New Year, New Start

I know, I know, it's been months since I've posted here.  Oops.  I'll summarize all the things that have gone on recently in a bit.

Anyhow, I saw something, well, several somethings actually, posted the other day about how the new year is a new book with 365 blank pages.  And well, that reminded me I really need to try and write at least a few of those pages down.... so, my goal is to try and remember to write here more.

So, what's been going on you ask?  Well, a heck of a lot, most of it trying.

Months ago I posted about the rent hike and moving.  That's been most of our adventure the last several months.

Anyhow, the good news of the move is that we're able to keep Boo in his current school through the end of the year.  They wanted to move him, but we calmly explained the economics of why we were moving and how making him change schools would more than negate the savings we'd get through moving.  So, they agreed that it would cause a financial hardship and let him stay, without transportation, but that's fine, we've got it covered anyhow.

The bad?  Oh, I'm not sure I can write that coherently.  In short, our new landlords are more or less slumlords who couldn't care less about their properties or their tenants unless they're not getting paid.

There've been some awesome lines from the landlord.... like "It's not as clean as I usually like to turn it over to new tenants.... but the carpets came up much nicer than I expected.".  We also got "do you want me to leave the paint for the trim?" when the walls (blue in one case) have very obvious places they were patched, one about the 12" in diameter, and never painted and the walls were filthy.  Or, how about "Will it be acceptable if I only get 3 of the burners working?"  I think that one takes the cake and says it all.

When people ask me about our new place, I usually say that it would be a great apartment if it had been kept up.  And it would.  Other than the fact that the boy literally has a bed room, with nothing but his bed, a stool for his clock, his clothes hamper and a tiny bed-side table.  There are two little built-in cubies that he's using for clothes storage.  That's supposed to be an "office" (that only has one outlet?).  The "second bedroom" is not much more than a glorified hallway with some funky angles at the one end and a tiny triangle of an excuse for a closet, that leads between the living room and the actual bedroom.  (And why is bedroom one word, but living room two??)  The kitchen would be nice if I could actually find another storage unit with drawers in it for the rest of my kitchen stuff that doesn't have a home.  (There are four tiny drawers in the kitchen, two of which are broken...)  And going from two bathrooms down to one and losing the dishwasher aren't exactly highlights either.

But, that's all the negative stuff.  We're making the best of it and we're not here forever.  Of course the general grumpiness has kept me from actually attempting to finish the unpacking.  I haven't even bothered with the bookcases.  The boxes of books are just on or in front of them....

But, there have been good things the last several months.  Boo's reading is coming along quite well and his math is exploding.  He's really enjoying school and his teacher just adores having him.  (Yeah, he's a cutie and sweet, and listens and works hard.... and she's young and cute.....)
I still really love my job.  I'm not a huge fan of the commute, but it could be so much worse.  The other people on my team are all great to work with, our manager actually cares and gives us real targets to aim for and the rest of management is all very supportive as well.  Oh, and just the overall attitude of the company is outstanding.  It may not have felt like it at the time, or throughout much of 2013 or the beginning of 2014, but getting laid off really was a blessing in disguise.  It forced me to move on and to realize exactly how poisonous my old workplace was and how wonderful it can be.  Sure, it's not perfect and I don't love everyone I work with, but I can work with them and get along in a professional manner and life is good.  (I don't expect to like or get along with everyone.... but I can play nice.)


So,  while 2014 was a bit of a roller coaster, I do believe there was more good than bad.  I look forward to an even better 2015 and will do my best to see the good in all the challenges.

I'll leave you with some random photos from the past several months, not really in any particular order or importance.

Signs and Addictions

Yesterday, I would have posted, but the battery in my mouse died, I was tired and I just didn't feel like finding a new battery.

Anyhow, yesterday's prompt was "sign".  Since I was at work all day and it was too hot to go out for a walk when we got home, this sign will do.  It's actually one that I have chuckled about since we moved into this building.  Yes,  I find it a bit ironic (?) that the "No Smoking" sign hangs right above the fire extinguisher.  There's actually two on each floor.
Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that this is technically a smoke free building.  Although, there are two people who still do smoke in their apartments, but I'm guessing they've been living here (at least, I'm pretty sure the one has!) longer than the ban has been in place.  I just find it kinda funny where the sign is posted in relation to the fire extinguisher.
This really isn't a very good photo, but we were on our way to pick up Gak from work and Boo wasn't being very patient.

Yesterday was a tough day for everyone.  For me, it was just more reporting month madness combined with a Monday lack of focus.  Boo had it easy.  He wasn't happy that he wasn't getting any Amma time because he had to go school the whole day because Daddy was working all day.  Gak had the worst day of us all.  It was a very disaster filled day, and ended up a bit grumpy.  We all have those and we survived this one as we usually we do.

Anyhow, today's prompt was "my addiction".  I went for the obvious shot.  Here's my basket that sits right beside my rocking chair in the living room.  It's got a started project, a bunch of waiting yarn and several completed projects in the front.  Actually, those projects can probably represent another addiction I've been going through.  I have been hooked on fashion scarves (as opposed those purely for warmth) and shrugs/small shawls.  They really do expand my wardrobe quite a bit and are quick and easy projects.  Oh, and that orange bit, that's Trey's scarf I made him last winter.  He didn't really get to wear it much because it wasn't that cold.

But, my other current addiction has been tea.  I just got an order from Adagio, I think I ordered about 6 different teas.  I seemed to run out of everything all at once.  That could have made an interesting picture, but probably not, because none of them are open.

Anyhow, I'm going to wrap it up here.  Tomorrow's prompt is "plate".  Maybe my lunch will be interesting.  Actually, thinking about "plate" I'm not sure what we're doing for dinner tomorrow... hmmm... guess I'd better figure that out before I go to bed.
Oh, and speaking of bed, I finished The Goddess Lounge last night.  It was awesome.  Quite funny.  It had a great page-turning pace.  And, yeah, I needed to hear the lesson Penne was hit upside the head with.  Thanks Margaret!  I can't wait to read what else your amazing brain comes up with.  You really do make me laugh.

Ok, now I'm going to wrap it up.

Peace to all and may you have an addiction that makes you happy and find humor in the signs around us.

*blank stare*

I really haven't had the time to update.  It's been really quite busy around here.  At least since the weekend or so.

Let's see here.  Saturday afternoon the boys got hair cuts and then Gak went to play Warhammer while Boo and I stayed home and watched "Muppets Take Manhattan" and enjoyed the "gooey bars" I created.  (Graham cracker crumbs and oatmeal crust bottom layer, sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter on top and topped with chocolate chips, baked at 350 for about 20 minutes, let cool long enough to not burn yourself.)  Needless to say, Boo and I enjoyed ourselves and our ooey-gooey chocolate.

Sunday was an adventure day.  We went up to Cabella's after breakfast.  I managed to find a pair of jeans that fit.  Not only did they fit, but they look great and were a size smaller than I was expecting!  And even better, they were only $30.  Therefore I grabbed two pair, one light, one dark.  I also got a new fleece zip up jacket and a pair of boots.  We also snagged a new seasoning (needs help...) and a new key chain because my old beaner has a bit of a bum spring.  We then had a nice lunch at Cracker Barrel and came home.  Unfortunately, it was quite a fight to get the boy-o down for a nap even though he was soooo tired he could barely stand.  We also had to run to the grocery store and some other errands.

Monday was a really, really long day.  I started by leaving the house at 6:00 to get into the office by 6:30 so I could leave the office at 3:00 and zip home, pick up a boy and then head over to Lowes.  Then I manned a cookie booth from 4:00 until about 8:30 or so.  We did really well.  We sold 57 boxes and raised enough donations for another 20 boxes for Cookies From Home.  (If anyone is interested, we still have plenty of cookies we're trying to sell, or get donations for Cookies From Home).

Yesterday I actually managed to wake up on time and get to the pool.  Unfortunately, I celebrated Donut Day and ate a donut for breakfast instead of eating something with a lot of protein.  Therefore, I totally over ate all day.  I really should know better by now, on days I get a good workout in first thing I've got to eat a lot of protein for breakfast.  Oh well, maybe I'll get it right tomorrow....  Then after work was my regular Girl Scout meeting.  It was craft night because we've got an event Saturday.

Today was an all day school day for the boy-child because Gak had a dentist appointment this morning.  Then after Gak got off work it was run to the bank, grab some dinner and put a boy to bed.

I've been working at writing this for about an hour now because I've been distracted by "Weird Al, Behind the Music Remastered".   (Yes, I enjoy Al.  I think I can thank Ben for that... I'm pretty sure he's the one who introduced Jon to Al's music and therefore I got inundated with it...)

Anyhow, the rest of the week isn't looking any less hectic.  Tomorrow morning I will be taking Boo to school, trying to squeeze in an oil change before my doctor's appointment at 9:15 then off to work and about 2 or 3 meetings.  Friday I get to go in early and probably stay late in order to try and make up some of the time that I'll be missing tomorrow.  Saturday from 9 until 4 I'll be at a Girl Scout 100th birthday party being thrown by the service unit.  I hope it's as fun as it sounds.  I don't remember my service unit growing up doing annual events, but apparently RSU does.  *shrug* We'll see.  Then Sunday will be laundry and Gak's threatening to turn it into "cleaning day".  I really just want to do laundry and groceries and not much else before the next week begins.  We'll see how it all shakes out.

Anyhow, I'm going to wrap up this long ramble.  (Actually, it's probably not all that long... it just seems that way because I kept getting distracted by the TV...)

Peace to all and may your weeks be full, but not too full.

Frustration and Figures

Here I sit at my desk at work, waiting for another download to happen. There is a lot on my mind and a lot going on right now, but it’s all pretty chaotic, and not ready for posting nor may it ever be ready to be out there in the great wide world.

I am very ready for the chaos in my life to die down to a manageable level, some nice background noise. It has been a very long 6 or 7 months, and hopefully we’re going to see the end of the tunnel sometime soon.

I honestly thought we had seen the end of the tunnel when we finally moved in to the new apartment. Well, we’re still not quite done with that drama. We should be soon. I just have to figure out how to say what I want to say. To make an anguishing story a bit shorter and easier to digest, let me just say that we’ve been in a battle the last 2 to 3 weeks over the deposit on the old apartment. The way we see it is that the lease was terminated on 5/31 when the keys were turned in. This means that according to law, she had 30 days to get us our deposit and/or an itemized list of what the deposit was used for. Well, she didn’t. So, on July 7th, I sent her an email politely asking what was up. Or at least I tried to be polite, but I guess formal comes across as “threatening”. *Sigh* Anyhow, she responded that she was out of the office and she couldn’t find our address (which I’d given her back in April and every email I send has my work mailing address and phone number on it) but would be back in on the 12th. Well, I guess I got a little ticked by the brush-off, especially considering I knew she had my email, my work phone, my work fax, my work address, Gak’s cell phone and his email as well, not to mention that she knows exactly where he works. She could have easily contacted us at any time.

Oh, and by the way, PA law states that if she doesn’t get us the deposit and/or explanation within 30 days, we’re entitled to double the amount no questions asked. Now, let me tell you, that’s a nice chunk of change we’re talking about. So, with a little help, I gathered my understanding of the law and fired off a response that could probably be seen as threatening, or at least very unhappy.

Well, to try and make this a little shorter, she went to her lawyer. Who advised her that the lease doesn’t actually terminate until next May 30th because we didn’t notify her in writing about not renewing before the April 3oth date in the lease, but a week later. Now, mind you Gak had told her we were looking to move back at the beginning of April, so she at least had verbal warning. Yes, we should have gotten her the written notice earlier, but since I hadn’t looked at the lease in about 3 years, I couldn’t remember how much notice we had to give her. There was also a lot of other trumped up and exaggerated statements in the letter from her lawyer, including that we didn’t let her know in a timely manner about the infestation. (I’m sorry, within 3 hours of figuring out why the hell Gak and I were both itching and had been for a few months now wasn’t fast enough???!) The long and the short of it is, she’s willing to give us about $350 for us to shut up and go away.

On the one hand, I’m so ticked at her that I’d love to take her to court and get her to pay out the $1600 she owes us, even if we only see about $500 after lawyer fees and court fees and all that jazz. But, the realist in me sees that it will probably be in everyone’s best interest to take the money and run. Taking her to court won’t make her a better landlady. Yes, the way we read it the law is on our side. But, the way her lawyer reads the lease, the lease is on their side. Yes, some of the things she’s charging us for is downright highway robbery and petty. But, I have to be above that. Being petty, while satisfying in the short run, will not make things better in the long run. Not to mention set a very bad example for my son.

Why do I have to be a grownup? Why can’t I just throw a tantrum and yell and scream loud enough so that I can get what I want?

Because that’s the way life is, for good or ill.

So, I guess I’ve talked myself into taking the money and running, no matter how much I could use the extra cash. Now, to figure out how to word our letter of response to tell her “don’t think you’ve won because of this, but we’ll take your money and be rid of you for good”. Of course, she’ll feel like she “won” and “beat” us, and we’ll feel like crap for being so confrontational and for potentially leaving $1500 on the table. Yeah, it’s a no-win situation at all for us, I’ll just be glad when it’s finally well and truly over. And still, $350 is better than a poke in the eye. Besides, if we went to court there’s always the chance the judge could side with the lawyer in that the lease really doesn’t terminate until next year and make us pay all the rent that would have been due this year. Not a chance I’m really willing to take, as that is way more than $1600.

Well, my download is done. I’ll wrap this up by saying that Amma finished Boo’s curtains and they’re hanging in his room. The look great! She hopes to have ours done this week, which would be awesome.
So, peace to all and may your ordeals not be ulcers on steroids and may calmer heads prevail.

Happy Father's Day (a day late and dollar short edition...)

Well, Sunday was Father's Day.  We weren't going to do much this year as we've just gotten through all the moving crap and other stuff.  (Actually, the moving crap still continues, we haven't received our deposit nor any word about it... she has until the middle of next week.... I so don't want to have to play mean about this...)
But, of course, as life would have it, our plans and reality were fairly different.
Gak had seen a really good deal at Walmart for a new X-box 360 that came with two games.  Unfortunately, when we went to our local store, there weren't any there and they didn't even offer to check the other local stores.  Not that I really wanted to buy anything at Walmart, but with the deal they were offering, it was almost too good to pass up.  (I'd promised Gak we'd get him an X-box at some point in time this year.)  (Is it just me or does any Walmart over about 5 or 6 years old look like it hasn't been swept in a decade and the stocking of shelves is all a mess and disorganized and just has a general "ick" feel to it?)
Disappointed, we come home and relax a bit and have a good Friday evening in general playing with the boy.
Saturday was Boo's last swim class.  I'm not going to sign him up for any more until maybe the fall.  We'll see how he does in outside pools over the summer.  I could, and probably should, have written a whole post just on the swim classes.  Overall I don't think they were a bad thing, but I think he's less happy in the water (at least at our Y) now than back in February.  I know he doesn't like baths at the moment.  I honestly doubt the two are related or that the swim classes caused this.  I still say a good bit was him dealing with the stress of the situation we were in this spring and a good bit more has to do with the water temperature (84 degrees my foot....).  Anyhow, he's excited about "swim" and "baff", up until the point he has to get into the water. *sigh*  He tolerates both well, but isn't happy about it half the time or so.
Anyhow, after that we came home, played for a bit and then Boo crashed for what's becoming his normal Saturday marathon nap of 3 hours or so.  Then we picked up Poppa and went to Target, mostly to look, and partially to pick up some cleaning stuff and some groceries so I didn't have to go to the store in the morning.  Gak fell upon a very nice deal.  It's not quite as nice a deal as what we could have gotten at Walmart, but we got a new base 360 with a controller for $130 after the $50 gift card.  It didn't come with any games (the ones bundled at Walmart were ones that were going to get traded in anyhow...) and was about $30 more, but I like Target a whole lot better to begin with.  So, while I fixed supper (baked chicken and mashed potatoes) Gak and Boo took some old DS games over to Game Stop and traded them in and picked up some used games for the Xbox.  Happy Father's Day love.
Sunday was a full day as well.  We were going to Ikea on our way down to PopPop and Amma's and then later in the afternoon we were going to get Boo's pictures taken.  (Hopefully.  Amma and I tried that last weekend, but it didn't work out so well.......)
At Ikea we end up getting a few more things than were on the list, but just about all of it was needed or useful things.  We got a new lamp for the wall in the living room to add some light to the computer desk end of the room.  We got some other odds and ends, but most importantly, we got a new table for Boo's room.  It's a wonderful bright blue wood.  He picked it out himself.  We gave him the option of two, and wanted the blue one, no questions asked.  Which is good, it both fits in and contrasts the rest of the white furniture in his room.  Hopefully he'll get a good 3 or more years out of it as a play table/desk or as a side table later.  (And at $24, I really don't feel bad about buying it if he only uses it for a few years and then it gets passed on to another kiddo...)
We had lunch at Wendy's on our way to Amma and PopPop's.  It was yummy and Boo even ate almost all his chicken.  The staff there were really slow though and I wasn't 100% sure our order was going to be correct, but it was.
Boo really enjoyed playing with his PopPop for a bit when we got there (Amma and PopPop seemed to know exactly when we were going to show up and were sitting outside waiting for us.)  Boo crashed, and crashed hard for a nice nap.  Gak decided to take a bit of one as well.  I got some crochet done and Amma napped to a baseball game.  I call that a good afternoon.  Once Boo woke we went to the book store and then to Portrait Innovations.
Now, mind you this is the third time we've gone to one to get pictures done.  They usually have great staff and can capture some really great portraits.  It's all digital so it's fast.  I really only wanted to get the $10 value package, as I didn't need a lot of 2-year pictures.  Well.... if you want to get a CD with all the pictures on it for reprints in the future or just to have the ones you didn't get printed, you had to get a total of 4 poses.  I really didn't want to spend the money.  I wish they'd just offered the CD for $10 or even $20.  Yes, over 24 hours later it still galls me.  So, being a soft hearted momma, I bought the extra pictures.  I got mostly wallets. I decided to just get all the pictures now instead of doing another shoot at the end of November or beginning of December.  (Now, the trick is to actually get a holiday letter out... I'm half toying with the idea of writing one now and sending something out now instead... hmm....)  So, in the long run, I spent less money than if we'd gone twice.  Boo cooperated quite well for a two-year-old.  He had his moments, but he hammed it up a bit for the camera and our photographer did get some very good pictures.
No, I'm too lazy to get the CD out of my bag so I can upload one on the post.  Sorry.  I have some other photos sitting on the camera that need uploading as well.  I'll get there, I promise.

Anyhow, that was our busy Father's Day weekend.  I'm glad I was able to get Gak the Xbox like I promised him and didn't have to wait until the end of the year.  I'm glad we got good pictures of the boy, even if I bought more than I wanted to.  I'm glad my son got to spend time with his PopPop.  It's great for both of them.  (More on that in a while... maybe...)  I'm just so lucky to have as wonderful a Dad as I've got, to have such a wonderful husband who is such a great Poppa and such a wonderful son who brings such light into the world.

Gak is about to embark on almost 2 weeks straight of working open to close while his boss goes to Hawaii as a final family vacation before his daughter goes off to college.  That'll be rough, but it'll be a nice pay check or two at the end.
This weekend should be fun.  Boo and I are going up to Kanoebel's to meet up with my college friends Jen and Joan.  I haven't seen them since Mo's wedding.  I wish I'd had more time with them at school, they were great to hang around with.  I'm thinking I may see if I can steal Zoe to keep Boo company while us girls get caught up.  Well, I get caught up with them, they get together on a semi-regular basis.
Next weekend we're supposed to go up there again, at least for Sunday, if not for camping overnight Sunday into Monday.  (Gak has to work Monday, but not until the afternoon, so we can just leave from up there first thing and still make it back in time.)  I'm still not 100% sure on the staying overnight.  It all depends on if my tent is needed by one of the clan or not.  I guess that means I'll have to replace some sleeping bags and get a second air mattress as well.... my really nice sleeping bag got tossed in the great purge better known as the move.

I think I've rambled on long enough.  I'm sorry for the lack of posts this month.  It's been busy at work with the cutover and I just haven't felt up to it at home.  (That and the horrible racket my computer is making is due to a power supply fan that alternates between trying to die and take flight....)  My access to things like this at work is quite limited now, both more and less than it was with the old company.  And in reality, I should be spending my lunch time walking and eating, not surfing and I sure as anything better be doing my job the rest of the time.

Peace to all and may your weekends be good, your father's special and your friends close.

New

So, it's been a week since I last posted.  As usual, it's not because I don't have anything to say, it's because I'm not sure I want to commit it to writing for various reasons and that I'm still working through some of it in my own head.  That and I've been busy.
Last week was filled with business at work.  And general crankiness on my part.  My good friend Abi's mom also passed at the end of last week.  We knew it was coming, as her mom had been fighting cancer (started as breast, moved into her brain) for quite some time and that she really was going downhill fast.  It still sucks.
But yes, I kept turning over and over in my mind how to say what I feel about the new apartment.  The new apartment is lovely.  It's a wonderful space and we actually have neighbors, and they're all friendly so far.  (One even offered to babysit Boo if we ever needed before she's even met him!)  It has a lot of nice amenities and is in a good location and reasonable rent and all that good stuff.
But it's not home yet.
It may not be for a bit of time.  I'm trying to make it home.  I want it to be home, truly I do.  I like the place and think that moving there is a good thing.  I just still feel very hurt and betrayed and forced into it.  In a way, I almost feel like I've been dumped.  No, I'm not in a romantic relationship with either the old apartment or the landlady, you know what I mean.  I mean that I've had a relationship with this space and this landlady for 4 years now.  This is where our son was conceived.  This is where we brought him home to.  This is where we had many, many a Sunday game session with friends.  This is where I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time last year. So, yeah.  It wasn't a perfect relationship.  There were bits of  awkwardness from the start, or almost the start.  But it seems like it all just fell apart at the end and that we were all but forced out the door.  It got to the point where the relationship between us and the landlady couldn't be salvaged, and I really don't want to live somewhere where the landlord or landlady doesn't like me or my family.  I keep asking myself what went wrong.  So, yes, it's almost like we were dumped and like the ending of any relationship, it will take a little time to heal from it and move on.  I think that's the best way I've been able to explain how I feel right now.

But, we've started the moving process.  I'm so glad it's only a handful of blocks away and we can move a few things here and there and don't have to have everything packed up and boxed up and labeled and ready to go on just one day.  I'm horrible at that.
Friday was a very busy day for me.  The first thing was that Gak and I both had eye doctor appointments.  We both got new glasses, mine were ready that afternoon.  That was a good thing because Boo had broken the arm on mine a couple of weeks earlier.  They were able to repair them so I have a spare set though.  (My prescription didn't change a whole lot.  I really like my new frames, they're very different from what I'd been wearing.
The next thing on the list was to pick up the keys to the new apartment and pay the half's month rent for May.  After that was dropping Boo off at daycare and Gak and I had a quick lunch and then dropped him off at work.  Then I had the joy of going up to the Social Security office in Allentown.  You see, I never did change my name to Brady with them.  And since everything else, including my passport is in my married name, not my maiden name, the new corporate won't pay me unless my SSN matches.  So... off to Allentown I went.  Then I had time to pick up a few things, pick up my glasses and do a little bit around the new apartment before I had to pick up Boo and Gak.  So, even though it was a vacation day, it was far from restfull.

The move is going well.  The kitchen is all but moved (the cold stuff is moving today, and there are a few other odds and ends in the kitchen to move yet).  The clothes are all but moved, other than what's at Kat's in storage and the few things for this week.  Everything is getting washed again before being moved.  Paranoia being what it is.  We took Gram's dinning room furniture down to Mom's on Sunday, with the help of Scott and Kat (and Zoe in tow!).  Then we picked up a new bed from my friend Randy at work.  They'd bought a new queen sized bed shortly before his wife got sick.  She can't sleep in the bed any more, and so it was just taking up space in the garage.  He said we could have it just so long as we came and picked it up.  (I'll probably take him out to lunch or something as a thank-you though.)  We need to get a new kitchen table (our little tiny one will do for now) and a new futon/sofa.  We've still got the furniture to move mostly and the linen, storage and junk closets to go through.  But, it's going.  We've got another week or so yet.  We don't have to have everything out of here until the 30th.  (Technically the 7th, but I told our landlady we'd have everything out by the 30th).  We've paid the half-month of May at the new place and the extra week's worth at the old place.  I have to cancel the phone and the DirectTV (unfortunately, the new place is Comcast only... and we're not going to keep the landline, just the cable and the Internet, saving us about $50 or more a month.)  I keep trying to call but either forget until 10:00 at night or get disconnected with Verizon.  It will happen though.
So, yes, we're getting there.  Boo seems to like the new space.  Especially now that some of his toys are in his room.  He really loves the balcony and will gladly proclaim "Outside!" every time he sees it and want to go out there all the time.  We'll see what happens when he has to sleep there.  I'm not putting the crib up, but may keep the crib mattress around for a little while.  We'll have the pack-n-play as a backup.  I'm sure there'll be a few sleep deprived nights, but he'll get the hang of it sooner or later.  I think he's ready to move into a real bed, but not so sure about staying in there to go to sleep.

Anyhow, I'd better get dressed, get the cold stuff packed up and ready to go.  And a boy awake and dressed as well, since we're all heading over to the new place before I go to work.  Oh, and yes, I have pictures and no, they're still on the camera.  Patience.

Peace to all and may your relationships end smoothly and your moves go well.

Sick Boy

Well, it's the last day of April.  And boy has it been a doozy of a month.  I am one very worn out Momma Rat right about now.
Right now, I have a sleeping baby boy (make that toddler boy...) in his room.  He woke up at 2:30 with a very loose and stinky diaper, didn't go back to sleep until about 4 and then promptly decided to get sick around 9 or so for his Poppa.
Of course, today is also the last day of reporting month and while most of my assignments have been wrapped up already, there is always still plenty to do and deadlines to meet.  Luckily, I've been able to work from home today.  I did take Boo into the doctor even though he'd been sick less than 12 hours.  That's because despite having no fever or other signs other than some general lethargy and just not quite being himself, every time we gave him any Pedialite or water, it came back almost immediately.  No, it wasn't cold, but room temperature.  He wasn't downing entire glasses of it at a time, anywhere from 3-5 oz before it would come back.  The last thing I wanted to do was go to the ER this weekend with a dehydrated boy child.  Well, his doc checked him out and he's OK other than the stomach issues.  She told me to cut back the liquids to about 1-2 oz and that should work, but to keep an eye on him.  So, I gave him 2 oz when we came home and he's been sleeping almost since.  Of course, he was mad as anything that he couldn't have any milk or any more than the 2 oz I had put in his cup.  Oh well.  He'll just have to deal.  I should wake him, but I'm not going to.
Of course, this means that we'll be missing the first class of the new swim session.  I think that bums me out way more than him.  We had last week off, so I'm not sure if he realizes we were supposed to start up again.  Oh well.  I'll live.

But yes, the rest of this month hasn't been much easier.  We've fought with the landlady and have come to a draw in my opinion.  We're moving out of a wonderful space, with a landlady I used to like and that has wonderful character.  We do have a new place to move into and just signed the lease today.  That's a good thing for this month.  We've also had the apartment "treated" and a follow up next week...
My best friend lost her nephew suddenly and unexpectedly and way too young.
I haven't slept in the same bed as my husband since we went to Baltimore for the weekend, and I'm really missing it.  I can't find half of my clothes as they're mostly bagged up in the dinning room or in storage at Kat's.
We had a cold but enjoyable trip to Knoebles last weekend, so that was another bright spot (although the sky was gray and cold...)
I managed to take 3rd in my company's "Biggest Looser" contest, but if anything I'm less happy with my size.   I think people are happier for me, than I am.  I was never unhappy at my heavier weight, but knew this needed to be done to prevent health issues in the future.  This has nothing (almost) to do with self-image and everything to do with future health.  I should feel happier, but I don't.  It just is.  Yes, it's a good thing, but it's still just one thing.  That's something for a whole different post though.
My brother both turned 32 years old and asked Becca to marry him on the same day, so that's a very bright spot.

So, yeah, it's been a month of ups and downs.  Stress, heartache, loss, hunting and finding have all played their parts.  Pardon me, I need a nap.  Here's hoping that while busy, May will be less stressful (or at least filled only with the good stress of moving...).  I'm looking forward to June, both for being in the new place (even though I will really miss this one!) and because my baby boy turns 2.  Where has the time gone?

Anyhow, just thought I'd try and sum up the month and whimper that my baby is sick.  I just hope neither Gak nor I get the bug, we don't need that added to the pile.  I'm off to figure out what to make with the orange ginger chicken for dinner, probably some rice.... but I'm not sure.

Peace to all and may your month not be quite the roller coaster mine has.... unless you're on them at Knoebles.

Frustration

OK.  I'm going to do something I promised myself I'd never do.  I'm going to rant, rave, complain and downright bitch about someone or something that I know has the address to this blog and knows who I am.
Tough.
I'm so tweaked by this that I just don't care at the moment.  I can't ensure that this will make any sense or be coherent to anyone.  I apologize, but I've got to get this off my chest.

It has been over a week and a half since we figured out that we have bedbugs and that Gak told our landlady.  Everything that I've done, has amounted to only pissing the damn things off.  It's only a matter of time before they move into the rest of the apartment.  And there is just about nothing I can do to fix even a small part of it.  This will require a profesional and probably well over $1500, I'm betting closer to $3000 because of the age and size of this building.
When Gak told our landlady last week about this, the first thing she said was that we brought them in. Pardon me, but WHAT??? What part of there was a problem on the 3rd floor in October don't you understand.  What part of you didn't even have the exterminator inspect our apartment, let alone spray.  What part of these are harder to kill than roaches and there's nothing between the two floors other than about a 12-18" air space.
Of course, she also said that we'd have to pay for the exterminator.  Uh, I don't think so.  I could see paying for it if it was our fault, like if it was an ant infestation because our kitchen was a health hazard to everyone in the county.  But this is a direct result of her hiring the cheapest and laziest contractors she can find.  I'm not even going to go into that whole rant.... that would take hours in and of itself.  (It took her just shy of 2 months to get the main light in the kitchen fixed.... this is just one small example....)
I mean, if she doesn't take care of this, eventually they will find their way into her office and make her and her employees lives an itching hell.  The only positive thing is that they don't transmit any diseases, just make you itch like crazy.  Well, that and so far they haven't appeared in the rest of the apartment.
I mean, sure, if you want to quibble about who's paying for the exterminator that's one thing, but this is a health hazard and you get it taken care of and then fight over it.  But no, it's up to us to call.  It's up to us to pay.  I'm sorry, I'm renting partially because I DON'T have a spare couple of thousand dollars lying around.  Oh, and yes, it does say in the lease "Comply with the requirements of applicable building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety." under landlord obligations.  And yes, I would consider this a health issue.  Everything I've read says that the landlord (or landlady in our case) is responsible for pest control.  Gak's talked to a couple of other landlords he knows (from work) and they said they'd have taken care of it in an instant and that you have to take care of the whole building.
And, why would we have to pay for the exterminator when I'm pretty sure the upstairs people didn't have to back in the fall and we have them now because of their infestation and the half-assed job done by the exterminator (and our landlady, I blame her... if she'd hired a good and honest guy and not been cheap, she would have known and, hopefully, taken care of the whole damn thing back then).  And I doubt the job done in the fall was even half-assed.  I'm guessing that this isn't a "treat it once" kind of deal.  I'm about 99% sure that this will require many, many treatments over several months, if not a couple of years, to ensure that this has been taken care of and won't come back any time soon.

I'm so paranoid that I'm going to wake up one morning and Boo will be covered in bites.  I'm terrified of accidentally taking this into the daycare.  I'm terrified of taking this in to work.  I don't feel clean any more, I haven't in a week.  I'm kicking myself and realizing that I should probably just throw out about $60 or $80 of yarn that was either in my bedroom or that I brought into the house today to make a sweater and booties for my cousin Ben's son who was born last Saturday (and who's Bris we're going to this Saturday).  The whole thing makes me sick.  I'm just glad I haven't brought the new sheets or mattress pad cover into the house yet. I've got a call into Andy to see if he has another bed frame floating around in the barn that we can have as I just want to spray this one, repeatedly and often, haul it out of here and burn it to the ground.  Of course, I won't do anything with that until we've got everything else out of the apartment.

I really don't want to do it, but I'm thinking that I'll be taking some vacation ASAP and moving.  I'm not even sure if I care that it'll cost us more and be more inconvenient to us.  I don't want to move, but I don't know if we can stay here, if only for Boo.  I do know that when we do move, I'm going to be getting rid of a LOT of things, as much as I don't want to.  Not only are we going to have to move, but I'm thinking I'm going to have to get a new sofa (not going to risk it) and about 60% of a new wardrobe.  (Of course, I'm half hoping part of that will be because I'll have shrunk out of most of mine....)

So, yeah, I'm pissed.  I'm ticked.  I'm downright furious.  This post doesn't even begin to cover what I'm feeling.  But, it's after 9:30 and I've got one more day of work yet this week.  I am looking forward to the weekend, if only because we're going to my newest cousin's Bris and we get to see Michelle on Sunday.  Hopefully I'll have more happy things to write after this weekend and pictures to share.

Peace to all and may your landlords be reasonable and your problems small.

Cleanup

First things first, Happy Birthday Mom!! (a day late on the blog, but I did call her yesterday, twice even... well, Boo called her the second time...)  She says she's not upset at being this age, but thinks she'll just keep repeating the next two years or so indefinitely.  I can't say as I blame her.

So, yesterday morning I took a few hours personal time and headed over to the laundromat.  It took me about $45 in quarters to wash and dry everything that I had.  I think it translated into about 13 "regular" loads of laundry.  Talk about a lot of cloth!  And that's not even everything that Gak and I own.  After checking the dressers and closets, we decided that everything in there was safe.  We washed everything that was out of the closets and dressers, that is everything that was in the hamper, on the floor or on the bed or on the bookcase in the bedroom.  I did have to wash almost all of last week's laundry again because it hadn't been put away yet (one of my chronic problems...).  We've sequestered our clothes from yesterday and will do them separately next time I do wash, which will have to be some time this weekend so Boo will have some clothes for next week.  In this "in-between" weather we've been having, he's got plenty of shirts, but it's not warm enough for shorts yet and he only has so many pairs of pants...
Anyhow, I also super bleached the bed frame last night.  I figure between the bug spray we used Wednesday night and leaving a very strong bleach solution to evaporate over night, that if there's anything still living, I don't want to know about it.  I figure the bug spray probably wouldn't kill any eggs that were still around as they seem to be notoriously hard to kill, but soaking them in bleach solution should hopefully do the trick.  (At least I've got my fingers and toes crossed... we don't see anything left, but you never know.  I won't be totally over this until about 6 months from now and no new bugs.)
I also picked up a new mattress pad (which is good, because the old one was getting pretty icky and stained from Gak's frequent nighttime nosebleeds.)  I also picked up a new set of sheets.  They're a nice dark green, navy and white.  They should actually fit right now, unlike my current two sets.  I've got one set of king sized waterbed sheets that are too big, but tuck in, a set of "regular" queen sheets that work unless you just flop into bed and then the pop off and now a set of queen sized sheets that have the poles for the corners and will actually fit.

Anyhow, I'm calling today Limbo Day at work.  This is the day that the deal for the acquisition is supposed to close.  Of course, we don't have a meeting with the new management and transition team until Monday afternoon.  So, I guess today I'm still Big Corporate and Monday hopefully someone will tell me how to answer the phone.  This should be exciting!

Peace to all and may your spring cleaning be easy and your laundry loads small.

EWWWWWWW

Well, this is NOT how I wanted to spend this evening....
You see, Gak and I have had a mysterious rash for the last few weeks, maybe longer, I've lost track.  It's only been on my arms and a little on my legs, and on Gak's arms and back.  It's gotten worse the last week or so.

Well, we figured out what the source has been....

Bedbugs.  Yep, nasty little bloodsucking insects.

Where did they come from?  When did they show up?  And how, in the name of all that is holy, could they live on a WATERBED??
I don't know.  And I really don't care.  Yes, mom, I'm sure my housekeeping skills or lack there of had something to do with it.  Yes, I'm beating myself up about it and am embarrassed to all anything over it.  I mean, who gets bedbugs?  Well, it turns out lots of people do these days... they've been coming back with a vengeance  (that doesn't look like it's spelled right, but that's what spell checker said was right...).
Anyhow, Andy came over with Kat and Zoe to drain the bed and investigate and see what was really going on.  Just about everything cloth that was in our bedroom has been bagged up and will be washed tomorrow.  I need to buy new pillows (I'd bought two in the last year!) and a new mattress cover.  I'm probably going to buy new sheets too, as my current set are about 10 years old now and have seen better days.  I'm not even going to think about how much this is going to cost me in quarters.  The bed's been sprayed and is empty and will be refilled at some point (maybe in a few days... depends on Andy's schedule...)
They have not invaded Boo's room, so that's a blessing.

Anyhow, Gak's sleeping on the sofa tonight and I'll be sleeping on the twin bed in Boo's room.  I guess it's a good thing we haven't gotten him to sleep there yet, huh?  Yes, I'm still pretty grossed out by the whole ordeal and will be for days I think.  This is worse than lice... this is the ultimate invasion of privacy by insects. Ick!

Anyhow, I've got to go move the truck and hope that my son's asleep enough that he won't notice me coming into his room.  I'm not sure if I'm going to do laundry in the morning or wait until after work.  Part of me wants to do it in the morning and get it over with, but I really don't want to miss work.  I don't think I have anything until noon, so I just might call in and take a few hours personal and show up in time for the training.

Peace to all and may your home not be invaded by pests, human, insect or otherwise.

Productive?

Well, I have a husband home again, and that makes me happy. I'm glad he got to go to his brother's wedding, but I did miss him while he was gone. Boo, on the other hand, didn't really seem too put out by it. That, while it may break Gak's heart, is a good thing over all.

Last night I had to stay up kinda late, well, really late for me, to let him in. He'd left his keys here so they wouldn't get lost. This meant I had time last night. I thought about logging my little, well not so little any more, monk in, but I just didn't feel like it. Instead, I worked on something that's been bugging me. A sweater I started before I even knew I was pregnant with Boo. Yep, 2 years in the process. I'd all the pieces except the hood done, so I sewed them all together. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do the hood, but I think I will. The sweater is very warm and snuggly, but not too bulky, which is nice. It fits fairly well too, which is a good thing. It may be a "Friday" sweater at work, but mostly a weekender. I decided that I would do the hood after all and made some nice progress on that as well. No, no pictures yet, I was too tired and like daylight for this.

I just wish I could be this productive at work. Despite how busy we are and how much I've got to get done, I've got a huge case of "don't give a damn" right now and am easily distracted by anything remotely shiny. *Sigh* The price I pay for having a boss who really didn't care for 4 years, I got lazy and it's been a hard fight to get back to the top of my game. I'm no where near that yet and it frustrates the snot out of me. Bah.

But, speaking of work, I'd better go get dressed and wake Gak because I hear a boy stirring.

Peace to all and may you be able to get things done.

Plumbing and Picnics

Yesterday was a day of extremes.

The weather started out rainy and cycled between rainy and cloudy most of the day, eventually clearing up completely for a couple of hours at one point.

The two things we wanted to accomplish was going to Steve's picnic and do the grocery shopping. We got both things done, but well... it was an adventure.

Yesterday morning started out well. I made pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Everyone was happy and the boys both took long naps after breakfast.

We get our butts in gear and end up being the first ones over to the picnic. That was a good thing because it gave me a few minutes to catch up with Steve without having 17 million other people veing for his attention. If you haven't guessed... Steve is a very popular guy. There were some adventures with people getting lost, rain, charcoal, lighter fluid and oh... did I mention rain? Anyhow, it was a good time. I got to catch up with a few people I don't see very often any more myself (including my ex John and his wife Jenn, who I still enjoy talking with). Like I said, it was a good time if very crowded. I only know about 1/4 the people that were there, if I'm lucky. Around 3 or so Gak said he had a headache and he really wasn't looking too good. Boo was refusing to nap and well, it wasn't raining at the moment, but looked like it could start again.

It is a good thing we left when we did. As we got to the parking lot of the park our landlady called to see where we were because the ceiling was leaking... again.... And half an hour or so after we got home, Gak spent the better part of 10 minutes returning everything he had eaten up to that point. He spent a lot of the next few hours trying to bring up his toes... and finally getting some sleep. Boo was fussy for a bit through this but managed to take about an hour to 1.5 hour nap as well.

The plumber came while Gak was passed out. The building has very old plumbing. (Well, duh! it's an old building!) He more or less said he could just keep coming out every time a new leak springs or he could take care of all of it at once. As much as our landlady hates doing it, she's taking care of it all at once.

So, yeah, yesterday was an adventure.

And so is today. GrammaSue is watching Boo all day today because Gak is working open to close all week. (He was feeling much better by 8 pm last night and even more so by this morning.) The plumbers came by 8:00 and the water has been off to the building. Therefore, GrammaSue and Boo went over to the Broadway Cafe two doors down to use their bathroom and get some lunch. (Jay, the owner of the Cafe and that building is very nice and knows us.) It's a good thing that Mom's knees are feeling good today. Normally she doesn't even think about trying to go up and down the stairs to our apartment with Boo. When Mom and Boo went to go back home, she ran into our landlady and the entire entrance way ceiling is down. Therefore, they walked over to the park. I just suggested that they try the library if he gets tired of the grass and she doesn't want to go home quite yet. The library is right across the street from the park, so is nice and convenient.

Anyhow, work is um... interesting..... and that's where I'm going to leave it. Although, I'd better get back to it before I totally loose my thought for the day.

Peace to all and may all your plumbing work...

Memorials, Memories and Mush

Yes, I know that's an odd title to the post, but I think it fits.

Today is Memorial Day.  I know I don't think about it enough or thank them enough.  We owe so much to those who serve, both on the national level in the armed forces and as civilians in supporting roles, but to the local police, fire, EMT and others who give their time, and possibly their lives to make our communities better, safer and healthier.  I am thankful to every one of you, even if I don't say it often enough.

So, that's the memorials part.

Memories.  Today Boo is 51 weeks old.  I've spent a good portion of today remembering.  This time last year I was both looking forward to, and dreading, what was about to happen.  I couldn't wait to finally meet this little life that had been growing in my belly for so long at this point.  I was also somewhat terrified of the whole birth process and worrying, like every new parent, if I would be able to make it without making too many "big" mistakes.  Well, so far I think we've done pretty well.  That's not to say we haven't had a few bumps here and there, but Boo has made being parents so much easier than it could be.

I came across a quote a few weeks back.  I don't remember where I saw it, or who originally said it but... "parenting is easy until you try and do something else at the same time."  If that isn't true, I don't know what is.  It is so easy most of the time to play with and teach and take care of my son, but heaven forbid I try and get something else accomplished.  Like the dishes.  Or the Laundry.  Or even a nap of my own.

But I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Gak and I are so very blessed to have such a wonderful little boy in our lives.

And I can't believe he turns one in 6 days!  Where has the time gone???  (It also seems weird that he's only been with us for a year... it's hard to imagine our lives without him.)

But.... a lot of my brain is mush right now.  There is just so much going on in it that I think it's about to leak out my ear.

Most of what's turning my brain into mush is work or work related.  No, I don't have anything else.  I had put some thoughts on paper on Friday, but never got them published, or even typed for that matter.  I've had this really crappy attitude lately and I'm really hoping this two week absence from the office will help.  It just seems that whenever I come up with something or think that things may be worked out in the best interest of all parties involved, something happens and I feel like another 1-ton brick has been dropped on me.  It doesn't help when I've heard "if you keep going this way, you're heading right for disaster" several times in the last two weeks from the business manager.  He means well, he really does.  And I know it is nothing short of the truth, but I'm trying to work with them, come up with something that will benefit all of us, not just provide a short-term solution to a long-term problem.  (The short-term solution is to get rid of me and get someone better in place... but that doesn't help when you take into account all the knowledge I'd be taking with me and how long it'll take for anyone new to not only come up to speed but to gain any rapor with the customers....  And of course, it doesn't help me in the slightest.)

This is one of those rare times when I wish Gak made 70-80 K a year and I could just walk away and pick up a part time job somewhere just to get me out of the house for a bit and to bring in a little extra cash.

But then reality sinks in and I realize how unhappy everyone would be in that situation.  Oh well... I can dream can't I?

Of course, it doesn't help my mood that I just put my boy to bed and I won't see his awake, happy face again until Wednesday evening.  It breaks my heart.  Of course, I'm not sure what hurts more... knowing I won't get to see him for two whole days or knowing that he and his Poppa will be fine without me.  Yes, Gak, you will be fine.  The boy listens to you better than me half the time anyhow... and he's used to not seeing me as much as you.  If you ever go away for a few days, I'm sure it'll be tougher on the boy.... especially once he's weaned.  Then I really won't count for as much.  (No, I'm not saying that I'm worthless and useless... he does ask for his Momma and recognizes me when I got to pick him up at school and his whole face lights up.  I do have a huge role in his life, but sometimes, I wonder if this is how most dad's feel.....)

Bah, this is more depressing talk.  See, I told you my brain was mush.

Anyhow, I'm going to go make myself feel better by going and grabbing my peach cobbler.  The peaches were perfect before I made it, so hopefully they'll be even better.  And then I think I'll go beat things up in Norrath for a bit.

Peace to all and may the direction you want to go and the direction you're pushed be almost the same.

p.s. No new pics... they're still on the camera.

Ugh

Ugh is the word of the week so far.  Monday, well, that was a Monday.  Work went about as well as can be expected for a reporting month.  Yesterday went reasonably well too.  Our service meeting went a little long, but wasn't too bogged down.

Today, the weather was ugh, work was ugh and dinner was ugh as well.  Since it rained/iced last night, I ended up working from home this morning and driving Boo and Gak to daycare and work at noon.  I'd told my boss that was my plan if it was bad this morning and he was fine with that.  The roads weren't bad, but the sidewalks were, so there was no way I was going to make my boys walk in that mess!

Work was ugh for many reasons.  The first was the fact that I've spent about 12 hours of the last 3 workd days getting a site ready for reporting in the new format this month.  It's hard not to go cross-eyed doing that.  You've got to fix the errors in two different places and hope that you did it right so that when you run the report again, no new errors show up.  So, yes, that was an ugh.  The other ugh was spending the entire afternoon trying like crazy to get somewhere with this training session and conference that's the first week in February.  No, I'm not going, although I'm sure it would be nice if I could.  I'd actually like to go, since it's in Phoenix and that might mean I'd get a chance to see Abi again!  But, no, someone else will be doing the training and I've been working with him on getting that together.  I was then politely told that "reports are secondary for you, training is primary" again by the business leader.  I know they are.  But, in all honesty, at this stage of the game I'm enjoying them more.  I really am a bit burned out and turned off with the whole training thing.  Actually, I think it's more that I'm feeling overwhelmed and in some ways under supported by the people who are supposed to be helping me.  I mean, I've got the backing of the business manager to do what needs doing, but the people who are supposed to be helping me, or who aren't supposed to be giving me as many service requests as I've got, aren't.  They're fighting this tooth and nail.  It really makes me just want to walk away some days.  So, yes, this afternoon was an ugh.

Dinner being an ugh, well, it wasn't all my fault.  I guess it was partially my fault, but not much.  You see, I'd bought this thing from Perdue,  it's a two part thing that's got frozen chicken nuggets you bake and a sauce you toss them with.  Well, I'd had one before and it wasn't too bad.  Well, this one was an "Asian" one.  So, I figured we'd have the chicken and I'd make some rice.  Well, I had plenty of brown rice, but it takes at least 45 minutes to cook and I just didn't want to wait for it.  I had about a half cup of regular white rice.  I figured I'd microwave it.  Mind you, I'd done a full cup in the microwave before, just like the directions said and it worked just fine.  Well, tonight it didn't.  I had rubber in the bottom of the dish.  Oops.  And then came the chicken.  Or should I say the salt.  All I could taste was salt.  So, yes, dinner was ugh too.  I didn't eat all of my serving.  I would go have a peanut butter sandwich, but we ate the last of the bread last night for dinner and I didn't stop and get more today.  We're out of big person cereal (unless I want oatmeal, which I really don't like....).  We're out of just about anything.  Wait, I just re-remembered that we still have some gram crackers.  Those are yummy with PB.  I think I'll go have some of those and some milk.

Even though it's my bed time.

Ugh.

See what I mean....

Well, I'm off to have a little snack and hit the sack.

Peace to all and may your days not be ugh.

Whirlwind Week

Well, this week is almost over.  It's been an interesting, somewhat stressful and a bit of a long one.  Both at work and at home.

At home We had some interesting moments.  Wednesday Gak had an appointment at the hospital.  For a colonoscopy.  So, I'm guessing you can imagine what Tuesday evening was like...  I felt for the guy, I truly did.  Don't worry, everything's OK, but there had been some issues that the doctors wanted checked out, and so the test.  Hopefully he won't have to have one of those for a very, very, very long time.

We also had the living room painted today.  The landlady finally got someone to fix the messed up wall by the window and the ceiling in the hall closet.  They painted today.

Boo is really loving to play with his balls more and more.  This morning it broke my heart to leave for work.  He had almost fallen asleep on my shoulder after nursing this morning, but woke up when I put him in his bed and was all smiles.  (Having to put down a sleeping boy is hard enough...)  I put him into his bouncy because Gak was still in the shower so I could finish getting ready.  Well, he's all giggles and smiles and playing with the toys hanging on his bouncy.  The look on his face clearly said "play with me Momma!".  But I couldn't.  I had to go into work.  There were things to do and people waiting for me.  It sucked.  It's tough to leave him when he's sleeping, knowing that he'll wake up and I'll be gone.  I'm sure the confusion about that is a lot less these days, but still, that thought hurts.  As tough as that is, it's about 100 times tougher to leave when he's awake and wants to play.  And in all honesty, I hope it never gets any easier.  That means the job wins.  The job is a means to an end... it's where I go to earn money to pay for everything we need so I can take care of my son and husband and play with them as much as possible.  My family is first, the job a very, very distant second or third.  (But I do like my job.... mostly....)

The picture at the top of this post is Boo and the special edition of Warhammer Online that Gak pre-ordered.  I think it weighs almost as much as Boo!  It had two hard covered books and a bunch of other stuff in it.  Yes, I've lost my dear husband to Warhammer.  I'm a little sad, and a little glad that he's enjoying this game.  (He's been in pre-order beta for a while now...)  I'm a little sad because he won't be playing with me in EQII.  A little cranky because he has time and energy to play and I have barely loged in since March or April some time.  Yes, I know, I could be playing now instead of typing this.  But by the time I get a little bit of snuggle and play time with Boo and him to bed, it's already almost 8:30 and I've got maybe an hour or so until I want to crash.  There just aren't enough hours in the day for everything I want to do.  So, something has to give and unfortunately, it's my friends on EQII that I don't get to see much of any more.

But, I'm also happy because he's got friends he's know for years that are also playing and it's something he enjoys.  I just wish I didn't feel so guilty about being grumpy that he's got time to play.  (I try not to take it out on him, but I doubt I succeed all that well... you'd have to ask him...)

Work has been a torturous time this week.  To some extent this picture sums up how I feel.  Somedays like the poor Dino Puppy who didn't make it out in time, or the Momma discovering the mess.  (No, that's not dino piddle... but boy drool.  I couldn't resist posing the dino that way...)   Monday I didn't get in until 1 because of Boo's doctor's appointment and the fact that I played hookie for about an hour or two after it to be with my son.  (Hey, I'd told work I'd be in by 1 and I was... besides, this way I was able to give Gak a ride in to work himself...)  I did manage to get some stuff accomplished.  Wednesday was definitely a chase myself in circles day, as I didn't get in until almost 2 due to Gak's appointment.  Today was a long day spent mucking about in code and not really understanding what I was doing.  Thankfully the original project engineer and I are friends and he was willing to lend me a hand (even though he's in software now...).  I also spent time chasing myself around in circles a bit while waiting on things.  I'm getting dizzy from it all!

I hope tomorrow goes well.  I've got at least one call I really, really should make.  I didn't get a chance to return this customer's call yesterday or today and they're getting antsy.  (Of course, it took them almost a week to get back to me in the first place.... and the issue itself has been open since first quarter I think and they haven't called about it since June... why it wasn't looked into then I won't go into... stupid staffing issues...)

Next week should be fun.  I've got one day totally dedicated to training as I've got more customers coming for another seminar on the software part of the regulatory changes that are all but here.  (This has been in the works for almost 5 or 6 years I think and some people still have no clue that this will affect them by April at the latest!)  Next Thursday is Gak's birthday and next Friday is our company picnic.  At least Boo is going with me.  I'm not 100% sure if Gak is or not, I have no idea if he's talked to his boss about it or not.  I hope he is, but if not, I'm at least taking the boy.

Well, I'm going to wrap this up, get a glass of milk, take my vitamin and curl up with my book for a few and get out of the paint fumes before bed.

Peace to all and may your weeks not feel like a whirlwind.

Moving Forward

This week continues to go. Forward mostly. I haven't really gotten a whole lot done at work. Yesterday I sat in on an info session on something that I'm supposed to create a one day seminar on by September. (haha... this will be fun.... NOT) Today I spent the afternoon giving two new support people an overview of our software. It was a whirlwind tour. I haven't been paying a lot of attention to these two, I'm waiting to figure out if I like them or not until I've been back for a while. Tomorrow I get to spend time teaching Arlene how to quote training. Yes, this should have been done before I left on leave, but my two former bosses were just oh so interested in it. One didn't have a clue and the other thought training was nothing more than an annoyance and a hassle so decided to ignore it. Fun. They're both gone now, and our temporary manager does have a clue and realizes the potential training has for bringing in money. That and the warm fuzzy feelings that it can give customers.
It's nice to be back in some ways. I keep seeing people I haven't talked to in ages and they're all very glad to see me. I didn't really realize how many people there actually liked me and I am friends with. I have missed some of the interactions. But I do miss being with Boo all day.
Boo is doing well at day care. He's napping well and eating well and being changed often. He doesn't fuss much if at all when I drop him off and he smiles with his whole body when I come to pick him up. The real test for him will be next week when Gak starts dropping him off and I don't have mornings with him any more. I'm sure it'll be harder on me than on him.
I have no idea what's we're doing over the weekend. I'm not sure I really care. I'm just tired.
Oh, in other news... we finally have a dishwasher! Gak's mom gave us the money for a new one back when she was here, but I was holding on to it as a safety net until I started getting regular checks instead of medical leave checks. It does take up a good bit of the counter space and is a little on the noisy side, but it washes dishes well and we don't have to. I need to pick up a basket thing for bottle parts, but other than that, life is good. We still have to do pots and pans and the like by hand, but that's only a small portion of the dishes. I'll get a picture of it tomorrow and show you exactly how much space it takes up. I'm willing to loose the space though for this convenience.
I'm having problems keeping my train of thought, so I think I'll end the post here.
Peace to all and may things work in your favor.

Meltdown

Today was a rough day. It started at 3am.
I've posted before how Boo has been letting us catch a couple of 3-4 hour naps at night most of the last several nights. Well, that all changed last night. And not for the better.
The evening started off well, he went down fairly early and slept until about 11 or so. He was a little fussy, but not too bad. He'd had a bit of a fussy time earlier in the evening, but, like I said, he went to sleep fairly early after a good feeding.
Then came his 3am feeding.
I think the howling lasted until 4 or 4:30. He only at a few gulps at a shot and then would start howling again. There was no consoling the little guy, no matter what. He eventually settled and fell back asleep.
For about an hour.
After about 20 minutes of trying to feed and calm, he finally settles.
For about 45 minutes to an hour.
Welcome to Boo's first total and complete meltdown.
Keep this up until about 10:30 or 11 am when he finally settles down for about a two hour nap. Then continue grousing every time Momma moves until about 3:00 when he finally, finally, settles in for a real nap. And so do I. Of course, I have my own little meltdown at this point. I'm totally exhausted and totally out of tricks to try and get Boo to settle, or even eat something.
Of course, it didn't help that the apartment is a total disaster and Mom was here and a friend of hers who does cleaning on the side was coming over to get the place into good shape for Gak's mom to arrive on Saturday. (Don't get me started on that whole issue... I'm both looking forward to and dreading her visit...)
I will be the first to admit that I'm a lousy housekeeper. There is always a certain level of entropy in my life, sometimes more, occasionally less. (Actually, too neat of a place puts me on edge... I feel like I can't touch anything or even breathe funny...) I was very glad that Mom's friend offered to come up and clean. But when she got here, between being exhausted and everything else, I just couldn't help feeling overwhelmed and embarrassed and like a failure for how bad the place was. Admittedly, some of the issues in the bathroom and kitchen I'd inherited with the apartment (and thanks to the very hard water we have around here...). But still, I could have, should have, taken much better care of it all before this. It's not like we just moved in, we've been here for two years.
So, the "failure" to get Boo to settle and the failure of keeping the apartment even half decent, I had my own mini-meltdown... I was much better after about an hour or so of a snooze.
Anyhow, Boo is finally asleep again and will hopefully be that way until 11 or so and the house looks great. (I'm afraid to touch anything between now and Saturday... or to let Gak touch anything either...)
I'm going to call this post finished and either get a little sleep myself or play with yarn until my eyes close (just in time for Boo to wake up I'm guessing...).
Peace to all and may you not have any meltdowns in your life.

So Tired

Well, we're getting there. If I could sleep, all would be even better. It's been a loosing battle the last few nights. Predictable though, just about every night from 3:30 to 4:30, give or take a half hour on either end. Just because I know it'll happen, doesn't make me a happier person in the morning when I have to drag my butt out of bed and into work. Oh well, this phase will all too soon be over.
Last night while waiting for Gak to finish up at work, I got a call from Abi. She's doing well. We've both been so busy we haven't had a chance to talk. She says she figures when there's a several day pause in blog entries, she'll know Boo's been born. (She's actually on the list of people to call that day....) I may create a generic announcement post in a word doc so that all Gak will have to do is put in the specifics, copy and paste into blogger and post. Don't hold me to it though, I'll probably forget I thought of this idea in about 10 minutes. My brain is about as sharp as a steel sieve these days. That'll hopefully get better at some point too.
Gak and I spent a good bit of time last night after dinner getting Boo's room together. I still have about half of his clothes to put away and organize and the baby vibro-chair to put together. We've also got to clean the floor again before putting down the rug. And then there's the stuff to hang on the walls. We're almost there though. I do have to make some decisions about the mesh bumper I bought. I love the idea of it and it looks good, but I had to rig it a little to fit right. I don't think it's a safety hazard, but I'm just not sure. I also have to decide about the mobile that Mom and I got from her customer. It's pretty cool and everything, but I'm a little worried about the stability. It's very firmly attached to the crib, but the pole and the mobile head itself are pretty wobbly in my view. That and it comes down pretty close to the mattress since we have it in the "all the way up" position. And it just doesn't match. I love the brightness of the colors, but they just don't go with anything else in the room. I'll have to think about it for a few. (I also really want to break down and buy some green sheets even though I have about 6 sheets already, mostly in off white... It's just a little too bland....)
Anyhow, just thought I'd drop a line while I was still thinking about it and let everyone know life is still good. My next doctor's appointment is tomorrow morning, which means I actually get to sleep in a few. Oh, and Gak has an appointment on the 15th about his knee. So far the answer is, yes, it's a knee. It doesn't appear to be a torn meniscus, so they're really not sure what's going on. We'll see next week.
Peace to all and may you get some sleep and be productive.

Week Wrapup

Well, it has been a long week. I tried to get a post in yesterday at lunch, but got sidetracked by a work call I'd been waiting for.
Let's see... where to start....
Tuesday was the worst day of the week, it really did get better from there.
I did get a lot of things accomplished this week at work. It still amazes me how little some of the other people have picked up. I mean, I don't expect the two newest to be experts at anything, but I expect the other two newer people to have a bit more of a clue than they do. It is almost as if they don't want to know. Or like they can learn how to do a set of tasks, but can't apply that knowledge to the larger scheme of things. I'm not sure. I do know it's getting a bit frustrating for me. After this month Bill will mostly, if not totally, be out of the department. That scares me. Then it leaves me and Mike as the only two with a real grasp on the reports and a third who can muddle through specific tasks, if we're lucky. At one point in time, we had four people out of the eight in the group who were competent to very proficient with these regulatory things. Now, it looks like I'm probably the one with the most knowledge in the group. That scares me.
Anyhow... that was work. I did inherit a new "best friend" customer which will be trying, but other than that, it's just been trying to get this month wrapped up and everyone able to submit.
I'm not sure if I posted about it before, but one of Gak's long-time steady customers at the UPS store is a rep for Medela. A few weeks back she dropped off well over $100 worth of nursing supplies. My jaw dropped when I saw the pile. Well, she was finally in again yesterday and Gak told her thank you from the moment she walked in the door to the moment she left. Apparently she's "getting us a pump". I'm not sure if this means at her dealer rate or what. I'm floored. Medela is the leading brand and what most hospitals use. I've only heard a few bad reviews, but I'm guessing that these were either from mom's who weren't really able to for whatever reason or were expecting something else. I just hope I'll be successful with this. It'll be a heck of a lot cheaper than formula. If you want sticker shock, go look at formula cans in the grocery store.
Not to mention possibly safer. I'm not sure how many of you have heard the news about Canada stopping sales of bottles made of polycarbonate. Yes, Lexan. Apparently, when heated, especially over time, they can and do release a chemical that is an analogue to estrogen. It has been shown to be bad in mice. What the levels are and what it really means to people, I'm still not 100% on. You've got people saying "it's about time" and also "it's all scare tactics hype". I'm thinking the reality is somewhere in the middle. Yes, we'll have to use bottles while Boo is in day care, but if the rest of day he doesn't have to, that'll be better.
In other baby news, we have an appointment at a daycare that's literally a half block out of the way for Gak on the way to work. It just so happens that our landlady is friendly with one of the owners. I hope this place is nice. I liked the other place we looked at. (We're still playing phone tag about setting up an actual appointment there...) But, if we go there, it'll actually be cheaper with the cost of gas the way it's going for him to do full days. Not that it would be a bad thing, but if we've got Gak home for half a day, we want to use him for Poppa time. It'll be great for both of them (and make me pretty jealous some days...)
As far as the upstairs neighbor goes, well, they had their day in court last week. The landlady pretty much got what she wanted. The tenant has 10 days (less now) to move out or appeal. And she's got to pay the court fees. I'm not sure about the rest of the rent money, but I think the landlady was able to get at least some of it out of the deal. It's a good thing. This means that our landlady will be able to rent out the apartment to someone who won't tare the place apart and hopefully make good neighbors. I'll just settle for quiet neighbors. I mean, it would be great if we were friendly, but if we can all live in our own little worlds and coexist without problems, that'll be just fine by me.

Last night was the first time I'd been to the Nature Center in just about 2.5 years. (The last time was to help with the Haloween trail a few years back...) It was a good evening. I had a good group. The fire lit and stayed that way. I got a S'more. Overall, a good night. I can't wait to be able to do more of these!

Well, I'd best wrap this up. I've got a few things to do around the house before I go pick up Gak from work. We're heading to BabysRUs to pick up a stroller and some other things with the money that his mother sent Boo.
Peace to all and may it all work out in your favor in the long run.

Made the Map?

First off Happy 30th Birthday Jon!!!

Well, yesterday was uneventful compared to Thursday. I think Thursday just burned me out. Yesterday was tough, mostly because I was too tired to be as productive as I wanted to be. Ah well. You'll have this.

But somehow, my small town seems to have made the big-time political map. Don't ask me how. I honestly didn't think we were that important. I mean, yes, we live about halfway between Allentown and Philly. This is both an affluent area and an area with many Hispanics and farmers and others who may or may not be in the middle class. This is a traditionally fairly conservative area too.
So, for some reason we've attracted the Democratic Party in full force.
Monday night I get a text from Kat warning me traffic could be a bear Tuesday afternoon/evening because Bill Clinton was talking at the high school at 3. Luckily for me I didn't have to go anywhere near the high school Tuesday.
Today, on my way home from doing laundry and running a few errands I got another political surprise. The Obama office for the county is about 2 blocks up from the apartment. I'd seen some crowds there when they were doing some last minute pushes to get voters registered. (Yes, I'm registered. Independent... which means I can't vote in the primary here. I could have changed to a party, but was mostly just being contrary and didn't.) Well, there was a pretty big crowd standing there. As I pass by, I suddenly recognize the tall, grey-haired guy in the middle of the crowd. None other than John Kerry himself.
I must admit, it made my already "small town" looking downtown look even more "small town" and hmm... stereotypical doesn't have the right connotation.... and neither does quaint... fake or staged or something is almost right...
When in the world did we get onto the political map and how do we get off it?
Not that I don't care.
I do care, I just like being able to park in front of my apartment. (Especially these days...) I also don't like being bombarded with 50-million calls from the candidates' camps trying to get me to vote. If I wanted to vote in the primary, I would have registered as a party. I registered independent to try and keep these kinds of calls and mailings to a minimum. Bah, so much for trying not to get spam.

well, this evening is Zoe's birthday party. We're going bowling and then for pizza! I think I'm going to go take a nap before I have to go pick up Gak from work.

Peace to all and may you have calm and beautiful days (the weather is summer-like today!) and only the political involvement you want.