I Forgot All About These

Back in the summer when I visited the kids in Albuquerque we walked from our hotel to the zoo. We passed a park that had been renovated by the people in the neighborhood. There were a couple of huge concrete pillars tiled with wishes and memories written by the people who live in the neighborhood.  They made me smile so I took some photos. And then I forgot about them until tonight when I came across them while browsing other photos.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire ... and all that Jazz

T tagged me (again) and I was lazy and forgetful and didn't do anything about it.  I just remembered this afternoon that I was supposed to do this when I saw the entry that someone else made when T tagged her.  Ha!  How's that for the opposite of lying?  It's the absolute truth.  No kidding.  Whatever.

So here's the rules:
1. Thank the person who gave this to you.
 Thanks evah so much, m'lady!
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
Done!
3. Link to the person who nominated you
Um. Can't.  T is like that.  Deal with it, folks!
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one truth.
Easy, right?  Uh, nope.  I'm kinda skeered to do this, actually.
5. Nominate seven "Creative Writers" who might also have fun telling outrageous lies.
Don't know that many.  In fact, considering that I have, like, 2 blogging friends and both of them have already done this, I probably won't tag anyone.  Go ahead and make me.  See if I care.
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
See el numero cinco.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you tagged them.
Otra vez, mira al numero cinco.

Alrighty then, now that the technical info is done with, let's move on to the lying part. I'm so bad at this. First of all, I hate lying; I'm not good at it. Second of all, I'm not that creative. So don't laugh hysterically when I say something lame like, "I have seriously disgusting toe jam." Promise? Pinky promise? Kthxbai. (Btw, that toe jam thing -- totally a lie! I swear.)

Just kidding. I'm not going any where -- I still have to lie to you guys 6 times. Blerg. Here we go, for reals this time.

1. I scrub the bathtubs in our house every time someone showers.
2. I spent 11 months in juvenile detention when I was 15.
3. I wish I'd never left Texas.
4. I think online dating is stupid.
5. I lurves me some haggis.
6. I want to have another baby, eventually.
7. I have moved 25 times.  So far.

There you have it.  Six untruths and one truth.  It's up to you to decide which is which.  Well, not really.  Your choices one way or the other don't change the truth. Or something like that.  I'm sleepy and going to bed.  See ya!

The Number, Part 7

Oof.  I'm unmotivated and here's why:

1. I'm not going to win the Biggest Loser Challenge amongst my online friends.  There's a chick there, P, who is incredibly disciplined.  Plus, she is just better at this than I am.
2. I'm not so sure I want to run the 10K in May.  There's a registration fee involved and I'm kinda thinking that maybe it's not worth it.  I mean, why should I pay someone else to let me run 10K?  Maybe I'll do some shorter (free) 3Ks and 5Ks
3. I'm tired of counting calories.  I stopped counting last weekend because I figured I'd learned how to eat well enough that I could.  But then I gained over the weekend.  :sigh:  I still want to lose at least as much weight as I've already lost so I need to keep up the counting.  But I'm tired.
4. I want french fries.

But I have to keep going.  I deserve this.  I deserve to feel good about myself, to be fit, to be confident, to wear the clothes I love.  And I know I can do this.  It's never been a matter of can. It's a matter of discipline.  And right now I'm feeling rather undisciplined.  I need to snap out of the funk.

Dinner Conversation

Tonight we talked about segregation.  Last night we talked about The Birds and The Bees.  I don't know how this stuff happens -- it just does.  And since I'm not one to pass up Teachable Moments and Life Lessons (I hate those phrases but what else do you call them?) I go with it.  Anyway, tonight it was segregation and Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. and unfairness and anger and sadness.

Samuel was especially moved -- I don't know what's with him today, he's very in tune with his sympathetic side this evening.  He realized during the course of this conversation that life 40 years ago was extremely different from today.  His eyes welled up with tears and he said, "If my best friend Evan and I lived back then we couldn't be friends and play together!  He has brown skin!  That would make me so sad!"

I was so touched.  The innocence and the naivete ... Little do my children know that 40 years ago they very likely wouldn't have been born.  If they had they'd be living a very different life than the one they have.  We all would.  I am so grateful for progress and fairness and for those that fought so hard for all that we have today.  And I am so happy that my children are learning fairness and equality now; it's instinctual.

el-oh-el (& How Sweet is My Boy?)

Be sure to check out bored, unhelpful dog in the background around 0:20.  And please, I beg you, laugh so hard you snort; it would make me feel better about myself.



When we finished this, Samuel wasn't hysterical like Solomon, Miriam and myself.  I asked him what was wrong and he said, "If that was my puppy that couldn't turn over again, I'd help him."  And then about 5 minutes later after the other 3 of us watched it twice more and laughed ourselves silly, Samuel said, "If that was my poor puppy, I wouldn't make a video of him like that."  How sweet and sensitive is that?

Because Miriam Can't Be Left Out

Me: Miriam, what would you like to talk about today?
Miriam:  Presleigh.
Me: Who is Presleigh?
Miriam: My best friend.  She's my bestest bestest bestest friend in the whole world.
Me:  Wow, that's a lot of 'bestests.'  Why is she your best friend?
Miriam: Because we were friends since second grade and um, she's nice to me.
Me: What kind of things do you have in common?
Miriam: We're both girls and we both like to read and that's it.
Me: That's it?  That's all you have to say about your bestest bestest bestest friend in  the whole world?
Miriam: No, that's just all that we have in common.
Me: I see.  Is there anything else you want to say about Presleigh?
Miriam: Um, she's in my math class and my reading class and we're in the highest reading class for our grade.
Me: What kinds of things do you and Presleigh talk about or play on the playground?
Miriam:  Um, we play on the slides and the bridge and the monkey bars and we play with Anneya, Diddy, Lily, Krystal, Jackson, Tysen, Madison, Cindy, Caitlin, Anna, Tony, Jasmine, Kobe and that's it.
Me: Are Jackson, Tysen, Kobe and Tony any of your boyfriends?
Miriam: NO!!!!!!
Me:  Oh.  Do you have a crush on anyone at school?
Miriam: NO!!!!!!
Me: How about your friends?
Miriam: Yes! Diddy likes Jackson, Lily likes Jackson, Jasmine likes Kobe and that's it.
Me: So you don't like anyone?
Miriam:  No.
Me: Is there anything else you want to say?
Miriam:  No, I think that's it.  Bye, peeps!

Chess Tournament Again

I'm pretty sure I blogged about Solomon's chess tournament last year.  I know I at least mentioned it in passing.  Well it's that time of year again.  The tournament is sponsored by the public school district and something called the Interscholastic League so I'm spending the day in a high school cafeteria, waiting around on standings and pairings and playing practice rounds with Solomon in between actual rounds.  There's a lot of sitting around and doing nothing.  So Solomon and I are going to conduct an interview.

Me: So how did your first round go?
Solomon: My first round was very short. I really didn't even get close to beating my opponent. I learned about a move called en passant. It happens when two pawns are right next to each other. One pawn can move forward diagonally and take the opponent's pawn. This can only happen if your pawn has not attacked another piece yet in the game.
Me: Wow, so even if you don't win a game you can still learn something to help you in a future game, right?
Solomon: Yes.
Me: What about your second round?
Solomon: This one was very close.  I almost won with only my king and five pawns.  My king was in check every 3 moves but each time I found a way out of it.
Me: So what ended up trapping you?
Solomon: One of my opponent's pawns was at my king's side and she replaced it with a queen. I moved away and then one of her rooks moved in until the rook pushed my king into a trap with the queen.  Then I looked at my options and realized there was no way out.
Me: What is your strategy for the third round?
Solomon: Well, I guess I will start off with a knight because they're confusing.  And then whatever their move is, I'll bring out my second knight.  Then I shall take all the pieces I can.  Actually, I'm just imagining this.
Me: Okay, then.  We'll take a short break now to regroup and prepare for the third round.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Me: When we last reported here you were about to enter the third round. How about telling our readers what happened during that round?
Solomon:  Yeah.  Third round.  Isn't that the one I won?  Yes, yes, it is.  Fortunately and unfortunately, I won and it was the only time I won.
Me: But winning the third round was fun, right?
Solomon: Sorta. Yeah.  Who doesn't like winning?
Me: What about the fourth round?
Solomon: I lost.
Me: Do you want to say anything else about the fourth round?
Solomon: Um ... I was one of the last in there.  But I still lost.
Me: Bummer.  How about the fifth round?
Solomon: I was black on the very last game.  We were set up with a clock.  The white cheated because they kept pressing the clock so it would go on my turn when it was his turn, wasting my time.  Literally.
Me: Did you talk to a judge about that?
Solomon: No.
Me: Why?
Solomon: Because the judge had just told me to keep going when they set up the clock.  It was extremely close until he took my bishop because all he had was his king and queen.  And both of them can go in any direction so I couldn't attack or he would attack me back.
Me: That sounds like a really tough game.  What did you learn during this chess tournament?
Solomon: If someone's cheating, go ahead and tell the judge about it.

Tournament Miscellaneous

Chess tournament today for Solomon.  I'll be posting an interview with Solomon tomorrow.  Until then, random observations from today ...

The high school guest network blocks Facebook.  I don't like that.  I need to know what everyone in my life, no matter how insignificant they are, is up to today.  Rightthisminute. Just kidding.  Well, about the needing to know what everyone is up to.  Not kidding about being bugged that Facebook is blocked.

I saw a kid crying about how he was coerced into conceding.  There was a misunderstanding and when a judge talked to the two kids, the other one talked over him and he couldn't explain himself.  Of course, I only heard one side but I feel bad for the side I heard.  I think it was his third loss in a row.

My laptop is freakishly hot today.  I don't know why.

My iPod is my lifeline in situations like this.  It keeps me from appearing to be rudely disinterested in the people around me and instead makes me look politely disinterested in the people around me.  It also gives me a legitimate way to stop further conversation between myself and the guy at the next table.  I don't enjoy making small talk with total strangers and I especially don't like it when there's the potential for All Day Long Small Talk.  No, thank you.

I'm sitting at just the right angle to fully highlight all the smudges, fingerprints and other various detritus that has accumulated on my laptop since the last time I cleaned.  I have nothing with which to clean my laptop and it's bugging me.

I really hope Solomon does at least as well as he did last year.  He won 2 and lost 3 last year.  So far, he's lost 2, is on his third and has 2 more after that.  I'd love it if he won 3 this year so that he feels more accomplished.

This morning when I dropped off Samuel and Miriam with Jenn and Caleb (so they don't also have to spend all day in this boring cafeteria), Caleb said to Solomon that he should sit down across from his opponents and say very calmly, "I'm going to crush you."  Solomon laughed and practiced it on the car ride here.  When we got around other people I told him he had to stop saying that because someone might hear him.  So then he started smiling hugely and muttering softly, "I'm going to crush you, smash you and annihilate you."  This kid cracks me up.

The environment here is nice.  All the parents seem really invested in their kids.  I've not heard one harsh word today.  Everyone is polite.  A few kids have pouted or cried about losing a game here and there but they've all been met with calm, rational parents that talked it over with them and then everyone moved on.  I tend to think smart, cerebral occupations like chess might bring out the best in people.  Or maybe chess brings smart, rational people out of the woodwork.

Again, I'm completely impressed with my boy's attitude.  He's confident without being cocky and positive without being unrealistic.  He's gracious when he wins and when he loses.  He's such a great kid and I love sharing this with him.

By this point, Solomon has lost 3 games and won 1.  He's currently on his last one and it should be done any minute now.  They started this round a long time ago.  I'm unbelievably nervous.

Happy Coincidences

I forgot to write about this when it happened two weeks ago.  I was home from work and Paul had jury duty.  When he got out of the courthouse we met for lunch at Bombay Bowl.  As we got our food and found a place to sit, Paul said, "Hey!  There's Blake!"  Blake is one of our friends, whom we met because he works with Caleb.  I looked and not only was Blake there, but also three other friends.  We got tables near each other and chatted a bit while we ate.  And then Caleb showed up.  At that point it had been a couple of weeks since I'd seen Jennifer or Caleb so it was nice to catch up unexpectedly like that.

It makes me really happy when these kinds of things happen.  My sense of contentment and community are reinforced by running into people I like when I least expect it.

The Number, Part 6

The Number is down by 15. I love that sentence. FIFTEEN POUNDS! :happy dance:

Some observations regarding The Number:

1. I found another pair of jeans that fit.
2. My belt has to be cinched another hole smaller.
3. I finally worked up the courage to dig through all the clothes that haven't fit me in a long time.  I divided them into piles: one is stuff I should be able to wear in another month to 6 weeks and the other is stuff I should be able to wear this summer.
4. When I hit the 15 pound mark, my motivation kind of tapered off for a bit and it scared me because I have a long way to go. I need to lose at least another 15 and would be happier with 20. My motivation is back now because of the cute and fun summer clothes pile.
   
5. I can't keep my cell phone in the back pocket of my jeans any more.  It pokes my bones and hurts. That didn't used to happen.
6. It's becoming much easier to look at junk food as Treat Food rather than Regular Food.
7. I hit a plateau a couple of weeks ago. A friend directed me to a site that instructed me to cycle calorie intake daily and trick my metabolism into working more efficiently.  I was skeptical but the proof is on my butt now, or not on my butt, as the case may be.

So that's how The Number looks these days -- pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.

Voice of Reason

Last weekend in the middle of the move, Paul got us sushi and other yummy stuff from Tokyo Joe's.  I heart Tokyo Joe's. And Garbanzo. And Bombay Bowl. And Qdoba.  But that's another story entirely.  Back to Tokyo Joe's.  They had these gigantolicious cookies by the register just so kids can beg their parents for them and eat half their body weight in sugar and chocolate and other deliciousness.  Also so adults like Paul and myself can look at them and drool at the stuff we can't eat while we're establishing better eating habits.  So Paul got 2 of them, thinking that his son and my 3 kids could split them up; he and I were not part of the splitting up plan.  Good thinking, right?

Well, when we got back with all the food, all 4 kids were dying for a hunk of the chocolate chip one which left the poor, unloved oatmeal raisin one with no takers.  So Paul caved and ate the oatmeal raisin cookie for breakfast on Sunday.  Ha!  Suckah!  I held fast and had oatmeal and an apple.

Before he busted into the cookie though, Paul showed me the label.  It looks something like this.  Actually, it looks exactly like this.  Duh.  And they're not kidding when they say, "BIG. HUGE. LARGE. YUMMY."  This thing is almost the size of my face.  I'm taking Paul's word for it that it was yummy.

And here is what's printed in small type at the bottom:

Disclaimer: THIS IS A BIG-ASS COOKIE ... It contains sugar & lots of it.  Not intended for daily use.  We highly recommend that you share it, possibly with your training partner on the way to the gym. It's a Reward ... Savor it!

Above that is a list of ingredients in the cookie. Guess what? They're all actual pantry items you could purchase at any grocery store. There are no weird, lab-developed chemicals that actually should not be consumed by humans, no food dyes, nothing strange. Just real, whole ingredients. Amazing.

This is why I heart Tokyo Joe's and other fast food places like them. They prepare actual, real, fresh food. No modified food starches, no plasticized fries or rubbery cheese. Food that would actually rot if left out for a while.  And they are very clear about what is a treat and what is actually good for you. That, my friends, is a very good thing.  I hope Tokyo Joe's and places like them can help change how people look at fast food.  I know we'll never be rid of McDonald's and Burger King (and truthfully, I don't really want to be -- sometimes a double cheeseburger and fries can really hit the spot) but I'd like to see them become much less prevalent.

We Did It!

The move is finished.  It took most of yesterday and I am exhausted.  Everything hurts.  Today I am unpacking and organizing and settling in.  Yesterday was not fun but I like today.  It's fun to figure out where everything fits and when all of that is done, I get to put things on the walls and prettify the place.  Yay!

Also, a million thanks to everyone who helped.  I truly could not have done this without you -- no way, no how.  Thank you to Jennifer and Caleb, Kim and Blake (and your kick ass trailer!), Paul, Lance (who was too sick to work but not too sick to help me move furniture. :winkwink: ), Lisa and Megan and Lisa's brothers (I'm sorry, I don't remember your names. Please forgive me).  You guys make a girl grateful that she has such awesome family and friends.  Truly.

Coming soon to a blog post near you -- photos of the new place!  Fun!

Duh

 We saw a commercial for Pepperidge Farm cookies this morning.  The voice over intoned, "Why do cookies in ruffled paper cups taste so good?" and "What makes cookies covered in chocolate so delicious?" and other delicious, dramatic nonsense.  Images of creamy, melted chocolate and crisp, airy, buttery cookies floated across the screen.
 
Miriam and I were sitting on the couch, brushing her hair and trying to fashion some sort of pony tail.  The last line of the commercial said, "What makes these cookies so perfect?"  Miriam turned to look at me and said, with all the drama an 8-year-old girl can muster, "Well, it's because they are made with chocolate!" And rolled her eyes.  And waved her arms violently.

How can you disagree with that?

Moving Day!

It's finally here!  I don't want to go into all the back story because it makes me really angry every time I think about it, but moving day almost wasn't going to happen.  But it's all good now and I'm so excited!  I'm sick of living with walls of boxes around me, sick of my boring walls, sick of worrying about what might go wrong, sick of my rude neighbors and so, so, so ready for more space.

The utility companies have been informed of my move and are switching my accounts to the new place either today or tomorrow.  My friends and family are coming tomorrow morning to help me with the bulk of the moving.  I'm hoping to go to the leasing office today and get keys for the new place.  I've been told the apartment is ready so there really isn't any reason I can't have them today.  The kids and I are going to take the vacuum, dusting cloths and other cleaning supplies to clean it to my standards.  If we're feeling ambitious we'll even move some of our boxes and get them unpacked.

It's really happening!

I Don't Know Which is Worse

A cup of warm pee, or a cup of cold pee.  I hate picking up a cup of fresh-from-the-body pee because I have this weird aversion to knowing that the pee is warm because it was just in someone's body.  Ew.  It's like hating the feeling of a chair that someone else recently vacated.  But I also hate picking up a cup of pee that's been sitting in the lab for an hour and is now cold.  It's cold because it's old pee that is now probably swimming with bacteria.  Gross.

Parent Teacher Conferences, Again

I met with each of the kids' teachers.  They're all doing fantastically.  I already knew that, but it's nice to have their teachers say so, you know?  I am so proud of them and all of their hard work.  I told each of the kids that their hard work is what makes me happiest.  Getting As is nice and all, but what I really want is to know that they're all doing their best and giving it their all.

Everyone is 'proficient' in all the core subjects -- meaning that they are performing at grade level -- except for one.  Solomon has almost caught up in reading.  That's been the subject he has struggled with immensely since first grade.  Fortunately, between his perseverance and his teachers' patience, he's doing much better.  He has made huge strides in fluency and comprehension just since this year began so I have a great feeling about how things will look when we meet again in a couple of months.

On the behavior front, things are good also.  Fortunately, that hasn't been a problem with my kids.  I feel very lucky -- at least, when they're at school.  Ha!  Home is another issue entirely, but it usually is, right?

So that's how things are at school.  My kids are brilliant.

/shameless bragging

More School Artwork

 

Samuel made this in art class with clay and he painted it himself.

  

It's a Ninja Wild Thing.

 

It even has a tail.

Google Voice Message 2

This is Matt Eaton press one. Yeah, this is calling from you. Yeah, this message is 4. Jessica Xxxxx. Yeah, Jessica Xxxxx. You, yeah You, yeah, Hi. This is an important message from Midland Independent School District. Due to current weather conditions are friends, I've traveled all of my S T campuses will be closed today's Tuesday 3rd with 23rd 2002. Yelling early morning will be valuation, Midland. I guess the administration transportation officials and local law enforcement of green has current weather conditions are touch with will not improve over the next several hours. Therefore, all of my few campuses will be close to the 8th and all extracurricular event are canceled until further notice. Yeah if you have further questions, please log on to our website at W. W. W, Dot Net, and, I, S, T, dot net for more information. Yeah if you had an questions. I've got this message, please contact the school at 413 came in 6 and 9 1 me around around around there are no more messages. Goodbye your messages will not be repeated.

I have a daily alarm on my phone set for 5:30 am.  This morning I got a phone call before the alarm went off but in my sleepy stupor I thought it was the alarm so I hit snooze, which also happens to be the button that rejects a call.  When the alarm went off I saw that I had missed a call from the superintendent of the district where I used to work and the kids went to school.  I fell asleep, had a weird dream about the people I used to work with and woke up when the alarm went off again.

Then I got curious about why anyone from the superintendent's office would be calling me, especially at 5:00 am my time and 6:00 am their time.  No one from human resources has any reason to call me and if they did, they wouldn't do it that early, right?  So I checked my voicemail.  There was a message stating that due to bad weather conditions, school and all extracurricular activities have been canceled today.  It was perfectly understandable.  But then I got the transcript from Google Voice and I almost ROFLed.  Seriously.

A couple of things to point out regarding this message:

• No where in the audio of the message did the call reference Matt Eaton.  As far as I know that isn't a real person having anything to do with MISD.  So I left it.
• Somehow the transcription got my last name right so I censored that.  Those of you who know my last name can just imagine it's there.  Those of you who don't know my last name ... well, to my knowledge no one reading this blog doesn't know my last name.  But I'm still not leaving it there.  Duh.
• The bolded portion that reads, 'Your message will not be repeated," is especially entertaining to me because the message was repeated.
• With the exception of one call from the kids' school asking if we wanted to keep our enrollment slots for the coming school year, I haven't gotten a call from a school official in the last 2 years.  I have no idea which database they're getting my number from but if it means I get funny messages like this, I'm never changing my number.

I Love T-Shirts

You know that, right? Well, I especially love funny t-shirts. I came across this contest online for the best Princess Bride t-shirt. And since that's one of my favorite movies ever I loved most of these shirts. If you're not a Princess Bride afficionado, feel free to go right on past this post because you probably won't find it funny.

 

  

  

 

Weird Apple

A Very Odd Dream

I should have written this a week ago.  That's when I dreamt it and I told myself I would write it down before I slept again.  But I didn't and now it's starting to fade and I'm mad at myself.  It's the strangest dream I've ever had, in that half way through the dream I remembered things from another dream that I had forgotten about.  And in the dream I just had, I accepted those memories as fact.  Confused yet?  I am.  I can't stop thinking about it.  So, before more of it is gone and I'm madder at myself, here we go.  Also, this is very long so don't feel obligated to finish it if you get bored.  Ha!

I was shadowing, for lack of a better word, someone I didn't know.  She took me through the motions of her day, showing me where she worked, introducing me to her friends and co-workers, taking me on her errands, telling me about her family and showing me her old neighborhoods.

She reminded me of myself in every way -- her way of speaking, thinking, moving, doing -- she even looked like me except that she had dark hair.  Each of her friends were similar to one of my own friends and she worked in an office that was set up like mine.  She went to the same grocery store and bought the same food I would buy.

Only her family was different from mine.  Her parents were not good people and she hadn't seen them in many years.  She'd left home at a young age and hadn't spoken to her parents since because of all the pain they'd caused her.  She had a brother but also hadn't seen him in quite some time -- not because he was a bad person but just because they drifted apart.  Each reminded the other of bad times and it was just easier not to see or talk to each other.

We spent the better part of day on this exercise.  I didn't think it was weird but I didn't know why we were doing it, either.  What's more, I didn't question it.

Suddenly the woman disappeared and I was standing alone on a street corner.  To my left and across the street, a block away, I could see the back of a house on the next street corner.  There were people in the backyard around a swimming pool.  I recognized the house as the woman's childhood home and the people as her parents and some other relatives.  I had no desire to talk to those people so I looked ahead of me.

Straight ahead and across the street was another row of houses.  I crossed the street and continued down the sidewalk.  About three houses down, I came to an older house that had been divided into apartments.  I knew that the upstairs apartment had once belonged to the woman I'd just spent the day with.  I climbed the stairs to the front door and let myself in.

When I opened the door memories came rushing at me.  A broom and vacuum cleaner in a closet.  Hand towels hanging from a hook on the kitchen wall.  Photographs on the mantle piece.  Clothes folded and placed in a chest of drawers.  I remembered moving into that apartment.  It had been mine.  I had unpacked my things and decorated the way I wanted to, making everything just right.  It had been fun.  I liked setting up my new home.  I had had a sense of well-being, of good things to come, of anticipatory excitement for the future.

This is where I became conscious of "memories" I had in a previous dream, except that during the current dream they were real memories.  I had another dream a long time ago about moving into that apartment.  And I forgot the dream until I had this more recent one.  I was also very confused because this apartment belonged to the woman from earlier in the day.  How had I lived in it also?

Now the apartment was in a state of disarray, as if I had moved out hurriedly, taking only the barest of essentials.  Doors and drawers hung open, the contents spilling out onto the counter tops and floor below.  I sifted through the clothing, mementos, dishes and other personal items.  I remembered needing to move immediately and knowing that I couldn't possibly take all of my belongings.  I remembered being distraught over the circumstances but I couldn't remember what those circumstances were.  I remembered picking and choosing the most important things to take with me.  I made some very difficult choices and hated everyone of them.

I looked through all of my things, laying there just as I had left them.  I was happy to see them again but puzzled as to what had made me move out suddenly.  I wracked my brain and couldn't come up with any reason at all.  Nothing was plausible.  I decided that there was no way I was going to leave all my stuff again and I began packing everything up in boxes and bags.  I took them all down the stairs and loaded them into a vehicle that was apparently mine and had magically appeared on the street in front of the house.

As I was packing the car Jennifer drove up.  She didn't seem to think there was anything odd about the scene there.  She was just stopping by to say 'hi' on her way to do something else.  As we chatted I absentmindedly opened the door to a storage closet on the porch.  Inside were jackets, boots and other winter clothing that I recognized as belonging to Jennifer and her family.  We dragged it all out and she just grateful to have found it.  Part of me wanted to say to her, "What is going on here?  Don't you think it's weird that I'm moving out of this apartment a second time? Do you know why I moved out the first time? Why is your winter stuff here?  Who the hell is that woman I just spent all day with?  Is she me?  Am I losing my mind?  Help me understand this!"  But I didn't.  She was acting normally so I accepted that things were normal.

And then I woke up.  And I've been confused ever since.  I feel like there is more to this series of dreams and I hope I have another one.

The Number, Part 5

So the number is steadily decreasing and my resolve is steadily strengthening.  To date, I have lost 10.7 pounds and I feel great.  That's 10.7 pounds that will never be on my body again!  And the best part about all this is that I'm not on a 'diet.'  I have made sustainable changes to my eating habits.  And yes, my diet is different but it isn't a diet like most people think of a diet.

Which brings me to this: I hate when people talk about dieting.  Your diet is simply what you eat.  There are good diets and there are bad diets.  And the irony of this is that when people talk about dieting, they're talking about bad diets.  Any dietary changes you make that you cannot sustain for the rest of your life will not improve your health and therefore constitutes a bad diet.  You may lose some weight -- or even a lot of weight -- but when you stop 'dieting' you'll gain it all back and likely more with it.

That's not going to happen to me.  I've learned that I don't have to slather oil or butter or cheese on my food to enjoy it.  I've learned that I don't have to make my coffee mostly 1/2 and 1/2 to love it.  I've learned that when I eat properly, there's enough room in my diet to have a reasonable amount of ice cream on a fairly regular basis.  I've learned that herbs and spices add a lot of flavor and increase my enjoyment of my food without adding a lot of calories or any fat. The way I'm preparing my food means that the weight I lose now is going to stay lost.

And I feel pretty dang fantastic about that.

I Had a Flashback (& Thank You)

Tonight Samuel wanted to tell me about a story his teacher read in class today.  He insisted on telling me every single detail, no matter how small and using voices and expressions like his teacher did.  It took forever.  It took the entire time we ate dinner.  Solomon and Miriam didn't get to talk at all.

While I was spacing out completely listening, I remembered a family dinner many years ago when Jennifer and I told Mom and Dad about a movie we had seen in school.  I think it was called The Million Dollar Duck or something like that and yes, it really was that lame. Anyway, Jennifer and I thought it was terrific and that our parents needed to know every. single. detail.  And we didn't miss any of them.  It took all of dinner and then some, with the two of us alternating parts, interrupting each other and being quite annoying I'm sure.  But Mom and Dad let us go on and on and on.  I don't know how they did it.  They don't even drink.

So anyway, I let Samuel continue because I remember Mom and Dad putting up with our yammering.  That was important to me.  I didn't notice so much then but every time I've thought of it since, I've marveled at my parents' patience in listening to that whole long, boring narrative and not acting the least bit put out or exasperated.  Thank you, Mom and Dad, for doing that.  And for all the other countless, selfless things you did for me as I was growing up.  I know I'll never remember them all or be able to thank you for them.  But thank you.

That's What She Said

We may have been watching a little too much of The Office around here.  On two separate occasions this evening, my kids asked, "Who is 'she' when Michael says 'That's what she said'?" and "What does that even mean?"  Miriam asked first and Solomon asked second and neither of them heard the other ask the question so it's not like one of them prompted the other to think about it.  Oops.

Why I Got a Garbled Voicemail from the Vision Place

Miriam needs glasses.  I feel a bit thrown off because she's never complained that seeing the board is difficult or that she can't see the television or anything.  But she failed the school eye exam last week.  Failed miserably.  And the family history is there.  So here we are.

I was worried that she'd be really upset about needing glasses.  Miriam doesn't do well with change and this is a big one.  And she did balk a little.  For the last few days she's been anxious about this appointment and kept asking things like, "What if I need glasses?" and saying, "But I really don't want glasses."  I can commiserate.  I didn't want glasses when I had to get them.

So we talked about it.  I told her that she will see better, even if she doesn't think she will.  I told her that I know how she looks is important to her and I understand that.  But her vision and her school work are the most important things to think about.  I told her that she can pick out whatever pair she likes best.

In the end, she's fine.  She was even a little disappointed when we left without her glasses because they have to be ordered.  And she's excited to wear them when the finally do come in.

Google Voice Message

Parker, Vision Specialist calling and appointments from hearing is scheduled on Tuesday, February 16th at 3:15 in the afternoon with doctor that we have moved to our new location at 9230 5 Crown kratz Boulevard, Suite 150, next to Parker Adventist Hospital to save me time in the office. Please visit our website at Parker vision Specialist dot com to complete, and I've been to your paperwork. We would appreciate new confirming your appointment by pressing the one key now. If you have any questions about your appointment, please call our office at (303) xxx-xxxx. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, February 16th at 3:15 in the afternoon press star to repeat this message. Thank you and have a nice day.

I Don't Understand

 

Why?  Why are Reese's peanut butter cups being sold by the pound in plastic containers?  I don't get it.  The store is selling all kinds of candy in these containers.  Why not leave them in their original packaging?

I Am So Proud

Miriam is in an advanced reading class.  I'm extremely proud of that but it's not the reason for this post.  Her class has been learning how to tell stories with expression and emotion.  To do that each student has memorized a story from another culture and they have presented them to each other in pairs and to their class as a whole.  Last night they presented them to family and friends in a show called the Folk Tale Festival.

Miriam started talking up the Folk Tale Festival several weeks ago.  She seemed really excited about it and kept asking if we could go.  At that point I wasn't sure what it was.  But then she came home 2 weeks ago with an invitation that she made herself.  I realized then that the Folk Tale Festival coincided with the ex-husband coming to town to spend this weekend with the kids since they have 2 days off school.  I thought that was a perfect opportunity for him to see more of where the kids are and who they're with all day.  The ex-husband agreed that it was a good idea and we made plans for it.

When I got off the phone Miriam collapsed into a crying mess and said that she didn't want to go.  It was a huge mess, figuring out what was wrong.  We finally decided that Miriam was probably nervous about performing in front of not just a group of strangers, but also her parents.  The teacher told me that Miriam was under no obligation to actually tell her story in public, that her grade was already determined by her work in class.  So I told Miriam that she would decide whether to perform her story and we left it there.

Last night I had serious doubts that she'd actually go through with it.  She still wouldn't commit to performing but wouldn't say that she wasn't doing it, either.  Finally, at the very end Miriam got up, put on the microphone headset and introduced her story.  She was very quiet and didn't add any embellishments to the story but she did it!  She spoke clearly without stumbling on her words and she was fantastic!  I was so excited and proud I couldn't stand it.  I admit it, I cried.

Miriam amazes me.  I really don't know how to put this into sufficient words.  If you know her you know that she is possibly she shyest child ever born to this earth.  She's extremely emotional -- sadness, anger, happiness, giddiness, silliness, they're all expressed in extremes -- in the privacy of our family but other people rarely see this because of her extreme shyness.  I've worried that she might have trouble in social situations throughout her life because of this.  But now I know she's going to be fine.  She possesses determination, smarts and discernment already at this young age and that is a great reassurance to me.

Friday To Do List

1. pack the kids' weekend bag
2. wash, dry, fold, put away 4 loads of laundry   Or most of it.
3. pack up a few more odds and ends
4. unpack my new coffee maker
5. vacuum
6. clean toilets
7. wipe down counters
8. sort out clothes to be donated
9. drop off donations  Boxed up and ready to go.
10. go for a run? maybe?    Nope, not gonna happen!
11. lunch meeting at work
12. relax, minus children    In progress.

She is Definitely My Daughter

Miriam knows how to appropriately use their/they're/there and you're/your.  My job as a parent is at least 33.3% done.

edited to add: I forgot!  She also has its/it's down pat!

Ups & Downs at Work

I really love being a nurse.  If I can make a small difference in someone's life, for the better, it makes my life a little better.  It makes me feel good.  A lot of times making a difference as a pediatric nurse means supporting a parent when they deal with a severely ill child, or a child's suicide attempt or a devastating diagnosis.  Sometimes it means reassuring a first-time mom that her baby's ear infection will pass and she will sleep again.

Last week had its share of ups and downs.  We transported a young infant to the ER when her oxygen saturation dropped dangerously low, even after breathing treatments and supplemental oxygen.  This was especially tough because this baby has other problems that will require many painful surgeries. The parents also have a language barrier that makes this situation even more difficult and scarier than it would be for others.  My heart hurt for them.

 I also saw one of my favorite families last week.  This woman has two sons, the elder is at the Asperger end of the autism spectrum and the younger is at the opposite end, a severely autistic child.  I admire this woman for her strength and patience and for the obvious understanding and love she has for her sons.  Her boys are such sweet kids and it really brightens my day to see them.

Last week I had to swab the younger boy's throat to test for a strep infection.  He was miserably sick and understandably terrified, considering what we had to do.  After I set up the test I went back to check on him.  The mom asked me if I could stay with him for a couple of minutes while she ran to the bathroom.  So I stood by the exam table and held the boy's hand.  He laid there, whimpering in pain and clutching my hand.  I tried to calm him and after a minute he quieted.  He was petting a stuffed toy, his security item.  Then he opened my hand, placed his toy on my palm and closed my fingers around it.  And then he patted my hand.  And he made my whole week.

Veggies!

You know how They say you have to offer less palatable foods to resistant children multiple times?  Somehow you're supposed to be able to wear them down and sucker them into liking things like vegetables.  Well, my kids are living, breathing, eating proof that this works.

Seven years, I have tried to get Solomon to eat and enjoy citrus fruits.  Seven years.  Last week, he ate a clementine and now he loves them.

Miriam turned up her cute little nose at asparagus for the better part of two years. Then she relented and would eat just the stalks and leave behind the budded tops.  I told her tonight that we were having asparagus as part of dinner and she cheered.  And she ate the entire stalks and buds.

Samuel ate half a zucchini and half a yellow squash tonight.  He was sad when I told him I might not have room in the roasting pan for them since I was making several other things.  So I squeezed them in.

Also tonight, Solomon ate roasted carrots.  The kids have always been good at eating raw carrots but that requires mucho ranch dressing for dipping.  Tonight he ate 5 of them!

So, once again, They are right.  And I'm happy with Them.

Solomon's Birthmark

I discovered it about 4 hours after he was born.  It was late, the ex-husband was asleep on the pull-out sofa in our recovery room and Solomon and I had just sort of gotten the hang of nursing.  I inspected his bruised and misshapen head, thanks to the vacuum extractor.  I noticed that he has a cowlick on his forehead in the same place I have one.  I unwrapped his receiving blanket and looked him over.  I'd always thought it was weird when people said they counted their new baby's fingers and toes, but I did that, without even thinking.  And then I saw it -- a large, very dark birthmark on his right ankle, across the Achilles tendon.  I wondered if he'd be self-conscious of it when he grew older.  And then I thought how cool it was.

Throughout Solomon's infancy, people noticed his birthmark all the time.  He was born in late spring so there wasn't much need for socks and definitely not for shoes for several months.  Some people thought it was weird.  Others thought there was something wrong with him, and suggested that maybe I had forgotten to pin something metal to my clothing during the lunar eclipse that occurred while I was pregnant.  (I hadn't.  I don't buy into that sort of stuff, but I'd worn safety pins on my shirt that night to appease my in-laws and their friends.)  I still thought the birthmark was cool; it was unique and special, something that I'd never seen on another baby.

In the last few years I haven't given much thought to Solomon's birthmark.  He talks about it sometimes but mostly in neutral terms and I've never thought to ask him what he feels about it.  Tonight he mentioned that the skin is peeling from it.  He says it's shrinking.  He is troubled by this.  Part of it is his tendency to over-dramatize things, I'm sure.  But another part of it, I'm realizing, is that he thinks it's cool, too.  He identifies it as a part of him and he likes it.  I'm glad for that.

To appease Solomon, I traced the outline of the mark with a Sharpie and told him that we'll watch it for a couple of days to see if it's actually shrinking.  I'm pretty sure it isn't.

The tracing was fun.  Solomon is the most ticklish person I know.  It's become legendary.  He's so ticklish that having his physical exam done is almost impossible.  He can't stand to be touched with the otoscope, stethoscope or any other scope.  He's so ticklish, he's convinced himself that I can tickle him from across the room with my brain.  I'm serious.  So tracing his ankle with a Sharpie was hilarious!  I may or may not have gone over it a second time, just for grins.

More Schoolwork

This time from Samuel, a quiz on Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

My favorite part is 'segrugashin'.

I'm a Blogging Fool!

I just noticed that January 2010 has 18 posts in it!  I know that I kind of slacked off on my writing last year so I went back and looked at my blog roll for 2009.  I didn't write 18 posts during any month last year.  And I suppose this one makes 19 now.  We'll still count it, even though I'm gloating.  Ha!  Here's to more 19 entry months in 2010! :cheers:

The Number, Part 4

Today I wore jeans that aren't necessarily my Skinny Jeans, but they're jeans I haven't worn comfortably in quite some time. Let's call them my Less Fat Jeans. And you know what? They feel good.

It's been easier to count calories than I expected it to be. It was tedious and kind of a drag for the first couple of days. It's still a little tedious but I'm getting used to it. I found a couple of online tools that make it much easier.

It's nice to have a concrete goal every day. I've been so used to eating whatever I want in whatever quantities I want that I really had lost all concept of what was okay and healthy and considered to be 'in moderation.' It's kind of scary. If I'd continued that way for another year, I can honestly say that I'd start 2011 obese. Yikes. I'm happy to have found a way to be sure I'm eating the right amounts of food. The best part is that at the end of the day, if I'm a little under my calorie limit -- which happens a few times per week -- I can have a truffle and feel really good about it!

Found in Miriam's Schoolwork

Hero = Mom 

My mom is the best hero in the world. My hero is my mom because she is strong and caring. My mom is my hero for two reasons. The first reason is because she is strong and she raised three children and has a big family. The second reason my mom is my hero is because she is caring all the time and she makes good food for my brothers and I. I love my mom because she loves my brothers and I. Certinley my mom is my hero.

I guess I'm doing something right.

Delicious Food and ... Kenny G?

I'm not working today -- yay for PAs that go on 2-week vacations to Switzerland and leave the office needing only 2 nurses!  So that means I had time to meet Paul for lunch.  We met at a little hole-in-the-wall Moroccan place in Aurora.

The place was virtually empty.  Paul commented that it's weird how little places like that can stay open for years and years when every time he's there they have next to no customers.  He hypothesized that they're actually a front for the Moroccan Mafia or something.  I don't care what they might be fronting for -- the food was delicious!

We shared a vegetable and lentil soup called harrira, a plate called the Middle East Combination -- comprised of hummus, baba ghanouj and falafel -- and an artichoke salad with the best raspberry vinaigrette dressing I've ever tasted.  We also had cups of Moroccan mint tea that was really tasty and warming.  We're definitely going back, hopefully soon.

What struck me as funny about the place was the incongruity of the music they played.  The walls, dishes, tablecloths, furniture and artwork were all very distinctly Middle Eastern in design. But they had a CD player going with Kenny G. They're definitely fronting for something.

I Can Totally Do This!

I'm not working today -- yay for PAs that go on 2-week vacations to Switzerland and leave the office needing only 2 nurses!  So that means I had time to run and lift weights this morning.

I did awesomely, if I do say so myself.  I programmed the treadmill for an hour.  I almost chickened out and put in 30 minutes but decided I'll never make enough progress that way.  So an hour it was.  I still don't have the endurance to run for an hour straight but I walked a minimum, just enough to take a drink of water and catch my breath again.  Wanna know how far I went?  Three.eight miles.  Woot!  That's roughly 6 kilometers for you non-metric peoples. That means I can totally run 10 kilometers in 4 months!  I can do this!  I am doing this.

As a bonus, I burned over 300 calories.  That's more than my breakfast.

The Number, Part 3

An update of sorts ... The Number is slightly lower again.  I'm happy.  But you know what I'm happier about?  That physically, I feel a lot better than I did before I committed to this.

I purposely didn't count calories and purposely ate what I wanted to on Saturday.  I could feel my resolve beginning to crack and I was afraid I'd binge on truffles or something if I didn't change things up a bit.  I didn't go nuts or anything, I just wasn't so regimented.  And it was fine.  Then yesterday, I stuck with my calorie limit but it was all crappy food (i.e. nachos, popcorn, hot chocolate, macaroni and cheese, etc.).  Looking at that list really makes me wonder how I stayed within my caloric limit but somehow I did.  I didn't have a single vegetable.  Blech.  I paid for it, too.  I felt bloated and sick most of the evening.

It was so refreshing to stick with a healthy diet today.  Emotionally and physically I am much better off than I was 2 weeks ago.  I'm loving this.  It's a great incentive to keep it up.

Silent Letters

This is what Samuel and I shared at the movie theater today.  He read the container and said, "Hm.  I guess the 'F' and the 'U' in 'nacho' are silent."

I love this kid.

Glamorous Manicure

My hands are in bad shape.  That's what happens when you wash your hands 26.2 million times. Per hour.  Just kidding.  But I do wash my hands a lot.  On top of that, I apply alcohol sanitizers to my hands mulitple times per day.  And I swab vaccine vials with alcohol.  And I swab children's thighs and arms with alcohol.  And I sanitize various surfaces at work with alcohol. That adds up to cracked cuticles.  It doesn't matter if I apply lotion to my hands every time I wash them.  It doesn't matter if I lather up my hands with Eucerin every night.  It doesn't matter if I apply super glue to the cracks in my skin, either.  This particular cuticle has been in some sad state of disrepair since early November.  Yup, almost 3 months.  See that big, nasty crack?  It's been there since Thanksgiving.  We're becoming friends.  Aren't you jealous?

This is America! Speak English!

Whatever.  This statement irritates me to the point of incoherence but I'm going to attempt to break down exactly why I get so annoyed, frustrated and yes, even angry when I hear it.  This should be self-evident to the general population but obviously it isn't, judging by the ignorance I see and hear around me every day.  Here we go.  (And please excuse my semi-graphic language.  I'm a little worked up.  And sometimes I can vent my worked-upedness with a few well-placed, gross descriptions.)

First, the great United States of America does not have an official language.  In case it's not clear, our language was borrowed from -- get this, you're gonna love it! -- the English!  And I'd wager money that a lot of Brits look down upon this bastardization of their language.

Second, one of the great principles of this country is that everyone is welcome.  If we're going to tell people they're welcome to join us and be part of our communities we can't very well hit them with the stipulation that they must learn "our" language first, can we?  The vast majority of people immigrating to this country do their best to learn and speak English as quickly as they can.  The narrow-minded punks that insist on mimicking their accents or sneering at their mispronunciations suck major donkey balls.

Third, most individuals looking down upon non-English speakers have never tried to learn another language themselves.  If they had, they'd think twice about slamming immigrants for their speech.  It's really freaking hard, and I know that first hand.

Fourth, having duplicate or even triplicate instructions on customer service menus, at the grocery store or any where else isn't hurting anyone who speaks English as a first -- or only -- language.  And it can mean all the world to someone struggling to learn English.  Being able to compare words and sentence structure side-by-side was a major factor in my learning Spanish as quickly as I did.

Fifth, learning another language can be pretty humiliating.  I still mess up my Spanish sentence structure and verb tenses way more than I care to admit.  I know I do it and I'm trying to do better all the time, but it's still embarrassing.  Fortunately, the patients I work with understand that, are grateful that I make the attempt and they are extremely patient and helpful when I do mess up.  If they instead laughed at me or made me feel like less of a human, I'd be really hurt.  Can you imagine how someone who's new to the country and doing the best they can feels when an American laughs at them?

Sixth, world-wide, the opinion of Americans is pathetically low.  Part of this is our arrogance and our basic refusal to learn the languages of our neighbors.  People who insist, "This is America, speak English!" are only serving to reinforce the idea that Americans are the festering canker sores on the hairy ass of humanity.

I understand that my opinion is the way it is because of my fairly unique background.  I married into a family of immigrants and learned their language by immersion.  I've spent most of my adult life in a community whose population consisted of nearly 1/3 Hispanic people, most of whom spoke Spanish and English.  Most of my career so far has been spent working in a school where white children were the minority.  I have a broad perspective.  And I refuse to cowtow to the pathetic ignorance of a sad majority.

I also understand that there are some people who come to this country and refuse, outright, to learn English.  I've met some of them.  But they are a tiny minority of the immigrant population.  It's unfair for everyone to be judged the same way because of them.

And this is why my blood pressure spent the better part of yesterday around 140/90.

Recent Bumper Sticker

If you want to comment on my driving

call 1-800-EATSHIT

It was on the back of a semi.  And you know what the driver did?  Cut me off.  No signal, no brake lights, no looking, no nothing.  Just cut me off.

Addendum to the How to Annoy a Nurse Post

11.  Call to schedule an appointment for something simple, like an earache or a rash and then casually say, "By the way, could you take a look at his ingrown toenail, too?" or, "You know, she's been having all these headaches lately. What could that be?"  We schedule patients according to their ailments and if you need extra time, we're more than happy to give it to you.  But you have to let us know ahead of time!

10 Ways to Annoy a Nurse

1. Show up 14 minutes late, just shy of the time I can refuse to see you and re-schedule you for a little later in the day when there is time.
2. Show up 14 minutes late, nod acceptingly when I explain that the patients who were on time will be seen first and then get mad at me when the doctor isn't in your exam room after 20 minutes.
   
3. Bring food to eat in the exam room.  First off, that's disgusting -- do you know what goes on in those rooms?  Second, your kids will unfailingly drop and crunch at least 7 Goldfish crackers/Cheerios/whatever and I'll have to clean it up.  Third, there is a freaking sign that says "No Food or Drink Please."  We even said please.
4. Way over stress about the shot your kid is going to get and cause them to completely freak out.
5. Don't tell your kid anything about the shot until I show up with it and then act like it's completely abnormal for her to be a little freaked out.
6. Threaten your kid with the punishment of a shot if they don't behave.
7. Tell your kid they can have a sucker if they behave, watch them act like a demon-possessed monster and then hand them a sucker anyway.
8. Do the above-mentioned thing and then wail about how you can't get your child to behave in public ever and how you think they might have a mood disorder and need drugs and therapy.
9. Call me 20 hours after your child was diagnosed with the flu and say that they still aren't any better and that I need to do something about it.  Seriously, do you think the simple act of going to the doctor, being diagnosed with a viral illness and then going home will cure your child?  It takes time.
   
10. Call me 15 minutes before we close and say that your child's stomachache still isn't better after 48 hours and then be irritated when I say we can see him tomorrow or you can take him to the emergency room.  Granted, that's a long time to have a stomachache and not eat, especially when the kid is 4.  But what do you expect me to say when you call that late in the day?

The Number, Part 2

I know better than to check on The Number obsessively.  I was going to wait a couple more days but I couldn't help myself this morning.  I've been doing so well and feeling so great that I had to check.  And it's already decreased by 5.  I was in shock, much like the shock I felt when I saw how huge it was a few days ago.  There could be some extenuating circumstances involved in the decrease, but I'm not thinking about those.  I'm thinking about Minus 5.  Yay me!

The Number

The Number is big and bad and ugly.  The Number completely bummed me out yesterday.  The Number has caused me to completely re-commit myself to a healthier lifestyle.  The Number will go down.  It must.  I will prevail over The Number.  Oh, yes.  I will prevail.

I'm It

I was tagged by my friend, T.  She's awesome and stuff and I'd love for you all to meet her, but she's kind of private and I respect that so she will remain as anonymous as she wants to be.

Anyway, T tagged me.  (I like the sound of that sentence.)  And I'm supposed to compose a list of 10 things that make me happy, do one of those things today and then tag 10 other bloggers to do the same thing.  Or something. The problem/s here are a) It's 9:36 pm and I'm going to bed in 1 hour and b) I don't have 10 blogging friends.  :sob:  But I will not let that deter me.  Here I go.  Are you ready?

1. My kids.  What else?  No matter how much they frustrate me, no matter how many times they induce stress-eating, or how many times they make me cry or lose sleep or my sunglasses or my appetite or my patience or the marker in my book -- you getting the picture yet? -- they do make me happy.  They never cease to amaze me with their smarts and their funnies and their capacity for making up kinda lame knock-knock jokes.  I'm so lucky to be their mom.  They make me happy every day.
2. Paul.  What can I say about Paul? We have fun together.  He gets me.  He puts up with my neuroses and doesn't complain a bit.  He takes care of me and I take care of him. He tells me how awesome I am -- and I'm kind of starting to believe him.
3. Mountains.  I love the mountains.  They're truly breathtaking.  I am so fortunate to have the views that I do.
4. Cooking.  Cooking makes me sooo happy.  I love starting with a counter full of ingredients and transforming them into something delicious.  It's one of the best feelings in life.
5. Jeans and t-shirts.  I am not a high-fashion person, in any sense of the word.  I live for comfort and it doesn't get any better than broken-in jeans and a comfy t-shirt.
6. My car.  She's pretty.  She's rock-solid on ice and snow.  She thaws out her own windshield wipers and defrosts her own sideview mirrors.  She plays my favorite music straight from my iPod.   She warms my butt.  She makes me happy.
7. Ice cream.  Ice cream makes me happy.  Actually, ice cream might make me a little too happy, from the feel of my jeans lately.  Oops.
8. Running.  I can always think of something I'd rather do but once I get going, I feel like I can do anything.  I feel strong, I feel powerful, I feel invincible.
9. Organization.  I thrive on organizing my surroundings.  I can't handle clutter.  A place for everything and everything in its place, and all that jazz.  Alright, I'll quit.
10. Music.  Of course music.  I crave rhythms and melodies and counter-melodies.  I love how music can deepen and accentuate any emotion.  I love turning it up loud and losing myself in it.  Music makes me very happy.

So that's my list.  And I'm tagging the following:

1. Lance
2. Caleb  (This is a long shot since he hasn't blogged in roughly 15 months.)
3. Garbanzo (if he's still reading and/or blogging)

I would tag Michelle but I'm pretty sure T tagged her, too.  And I don't think the other blogs I read know who I am.

Moving Update

After much thought, I have decided that we will move to another apartment in this complex when our lease is up at the end of February.  I briefly considered buying a town house near here because this is such a great time to buy a house.  When I looked at my financial situation though, I decided that it might be better to buy in another year or two.  Just because it's good for most people to buy now doesn't mean it's good for me, you know?

Once I decided not to buy now, the next logical choice was to stay in this complex (the rent really can't be beat) or move to one of the other few in the kids' school district (their school really is unbeatable).  The others didn't have 3 bedroom apartments available in the time frame I needed them and this one did.  So we got lucky.  I hassled the leasing manager for 3 weeks and finally got a deal worked out.

So we're moving in less than two months.  I'm excited.  We'll have more storage space and Miriam will get her own room.  She's over the moon about that.  The new apartment is on the third floor, which is good and bad.  Good because we won't have Bigfoot or noisy fighting over our heads.  Bad because hauling groceries will be a major chore.  Anyway, it's all part of apartment life; a life I hope to leave behind in the next couple of years.

Happy New Year!

And Happy Birthday to this blog!  This is my third New Year's blog entry, even if it's a day late.  Wow, time really flies, huh?

We had a great New Year's Eve celebration.  Jennifer and Caleb hosted a game night that we pieced together with a lot of people that didn't know each other before now.  At one point in the night someone commented that I was the only person who really knew everyone at our party.  And it's true.  I invited work friends, new friends, an old friend from high school who was in the area and of course, there were siblings, significant others and children.  It was a great time.

We played a few games, ate a lot of food, had sangria, wine and some mixed drinks.  We toasted the New Year on the porch with noisemakers, confetti and champagne.  (I was not impressed by the champagne, to say the least.  In fact, I thought it tasted vaguely of vomit, if you're interested.)

Jenn, Caleb, Paul and I have decided to run a 10K in May.  I'm nervous.  I was running a lot during the summer but that has fallen by the wayside since school started and all that.  Paul and I went running yesterday, although I hate to call it running.  We ran a little and walked a lot.  It felt good to be moving, though.  I have a loooong way to go, literally and figuratively speaking.

That's really the only New Year's resolution I have -- to run the 10K.  I don't like making New Year's resolutions.  In my opinion, it's kind of like celebrating Valentine's Day.  Why do I need a special occasion to make changes in my life or turn over a new leaf or show someone I love them?  Shouldn't that be an ongoing thing?  If New Year's resolutions help someone do that, I won't begrudge them that.  More power to them.  But I generally don't want to do it.

I did resolve to correspond with my family better during 2009 and I did, sort of.  With the exception of losing some gift cards and sending birthday cards late as a result, I did keep up my correspondence much better than I did in 2008.  So making the resolution did help that.  Let's hope it helps the running effort.

So ... Happy New Year, all!