I'm on location in New York today, since yesterday morning, and, if all goes according to plan, until Thursday night. Strictly speaking, for the sake of the deal I probably could have come up Monday morning, but I had an opportunity to meet with some of the people in my department up here on Friday, and I thought I might take advantage of the opportunity to spend a weekend in the city. I will work some this weekend, too, so it won't be a complete waste.
I have to say that I am actually enjoying the time away. I miss my Bruce and Caetlin so fiercely- don't get me wrong. But I slept for 10 hours last night (interrupted only by the ridiculously bad cramping of my feet- I walked more in my heels yesterday than I have in awhile, between the airports and going to lunch with colleagues and walking to the hotel), and I've spent the 2 and a half hours that I've been up this morning doing absolutely nothing. I've been reading, mostly, and then I pulled out the computer to do some surfing. (Complete non sequitur: a time traveler from a time as recent as the '80s probably would not understand the second half of that sentence. Bizarre.) I gnawed on the stale rolls I had from last night's dinner for breakfast, unwilling to get up and move around enough to order or go buy something more breakfast-y. No one needed me. No one called me (except Bruce, just checking in) or emailed me. I didn't have to feel guilty for sleeping in, or for going to sleep when I was tired last night. When I woke up, I didn't have to get up right away.
I adore my family, more than anything in this world, and I would be utterly bereft without them. But. But.
It's been so nice to get away for a few days, especially since the pace of this trip hasn't- and looks as though it won't- equal the pace of other closing trips I've been on.
I feel like such a traitor, writing that. Thinking that. But it is true and I can't escape the feeling like I really needed a little time away.
My hotel is quite nice, and especially reasonably priced. It's definitely nice to see that one can get a reasonable rate on a nice room in the city, even if I'm not in Times Square or something. It's big, and pretty comfortable, and has a lovely view. I'm near the UN, and high enough to overlook 1st Avenue and the river. The big bridges, the clouds of white steam rising from some of the buildings into the cold air. Last night I could see the lights of the planes circling for La Guardia. It's a little freaky, being able to see so clearly from a hotel in Manhattan. Normally my hotel room overlooks some interior courtyard, or at best the building across the street. Woo.
I don't know what to think about New York. Despite that I am well traveled and have lived in places large and small, New York is a place unto itself, and a little intimidating. I try to tell myself that it's the same as any other place; that I can at least speak the language and read the signs, but it's definitely outside my experiences from any other place. L.A. is spread out, and because of that, feels more manageable to me. I don't know why. New York feels like I am uninitiated. Like maybe I don't quite speak the language, even though it's all technically English.
I try to pretend, among my colleagues here, that I am completely comfortable here. I affect a certain urbanity. I think I have that anyway in my daily life, not as an affectation; but as regards the city, it's definitely affected. New York is in a different class than Atlanta, or Los Angeles, or Chicago, or Houston. And I'm not uncomfortable, I hasten to add. I suppose I know I would quickly fit in here if we lived here, that I would find my way easily. But I think my point is that the way is not easily found without living here, which is a characteristic I think those other cities I named don't necessarily share.
I have lived in a number of places, large and small, in my life, and visited many others. No place throws me off balance quite like New York. I am tentative, and a little overwhelmed. It's an odd feeling.
I think for now I will just stay curled up in my hotel room and look at it. Hotels I understand. That hugeness out there, that mass of people and people byproducts- buildings, streets, cars, shops- I don't understand, not quite. Cities, I get. This is different. Maybe this week I will have a little chance to figure it out. Or I could just look at it, from my high hotel window.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Finally On Vacation
We're spending the weekend in the mountains, just the three of us together in a cabin for the long weekend. It's a little bit of what I needed from our vacation a couple of weeks ago. It's been quiet and relaxing and wonderful to indulge my need to do very little. I have work to do, but unless something unforeseen comes up, it is probably going to wait until Monday after we get back.
It was forecast to snow Friday night late, so we hurried up as fast as we could after work. It didn't actually snow at all, leading to a little disappointment when we woke up to a brown and grey winter not-so-wonderland, but it actually did snow for a couple hours yesterday. Very small blowy flakes, not like the big fluffy flakes that fell the other night in Atlanta. It snowed hard enough that we couldn't see the mountains across the valley our cabin overlooks. Caetlin happened to be down for her nap at that time, so Bruce and I hopped into the hot tub, where we kept as far under the water as possible to keep warm and let the flakes sting our faces while we watched them coming down.
It didn't snow as much as they predicted, unfortunately. We weren't so much concerned about the amount as by the length of time it snowed- only a couple of hours. We wanted it to snow all day, and it looked threatening all day. This morning we awoke to brilliant sunshine, cloudless skies, and low temperatures. Bruce wants us all to go for a drive. I'd prefer just to stay cozy and warm in the house.
This place, this weekend, feels like a refuge. I know we're going to leave it, and pretty soon, but right now, I am so happy to just be here, in a place that is clean and neat and doesn't take much effort to keep it that way, in a place where I have few responsibilities and no demands on my time except those of homemaking- keeping my child and home clean, keeping our family fed. It's cold outside and that's enough of a reason to stay inside and not go anywhere, staying here where it's warm and cozy and ours.
It was forecast to snow Friday night late, so we hurried up as fast as we could after work. It didn't actually snow at all, leading to a little disappointment when we woke up to a brown and grey winter not-so-wonderland, but it actually did snow for a couple hours yesterday. Very small blowy flakes, not like the big fluffy flakes that fell the other night in Atlanta. It snowed hard enough that we couldn't see the mountains across the valley our cabin overlooks. Caetlin happened to be down for her nap at that time, so Bruce and I hopped into the hot tub, where we kept as far under the water as possible to keep warm and let the flakes sting our faces while we watched them coming down.
It didn't snow as much as they predicted, unfortunately. We weren't so much concerned about the amount as by the length of time it snowed- only a couple of hours. We wanted it to snow all day, and it looked threatening all day. This morning we awoke to brilliant sunshine, cloudless skies, and low temperatures. Bruce wants us all to go for a drive. I'd prefer just to stay cozy and warm in the house.
This place, this weekend, feels like a refuge. I know we're going to leave it, and pretty soon, but right now, I am so happy to just be here, in a place that is clean and neat and doesn't take much effort to keep it that way, in a place where I have few responsibilities and no demands on my time except those of homemaking- keeping my child and home clean, keeping our family fed. It's cold outside and that's enough of a reason to stay inside and not go anywhere, staying here where it's warm and cozy and ours.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Fascinating
So, I really need to go to bed right now, but before I do, I wanted to link to this piece in Slate. It's a fascinating discussion- in economic terms- of how the widespread imprisonment of young men, the easy availability of birth control pills, and divorce has led to the rise of women as an educated and working class. It's not quite as simple as that, though it is very interesting. And it all made a lot of sense to me.
Also, the author postulates that the high rate of divorce does not necessarily mean that people are more unhappy in their marriages. Actually, contrarily, the high rate of divorce means that people are making rational choices to go find happiness elsewhere. Also, the enactment of no-fault divorce laws meant that
Also, the author postulates that the high rate of divorce does not necessarily mean that people are more unhappy in their marriages. Actually, contrarily, the high rate of divorce means that people are making rational choices to go find happiness elsewhere. Also, the enactment of no-fault divorce laws meant that
"by giving women an exit-option, they gave men stronger incentives to behave well inside a marriage. The result? Domestic violence fell by almost a third, and the number of women murdered by their partners fell by ten percent. Female suicide also fell."
There's a whole lot more there, about people acting rationally and division of labor and how rational division of labor led to the "Leave It to Beaver" style relationships with Dad going off to work in the morning while Mom stayed at home taking care of the kids and the house. And how easy birth control turned all that on its ear and led to me being able to be a lawyer and have a family (after having been a lawyer for awhile) and do ridiculously small amounts of housework, all at the same time.
Anyway, I don't have time to think about it or write about it more now, but I promise. It's interesting. And lest you think it's another Up With Women! piece, it's far more economically focused. And it makes complete sense, to me, at least.
So go read it, and be sure you read both entries, because I have (poorly) summarized both here. Maybe I'll write more about it later. Or maybe I'll just leave you alone with your own thoughts about it. If I've given you a few thought-provoking minutes of reading, then I consider it a good day.
This Means Bad Things for Atlanta Traffic
I took this tonight after I got home. It's not a great picture- the flash went off and I wanted to see what it would be like without it, plus the flakes confounded the auto focus, which I don't yet know how to deal without. The orange spot in the middle is a streetlight. What I wanted to do was capture the whole snowflakes-in-streetlight effect, with the snowy ground below and the magnolia tree silhouetted in front.
Still, it certainly does have a certain wintry charm, I think. I like the idea of the big magnolia tree - the state tree of Mississippi (in my head, from when I was about 8 years old: "M-I-crooked-letter-crooked-letter-I-crooked-letter-crooked-letter-I-humpback-humpback-I")- in the snow. They only get that big in the South.
It was snowing pretty hard this afternoon and evening, and did it ever wreck the evening commute. It took us 30 minutes to get home tonight, a drive that normally takes about 15, even in traffic. (Yeah, we drove today. I don't know if I mentioned, but we've started taking the train every day. Except the days we drive. Like days it's forecast to snow during the evening commute.) I worried about our nanny, who has a much longer drive than that. It could be even worse tomorrow, as they are predicting rain and freezing rain and below freezing temperatures tonight, which could mean yucky icy slick streets. I don't think they are forecasting much accumulation of ice, so hopefully no downed power lines or tree branches.
Just a bad drive in tomorrow morning.
UPDATE: I think I forgot to mention that the battery in my camera died after one picture, so that's why I didn't continue on for what I actually wanted out of it. Also, the snow is almost all gone now, since it's been above freezing for awhile and also raining. Not much ice on the roads this morning, though it remains to be seen whether people are driving like there is.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
And Now For Something A Little Different
Whew! Now that that's out of my system (not really, but enough of it is for now to think about other things), I thought we could go for something a little different.
Perhaps the funniest thing I have read in a long time is here. Go read it. Go on now. I'll wait.
You back? No, really, I mean it! Go! (But come back.)
So, after you've read that and wiped your eyes and possibly made a quick unexpected stop at the bathroom, I have to say that Finslippy is my hero. I would add her to my non-existent blogroll, if I were less lazy and actually had one. I wish I could write half as well and be half as funny. I also have to say that reading that post (and some of the comments) made me feel like Superparent. I mean, yeah, I'm not around much, but I've never done anything like what was in the post (YET!).
My own inner Debbie Downer wants to add that the reason I haven't yet screwed up like this is because I'm never around, but to silence her, let me link here. For those too uncurious to click through, it is the first Debbie Downer sketch, which is hilarious. (By the way, Debbie Downer is a great reference for those of us who are, shall we say, less than cheerful sometimes. Very effective when relating a story to a friend or significant other- just add "Wah wah!")
Also, a hysterical side note, Caetlin has given me my "Mom finger" back at me for the first time today. Since this morning, every time I say something to her in my "stern voice," she will shake her little index finger very emphatically in the air and say, "NO!" It makes discipline very difficult when I'm howling with laughter at her.
Perhaps the funniest thing I have read in a long time is here. Go read it. Go on now. I'll wait.
You back? No, really, I mean it! Go! (But come back.)
So, after you've read that and wiped your eyes and possibly made a quick unexpected stop at the bathroom, I have to say that Finslippy is my hero. I would add her to my non-existent blogroll, if I were less lazy and actually had one. I wish I could write half as well and be half as funny. I also have to say that reading that post (and some of the comments) made me feel like Superparent. I mean, yeah, I'm not around much, but I've never done anything like what was in the post (YET!).
My own inner Debbie Downer wants to add that the reason I haven't yet screwed up like this is because I'm never around, but to silence her, let me link here. For those too uncurious to click through, it is the first Debbie Downer sketch, which is hilarious. (By the way, Debbie Downer is a great reference for those of us who are, shall we say, less than cheerful sometimes. Very effective when relating a story to a friend or significant other- just add "Wah wah!")
Also, a hysterical side note, Caetlin has given me my "Mom finger" back at me for the first time today. Since this morning, every time I say something to her in my "stern voice," she will shake her little index finger very emphatically in the air and say, "NO!" It makes discipline very difficult when I'm howling with laughter at her.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Starting
I got up this morning and walked around my neighborhood for 45 minutes, plus 10 minutes of body weight strength exercises. It was all as boring as I expected it to be, but so far the whole "I don't want to die" motivation is working.
Now I'm finding that, while my vacation was more stressful than I wish it had been, I vastly prefer it to going to work. I'm dragging around and poking along because I don't want to go to work. It doesn't help that it is supposed to be a gorgeous day here, sunny and near 70. A day I would far rather spend with my family. Or really, just not working.
Ugh. Happy new year!
Now I'm finding that, while my vacation was more stressful than I wish it had been, I vastly prefer it to going to work. I'm dragging around and poking along because I don't want to go to work. It doesn't help that it is supposed to be a gorgeous day here, sunny and near 70. A day I would far rather spend with my family. Or really, just not working.
Ugh. Happy new year!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Levity
In light of the seriousness of the last two posts, I thought I would lighten the mood a little. And you know how we do that around here!
Walking my in-laws' boxer, Titus (who used to live with us, but he and Chester couldn't get along). Note that it's not just perspective; he is taller than she is.
Walking my in-laws' boxer, Titus (who used to live with us, but he and Chester couldn't get along). Note that it's not just perspective; he is taller than she is.
Being walked by my in-laws' boxer, Titus.
And just being her beautiful and happy self.
Resolutions
Having had a little time to reflect on the new year, and what it may mean for me and my family, it's time to break out the resolutions. I hope that just maybe putting them here might help me stick with them. They are all things I have wanted to undertake in my life before now, and I'm trying to take the new year, the new leaf, the new beginning that I feel every time the calendar flips another page, as an opportunity for self-improvement. For LIFE improvement.
So, here goes. In 2008, it is my hope and resolution to undertake the following:
1. Lose The Weight. I have about 20 pounds that I want to lose. There's a lot wrapped up with this. First and most importantly, I don't feel terribly healthy, and getting more active - thereby losing The Weight - will help with that. Second, I don't care for the way I look with all this extra weight, and there's a good half of my wardrobe that I don't fit into right now (the flattering half). Third, and perhaps paradoxically, I want to have another baby this year, and I want to be healthy for the pregnancy (I say paradoxically because I talk about wanting to fit into my old clothes while the very next sentence is all about NOT fitting into my old clothes).
People who know me have all heard this, but The Weight isn't pregnancy weight from my daughter. That all came off fairly easily, especially since I was so active during my maternity leave. The Weight is going-back-to-work weight. When I went back to work, I combined an unhealthy brew of depression as a result of going back to work and missing my girl, worry about not being able to keep up professionally, stress from co-workers who just knew I couldn't keep up professionally, stress and worry over trying to continue pumping to give my baby the breast milk I struggled to provide for her, a sudden loss of daily exercise, and cheap candy purchased the day after Halloween in an ill-timed trip to Target. I kept bemoaning the easy access to candy, but when my colleagues would advise me to just put it in the kitchen at the office and get rid of it that way, I would whimper, "But it makes me happy." It's the most pathetic thing ever, but I'll admit it was not a highlight for me.
Anyway, there's so much around The Weight for me. The feeling of unattractiveness, the daily inability to control what I eat and rage at that lack of control, the rationalization every single decision ("I so deserve that chocolate/pizza/taco/other horrible item of food/extra hour of sleep."), the corrosive envy I have of the way my sister has managed to lose the weight she wanted to. Wanting to have another baby, and not wanting to do it like this. Feeling like a fat cow most days, and a lazy one to boot.
So, losing The Weight is a huge thing for me. I want to make some changes to my diet, mostly involving cooking more and eating out less. This is just a matter of getting my ass off the couch and into the kitchen and becoming a better - and faster- cook. I think it will happen just by dint of more practice, seriously. The second, and more important, part of losing The Weight is getting more active. When I was at my fittest, I was working out with a trainer twice a week, and by myself at least once or twice more. That was before I started working the kind of job I do now, but I think I can fit some exercise in if I sacrifice some sleep. The last month has reminded me how much I can do on how little sleep, and while I don't want to grind myself down to that level, losing an hour of sleep on an average day will not kill me, nor significantly impact my productivity. I'm not thinking of days that I'm working until 2 a.m., but that's not the norm. I'm thinking of days when I would normally get 7 or 8 hours of sleep, maybe getting up an hour earlier, or going to bed a little sooner.
Now, I know myself well enough to know that the allure of fitting into that Italian skirt I haven't worn since before Caetlin is not much of a motivation when we're looking at a warm bed versus a cold and lonely and boring walk. So I'm trying a new tactic this year: I'm trying to remind myself that I don't want to die. Psychological and cosmetic effects of losing The Weight aside, I don't want to have a heart attack or stroke at the age of 31. Or 32. Or 33. You get the idea. I want to see my daughter and other children grow up. I don't want to have the tragedy of, "She was so young," whispered at my funeral.
So I am trying to motivate myself every morning with the reminder that I don't want to die. I hope that works for me. I'm also trying another thing, which is to walk every day that I work, and give myself the weekends off. While I might want to use the weekends as catch up, I think that is a bad idea- I have had the conversation with myself so many times, "If I don't get up this morning, I can still work out tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, and meet my goals for the week." I want to cut that off at the pass, by trying to save the weekend as true days off, including from the workouts that I hate so much.
So there is that. That's a big #1, for all the reasons I've listed up there.
1a. Get the music files off my Ipod somehow, so I can load new music without erasing what's already there. Because of Apple's ridiculous file-sharing protections, I cannot load the songs on my Ipod (100% of which were on CDs that I owned) onto the new hard drive I have since the old one went kaput. Yeah, yeah, I should have them backed up. The thing is: I DID. It's called MY IPOD, which is a hard drive that I own just as much as the CDs. Jeez. Stupid Apple. I have recovery CDs from my old hard drive, and I'll see how much, if any, of my music made it. But otherwise I, the least techy person ever, am going to have to take a crack at hacking my Ipod, because the only thing that makes walking in the cold and dark of early morning by myself bearable is music and podcasts, and I'm working through what's on the Ipod already at a rapid pace.
2. Attend to better dental hygiene. Okay, before everyone is grossed out, I brush an appropriate number of times a day (at least twice) and floss reasonably regularly. Here's the thing: I HATE flossing. It's just annoying and I hate doing it (you can admit it- I'm not the only one). So I'm more prone to letting myself skip that step, and I want to stop being such a slacker. My teeth are in great shape, according to my dentist, but I want to be even more diligent about flossing, get more particular about flossing technique, and start using a Listerine-type germ-killing mouthwash for better gum health.
3. In the same vein, start being more diligent about taking my contacts out every night. I was actually doing pretty good at this until December, when the pace of work swept all my good intentions out the window.
4. Post more here. I enjoy writing these little missives much more than I ever thought I would.
5. Related to #4, take more pictures. I have such a great camera, and now a bag to keep it in (thanks, sweetie!), I want to flex those artistic muscles a little more.
6. Pay more attention to my marriage. My husband is the best thing in my life, and he keeps me going in so many ways. I resolve this year to make sure he knows how much I appreciate him.
7. Be more thankful and count my blessings more often. I think sometimes I lose sight of how blessed I am, in the day to day frustrations of life. I can often find ways in which my life doesn't measure up, without remembering the many ways in which my life is beautiful.
8. Read more books. I love to read but I find I don't have the time or attention span to devour books the way I used to. I tend to read much more online, but I find that far less satisfying. I want to learn to be satisfied with shorter chunks and be diligent about finishing books. I probably read maybe 20 books last year, and I'd like to up that ante this year. For those who think I'm less than erudite, I should note that I read all the time. It's just usually online or for work.
8a. Patronize the library. Because we are working on saving money and cutting the fat from our budget, I need to make better use of the library. I have a card, but I'm pretty sure I have never visited the Atlanta public library. I need to be satisfied with what I can find there and not be so swayed by the stacks of shiny new books in the local bookstore. Buying books has never ceased to be a luxury for me, so it's another way I indulge myself, now that I have the money to purchase books whenever I want.
9. Fold the laundry when it come out of the dryer. I am horrible at doing all the laundry and then running out of steam and letting it sit - clean - in the basket for two weeks. We'll be pawing through three loads of clean laundry for our respective underwear, and I'll be hating myself and my failures as a housekeeper (which are many).
9a. Do laundry more promptly. I want to try not to get to the bottom-of-the-barrel underwear before I do laundry. I want to try not to have my wardrobe be dictated by which clean underwear I have and which pants will not show a panty line with them.
And finally, and perhaps contradictory to all above:
10. RELAX. About life. About child rearing. About weight. About everything.
We'll see how we do with all of that. Happy New Year!
So, here goes. In 2008, it is my hope and resolution to undertake the following:
1. Lose The Weight. I have about 20 pounds that I want to lose. There's a lot wrapped up with this. First and most importantly, I don't feel terribly healthy, and getting more active - thereby losing The Weight - will help with that. Second, I don't care for the way I look with all this extra weight, and there's a good half of my wardrobe that I don't fit into right now (the flattering half). Third, and perhaps paradoxically, I want to have another baby this year, and I want to be healthy for the pregnancy (I say paradoxically because I talk about wanting to fit into my old clothes while the very next sentence is all about NOT fitting into my old clothes).
People who know me have all heard this, but The Weight isn't pregnancy weight from my daughter. That all came off fairly easily, especially since I was so active during my maternity leave. The Weight is going-back-to-work weight. When I went back to work, I combined an unhealthy brew of depression as a result of going back to work and missing my girl, worry about not being able to keep up professionally, stress from co-workers who just knew I couldn't keep up professionally, stress and worry over trying to continue pumping to give my baby the breast milk I struggled to provide for her, a sudden loss of daily exercise, and cheap candy purchased the day after Halloween in an ill-timed trip to Target. I kept bemoaning the easy access to candy, but when my colleagues would advise me to just put it in the kitchen at the office and get rid of it that way, I would whimper, "But it makes me happy." It's the most pathetic thing ever, but I'll admit it was not a highlight for me.
Anyway, there's so much around The Weight for me. The feeling of unattractiveness, the daily inability to control what I eat and rage at that lack of control, the rationalization every single decision ("I so deserve that chocolate/pizza/taco/other horrible item of food/extra hour of sleep."), the corrosive envy I have of the way my sister has managed to lose the weight she wanted to. Wanting to have another baby, and not wanting to do it like this. Feeling like a fat cow most days, and a lazy one to boot.
So, losing The Weight is a huge thing for me. I want to make some changes to my diet, mostly involving cooking more and eating out less. This is just a matter of getting my ass off the couch and into the kitchen and becoming a better - and faster- cook. I think it will happen just by dint of more practice, seriously. The second, and more important, part of losing The Weight is getting more active. When I was at my fittest, I was working out with a trainer twice a week, and by myself at least once or twice more. That was before I started working the kind of job I do now, but I think I can fit some exercise in if I sacrifice some sleep. The last month has reminded me how much I can do on how little sleep, and while I don't want to grind myself down to that level, losing an hour of sleep on an average day will not kill me, nor significantly impact my productivity. I'm not thinking of days that I'm working until 2 a.m., but that's not the norm. I'm thinking of days when I would normally get 7 or 8 hours of sleep, maybe getting up an hour earlier, or going to bed a little sooner.
Now, I know myself well enough to know that the allure of fitting into that Italian skirt I haven't worn since before Caetlin is not much of a motivation when we're looking at a warm bed versus a cold and lonely and boring walk. So I'm trying a new tactic this year: I'm trying to remind myself that I don't want to die. Psychological and cosmetic effects of losing The Weight aside, I don't want to have a heart attack or stroke at the age of 31. Or 32. Or 33. You get the idea. I want to see my daughter and other children grow up. I don't want to have the tragedy of, "She was so young," whispered at my funeral.
So I am trying to motivate myself every morning with the reminder that I don't want to die. I hope that works for me. I'm also trying another thing, which is to walk every day that I work, and give myself the weekends off. While I might want to use the weekends as catch up, I think that is a bad idea- I have had the conversation with myself so many times, "If I don't get up this morning, I can still work out tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, and meet my goals for the week." I want to cut that off at the pass, by trying to save the weekend as true days off, including from the workouts that I hate so much.
So there is that. That's a big #1, for all the reasons I've listed up there.
1a. Get the music files off my Ipod somehow, so I can load new music without erasing what's already there. Because of Apple's ridiculous file-sharing protections, I cannot load the songs on my Ipod (100% of which were on CDs that I owned) onto the new hard drive I have since the old one went kaput. Yeah, yeah, I should have them backed up. The thing is: I DID. It's called MY IPOD, which is a hard drive that I own just as much as the CDs. Jeez. Stupid Apple. I have recovery CDs from my old hard drive, and I'll see how much, if any, of my music made it. But otherwise I, the least techy person ever, am going to have to take a crack at hacking my Ipod, because the only thing that makes walking in the cold and dark of early morning by myself bearable is music and podcasts, and I'm working through what's on the Ipod already at a rapid pace.
2. Attend to better dental hygiene. Okay, before everyone is grossed out, I brush an appropriate number of times a day (at least twice) and floss reasonably regularly. Here's the thing: I HATE flossing. It's just annoying and I hate doing it (you can admit it- I'm not the only one). So I'm more prone to letting myself skip that step, and I want to stop being such a slacker. My teeth are in great shape, according to my dentist, but I want to be even more diligent about flossing, get more particular about flossing technique, and start using a Listerine-type germ-killing mouthwash for better gum health.
3. In the same vein, start being more diligent about taking my contacts out every night. I was actually doing pretty good at this until December, when the pace of work swept all my good intentions out the window.
4. Post more here. I enjoy writing these little missives much more than I ever thought I would.
5. Related to #4, take more pictures. I have such a great camera, and now a bag to keep it in (thanks, sweetie!), I want to flex those artistic muscles a little more.
6. Pay more attention to my marriage. My husband is the best thing in my life, and he keeps me going in so many ways. I resolve this year to make sure he knows how much I appreciate him.
7. Be more thankful and count my blessings more often. I think sometimes I lose sight of how blessed I am, in the day to day frustrations of life. I can often find ways in which my life doesn't measure up, without remembering the many ways in which my life is beautiful.
8. Read more books. I love to read but I find I don't have the time or attention span to devour books the way I used to. I tend to read much more online, but I find that far less satisfying. I want to learn to be satisfied with shorter chunks and be diligent about finishing books. I probably read maybe 20 books last year, and I'd like to up that ante this year. For those who think I'm less than erudite, I should note that I read all the time. It's just usually online or for work.
8a. Patronize the library. Because we are working on saving money and cutting the fat from our budget, I need to make better use of the library. I have a card, but I'm pretty sure I have never visited the Atlanta public library. I need to be satisfied with what I can find there and not be so swayed by the stacks of shiny new books in the local bookstore. Buying books has never ceased to be a luxury for me, so it's another way I indulge myself, now that I have the money to purchase books whenever I want.
9. Fold the laundry when it come out of the dryer. I am horrible at doing all the laundry and then running out of steam and letting it sit - clean - in the basket for two weeks. We'll be pawing through three loads of clean laundry for our respective underwear, and I'll be hating myself and my failures as a housekeeper (which are many).
9a. Do laundry more promptly. I want to try not to get to the bottom-of-the-barrel underwear before I do laundry. I want to try not to have my wardrobe be dictated by which clean underwear I have and which pants will not show a panty line with them.
And finally, and perhaps contradictory to all above:
10. RELAX. About life. About child rearing. About weight. About everything.
We'll see how we do with all of that. Happy New Year!
Vacation Thoughts
Well, while we are technically still on vacation through tomorrow, we're back in the ATL, having completed the drive from Austin to here in one long day yesterday. We left at about 10 a.m. eastern time, and got home at about 1:30 a.m. this morning. I think the hardest part was the afternoon, when Caetlin was most decidedly tired of the car, the car seat, the toys we had for her, everything. But even then she did really well, didn't fuss too much, and we only had one minor meltdown right before she went to sleep for the rest of the trip.
We're battling some really bad diaper rash, so changing her diaper on the road kind of sucked, trying to clean her super-well and then make sure she was dry and then apply diaper cream liberally while she's perched on a rickety changing station, wiggling, and upset because what I was doing hurt. But all in all, a decent trip, especially for one so long. It took forever to get out of Texas (many large trucks on 300 miles of 2-lane roads), and there is some bizarre construction at the Georgia line that shunted us onto the westbound side of the interstate without warning, into one narrow lane that had no exits and of course no passing, for about 10 miles. That was kind of sucky, since we got behind a large truck that apparently couldn't go faster than about 52. To be so close to home, and stuck like that was awful.
However, clearly we made it, generally none the worse for wear.
I have to say, it wasn't as relaxing and restful a trip as I hoped it would be. While it was great to see my in-laws, who are fabulous, and while it was lovely having so much time with Caetlin, work really didn't leave me alone all week. Caetlin got off her routine right at the beginning, and had kind of a tough time of it after that, failing to sleep at regular intervals and then subsequently being cranky and generally making it hard to execute our plans. Bruce and I picked at each other a lot of the week- I hate to say it, but I was doing a lot of the picking. The combination of cranky and unpredictable Caetlin plus a generally constantly buzzing Blackberry made me very stressed. We also, because of the aforementioned work and crankiness, didn't get to do much of what we had planned for ourselves. We had been looking forward to revisiting the old stomping grounds, eating at all the old haunts, and seeing a movie or two. We didn't get to do really any of that; we saw no movies, we only were able to take a short drive around some of the remembered parts of town, and only managed a couple of meals at the places we miss.
There were some really good times, though; don't get me wrong. On Monday we had New Year's Eve dinner with Bruce's aunt and grandmother, and I have to say, while I hadn't been looking forward to it, only because Caetlin had pretty much not napped all day and I was petrified of a meltdown, she was fantastic, she charmed everyone, we were able to teach her how to go backwards down stairs, which was so vital and necessary that it made her sleep deprivation all worth it, and I really enjoyed meeting and talking with Bruce's family. Bruce's aunt cooked a great dinner, and to my surprise, a good time was had by all. Then there was New Year's Day, when a good friend was gracious enough to drive all the way down from Fort Worth on super short notice, just to see us and meet Caetlin. She's been going through some hard times over the past year, and while I know I haven't been there for her like I should have, it was so good to see her, and I hope she has forgiven me and we can continue on as friends. She is some of that family I wasn't quite born with, as I wrote about here.
Then, the football game, overall a disappointment, but something I definitely wanted to make time for. We also got to see the land Bruce's parents plan to build their retirement home on, which is in a little town about 45 minutes outside of the city. And we were able to catch up with some other friends of ours, whom we have been ridiculously remiss in keeping up with, and meet their adorable little boy, who is just turning two (see, I told you we had been remiss!). It was so good to see them, and made me realize how much I missed them.
Likewise, driving around Austin made me realize how much I missed it, and by extension, how Atlanta sort of isn't working for us. I'm not saying it couldn't work for us, but right now it's just not. And that makes me sad. I mean, I think that in the rush of daily life, I generally ignore how much better things could be for us if we lived somewhere else, but this vacation brought it into sharp relief for Bruce and me both. We spent a good portion of yesterday's drive home talking about whether we wanted to consider moving back to Austin, and surprised ourselves when it remained on the table after some intense discussion.
I think the biggest thing is the whole lack of parenting support. I always kind of snort to myself a little when I read on parenting blogs about moms needing "support" for raising their kids, and it's kind of cheesy to refer to the whole "It takes a village" concept, but I think it might be true. For those few days we were in Austin, I had more willing and happy offers of babysitting than I ever have in Caetlin's life. And for those few days in Austin, I had more social outings with friends than I have since I've been in Atlanta, not counting the trips back to Charlotte. Even better, one of those friends has a small child of her own, and she talked about the mom friends she has made. Not that being a mom is automatic grounds for friendship, but I miss being able to talk about parenting (among other things) with girlfriends, and now that we're entering into a bit of a difficult toddler phase with Caetlin, I sure could use some advice, commiseration, sympathy, whatever. And the babysitting! How wonderful would it be not to have to pay for babysitting, not to feel like we're imposing if we stay out a little later, not to feel the meter running and the clock ticking every time we wanted to go out! Caetlin's grandparents are wonderful with her, and are enthusiastically willing to babysit.
Atlanta has been a terrible let down in the familial support area, to me. For a variety of reasons, the support that we, rightly or wrongly, expected on moving here hasn't been as forthcoming as we thought it would be. I think the bottom line is that I really did think we would have more contact in general with my sister and her family when we moved to Atlanta, and it's been a huge disappointment to me that we don't see them more often, whether for babysitting or just general socializing. We're in a similar situation with my dad; while I'm reasonably confident he and my stepmom would babysit if they came to visit, their visits are rare, so it's not like there's much in-person support from that corner.
And then there's the friends thing. Obviously I have written before on this blog about not making any friends at work, and how I'm going to have to make more of an effort, by finding something else to do where I can meet people. We're planning on joining the church that I have written about, and will try to get active there in the hopes of meeting some young families to socialize with. There are other things I could do, too, like joining a charity organization or something. But I find myself questioning whether I have the time or energy to put into joining these causes, then developing the relationships that I hope would grow out of them. It almost feels like it would take so long and take so much time that it's not even worth trying. And if I get caught up in work again, so much of that time would be lost and effort could be undone. I have had friendships disintegrate as a result of my work schedule. I'm not sure it's worth the effort if that could likely happen again.
Anyway, I think our visit to Austin gave us a lot to think about.
We're battling some really bad diaper rash, so changing her diaper on the road kind of sucked, trying to clean her super-well and then make sure she was dry and then apply diaper cream liberally while she's perched on a rickety changing station, wiggling, and upset because what I was doing hurt. But all in all, a decent trip, especially for one so long. It took forever to get out of Texas (many large trucks on 300 miles of 2-lane roads), and there is some bizarre construction at the Georgia line that shunted us onto the westbound side of the interstate without warning, into one narrow lane that had no exits and of course no passing, for about 10 miles. That was kind of sucky, since we got behind a large truck that apparently couldn't go faster than about 52. To be so close to home, and stuck like that was awful.
However, clearly we made it, generally none the worse for wear.
I have to say, it wasn't as relaxing and restful a trip as I hoped it would be. While it was great to see my in-laws, who are fabulous, and while it was lovely having so much time with Caetlin, work really didn't leave me alone all week. Caetlin got off her routine right at the beginning, and had kind of a tough time of it after that, failing to sleep at regular intervals and then subsequently being cranky and generally making it hard to execute our plans. Bruce and I picked at each other a lot of the week- I hate to say it, but I was doing a lot of the picking. The combination of cranky and unpredictable Caetlin plus a generally constantly buzzing Blackberry made me very stressed. We also, because of the aforementioned work and crankiness, didn't get to do much of what we had planned for ourselves. We had been looking forward to revisiting the old stomping grounds, eating at all the old haunts, and seeing a movie or two. We didn't get to do really any of that; we saw no movies, we only were able to take a short drive around some of the remembered parts of town, and only managed a couple of meals at the places we miss.
There were some really good times, though; don't get me wrong. On Monday we had New Year's Eve dinner with Bruce's aunt and grandmother, and I have to say, while I hadn't been looking forward to it, only because Caetlin had pretty much not napped all day and I was petrified of a meltdown, she was fantastic, she charmed everyone, we were able to teach her how to go backwards down stairs, which was so vital and necessary that it made her sleep deprivation all worth it, and I really enjoyed meeting and talking with Bruce's family. Bruce's aunt cooked a great dinner, and to my surprise, a good time was had by all. Then there was New Year's Day, when a good friend was gracious enough to drive all the way down from Fort Worth on super short notice, just to see us and meet Caetlin. She's been going through some hard times over the past year, and while I know I haven't been there for her like I should have, it was so good to see her, and I hope she has forgiven me and we can continue on as friends. She is some of that family I wasn't quite born with, as I wrote about here.
Then, the football game, overall a disappointment, but something I definitely wanted to make time for. We also got to see the land Bruce's parents plan to build their retirement home on, which is in a little town about 45 minutes outside of the city. And we were able to catch up with some other friends of ours, whom we have been ridiculously remiss in keeping up with, and meet their adorable little boy, who is just turning two (see, I told you we had been remiss!). It was so good to see them, and made me realize how much I missed them.
Likewise, driving around Austin made me realize how much I missed it, and by extension, how Atlanta sort of isn't working for us. I'm not saying it couldn't work for us, but right now it's just not. And that makes me sad. I mean, I think that in the rush of daily life, I generally ignore how much better things could be for us if we lived somewhere else, but this vacation brought it into sharp relief for Bruce and me both. We spent a good portion of yesterday's drive home talking about whether we wanted to consider moving back to Austin, and surprised ourselves when it remained on the table after some intense discussion.
I think the biggest thing is the whole lack of parenting support. I always kind of snort to myself a little when I read on parenting blogs about moms needing "support" for raising their kids, and it's kind of cheesy to refer to the whole "It takes a village" concept, but I think it might be true. For those few days we were in Austin, I had more willing and happy offers of babysitting than I ever have in Caetlin's life. And for those few days in Austin, I had more social outings with friends than I have since I've been in Atlanta, not counting the trips back to Charlotte. Even better, one of those friends has a small child of her own, and she talked about the mom friends she has made. Not that being a mom is automatic grounds for friendship, but I miss being able to talk about parenting (among other things) with girlfriends, and now that we're entering into a bit of a difficult toddler phase with Caetlin, I sure could use some advice, commiseration, sympathy, whatever. And the babysitting! How wonderful would it be not to have to pay for babysitting, not to feel like we're imposing if we stay out a little later, not to feel the meter running and the clock ticking every time we wanted to go out! Caetlin's grandparents are wonderful with her, and are enthusiastically willing to babysit.
Atlanta has been a terrible let down in the familial support area, to me. For a variety of reasons, the support that we, rightly or wrongly, expected on moving here hasn't been as forthcoming as we thought it would be. I think the bottom line is that I really did think we would have more contact in general with my sister and her family when we moved to Atlanta, and it's been a huge disappointment to me that we don't see them more often, whether for babysitting or just general socializing. We're in a similar situation with my dad; while I'm reasonably confident he and my stepmom would babysit if they came to visit, their visits are rare, so it's not like there's much in-person support from that corner.
And then there's the friends thing. Obviously I have written before on this blog about not making any friends at work, and how I'm going to have to make more of an effort, by finding something else to do where I can meet people. We're planning on joining the church that I have written about, and will try to get active there in the hopes of meeting some young families to socialize with. There are other things I could do, too, like joining a charity organization or something. But I find myself questioning whether I have the time or energy to put into joining these causes, then developing the relationships that I hope would grow out of them. It almost feels like it would take so long and take so much time that it's not even worth trying. And if I get caught up in work again, so much of that time would be lost and effort could be undone. I have had friendships disintegrate as a result of my work schedule. I'm not sure it's worth the effort if that could likely happen again.
Anyway, I think our visit to Austin gave us a lot to think about.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
2008 AllState Sugar Bowl - LiveBlogging (sort of)
Okay, it's the end of the first quarter in the AllState Sugar Bowl, and my beloved Bulldogs are up, 14-3. Colt Brennan is just as accurate as they say, but so far the Georgia defense and penalties have kept the Hawaii offense in check. And the Bulldog offense has taken the tactic advocated by the press all week, and has kept the ball mostly on the ground and in Thomas Brown's hands, with a few key carries by the questionable Knowshon Moreno, most auspiciously the most recent touchdown. Matt Stafford has been 3-4 for 33 yards, I believe, so he hasn't been much of a factor, but he's been helpful when necessary. It so far looks like the Hawaii defense just can't deal with such an explosive ground game, but we'll see how they adapt.
I wish Hawaii wasn't playing Georgia, because I'm a sucker for an underdog and I would have liked to see the Warriors stay undefeated. But of course, not at the expense of my Dawgs, who with a win may be set up to run for the national championship next year.
I'll be back again at halftime to discuss further. Go Dawgs!!
UPDATE: Okay, not halftime, but... INTERCEPTION! The vaunted Colt Brennan intercepted at 9 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter, setting up for a big gain on third down (and a near fumble). And...TOUCHDOWN!! 24-3, midway through the second quarter. Much as I hate to see a blowout (if only for entertaining football), I'm glad to see Georgia dominating, to put to rest the naysayers that thought Hawaii was really in the same league. Also those who doubt the legitimacy of the SEC as a powerhouse conference.
More later.
UPDATE: Another turnover forced by Georgia! Hawaii just can't keep up with the Bulldog defense. 6 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter.
UPDATE: 24-3, Georgia, at halftime. What was Hawaii thinking with that last play of the half?? Why not throw it downfield, with 6 seconds left? Also, I hear from the announcers that Hawaii is the highest-scoring offense in college football, and Georgia has just shut them down entirely. They are clearly faster than Hawaii is used to seeing.
Bands are on. Former band geek in me must go watch. Based on the pre-game assessment, the Hawaii band might be way better than the Georgia band, which plays the fight song really well, and not much else unless they are standing still.
UPDATE: Early in the third quarter, Hawaii throws another interception! It just cannot handle the Bulldog defense. The Dawgs are knocking on the door once again.
UPDATE: Well, Bruce came back to the hotel and bogarted the computer, which I couldn't really object to since he cares so little for football. So I couldn't update. But Hawaii had one interception not long after that last update that has been the only bright spot for the Warriors. I almost feel bad for them, and certainly not like crowing about it any more tonight. Brennan has been hit so many times he's leaving the field in a daze. His throwing hand has been crushed. The Warrior's offense has been a non-starter. And really, in the second half, other than that one interception, the wheels have really come off Hawaii's game. I don't know if the pressure got to them, or they are all having a bad night, or just Brennan is, or they really were unprepared by their WAC schedule to face a team like the Bulldogs. Probably it's a combo of all of those things. But it's gotten painful, and if not for the fact that it's the last time I will see my Dawgs before next fall, I would go to bed and not finish this one. There's 11 minutes left in this slow moving game, and Georgia is up 41-3.
UPDATE: Hawaii just made it 41-10 with 10 1/2 minutes left.
FINAL UPDATE: It's over, 41-10. Georgia put in their second string quarterback at some point, and still had it down inside the 10 at one point. I'll say that the TV announcer who was busting on them for going for it on 4th and goal was kind of jerky about that. It was either kick the field goal- for a definite three points- or go for it. They went for it, and the pass was dropped after going through the receiver's hands. It actually crossed my mind that the receiver was told not to catch it, because it was just an easy pass. But in any event, it worked out to no additional points, where the field goal would have run it up even higher. The other announcer defended Georgia, saying that they have to set up for next year, which I unfortunately agree with. It's a flaw in the BCS, but there is is. The bottom line is, what was Georgia supposed to do? They had 4th and goal, with non-starting personnel, and they chose the option that ultimately netted no points for them. What is so wrong with that?
Anyway, Hawaii's backup quarterback came in at some point as well, and acquitted himself admirably. Brennan just wasn't getting it done tonight.
So, no more Georgia football for the season. Despite the BCS tragedy that vaulted LSU above Georgia despite the voters knowing that Georgia wasn't playing for the conference championship and still voting LSU lower the week prior, thereby leaving LSU playing for the national championship, while the hottest team in the country, undefeated in their last now 7 games, went to the Consolation Bo- I mean, the Sugar Bowl, despite the early losses that denied Georgia the chance to play LSU fair and square for the conference championship, despite all of the mess this year, it was a successful season, and we're well set up for next year. (I should note that I don't have a problem with requiring the team that is playing for the national championship to have won its conference. But don't make it about votes if the voters are going to rank a team that cannot play for its conference championship higher than the team that will play for the conference championship, because that is in no way fair to the higher ranked team).
Anyway, I hate that it happened to a nice team like Hawaii. But we're in good shape for August. For the last time this season, I have to add:
GO DAWGS!
I wish Hawaii wasn't playing Georgia, because I'm a sucker for an underdog and I would have liked to see the Warriors stay undefeated. But of course, not at the expense of my Dawgs, who with a win may be set up to run for the national championship next year.
I'll be back again at halftime to discuss further. Go Dawgs!!
UPDATE: Okay, not halftime, but... INTERCEPTION! The vaunted Colt Brennan intercepted at 9 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter, setting up for a big gain on third down (and a near fumble). And...TOUCHDOWN!! 24-3, midway through the second quarter. Much as I hate to see a blowout (if only for entertaining football), I'm glad to see Georgia dominating, to put to rest the naysayers that thought Hawaii was really in the same league. Also those who doubt the legitimacy of the SEC as a powerhouse conference.
More later.
UPDATE: Another turnover forced by Georgia! Hawaii just can't keep up with the Bulldog defense. 6 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter.
UPDATE: 24-3, Georgia, at halftime. What was Hawaii thinking with that last play of the half?? Why not throw it downfield, with 6 seconds left? Also, I hear from the announcers that Hawaii is the highest-scoring offense in college football, and Georgia has just shut them down entirely. They are clearly faster than Hawaii is used to seeing.
Bands are on. Former band geek in me must go watch. Based on the pre-game assessment, the Hawaii band might be way better than the Georgia band, which plays the fight song really well, and not much else unless they are standing still.
UPDATE: Early in the third quarter, Hawaii throws another interception! It just cannot handle the Bulldog defense. The Dawgs are knocking on the door once again.
UPDATE: Well, Bruce came back to the hotel and bogarted the computer, which I couldn't really object to since he cares so little for football. So I couldn't update. But Hawaii had one interception not long after that last update that has been the only bright spot for the Warriors. I almost feel bad for them, and certainly not like crowing about it any more tonight. Brennan has been hit so many times he's leaving the field in a daze. His throwing hand has been crushed. The Warrior's offense has been a non-starter. And really, in the second half, other than that one interception, the wheels have really come off Hawaii's game. I don't know if the pressure got to them, or they are all having a bad night, or just Brennan is, or they really were unprepared by their WAC schedule to face a team like the Bulldogs. Probably it's a combo of all of those things. But it's gotten painful, and if not for the fact that it's the last time I will see my Dawgs before next fall, I would go to bed and not finish this one. There's 11 minutes left in this slow moving game, and Georgia is up 41-3.
UPDATE: Hawaii just made it 41-10 with 10 1/2 minutes left.
FINAL UPDATE: It's over, 41-10. Georgia put in their second string quarterback at some point, and still had it down inside the 10 at one point. I'll say that the TV announcer who was busting on them for going for it on 4th and goal was kind of jerky about that. It was either kick the field goal- for a definite three points- or go for it. They went for it, and the pass was dropped after going through the receiver's hands. It actually crossed my mind that the receiver was told not to catch it, because it was just an easy pass. But in any event, it worked out to no additional points, where the field goal would have run it up even higher. The other announcer defended Georgia, saying that they have to set up for next year, which I unfortunately agree with. It's a flaw in the BCS, but there is is. The bottom line is, what was Georgia supposed to do? They had 4th and goal, with non-starting personnel, and they chose the option that ultimately netted no points for them. What is so wrong with that?
Anyway, Hawaii's backup quarterback came in at some point as well, and acquitted himself admirably. Brennan just wasn't getting it done tonight.
So, no more Georgia football for the season. Despite the BCS tragedy that vaulted LSU above Georgia despite the voters knowing that Georgia wasn't playing for the conference championship and still voting LSU lower the week prior, thereby leaving LSU playing for the national championship, while the hottest team in the country, undefeated in their last now 7 games, went to the Consolation Bo- I mean, the Sugar Bowl, despite the early losses that denied Georgia the chance to play LSU fair and square for the conference championship, despite all of the mess this year, it was a successful season, and we're well set up for next year. (I should note that I don't have a problem with requiring the team that is playing for the national championship to have won its conference. But don't make it about votes if the voters are going to rank a team that cannot play for its conference championship higher than the team that will play for the conference championship, because that is in no way fair to the higher ranked team).
Anyway, I hate that it happened to a nice team like Hawaii. But we're in good shape for August. For the last time this season, I have to add:
GO DAWGS!
New Things
So, this vacation has been a huge learning experience for the little girl in our lives. Some new things that she knows:
She was presented with a stuffed cow yesterday, and somehow remembered that cows say "Moo." So she'll pick up the cow and walk around going, "MOO! MOO!" in her little baby voice. I swear, that voice of hers makes everything hysterical.
She's internalized the concepts of "open" and "closed," at least in regard to cabinets, doors, and Daddy's cell phone. She can also accompany the opening of said cabinets with the word "open," which ends up sounding like, "op-pee."
And finally, the thing that makes Mommy happiest, we managed to teach her how to go down stairs backward yesterday. She'll probably need some reinforcement of this new skill, but she was getting herself off the couch in the hotel room backward this morning, when we only taught her about it yesterday. You can't know how happy that makes me, since if she goes backwards down stairs, I can have a tiny bit more comfort that she won't fall down the stairs. Not that she doesn't still need supervision, but if she has some concept of down, that will make me very happy that she might exercise at least a smidge of caution when it comes to stairs, beds, chairs, etc.
Here's to no head injuries in 2008!
She was presented with a stuffed cow yesterday, and somehow remembered that cows say "Moo." So she'll pick up the cow and walk around going, "MOO! MOO!" in her little baby voice. I swear, that voice of hers makes everything hysterical.
She's internalized the concepts of "open" and "closed," at least in regard to cabinets, doors, and Daddy's cell phone. She can also accompany the opening of said cabinets with the word "open," which ends up sounding like, "op-pee."
And finally, the thing that makes Mommy happiest, we managed to teach her how to go down stairs backward yesterday. She'll probably need some reinforcement of this new skill, but she was getting herself off the couch in the hotel room backward this morning, when we only taught her about it yesterday. You can't know how happy that makes me, since if she goes backwards down stairs, I can have a tiny bit more comfort that she won't fall down the stairs. Not that she doesn't still need supervision, but if she has some concept of down, that will make me very happy that she might exercise at least a smidge of caution when it comes to stairs, beds, chairs, etc.
Here's to no head injuries in 2008!
I'm Old
I have to say that, last night, for the very first time in my adult life, I did not want to go out for a party. Even last year, with a four-month old, I wanted to party with my good friends (that was unfortunately the Evening of Vomit for my husband, who developed a stomach flu during the festivities; we left early that night and got home in time to watch the ball drop in NY on TV).
Not last night. I was asleep by 10:45 central time last night. I couldn't even stay awake until midnight on the east coast. Part of it was that I wasn't sure how long Caetlin would stay asleep this morning (turns out I had the rare experience of waking up well before she did). Part of it was I was exhausted still from the drive, and the first day here, in which Caetlin barely napped. Part of it was the time change, to which I'm having a little trouble adjusting (isn't that odd? I seem to be able to deal with a three hour change better than a one hour change, for some reason).
In the 12 New Year's Eves I have lived through since becoming an adult (we'll say since the age of 19, since I was in high school and living at home the year I was 18), I have always wanted to go out and PARTAY on New Year's Eve. And somehow there have only been a handful that lived up to my desires and expectations- mostly, I'm with people who don't feel like going out, don't want to deal with the crowds or the hassle. A very few times I've actually gone out, had a blast, kissed strangers at midnight, gotten tipsy and/or drunk. But the fact remains that every year I still want to go out.
Until this year.
I think I'm officially old. I think I officially prize sleep over fun (what? Sleep is fun!). I officially allow my responsibilities to dictate my going-out, or not, rather than the other way around. It's not that I think not going out makes me old; after all, as I noted, rarely did I actually go out. It's the fact that I didn't even want to go out. I'm more worried about having to get up early than the fun I would miss by staying in (which, see again re: sleep is fun).
I'm old. Officially grown up.
I have an idea that being on the other side of the generation gap isn't just failing to comprehend the culture, etc., of the other generation, but is when you're happy about it. For example, I think much of today's popular hip-hop is kind of crappy and I'm pretty happy that it's not music I have to listen to in order to be cool among my peers. (It's not that there isn't pop music that I stay up with; I like most of new alternative and rock music that comes out, but most hip-hop leaves me cold.) So, not only do I not listen to the music of the young kids, but I'm actually glad about that. I'll be the first to admit that I'm happy that I don't text or IM as a regular mode of communication. I like punctuation, proper grammar and the Y-O part of the word "you" too much. I always feel like an old fart when I fret about what kids today are or aren't learning about proper written English, but fret I do, much more than I worry about being an old fart.
I'm old. Officially. I didn't think this day would come, but maybe I'll draw less ridicule from the kids if I just admit it, rather than trying to be "hip" and "cool." Just give me my walker now.
Not last night. I was asleep by 10:45 central time last night. I couldn't even stay awake until midnight on the east coast. Part of it was that I wasn't sure how long Caetlin would stay asleep this morning (turns out I had the rare experience of waking up well before she did). Part of it was I was exhausted still from the drive, and the first day here, in which Caetlin barely napped. Part of it was the time change, to which I'm having a little trouble adjusting (isn't that odd? I seem to be able to deal with a three hour change better than a one hour change, for some reason).
In the 12 New Year's Eves I have lived through since becoming an adult (we'll say since the age of 19, since I was in high school and living at home the year I was 18), I have always wanted to go out and PARTAY on New Year's Eve. And somehow there have only been a handful that lived up to my desires and expectations- mostly, I'm with people who don't feel like going out, don't want to deal with the crowds or the hassle. A very few times I've actually gone out, had a blast, kissed strangers at midnight, gotten tipsy and/or drunk. But the fact remains that every year I still want to go out.
Until this year.
I think I'm officially old. I think I officially prize sleep over fun (what? Sleep is fun!). I officially allow my responsibilities to dictate my going-out, or not, rather than the other way around. It's not that I think not going out makes me old; after all, as I noted, rarely did I actually go out. It's the fact that I didn't even want to go out. I'm more worried about having to get up early than the fun I would miss by staying in (which, see again re: sleep is fun).
I'm old. Officially grown up.
I have an idea that being on the other side of the generation gap isn't just failing to comprehend the culture, etc., of the other generation, but is when you're happy about it. For example, I think much of today's popular hip-hop is kind of crappy and I'm pretty happy that it's not music I have to listen to in order to be cool among my peers. (It's not that there isn't pop music that I stay up with; I like most of new alternative and rock music that comes out, but most hip-hop leaves me cold.) So, not only do I not listen to the music of the young kids, but I'm actually glad about that. I'll be the first to admit that I'm happy that I don't text or IM as a regular mode of communication. I like punctuation, proper grammar and the Y-O part of the word "you" too much. I always feel like an old fart when I fret about what kids today are or aren't learning about proper written English, but fret I do, much more than I worry about being an old fart.
I'm old. Officially. I didn't think this day would come, but maybe I'll draw less ridicule from the kids if I just admit it, rather than trying to be "hip" and "cool." Just give me my walker now.
Happy New Year!
The No Math household is on location here in Austin, Texas, where we're visiting my in-laws. Happy 2008! We start our third calendar year with Caetlin (she either gestated or was actually born during the entire year of 2006, so I think that kind of counts). May 2008 be a good one.
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