Well, so much for getting back into the blogging swing of things. Here I've let almost the entire month slide on by, not just a measly week or so. And no, I don't have any new pictures either.
I take that part back, I do have some new pictures, but their still on the memory card(s) and in all honesty, and a sign of my total lack of organizational skills at the moment, I can't find my little Cannon...
Ok, so to keep this brief (haha) and try and get most of what's bouncing around in my head onto "paper", I'm going to present a huge bullet list. Not my favorite way to do this, but it's 6:45 and I've only got a half hour at most....
So, in no particular order...
*Got the tree put up Saturday with Boo. Decorating with a 4.5-year-old is fun. You can tell a child was involved, there's one spot with a ton of ornaments and a smattering across the rest of the tree.
*Went to Amma and PopPop's for Hanukkah on the 9th. It was a good evening. PopPop actually read the prayers this year and I helped Boo light the candles. We also got a chance to talk to Jon and Becca, which is always awesome.
*Speaking of Jon, I got to have lunch with one of his best friends (and a good friend of mine) from school yesterday. I think I've known Ian since I was around age 12? It wasn't too long after we moved to PA at any rate. It was great to catch up with him.
*Speaking of Hanukkah and photos (wait, did I mention photos?), Dad was wanting to use his camera. Mom tried to put him off about it for a bit, but he kept asking. So, I took him his Nikon back when we went down for Hanukkah. And since I can't find my little Cannon at the moment, I'm cameraless, other than my phone, which takes OK pictures, but getting them off there can be a pain in the butt.
*I've managed to get lots and lots and lots of Christmas crochet done. No, you won't see pictures until later. (That reminds me, I need to get pictures of my latest items... but... aargh... too much effort at this point!) Well, maybe you'll see pictures. I know I've got pictures of some of them....
*I think I'm all done with the Christmas shopping. Still debating one small-ish purchase and I might need to pick up one other thing, but overall, I'm good.
*Wok is interesting. We're going through a reorg, which in the long run I think will actually be quite good, but will cause a little chaos in the meantime. I'm not sure yet if this is a good or bad thing, but my friend Bill will now be my manager. Yeah, it could get a little tricky at spots, but we've been through tricky spots before. As long as he keeps his ego in check (and I don't do anything stupid) we'll get along just fine with his new role.
*Next month I get to go to Texas for a few days with work. (Well, that's if they send the PO in, but I'm about 99% sure they will...) This'll be my second trip since the beginning of September. It'll be nice to get out of the office. Boo's old enough that picking him up from daycare or whatever doesn't mean I have to make sure the right seat is around, he just needs a booster and I've got an extra of those. Boo's not happy with the idea, but he did OK in September and I know he'll be fine next month too.
*That reminds me, this trip to Texas will be the first time I'll have been on a plane since before Boo was born. Wow, that's almost 5 years!
*Speaking of being born, my cousin Rae and her wife Kami welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world back on the 4th, Oren William. He's adorable and I so wish we lived closer. I have no idea when we'll actually get to meet him in person. /sigh
*Boo keeps growing like a weed. He's so much fun to watch and play with. He just amazes me every day.
*We went to Zoe's Christmas concert last Friday. It was really nice (and just the Junior/Senior high kids). After we went to the Ronda to catch up with Steve, Shelby and Randy, which is always nice. Steve is going to be deployed again in January. I have no details on length, but I do know it's back to Afghanistan. /sigh
*My friend Michelle is in Chile now. I haven't heard much from her in the past few months, but it seems like she's doing OK.
*No, I haven't posted anything about what happened in CT on Facebook or G+. I'm not going to either. Actually, I take that back, I did make a comment on my friend John's one post. Basically I agree that this is a horrible tragedy and I can't (and don't want to) imagine the personal hell all those families are going through. The last thing they as a community need is to be reminded by outside people everywhere they look about it. They're living it every blessed heartbeat. The best thing we can do is not to ignore it, but to be respectfully quiet about it. (And if I dwell on this too much I'll just end up putting myself into a bad emotional place and that won't help me, my family or the victims in any way, shape or form...)
*I'm hopefully doing something cool tonight. Someone I've met through either a photography or a fiber circle on G+ (I can't remember exactly how I met her, but she's into both...) is in the area for work. The boy and I are hopefully meeting up with her for dinner. It should be fun. This is a huge step for me, I normally find real life events like that really tough. But, I've been kicking myself for a while for not grabbing the opportunity to meet another online friend when I was traveling all the time, so I'm not going to let this one slide by if I can help it...
Well, a boy-child is up. It's almost 7:10 and we both have to get dressed, get breakfast/lunch together and get out the door.
Peace to all and may you not wait too long to keep friends and family in the loop and may you grab opportunities when and where you can.
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Written Windows
Anyhow, I’m a pencil and paper kind of gal. I have stacks and stacks of notebooks I’ve
filled over the years at my job. My
earlier ones even have tables of contents (listing site/problem and even page
number, sometimes date) and several have lots of sticky notes sticking out the
tops. You can trace all that back to my
chemistry and other lab classes in college.
If you didn’t take notes, and in your official lab book, it didn’t
happen. Of course, it had to be in pen,
pencil wasn’t allowed.
I just can’t take notes digitally. I draw too many arrows and diagrams. I write thoughts and cross them out as they
are disproved or underline and exclamation point them when I was right. I doodle in margins while I try and wrap my
brain fully around what I’m thinking or working on. I use color when I need something to stand
out, or to differentiate between things that are similar or need to be grouped
together. Somehow the physical act of
tracing the letters and numbers onto the paper makes it actually stick in my
memory some how, and in a way that typing just doesn’t do.
That’s kind of a side note, leading up to the heart of the
post, but a little background I felt was needed.
So, back to the equations I’m tackling for a customer. I’ve gone through them and in my notebook I’ve
written them out, crossed out units of measure that cancel each other out, just
as I was taught throughout school and drawn my arrows, written my thoughts and
doodled my doodles. I then typed up my
findings into a Word document and send them off to the customer.
What do I get back in return? A scanned copy of my document with notes and
scribbles all over it is what I find.
And he also sent three pages of hand written notes and scribbles on the
equations.
I smiled at this. I
feel like this man is a kindred spirit when it comes to how we figure things
out. We physically move things around,
even if it is just symbols on the page.
Suddenly, working with this guy doesn’t seem so impossible. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll finally put these
issues to rest and we’ll be able to move forward.
Then I think about how personal sending someone your writing
is. Sending someone the scribbles from
your notebook is like sending them a picture of the innermost workings of your
brain.
Mine are messy and dynamic and impermanent in pencil, and
colorful yet super organized and downright anal in places. And yes, that really does reflect the inner
me. I’m a total mess, but if certain
things aren’t “just so”, I go crazy and can’t function. I need my color and my action and direction,
but there has to be a central calm to my world as well.
My customer’s are neat, in pen and permanent, with sparse
use of color, and no real arrows or anything dynamic to speak of. He must be a much more organized, calm and “settled”
kind of person than I am.
I know I’ve reflected on writing before, comparing my
writing to my dad’s, and even my mom’s.
I see a lot of my dad’s stability and logical thoroughness in my notes
and how I take them, but I also see my mom’s dynamic attitude and visual and
spatial learning. Those aren’t quite the
right words, but they’re the best I’ve got.
I just think it’s really amazing what you can learn about a
person just looking at the how they take notes, digitally or with good old pen
and paper and by what those notes look like.
The written word is very much a window into the mind and soul of the
person writing them, and not just for the verbal content.
I just had to share these observations while they were fresh
in my mind. I’d best head back to my
calculations and enjoy the act of writing my notes. (I really don’t know what would happen if I
couldn’t write…)
Peace to all and may you have pleasant surprises in your day
and windows into peoples’ souls.
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Where Was I?
Well, it's been a week since I've paid any attention over here. Any long-time follower (all three of you) know that October is reporting month. And yeah, it's reporting month. That's about all I can or will say about that.
I have lots of things rattling around in my head. Most of them have to do with the fact that my energy level is still nowhere near where I want it to be. And that what little focus I can muster up are gone way too quickly. And the fact that I'm sick and tired of feeling cold more often than not. I mean, I know the cold of exhaustion and used to feel it if I stayed up too late, say past midnight or so, but feeling those waves of goose-bump raising cold starting at 8am? I mean, I'm not bone-achingly tired or cold anymore, but I just can't seem to get my energy levels back to where they should be. I'm tired of not being able to (and not really wanting to) get back into my workout routine. In short I'm tired of being tired.
I did get my blood work checked a few weeks ago and well, it came back normal. Slightly on the low end of normal, but normal. I've got a follow up appointment next week. We'll see what Dr. F has to say. I'm just grumpy about it and want my old energy levels back and to feel good again.
In other news, I've finished up several crochet projects in the last few weeks (you saw several a week or two back in my crafty-girl post). I'm glad I've been spending more yarn time, but you know, I just wish I had more time and energy for everything else.
Girl Scouts are going well this year. I have 19 girls in my troop this year. Yeah, I went from 5 to 19. I'm still trying figure it all out and get this herd of cats going in the same, slightly quieter than a rock concert, direction. We've got some interesting things in the planning. I just hope we have a good year.
Anyhow, it's 8:30, I want to curl up with a book for a few (I have been reading more, which is nice... but...). I've got a ton of work to head in to tomorrow morning and I just want to get it over with. Or something like that. My train of thought seems to have derailed a bit there. And I'm not going to try and fix it.
Peace to you all and may you have happy times and good health.
I have lots of things rattling around in my head. Most of them have to do with the fact that my energy level is still nowhere near where I want it to be. And that what little focus I can muster up are gone way too quickly. And the fact that I'm sick and tired of feeling cold more often than not. I mean, I know the cold of exhaustion and used to feel it if I stayed up too late, say past midnight or so, but feeling those waves of goose-bump raising cold starting at 8am? I mean, I'm not bone-achingly tired or cold anymore, but I just can't seem to get my energy levels back to where they should be. I'm tired of not being able to (and not really wanting to) get back into my workout routine. In short I'm tired of being tired.
I did get my blood work checked a few weeks ago and well, it came back normal. Slightly on the low end of normal, but normal. I've got a follow up appointment next week. We'll see what Dr. F has to say. I'm just grumpy about it and want my old energy levels back and to feel good again.
In other news, I've finished up several crochet projects in the last few weeks (you saw several a week or two back in my crafty-girl post). I'm glad I've been spending more yarn time, but you know, I just wish I had more time and energy for everything else.
Girl Scouts are going well this year. I have 19 girls in my troop this year. Yeah, I went from 5 to 19. I'm still trying figure it all out and get this herd of cats going in the same, slightly quieter than a rock concert, direction. We've got some interesting things in the planning. I just hope we have a good year.
Anyhow, it's 8:30, I want to curl up with a book for a few (I have been reading more, which is nice... but...). I've got a ton of work to head in to tomorrow morning and I just want to get it over with. Or something like that. My train of thought seems to have derailed a bit there. And I'm not going to try and fix it.
Peace to you all and may you have happy times and good health.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Huh? What?
Let's see... it's been a week since I've posted. As well as I was doing in July with posting, even with it being a reporting month, I've been doing equally miserably at updating in August. Oh well, I'll get over it.
I've been battling off and on with exhaustion this month. I had some follow-up blood work done and my Vitamin D levels are low, but within normal levels. I'm not sure I totally believe it, but with the amount of Vitamin D I'm taking, I'd think my levels would be higher. Oh well. Hopefully it's just doing too much and the hard work of July catching up with me. We shall see. I just know that the last two weeks have been very difficult at work trying to focus and get things done.
On the plus side, there are a few good things going on. My cousin Rae has finally passed the 20-week mark in her pregnancy. I'm so thrilled that she and Kami are finally going to have a baby. I can't wait to meet my newest little cousin, but I'm more than willing to wait another 29 weeks or so. He can stay right where he is for now.
Mom, Boo and I went to the beach on Monday. We had a great time. I only have a few pictures. Actually, I only have a few pictures from the whole month. I've really fallen down on that, but I think part of it is burnout and part of it is the exhaustion showing through. Anyhow, we had quite an enjoyable day on Monday. We played on the beach and in the water, we had some lunch, went to the book store and the T-shirt store and had some ice cream. Then we went back onto the beach for a little while more before heading home. It was a very wonderful day. I just wish Gak was able to join us at least one day.
I know I had some other positive things to post, but I honestly can't remember them right now. I've been pretty distracted writing this between the show on the QM2 that Gak is watching, mindless puzzle games and putting a boy-o back to bed a few times. Oh well. I think I'll just wrap it up here.
Maybe later this week I'll do a craft update. I've got 1 pair of socks done, 1 pair of socks almost done, a few scarves and one or two shrugs that I've completed since I last did a crafty-girl update. I've been keeping my hooks busy in an attempt to keep my hands from shoveling more snacks into my mouth. (I've been having a heck of a time not mindlessly snacking at work.)
Anyhow, I'm going to wrap this ramble up and head to bed...
Peace to all and may your thoughts not fragment and you have a good time.
I've been battling off and on with exhaustion this month. I had some follow-up blood work done and my Vitamin D levels are low, but within normal levels. I'm not sure I totally believe it, but with the amount of Vitamin D I'm taking, I'd think my levels would be higher. Oh well. Hopefully it's just doing too much and the hard work of July catching up with me. We shall see. I just know that the last two weeks have been very difficult at work trying to focus and get things done.
On the plus side, there are a few good things going on. My cousin Rae has finally passed the 20-week mark in her pregnancy. I'm so thrilled that she and Kami are finally going to have a baby. I can't wait to meet my newest little cousin, but I'm more than willing to wait another 29 weeks or so. He can stay right where he is for now.
Mom, Boo and I went to the beach on Monday. We had a great time. I only have a few pictures. Actually, I only have a few pictures from the whole month. I've really fallen down on that, but I think part of it is burnout and part of it is the exhaustion showing through. Anyhow, we had quite an enjoyable day on Monday. We played on the beach and in the water, we had some lunch, went to the book store and the T-shirt store and had some ice cream. Then we went back onto the beach for a little while more before heading home. It was a very wonderful day. I just wish Gak was able to join us at least one day.
I know I had some other positive things to post, but I honestly can't remember them right now. I've been pretty distracted writing this between the show on the QM2 that Gak is watching, mindless puzzle games and putting a boy-o back to bed a few times. Oh well. I think I'll just wrap it up here.
Maybe later this week I'll do a craft update. I've got 1 pair of socks done, 1 pair of socks almost done, a few scarves and one or two shrugs that I've completed since I last did a crafty-girl update. I've been keeping my hooks busy in an attempt to keep my hands from shoveling more snacks into my mouth. (I've been having a heck of a time not mindlessly snacking at work.)
Anyhow, I'm going to wrap this ramble up and head to bed...
Peace to all and may your thoughts not fragment and you have a good time.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Photography vs. Art?
I've been doing the "Photo A Day" challenges from Fat Mum Slim for the past 2.5 months. Also, somewhere along the line a friend on G+ shared a circle of photographers, so now my feed is full of some awesome (and not so awesome) photos.
Seeing all these images and actually paying attention to the shots I'm taking, well, more attention than I had been paying, has got me rankled. Actually, it has just brought somethings that have been festering in the back of my mind for a long time now to the surface.
As much as I love my digital camera and the ease with which I can take, and over take, pictures, I'm not sure everything it's done for photography as an art is a good thing. First off, with the price of cameras coming down, and the quality being pretty good, everyone and their cousin thinks they're a Photographer with a capital "P". Now, I've been taking pictures practically since I can remember. But, I still don't call myself a Photographer. I'm a photographer. I'm someone who enjoys taking pictures, not just snapshots. I know a fair bit about how a camera works and what things like f-stop and ISO mean and how shutter speed and f-stop and ISO are all related. I've taken a few classes in high school, but really they were for fun and practice and I didn't learn a whole lot I didn't already know. I'm not an expert in lighting or staging a shot and I'm really no pro when it comes to using Photoshop or any of the other photo editing software packages out there. And you know what, I don't want to. I enjoy playing with my images and exploring the world and capturing moments as I see them. I wasn't into big darkroom tricks when I was doing black and white film, and I'm not into big software tricks now that I'm digital.
That leads me to one, or maybe several, of the other things that is bugging me about photography these days. All the "tricks" everyone and their brother seems to be using on every single photograph. Like capturing a moment in time isn't good enough, but they've got to fiddle with it and make it "perfect". Dad's always telling me there's no such thing as perfect. Sure, I'll adjust the contrast or the "exposure" or color levels, but that's about it. And yes, I crop pictures, sometimes a LOT sometimes just a little and sometimes not at all. And no, they're not always perfectly square or in the standard ratios.
And what is it with long exposures (especially of streams, creaks and water falls), single color highlights and whatever this HDR baloney is? And why, in the name of all that is holy must every single shot be made to look as if it was shot using a Polaroid with half expired film? I just don't get it. I'm so not a fan of any of this. In my mind it destroys the purity of photography, it makes it dirty. I can't come up with any better word for it, but it just feels dirty to me. Maybe I'm a realist living in an impressionist world, but why must every single person feel the need, no the mandate, to use every single tool in the Photoshop toolbox? Aren't their images good enough to stand on their own two feet without all these tricks?
Yes, I know that sometimes you can't say what you want to say without some of these tricks. I'll freely admit that I have a photo hanging in my living room that's of some lilies that I took at a museum in California that I played with in Photoshop to make what I lovingly call a "faux-Monet". I have a Monet lily poster hanging on the opposite wall. They go well together. But, I don't do that to every blessed shot I shoot.
I'm not really sure what the point of all this was. I know I can't change human nature. And photography is the latest "fad". Actually, I'm sure my dad'll tell me it's been a fad since the first affordable Kodak camera came on the market and that in the days after WWII everyone and their brother thought they were a Photographer. Maybe it is just the mass bombardment we get with social media and the 24x7 connections we've got these days. Maybe it's that all these tricks are becoming "easy" and are cheap. But quite frankly, I'm not sure it's doing photography as an art form much good. It makes everyone go "I can do that" and they think they can and you get inundated with nothing more than a million snapshots. Yes, I take a lot of snapshots myself, but still... I've been taught to "look" and "see" the image and compose the shot at least to some extent and I do that more often than not, even with snapshots. (Point in fact, I can remember trying very hard to set up a shot and get the perfect picture of a man with a stack of what seemed like 100 hats on his head at the KC Renascence Faire back when I was about 7 or 8 years old and getting nothing but frustrated. The man understood what I was trying to do and posed wonderfully for me, but it seemed like everyone saw "just a kid" and had no problems barging in front of me while trying to take a shot. And since this was back in the 80's I was shooting film and hoarding every single exposure I had on my roll.)
And, I'm a bit of liar. I've put a camera in my son's hand at the ripe old age of 3 (and now he's 4) and let him have at it. I fully intend on teaching him the lessons dad and mom taught me along the way. But, for now, I let him take a million snapshots and then tell him he's taken enough for now and put the camera up on a high shelf. He does get some interesting ones and I think part of why I do it is because it lets me see the world through his eyes. I'm sure this was an unintended (or maybe an intended) bonus for my own parents when they put a camera in my own hands at a young age. (That and I'm sure dad wanted me to follow in his footsteps and since photography is a passion and brought so much joy to him and a way to explore the world, he wanted to share it with Jon and I.)
So, with this jumble of thoughts and grumpiness (and no pictures today) I will leave you. I haven't done well with the August challenge. My exhaustion has been catching up with me again and my heart just isn't in it this month. There have been some great prompts, but I'm just not feeling it at the moment. (I am enjoying playing with Dad's Nikon D80 though... even though I really need to download the manual and figure out how to use the old non-AF lenses... I keep getting errors and the camera won't let me shoot...)
I bid you peace and joy in your hobbies. (And for all that is holy step away from the photo editor.... please, just this once?)
Seeing all these images and actually paying attention to the shots I'm taking, well, more attention than I had been paying, has got me rankled. Actually, it has just brought somethings that have been festering in the back of my mind for a long time now to the surface.
As much as I love my digital camera and the ease with which I can take, and over take, pictures, I'm not sure everything it's done for photography as an art is a good thing. First off, with the price of cameras coming down, and the quality being pretty good, everyone and their cousin thinks they're a Photographer with a capital "P". Now, I've been taking pictures practically since I can remember. But, I still don't call myself a Photographer. I'm a photographer. I'm someone who enjoys taking pictures, not just snapshots. I know a fair bit about how a camera works and what things like f-stop and ISO mean and how shutter speed and f-stop and ISO are all related. I've taken a few classes in high school, but really they were for fun and practice and I didn't learn a whole lot I didn't already know. I'm not an expert in lighting or staging a shot and I'm really no pro when it comes to using Photoshop or any of the other photo editing software packages out there. And you know what, I don't want to. I enjoy playing with my images and exploring the world and capturing moments as I see them. I wasn't into big darkroom tricks when I was doing black and white film, and I'm not into big software tricks now that I'm digital.
That leads me to one, or maybe several, of the other things that is bugging me about photography these days. All the "tricks" everyone and their brother seems to be using on every single photograph. Like capturing a moment in time isn't good enough, but they've got to fiddle with it and make it "perfect". Dad's always telling me there's no such thing as perfect. Sure, I'll adjust the contrast or the "exposure" or color levels, but that's about it. And yes, I crop pictures, sometimes a LOT sometimes just a little and sometimes not at all. And no, they're not always perfectly square or in the standard ratios.
And what is it with long exposures (especially of streams, creaks and water falls), single color highlights and whatever this HDR baloney is? And why, in the name of all that is holy must every single shot be made to look as if it was shot using a Polaroid with half expired film? I just don't get it. I'm so not a fan of any of this. In my mind it destroys the purity of photography, it makes it dirty. I can't come up with any better word for it, but it just feels dirty to me. Maybe I'm a realist living in an impressionist world, but why must every single person feel the need, no the mandate, to use every single tool in the Photoshop toolbox? Aren't their images good enough to stand on their own two feet without all these tricks?
Yes, I know that sometimes you can't say what you want to say without some of these tricks. I'll freely admit that I have a photo hanging in my living room that's of some lilies that I took at a museum in California that I played with in Photoshop to make what I lovingly call a "faux-Monet". I have a Monet lily poster hanging on the opposite wall. They go well together. But, I don't do that to every blessed shot I shoot.
I'm not really sure what the point of all this was. I know I can't change human nature. And photography is the latest "fad". Actually, I'm sure my dad'll tell me it's been a fad since the first affordable Kodak camera came on the market and that in the days after WWII everyone and their brother thought they were a Photographer. Maybe it is just the mass bombardment we get with social media and the 24x7 connections we've got these days. Maybe it's that all these tricks are becoming "easy" and are cheap. But quite frankly, I'm not sure it's doing photography as an art form much good. It makes everyone go "I can do that" and they think they can and you get inundated with nothing more than a million snapshots. Yes, I take a lot of snapshots myself, but still... I've been taught to "look" and "see" the image and compose the shot at least to some extent and I do that more often than not, even with snapshots. (Point in fact, I can remember trying very hard to set up a shot and get the perfect picture of a man with a stack of what seemed like 100 hats on his head at the KC Renascence Faire back when I was about 7 or 8 years old and getting nothing but frustrated. The man understood what I was trying to do and posed wonderfully for me, but it seemed like everyone saw "just a kid" and had no problems barging in front of me while trying to take a shot. And since this was back in the 80's I was shooting film and hoarding every single exposure I had on my roll.)
And, I'm a bit of liar. I've put a camera in my son's hand at the ripe old age of 3 (and now he's 4) and let him have at it. I fully intend on teaching him the lessons dad and mom taught me along the way. But, for now, I let him take a million snapshots and then tell him he's taken enough for now and put the camera up on a high shelf. He does get some interesting ones and I think part of why I do it is because it lets me see the world through his eyes. I'm sure this was an unintended (or maybe an intended) bonus for my own parents when they put a camera in my own hands at a young age. (That and I'm sure dad wanted me to follow in his footsteps and since photography is a passion and brought so much joy to him and a way to explore the world, he wanted to share it with Jon and I.)
So, with this jumble of thoughts and grumpiness (and no pictures today) I will leave you. I haven't done well with the August challenge. My exhaustion has been catching up with me again and my heart just isn't in it this month. There have been some great prompts, but I'm just not feeling it at the moment. (I am enjoying playing with Dad's Nikon D80 though... even though I really need to download the manual and figure out how to use the old non-AF lenses... I keep getting errors and the camera won't let me shoot...)
I bid you peace and joy in your hobbies. (And for all that is holy step away from the photo editor.... please, just this once?)
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Angels and Animals
I didn't get out for a walk or anything to try and find anything "wild" and interesting.
There were no insects in the office, which is usually considered a good thing.
After work, I took the truck back to the garage so they could finally do the official emissions testing (passed with flying colors). There were a few people walking their dogs, but nothing exciting or picture-worthy or inspiring. I did snap a pick of a little dog on the roof of the garage. No, this isn't as strange as it sounds. There's an apartment up there on the one side and the windows open out to the roof. The little dog looked like it knew exactly where it was and what it was doing. It didn't turn out very well. Again, I wasn't very inspired and I really wasn't wanting yet another "snapshot".
So, by the time we got home, I realized I really didn't have anything (although I did get a few neat pictures while I was waiting for the truck... I'll post them at the end...). I really didn't have time to go track something down. The bunnies we've been seeing frequently around the front of the building weren't to be seen.
So, I decided I didn't need "real", "living" animals. I got a pretty good shot of Trey, just hanging out on the tricycle:
But, As you can see from the top, I decided that wasn't "the one" for today. So, while Boo was taking his bath, I had a little fun with Angel. She's the bear that came to live with us the day Gram passed. She's such a sweetie. It's been a while since I've done any photo shoots with any of the bears. I miss it. They're fun to pose and shoot. Before I had Boo, I used to do it all the time. I love the one of AT I took while we were having lunch in Detroit on our first layover on our way to China. I've got some great ones of Scout at the playground, and a few cute ones of Sally too. There are some nice ones of Sam at the beach, beach-bum that he is. The best part about photo shoots with the bears, they don't talk back and listen very well. (Listening has been a hard thing for Boo the last few days...)
Anyhow, that's Angel, curled up with my Nook and an abandoned sock I was working on. The lighting isn't great, but it'll do. I think I'm going to use this as my profile picture for a while. I have one from another layover in Detroit of her with my phone and a chai tea that I used for a while. That was taken on my last flight before Boo was born. Actually, the last flight I've been on in the last 4.5 years. (I didn't realize it would be so long before I'd fly anywhere again... I thought for sure we'd have managed to make it to Oklahoma by now!) Angle really is a sweetheart and I love my bears.
Anyhow, here are the two good pictures I took when I was waiting for the emissions testing on the truck:
A garage at the neighboring property. I love their yard. Very "old English cottage".
A baby pine cone I couldn't resist shooting. I love the macro on my little Cannon.
Peace to all and may you have "animals" in your life that make you happy.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Getting Better
Well, things are looking much better from where I'm sitting today. The truck got fixed yesterday, which is a very good thing. The fact that it only cost about $85 is even better!
The long and the short of it is, the interlock thing that doesn't let you go out of park when the key isn't turned was stuck. I now know how to fix it.
I must say, the weather the last few days was awesome and I'm so glad that if I had to walk it was those two days. Today, on the other hand, the weather is ick.
Anyhow, now if only I could get my mind back on work. Oh well, life happens.
On another totally random tangent, cookie sales wrap up Saturday. I'm so glad. I have to make a final count of what I've still got, but I'm pretty sure we've sold everything! I have donations for 64 boxes for "Cookies from Home" and I've got to get 10 boxes sent off to Steve. (I did some bad math earlier... and added an extra 24 boxes to my Cookies from Home count....)
Anyhow, I'm not able to keep a train of thought, just thought I'd post a quick update saying that it's amazing how your outlook can change when something small goes your way.
Peace and may things go your way.
The long and the short of it is, the interlock thing that doesn't let you go out of park when the key isn't turned was stuck. I now know how to fix it.
I must say, the weather the last few days was awesome and I'm so glad that if I had to walk it was those two days. Today, on the other hand, the weather is ick.
Anyhow, now if only I could get my mind back on work. Oh well, life happens.
On another totally random tangent, cookie sales wrap up Saturday. I'm so glad. I have to make a final count of what I've still got, but I'm pretty sure we've sold everything! I have donations for 64 boxes for "Cookies from Home" and I've got to get 10 boxes sent off to Steve. (I did some bad math earlier... and added an extra 24 boxes to my Cookies from Home count....)
Anyhow, I'm not able to keep a train of thought, just thought I'd post a quick update saying that it's amazing how your outlook can change when something small goes your way.
Peace and may things go your way.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Swimming Thoughts
I just got finished with my first swim in almost two weeks. That isn't the amazing part. The amazing part is what went through my head on the way to the locker room.
I have to pass right past the hot tub to leave the pool area. There was a young-ish, read older than twenty but not as old as me, guy sitting there, watching me pass. What went through my head was "go ahead, ogle the cute chi... the fa... the chick."
Yep, that's right. I thought cute before I thought fat. I never really thought about it but despite being comfortable with who I am, I always thought that others just saw me as fat. And yes, I may have been OK with that but it still couldn't be good for my subconscious.
And that thought just now makes me feel pretty damn good.
I'm off to the shower and work.
Peace to all and may your mind be on your side.
Oh, by the way... Love my Road ID in the pool.
I have to pass right past the hot tub to leave the pool area. There was a young-ish, read older than twenty but not as old as me, guy sitting there, watching me pass. What went through my head was "go ahead, ogle the cute chi... the fa... the chick."
Yep, that's right. I thought cute before I thought fat. I never really thought about it but despite being comfortable with who I am, I always thought that others just saw me as fat. And yes, I may have been OK with that but it still couldn't be good for my subconscious.
And that thought just now makes me feel pretty damn good.
I'm off to the shower and work.
Peace to all and may your mind be on your side.
Oh, by the way... Love my Road ID in the pool.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Brain Goo
I don't seem to be doing a very good job of updating lately. It could be because work's been pretty busy. It could be that I've been sick. It could be that I've been pretty busy outside of work. It could be that I've been pretty darn tired in general.
Or, it could be that I just can't figure out what I want to write about. I know there are all kinds of things going on that I can and probably should talk about. There are several things that are going on that I'm not going to talk about here because it is more or less airing things that are private and wouldn't do anyone any good.
Overall things are about status quo around here. I was sick last week thanks to Boo bringing strep home from school. Nope, he didn't get sick. There was a kid there who had strep, so I'm guessing that's where I came in contact with it directly or not. I'm not happy about that... I seem to be a little more susceptible to strep than the average person. So not looking forward to Boo bringing this home more often...
Gak's had a rough two weeks at work thanks to computer and network issues. I'm just staying out of the way where that's concerned.
I had a customer come visit the office on Thursday. It went well and we got some good work done that was much easier in person as opposed to over the phone and email and getting nowhere.
Anyhow, that's about where things stand. Becca headed back to California on Thursday. Mom's doing well. We're all doing well.
I'm tired and could use a vacation, or at the very least a nap. Anyhow, I've got to keep on keeping on for now.
Peace to all and have a good evening.
Or, it could be that I just can't figure out what I want to write about. I know there are all kinds of things going on that I can and probably should talk about. There are several things that are going on that I'm not going to talk about here because it is more or less airing things that are private and wouldn't do anyone any good.
Overall things are about status quo around here. I was sick last week thanks to Boo bringing strep home from school. Nope, he didn't get sick. There was a kid there who had strep, so I'm guessing that's where I came in contact with it directly or not. I'm not happy about that... I seem to be a little more susceptible to strep than the average person. So not looking forward to Boo bringing this home more often...
Gak's had a rough two weeks at work thanks to computer and network issues. I'm just staying out of the way where that's concerned.
I had a customer come visit the office on Thursday. It went well and we got some good work done that was much easier in person as opposed to over the phone and email and getting nowhere.
Anyhow, that's about where things stand. Becca headed back to California on Thursday. Mom's doing well. We're all doing well.
I'm tired and could use a vacation, or at the very least a nap. Anyhow, I've got to keep on keeping on for now.
Peace to all and have a good evening.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Not Much
I'm really not sure I have anything useful to say today. I just realized that I hadn't posted since Wednesday and here it is Sunday again. I've got a few ideas rattling around in my head. I'm not sure if any of them are going to come to fruition.
Work is work. It's the first month of the quarter, so reporting is in full swing. With the new regulations that went into play at the end of the third quarter, life has been a little more fun than usual. That is if by fun you mean an increase in calls and time spent answering the same questions again and again.
This weekend has had it's ups and downs. I'm ready to leave the lows behind, so we're not going to go there. Suffice to say overall it was a good one, if only because I got to spend plenty of time with my boys today.
Tomorrow will be fun as I'll be taking a long lunch to pick up the Girl Scout cookies for my troop (which don't go on sale until the 19th!). I think I remember the time I'm supposed to be there, but I'm not 100% and either it's not actually listed anywhere in the online cookie pages or I'm just not looking in the right places. (I mean, this is the site I had to go to in order to order the cookies and schedule pickup in the first place. And no, I don't have/can't find the paper I wrote the information down on. I can't find one of the two sets of papers about the cookie sales to begin with and I'm sure it's in there. I think my desk is eating things again.
Well, I'm going to go read a few stories to my boy-o and tuck him into bed. (Hopefully he'll go to sleep easily tonight and not come up with every single excuse to get out of bed...)
So, I bid you peace and good days.
Work is work. It's the first month of the quarter, so reporting is in full swing. With the new regulations that went into play at the end of the third quarter, life has been a little more fun than usual. That is if by fun you mean an increase in calls and time spent answering the same questions again and again.
This weekend has had it's ups and downs. I'm ready to leave the lows behind, so we're not going to go there. Suffice to say overall it was a good one, if only because I got to spend plenty of time with my boys today.
Tomorrow will be fun as I'll be taking a long lunch to pick up the Girl Scout cookies for my troop (which don't go on sale until the 19th!). I think I remember the time I'm supposed to be there, but I'm not 100% and either it's not actually listed anywhere in the online cookie pages or I'm just not looking in the right places. (I mean, this is the site I had to go to in order to order the cookies and schedule pickup in the first place. And no, I don't have/can't find the paper I wrote the information down on. I can't find one of the two sets of papers about the cookie sales to begin with and I'm sure it's in there. I think my desk is eating things again.
Well, I'm going to go read a few stories to my boy-o and tuck him into bed. (Hopefully he'll go to sleep easily tonight and not come up with every single excuse to get out of bed...)
So, I bid you peace and good days.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Quarks
I know, I know, I should be working. But I wanted to get something down before I totally forgot and the moment passed me by.
I'm writing a list of things in my notebook for a project I'm working on. It involves a lot of numbers and a few words and grouping them according to unit. It suddenly struck me as I was writing a { and a label of how many times I watched my dad write the exact same symbol in almost the exact same way and with his sure hand label something he was showing me.
I can't count the number of projects and assignments and other "things" he's helped me with over the years, especially the school years, where I've watched him write a neat list and use a bracket to group parts of the list together and label them. I don't know why this particular entry in my notebook so suddenly and powerfully reminded me of Dad, but it did. I guess for a change my letters and the way I wrote my "2" look more like his steady, sure, dare I say engineer's, hand makes them. (Sorry Dad, you may protest that you're a physicist stuck in an engineer's role, but compared to the engineers I know and work with, you're an engineer.)
Of course, this makes me think of other quarks I share with my parents and my brother. It reminds me how in college the first time I saw Ben in about 8 years how I couldn't get over how much like my brother he is in mannerisms and those little things that make Jon "Jon". The sarcastic, yet honest, joy in a thank you for a silly gift. (The appreciation of the gift in the first place.) The head tilt and even word choices and voice that sounded so much like my brother in so many ways.
I share a laugh with my mother. I share a devious sense of word play with my father. Jon and I can have entire conversations with a glance. I fondly remember my dad protesting on more than one occasion "you were supposed to inherit all of my good traits!". Of course, Mom or I would usually answer with "what good traits?", which in turn would be returned with "not that one!".
Now I have to wonder what traits of my own, good, bad or indifferent, that I will see, already see, in my son. And those of my dear husband as well. I'm not just talking about his physical traits (he looks much more like Gak than like me most days, but you can still see my features in there too). I'm not talking about the fact that he's a lefty like me. I'm talking about the way his mind will be ordered or not. I'm talking about the little motions or sayings or postures that will speak volumes above and beyond normal conversation. I'm talking about preferences and all those little quarks that will make him uniquely "Boo", not some other little blonde-haired, blue-eyed little boy. I'm talking about those traits that will tie him permanently and irrevocably to our family, his unique blend of families.
Sometimes nature is greater than nurture. (Like those invisible ties where only part of a genetic code is shared between Jon, Ben and I that screamed at me loud and clear on that cold November day in New York.) Sometimes it is nurture (the making of lists) that brings out the nature. Sometime it is routines and habits that get passed down from generation to generation just "because that's the way mom/dad did/does it."
So, I will head back to my lists and enjoy the little quarks that make me who I am and tie me to my dad. I will look for them and smile at them and appreciate them for the gifts they are.
I bid you peace and may your own quarks make you a wonderfully unique person.
I'm writing a list of things in my notebook for a project I'm working on. It involves a lot of numbers and a few words and grouping them according to unit. It suddenly struck me as I was writing a { and a label of how many times I watched my dad write the exact same symbol in almost the exact same way and with his sure hand label something he was showing me.
I can't count the number of projects and assignments and other "things" he's helped me with over the years, especially the school years, where I've watched him write a neat list and use a bracket to group parts of the list together and label them. I don't know why this particular entry in my notebook so suddenly and powerfully reminded me of Dad, but it did. I guess for a change my letters and the way I wrote my "2" look more like his steady, sure, dare I say engineer's, hand makes them. (Sorry Dad, you may protest that you're a physicist stuck in an engineer's role, but compared to the engineers I know and work with, you're an engineer.)
Of course, this makes me think of other quarks I share with my parents and my brother. It reminds me how in college the first time I saw Ben in about 8 years how I couldn't get over how much like my brother he is in mannerisms and those little things that make Jon "Jon". The sarcastic, yet honest, joy in a thank you for a silly gift. (The appreciation of the gift in the first place.) The head tilt and even word choices and voice that sounded so much like my brother in so many ways.
I share a laugh with my mother. I share a devious sense of word play with my father. Jon and I can have entire conversations with a glance. I fondly remember my dad protesting on more than one occasion "you were supposed to inherit all of my good traits!". Of course, Mom or I would usually answer with "what good traits?", which in turn would be returned with "not that one!".
Now I have to wonder what traits of my own, good, bad or indifferent, that I will see, already see, in my son. And those of my dear husband as well. I'm not just talking about his physical traits (he looks much more like Gak than like me most days, but you can still see my features in there too). I'm not talking about the fact that he's a lefty like me. I'm talking about the way his mind will be ordered or not. I'm talking about the little motions or sayings or postures that will speak volumes above and beyond normal conversation. I'm talking about preferences and all those little quarks that will make him uniquely "Boo", not some other little blonde-haired, blue-eyed little boy. I'm talking about those traits that will tie him permanently and irrevocably to our family, his unique blend of families.
Sometimes nature is greater than nurture. (Like those invisible ties where only part of a genetic code is shared between Jon, Ben and I that screamed at me loud and clear on that cold November day in New York.) Sometimes it is nurture (the making of lists) that brings out the nature. Sometime it is routines and habits that get passed down from generation to generation just "because that's the way mom/dad did/does it."
So, I will head back to my lists and enjoy the little quarks that make me who I am and tie me to my dad. I will look for them and smile at them and appreciate them for the gifts they are.
I bid you peace and may your own quarks make you a wonderfully unique person.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Momma Day
Today was a Momma Day. Technically work is shut down this week, even though my department can't really shut down. That just means we go down to a skeleton crew and take turns being the sucker, er person, on call. Tomorrow is my turn, at least in the morning.
Today, I sent my boy-o to daycare even though I had off from work. You see, I needed a day to me.
Don't get me wrong, I love my boys. I love spending time with them. Both together and one-on-one. But, even more importantly some days, I need some me time. I need some time to do whatever I want and not run seventy errands and clean thirty different things and in general run around like a chicken with my head cut off. That's what I almost always do whenever I have a day off work and Boo still goes to day care, at least half a day even. So, today I made sure to do only what I wanted to do.
Which included going for my morning swim after dropping off the boys. I actually had time and energy to get my full mile in. I wasn't running late or have to be somewhere, so I could actually swim for the full 50 minutes I like to swim. (Lately I've been getting out the door a little late which cuts into the actual amount of time I get in the pool.)
I then came home, had a nice breakfast and decided to play with yarn for a while.
Over the course of the day I've almost finished my first crochet sock!
Around 11:00 or so, I got the urge to see what material I had on hand that could be turned into a nifty little cover/case/carrier for my new nook. As it turns out, I had some adorable denim and still more left over flannel from my cloak. Well, a little over an hour later, and I have a new cover. (It cost me $4.95 for the button on the front, but it is for looks only.) I even managed to clean up the corner with the fabric and patterns a bit (all because I couldn't find the velcro I knew I had, and eventually found).
I then played online a little bit and enjoyed a delicious lunch.
After that I decided I had enough time for a movie and a little more stitching before going to pick up Boo from school. I managed to get all but the toe done on the sock while enjoying "Much Ado About Nothing". (Gak doesn't like it, he had a bad experience with the play... so I don't watch it when he's around...)
When I picked up Boo, he'd taken a good nap for the ladies so I took him bowling like I promised him yesterday. (See, I was going to take him yesterday, but he refused to nap, which was a condition for going, and promised him we'd go if I picked him up in time and he actually took a nap at school today.) We had a great time.
Then it was home while Boo watched a "Blue's Clues" and I sewed on a button. A couple of rounds of High Ho Cherry-o and a book later and it was time to pick up Gak from work. A quick stop at the bank, DQ for dinner and then home and bed for a boy.
I should be beat. But I'm not. I'm actually about to go pick up my hook and yarn and see if I can't finish that sock. I'd love to get both done by the end of the week, but I doubt that'll happen. (Heck, I'm just glad I'm finally this far, I've only wanted to try a sock pattern for about 3 years now...)
So, despite the busy day, I feel great. Not looking forward to going in to work tomorrow, but at least it'll be quiet and I should be able to get some work type stuff done. I only have to stay until about noon, then Monty will be in. I'm not sure if I'll be leaving then and taking a little more time for me (I don''t get it very often so I won't feel guilty about it) or if I'll be staying most of the day and just leaving a little early to get Boo so we can run some errands before coming home. I guess I'll make up my mind tomorrow around noon.
Well, I'm off.
Peace to all and may you get some time for YOU that even it is busy is relaxing.
p.s. The one thing I didn't do today that I thought about doing was going through all the pictures on Boo's camera as well as mine from this month. I guess that'll have to happen at some other near date.
Today, I sent my boy-o to daycare even though I had off from work. You see, I needed a day to me.
Don't get me wrong, I love my boys. I love spending time with them. Both together and one-on-one. But, even more importantly some days, I need some me time. I need some time to do whatever I want and not run seventy errands and clean thirty different things and in general run around like a chicken with my head cut off. That's what I almost always do whenever I have a day off work and Boo still goes to day care, at least half a day even. So, today I made sure to do only what I wanted to do.
Which included going for my morning swim after dropping off the boys. I actually had time and energy to get my full mile in. I wasn't running late or have to be somewhere, so I could actually swim for the full 50 minutes I like to swim. (Lately I've been getting out the door a little late which cuts into the actual amount of time I get in the pool.)
I then came home, had a nice breakfast and decided to play with yarn for a while.
Over the course of the day I've almost finished my first crochet sock!
Around 11:00 or so, I got the urge to see what material I had on hand that could be turned into a nifty little cover/case/carrier for my new nook. As it turns out, I had some adorable denim and still more left over flannel from my cloak. Well, a little over an hour later, and I have a new cover. (It cost me $4.95 for the button on the front, but it is for looks only.) I even managed to clean up the corner with the fabric and patterns a bit (all because I couldn't find the velcro I knew I had, and eventually found).
I then played online a little bit and enjoyed a delicious lunch.
After that I decided I had enough time for a movie and a little more stitching before going to pick up Boo from school. I managed to get all but the toe done on the sock while enjoying "Much Ado About Nothing". (Gak doesn't like it, he had a bad experience with the play... so I don't watch it when he's around...)
When I picked up Boo, he'd taken a good nap for the ladies so I took him bowling like I promised him yesterday. (See, I was going to take him yesterday, but he refused to nap, which was a condition for going, and promised him we'd go if I picked him up in time and he actually took a nap at school today.) We had a great time.
Then it was home while Boo watched a "Blue's Clues" and I sewed on a button. A couple of rounds of High Ho Cherry-o and a book later and it was time to pick up Gak from work. A quick stop at the bank, DQ for dinner and then home and bed for a boy.
I should be beat. But I'm not. I'm actually about to go pick up my hook and yarn and see if I can't finish that sock. I'd love to get both done by the end of the week, but I doubt that'll happen. (Heck, I'm just glad I'm finally this far, I've only wanted to try a sock pattern for about 3 years now...)
So, despite the busy day, I feel great. Not looking forward to going in to work tomorrow, but at least it'll be quiet and I should be able to get some work type stuff done. I only have to stay until about noon, then Monty will be in. I'm not sure if I'll be leaving then and taking a little more time for me (I don''t get it very often so I won't feel guilty about it) or if I'll be staying most of the day and just leaving a little early to get Boo so we can run some errands before coming home. I guess I'll make up my mind tomorrow around noon.
Well, I'm off.
Peace to all and may you get some time for YOU that even it is busy is relaxing.
p.s. The one thing I didn't do today that I thought about doing was going through all the pictures on Boo's camera as well as mine from this month. I guess that'll have to happen at some other near date.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Brain Fluff
I don't have anything profound to say tonight. I just thought I should sit down and write something. This has been a pretty busy and hectic week in the normal kinds of ways.
First off, no, I don't have any more info on Joan.
Work's been quite busy for the end of the year. I seem to be getting further behind no matter how hard I work. The last few weeks of mental fluff between the ears has caught up to me and I'm paying the price. I just hope I can wrap up a few more important (and hopefully more simple than what I've been working on) projects tomorrow before the weekend.
I think I have a "tea problem". I counted today, and I have 9 different teas in my desk drawer. Two are herbals, one is a chai, one is a black tea and the other 5 are greens. Yeah. I got two different sets of green tea samplers for my birthday and I'm exploring.
I am quite glad that I've had so many to choose from this week though, I've been fighting off a bit of a head cold. Nothing major, just enough snot to make me not happy. Boo has been fighting it off as well, I think I got it from him.
Bill is evil and it's a good thing he only makes his mini shoofly pies once a year. Enough said on that subject.
Oh, my company is evil, they give everyone a 2+ lb box of chocolates and nuts every year for Christmas. I'd managed to forget about it until it got dropped off on my desk today. The stupid thing called my name all afternoon even though I wasn't hungry. I managed to ignore it, until after dinner... yeah. Enough said about holiday treats.
Apparently Boo does not hate baths again, it was a power struggle thing. (I'm not sure if I mentioned here or not our recent issues with bath time...) Anyhow, he got some new jammies that he really loves and got to choose all by himself. I told him the other night that if he fussed and made a scene during bath time, he would have to wear the jammies that I choose, which are his skeleton ones. (I think they're adorable, Boo doesn't agree.) But, if he didn't fuss or scream or cause trouble for his entire bath, he could choose his jammies. Well, it's worked the last few baths. Thanks Barb for reminding me that it could just be a power issue, not a real fear.
Now to solve the power struggle issues of eating and potty. Good news on both fronts though, he's actually eating more of what school provides at school and he actually peed in the potty at school on Wednesday. (Nana Laura puts him on the potty ever afternoon when she changes everyone else and makes him sit there and try. Amazingly enough, he went for her on Wednesday. We're trying to be more consistent about putting him on the potty frequently, hoping to catch him when he actually needs to go. We'll see. I just don't want this to devolve into a total power struggle. That could get bad on many levels.
So, that's the random brain fluff update of the week. I'm really glad tomorrow is Friday. Hopefully I'll have one more productive day this week and then enjoy the weekend. I should be putting the tree up this weekend, if I can actually manage to get the living room straightened up and vacuumed. Yeah, this is me we're talking about.
Well, I'm off to play with yarn for a little bit and crash.
Peace to all and may your weeks be good.
First off, no, I don't have any more info on Joan.
Work's been quite busy for the end of the year. I seem to be getting further behind no matter how hard I work. The last few weeks of mental fluff between the ears has caught up to me and I'm paying the price. I just hope I can wrap up a few more important (and hopefully more simple than what I've been working on) projects tomorrow before the weekend.
I think I have a "tea problem". I counted today, and I have 9 different teas in my desk drawer. Two are herbals, one is a chai, one is a black tea and the other 5 are greens. Yeah. I got two different sets of green tea samplers for my birthday and I'm exploring.
I am quite glad that I've had so many to choose from this week though, I've been fighting off a bit of a head cold. Nothing major, just enough snot to make me not happy. Boo has been fighting it off as well, I think I got it from him.
Bill is evil and it's a good thing he only makes his mini shoofly pies once a year. Enough said on that subject.
Oh, my company is evil, they give everyone a 2+ lb box of chocolates and nuts every year for Christmas. I'd managed to forget about it until it got dropped off on my desk today. The stupid thing called my name all afternoon even though I wasn't hungry. I managed to ignore it, until after dinner... yeah. Enough said about holiday treats.
Apparently Boo does not hate baths again, it was a power struggle thing. (I'm not sure if I mentioned here or not our recent issues with bath time...) Anyhow, he got some new jammies that he really loves and got to choose all by himself. I told him the other night that if he fussed and made a scene during bath time, he would have to wear the jammies that I choose, which are his skeleton ones. (I think they're adorable, Boo doesn't agree.) But, if he didn't fuss or scream or cause trouble for his entire bath, he could choose his jammies. Well, it's worked the last few baths. Thanks Barb for reminding me that it could just be a power issue, not a real fear.
Now to solve the power struggle issues of eating and potty. Good news on both fronts though, he's actually eating more of what school provides at school and he actually peed in the potty at school on Wednesday. (Nana Laura puts him on the potty ever afternoon when she changes everyone else and makes him sit there and try. Amazingly enough, he went for her on Wednesday. We're trying to be more consistent about putting him on the potty frequently, hoping to catch him when he actually needs to go. We'll see. I just don't want this to devolve into a total power struggle. That could get bad on many levels.
So, that's the random brain fluff update of the week. I'm really glad tomorrow is Friday. Hopefully I'll have one more productive day this week and then enjoy the weekend. I should be putting the tree up this weekend, if I can actually manage to get the living room straightened up and vacuumed. Yeah, this is me we're talking about.
Well, I'm off to play with yarn for a little bit and crash.
Peace to all and may your weeks be good.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Nothing
I've been staring at this screen for a full 15 minutes trying to figure out what to write. I've got nothing. Well, maybe not nothing.
Anyhow, the last two days haven't been the most productive days at work. I've muddled through and tried to get stuff done. I'm not sure how well I've succeeded. (Kinda like not being able to write this post....)
I went into tonight's Girl Scout meeting with only a vague plan and a hope and I pulled off something. I'm not 100% sure what, but we had fun and talked about some stuff and made a few plans. I've got a lot of work to get done in the next week, but that's par for the course. Just because it's a lot of fun, doesn't mean there won't be a lot of work involved. At least it's fun work for the most part.
I've been frustrated lately by Boo seeming to revert back to the no bath, crying and screaming thing. I have no idea what started this or why. The one night, it was because the stopper thing hadn't been flipped all the way and it was leaking a little and the noise scared him. The next time, I'm wondering if I had the water just a smidge too warm and he lost it when I grumbled at him a little too loudly to sit down. Last night, I have no idea what set him off. He didn't want to sit, but I asked him to. He then started crying, I mean sobbing and distraught. I tried to get him to tell me what was wrong, but I have no idea what he meant by "crinkles" or whatever he was sobbing. Gak couldn't get a straight answer from him either.
So, I'm really not sure where I'm heading with this. I'm not sure what I can pull from my day to be thankful form. Maybe for being able to pull things out of thin air when needed. I have no idea. I'm not sure how any of this all ties together.
So, now that it's 9:15 and my brain is mush, I'm going to hit publish. (Normally I'd let this drivel be deleted, but I'm not going to skip a day with only two to go in the month...)
Peace to all and may your days make a little more sense than this post.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Shower Musing
Friday evening I wasn't feeling very well. I'm still not sure if it was just a bad allergy day with the end of a stressful week and some interrupted sleep on top, or a small spring cold. Anyhow, Friday evening I really, really wanted to soak for a long time in a nice hot shower. So I did.
While I was standing there, enjoying the hot water, I was ruminating on the fact that this was Earth Day and here I was, wasting lots of water and energy. Not very bright, eh? So, I had a brilliant idea. Wouldn't it be cool if someone would come up with a recirculating shower? One where you could run the shower for a bit until you had enough water and then start up a recirculating pump of some sort and maybe one of those in-line water heaters. Then you could almost guilt free take as long and luxurious a soak of a shower as you wanted.
Well, it looks like I'm not the first to come up with that idea. I did a quick google search and there were lots of hits. There were some where the responses to the posed question were not at all positive. I was thinking of something like a jacuzzi tub, but as a shower instead of a tub. I mean, if you can do it for a tub, why not a shower? Anyhow, this one seems to be the "standard" that everyone references back to.
So, it looks like there are options out there. And, yeah, I think if we ever could own our own home, or even better build one from the ground up, I'd seriously look into something like this. But, that's a pipe dream. For now, I'll content myself with doing it not that often and for not as long as I'd like.
But, I'm feeling much better today. And it's not raining and the sun is out. So... yeah. Just a random bit of brain fluff. It sounded better in my head, but I just couldn't pull it together this morning.
Peace to all and may your ideas be good.
While I was standing there, enjoying the hot water, I was ruminating on the fact that this was Earth Day and here I was, wasting lots of water and energy. Not very bright, eh? So, I had a brilliant idea. Wouldn't it be cool if someone would come up with a recirculating shower? One where you could run the shower for a bit until you had enough water and then start up a recirculating pump of some sort and maybe one of those in-line water heaters. Then you could almost guilt free take as long and luxurious a soak of a shower as you wanted.
Well, it looks like I'm not the first to come up with that idea. I did a quick google search and there were lots of hits. There were some where the responses to the posed question were not at all positive. I was thinking of something like a jacuzzi tub, but as a shower instead of a tub. I mean, if you can do it for a tub, why not a shower? Anyhow, this one seems to be the "standard" that everyone references back to.
So, it looks like there are options out there. And, yeah, I think if we ever could own our own home, or even better build one from the ground up, I'd seriously look into something like this. But, that's a pipe dream. For now, I'll content myself with doing it not that often and for not as long as I'd like.
But, I'm feeling much better today. And it's not raining and the sun is out. So... yeah. Just a random bit of brain fluff. It sounded better in my head, but I just couldn't pull it together this morning.
Peace to all and may your ideas be good.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Fortune Cookie Wisdom...
So, I'm sitting here cleaning off my desk between projects, just trying to give myself a little breather. And I stumble across a fortune cookie fortune from some weeks ago, just sitting there under my monitor.
"If you continually give, you will continually have. :) " (Yes, it has a little smiley at the end..)
I must admit, this is one truism that I can totally agree with. And not just in the positive way many people think of it either.
For example, take the person who is continually complaining, and giving other people grief. They're making everyone else around them miserable, and what do they get in return? More misery. They get people who don't want to talk to them, be near them or work with them. They end up in relationships that are one-sided at best and are just downward spirals. Like the other saying goes, misery loves company.
Then you have the person who always smiles when they answer the phone (even if they're day is far, far from perfect). They enquire about your family and your kids and your health and actually want to know the answer and aren't just being polite. They share the goodies in their lunch or where they got/found something and when they've got it (and sometimes even when they don't) they'll share their hard earned money with those who need it. Have you ever noticed how people who are like this are usually so very happy? That they have such a positive outlook on life? And even when things aren't going their way, they are just happy to be alive and around people who care, because trust me, these people attract good friends and good relationships faster than a little boy can find mud puddles in the spring!
I've known many people in the first category. I try very hard not to fall into that first category myself. It is so easy to do. It is so easy to get caught up in the negative moment and let one small thing lead to the ruining of an entire week, month or even year. Last year it was a very big struggle for me not to fall into the dark pit of giving only grief and anger to the world around me.
It is truly rare, however, to find the truly generous soul who can be the positive giver even 80% of the time. I've been blessed, and truly, it is a blessing, to have worked with two such men. And there is at least one other guy here at work who fits into that category more often than not.
Unfortunately for us, we lost one of those bright souls. It'll be 6 months on Saturday since Ron left us. Well, his physical presence has left us. He's still with us here at work in so many ways. Those of us who knew him and knew him well while he was here will always have a tender spot in our hearts for him, stories to tell and smiles as well.
The other guy who shares Ron's wonderful disposition is a man who has been through so much pain, so much uncertainty and so many trials, that some days I wonder how he can stand with all the weight that has been put on him. He's always smiling though. He's the one that gave Gak and I our "new" bed when we moved. You see, we benefited from his pain. His wife has had so many, many medical problems over the years. Just a year or so after they bought a new bed, she got very sick and had to have a trach put in and now can no longer lie in bed. She's hooked up to oxygen 24 hours a day and monitored at all times. And Randy, taking this in stride does what he needs to do. He makes sure that she's got company during the day in case there are problems and he uses his knowledge from work to help keep her equipment up and running, even when a nurse isn't around. And he does it with a smile.
What I will always find amazing is what he said about me. There have been times since I've known him that I've been going through a rough spot in one way or another, and he tells me that I always seem so positive and that I'm always smiling. Well, let me tell you, he doesn't see me in my darkest moments. (Unfortunately, Gak does, and he can confirm that it's not pretty...) So, every time I think of letting the dark win, letting the bad situation I'm in be passed on to everyone I come in contact with, I try and remember Randy's words. And I remember how positive he always seems, no matter what.
One of the things that links these two men is their great faith. They both have such a strong faith in God and forgiveness and everything that goes with it. There are days that I wish I shared their faith, but I don't. Well, I have a lot of faith, but it's not their faith. My faith is much more subtle and complex than theirs. But, yeah, I have faith in the world around me and look for the little miracles that are life.
Anyhow, just thought I'd dump what was sloshing about in my brain when I was cleaning up my desk. I thought I'd take a moment to remember a friend who's gone and thank a friend who's been truly an inspiration.
I'd also be remiss not to mention the fact that today is my brother's birthday. Yep, 33 years ago today I became a big sister. Happy birthday Jon, I'm glad you're my brother.
Peace to all and may you give what's in your heart.
"If you continually give, you will continually have. :) " (Yes, it has a little smiley at the end..)
I must admit, this is one truism that I can totally agree with. And not just in the positive way many people think of it either.
For example, take the person who is continually complaining, and giving other people grief. They're making everyone else around them miserable, and what do they get in return? More misery. They get people who don't want to talk to them, be near them or work with them. They end up in relationships that are one-sided at best and are just downward spirals. Like the other saying goes, misery loves company.
Then you have the person who always smiles when they answer the phone (even if they're day is far, far from perfect). They enquire about your family and your kids and your health and actually want to know the answer and aren't just being polite. They share the goodies in their lunch or where they got/found something and when they've got it (and sometimes even when they don't) they'll share their hard earned money with those who need it. Have you ever noticed how people who are like this are usually so very happy? That they have such a positive outlook on life? And even when things aren't going their way, they are just happy to be alive and around people who care, because trust me, these people attract good friends and good relationships faster than a little boy can find mud puddles in the spring!
I've known many people in the first category. I try very hard not to fall into that first category myself. It is so easy to do. It is so easy to get caught up in the negative moment and let one small thing lead to the ruining of an entire week, month or even year. Last year it was a very big struggle for me not to fall into the dark pit of giving only grief and anger to the world around me.
It is truly rare, however, to find the truly generous soul who can be the positive giver even 80% of the time. I've been blessed, and truly, it is a blessing, to have worked with two such men. And there is at least one other guy here at work who fits into that category more often than not.
Unfortunately for us, we lost one of those bright souls. It'll be 6 months on Saturday since Ron left us. Well, his physical presence has left us. He's still with us here at work in so many ways. Those of us who knew him and knew him well while he was here will always have a tender spot in our hearts for him, stories to tell and smiles as well.
The other guy who shares Ron's wonderful disposition is a man who has been through so much pain, so much uncertainty and so many trials, that some days I wonder how he can stand with all the weight that has been put on him. He's always smiling though. He's the one that gave Gak and I our "new" bed when we moved. You see, we benefited from his pain. His wife has had so many, many medical problems over the years. Just a year or so after they bought a new bed, she got very sick and had to have a trach put in and now can no longer lie in bed. She's hooked up to oxygen 24 hours a day and monitored at all times. And Randy, taking this in stride does what he needs to do. He makes sure that she's got company during the day in case there are problems and he uses his knowledge from work to help keep her equipment up and running, even when a nurse isn't around. And he does it with a smile.
What I will always find amazing is what he said about me. There have been times since I've known him that I've been going through a rough spot in one way or another, and he tells me that I always seem so positive and that I'm always smiling. Well, let me tell you, he doesn't see me in my darkest moments. (Unfortunately, Gak does, and he can confirm that it's not pretty...) So, every time I think of letting the dark win, letting the bad situation I'm in be passed on to everyone I come in contact with, I try and remember Randy's words. And I remember how positive he always seems, no matter what.
One of the things that links these two men is their great faith. They both have such a strong faith in God and forgiveness and everything that goes with it. There are days that I wish I shared their faith, but I don't. Well, I have a lot of faith, but it's not their faith. My faith is much more subtle and complex than theirs. But, yeah, I have faith in the world around me and look for the little miracles that are life.
Anyhow, just thought I'd dump what was sloshing about in my brain when I was cleaning up my desk. I thought I'd take a moment to remember a friend who's gone and thank a friend who's been truly an inspiration.
I'd also be remiss not to mention the fact that today is my brother's birthday. Yep, 33 years ago today I became a big sister. Happy birthday Jon, I'm glad you're my brother.
Peace to all and may you give what's in your heart.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Random... Again.
Well, the week has all but come and gone again.
It was a bit off an odd week. If only because we had more snow on Tuesday night (or Wednesday morning). So, of course that means that my schedule was totally out of wack again. Oh well. But my boy-o loves to play in the snow. We got about 5 inches give or take. What I really could do without is the wind that we've been getting after the snow moves through. It can take itself right back to the arctic where it came from.
Other than that, there really hasn't been much of interest going on this week. I actually managed to go swimming at the gym Tuesday morning, because the snow was supposed to start around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. (Thankfully the snow held off until after 6:00 or so.) It was great and I really hope to make that part of my routine from here on out. Today I had a free session with a trainer at the gym. It didn't feel like I was working hard most of the time, but boy was I! I'm sure my arms will be hurting tomorrow. My legs will be better. I will need to add some core exercises as well, but I think I'm well on my way to a well rounded set of workouts to keep it interesting. I'm really hoping that I manage to follow through on my exercise goals this year.
Anyhow, sorry this is a short and disjointed post. I'm a little scatter brained tonight. I think Boo gave me his bit of a cold that he had over the weekend. This weekend should be interesting though. Gak's brother is flying out here for the weekend. He gets in tomorrow around 11-ish, that is if he's lucky going through O'Hare... I so don't miss that airport... He's flying back Sunday afternoon, so he's only in town for a few days. I'm sure we'll do something interesting Saturday or Sunday morning.
I'm going to wrap up this ramble and head to bed.
Peace to all and may your snow days be fun and your weekends interesting.
It was a bit off an odd week. If only because we had more snow on Tuesday night (or Wednesday morning). So, of course that means that my schedule was totally out of wack again. Oh well. But my boy-o loves to play in the snow. We got about 5 inches give or take. What I really could do without is the wind that we've been getting after the snow moves through. It can take itself right back to the arctic where it came from.
Other than that, there really hasn't been much of interest going on this week. I actually managed to go swimming at the gym Tuesday morning, because the snow was supposed to start around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. (Thankfully the snow held off until after 6:00 or so.) It was great and I really hope to make that part of my routine from here on out. Today I had a free session with a trainer at the gym. It didn't feel like I was working hard most of the time, but boy was I! I'm sure my arms will be hurting tomorrow. My legs will be better. I will need to add some core exercises as well, but I think I'm well on my way to a well rounded set of workouts to keep it interesting. I'm really hoping that I manage to follow through on my exercise goals this year.
Anyhow, sorry this is a short and disjointed post. I'm a little scatter brained tonight. I think Boo gave me his bit of a cold that he had over the weekend. This weekend should be interesting though. Gak's brother is flying out here for the weekend. He gets in tomorrow around 11-ish, that is if he's lucky going through O'Hare... I so don't miss that airport... He's flying back Sunday afternoon, so he's only in town for a few days. I'm sure we'll do something interesting Saturday or Sunday morning.
I'm going to wrap up this ramble and head to bed.
Peace to all and may your snow days be fun and your weekends interesting.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Thoughts on Motherhood
With it being Mother's Day and all this past weekend, and finding out that my friend in Key West is pregnant with their first, I've had lots of time and reason to reflect on motherhood recently.
I've come to a startling observation. Why, at least for me, does it mean more to hear one of my female friends, especially those who are moms of kids older than mine, tell me I'm a good mom, than to hear it from my own mom or husband? I love them all. Their opinion matters, especially Gak's, because, well, to put it bluntly, he's got just as much say in how our son is raised as I do. (More so in some ways because he gets to spend more time with Boo.)
So, why does it mean more to hear Kat or Joan, or a friend from my crochet board or a female coworker tell me I'm a good mom? Even if it's with a silly/sweet/sentimental chain email. Maybe it's because I expect to hear these things from my husband and my own mother. I know, that sounds a little weird, but I've always known that my mom believes in me and my abilities. I don't have to "prove" myself to her. I know there are lots of women out there who would just fall over if they ever got a positive word from either their husband or mother. I know I left my mother-in-law off this list of people. That can be such a tricky subject. Don't get me wrong, I think I have a pretty good relationship with Gak's mom, but I guess I just don't feel like I have to "prove" myself to her either. Maybe it's be just being too strong-willed and independent for my own good, who knows.
Maybe getting recognition as being a "good mom" from someone who barely knows me (obviously not Kat or Joan who sometimes know me better than I know myself...) means more because they don't see the whole picture, they don't know all my secrets or anything, but only see my parenting through this blog, through things I post on other boards or just seeing me and my family for a brief bit of time at a store or when we go out to eat.
Of course, this brings me to a whole new question, of why is it so important that we feel validated by others in our parenting styles? Why is it that we seek approval of others for our decisions in this matter? Does it go back to some deep rooted holdover from our ancient history as hunter/gatherers and tribal living? Somehow, I think that's a bit of a romantic idea. Is it because being a mother is the most important job I have right now and that, like with any job or task, there is a need to know you're doing it well? Is it because we want to know that we're not horribly messing up our child or children's future(s)? I'm sure there is someone out there who will say that it's our "need" as women to be affirmed and our inherently low self-esteem. Yeah, OK. I don't believe that. As much as I value my husband's opinion, I do not need the approval of any man (well, maybe my father's) to feel complete and competent. Maybe it's because I've always had my dad's approval and support from day one, but I'm just not seeing that.
Motherhood is such a different journey for every woman on the path. Even just getting onto that path is different for every woman. Some are thrust there unwillingly or unwittingly. Some have the struggle of a lifetime just to find the path, let alone stay on it no matter how much they want to. For others finding the path and getting on it is no big challenge. There are many twists and turns and forks on this path, and as parents we can only choose the path that we think is right for us and our family. I know in our case, Gak plays a vital role in the decision making of the path we go down whether he realizes it or not, and I know I don't tell him that often enough. In our case, that's the right way, the way it needs to be. Not every parent has a partner to help find the path, due to many, many factors. Those are the parents I feel for. Having someone even just to listen to my hair-brained ideas and point out why they would or would not work, is invaluable. There are so many choices to make, big and small. Breastfeeding, formula feeding or a combination? Co-sleeping, bassinet, crib or something else? Vaccinate or not? Public school, home school or private school? Big day care or nanny or small center or one parent stay at home? Blue socks or red? Apples or bananas? In the end, we can only do what we can do.
In the end, it really shouldn't matter what our friends, family or especially strangers think about our parenting. In the end what matters is if your child or children are happy, healthy and getting the most out of life? And even that's a pretty subjective thing.
Which, I guess brings me to another thought. Why is there so much guilt in parenting? In the past I steered away from parenting boards and the like. I remember when pregnant ranting about a few of them from time to time. I have since found one that, for the most part, I enjoy reading and posting on. I skip the threads where it seems like they only exist to stir up trouble or force ideas down peoples throats. I try and be supportive where I can and quiet or polite or informative where I can't. (Trust me, there have been many, many replies to things that have been typed and promptly deleted...) So, why should I feel guilty that I have to work outside the house? Why should I feel guilty that I took time to pump at work so my son could continue to get the breast milk I strongly believe that was the best option for him? (That comes from many directions.) Why should I feel guilty that my son is in a small day care center, not somewhere like Goddard with it's uber educational program or a sitter who's only watching a few kids? Why should I feel guilty that I don't force my son to eat things and fight that fight every meal of every day? Or that I turned him front facing at 15 months when he was well over the 1 year and 20 lb minimum required by law? Why should I get grief that I vaccinate my son on the pediatricians schedule instead of some slower schedule or not at all? These are all decisions I made, more often than not with the input, advice and support of my husband and father of our son. In each case we've made the decisions that have seemed best for our family. Would I do things differently? In some cases, possibly, hind-sight being what it is.
I think we should just be able to support each other on this long hard road that we're all traveling. Parenthood is not easy. Everyone does the best they can with the information they have at the time. That's all we can ask.
Anyhow, I just wanted to say that... although, I'm not sure I made any real sense or just made it all the more muddy. I wish all the parents on this child-raising journey much luck, much love and happy kids. And yes, I spent most of my time talking about mothers, not because fathers don't have to deal with these issues, but because well, I'm a mom so I see that a little more intimately than what dad's go through and well... our society treats dads different in general. (That's a whole other topic and one I don't really have time to get into right now, and am not so sure I should at the moment anyhow...)
Peace to you all, parents and not, and the next time you see a mom or a dad having "a day", smile at them and tell them they're doing a fine job. It may just make their week.
I've come to a startling observation. Why, at least for me, does it mean more to hear one of my female friends, especially those who are moms of kids older than mine, tell me I'm a good mom, than to hear it from my own mom or husband? I love them all. Their opinion matters, especially Gak's, because, well, to put it bluntly, he's got just as much say in how our son is raised as I do. (More so in some ways because he gets to spend more time with Boo.)
So, why does it mean more to hear Kat or Joan, or a friend from my crochet board or a female coworker tell me I'm a good mom? Even if it's with a silly/sweet/sentimental chain email. Maybe it's because I expect to hear these things from my husband and my own mother. I know, that sounds a little weird, but I've always known that my mom believes in me and my abilities. I don't have to "prove" myself to her. I know there are lots of women out there who would just fall over if they ever got a positive word from either their husband or mother. I know I left my mother-in-law off this list of people. That can be such a tricky subject. Don't get me wrong, I think I have a pretty good relationship with Gak's mom, but I guess I just don't feel like I have to "prove" myself to her either. Maybe it's be just being too strong-willed and independent for my own good, who knows.
Maybe getting recognition as being a "good mom" from someone who barely knows me (obviously not Kat or Joan who sometimes know me better than I know myself...) means more because they don't see the whole picture, they don't know all my secrets or anything, but only see my parenting through this blog, through things I post on other boards or just seeing me and my family for a brief bit of time at a store or when we go out to eat.
Of course, this brings me to a whole new question, of why is it so important that we feel validated by others in our parenting styles? Why is it that we seek approval of others for our decisions in this matter? Does it go back to some deep rooted holdover from our ancient history as hunter/gatherers and tribal living? Somehow, I think that's a bit of a romantic idea. Is it because being a mother is the most important job I have right now and that, like with any job or task, there is a need to know you're doing it well? Is it because we want to know that we're not horribly messing up our child or children's future(s)? I'm sure there is someone out there who will say that it's our "need" as women to be affirmed and our inherently low self-esteem. Yeah, OK. I don't believe that. As much as I value my husband's opinion, I do not need the approval of any man (well, maybe my father's) to feel complete and competent. Maybe it's because I've always had my dad's approval and support from day one, but I'm just not seeing that.
Motherhood is such a different journey for every woman on the path. Even just getting onto that path is different for every woman. Some are thrust there unwillingly or unwittingly. Some have the struggle of a lifetime just to find the path, let alone stay on it no matter how much they want to. For others finding the path and getting on it is no big challenge. There are many twists and turns and forks on this path, and as parents we can only choose the path that we think is right for us and our family. I know in our case, Gak plays a vital role in the decision making of the path we go down whether he realizes it or not, and I know I don't tell him that often enough. In our case, that's the right way, the way it needs to be. Not every parent has a partner to help find the path, due to many, many factors. Those are the parents I feel for. Having someone even just to listen to my hair-brained ideas and point out why they would or would not work, is invaluable. There are so many choices to make, big and small. Breastfeeding, formula feeding or a combination? Co-sleeping, bassinet, crib or something else? Vaccinate or not? Public school, home school or private school? Big day care or nanny or small center or one parent stay at home? Blue socks or red? Apples or bananas? In the end, we can only do what we can do.
In the end, it really shouldn't matter what our friends, family or especially strangers think about our parenting. In the end what matters is if your child or children are happy, healthy and getting the most out of life? And even that's a pretty subjective thing.
Which, I guess brings me to another thought. Why is there so much guilt in parenting? In the past I steered away from parenting boards and the like. I remember when pregnant ranting about a few of them from time to time. I have since found one that, for the most part, I enjoy reading and posting on. I skip the threads where it seems like they only exist to stir up trouble or force ideas down peoples throats. I try and be supportive where I can and quiet or polite or informative where I can't. (Trust me, there have been many, many replies to things that have been typed and promptly deleted...) So, why should I feel guilty that I have to work outside the house? Why should I feel guilty that I took time to pump at work so my son could continue to get the breast milk I strongly believe that was the best option for him? (That comes from many directions.) Why should I feel guilty that my son is in a small day care center, not somewhere like Goddard with it's uber educational program or a sitter who's only watching a few kids? Why should I feel guilty that I don't force my son to eat things and fight that fight every meal of every day? Or that I turned him front facing at 15 months when he was well over the 1 year and 20 lb minimum required by law? Why should I get grief that I vaccinate my son on the pediatricians schedule instead of some slower schedule or not at all? These are all decisions I made, more often than not with the input, advice and support of my husband and father of our son. In each case we've made the decisions that have seemed best for our family. Would I do things differently? In some cases, possibly, hind-sight being what it is.
I think we should just be able to support each other on this long hard road that we're all traveling. Parenthood is not easy. Everyone does the best they can with the information they have at the time. That's all we can ask.
Anyhow, I just wanted to say that... although, I'm not sure I made any real sense or just made it all the more muddy. I wish all the parents on this child-raising journey much luck, much love and happy kids. And yes, I spent most of my time talking about mothers, not because fathers don't have to deal with these issues, but because well, I'm a mom so I see that a little more intimately than what dad's go through and well... our society treats dads different in general. (That's a whole other topic and one I don't really have time to get into right now, and am not so sure I should at the moment anyhow...)
Peace to you all, parents and not, and the next time you see a mom or a dad having "a day", smile at them and tell them they're doing a fine job. It may just make their week.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Mixed Bag
Well, today's update (wow! 2 days in a row!) will be a bit of a mixed bag.
First let me get the sad news out of the way. The father of the guy I dated almost all through high school passed away yesterday. A week ago Saturday he had a major stroke and went into a coma. I'm not sure if they ever did get the bleeding to totally stop. It saddens me. Ray Sr. was a good man. A bit rough around the edges and could really be a bear to deal with, but over all, he was a good man. I'm going to try and attend the funeral if at all possible, as I still feel bad for blowing Ray off last summer for a birthday party he was hosting while I was extra cranky with Joan. (But that's not the only reason, like I said, I respected Ray Sr. and he was a good man, so I'd like to pay my final respects...)
On to brighter news. Last night was the first night of my "Aquasize" class. Oh, wow! I'm in even worse shape than I thought. I had a lot of fun though. I'm either the youngest or second youngest in the bunch. There are about 10 people in the class, including two men, most of them in the "under 50" crowd. Most of them have either known our instructor from other classes or been taking this class for a while. But, I was made welcome by everyone. Our instructor is Erica... and in many ways she's not too different from Erin, Mom's instructor. I think there's something about chlorine fumes that does that to a person after a while. Right now the pool is a little on the cool side, because of swim team. (You see, there is really only one HUGE pool at my Y and so, one temperature suits all...) Supposedly they're going to make it warmer again once the swim season is over, which is soon. That'll be nice. I have to tell you though, this is definitely NOT my mom's swim class. There is a large cardio portion in the beginning and she pushes you hard. I really enjoyed it, even if I tried to drown myself a couple of times. There was no staying dry, at least for me, last night. Now I'm even more excited to take Boo to his first class on Saturday.
And now for a random rant. The one I had in the works the other day. Below is a picture I snapped at Target when we were there over the weekend. Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?
Why, oh why, do boys get to be the "Best at Everything" and girls are expected to "Be a Goddess"? I mean, not knocking goddesses or anything, as I believe that every woman is a goddess in her own right, but please! And the back of the pink book is even worse. I mean, it was like a train wreck. It has tips for "how to host your own fashion show" and other "girl appropriate" activities. Can I gag now? And people wonder what's wrong with girls these days... why they "can't" succeed and have self-image problems. And don't get me started on the "girl video games", especially the series for the DS... Imagine "fashion designer" "babysitter" or
"wedding designer" just to name a few. Sure, they have "teacher, field trip", "family doctor" and "animal doctor" amongst the titles, but most of them are the same stereotypical, image-centric fluff that is "expected". It drives me nuts! If we ever have a daughter, games like that will be banned just as much as the heavy shooters and other "M" rated games will be for Boo until he's much older. (I'm not banning them outright and forever, just until he's old enough to know it's a game.) (Oh, and don't read any of the reviews on those games either... they'll just make you mad... or at least they make me mad...)
All I can say to that is ugh and shake my head. Oh well.
Well, now that I'm late for work, I'd better get my butt in gear and out the door. Off to work, then laundry tonight after picking Boo up and before picking Gak up and then home for dinner. Busy day ahead!
Peace to all and may your classes be fun, your media images realistic and your family healthy.
First let me get the sad news out of the way. The father of the guy I dated almost all through high school passed away yesterday. A week ago Saturday he had a major stroke and went into a coma. I'm not sure if they ever did get the bleeding to totally stop. It saddens me. Ray Sr. was a good man. A bit rough around the edges and could really be a bear to deal with, but over all, he was a good man. I'm going to try and attend the funeral if at all possible, as I still feel bad for blowing Ray off last summer for a birthday party he was hosting while I was extra cranky with Joan. (But that's not the only reason, like I said, I respected Ray Sr. and he was a good man, so I'd like to pay my final respects...)
On to brighter news. Last night was the first night of my "Aquasize" class. Oh, wow! I'm in even worse shape than I thought. I had a lot of fun though. I'm either the youngest or second youngest in the bunch. There are about 10 people in the class, including two men, most of them in the "under 50" crowd. Most of them have either known our instructor from other classes or been taking this class for a while. But, I was made welcome by everyone. Our instructor is Erica... and in many ways she's not too different from Erin, Mom's instructor. I think there's something about chlorine fumes that does that to a person after a while. Right now the pool is a little on the cool side, because of swim team. (You see, there is really only one HUGE pool at my Y and so, one temperature suits all...) Supposedly they're going to make it warmer again once the swim season is over, which is soon. That'll be nice. I have to tell you though, this is definitely NOT my mom's swim class. There is a large cardio portion in the beginning and she pushes you hard. I really enjoyed it, even if I tried to drown myself a couple of times. There was no staying dry, at least for me, last night. Now I'm even more excited to take Boo to his first class on Saturday.
And now for a random rant. The one I had in the works the other day. Below is a picture I snapped at Target when we were there over the weekend. Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?
"wedding designer" just to name a few. Sure, they have "teacher, field trip", "family doctor" and "animal doctor" amongst the titles, but most of them are the same stereotypical, image-centric fluff that is "expected". It drives me nuts! If we ever have a daughter, games like that will be banned just as much as the heavy shooters and other "M" rated games will be for Boo until he's much older. (I'm not banning them outright and forever, just until he's old enough to know it's a game.) (Oh, and don't read any of the reviews on those games either... they'll just make you mad... or at least they make me mad...)
All I can say to that is ugh and shake my head. Oh well.
Well, now that I'm late for work, I'd better get my butt in gear and out the door. Off to work, then laundry tonight after picking Boo up and before picking Gak up and then home for dinner. Busy day ahead!
Peace to all and may your classes be fun, your media images realistic and your family healthy.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Phone Review
This week is interesting so far at work. I'm beginning to learn the parts department part of my job. I don't have much to say at the moment except... well... there's room for improvement....I'm not going to talk about work tonight.
I don't think I'll talk about the boy (too much) tonight.
No, what I realized the other night is that I said back a month ago that I'd let you know how I like my new phone, the LG C360, after a while.
Well, it's been a while.
The short version, I like it... I really truly like it. There are still a few little quarks I'm getting used to, but mostly because it's just a little different than my old phone.
I'll start with the few down sides I've seen so far. The screen is pretty hard to see in bright daylight. The text entry method is pretty cool over all, especially if you have the word predictive feature turned on (this will actually predict the next word you want to type) in order to enter numbers it's a slightly annoying process, but not too bad.
And that's about the only bad things I have to say. I've only called someone from my pocket once. The slide is nice and solid and usually stays shut when you shove it into your pocket. The ring is nice and loud. Sound quality of conversations is good. The camera, while not as good as my point-n-shoot is good enough for what it is. I mean, come on, it's a camera phone, not a Nikon DSLR. I use it to capture the random cute moments of my son when I don't have my camera with me... or the spontaneous something I want to share, not take a real photograph of. The battery life is decent enough. I've been getting about 4 days per charge if I let it drain all the way. If I forget and get to the point where it beeps at you, it'll beep twice and then shut off instead of just keeping up it's annoying racket. The buttons are responsive and the menus make sense for the most part.
So, yeah, overall I like my new phone. And I think Gak is still in love with his iPhone. I think we got the phones right this time.
Anyhow, I've been poking at this for a while now... listening to my son sing in his crib. I also listened to a preview on G4 for my brother's current project: Saboteur. It sounds like G4 was pretty impressed with it and it's got some unique features. Looks like it could be fun. It's release date is slated for December 8th, just in time for holiday gifting. (Yes, I'm pumping up my brother's project. I want it to do well so he continues to do well. He likes the company he's with and it seems to be going in good directions.)
Oh, on other random news bits... my brother and Becca are finally moving in together. No, they didn't buy a place, they're renting. They're renting a townhouse in the community they eventually want to buy in. I think it'll be great. I hope their move goes smoothly and they can find a unit to actually own soon.
Well, I think I've rambled enough. I'm off. I picked up one of the "new" Puzzle Quest games for my DS. I say "new" because it actually came out in 2008, but I haven't really bought or played much since before Boo was born. Oh, side note, don't buy Myst for your DS. The graphics suck and without the graphics, the game isn't playable.
Peace to all and may your technology be good to you.
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