or Avon rep to do a full work-up for me.
3. Go to a department store for a makeover.

Will options 2 & 3 actually work well, or will I just come home with $400 worth of stuff I'll never use? 

Highs and Lows of XM radio

We've had XM for about two years now, and I just started using one of the functions a few weeks ago. I discovered that if you push a button while a favorite artist is on, the radio remembers and will tell me when that artist is on another station. So I can turn my radio into an almost constant stream of Grunge rock by flipping the channel to Nirvana, Chili Peppers, and Green Day, occasionally interrupted by some classic favorites like U2 or REM. This has it's problems, such as when I flipped to the 80's channel to hear Meditate by INXS and then got blindsided by Milli Vanilli. This also means that I'm really limiting my music knowledge, I rarely remember the names of new bands or singers, I'm so stuck in my Lollapalooza ways. What will I do when my kids regard my music as "oldies" or "classic rock?"

At least we're not listening to the Disney Channel. Although that brings up other issues. Like today, I thought I hit the jackpot when one Channel played the Femmes "Add it Up" right after another channel played "Blister in the Sun". But, here I am in the car with the kids. What to do when the third verse comes on? Usually I don't think the kids really pick the swear words out of the songs, but this is pretty explicit. So I turned down the volumn and sang it in my head instead. What do you think that says about my parenting style?

Actually, my parenting style is probably better reflected by what happened after we got to the playground. The family we were meeting wasn't there yet, so I was playing catch with Nathan and ran headfirst into a support beam. I think that's the only time a hit has knocked me off my feet. Kind of like being clotheslined, but with the splitting pain and the giant goose egg on my head. Good times. If it's really black and blue tomorrow I'll post a photo.

Eeeek!!!!

 
This is Teeny, or Tiny, not sure which. We took two female mice home from the pet store, saving them from a short life and a trip through a snake's digestive system. They're very cute, and quite active. Nathan says they woke him up "a hundred times" last night, but I'm sure he'll get used to it. He's always asking to hold them, but we've been telling him the mice have to get used to us before he can do that.

We did discover pretty quickly that he's not quite old enough for a pet. He decided to carry the cage to our room this morning. He dropped it in the kitchen and broke it open, but the mice were too scared to make a run for it. We're also keeping his bedroom door closed so Sprite doesn't get any ideas. 

Look out Vera Wang

For everyone who liked the duct tape prom dress, I give you Toilet Paper Bride!!!



I bet Joy and Christy are kicking themselves for not doing this.

I can't belive there is no Duct tape in this house.

 

Nathan's settled on being a Knight for Halloween, so we were working on the costume today. He's had this tunic and cape, plus a sword and shield for awhile, but the look isn't complete without some armor and a helmet.

My first attempt at a helmet based on a milk jug was disastrous. The person who posted it on about.com must have a child with a smaller head. So, tomorrow we're getting supplies to try a hat from this site. I should probably plan on making two, in case the first doesn't survive until Halloween. Anyone who thinks we could make the helmet and then immediately put it safely away does not know my son. And I can't wait until the last minute, because if it comes out like crap, I need time to order one online.

For armor, I'm planning on being creative with duct tape, but amazingly, we don't have any in the house right now. I'm going to take a belt and hang strips of doubled-over duct tape from it to make an armor skirt. He also has a horse with a burlap head that is ripping. If I use the duct tape to fix that up, we can pretend his horse has armor too. 

Claire's Hair

 
Are men incapable of putting hair in elastic bands? That's the debate around the house these days. Claire's hair is at the point where she can't see when it's down, and Dan just can't put it up in a ponytail. He did make a valient try sometime last week, but gave up after ten minutes. Of course, Claire is not very cooperative about sitting still for this manuever either. Dan tries little hair clips to get the hair out of the way, but she's adept at pulling those out.

So that leaves me as the only one who can make her beautiful in the morning, and honestly, I don't always feel like my fingers can manage this. Especially when they're swollen, like today. How can I teach Dan to do this? 

Other Saturday travels

I don't know what I was thinking trying to cram three days worth of outings into one day on Saturday. No wonder the kids were starting to melt down. Besides the reception, we also went on a two hour hike and spent a few hours at my cousin Jeanne's. She's another person who I can go years without seeing, but once we get together we just chat about everything and anything. We missed seeing much of her son, who's just a few months younger than Nathan, because he was napping. But her older daughter and my kids got to tear up the playroom for awhile while we talked. Maddie looks soooooo much like Jeanne.

More Pictures

I really don't have the hang of my camera yet, so I didn't get many good pictures. I was also a little distracted by the kids, as you may have noticed. But here's a few.

Seven Things I learned at Joy's Reception

1. Rosemary is not the youngest person I've ever known to have an ulcer, she's really had appendictis for 14 years.
2. Next time I take a long drive, someone has to remind me I have cruise control.
3. If you have a common name (cough MARK cough), then when you post in a blog, be more specific about who you are if you want your friends to recognize you.
4. Seven hour drives are much better if you fuel up with Dunkin Donuts first.
5. We've been on Mrs. Krystock's bad side for twenty years because she thinks we wanted to hire a stripper for Ellen's birthday. This memory is seared in Ellen's mind, but no one else remembers it at all. (Christy? Joy?, do you remember this?)
6. Michael "Kramer" Richards buys cheese at Whole Foods
7. Just because two people are standing close together and smiling, they are not necessarily posing for pictures. They may just be in love..




And.........
8.Christy and Joy are not the only ones reading my blog. So, I want everyone else, spouses too if they want, to add a comment of a few things they learned at Christy or Joy's weddings.

What a thrilling life I lead

The big excitement today was that I bought a new remote control. What makes this news thrilling is that we are now back down to one remote to control four components. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!

I had to manually program every button to get it to control the Tivo, but it was worth it. Now, as long as it doesn't go to the black hole where it's predecessor currently resides, we'll be fine. I really don't have a clue where the last remote disappeared to, we think Claire threw it away.


In other news, I need Restaurant names. I got very excited about the name Allium (Latin for Onion), but a restaurant in Ottawa is already using it. Any other city, and I wouldn't care. But too many of our target customers go to Ottawa for day trips and cultural events. Oh well. In that same vein I was thinking of Caridea, which is part of the classification name for shrimp. This would work if we keep with the Southern theme, since shrimp is on several apps and entrees. Any other ideas?

Restaurant Death watch part deux

Went and peeked in the windows today. They've been closed for a few weeks due to a "death in the family". They've also been served an eviction notice from the leaseholders and have bounced payroll checks. It's possible that there is now an arrest warrent out for the owner. Not a good businessman.

It's a great building. I meant to bring the camera, oops. Maybe this will help.



We could see two small dining rooms that looked perfect, one with a fireplace. There's also a small ballroom on the righthand side, behind those trees, but it's been painted a garish pink and has Mexican decor. I think the kitchen is pretty small, not good. And there's a bar somewhere, but we couldn't see it. Apparently there is also a bowling alley downstairs. The location is great. Half a block off Main St., and just around the corner from a courthouse and other county buildings. It's a little further to the university, just over a mile.

It's such a big building that the lease is probably going to be very high, but we're wondering if we'd be able to live upstairs for a few years until it was profitable. And we're curious about how much of the fixtures and furnishings would remain. Dan's already been e-mailing the person who handles the lease (friend of the family, of course!)

The big problem of course is that we have no money. None. Nada. If this were any other business, our ideas and skills might be enough to get funding. But restaurants are considered such a risk that it's hard. It's a slow slog to get a return on the investment, not a sudden windfall. We've got to start gathering hard data to see just how much we'd need for the first year.

I want this place. I don't think this is just us getting caught up in the romance of it. I KNOW it's not romantic, the reason the last two owners flamed out was because they got divorced. It just seems right. Now that we're back here, it feels like home. We want to stay.

The Great Outdoors

Since we're done with swimming lessons, we have some freedom to go out and about each day. Instead, we've spent many days home or at the mall. Yuck. Gotta get out and enjoy the great outdoors, and now that the Enbrel has kicked in, we can.

Found a great trail the other day that was converted from an old railroad bed. Nathan was more excited about the bits of rusted iron than the
geocache we were in search of. I just thought it was a great view, passing by a wetland and then into the woods. The cache was at a point where an old, abandoned road went through the woods, and we could just barely see the remnants of it. I'll go back with Dan to see the foliage and make sure to bring the camera.

Went on a second geocache hunt today. Had the camera this time, although it wasn't as scenic. But at least I could bring the stroller and our feet didn't turn black from the dusty trail. This is a town maintained rec trail that was built next to a golf course. There were hundreds of little frogs hopping around, and Nathan was very disappointed that none of them would be his friend. At least he got to take home a silly toy robot. Which he seems to be french kissing in this photo.


We've also found a great playground at the elementary school, but we really need to stop going there because.....
Nathan had made friends with the boy who lives across the street from our local playground, Sunny. But Nathan and Sunny had swim lessons at different times this summer, so we've barely seen that family since July. Today, I slowed down and and looked to see if they were at the local playground before going to the bigger one. Alison (hippie british mum) saw me and got the kids in their shoes to come play, only to find that we'd driven away. I've really got to learn to pick up the phone and make playdates.

Fake picture of me

I want a picture with my profile, but clearly don't want one of me with my prednisone bloated face and weird haircut. (Please let it grow out a bit before Joy's reception.)

Thought I'd go with one of these instead.

Nathan's got religion

I almost forgot about this.....

Nathan likes churches, because they look like castles, and he loves castles. But as far as I know he's only been in two churches, once for a concert with Grandma, and once with me to look at the stained glass.

As we're driving through town today, he's asking me about the buildings that are made of brick, and wanting to know what brick is made of. I make something up, but it rings true and is just like what Elmo learned on Seseme Street, so I must have been close. Then he sees the church made out of brick. (Actually, sandstone, but close enough). And of course he wants me to tell him what churches are for. Errrr.

Me:"Churches are where people get together to help each other and help others".
Him:"And someone lives there."
"And he's invisible."
"But he's not real."

Eeeeek, is he talking about Jesus! Where'd he pick this up from! Then, the finale.....
"Cause he's a droid. And he's small. And his name is R2-D2."

Restaurant Death watch

There's a building in the next town whose fortunes we've been following for a few years. It was a dinner club for decades, then it was vacant. Two fine dining restaurants came and went and then it was vacant again. About 3 months ago someone opened it up as a Mexican place, but the grapevine says they're not going to last long. They keep going to another chef in town to ask basic questions, like how to handle inventory. They're overpaying their staff. And recently they started food shopping at BJ's instead of through a wholesaler.

This has Dan (and I) thinking brave thoughts. The building is owned by the local university, and it seems that they want a good restaurant in town because they need a place to do entertaining. This is the same college that my MIL graduated from, that FIL taught at, and the Dan went to for 3 years. Plus, there are lots of family friends who have always wanted Dan to come back and cook in town.

With that in mind, we're going to start preparing a business plan for a restaurant. I don't know when (or if) the current restaurant will fold. I'd rather wait until the kids were in school, but if an opportunity comes up, we want to be prepared to seize it. Dan is excited about the idea of doing Southern food. We could have a lunch menu that is heavy on the BBQ for the college students, then go to a more refined menu for dinner.

I was going to post the menu Dan has knocked up, but I'm feeling proprietary. And they're Dan's recipes to share, not mine. Although, if anyone is interested in being an investor, I'll gladly send you a copy of the menu.

RA Update

Went to the Doc last Wednesday. I didn't think I was doing better, but then he read back the notes of my last visit when EVERY single joint hurt, and I realized that I am doing better. So, I guess the Enbrel is working. Too bad I won't be able to afford it for much longer. I'm actually not even sure I have Health Insurance right now. We were getting kicked off the free insurance as of the 31st, and I sent in the paperwork to switch to the other HMO. But I screwed up and sent the wrong proof of residence, so I don't know if we got everything processed in time. I haven't gotten a new card yet. Yikes, better not fall down any stairs.

Doc was great, as usual. I started crying while talking about how I wasn't sleeping, so he prescribed an anti-depressent that also will help me sleep. It's working pretty well, I've definately been waking up more refreshed. But then, Dan's also letting me sleep until nine most days, so that's nice too. Plus, I'm back on 5 mg of prednisone, because I still have pain in my ankles and elbows and hands sometimes. But I think the swelling in my joints in the mornings has decreased. I've even been knitting again, trying to get incremental increases on the shawl I'm making for myself. It's got about 200 stitches across now, so it takes a while to do each row.

Our plan now is to keep on the Enbrel for six more weeks. If it's working well, then I'll switch to an infusion medication that works in a way similar to Enbrel. For this, I'd go to the hospital for a few hours and get an IV, I suppose it's similar to getting a Chemo treatment. Because it's a hospital procedure, it's billed to the insurance differently. I'll probably have a $100 co-pay, but I won't have to worry about maxing out my $3000 prescription cap on the Enbrel. Insurance companies are stupid, by putting in this cap they're going to be paying thousands more for me to get the infusions. That is, if I have insurance. Hmmmm.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

I know it's a little early to be doing Christmas shopping, but I just found a great website for handmade items, Etsy.com They've got scarves, pottery, artwork, soap, cards, etc. etc. I found one person with a lip-balm of the month club, she'll send three balms in flavors such as Chocolate Orange, Cream soda or Cantelope. Yum. I think Dan would love this.

Okay, I just went back to the site and spent about 20 more minutes browsing because they have so much stuff. Handspun wool, jewelry, dolls.

Aaahgh, just got sucked back in looking at purses.

Greatest show in Earth?

Lot's of liberal angst and hand-wringing among the local parents this week. The Carson and Barnes Circus was coming to town to do a show. In this corner: PETA, with their statement that not only are circus's generally cruel, but Carson and Barne's elephant handler is the devil incarnate. In the other corner: small child who really, really, really wants to go.
 
Once I got there, I began to think that the animals were fine but had some worries for the humans. Lot's of family acts with little girls doing acrobatics and young boys helping with the animals. I'm sure the ringmaster was the only person who has US citizenship, so you wonder if the others really know about employment law.
Had fun anyway. Left Claire with the grandparents so I could focus on Nathan. He was a little afraid of the clowns at first, but then loved everything else. Although I had to keep drawing his attention to the important scenes. He was just as likely to be watching the stage crew setting up instead of the high wire act. We also met up with a family we knew so we weren't sitting alone. Gotta love that Sunny came wearing his clown costume. The whole show was actually in a Big Tent, so that was fun too. I tried to get some pictures of that, but I'm still getting used to the new camera and ended up with very fuzzy elephants. Oh well. 

Who needs sleep, well you're never gonna get it

Haven't been sleeping well lately. I'm tired and yawning when I get in bed, then nothing happens. Sometimes it's pain in my ankles and knees. I tried getting a body pillow, which takes away the pain for a bit. But then I have this great big pillow and I'm just not used to sleeping with it. Other times, I'm not in much pain but my brain just won't shut off. Usually I give it up as a lost cause after an hour or so and come out to the computer.
So now it's 3:30 am, I'm still up, and I'm less tired than I was 5 hours ago. I've been staying up past 2:00 at least two nights a week. Not fun.
I have a doctor's appnt today. Have to deal with a few issues, and I think I'll add a request for sleep meds to the list.


Who needs sleep?
well you're never gonna get it
Who needs sleep?
tell me what's that for
Who needs sleep?
be happy with what you're getting
There's a guy who's been awake
since the Second World War

Poor Pluto

 
We had fun doing this space theme for Nathan's Germantown bedroom. Even though we've moved, we still have the lamp and also have nine planets strung on fishing wire over his head. Yes, nine planets. And now there are only eight. I decided to tell Nathan this tonight at bedtime, that Pluto was no longer a planet.
"What is it?" he replied.
So I went with "It's a dwarf planet".
"Ha Ha, that's silly mommy" was his response.

Do I take Pluto off the ceiling? Should I take a hammer to his lamp and knock Pluto off. Or repaint it and name it Ceres instead. 

Do I want this job?

This job posting seems really, really, really vague. And their website isn't much better. Lots of business-speak.

TASK MANAGER
xxx, one of the largest providers of telecommunications management in the US is looking for a Task Manager to work in our operations office in Potsdam, New York. The Task Manager is responsible for assisting with the completion of projects and telecommunications orders on behalf of xxx-designated customers. The Task Manager ensures all of the information in our applications is updated and accurate. The Task Manager works closely with xx Project Managers as well as xxx clients and partners. Successful candidates must have excellent written & verbal communication skills, strong customer service focus, detail oriented & have the ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously. An understanding of telecommunications is preferred.

Will the fact that I have no cell phone undermine my attempt to bs my "understanding of telecommunications"?

Blankie

 
Haven't posted a pic of Claire in awhile. Just have to say that I'm thrilled that she's been dragging around the blanket I made her. Makes me feel like a proud Mama to have made something just for her that she loves so much. 

WTF

I don't know what's going on anymore. The Pitcher Inn wasn't offering much money. Dan and I spent some time yesterday discussing what we want to do. The gist was that we're mostly happy here, and it's better to stay until something he's sure of comes along. And there's still the possibility that the Lodge will rehire him in the spring, so we're fine waiting.

Then, at 9:00 pm while he was browsing for other chef jobs, he found a posting for his old job at the Lodge. They're looking for an Exec Sous and didn't call him first. WTF.

Another reason to move to Vermont

I'm excited about the five game Boston/New York series this weekend, even though the Sox are currently losing the first game. But I really wish I didn't have to watch it on the Yankees YES Network. Hearing their promo with the catchphrase of "Pride, Power, Pinstripes" drives me up the WALL!!

The perks of working in the hospitality industry

Spent the last two nights at The Pitcher Inn where Dan was interviewing for a job. Quintessential Vermont country inn. And, as a plus, it's already burned down once, so hopefully it won't again.

Stayed in this very nice suite, but it does get tiring being away from home. At least we got to see Dad a bit, he's only 40 minutes from this hotel.

Dan did not feel the "love at first sight" that he did with the LPL kitchen and chef. Although nothing will compare to that place, so he's bound to be disappointed anywhere. I kept nitpicking the details of the room too, because everything at LPL was so perfect on my birthday. We'll wait and see if they make a job offer, and see what the money is. He's got another (phone) interview this week with a place in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, I'm applying for jobs here in case we decide to stay. We're trying not to rush into a bad decision. But we also know that New England hotels are hiring now to prepare for foliage season, and the openings will dry up before winter sets in.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Today's weather forecast......

Today: Partly cloudy. High 69F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Generally clear. Scattered frost possible. Low 37F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

This is what happens when I try to clean

  

You ain't got no alibi, you're just UGLY

 
I am a conniseur of ugly shoes. Granny boots, clogs, Doc Martins, wooden soled sandals - I've owned them all. And even I thought Crocs were hideous the first time I saw them. However, after having back pain all weekend from my no-support flip flops, I picked these up yesterday. I took them off to sleep, but have worn them every minute since getting them. The back pain is gone, I'll have to wait and see if they have an impact on my arthritic knees and ankles. 

Up in smoke again

I thought Dan was likely to change his mind about wanting to move, and had been taking steps to get a job and daycare here. He really wanted to go back to the Lodge, and I didn't think the offer from the new place would be enough to change his mind. But tonight he was talking to his old boss and the equation has changed. His old Chef is leaving, and he's the main reason Dan wanted to go back. He wanted to work with Ken again. Plus, Ken thought that the owners may decide to sell before finishing the reconstruction. If that happened, the new owners wouldn't feel any obligation to take Dan back.

So, Vermont is seeming more and more likely. We'll be going next week for his interview, and I'll start looking for houses/apartments.

Perfect Day

Dad's here this weekend. Spent last night playing monopoly, I took the tournament 2-1, and watching the Sox win. Perfection.

Water, Water nowhere

About two weeks ago our water heater went down for a few days. Not much fun, but at least we could flush toilets and get water for the kids to drink and run the dishwasher. Annoying, but not too bad.

Saturday, I discovered that when the electricity goes out, the pump to the well stops working too. At least this time we were showered and dressed, but I had nothing to make up bottles for Claire or to wash hands. So we decamped to the in-laws for a few hours until the power came back. On Sunday, we finally got our lazy asses in gear to shower around eleven, and the pump wasn't working again. So, another trip to the in-laws shower. Caught the landlord at his parents on the way out and told him. He very quickly diagnosed a worn out gear and replaced it.

Good thing he's not a doctor, because his diagnosis was wrong. Once again, had to shower at the in-laws today. Mike was at the door the second he got off work though, he's been a great landlord, and just replaced the whole pump. Yay!!!! Baths, and dishes, and laundry yippeee!!!!

Marriage Telepathy

I have a new theory why couples who are together a long time don't speak to eachother. It's got nothing to do with running out of things to say. It's caused by the fact that you start reading eachother's minds so often that you forget to speak aloud.

It starts out innocently. You both say "So, you want Pizza tonight" at the same time and you laugh and think that's pretty funny. Then it spreads. A typical conversation begins to lack nouns and verbs.
"Honey, where's the...."
"In the closet"
"Why"
"Nathan"
"K"

Still you think it's normal and no cause for alarm. Then come the days when he picks up the phone to call his parents, and you start getting the kids ready to go, because you know he's calling to make plans for dinner at their house. Or he turns out the only light in the bedroom without asking first, because he knows you're only reading because he's reading. Or you see him standing forlornly in the living room, and hand him the keys/mp3/sunglasses that you realize he misplaced before he even asks about it. Hopefully the code of silence breaks enough at this point for a "Thank you", but no guarantees.

And this is after just 12 yrs of marriage, how bad will it be at 25 or 50?

Yummy

Now that we're possibly moving to Vermont, my new life goal is to be CFO of Ben & Jerry's. With that in mind, I feel a responsibility to buy one of these every day for the rest of my life.


More details here.

Lazy Days

Meant to post these earlier, but the insert photo button was AWOL.

Nathan's been going to swim lessons several times a week all summer. This is him with his teacher. She's been really great, and Nathan has thrived. Here he is getting the treat of dunking her because he'd successfully gone underwater.



And here's some more of underwater Nathan. I swear he's half fish. Another Mother there was asking how I got him to not be afraid of water, since her twin boys are still hugging her and the beach most days. Once I told her that Nathan's afraid of cats and screamed like a girl when one was meowing under our car yesterday, she felt better.


Just one more week of lessons. It feels like summer is ending already, since whatever Dan and I do, I need to think about being back at work by the end of September.

My disease is making me sick

My health insurance situation is making me nauseaus. I just got a letter today that we'll be dropped from our state sponsored insurance as of Sept 1 because Dan's income is too high. New York's other program is $400.00 a month, and seems to only cover $3000 of prescriptions each year. I think the Enbrel I just started is $1000 a month.

So, that probably makes the decision to go to Vermont a little easier, but I still need to find something to bridge the gap between Sept 1 and whenever Dan's new job would provide insurance. Or if we stay in New York, I need to get a job ASAP that has insurance so that we aren't on the NY insurance long enough to hit the prescription cap.

Any gap of more than 63 days in coverage bumps the RA into a pre-existing condition, and new insurance wouldn't cover it for a year. This is the kind of thing that makes me want to move to Canada.

Just put me in a straight jacket now, insanity is just around the corner

My brain is going to explode. Dan's sent a resume to an Inn in Vermont. I should be thrilled. This is where I wanted to go last August, this is the place we pinned our hopes on in December. BUT I DON'T WANT TO MOVE AGAIN. Aaaarrrrrghggh.

Which is really a silly thing to be stuck up on, because we were always going to be moving again. If he gets this job, we wouldn't go back to Placid next spring, we'd stay in Vermont for the forseable future. So if anything, this is great, because we'd get settled back down faster and be out of this holding pattern we're in now. Plus, it's ridiculously close to my Dad's. Less than an hour, and even quicker in the summer when we can go over Bethel mountain instead of around it. And I'd get to see Red Sox games again.

Cons- I have to be careful not to lose Health insurance, so I don't like moving around as much as we used to. Plus, I'd have to change doctors.
- I'd actually miss my Mother-in-law. I was afraid that close quarters would lead to a lot of backseat mothering, but it's been great so far. And my Dad is not going to be up for babysitting as much as she is.
-Packing, again. Aaaarrrrrgggghhghghghghghghghghg.

But the pros outnumber that, especially the pro of not having Dan stab his boss or co-workers because he's fed up with his underpaid, overworked and underappreciated job.

I think I'll spend the day cleaning out the closets and throwing out toys. Wouldn't hurt to be prepared.

Everything hurts today

Summer Rain

There's a thunderstorm blowing in, finally. I know that temps in the 80's are nothing compared to the rest of the country this week, but with no A.C. and chasing the kids around, it was hot enough. And it didn't help that Nathan fiddled with the thermostat Tuesday night so that we woke up to an 80 degree house. We'll be back in the 70's tomorrow after this front comes through.

It was strangly fitting that our hot water heater broke during the hottest days of the summer. Dan braved the cold shower, but our well water is below 50 degrees, so I didn't attempt it. Instead, we spent the weekend shuttling back and forth to the in-laws until our landlord could get the part on Monday. Of course that was also a night that Claire had a bad reaction to milk and spit up all over me, herself and my bed. That's a night when a warm bath would have come in handy.

Dan's off being a free man tonight and showing off his tattoo. He's gone to Burlington to see Les Claypool, a bassist formerly with Primus. I'll have to think of some treat for myself in return. Lately, my only time alone has been my drives to my doc, not really the "me" time I'm looking for.

Ahhhhhh, a giant squid

I didn't really believe Dan when he came home with this last night. I poked it a few times thinking it was temporary, he didn't appreciate that too much. It's certainly bigger than anything I'd want, and it was a little strang to be sleeping next to it. The artist did a great job with it, very detailed with good color. Takes some getting used to though. 

School Days, School Days

One of the (many) reasons I have not gone back to work yet is that very few jobs list "BA in History" as a prerequisite. Even with all the accounting experience I have, I'm pretty much back to square one if I go for a job. So, I've submitted all the paperwork to go back to school and get a BS in business from Empire State College.

It's all online. I have no idea how long it will take, a lot depends on how much credit I get for classes taken at Bates. Just for the major, it would be at least 10 classes, and I think I'd only do 2 a term, 3 terms a year. But I probably have to take some Math and Science courses too, Bates curriculum was a little too easygoing and I never took a Math course there.

The plan:
Graduate
Work for bank as Financial Planner
Make tons of Money
Open own Financial Planning business
Make truckloads of Money
Open Restaurant and invest in Commercial Real Estate
Make enough Money to buy a small Island

Sounds good, right?

Another Arthritis Update

Had another Doc appointment. I am generally feeling well, but not perfect. And especially after the 1 1/2 car ride and 1 1/2 wait in the office, I had stiffness in my knees and elbows. So my doctor submitted the paperwork for Enbrel, which is really a miracle drug for RA that's only been available a few years. In order for the insurance to approve it, you have to have tried the older, cheaper drugs first, and failed to find relief. Since my Doc helped write the rules on when my insurance would approve my prescription, he's pretty confident I'll get it.

But what he doesn't know is the cost. The drug is at least $1000 a month, and my insurance may say I have to pay a percentage rather than a flat $30-40 a month. If it's affordable, I'll have to give myself weekly injections. If it's too expensive, then we'll switch to drugs that are administered in hospitals by infusion about once a month. But they have more serious side effects.

Doc wasn't too keen on the idea of getting a tattoo either. I will have a supressed immune system and if I get an infection, I'll have to stop the Enbrel. I'll wait and see how Dan does with his tattoo. And also wait until after the summer, when I won't be going swimming anymore.

Laura Bush would hate it

After 15 years of discussion, I think Dan and I are finally going to get tattoos. He's very excited about it, so excited that I think he's forgotten that he nearly passes out just watching me get blood drawn. He's decided on Kokopelli, who's associated with food, surrounded by a sun with blue flames, blue for the gas flames in a kitchen.

I'd always wanted something Celtic, but couldn't decide where to put it. But now I want to celebrate being pregnant, giving birth and breastfeeding. So I think I'll put it up high on my breast. I just need to finalize a design. I kind of like this goddess symbol,

but instead of the spiral on the belly, I'd use this celtic symbol


for the breasts and belly.




Unfortunately, I have no artistic talents, so I can't quite figure out how to make this look like a decent tattoo. Any thoughts?

Arrggh!

  

aack, a new obsession

I get sucked into computer hobbies easily. I can stay up for hours wasting time. Sims, fanfic, fantasy baseball, crosswords, minesweeper, each has had their moment in the sun. Especially when I was working the nightshift in Georgia. I'd spend so much time online, that I wouldn't finish my work in time. I'd punch out at 2:00am and spend another hour or two working to make up for it. Then go home and stay up until Dan woke up to go to work.

Now I've found out that Atari.com has online Monopoly. Eeeep. In three days, I've logged about 40 games. I'm not completely ignoring the kids. But if Dan comes home and finds torn kleenex and waffles strewn about the floor again, he'll be justified in hiding the computer from me.

Pirate in Progress

 

Nathan was invited to a dress-up birthday party this Sunday. No, he is not going as a 13 yr old girl. I picked this up at TJ Maxx and decided that with a little surgery it could be a pirate costume. I've cut off the cap sleeves and removed the skirt. I'm going to cut off the bottom of the leggings so they have a rough look. But I'm stumped about the front of the shirt. It's way too girly. I think I have to turn it around so the back is the front. And Dan says we need a sash and belt. Have to look around the house some more. I'll post the final product on Sunday. 

This is getting ridiculous

Bird #3 was flying around the house when we got up this morning. Dan handled that one. I sent an e-mail to an Audobon member and discovered that we have European starlings, they're an invasive species, so I don't have to feel any guilt about removing their nest or otherwise injuring them.

I shoved a box up into the hole in the kitchen, hoping that would block them, but bird #4 dislodged while we were at a demolition derby today. I got him out of the house pretty fast, then heard that something was scratching around inside the box. Birds #5 and #6, two chicks, had gotten stuck in there. At least it was pretty easy to get them out, since I only had to move the box with them in it. I'll try to anchor the box a little better, but also make sure I can move it again if something gets trapped. Our landlord is out of town, but I'll call tomorrow and see if he has a ladder to get rid of the nest and plug the holes better. Enough is Enough!

What is this, a bird sanctuary?

Another bird, this time an adult. It started flying around the living room when we got home, hitting every window at least once. I tried to corral it using two lacrosse sticks, hoping I could direct it out the door. Finally gave up and opened one of the windows. He got the hint quickly and took off across the lake.

Communing with Nature

While the kids were napping today, I heard a small noise in the kitchen. I went to look, thinking it was Nathan, but he was still asleep. About an hour later I was in the kitchen and noticed a lot of dust and crap on the corner of the counter. This is under an area that juts out next to some cabinets, but isn't actually a cabinet. And I just noticed today that it wasn't closed up, so it's essentially open to the attic.

This corner of the attic is also home to a nest of birds, and they make quite a racket all day. Especially today, they were squawking like crazy. So I thought they must have knocked the dust down. Then I finally noticed that there was more than dust on the counter. Hiding behind the detergent, trying not to be noticed, was a little baby bird. She must have been there at least an hour.

Aaackk. What do I do? I quick went to the internet and typed "baby bird out of nest" into the search engine. She had lots of feathers, so I think she's at the learning to fly stage, but I couldn't tell if she was hurt. The advice was to put her back in her nest, but I couldn't get to it. So the second option is to make a small nest and leave it near the main nest. I got my winter gloves on, and carefully lifted her into a bowl of leaves, then covered the bowl with a strainer. She was moving her legs and wings around a lot, so that seemed to confirm that she wasn't injured. I took my cargo outside and wondered if her parents would find her, and how long she'd use the makeshift nest for. But as soon as I took the strainer off, she leaped out and hid in the flower garden. I hope that now that she's outside again, she can fend for herself.

Ya know, I'd like a normal day again. Add this adventure to Nathan running full bore into the Lifeguard chair and giving himself a bloody nose, and I'm about done for the day.