For weeks we had our family pictures scheduled for yesterday. We wanted them before Christmas, and this was just about the only weekend we've had open since mid-October. So I had the photographer booked, scouted the perfect outdoor location, arranged to have my hair done, and shopped for coordinated but not matchy-matchy outfits.
And then I started feeling crappy. A handful of drugs and a steamy shower allowed me to feel semi-humanoid.
And then the weather turned ugly. Windy and misty--the perfect weather to ruin the fabulous hair that my stylist had just given me. My hair is naturally curly/frizzy--it does not agree with humidity.
But I already had everything booked, so we went forward. The photographer loved the location that I chose, and we were about 20 minutes in and getting great shots when the skies opened up and we all got poured on. That was the end of our session because we looked like a family of drowned rats.
She said she got some good shots, but she didn't know if there was a good family shot. Kind of a bummer since the family pic was supposed to be our Christmas gifts to our parents and grandparents.
We never got to a grouping of just the kids, but she got lots of individual pics of each.
She sent me 4 pics tonight--the group shots weren't great (it's always a challenge getting 5 people to look good at the same time), but there was a good one of DH and me and she said there were several more really good couple shots. So I guess not all is lost. I hate having my picture made, so there are very few pictures of me in existence, and DH and I haven't had a picture together since we were engaged--so over 16 years ago!
I can't wait to see the rest. Hopefully she got some good individual shots of the kids.
12/4/11
11/21/11
Oops
It finally showed up today, and I ripped open the package and immediately went to try it on, half expecting it to be too small. Woohoo--it fits!!!
Except that it is REALLY short. Like slutty short. Like barely covering my girlie bits better make sure I get a wax before wearing short and don't sit or bend EVER short.
Of course, the measurements were provided on the website, but I didn't bother to check the length. It didn't look short on the mannequin, and since at 5'4" I'm on the shorter side, even dresses that look short on tall, slender models are usually ok for me.
So am I going to return it?
No. Even though I think I'm a bit too old to wear a dress this short. But my legs are among my better assets, and the rest of the dress is conservative enough to offset the slutty shortness, I think. I will add black hose instead of going bare-legged, as was my original intent, though.
The quality was also better than expected for the price. To get free shipping I threw in a pair of earrings and this cute little sweater, which also seems like decent quality for the price.
11/17/11
My Babies are Growing Up
So TT came to me last night and said that she really wanted to start shaving her legs. This kind of surprised me, since she's my tomboy. I would have expected her girlie-girl twin to ask first. But as TT pointed out, she does wear shorts a lot. (The child practically lives in soccer shorts. She's always hot, and it was still in the 80's here this week. And she does have really hairy legs.) Also, I kind of had to push PS to start shaving when she entered 7th grade, because I was afraid the other kids would make fun of her. (I was shaving well before 7th grade, but I remember skipping a week or so and then wearing a skirt and catching hell from a couple of asshole boys.)
I think I started shaving the summer before 5th grade, so this seems about right for TT. I bought her an electric shaver, like I did for her older sister. It works well enough for now, and she was excited about trying this new big girl thing. I can hear the shaver whirring away as I type.
I'm sure SS will want to jump on the hairless bandwagon now that TT has started. But Target only had one shaver on the shelf, so she'll have to wait a few days until I can get to the store again.
Poor girls, they don't realize that they've just set themselves up for a lifetime of shaving and stubble.
Meanwhile, I am seriously considering laser hair removal for my face. I swear, I'm turning into a man with a full beard and I can barely keep up with the waxing and depilatories. And believe me, fair skin and dark hair is not a good combination.
I think I started shaving the summer before 5th grade, so this seems about right for TT. I bought her an electric shaver, like I did for her older sister. It works well enough for now, and she was excited about trying this new big girl thing. I can hear the shaver whirring away as I type.
I'm sure SS will want to jump on the hairless bandwagon now that TT has started. But Target only had one shaver on the shelf, so she'll have to wait a few days until I can get to the store again.
Poor girls, they don't realize that they've just set themselves up for a lifetime of shaving and stubble.
Meanwhile, I am seriously considering laser hair removal for my face. I swear, I'm turning into a man with a full beard and I can barely keep up with the waxing and depilatories. And believe me, fair skin and dark hair is not a good combination.
11/15/11
Turkey Day
So I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year, for the first time since 2006 when I was still in law school and my mother-in-law was still alive. I love Thanksgiving and generally love to host, but I've had some concerns about it causing more stress this year since there has been so much going on.
FIL and his wife are coming to town. I have to admit I was more than a little relieved when I learned they would be staying in a hotel. And I just learned that SIL and her family will be coming down Black Friday. It's been a while since we saw them, and we're looking forward to hanging out with our adorable little nephews.
Fortunately, the new housekeeper is working out great, and she will be here the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving to make sure the house is company ready. Having someone to maintain the chaos in the house has been a HUGE stress reliever. It's so much easier to relax in a clean house.
Local family is coming, too, so it looks like we will have 12 for dinner. A reasonably sized crowd, although we have had about double that before. I've already bought my turkey and all of my nonperishables, and I've been testing out new recipes. I'm going to try brining the turkey this year, and then using my regular recipe. I've never brined before, but I keep hearing that it's the best way to get a moist turkey. I guess we'll see.
And today I bought tickets for the Nutcracker for the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I have never seen it performed live. Every year I say I'm going to take the girls, but we never make it. But I got an email today with a great deal on tickets to see a well-regarded production company at our beautiful new opera house. I'm so excited! It will be so much fun to get all dressed up and have a girls day out. (DH didn't have much interest in going with us.) It will be a lovely way to wrap up our Thanksgiving weekend.
FIL and his wife are coming to town. I have to admit I was more than a little relieved when I learned they would be staying in a hotel. And I just learned that SIL and her family will be coming down Black Friday. It's been a while since we saw them, and we're looking forward to hanging out with our adorable little nephews.
Fortunately, the new housekeeper is working out great, and she will be here the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving to make sure the house is company ready. Having someone to maintain the chaos in the house has been a HUGE stress reliever. It's so much easier to relax in a clean house.
Local family is coming, too, so it looks like we will have 12 for dinner. A reasonably sized crowd, although we have had about double that before. I've already bought my turkey and all of my nonperishables, and I've been testing out new recipes. I'm going to try brining the turkey this year, and then using my regular recipe. I've never brined before, but I keep hearing that it's the best way to get a moist turkey. I guess we'll see.
And today I bought tickets for the Nutcracker for the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I have never seen it performed live. Every year I say I'm going to take the girls, but we never make it. But I got an email today with a great deal on tickets to see a well-regarded production company at our beautiful new opera house. I'm so excited! It will be so much fun to get all dressed up and have a girls day out. (DH didn't have much interest in going with us.) It will be a lovely way to wrap up our Thanksgiving weekend.
11/12/11
Listamania: Things I love about my kids
1) They are funny. I had no idea how much I would laugh once I had kids. When they were little, they made me laugh with silly little kid antics. Now that all have witty, deadpan senses of humor.
2) They are good kids. They are well-behaved and people like them. I always get compliments from their teachers.
3) They are kind. They will stick up for someone who has been wronged. And they aren't mean girls-they are nice even to the kids who irritate them. I think the twins would be classified as popular. Of course, being a twin brings built-in popularity. EVERYWHERE we go we hear "Hi SS, Hi TT!!!"
4) They like to hang out with their family. I guess this surprises me, because I was always hiding in my room with a book. But they love it when we have family movie nights or game nights. And often, we are all hanging out in the same room, even if it means that we are all on different computers with a tv blaring in the background. I love being lumped together on the couch like a pile of puppies!
5) Each is her own person. PS won't do anything just because someone else is doing it. She could not care less that every other kid in her school lives in their Abercrombie shirts and Toms shoes. And the twins may look exactly alike, but their personalities are completely different. It is very clear which twin takes after me and which one takes after DH. One is laid-back and goes with the flow. The other is high-strung and bossy. One loves to wear dresses and jewelery and carries a purse everywhere with her blinged-out cell phone in it. The other lives in soccer shorts and the rattiest t-shirts she can dig up, and hates skirts.
2) They are good kids. They are well-behaved and people like them. I always get compliments from their teachers.
3) They are kind. They will stick up for someone who has been wronged. And they aren't mean girls-they are nice even to the kids who irritate them. I think the twins would be classified as popular. Of course, being a twin brings built-in popularity. EVERYWHERE we go we hear "Hi SS, Hi TT!!!"
4) They like to hang out with their family. I guess this surprises me, because I was always hiding in my room with a book. But they love it when we have family movie nights or game nights. And often, we are all hanging out in the same room, even if it means that we are all on different computers with a tv blaring in the background. I love being lumped together on the couch like a pile of puppies!
5) Each is her own person. PS won't do anything just because someone else is doing it. She could not care less that every other kid in her school lives in their Abercrombie shirts and Toms shoes. And the twins may look exactly alike, but their personalities are completely different. It is very clear which twin takes after me and which one takes after DH. One is laid-back and goes with the flow. The other is high-strung and bossy. One loves to wear dresses and jewelery and carries a purse everywhere with her blinged-out cell phone in it. The other lives in soccer shorts and the rattiest t-shirts she can dig up, and hates skirts.
Hip to Be Square
Thank goodness it's the weekend. After being out of town last weekend, I feel like I have been going, going, going for two weeks now. I'm really looking forward to some downtime, although I am going to have to spend some quality time at the office at some point.
So I finally got an answer out of the doctor regarding when my mother's custom hip implant would be ready. December fucking 12. Thank you Biomet. No, they haven't given me any reasonable explanation for why it takes 3.5 MONTHS to make a custom hip implant. It is beyond ridiculous.
No, the doctor did not ever advise us at any point that it would take 3.5 months for this part to be made. We were told the second half of the surgery would be in 8 weeks--NOT 15!
I am not happy, but I don't think there's much I can do about it, at least not right now. I really believe that Biomet dropped the ball somewhere along the way. And the lack of communication from the surgeon is appalling. In typical surgeon fashion, he just wants to cut and has no interest in patient care. But by all accounts, he is the very best at this specialized surgery, so I am treading carefully so that I don't piss him off.
Meanwhile, she has run out of time on her insurance. They are telling her she needs to move out this week--just when we learn it will be another month. The rehab facility keeps asking her why she can't go home with me--and she asked me about it this week. This is an asinine question. SHE CAN'T GET OUT OF BED!!! She is completely non-weight bearing on both legs. A physical therapist or nurse has to move her from her bed to a chair on a board. She has been injured twice by professionals trying to move her. She can't transfer to a toilet. She would require in-home care at least 16 hours a day. A wheelchair won't fit through my doorways--she would be living in my living room or dining room. And for my own sanity: I already have 3 kids to take care of; I'm gone at least 12 hours a day; I'm not going to force my husband and children to take on this responsibility; I am stretched as far as I can be stretched right now moving her here would undoubtedly break me.
The uninsured per diem to remain where she is is $170/day. That's about $5000/month. I'm certain she has access to $5K, so it's not like I'm forcing her on the street by telling her that she can't stay here.
Not to mention that home care would cost close to that $170/day, if not more. And it doesn't cover room and board and food and laundry service and a full professional staff.
It was just beyond her comprehension that she might have to pay something out of pocket after she has been in rehab for 2.5 months. But after telling her that moving in with me is not an option, and breaking down the finances, I think it is getting through to her.
Boy, I wish they'd get that new hip in.
So I finally got an answer out of the doctor regarding when my mother's custom hip implant would be ready. December fucking 12. Thank you Biomet. No, they haven't given me any reasonable explanation for why it takes 3.5 MONTHS to make a custom hip implant. It is beyond ridiculous.
No, the doctor did not ever advise us at any point that it would take 3.5 months for this part to be made. We were told the second half of the surgery would be in 8 weeks--NOT 15!
I am not happy, but I don't think there's much I can do about it, at least not right now. I really believe that Biomet dropped the ball somewhere along the way. And the lack of communication from the surgeon is appalling. In typical surgeon fashion, he just wants to cut and has no interest in patient care. But by all accounts, he is the very best at this specialized surgery, so I am treading carefully so that I don't piss him off.
Meanwhile, she has run out of time on her insurance. They are telling her she needs to move out this week--just when we learn it will be another month. The rehab facility keeps asking her why she can't go home with me--and she asked me about it this week. This is an asinine question. SHE CAN'T GET OUT OF BED!!! She is completely non-weight bearing on both legs. A physical therapist or nurse has to move her from her bed to a chair on a board. She has been injured twice by professionals trying to move her. She can't transfer to a toilet. She would require in-home care at least 16 hours a day. A wheelchair won't fit through my doorways--she would be living in my living room or dining room. And for my own sanity: I already have 3 kids to take care of; I'm gone at least 12 hours a day; I'm not going to force my husband and children to take on this responsibility; I am stretched as far as I can be stretched right now moving her here would undoubtedly break me.
The uninsured per diem to remain where she is is $170/day. That's about $5000/month. I'm certain she has access to $5K, so it's not like I'm forcing her on the street by telling her that she can't stay here.
Not to mention that home care would cost close to that $170/day, if not more. And it doesn't cover room and board and food and laundry service and a full professional staff.
It was just beyond her comprehension that she might have to pay something out of pocket after she has been in rehab for 2.5 months. But after telling her that moving in with me is not an option, and breaking down the finances, I think it is getting through to her.
Boy, I wish they'd get that new hip in.
11/8/11
Vegas, baby
So, since my blog has taken a turn for the whiny of late, I will tell you about my trip to Vegas, which was really nice and lots of fun.
I've mentioned before that I don't really love Vegas. I've been once before, and my strongest memories were of inflamed sinuses from the cigarette smoke and the whore peddlers handing out trading cards on the street. Yeah, those things were still there. The cigarette smoke is pervasive, and I felt vaguely headachey the entire time we were there because of it. I guess the good news is that it kept us out of the casinos. I'm not really a gambler anyway, but I was not inclined to spend any time sitting in a haze of smoke while losing my money.
But other than that, I really enjoyed our trip, and I think a weekend is just the right amount of time to spend there.
We stayed in the Bellagio, which is fantastic. Our room was gorgeous and I wanted to bring the entire bathroom back home with me.
We saw three shows while we were there: Love, Absinthe and Mystere. Love was really the reason for the trip and it did not disappoint. It was simply fantastic. If you are a Beatles fan it is a must-see. There was so much going on that I would go see this show again just to catch everything I missed the first time around.
I'd heard that Love is different from the typical Cirque show, and some people don't care for it because it is more about the music than the acrobatics. So we made a last minute decision to see Mystere when we found discount tickets--just so we could experience a classic Cirque show (because we had never seen any Cirque shows before this trip).
I really did not care for Mystere. I thought both of the other shows that we saw were infinitely better. I can't put my finger on why I didn't care for it. It was weird and abstract--but so was Love. The Love music was definitely better. The Mystere music felt a bit dated. There is a bit with a giant baby in Mystere that I just thought was dumb.
Finally, Absinthe. It is a fairly new show in a tent in front of Ceasar's. We had heard about it before we left and were interested but didn't know if we would have time to see it. But on our first night we were walking by and tickets were available, so we made the spontaneous decision to check it out.
Absinthe is vulgar, obscene, offensive and fantastic. We both really liked it (DH said more than LOVE--and he is the Beatles fan!--but I would probably put it right behind Love.) If you are offended by racial or sexual humor, don't see this show--it is really, really offensive to people of all races, colors and sexual orientation. And multiply the Hangover 2 by 10 to understand the obscenity. But it was really funny, and the athleticism of the performers was amazing. There was a tiny 10 foot diameter stage, and it was astonishing what the performers could accomplish there. It's also a very small venue--we were only 3 rows back--and I doubt there was a bad seat in the house. I highly recommend Absinthe, with the caveat that it is offensive and if you are sensitive you should skip it (and definitely do not take your grandmother).
Other than shows, we shopped, we ate, we wandered around. The spiked milkshakes at BLT Burger in the Mirage are definitely worth checking out, but I thought the food was mediocre. The service at Cabo Wabo in Planet Hollywood was the worst I have ever encountered anywhere. The breakfast buffet at Bellagio was eh--nothing was warm, hard to justify the price. Room service was cheaper--and I do love eating in bed in a hotel room! Didn't try any high end restaurants--fancy food is not really out thing.
I'm glad to be back home and I think I can wait another 8 years to go back. By Sunday afternoon , we were both kind of bored. But I'm glad we went--it was a much needed, relaxing weekend.
I've mentioned before that I don't really love Vegas. I've been once before, and my strongest memories were of inflamed sinuses from the cigarette smoke and the whore peddlers handing out trading cards on the street. Yeah, those things were still there. The cigarette smoke is pervasive, and I felt vaguely headachey the entire time we were there because of it. I guess the good news is that it kept us out of the casinos. I'm not really a gambler anyway, but I was not inclined to spend any time sitting in a haze of smoke while losing my money.
But other than that, I really enjoyed our trip, and I think a weekend is just the right amount of time to spend there.
We stayed in the Bellagio, which is fantastic. Our room was gorgeous and I wanted to bring the entire bathroom back home with me.
We saw three shows while we were there: Love, Absinthe and Mystere. Love was really the reason for the trip and it did not disappoint. It was simply fantastic. If you are a Beatles fan it is a must-see. There was so much going on that I would go see this show again just to catch everything I missed the first time around.
I'd heard that Love is different from the typical Cirque show, and some people don't care for it because it is more about the music than the acrobatics. So we made a last minute decision to see Mystere when we found discount tickets--just so we could experience a classic Cirque show (because we had never seen any Cirque shows before this trip).
I really did not care for Mystere. I thought both of the other shows that we saw were infinitely better. I can't put my finger on why I didn't care for it. It was weird and abstract--but so was Love. The Love music was definitely better. The Mystere music felt a bit dated. There is a bit with a giant baby in Mystere that I just thought was dumb.
Finally, Absinthe. It is a fairly new show in a tent in front of Ceasar's. We had heard about it before we left and were interested but didn't know if we would have time to see it. But on our first night we were walking by and tickets were available, so we made the spontaneous decision to check it out.
Absinthe is vulgar, obscene, offensive and fantastic. We both really liked it (DH said more than LOVE--and he is the Beatles fan!--but I would probably put it right behind Love.) If you are offended by racial or sexual humor, don't see this show--it is really, really offensive to people of all races, colors and sexual orientation. And multiply the Hangover 2 by 10 to understand the obscenity. But it was really funny, and the athleticism of the performers was amazing. There was a tiny 10 foot diameter stage, and it was astonishing what the performers could accomplish there. It's also a very small venue--we were only 3 rows back--and I doubt there was a bad seat in the house. I highly recommend Absinthe, with the caveat that it is offensive and if you are sensitive you should skip it (and definitely do not take your grandmother).
Other than shows, we shopped, we ate, we wandered around. The spiked milkshakes at BLT Burger in the Mirage are definitely worth checking out, but I thought the food was mediocre. The service at Cabo Wabo in Planet Hollywood was the worst I have ever encountered anywhere. The breakfast buffet at Bellagio was eh--nothing was warm, hard to justify the price. Room service was cheaper--and I do love eating in bed in a hotel room! Didn't try any high end restaurants--fancy food is not really out thing.
I'm glad to be back home and I think I can wait another 8 years to go back. By Sunday afternoon , we were both kind of bored. But I'm glad we went--it was a much needed, relaxing weekend.
11/7/11
My Life is a Roller Coaster a/k/a All Hell is Breaking Loose...Again
I got up at 5:45 this morning to make my 8:45 flight back home from Vegas (DH is there until Wednesday for his conference). Made it to my office by 2:30. At 3:45 TT texted me that she had a fever and wasn't feeling well. At 4:00 the power went out in my building, so by 4:30 I had packed up and was heading home.
Got home and rechecked the kid's temp. Yep, definitely a fever. Got online for web check-in at urgent care. Then PS told me that there was a hole in the fence and they had to supervise Bob every time he goes outside. So I went to fix the fence while I waited for urgent care to call back with my appointment time.
I totally suck at fixing fences. I broke at least 5 nails in half, bent about 8 more, and it took me entirely too long to replace two pickets. I was cursing DH for leaving me with this crappy fence (that we are about to replace, we are just waiting for his dad to bring down a nail gun at Thanksgiving), but I eventually got the job done. Then realized an hour had passed and urgent care had never called. Called them, they had no record of my web check in, but said to come on down.
Of course we had to wait 30 minutes to be seen. Doc confirmed strep (no surprise, since SS had strep a week ago) and gave us a prescription for a Z-pack. Meanwhile, huge thunderstorms rolled in. Because DH is still in Vegas, PS and SS were home alone and I was worried that they would get scared or the power would go out, but neither would answer their phones!
I headed to Kroger in the pouring rain to get the scrip filled and yelled at the punk high school who whipped around in front of me to turn into the opposite slanted parking spot (the one that was slanted in my direction).
Inside I found that Kroger had just had a power surge and most of their computers weren't working. They couldn't process my insurance or my credit card. But Kroger awesomely estimated my insurance payment (and I know it was right because I got the same scrip for TT last week) and I, fortunately, had cash on hand.
Headed out and stopped by Sonic per TT's request for a milkshake. Her sisters finally called back and proclaimed they were starving (it was 8:00 by then and I hadn't made dinner yet). Ordered dinner and then realized that my wallet was nowhere to be found. Frantically called the pharmacy which confirmed that they had my wallet. And, since I have a habit of sticking cash in the various nooks and crannies of my giant Mary Poppins bag, I had enough to cover the food I had just ordered.
Left Sonic and headed back to Kroger. TT said, "hey, did you get my shake?" No, I forgot all about the shake--the whole purpose of going to Sonic for my poor sick girl with a sore throat.
Back to Kroger for my wallet, then back to Sonic for the shake. Finally made it back home at 8:30, exhausted.
Texted housekeeper to see if she could come in early and stay with TT tomorrow (if she was even willing to deal with sick kid) but she is sick, too. I need to go to work tomorrow, since I only worked a couple of hours on Friday and Monday, but it doesn't look like it's meant to be.
in less chaotic news, all of my crises from last week resolved themselves. The dishwasher did turn out to be related to the garbage disposal (no, I didn't say " I told you so" but I did say " you should listen to your wife, there are people who pay lots of money for her opinion.") And Friday afternoon the court granted my motion to continue the hearing that was set for tomorrow. And I quashed all of my upcoming depositions except one in response to a pleading filed by an opposing party on Thursday--so my schedule for the next two weeks pretty much cleared out.
Lets hope life stays calm at least until Thursday when DH is back and can help out. I am a wee bit bitter that he is still living it up in Vegas while I am back to the circus that is our life.
Got home and rechecked the kid's temp. Yep, definitely a fever. Got online for web check-in at urgent care. Then PS told me that there was a hole in the fence and they had to supervise Bob every time he goes outside. So I went to fix the fence while I waited for urgent care to call back with my appointment time.
I totally suck at fixing fences. I broke at least 5 nails in half, bent about 8 more, and it took me entirely too long to replace two pickets. I was cursing DH for leaving me with this crappy fence (that we are about to replace, we are just waiting for his dad to bring down a nail gun at Thanksgiving), but I eventually got the job done. Then realized an hour had passed and urgent care had never called. Called them, they had no record of my web check in, but said to come on down.
Of course we had to wait 30 minutes to be seen. Doc confirmed strep (no surprise, since SS had strep a week ago) and gave us a prescription for a Z-pack. Meanwhile, huge thunderstorms rolled in. Because DH is still in Vegas, PS and SS were home alone and I was worried that they would get scared or the power would go out, but neither would answer their phones!
I headed to Kroger in the pouring rain to get the scrip filled and yelled at the punk high school who whipped around in front of me to turn into the opposite slanted parking spot (the one that was slanted in my direction).
Inside I found that Kroger had just had a power surge and most of their computers weren't working. They couldn't process my insurance or my credit card. But Kroger awesomely estimated my insurance payment (and I know it was right because I got the same scrip for TT last week) and I, fortunately, had cash on hand.
Headed out and stopped by Sonic per TT's request for a milkshake. Her sisters finally called back and proclaimed they were starving (it was 8:00 by then and I hadn't made dinner yet). Ordered dinner and then realized that my wallet was nowhere to be found. Frantically called the pharmacy which confirmed that they had my wallet. And, since I have a habit of sticking cash in the various nooks and crannies of my giant Mary Poppins bag, I had enough to cover the food I had just ordered.
Left Sonic and headed back to Kroger. TT said, "hey, did you get my shake?" No, I forgot all about the shake--the whole purpose of going to Sonic for my poor sick girl with a sore throat.
Back to Kroger for my wallet, then back to Sonic for the shake. Finally made it back home at 8:30, exhausted.
Texted housekeeper to see if she could come in early and stay with TT tomorrow (if she was even willing to deal with sick kid) but she is sick, too. I need to go to work tomorrow, since I only worked a couple of hours on Friday and Monday, but it doesn't look like it's meant to be.
in less chaotic news, all of my crises from last week resolved themselves. The dishwasher did turn out to be related to the garbage disposal (no, I didn't say " I told you so" but I did say " you should listen to your wife, there are people who pay lots of money for her opinion.") And Friday afternoon the court granted my motion to continue the hearing that was set for tomorrow. And I quashed all of my upcoming depositions except one in response to a pleading filed by an opposing party on Thursday--so my schedule for the next two weeks pretty much cleared out.
Lets hope life stays calm at least until Thursday when DH is back and can help out. I am a wee bit bitter that he is still living it up in Vegas while I am back to the circus that is our life.
11/2/11
Bitchfest
I am feeling like a rubber band that just keeps getting stretched farther and farther. You can see the cracks developing and you know its gonna break, it's just a matter of when.
Today PS texted me, "There is water spewing from the thing at the top of the sink and it is getting on the hardwoods." Grrr-eat! Fortunately, she's a smart girl and knew that was a vent for the dishwasher, so she turned off the dishwasher and cleaned up the mess before it ruined the floor.
Two days ago I looked under the kitchen sink and noticed it smelled musty. Upon further inspection I found that the garbage disposal was dripping nasty water and there was quite a puddle and a couple of inches of putrid water in a vase that happened to be conveniently placed.
DH replaced the garbage disposal last night so I figured that today's issue was probably related to his installation. He vehemently disagreed, and I honestly can't see the connection between the dishwasher and the garbage disposal when I look at the pipes under the sink, so I guess he's off the hook. Except that he's still the one who gets to figure out what the heck is going on with the dishwasher.And during his inspection tonight he accidentally pulled loose a hose and backed-up water flooded my kitchen and the hardwoods in the connected living room.
And this is all most inconveniently timed. We are both leaving for Vegas on Friday. My brother is coming down to visit our mother and look after my girls. I do not want to leave him in a house with an f'd up dishwasher or garbage disposal. I also don't want to go buy a dishwasher because it would come out of my Vegas money. And I don't really have the time to deal with any of this. Arrrghhhh!
This stupid trip is causing more stress than it's worth. If it wasn't nonrefundably paid for I think I'd cancel.
I return early Monday afternoon so that I can get in a half day's work. I have a hearing* on Tuesday, depositions on Wednesday and Thursday, a full day client meeting to prepare for his deposition the following Monday, followed my more depositions the next Wednesday and Thursday. Meanwhile, DH is out of town until Wednesday night--and PS has a play Wednesday night.
Two different named partners have had me on two different monster memos for the last week and a half, so I haven't had time to prepare for anything coming up in the next two weeks.
And yesterday I started working on an MSJ and Shepardizing a recent MSJ on the same topic when I found that the state supreme court issued an opinion last week that overturned existing law and completely obliterated the affirmative defense that was the basis of my MSJ. This case is specific to the industry in which 99% of my firm's practice is based and has significant ramifications for most of our clients. So I took it upon myself to brief the opinion and send it out to all of my partners.
Do I get a "Wow, thanks LC. It's a good thing you told us about this case cuz its pretty important to our clients." Um, no (because I don't live in a fairy tale world where partners actually say thank you). I get, "Did you add this memo to our research database? What search terms did you use? (Economic loss because its about the economic loss rule, duh!) You know it's important to guess which search terms other people might use and not just enter the terms that come logically to you. (So, I'm supposed to use my Spidey-sense to know what random ass search term you are going to enter when you are looking for that supreme court case on the economic loss rule?)" I was fine without a thank you, but that conversation irritated me.
And then I got, "By the way, please send me the contact information for all of the attorneys who handled that case." That REALLY irritated me. Because a secretary totally couldn't do that, right? It took an enormous amount of self-control not to pop off with a smart ass comment that probably would have gotten me fired.
Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive because I'm stressed. I've been on the verge of tears a lot lately. That's not really my thing. I definitely need more control over my life.
*And by hearing, I mean a trial on appeal from an administrative decision. So I have to put on witnesses and introduce evidence and pick a jury. I have a pending motion for continuance, but the court hasn't ruled yet.
Today PS texted me, "There is water spewing from the thing at the top of the sink and it is getting on the hardwoods." Grrr-eat! Fortunately, she's a smart girl and knew that was a vent for the dishwasher, so she turned off the dishwasher and cleaned up the mess before it ruined the floor.
Two days ago I looked under the kitchen sink and noticed it smelled musty. Upon further inspection I found that the garbage disposal was dripping nasty water and there was quite a puddle and a couple of inches of putrid water in a vase that happened to be conveniently placed.
DH replaced the garbage disposal last night so I figured that today's issue was probably related to his installation. He vehemently disagreed, and I honestly can't see the connection between the dishwasher and the garbage disposal when I look at the pipes under the sink, so I guess he's off the hook. Except that he's still the one who gets to figure out what the heck is going on with the dishwasher.And during his inspection tonight he accidentally pulled loose a hose and backed-up water flooded my kitchen and the hardwoods in the connected living room.
And this is all most inconveniently timed. We are both leaving for Vegas on Friday. My brother is coming down to visit our mother and look after my girls. I do not want to leave him in a house with an f'd up dishwasher or garbage disposal. I also don't want to go buy a dishwasher because it would come out of my Vegas money. And I don't really have the time to deal with any of this. Arrrghhhh!
This stupid trip is causing more stress than it's worth. If it wasn't nonrefundably paid for I think I'd cancel.
I return early Monday afternoon so that I can get in a half day's work. I have a hearing* on Tuesday, depositions on Wednesday and Thursday, a full day client meeting to prepare for his deposition the following Monday, followed my more depositions the next Wednesday and Thursday. Meanwhile, DH is out of town until Wednesday night--and PS has a play Wednesday night.
Two different named partners have had me on two different monster memos for the last week and a half, so I haven't had time to prepare for anything coming up in the next two weeks.
And yesterday I started working on an MSJ and Shepardizing a recent MSJ on the same topic when I found that the state supreme court issued an opinion last week that overturned existing law and completely obliterated the affirmative defense that was the basis of my MSJ. This case is specific to the industry in which 99% of my firm's practice is based and has significant ramifications for most of our clients. So I took it upon myself to brief the opinion and send it out to all of my partners.
Do I get a "Wow, thanks LC. It's a good thing you told us about this case cuz its pretty important to our clients." Um, no (because I don't live in a fairy tale world where partners actually say thank you). I get, "Did you add this memo to our research database? What search terms did you use? (Economic loss because its about the economic loss rule, duh!) You know it's important to guess which search terms other people might use and not just enter the terms that come logically to you. (So, I'm supposed to use my Spidey-sense to know what random ass search term you are going to enter when you are looking for that supreme court case on the economic loss rule?)" I was fine without a thank you, but that conversation irritated me.
And then I got, "By the way, please send me the contact information for all of the attorneys who handled that case." That REALLY irritated me. Because a secretary totally couldn't do that, right? It took an enormous amount of self-control not to pop off with a smart ass comment that probably would have gotten me fired.
Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive because I'm stressed. I've been on the verge of tears a lot lately. That's not really my thing. I definitely need more control over my life.
*And by hearing, I mean a trial on appeal from an administrative decision. So I have to put on witnesses and introduce evidence and pick a jury. I have a pending motion for continuance, but the court hasn't ruled yet.
Listamania: These are a few of my favorite things
No, I'm not naming my husband and kids--we already know they are my favorite things. This list is a little more shallow than that.
1) 80's sitcoms. My fave's are Growing Pains, Who's the Boss and Family Ties. I think those are indicative of my crappy childhood and the fact that I loved watching the idyllic perfect families. (Although, oddly, the Cosby Show was never one of my faves). Other favorites are Facts of Life and Golden Girls. My freshman year of college all of my dormmates used to watch Golden Girls and Designing Women every night.
2) My new super comfy blanket from Costco. I'm not sure DH loves it, though, since I won't share with him.
3) Cinnamon Roll Cake. Seriously the best cake I have ever made.
4) Margaritas. Pretty much the only cocktail I ever order.
5) Fantastic shoes. I have a boring, conservative work wardrobe, but I love spicing it up with great shoes.
6) Traveling. We never took vacations as a kid, and I love getting to explore new places and the extra time with my family.
7) Snuggling on the couch with my cozy blanket and a good book on a dreary day.
1) 80's sitcoms. My fave's are Growing Pains, Who's the Boss and Family Ties. I think those are indicative of my crappy childhood and the fact that I loved watching the idyllic perfect families. (Although, oddly, the Cosby Show was never one of my faves). Other favorites are Facts of Life and Golden Girls. My freshman year of college all of my dormmates used to watch Golden Girls and Designing Women every night.
2) My new super comfy blanket from Costco. I'm not sure DH loves it, though, since I won't share with him.
3) Cinnamon Roll Cake. Seriously the best cake I have ever made.
4) Margaritas. Pretty much the only cocktail I ever order.
5) Fantastic shoes. I have a boring, conservative work wardrobe, but I love spicing it up with great shoes.
6) Traveling. We never took vacations as a kid, and I love getting to explore new places and the extra time with my family.
7) Snuggling on the couch with my cozy blanket and a good book on a dreary day.
10/31/11
10/27/11
Listamania: Rules for Life
1) Always be nice to everyone. Especially the people who seem to need it the most. You never know what someone else is going through.
2) Always convert to pdf, unless you are making a conscientious decision not to. It just makes life easier on everybody.
3) If you have to qualify your statement(e.g. not to be rude, but...) you probably need to rethink whether that statement really needs to be made.
4) Never let a man hit you. The first time should be the last time.
5) Never depend on a man to take care of you. Be able to take care of yourself. (This one came from my 80 year old great-grandmother when I was in high school.)
2) Always convert to pdf, unless you are making a conscientious decision not to. It just makes life easier on everybody.
3) If you have to qualify your statement(e.g. not to be rude, but...) you probably need to rethink whether that statement really needs to be made.
4) Never let a man hit you. The first time should be the last time.
5) Never depend on a man to take care of you. Be able to take care of yourself. (This one came from my 80 year old great-grandmother when I was in high school.)
The Most Dreaded Word an Associate Can Hear from a Partner
"I know there's a case..."
And thus begins the chase for the ethereal case that may or may not actually exist and definitely will not exist in the jurisdiction that the partner is certain it hails from.
And thus begins the chase for the ethereal case that may or may not actually exist and definitely will not exist in the jurisdiction that the partner is certain it hails from.
10/24/11
Oh boy
Thank goodness I had a nice, relaxing weekend to prepare for today.
My day started with an emergency research project that I was happy to get. I like research and haven't done much lately.
And then my mother's doctor's office called to let us know that her surgery is indefinitely postponed because the custom implant that is being made for her is not ready yet. What??? Nobody told us this two weeks ago when you scheduled her surgery and then sent us to the hospital for pre-admission where they dropped her and broke her femur. (It turned out that the fracture was not a cause to delay the surgery, but she had a urinary tract infection that delayed it for a week-or so we thought.) Apparently there is a backlog on custom hip implants right now, and hers was especially complicated.
It could be another month before the implant is ready. Which means another month in rehab. And it also puts the scheduling of the next surgery in a very hairy time for me. I have about a zillion depositions and a couple of hearings in November. And my firm has a huge trial starting January 3rd--I'm not on that trial team, but because we are a small firm I am definitely feeling the effects.
And as soon as I got off the phone with the doc, I saw about 5 missed calls on my cell. Apparently SS started running a fever at school, and DH had to go get her. Looks like strep. She will be out again tomorrow, so DH and I will have to paper-scissors-rock to see who gets to stay home. But I loaded up all of my research, just in case. This week, at least, I don't have a lot going on and research projects are pretty portable.
And I talked to my brother, who is coming in down in 2 weeks when DH and I go to Vegas. This trip was planned months ago--long before my mother's surgeries. He is being sent to a convention by his employer. We decided to take advantage of the subsidized airfare and hotel and fly in the weekend before for a quick getaway. But right now this getaway is just causing more stress.
I kind of thought I would have to cancel when my mother's issues popped up--but then my brother mentioned that he was thinking of coming down that weekend. I talked him into watching my kids in exchange for gas and groceries, and it seemed too perfect not to go forward. Someone will be here if anything comes with out mother, and I still get to take my already paid for trip.
But he will have his 4 plus my 3 girls to deal with--ages 15, 14, 13(2), 10(2) and 8. The good news is that he teaches middle school, so he is used to dealing with lots of screaming teenagers--and all of out kids are pretty easy to deal with. But I may have to send him on his own trip to Vegas after that!
My day started with an emergency research project that I was happy to get. I like research and haven't done much lately.
And then my mother's doctor's office called to let us know that her surgery is indefinitely postponed because the custom implant that is being made for her is not ready yet. What??? Nobody told us this two weeks ago when you scheduled her surgery and then sent us to the hospital for pre-admission where they dropped her and broke her femur. (It turned out that the fracture was not a cause to delay the surgery, but she had a urinary tract infection that delayed it for a week-or so we thought.) Apparently there is a backlog on custom hip implants right now, and hers was especially complicated.
It could be another month before the implant is ready. Which means another month in rehab. And it also puts the scheduling of the next surgery in a very hairy time for me. I have about a zillion depositions and a couple of hearings in November. And my firm has a huge trial starting January 3rd--I'm not on that trial team, but because we are a small firm I am definitely feeling the effects.
And as soon as I got off the phone with the doc, I saw about 5 missed calls on my cell. Apparently SS started running a fever at school, and DH had to go get her. Looks like strep. She will be out again tomorrow, so DH and I will have to paper-scissors-rock to see who gets to stay home. But I loaded up all of my research, just in case. This week, at least, I don't have a lot going on and research projects are pretty portable.
And I talked to my brother, who is coming in down in 2 weeks when DH and I go to Vegas. This trip was planned months ago--long before my mother's surgeries. He is being sent to a convention by his employer. We decided to take advantage of the subsidized airfare and hotel and fly in the weekend before for a quick getaway. But right now this getaway is just causing more stress.
I kind of thought I would have to cancel when my mother's issues popped up--but then my brother mentioned that he was thinking of coming down that weekend. I talked him into watching my kids in exchange for gas and groceries, and it seemed too perfect not to go forward. Someone will be here if anything comes with out mother, and I still get to take my already paid for trip.
But he will have his 4 plus my 3 girls to deal with--ages 15, 14, 13(2), 10(2) and 8. The good news is that he teaches middle school, so he is used to dealing with lots of screaming teenagers--and all of out kids are pretty easy to deal with. But I may have to send him on his own trip to Vegas after that!
10/23/11
Nice Weekend
This was the most stress-less weekend we have had in a while, and it was nice. I feel so much more ready for Monday than I usually do.
Saturday I interviewed a housekeeper, and I plan to offer her the position as long as her references come back ok. She is already working part-time for another attorney, so she would just alternate days working for the two of us. I really liked her, and I really hope this works out. I think controlling the chaos in my house is a big step toward controlling the feeling of constant chaos in my life.
After I finished up the interview we went to the library and the pumpkin patch where we loaded up on way too many books and picked out a family of pumpkins to carve next weekend. And (bonus!) the worker there was incredulous that DH and I could be old enough to be the parents of out kids.
That evening, out former nanny came by for a visit. She left for college in the fall, and we were so sad to see her go. The kids were thrilled to see her again, and it was a really nice visit.
We ended the day watching baseball, while I sewed Girl Scout patches. 56 badges and patches, to be exact. PS said, "well, maybe now you will keep up with sewing the badges on." Thanks a lot! But I have been a slacker--we've had most of these for a long time. However, I did find it ironic that I was sewing on the twins' sewing badges. (But the badges are all circular and the invisible thread was a PITA to work with, so I don't think they could have handled it.)
Today I slept in until 9--that never, ever happens. It is almost physically impossible for me to sleep past 7. I arose to find DH and the twins sprawled out all over the living room reading books. And so I joined them, and that is where we stayed for the next couple of hours.
We eventually wandered upstairs, where I continued with the badge sewing while watching the old and new versions of Charlie/Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. We all just kind of hung out in the game room, watching movies we've all seen about a thousand times and playing on our computers. It was nice.
We totally skipped visiting my mother this weekend. She called on Friday and offered a "free pass" for the weekend. I didn't really think she meant it, and wasn't really planning on taking her up on it, but it was so nice to not have to go anywhere today.
Now I'm ready for another week.
Saturday I interviewed a housekeeper, and I plan to offer her the position as long as her references come back ok. She is already working part-time for another attorney, so she would just alternate days working for the two of us. I really liked her, and I really hope this works out. I think controlling the chaos in my house is a big step toward controlling the feeling of constant chaos in my life.
After I finished up the interview we went to the library and the pumpkin patch where we loaded up on way too many books and picked out a family of pumpkins to carve next weekend. And (bonus!) the worker there was incredulous that DH and I could be old enough to be the parents of out kids.
That evening, out former nanny came by for a visit. She left for college in the fall, and we were so sad to see her go. The kids were thrilled to see her again, and it was a really nice visit.
We ended the day watching baseball, while I sewed Girl Scout patches. 56 badges and patches, to be exact. PS said, "well, maybe now you will keep up with sewing the badges on." Thanks a lot! But I have been a slacker--we've had most of these for a long time. However, I did find it ironic that I was sewing on the twins' sewing badges. (But the badges are all circular and the invisible thread was a PITA to work with, so I don't think they could have handled it.)
Today I slept in until 9--that never, ever happens. It is almost physically impossible for me to sleep past 7. I arose to find DH and the twins sprawled out all over the living room reading books. And so I joined them, and that is where we stayed for the next couple of hours.
We eventually wandered upstairs, where I continued with the badge sewing while watching the old and new versions of Charlie/Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. We all just kind of hung out in the game room, watching movies we've all seen about a thousand times and playing on our computers. It was nice.
We totally skipped visiting my mother this weekend. She called on Friday and offered a "free pass" for the weekend. I didn't really think she meant it, and wasn't really planning on taking her up on it, but it was so nice to not have to go anywhere today.
Now I'm ready for another week.
10/19/11
Lawyer Happiness
I spent all morning in a difficult, technical deposition of a professional expert. The expert is an engineer and the questions involved complex mathematical concepts well-beyond my remedial math capabilities. I insisted that my client, also an engineer, be present for this deposition so that he could assist if the deponent got too technical with his answers. Which also means that the client was present to critique my skill as a lawyer and my understanding of these technical concepts.
So it really made my day when I got home and found an email from my client telling me that I did a great job today. Compliments are few and far between from paying clients, and this one in particular is the curmudgeonly sort. Plus, when he hired me he told me that he was deciding between our firm and another lawyer who is also an engineer. I assured him that even though I wasn't an engineer I could handle the job, and it was nice to be able to prove it.
So it really made my day when I got home and found an email from my client telling me that I did a great job today. Compliments are few and far between from paying clients, and this one in particular is the curmudgeonly sort. Plus, when he hired me he told me that he was deciding between our firm and another lawyer who is also an engineer. I assured him that even though I wasn't an engineer I could handle the job, and it was nice to be able to prove it.
10/13/11
Seriously???
My mother is still wheelchair bound and still in rehab. She cannot stand at all. The only way she can transfer from her bed to the wheelchair is by sliding on a board. Getting her from one place to another is no easy task. Neither are bathroom activities. There is no way that someone who is not properly trained can move her at all.
Yesterday I accompanied my mother to visit her doctor for a check up and to schedule her surgery. Of course, they wanted to take a take an x-ray. It was a major ordeal that took three nurses to move her from the wheelchair to the x-ray table and back again.
The x-ray revealed that the temporary spacer was out of socket. This seemed like not a good thing, but the PA didn't seem too concerned since it was only a temporary part and she wasn't supposed to be putting weight on it anyway.
So we scheduled her surgery for next Tuesday, which made us both happy. (Yes, she is driving me crazy, but that's another post.) She should be able to go home a couple of weeks after the surgery.
Today we went to the hospital for pre-registration and to get her labs done. One of the labs ordered was a urinalysis. This presented a problem, because she cannot transfer from her wheelchair to a toilet. I asked if the urinalysis was really necessary. The nurse called the doctor's office, which confirmed that they needed the urinalysis. The nurses discussed how they were going to get this sample. A catheter was discussed, but they didn't have an order for a catheter. So they asked my mother if she thought she could transfer onto a toilet with help. She said she would rather try that than a catheter.
And so the two nurses carried her into another room, and I waited right outside. After a few minutes I heard her scream. And a couple minutes later they brought her out crying. She said that they had shifted all of her weight onto her bad leg and that it really hurt. I had no doubt that it hurt since the hip wasn't in the socket. But they were done with her, so I took her outside to be picked up by the transport service. She seemed ok by the time she left, and I headed on to the office.
She called a couple of hours later in tears, saying that the pain was excruciating and the nurse at the rehab facility wanted to talk to me. The nurse asked me to come in and sign a statement about what happened at the hospital. I refused--it was clear they were in CYA mode, and I felt no obligation to help them--particularly since she was in their care when her hip was knocked out of socket.
She called again mid-afternoon to tell me her pain meds had kicked in and she was feeling better. But the rehab facility had done x-rays and her femur is broken. WTF? I did not see this coming. I was sure the pain was because the hip was out of socket. The damn hip replacement that she is supposed to have installed on Tuesday is attached to the femur!!! I have no idea what this means for her surgery. Of course, the rehab facility couldn't reach her doctor by the time they figured all of this out, but they are going to try to get her an appointment first thing in the morning.
And , of course, she is looking to me for answers. But I told her that if I go lawyer on the doctor and hospital there is no way they're going to touch her again, and she really needs this surgery. Her doctor is supposed to be the best in this area at this specialized hip replacement--that's why she's here, she couldn't find anybody in Hometown who would do the surgery.
I'm not sure how to proceed at this point. First, I want to hear from her doctor. But if her surgery is delayed, I think the hospital sure as hell needs to be picking up the tab for the extra days in rehab. With some mental anguish thrown in. And I think the doctor bears some responsibility for demanding a probably unnecessary test without properly considering her mobility issues.
I guess we'll just see what tomorrow brings. But I'm anticipating that the surgeon won't do the hip replacement until the femur heals, which could mean several extra weeks in rehab. We might be needing a plaintiff's lawyer--although with the tort reform laws in my state, it's hard to find someone who will take a med mal case.
Yesterday I accompanied my mother to visit her doctor for a check up and to schedule her surgery. Of course, they wanted to take a take an x-ray. It was a major ordeal that took three nurses to move her from the wheelchair to the x-ray table and back again.
The x-ray revealed that the temporary spacer was out of socket. This seemed like not a good thing, but the PA didn't seem too concerned since it was only a temporary part and she wasn't supposed to be putting weight on it anyway.
So we scheduled her surgery for next Tuesday, which made us both happy. (Yes, she is driving me crazy, but that's another post.) She should be able to go home a couple of weeks after the surgery.
Today we went to the hospital for pre-registration and to get her labs done. One of the labs ordered was a urinalysis. This presented a problem, because she cannot transfer from her wheelchair to a toilet. I asked if the urinalysis was really necessary. The nurse called the doctor's office, which confirmed that they needed the urinalysis. The nurses discussed how they were going to get this sample. A catheter was discussed, but they didn't have an order for a catheter. So they asked my mother if she thought she could transfer onto a toilet with help. She said she would rather try that than a catheter.
And so the two nurses carried her into another room, and I waited right outside. After a few minutes I heard her scream. And a couple minutes later they brought her out crying. She said that they had shifted all of her weight onto her bad leg and that it really hurt. I had no doubt that it hurt since the hip wasn't in the socket. But they were done with her, so I took her outside to be picked up by the transport service. She seemed ok by the time she left, and I headed on to the office.
She called a couple of hours later in tears, saying that the pain was excruciating and the nurse at the rehab facility wanted to talk to me. The nurse asked me to come in and sign a statement about what happened at the hospital. I refused--it was clear they were in CYA mode, and I felt no obligation to help them--particularly since she was in their care when her hip was knocked out of socket.
She called again mid-afternoon to tell me her pain meds had kicked in and she was feeling better. But the rehab facility had done x-rays and her femur is broken. WTF? I did not see this coming. I was sure the pain was because the hip was out of socket. The damn hip replacement that she is supposed to have installed on Tuesday is attached to the femur!!! I have no idea what this means for her surgery. Of course, the rehab facility couldn't reach her doctor by the time they figured all of this out, but they are going to try to get her an appointment first thing in the morning.
And , of course, she is looking to me for answers. But I told her that if I go lawyer on the doctor and hospital there is no way they're going to touch her again, and she really needs this surgery. Her doctor is supposed to be the best in this area at this specialized hip replacement--that's why she's here, she couldn't find anybody in Hometown who would do the surgery.
I'm not sure how to proceed at this point. First, I want to hear from her doctor. But if her surgery is delayed, I think the hospital sure as hell needs to be picking up the tab for the extra days in rehab. With some mental anguish thrown in. And I think the doctor bears some responsibility for demanding a probably unnecessary test without properly considering her mobility issues.
I guess we'll just see what tomorrow brings. But I'm anticipating that the surgeon won't do the hip replacement until the femur heals, which could mean several extra weeks in rehab. We might be needing a plaintiff's lawyer--although with the tort reform laws in my state, it's hard to find someone who will take a med mal case.
Listamania: Things that irritate me
1) Smokers. Especially those who throw their butts out their car windows. And the ones who smoke in the car with their kids. And the ones who smoke in places that force me to walk through their cloud of carcinogens to get wherever I am going.
2) Left Lane Squatters. The left lane is for passing. If you're not passing anybody, get the Hell out of the way.
3) Able-bodied people who take the elevator up one level. Really, you probably need the exercise anyway.
4) Able-bodied people who block the flow of traffic in a parking lot so that they can park 10 feet from the door. See No. 3, above.
5) Costco. I love Costco, but the fact that you have to have a card to get into their super-secret club is stupid. And when you go to check out and they ask you if you have your card. What the hell do they think? I had to have the damn card to get in the damn door. And when receipt checker comments on the things in my cart. What if I have something embarrassing in there? I would really prefer she act ambivalent about what's in my cart. Today, the receipt-checker felt up the super-soft blanket that I bought. Don't feel up my blankie--it's creepy!
2) Left Lane Squatters. The left lane is for passing. If you're not passing anybody, get the Hell out of the way.
3) Able-bodied people who take the elevator up one level. Really, you probably need the exercise anyway.
4) Able-bodied people who block the flow of traffic in a parking lot so that they can park 10 feet from the door. See No. 3, above.
5) Costco. I love Costco, but the fact that you have to have a card to get into their super-secret club is stupid. And when you go to check out and they ask you if you have your card. What the hell do they think? I had to have the damn card to get in the damn door. And when receipt checker comments on the things in my cart. What if I have something embarrassing in there? I would really prefer she act ambivalent about what's in my cart. Today, the receipt-checker felt up the super-soft blanket that I bought. Don't feel up my blankie--it's creepy!
10/9/11
The Tooth Fairy
This morning a very sad TT came downstairs to tell us that the Tooth Fairy did not come last night. She still had her tooth and she didn't have any money. Oops. DH and I both completely forgot. She lost the tooth while at PS's robotics competition yesterday afternoon, so there was a lot going on, and she didn't say much more about it the rest of the day. But still, parent fail.
And my kids are too old and too smart to believe in the Tooth Fairy. I told TT this morning that maybe the Tooth Fairy hid the money in her room and she needed to clean her room to find her money. She replied that I was just trying to trick her into cleaning her room.
I am 100% sure that they do not actually believe in the Tooth Fairy. But we still pretend that they do. TT was bummed this morning, and I really just wanted to hand over a dollar and tell her to move on. But I didn't--instead I made up excuses for the Tooth Fairy. I'm not sure why. I guess because I felt like we sold out Santa too early with PS. When she was about 7 she asked point blank about Santa. I didn't want to lie to her, so I told her. I really wish I had fibbed and let her hold onto the Santa magic a little bit longer.
I have no intention about coming clean about Santa to the twins. (Yeah, I know they've figured him out, too--but Santa make Christmas fun, and he brings gifts that mom would never buy.). But the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny--I would be ok if they would hop on along their merry way.
And my kids are too old and too smart to believe in the Tooth Fairy. I told TT this morning that maybe the Tooth Fairy hid the money in her room and she needed to clean her room to find her money. She replied that I was just trying to trick her into cleaning her room.
I am 100% sure that they do not actually believe in the Tooth Fairy. But we still pretend that they do. TT was bummed this morning, and I really just wanted to hand over a dollar and tell her to move on. But I didn't--instead I made up excuses for the Tooth Fairy. I'm not sure why. I guess because I felt like we sold out Santa too early with PS. When she was about 7 she asked point blank about Santa. I didn't want to lie to her, so I told her. I really wish I had fibbed and let her hold onto the Santa magic a little bit longer.
I have no intention about coming clean about Santa to the twins. (Yeah, I know they've figured him out, too--but Santa make Christmas fun, and he brings gifts that mom would never buy.). But the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny--I would be ok if they would hop on along their merry way.
10/7/11
Sickie McSickerson
So the school called yesterday to inform me that TT had vomited and that I needed to retrieve her. The nurse said that there was a virus going around ad it looked like TT had it. She looked terrible when I picked her up, but there was no more vomiting and she perked up within a couple of hours. But the rule is that you can't return to school for 24 hours after you barf, so despite the fact that TT is exhibiting no evidence of yesterday's ailment, we are home again today.
And SS awoke complaining of a headache and a stomachache. She wasn't acting very sick, but I erred on the side of not exposing anyone else to the alleged virus and allowed her to stay home, too.
Now they are both acting perfectly fine and making demands under the guise of being sick. "Mommy, will you make me pancakes?" "Mommy, will you bring me a glass of water." "Mommy, will you turn the light on?" "Mommy, can you find the remote?" And I am accommodating them and appreciating this bit of stolen time with my girlies.
But I am going to make them do their homework in a little bit.
And SS awoke complaining of a headache and a stomachache. She wasn't acting very sick, but I erred on the side of not exposing anyone else to the alleged virus and allowed her to stay home, too.
Now they are both acting perfectly fine and making demands under the guise of being sick. "Mommy, will you make me pancakes?" "Mommy, will you bring me a glass of water." "Mommy, will you turn the light on?" "Mommy, can you find the remote?" And I am accommodating them and appreciating this bit of stolen time with my girlies.
But I am going to make them do their homework in a little bit.
10/6/11
Listamania: Things I love about fall
I'm trying something new and different--a weekly post called Listamania. It will be a list (duh) based on whatever topic pops into my head.
1) Cooler weather
2) Carving Pumpkins
3) Roasting pumpkin seeds
4) Thanksgiving--the best holiday!
5) Wearing sweaters and boots
6) Football (but only my teams and preferably live)
7) Cooking big pots of soup, pot roasts and chicken pot pie (I am very seasonal with food and don't eat any of these things when it's hot outside)
8) Snuggling under the covers during cool fall nights
9) Honeycrisp apples
1) Cooler weather
2) Carving Pumpkins
3) Roasting pumpkin seeds
4) Thanksgiving--the best holiday!
5) Wearing sweaters and boots
6) Football (but only my teams and preferably live)
7) Cooking big pots of soup, pot roasts and chicken pot pie (I am very seasonal with food and don't eat any of these things when it's hot outside)
8) Snuggling under the covers during cool fall nights
9) Honeycrisp apples
10/4/11
Listamania: Things I want
In no particular order and with no deep, meaningful issues (like world peace) considered:
1) A custom header for my blog.
2) This skirt. Oh yes, in pink.
3) A tummy tuck. I've given birth to twins--enough said.
4) Less chaos in my life.
5) My job, but where I get home in time to pick my girls up from school and cook dinner. And where I have time to take all the vacations I want. But I don't want to be a mommy-tracker or a part-timer.
6) Magical cleaning fairies. I'm trying to hire a housekeeper, but so far the hunt isn't going very well.
7) For all of my student loans to be paid off.
8) The new iphone--kinda. I need a new phone, but I'm waiting to see the consensus on the 4S before ordering.
9) To lose 20 (cough30cough) pounds.
10) A shorter commute. 25 miles of city traffic each way sucks--but I have no choice if I want affordable housing and good schools. But I swear, when my kids grow up I'm going to live in a loft in the city.
1) A custom header for my blog.
2) This skirt. Oh yes, in pink.
3) A tummy tuck. I've given birth to twins--enough said.
4) Less chaos in my life.
5) My job, but where I get home in time to pick my girls up from school and cook dinner. And where I have time to take all the vacations I want. But I don't want to be a mommy-tracker or a part-timer.
6) Magical cleaning fairies. I'm trying to hire a housekeeper, but so far the hunt isn't going very well.
7) For all of my student loans to be paid off.
8) The new iphone--kinda. I need a new phone, but I'm waiting to see the consensus on the 4S before ordering.
9) To lose 20 (cough30cough) pounds.
10) A shorter commute. 25 miles of city traffic each way sucks--but I have no choice if I want affordable housing and good schools. But I swear, when my kids grow up I'm going to live in a loft in the city.
10/3/11
Zombies
At PS's request we visited the temporary Halloween shop that recently opened. We visited when we were shopping for PS's part, but it had just opened and wasn't really set up yet. On this visit, they were all ready for Halloween. The store was fully stocked and there were creepy scenes set up everywhere. The centerpiece was a merry-go-round filled with zombie babies. At the back of the store were plenty of full-size zombies that moved and made noise and lit up. And then there was a half-body being eaten by a giant rat with accompanying sounds and movement. Yeah, it was disgusting.
But it was all pretend in a well-lit store full of people in the middle of the day. So we laughed at the zombies and moved along.
And then last night TT came into our room twice because she couldn't sleep. She can't stop thinking about the zombies. And tonight she has been out of bed three times and is currently in my bed. Oh boy.
TT is our most sensitive kid. The movie Coraline also gave her nightmares (one of PS's favorites!), so we are careful about what she is allowed to watch. And she frequently had night terrors when she was very young. But I did not realize that visiting the Halloween store was going to freak her out. I was more worried about her seeing the giant penis costume than the zombies.
Not sure how to fix this one.
But it was all pretend in a well-lit store full of people in the middle of the day. So we laughed at the zombies and moved along.
And then last night TT came into our room twice because she couldn't sleep. She can't stop thinking about the zombies. And tonight she has been out of bed three times and is currently in my bed. Oh boy.
TT is our most sensitive kid. The movie Coraline also gave her nightmares (one of PS's favorites!), so we are careful about what she is allowed to watch. And she frequently had night terrors when she was very young. But I did not realize that visiting the Halloween store was going to freak her out. I was more worried about her seeing the giant penis costume than the zombies.
Not sure how to fix this one.
10/2/11
Fatness
I seem to be getting fatter. I am not happy about this. Last winter I started gaining weight when I was exceptionally busy at work. I was working lots of late nights, and eating crappy fast food on the way home from work. After gaining 10 pounds, I brought those bad habits to a screeching halt. I did nutrisystem for about 6 weeks, lost the weight I had gained, and reformed my eating habits.
I pretty much gave up soft drinks--down from a daily habit to maybe once a week. I drink water or iced tea. I pretty much gave up french fries. They are now an occasional treat (although I met DH for lunch on Friday at a place that has fries drizzled with olive oil and rosemary, O.M.G!) I no longer eat fast food at 9:00 at night--I keep food at work for late nights or I wait until I get home. My freezer is stocked with food, so that our eating out in general is greatly reduced. I make sure I have protein for breakfast, which makes me feel fuller so I don't eat bad carby crap. I take fruit to work every day for a mid-afternoon snack instead of relying on the carby crap that is stocked in our kitchen.
And yet, I am getting fatter again. WTF? So much for small lifestyle changes making a difference. I guess I need to start keeping a food diary, but it is so much work. Grumble.
I pretty much gave up soft drinks--down from a daily habit to maybe once a week. I drink water or iced tea. I pretty much gave up french fries. They are now an occasional treat (although I met DH for lunch on Friday at a place that has fries drizzled with olive oil and rosemary, O.M.G!) I no longer eat fast food at 9:00 at night--I keep food at work for late nights or I wait until I get home. My freezer is stocked with food, so that our eating out in general is greatly reduced. I make sure I have protein for breakfast, which makes me feel fuller so I don't eat bad carby crap. I take fruit to work every day for a mid-afternoon snack instead of relying on the carby crap that is stocked in our kitchen.
And yet, I am getting fatter again. WTF? So much for small lifestyle changes making a difference. I guess I need to start keeping a food diary, but it is so much work. Grumble.
9/28/11
I Am the Queen of Cool
DH went for a run tonight and I went along on his bike. It was dark when we left (because it was 99 here today). Of course I can cover a lot more ground on a bike than he can on foot, so every once in a while I would loop around a block and then catch back up with him.
So he was running down a long road, and I did a loop and then did not see him when I came back to the road. Finally I caught a glimpse of his iPod bouncing along a couple hundred feet away. He had turned at the end of the road and was headed back toward me. So I looped around behind him and caught up even to him while he puffed along. I was kind of surprised he didn't say anything, and I sustained my trash talking (ahem, personal training) because there were a couple of walkers just a few feet away. So I just kept pace with him for a couple of minutes, moving so slowly on the bike I was barely staying upright.
Then he looked over at me. And I realized that the guy in the white shirt and black shorts with an iPod in an armband was not my husband. Oh crap! I took off pedaling as fast as I could without saying a word! I was mortified, and the poor guy probably thinks I'm some crazy stalker-biker lady.
And then I could not find my real DH after that. I rolled around the neighborhood for a while (praying I didn't run into the DH doppelganger again) eventually just headed home so I could call DH and explain why I abandoned him.
So he was running down a long road, and I did a loop and then did not see him when I came back to the road. Finally I caught a glimpse of his iPod bouncing along a couple hundred feet away. He had turned at the end of the road and was headed back toward me. So I looped around behind him and caught up even to him while he puffed along. I was kind of surprised he didn't say anything, and I sustained my trash talking (ahem, personal training) because there were a couple of walkers just a few feet away. So I just kept pace with him for a couple of minutes, moving so slowly on the bike I was barely staying upright.
Then he looked over at me. And I realized that the guy in the white shirt and black shorts with an iPod in an armband was not my husband. Oh crap! I took off pedaling as fast as I could without saying a word! I was mortified, and the poor guy probably thinks I'm some crazy stalker-biker lady.
And then I could not find my real DH after that. I rolled around the neighborhood for a while (praying I didn't run into the DH doppelganger again) eventually just headed home so I could call DH and explain why I abandoned him.
9/26/11
Teenagers
I'm having trouble believing that I am now the mom of a teenager. I don't feel old enough to have a teenager.
As much as I would like to get away from the birthday parties, the benefit is that it gives me the opportunity to spend some time with the kids' friends. I really like the group of friends that she has developed over the last couple of years. There were only a couple of carry-overs from elementary school--most were newly found when she started middle school last year.And there were definitely a couple from elementary school that I wasn't sad to see drift away. But the girls she hangs out with now all seem like genuinely good kids (and I guess they are, every single one of them was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society along with PS tonight). There was no drama or over-the-top craziness at her party. Everyone got along and seemed to have a really good time.
But even among her friends, PS is different. They are all still giggly girls who squeal and hug and play with each other's hair and smush together like puppies on the sofa. That is so not PS. No squealing, no smushing, definitely no hair touching (last year, when she was in cheer, she often complained, "Mom, the cheerleaders keep trying to fix my hair.") She is physically smaller than the rest of them--several inches shorter than most. And they have all started developing while she is not. At all. She doesn't wear make-up or flat iron her hair like the rest. (Is all this because I let her skip a grade and she is the youngest? Maybe. But I think she would still be among the smallest. And I had no hint of boobs until I turned 16.) But she seems to be doing ok socially, even if she is the most restrained and self-conscious in her group. And I am a-ok with her looking younger if it keeps the boy issues at bay for a while. (Although we did have a boy at the party! Just one--a friend of the entire group. Definitely no romance issues that I could detect.)
But boy, when I see other kids her age, I start to freak out a little. At the NJHS induction tonight, several of her classmates looked and dressed like college students. A few had on skin-tight skirts that barely covered their naughty bits and left me wondering what on earth their mothers were thinking. Several more were wearing heels (that they did not know how to walk in.) They just all looked to grown up. And then there was tiny PS.
It will be interesting to see how she changes over the next couple of years. Will she always be one of those girls who's just not into hair and makeup--or will she grown into it? And how different will her sisters be? They are definitely more the huggy, squealy, puppy piling types.
As much as I would like to get away from the birthday parties, the benefit is that it gives me the opportunity to spend some time with the kids' friends. I really like the group of friends that she has developed over the last couple of years. There were only a couple of carry-overs from elementary school--most were newly found when she started middle school last year.And there were definitely a couple from elementary school that I wasn't sad to see drift away. But the girls she hangs out with now all seem like genuinely good kids (and I guess they are, every single one of them was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society along with PS tonight). There was no drama or over-the-top craziness at her party. Everyone got along and seemed to have a really good time.
But even among her friends, PS is different. They are all still giggly girls who squeal and hug and play with each other's hair and smush together like puppies on the sofa. That is so not PS. No squealing, no smushing, definitely no hair touching (last year, when she was in cheer, she often complained, "Mom, the cheerleaders keep trying to fix my hair.") She is physically smaller than the rest of them--several inches shorter than most. And they have all started developing while she is not. At all. She doesn't wear make-up or flat iron her hair like the rest. (Is all this because I let her skip a grade and she is the youngest? Maybe. But I think she would still be among the smallest. And I had no hint of boobs until I turned 16.) But she seems to be doing ok socially, even if she is the most restrained and self-conscious in her group. And I am a-ok with her looking younger if it keeps the boy issues at bay for a while. (Although we did have a boy at the party! Just one--a friend of the entire group. Definitely no romance issues that I could detect.)
But boy, when I see other kids her age, I start to freak out a little. At the NJHS induction tonight, several of her classmates looked and dressed like college students. A few had on skin-tight skirts that barely covered their naughty bits and left me wondering what on earth their mothers were thinking. Several more were wearing heels (that they did not know how to walk in.) They just all looked to grown up. And then there was tiny PS.
It will be interesting to see how she changes over the next couple of years. Will she always be one of those girls who's just not into hair and makeup--or will she grown into it? And how different will her sisters be? They are definitely more the huggy, squealy, puppy piling types.
9/25/11
Today I Don't Feel Like Doing Anything...
This was an exceptionally busy week. I had a hearing on Tuesday and a mediation of Friday (my first solo!) and in between my bosses were demanding deadlines on new projects by the end of the week--which made for some very late nights for me. Everyone in the office was swamped and the Big Bosses were becoming visibly agitated at having to compete with one another for assistance with their matters.
On Tuesday the moved my mother, which was definitely a positive thing, but I had to work in a couple of trips to bring her new things that she needed, which added to the chaos.
And then there was PS's birthday and the party. Lesson learned: never try to plan a murder mystery party in two weeks. Especially when you have an unpredictable job that could explode at any moment. I had gone shopping the weekend before, but I had to do pretty much everything else on Friday night and Saturday morning. It was A LOT of work.
I had originally planned to try to make a cake, or, more specifically cake pops, in a shore fit of lunacy in which I forgot that I am completely incapable of decorating anything. My test batch of cake pops last weekend were too wet so they wouldn't stay on the stick and looked like delicious little balls of bird gak.
By Friday it was crystal clear that there was no way in heck I was going to be baking anything, and I had resigned myself to picking up a cake from Costco. But then a friend called and I was venting about how much I had to do and she said, "I can help! Just let me know what you need. I can come over, I can do food, I can do the cake." (I have given this friend a lot of free legal services lately, and I think she really wanted a way to pay me back.)
And so I said, "Can you make a Jack Skellington cake?" Thinking something like this:
And she made the most awesome Jack Skellington cake I have ever seen that must have taken more hours than I can possibly imagine:
Yay! She was a huge life saver!
And then about 5:00 Friday night, my brother called to tell me he decided to come down. He was originally coming this weekend, and then he called last week to say he couldn't and then he called Friday night to say he changed his mind again. So that added to the chaos a bit more.
Saturday morning, DH drove PS to a robotics competition 45 miles away, so I didn't have them to help out. My brother went to see my mom, but at least he took all of the other kids with him, so they weren't underfoot while I was cooking and cleaning and decorating and costume making and murder mystery clue assembling.
I don't know how we managed, but somehow we pulled it all off. The house looked hauntingly awesome, the kids managed their own make-up for their costumes, the food came together, and all of the kids claimed to have a great time.
Since it was a murder mystery party, DH made a backdrop for mug shots to take all of the kids pics as they arrived. We had prints made while the mystery was being unraveled and gave all of the kids a book of their mug shots as party favors:
The party was a success, and I am exhausted. I swear I'm going to spend the entire day in my PJ's catching up on the new television shows that start this week. Definitely time to recharge.
On Tuesday the moved my mother, which was definitely a positive thing, but I had to work in a couple of trips to bring her new things that she needed, which added to the chaos.
And then there was PS's birthday and the party. Lesson learned: never try to plan a murder mystery party in two weeks. Especially when you have an unpredictable job that could explode at any moment. I had gone shopping the weekend before, but I had to do pretty much everything else on Friday night and Saturday morning. It was A LOT of work.
I had originally planned to try to make a cake, or, more specifically cake pops, in a shore fit of lunacy in which I forgot that I am completely incapable of decorating anything. My test batch of cake pops last weekend were too wet so they wouldn't stay on the stick and looked like delicious little balls of bird gak.
By Friday it was crystal clear that there was no way in heck I was going to be baking anything, and I had resigned myself to picking up a cake from Costco. But then a friend called and I was venting about how much I had to do and she said, "I can help! Just let me know what you need. I can come over, I can do food, I can do the cake." (I have given this friend a lot of free legal services lately, and I think she really wanted a way to pay me back.)
And so I said, "Can you make a Jack Skellington cake?" Thinking something like this:
And she made the most awesome Jack Skellington cake I have ever seen that must have taken more hours than I can possibly imagine:
Yay! She was a huge life saver!
And then about 5:00 Friday night, my brother called to tell me he decided to come down. He was originally coming this weekend, and then he called last week to say he couldn't and then he called Friday night to say he changed his mind again. So that added to the chaos a bit more.
Saturday morning, DH drove PS to a robotics competition 45 miles away, so I didn't have them to help out. My brother went to see my mom, but at least he took all of the other kids with him, so they weren't underfoot while I was cooking and cleaning and decorating and costume making and murder mystery clue assembling.
I don't know how we managed, but somehow we pulled it all off. The house looked hauntingly awesome, the kids managed their own make-up for their costumes, the food came together, and all of the kids claimed to have a great time.
Since it was a murder mystery party, DH made a backdrop for mug shots to take all of the kids pics as they arrived. We had prints made while the mystery was being unraveled and gave all of the kids a book of their mug shots as party favors:
The party was a success, and I am exhausted. I swear I'm going to spend the entire day in my PJ's catching up on the new television shows that start this week. Definitely time to recharge.
9/20/11
Slutty Sailors and Mad Scientists
So, I totally spoke too soon with my last post. Being away from the office for a day put me behind on everything, and all hell broke loose as soon as I returned.
Advice for young attorneys: don't count your settlements before they hatch. Cases I though were all wrapped up started unraveling, parties started defaulting on already settled cases, clients I haven't heard from in months suddenly needed me, and Big Boss started bringing me in on a big case that is suddenly moving very fast. And I had two deadlines that I had uncharacteristically procrastinated on meeting to deal with.
Oh yes, and in the middle of it all, my mother's case manager informed me that they were planning to move her this week to another care facility. It's a long, convoluted explanation about insurance. The new facility is a lower level of care (not acute care, where she has been), which is where I wanted to put her in the first place, but was told she could not for a multitude of reasons that do not appear to me to have been resolved. But it seems like change will be a good thing, so I didn't really fight it.
They also decided, without consulting me, that the move would be today. I had a hearing today*, so she was on her own for the move.
We visited last weekend so that we could un-decorate and bring back all of the stuff that she had accumulated in anticipation of the move. My aunt stopped in while we were there and told me that she thinks my mother is taking advantage of me because she is suddenly getting my attention after we have barely spoken for 5 years. It was nice feel validated by someone who knows our history. And hopefully it will make me feel less guilty when I don't have time to visit.
And, of course, in the middle of everything else, I am frantically trying to pull together PS's party. Her character in the murder mystery is a mad scientist, and we have been looking everywhere for a reasonably-priced lab coat (I don't have time to order online without paying ridiculous expedited shipping charges). The ones at the costume shop that just opened all have "clever" names on the breast pocket like "Dr. Howie Feltersnatch" and "Dr. Seymore Bush." Totally appropriate for a bunch of 13-year olds.
But I eventually found a slutty sailor costume on clearance (a short white dress with buttons) that I decided I could hack into a lab coat by shortening the sleeves and hem and repositioning the buttons. We'll just splatter it with a little blood and be all set.
*The hearing totally sucked. It was an administrative hearing--where a government agency gets to make up its own rules, not publish them anywhere, and apply them as it sees fit. The agency had taken a default after failing to provide notice of a previous hearing. Their position was that the agency is not required to provide notice of a hearing. Um, seriously? Thankfully, we are entitled to appeal and get a trial de novo in a real court.
Advice for young attorneys: don't count your settlements before they hatch. Cases I though were all wrapped up started unraveling, parties started defaulting on already settled cases, clients I haven't heard from in months suddenly needed me, and Big Boss started bringing me in on a big case that is suddenly moving very fast. And I had two deadlines that I had uncharacteristically procrastinated on meeting to deal with.
Oh yes, and in the middle of it all, my mother's case manager informed me that they were planning to move her this week to another care facility. It's a long, convoluted explanation about insurance. The new facility is a lower level of care (not acute care, where she has been), which is where I wanted to put her in the first place, but was told she could not for a multitude of reasons that do not appear to me to have been resolved. But it seems like change will be a good thing, so I didn't really fight it.
They also decided, without consulting me, that the move would be today. I had a hearing today*, so she was on her own for the move.
We visited last weekend so that we could un-decorate and bring back all of the stuff that she had accumulated in anticipation of the move. My aunt stopped in while we were there and told me that she thinks my mother is taking advantage of me because she is suddenly getting my attention after we have barely spoken for 5 years. It was nice feel validated by someone who knows our history. And hopefully it will make me feel less guilty when I don't have time to visit.
And, of course, in the middle of everything else, I am frantically trying to pull together PS's party. Her character in the murder mystery is a mad scientist, and we have been looking everywhere for a reasonably-priced lab coat (I don't have time to order online without paying ridiculous expedited shipping charges). The ones at the costume shop that just opened all have "clever" names on the breast pocket like "Dr. Howie Feltersnatch" and "Dr. Seymore Bush." Totally appropriate for a bunch of 13-year olds.
But I eventually found a slutty sailor costume on clearance (a short white dress with buttons) that I decided I could hack into a lab coat by shortening the sleeves and hem and repositioning the buttons. We'll just splatter it with a little blood and be all set.
*The hearing totally sucked. It was an administrative hearing--where a government agency gets to make up its own rules, not publish them anywhere, and apply them as it sees fit. The agency had taken a default after failing to provide notice of a previous hearing. Their position was that the agency is not required to provide notice of a hearing. Um, seriously? Thankfully, we are entitled to appeal and get a trial de novo in a real court.
9/13/11
Sickness and Murder
I am home with a sick kid today. It's amazing how the child, who with tears in her eyes insisted that her throat hurt too much and she felt too bad to go to school, was miraculously healed enough to go play Mario Kart the moment I told her she didn't have to go to school. And she just scarfed down the omelet I made for her and rewarded me with an enthusiastic "this is delicious!"
So in hindsight, it seems like she could have made it through school, but I guess we'll get a mommy/daughter day instead. Fortunately, today is a convenient day to be out of the office. The summer was painfully slow at work, and this month has picked up only a slightly steadier pace. The extended slowness is always a concern, but it is well timed for the crises in my personal life.
The issues with my mother are holding. She is settled into the long-term care facility where, hopefully, she will stay until her next surgery. It is literally a two-minute drive from my office. The case manager mentioned that they would like to move her to another facility with a lower level of care (not acute) for insurance purposes, but I don't see that really happening as she is still completely bedridden.
She has made comments to my brother that she doesn't see very much of me. But I have been there nearly every day since she was admitted. On the days I wasn't there, someone else visited. There have only been one or two days that she has had no visitors. And I have taken her every, single thing she has asked for (with little thanks for it). Fortunately, I have moved past the point in my life where I need her approval.
In other news, plans for PS's murder mystery party are well under way. We are having lots of fun planning menus and decorations. Our murder mystery is set in a haunted house, so we can go all Halloweeney. (Yes, it is a little early for a Halloween theme, but PS is a bit goth and somehow always manages to bring a bit of Halloween into her birthday parties.)
And my brother is planning to come down the same weekend to visit our mother. PS is super excited that her cousins may get to attend her party. I am too, but also a bit overwhelmed at hosting a party and house guests at the same time.
So in hindsight, it seems like she could have made it through school, but I guess we'll get a mommy/daughter day instead. Fortunately, today is a convenient day to be out of the office. The summer was painfully slow at work, and this month has picked up only a slightly steadier pace. The extended slowness is always a concern, but it is well timed for the crises in my personal life.
The issues with my mother are holding. She is settled into the long-term care facility where, hopefully, she will stay until her next surgery. It is literally a two-minute drive from my office. The case manager mentioned that they would like to move her to another facility with a lower level of care (not acute) for insurance purposes, but I don't see that really happening as she is still completely bedridden.
She has made comments to my brother that she doesn't see very much of me. But I have been there nearly every day since she was admitted. On the days I wasn't there, someone else visited. There have only been one or two days that she has had no visitors. And I have taken her every, single thing she has asked for (with little thanks for it). Fortunately, I have moved past the point in my life where I need her approval.
In other news, plans for PS's murder mystery party are well under way. We are having lots of fun planning menus and decorations. Our murder mystery is set in a haunted house, so we can go all Halloweeney. (Yes, it is a little early for a Halloween theme, but PS is a bit goth and somehow always manages to bring a bit of Halloween into her birthday parties.)
And my brother is planning to come down the same weekend to visit our mother. PS is super excited that her cousins may get to attend her party. I am too, but also a bit overwhelmed at hosting a party and house guests at the same time.
9/11/11
Where I Was on 9/11
The twins were about 6 weeks old. DH had left for work and I was dozing with the babies when he called and said, "Turn on the tv. They are saying on the radio that a plane just hit the World Trade Center."
And I said, "You must have misheard. That isn't possible." It was just so preposterous.
I turned on the television in our bedroom and confirmed that DH had not misheard. I was watching as the second plane hit the second tower and was glued to the television for the rest of the day as the whole horrible scenario unfolded.
PS was not-quite three, and I remember putting the living room television on Blue's Clues and being oh so thankful that Nickelodeon was not interrupting its programming. I stayed huddled in my bedroom with my infant twins, crying and wondering what kind of world I had just brought these babies into.
PS was surprisingly content to watch tv all day--maybe because we had strict limitations on how much television she was allowed to watch, or maybe because she sensed that something was wrong. The twins also seemed particularly easy to deal with that day.
Watching the memorial coverage this morning is hard. Especially when they showed the segments about the kids who lost their parents. And the kids who never knew their fathers. Those kids are about the age of my twins and I can't imagine how different their lives would be if they never knew their dad.
And I said, "You must have misheard. That isn't possible." It was just so preposterous.
I turned on the television in our bedroom and confirmed that DH had not misheard. I was watching as the second plane hit the second tower and was glued to the television for the rest of the day as the whole horrible scenario unfolded.
PS was not-quite three, and I remember putting the living room television on Blue's Clues and being oh so thankful that Nickelodeon was not interrupting its programming. I stayed huddled in my bedroom with my infant twins, crying and wondering what kind of world I had just brought these babies into.
PS was surprisingly content to watch tv all day--maybe because we had strict limitations on how much television she was allowed to watch, or maybe because she sensed that something was wrong. The twins also seemed particularly easy to deal with that day.
Watching the memorial coverage this morning is hard. Especially when they showed the segments about the kids who lost their parents. And the kids who never knew their fathers. Those kids are about the age of my twins and I can't imagine how different their lives would be if they never knew their dad.
9/8/11
Party Time
PS's birthday is three weeks away and her friends have started asking if she's going to have a party because last year's party was so much fun. One of them said that it would be really tough to top last year's scavenger hunt party, and I think she's right, so PS and I have been brainstorming for another awesome party idea.
I think we've decided upon a murder mystery party. When she floated the idea to her friends today they agreed that it sounded "awesome." I've never been to a murder mystery party before, but it always sounded like lots of fun.
Now our challenge is just to find one that is teen appropriate. There are a ton of places online to download kits, but they are all on websites that look like they were made in someone's basement in 1995, so I'm a bit hesitant to order.
So readers, has anyone bought a downloadable murder-mystery kit that you recommend? Or have you played one of the boxed games? Any party tips?
I think we've decided upon a murder mystery party. When she floated the idea to her friends today they agreed that it sounded "awesome." I've never been to a murder mystery party before, but it always sounded like lots of fun.
Now our challenge is just to find one that is teen appropriate. There are a ton of places online to download kits, but they are all on websites that look like they were made in someone's basement in 1995, so I'm a bit hesitant to order.
So readers, has anyone bought a downloadable murder-mystery kit that you recommend? Or have you played one of the boxed games? Any party tips?
8/30/11
Chaos Continues
Exhaustion is setting in. I'm stressed and cranky.
I visited two nursing homes this morning and still made it to work by 9:30.
Had a completely unproductive day. But at least all my bosses were out, so there was no one around to harass me.
Left the office at 3:45 to get my mother transferred to the long term care facility. Stopped along to way to drown my troubles in very bad food. Fries and a chocolate shake from McDonalds. There is just something about the hot, salty, carbyness of the fries combined with the cold sweetness of the shake that makes life a little better. And yes, I have been known to dip my fries in the shake. My kids do this, too. Yum!
Got her all set up and told her at 6:45 that I had to leave to make Back-to-School Night for the twins. She said, "Wait! I have to see if I can get online. I'm supposed to play poker with my friends online tonight." Because poker is so much more important than meeting the kids' teachers.
So I pulled out her little netbook and tried unsuccessfully to get an internet connection. I told her she was going to have to ask her nurse if they had a wi-fi password because I had to go.
Finally left at 7:00, and she was irritated that I hadn't figured out how to get an internet connection.
Drove 80 mph all the way home and made it to the school at 7:30 exactly. Spent the next hour and fifteen minutes touring the twins' classes while simultaneously texting PS instructions for uploading pictures that she has to have printed tonight for a homework project (of course, she couldn't have bothered to get this done before the deadline and I haven't been home to nag her).
Finally home, twins getting ready for bed, DH still helping PS with homework. Need to go pick up PS's prints--was going to beg DH to do it, but he is knee deep in math homework that I am not smart enough to help with.
Really just want to go to bed.
I visited two nursing homes this morning and still made it to work by 9:30.
Had a completely unproductive day. But at least all my bosses were out, so there was no one around to harass me.
Left the office at 3:45 to get my mother transferred to the long term care facility. Stopped along to way to drown my troubles in very bad food. Fries and a chocolate shake from McDonalds. There is just something about the hot, salty, carbyness of the fries combined with the cold sweetness of the shake that makes life a little better. And yes, I have been known to dip my fries in the shake. My kids do this, too. Yum!
Got her all set up and told her at 6:45 that I had to leave to make Back-to-School Night for the twins. She said, "Wait! I have to see if I can get online. I'm supposed to play poker with my friends online tonight." Because poker is so much more important than meeting the kids' teachers.
So I pulled out her little netbook and tried unsuccessfully to get an internet connection. I told her she was going to have to ask her nurse if they had a wi-fi password because I had to go.
Finally left at 7:00, and she was irritated that I hadn't figured out how to get an internet connection.
Drove 80 mph all the way home and made it to the school at 7:30 exactly. Spent the next hour and fifteen minutes touring the twins' classes while simultaneously texting PS instructions for uploading pictures that she has to have printed tonight for a homework project (of course, she couldn't have bothered to get this done before the deadline and I haven't been home to nag her).
Finally home, twins getting ready for bed, DH still helping PS with homework. Need to go pick up PS's prints--was going to beg DH to do it, but he is knee deep in math homework that I am not smart enough to help with.
Really just want to go to bed.
8/29/11
DH is even more awesome than I realized
a/k/a Today REALLY Sucked
Dropped the kiddos off at school and headed to the hospital. My mother wasn't there. Nurse said she was taken for a CT scan and should be back any minute. So I went to buy parking vouchers and coffee. And she still wasn't there. And I waited and waited and finally decided I had to go to work.
Got to the office and called and she put me on the phone with her hospital case manager who is helping to find an assisted living center. Which is just code for Old Folk's Home. She sent me a list of about 20 places and it was my job to narrow the list.
Then Big Boss went insane and decided that my immediate assistance was required all day to help prepare for an arbitration that we have know about for at least 3 months and for which we are not the primary attorneys (insurance defense counsel is handling, we are general counsel). He gave me about 5 research projects and then buzzed me about every 5 seconds needing some document or other that I was apparently the only person in the office qualified to locate (especially frustrating when said document was literally sitting right in front of him).
In the middle of all that I managed to call 4 places for info. My plan was to visit this evening or tomorrow morning.
But Big Boss kept buzzing and demanding.
Then, My mother called to tell me they are moving her TOMORROW. (So much for buying those parking vouchers this morning.) Oh holy crap, how was I ever going to find a place by tomorrow? Believe me, at this point I would have gladly hired someone to research assisted living centers, but I didn't have time to find anybody.
And Big Boss kept buzzing and demanding.
As the afternoon pressed on, it became clear there was no way in heck I was going to be able to find an assisted living center on my own. So I recruited my brother to check the state's records on medical facilities, and poor DH had to tour the ones I had selected.
Yes, he is the awesomest husband in the entire world. I hardly had time to even hand off the information. Poor guy had virtually no information but he was a trooper and at least someone has seen the inside of these places.. Every time I picked up the phone Big Boss barged into my office looking irritated.
About 7:30 tonight, Big Boss said, "Do you have that research done yet?" To which I replied, "No, because you keep needing me to do other things."
And then he said to Partner, "You need to divide this project with LC because she can't get it done."
And I have him the raised eyebrow look I give my kids when they are telling a fib, and he said "I mean because I keep needing her."
OMG, I was ready to strangle him. I was the angriest and most frustrated I have ever been at this job--although I'm sure the stress from the mom situation contributed. (And no, I wasn't not getting my research done because of her--I spent maybe 30 minutes on the phone with that stuff, shoved what I could onto my brother and husband, worked through lunch and barely took a bathroom break all day and billed 10 hours).
Another day like this and I'm going to have to start keeping a bottle of Jack in my desk.
Dropped the kiddos off at school and headed to the hospital. My mother wasn't there. Nurse said she was taken for a CT scan and should be back any minute. So I went to buy parking vouchers and coffee. And she still wasn't there. And I waited and waited and finally decided I had to go to work.
Got to the office and called and she put me on the phone with her hospital case manager who is helping to find an assisted living center. Which is just code for Old Folk's Home. She sent me a list of about 20 places and it was my job to narrow the list.
Then Big Boss went insane and decided that my immediate assistance was required all day to help prepare for an arbitration that we have know about for at least 3 months and for which we are not the primary attorneys (insurance defense counsel is handling, we are general counsel). He gave me about 5 research projects and then buzzed me about every 5 seconds needing some document or other that I was apparently the only person in the office qualified to locate (especially frustrating when said document was literally sitting right in front of him).
In the middle of all that I managed to call 4 places for info. My plan was to visit this evening or tomorrow morning.
But Big Boss kept buzzing and demanding.
Then, My mother called to tell me they are moving her TOMORROW. (So much for buying those parking vouchers this morning.) Oh holy crap, how was I ever going to find a place by tomorrow? Believe me, at this point I would have gladly hired someone to research assisted living centers, but I didn't have time to find anybody.
And Big Boss kept buzzing and demanding.
As the afternoon pressed on, it became clear there was no way in heck I was going to be able to find an assisted living center on my own. So I recruited my brother to check the state's records on medical facilities, and poor DH had to tour the ones I had selected.
Yes, he is the awesomest husband in the entire world. I hardly had time to even hand off the information. Poor guy had virtually no information but he was a trooper and at least someone has seen the inside of these places.. Every time I picked up the phone Big Boss barged into my office looking irritated.
About 7:30 tonight, Big Boss said, "Do you have that research done yet?" To which I replied, "No, because you keep needing me to do other things."
And then he said to Partner, "You need to divide this project with LC because she can't get it done."
And I have him the raised eyebrow look I give my kids when they are telling a fib, and he said "I mean because I keep needing her."
OMG, I was ready to strangle him. I was the angriest and most frustrated I have ever been at this job--although I'm sure the stress from the mom situation contributed. (And no, I wasn't not getting my research done because of her--I spent maybe 30 minutes on the phone with that stuff, shoved what I could onto my brother and husband, worked through lunch and barely took a bathroom break all day and billed 10 hours).
Another day like this and I'm going to have to start keeping a bottle of Jack in my desk.
Flashback
"What would the child you once were think of the adult you've become?"
I saw this on Pinterest and began pondering the answer.
I certainly didn't envision the life I have now. I always said that I would be a doctor. I never really wanted kids. Didn't spend too much time thinking about a husband. Probably assumed that I would still live in Hometown.
But I don't think that kid would be disappointed that things turned out differently, because what I have is good.
Sometimes I feel a tiny twinge of regret for not pursuing medicine. I think that I would have been good at it. But law is a really good fit for me, too, and I think it gives me far more time with my family.
And I'm so glad that fate took over and gave me PS, because having kids is definitely the most awesome thing that's ever happened. (The twins were more intentional and less fateful, but still awesome.) Oh yeah, and DH--he's pretty awesome, too.
So I think Kid LC would be pretty proud of Adult LC. Life's not perfect, but it's pretty darn good. And I'm happy. I wasn't happy for much of my childhood and was clinically depressed through my teen years. I think kid LC would be pleased that I grew up and found happiness.
I saw this on Pinterest and began pondering the answer.
I certainly didn't envision the life I have now. I always said that I would be a doctor. I never really wanted kids. Didn't spend too much time thinking about a husband. Probably assumed that I would still live in Hometown.
But I don't think that kid would be disappointed that things turned out differently, because what I have is good.
Sometimes I feel a tiny twinge of regret for not pursuing medicine. I think that I would have been good at it. But law is a really good fit for me, too, and I think it gives me far more time with my family.
And I'm so glad that fate took over and gave me PS, because having kids is definitely the most awesome thing that's ever happened. (The twins were more intentional and less fateful, but still awesome.) Oh yeah, and DH--he's pretty awesome, too.
So I think Kid LC would be pretty proud of Adult LC. Life's not perfect, but it's pretty darn good. And I'm happy. I wasn't happy for much of my childhood and was clinically depressed through my teen years. I think kid LC would be pleased that I grew up and found happiness.
8/26/11
Brave New World
So I don't quite know what to do with my current situation, with my mother being suddenly thrust upon me. I have worked hard to keep my distance from her, and I have spent more time with her this week that I have in the last 5 years.
I won't go into details, and I know that many don't understand. You can't understand if you had a good mom. It took DH a very long time to understand because he had an awesome mom--but he has finally seen enough to sort of get it.
She just never made her kids a priority. Whatever man was in her life was her top priority and my brother and I were frequently left to fend for ourselves.
So they only time we ever really got along was when I was in my early 20s. When I wasn't a responsibility or burden for her, but before I had my own kids, which were just too much of a bother and took attention away from her. She wanted a buddy, not a daughter.
And so she has been tolerable for the last few days because all of my attention has been focused on her. I've been the buddy, not distracted by my kids. I've barely seen them this week because I've been with her. But before I left today I said, "I'll come back tomorrow and bring the kids."
And she said, "As long as they don't hit my leg."
OMG--they are 10 and almost 13. They aren't toddlers--it's not like they're gonna try to crawl in her lap. She's not exactly a snugly, cookie-baking kind of Grandma anyway. But the sad fact is she doesn't want my kids around. It will take attention away from her.
And now I am being dragged into taking time away from my kids to focus on her for the next two months. I have got to figure out how to define this new relationship and draw a new line. My kids have always been and will continue to be my priority and she will have to learn that she comes after them. She won't understand--and she certainly thinks that I owe her more than I do.
But I've really missed my kids this week. And I really do not want them to have the disdain for me that I have for my mother because something else was always more important.
I won't go into details, and I know that many don't understand. You can't understand if you had a good mom. It took DH a very long time to understand because he had an awesome mom--but he has finally seen enough to sort of get it.
She just never made her kids a priority. Whatever man was in her life was her top priority and my brother and I were frequently left to fend for ourselves.
So they only time we ever really got along was when I was in my early 20s. When I wasn't a responsibility or burden for her, but before I had my own kids, which were just too much of a bother and took attention away from her. She wanted a buddy, not a daughter.
And so she has been tolerable for the last few days because all of my attention has been focused on her. I've been the buddy, not distracted by my kids. I've barely seen them this week because I've been with her. But before I left today I said, "I'll come back tomorrow and bring the kids."
And she said, "As long as they don't hit my leg."
OMG--they are 10 and almost 13. They aren't toddlers--it's not like they're gonna try to crawl in her lap. She's not exactly a snugly, cookie-baking kind of Grandma anyway. But the sad fact is she doesn't want my kids around. It will take attention away from her.
And now I am being dragged into taking time away from my kids to focus on her for the next two months. I have got to figure out how to define this new relationship and draw a new line. My kids have always been and will continue to be my priority and she will have to learn that she comes after them. She won't understand--and she certainly thinks that I owe her more than I do.
But I've really missed my kids this week. And I really do not want them to have the disdain for me that I have for my mother because something else was always more important.
8/25/11
Waiting
At the hospital. I worked until 11 this morning, and then headed over to the hospital to be here for my mother's surgery scheduled for 1:15. We figured they would take to pre-op a couple of hours ahead of time, and I wanted to be here to talk to he docs.
Of course, 1:15 came and went. They finally took her down to pre-op at 2:30 and didn't take her to surgery until 4:00. But the monitor in the waiting room that's supposed to keep me updated shows that they haven't even started the surgery yet. Looks like it is going to be a late night.
Thankfully I found a make-your-own trail mix bar in the cafeteria, so I have provisions for my wait. And my laptop, nook and iphone to entertain me. How did we ever survive before we had all of our electronic accoutrements?
Of course, 1:15 came and went. They finally took her down to pre-op at 2:30 and didn't take her to surgery until 4:00. But the monitor in the waiting room that's supposed to keep me updated shows that they haven't even started the surgery yet. Looks like it is going to be a late night.
Thankfully I found a make-your-own trail mix bar in the cafeteria, so I have provisions for my wait. And my laptop, nook and iphone to entertain me. How did we ever survive before we had all of our electronic accoutrements?
8/24/11
Like an Injured Cat in Heat
TT got her violin today and SS gets her viola tomorrow. Gee, I had forgotten how much fun it was to have a beginning instrumentalist in the house.
Meanwhile, today my mom asked her doctor today how long she would have to stay in Big City before she could return to Hometown. He told her that she needed to stay here until after the replacement hip was installed--at least two months. She has a host of new docs here and they want her to stick with those docs during this treatment. And really, she's in better hands here with specialists at an excellent teaching hospital than back in Hometown where the best of the best are unlikely to practice (and in fact, failed to find this infection despite the fact she's had a low-grade fever for months).
But I'm not sure how to deal with the next two months. Our personal issues aside*, I'm just not sure how to fit a sick parent into the mix of my already very busy life. Of course, we've been down this road before with MIL. It was really hard then, and we were not the primary caregivers and the family had a lot of support.
Here her options are inpatient rehab or my house. We would be primary caregivers and would have a lot less support. It's looking like inpatient rehab, because we just don't know how to make my house work (and that's really not a path I want to go down). We brought the wheelchair in the house tonight and it won't fit through any of the bathroom doors--and there is not much room to expand the doorways even if we wanted to go that route.
But rehab means that I will have to fit visiting into my schedule several times a week. She doesn't have any friends or much family here. It's only been two days and the work/hospital/kids schedule is already wearing on me.
Ugh, there is no good answer here. And by the time she gets past the two months, they install the new part, do rehab after that surgery, and then get around to doing the hip that they were supposed to do in the first place we are looking at a 6-month ordeal.
*She has, surprisingly, been on her best behavior. Yesterday she even asked if I had lost weight. I've never heard that--only how much she thinks I need to lose. I think she understands her predicament. I know my brother had a chat with her when he had to bring her down for her first appointment with this surgeon and she started giving him attitude.
Meanwhile, today my mom asked her doctor today how long she would have to stay in Big City before she could return to Hometown. He told her that she needed to stay here until after the replacement hip was installed--at least two months. She has a host of new docs here and they want her to stick with those docs during this treatment. And really, she's in better hands here with specialists at an excellent teaching hospital than back in Hometown where the best of the best are unlikely to practice (and in fact, failed to find this infection despite the fact she's had a low-grade fever for months).
But I'm not sure how to deal with the next two months. Our personal issues aside*, I'm just not sure how to fit a sick parent into the mix of my already very busy life. Of course, we've been down this road before with MIL. It was really hard then, and we were not the primary caregivers and the family had a lot of support.
Here her options are inpatient rehab or my house. We would be primary caregivers and would have a lot less support. It's looking like inpatient rehab, because we just don't know how to make my house work (and that's really not a path I want to go down). We brought the wheelchair in the house tonight and it won't fit through any of the bathroom doors--and there is not much room to expand the doorways even if we wanted to go that route.
But rehab means that I will have to fit visiting into my schedule several times a week. She doesn't have any friends or much family here. It's only been two days and the work/hospital/kids schedule is already wearing on me.
Ugh, there is no good answer here. And by the time she gets past the two months, they install the new part, do rehab after that surgery, and then get around to doing the hip that they were supposed to do in the first place we are looking at a 6-month ordeal.
*She has, surprisingly, been on her best behavior. Yesterday she even asked if I had lost weight. I've never heard that--only how much she thinks I need to lose. I think she understands her predicament. I know my brother had a chat with her when he had to bring her down for her first appointment with this surgeon and she started giving him attitude.
8/23/11
Looong Day
Up at 5:30 for mother's hip replacement surgery. Got a call at 6:15 informing me that surgery had been pushed back to 10:15. Of course, I was already on my way. But at least I had time run by Starbucks.
In the pre-op room the anesthesiologist, Dr. Wong, came in and introduced himself. My stepfather said, "Oh, we were really hoping for Dr. Right instead of Dr. Wrong." OMG, I wanted to crawl in a hole and disappear.
10 minutes after they took her back for surgery the surgeon came out. She has cysts/tumors in both hips, and they were going to aspirate both to find out what was going on. When they aspirated the left hip it had a big nasty infection. Surgeon said he can't do right hip replacement while left hip is infected. The only option is to operate on the left hip, remove the tumor and the existing hip replacement and put in an antibiotic spacer for two months until they can confirm the infection is gone, at which point he can put in the left hip replacement.
In the meantime, she has no left hip for two months? How does someone not have a hip for two months? I do not understand. I try to ask surgeon these questions, but all he wants to know right then is if we want him to proceed or if we want to wake her so that she can make the decision (even though there's not a decision).
We tell him to wake her. She needs to know if she's not going to have a hip for two months. And so we wait and wait for word from the recovery room. An hour-and-a-half later we can go back there (yes, she was under for 10 minutes and had no surgery). The doc already talked to her, just as she was coming out of the anesthesia. She does not understand that her existing hip replacement part is being removed.
But I wasn't on any drugs and I heard exactly what the doctor said. And I am peeved that he talked to her before we were allowed back there. God, doctors are such pains in the ass.
So anyway, the new procedure is scheduled for Thursday and she is admitted and on super-antibiotics until then. We have no idea how long she will be stuck here. And her right hip, which has her wheelchair bound, can be replaced for months. And her husband has to leave tomorrow because he has an appointment with the oncologist on Thursday and a bone marrow aspiration on Friday because he was just diagnosed with non-Hodgkins leukemia.
I left the hospital at 3:00 and headed to the office until 7:00.
Now exhausted. Just wanna go to bed. Need to find out if the surgeon is supposed to come by in the morning and if I need to be there before dawn to catch him.
Then I have a CLE for half a day tomorrow, back to the hospital, back to the office. Fortunately the hospital is within 15 minutes from my office. The next few weeks are gonna be tough.
In the pre-op room the anesthesiologist, Dr. Wong, came in and introduced himself. My stepfather said, "Oh, we were really hoping for Dr. Right instead of Dr. Wrong." OMG, I wanted to crawl in a hole and disappear.
10 minutes after they took her back for surgery the surgeon came out. She has cysts/tumors in both hips, and they were going to aspirate both to find out what was going on. When they aspirated the left hip it had a big nasty infection. Surgeon said he can't do right hip replacement while left hip is infected. The only option is to operate on the left hip, remove the tumor and the existing hip replacement and put in an antibiotic spacer for two months until they can confirm the infection is gone, at which point he can put in the left hip replacement.
In the meantime, she has no left hip for two months? How does someone not have a hip for two months? I do not understand. I try to ask surgeon these questions, but all he wants to know right then is if we want him to proceed or if we want to wake her so that she can make the decision (even though there's not a decision).
We tell him to wake her. She needs to know if she's not going to have a hip for two months. And so we wait and wait for word from the recovery room. An hour-and-a-half later we can go back there (yes, she was under for 10 minutes and had no surgery). The doc already talked to her, just as she was coming out of the anesthesia. She does not understand that her existing hip replacement part is being removed.
But I wasn't on any drugs and I heard exactly what the doctor said. And I am peeved that he talked to her before we were allowed back there. God, doctors are such pains in the ass.
So anyway, the new procedure is scheduled for Thursday and she is admitted and on super-antibiotics until then. We have no idea how long she will be stuck here. And her right hip, which has her wheelchair bound, can be replaced for months. And her husband has to leave tomorrow because he has an appointment with the oncologist on Thursday and a bone marrow aspiration on Friday because he was just diagnosed with non-Hodgkins leukemia.
I left the hospital at 3:00 and headed to the office until 7:00.
Now exhausted. Just wanna go to bed. Need to find out if the surgeon is supposed to come by in the morning and if I need to be there before dawn to catch him.
Then I have a CLE for half a day tomorrow, back to the hospital, back to the office. Fortunately the hospital is within 15 minutes from my office. The next few weeks are gonna be tough.
8/17/11
Crazy Busy Exhausting Day
Got to work at 8:30 for a 9:00 client meeting. Saw client crossing the parking lot on my way in. So much for having time for meeting prep.
Had an end-of the-day deadline arising from the meeting. Then another client called with another end-of-the-day deadline.
Then a pro bono client for whom I have been working on on a custody modification left me a frantic voicemail. We pretty much had an agreement for temporary orders regarding custody and decided to hold off on fighting about child support because we wanted temp orders in place before school started.But Dad decided he wanted temp orders to be permanent and only wanted to pay 1/3 the statutory guideline for child support. He freaked when we insisted on the minimum statutory guideline (even though he is high income and we could likely get more) and the whole thing got really ugly and almost blew up. Fortunately cooler heads (the lawyers') prevailed and we are back on track.
In the middle of everything else, I noticed that my phone wasn't charging. I borrowed the receptionist's charger and still no luck. So I popped into the Apple store on my way home. My phone was 4 days out of warranty. And they gave me a new one! Yay Apple! They made a crappy day a lot less crappy.
Finally made it home by 8:30. The kids were bouncing off the walls. Today was our nanny's last day and she bought them all huge bags of candy. But they are bummed that she is leaving; she's like a big sister to them.
Tomorrow is meet the teacher night and school starts Monday. Still not ready.
Had an end-of the-day deadline arising from the meeting. Then another client called with another end-of-the-day deadline.
Then a pro bono client for whom I have been working on on a custody modification left me a frantic voicemail. We pretty much had an agreement for temporary orders regarding custody and decided to hold off on fighting about child support because we wanted temp orders in place before school started.But Dad decided he wanted temp orders to be permanent and only wanted to pay 1/3 the statutory guideline for child support. He freaked when we insisted on the minimum statutory guideline (even though he is high income and we could likely get more) and the whole thing got really ugly and almost blew up. Fortunately cooler heads (the lawyers') prevailed and we are back on track.
In the middle of everything else, I noticed that my phone wasn't charging. I borrowed the receptionist's charger and still no luck. So I popped into the Apple store on my way home. My phone was 4 days out of warranty. And they gave me a new one! Yay Apple! They made a crappy day a lot less crappy.
Finally made it home by 8:30. The kids were bouncing off the walls. Today was our nanny's last day and she bought them all huge bags of candy. But they are bummed that she is leaving; she's like a big sister to them.
Tomorrow is meet the teacher night and school starts Monday. Still not ready.
8/15/11
My Favorite Movies
I'm watching Father of the Bride. I love this movie. It is one of those movies that I will always watch if I find it showing, no matter how many times I have seen it. Others on that list...
1) Dirty Dancing
2) Pretty Woman
3) Grease
4) Steel Magnolias
Yeah, I'm all about the chick flicks.
1) Dirty Dancing
2) Pretty Woman
3) Grease
4) Steel Magnolias
Yeah, I'm all about the chick flicks.
8/14/11
Home!
After a fantastic week, we finally made it home at midnight last night. Kinda feel like I have vacation hangover this morning.
We spent out last day hitting the outlet malls--well timed since storms blew through that morning stirring up the sea and making the water murkier and the shore yuckier than it had been all week.
I wanted to do a bit of school shopping for the kids--although we really don't do serious shopping until October. I bought the kids a ton of new clothes at the beginning of summer, and it will be to hot to wear jeans and fall clothes for at least another 6 weeks.
But they did all get new shoes. Believe me, setting 3 girls loose in a shoe store is a true test of patience. DH was a real trooper. My 10 year olds bought size 8.5 running shoes! I wear a 9! They look like they a wearing clown shoes with their tiny bodies and giant feet.
I got some great deals at the Ann Taylor outlet, but my biggest find was a new work bag. Right after I graduated, I took my grad money and bought a giant red leather Fossil bag that was the perfect size for carrying files back. It was very sleek and polished with clean lines--kind of a handbag/briefcase hybrid that worked very well for carrying to court or depos.
I carried that bag every single day for three years. But it started to look pretty shabby. The seams and hardware were holding up fine, but the beautiful red was fading to white (a problem I wouldn't have had with a natural colored bag), and it just felt too worn to carry. Sadly, I tucked my beloved bag into the back of my closet, and began my search for a replacement.
Most recently I've been carrying a huge red kate spade nylon bag that PS has dubbed "the lunch box." I get tons of compliments on it, but it is just not working out. It will hold files, but only vertically, and everything just falls to the bottom and crumples. Before that was a gorgeous burgundy suede Cole Haan bag. It would hold a single file folder, but not an entire Redweld. It wasn't quite polished enough for court, and the suede didn't really work for summer.
So when we were out shopping, I wanted to check out the Fossil and Coach outlets in my new bag search. The Coach outlet had great prices, but nothing like what I needed. And the majority of their bags were the signature print. I really like the clean lines of the classic leather Coach bags. I hate the signature print--in Coach or any other label. At the risk of offending my readers, I'll just say it--I think it's tacky and screams "look at my label."
And then in the Fossil outlet, I spotted it. My exact bag. But shiny and new. And only $80--less than half of what I paid for the original. Now, I did check out the rest of the store. But I didn't find anything else as polished and perfectly suited for work. And so I bought it. Yes, the exact same bag that I bought back in 2007.
Is that weird? It feels weird. But I love that bag. It is exactly what I need, and a bargain at $80.
And yes, all of my bags are red. I guess it's my thing. And besides, I can carry the red regardless of whether I am wearing black or brown and not feel uncoordinated.
We spent out last day hitting the outlet malls--well timed since storms blew through that morning stirring up the sea and making the water murkier and the shore yuckier than it had been all week.
I wanted to do a bit of school shopping for the kids--although we really don't do serious shopping until October. I bought the kids a ton of new clothes at the beginning of summer, and it will be to hot to wear jeans and fall clothes for at least another 6 weeks.
But they did all get new shoes. Believe me, setting 3 girls loose in a shoe store is a true test of patience. DH was a real trooper. My 10 year olds bought size 8.5 running shoes! I wear a 9! They look like they a wearing clown shoes with their tiny bodies and giant feet.
I got some great deals at the Ann Taylor outlet, but my biggest find was a new work bag. Right after I graduated, I took my grad money and bought a giant red leather Fossil bag that was the perfect size for carrying files back. It was very sleek and polished with clean lines--kind of a handbag/briefcase hybrid that worked very well for carrying to court or depos.
I carried that bag every single day for three years. But it started to look pretty shabby. The seams and hardware were holding up fine, but the beautiful red was fading to white (a problem I wouldn't have had with a natural colored bag), and it just felt too worn to carry. Sadly, I tucked my beloved bag into the back of my closet, and began my search for a replacement.
Most recently I've been carrying a huge red kate spade nylon bag that PS has dubbed "the lunch box." I get tons of compliments on it, but it is just not working out. It will hold files, but only vertically, and everything just falls to the bottom and crumples. Before that was a gorgeous burgundy suede Cole Haan bag. It would hold a single file folder, but not an entire Redweld. It wasn't quite polished enough for court, and the suede didn't really work for summer.
So when we were out shopping, I wanted to check out the Fossil and Coach outlets in my new bag search. The Coach outlet had great prices, but nothing like what I needed. And the majority of their bags were the signature print. I really like the clean lines of the classic leather Coach bags. I hate the signature print--in Coach or any other label. At the risk of offending my readers, I'll just say it--I think it's tacky and screams "look at my label."
And then in the Fossil outlet, I spotted it. My exact bag. But shiny and new. And only $80--less than half of what I paid for the original. Now, I did check out the rest of the store. But I didn't find anything else as polished and perfectly suited for work. And so I bought it. Yes, the exact same bag that I bought back in 2007.
Is that weird? It feels weird. But I love that bag. It is exactly what I need, and a bargain at $80.
And yes, all of my bags are red. I guess it's my thing. And besides, I can carry the red regardless of whether I am wearing black or brown and not feel uncoordinated.
8/11/11
Winding Up
Yesterday we headed to the Naval Aviation Museum-it was very cool. Tons of war planes and the kids could sit in many of them. DH and the twins especially enjoyed it. PS is suddenly too cool to sit in the planes and has decided everything is boring.
On our way out we noticed a little sign that said "Lighthouse Open," so we detoured to visit a 150 year old working lighthouse. It was also very cool. It was my first time to visit a lighthouse and we got to climb all the way to the top (177 steps!). On our way back out we learned that the lighthouse was rumored to be haunted and has been featured on Ghosthunters.
Today we went on a dolphin cruise. We cruised around the key for a while before they came out, but we finally did get to see a pair of dolphins jumping in the wake of our boat. Now the kids are begging to go to Sea World so that they can pet dolphins. (Funny, since we went to Sea World right before the twins turned 3 and SS was terrified of everything--we couldn't even sit in the top row of the stadium for the Shamu show without her freaking out).
And then my mother called. She is having surgery on August 23rd and will be in the hospital for at least 2 weeks before she moves on to rehab. But she doesn't know if it will be inpatient or outpatient rehab. That is my $10,000 question. And they will only do one hip at a time, so this whole scenario will have to be repeated.
She also told me that her husband found out yesterday that he has cancer. (He's been ill, that's why my brother drove her to my city.) So he will be in hometown dealing with chemo and the other evils that constitute cancer treatment, while she is here having her hips replaced. Yuck.
Tomorrow is our last full day here. We've had fun, but it is enough. I am ready to be back in my own home and bed. Not looking forward to sorting through what will surely be an overflowing inbox, though.
On our way out we noticed a little sign that said "Lighthouse Open," so we detoured to visit a 150 year old working lighthouse. It was also very cool. It was my first time to visit a lighthouse and we got to climb all the way to the top (177 steps!). On our way back out we learned that the lighthouse was rumored to be haunted and has been featured on Ghosthunters.
Today we went on a dolphin cruise. We cruised around the key for a while before they came out, but we finally did get to see a pair of dolphins jumping in the wake of our boat. Now the kids are begging to go to Sea World so that they can pet dolphins. (Funny, since we went to Sea World right before the twins turned 3 and SS was terrified of everything--we couldn't even sit in the top row of the stadium for the Shamu show without her freaking out).
And then my mother called. She is having surgery on August 23rd and will be in the hospital for at least 2 weeks before she moves on to rehab. But she doesn't know if it will be inpatient or outpatient rehab. That is my $10,000 question. And they will only do one hip at a time, so this whole scenario will have to be repeated.
She also told me that her husband found out yesterday that he has cancer. (He's been ill, that's why my brother drove her to my city.) So he will be in hometown dealing with chemo and the other evils that constitute cancer treatment, while she is here having her hips replaced. Yuck.
Tomorrow is our last full day here. We've had fun, but it is enough. I am ready to be back in my own home and bed. Not looking forward to sorting through what will surely be an overflowing inbox, though.
8/10/11
Vacation and Reality
Yesterday went much better than the day before. We spent the morning figuring out how to drive a boat and navigate waterways, took a nap, had an early dinner at a local hot spot owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister, and hit the beach at dusk.
I've decided early evening is my favorite time to go to the beach. It's not so dang hot, the crowds have thinned, and the colors are beautiful.
This morning, DH and the twins have gone fishing and I am enjoying some quite time. Our condo is small--a one bedroom, with bunks built into the hallway and a pull-out sofa; maybe half the size of our downstairs at home--and we've had plenty of togetherness. Plus, our friends Damp and Sandy have moved in, and this gives me a chance to sweep them back out without three kids underfoot.
So everything is great again--except for the call I got from my brother yesterday. He had to drive our mother* from Hometown to my city to visit a specialist. She has severe health issues that sort of began when I was a senior in high school and she fell and broke her hip (she was 43). Since then, she's has had both of her hips replaced twice, along with every other major joint in her body.
Anyway, she recently fell again and needs another hip replacement, but can't find a surgeon in Hometown who will do it and is wheelchair bound until something is done. Apparently this is a major undertaking because her bones have deteriorated so much. So she started looking in my city and finally found a surgeon who will talk to her. My brother (who is cursing me for being out of town right now) was charged with bringing her down for her appointment.
The city doc said that she has tumors in both hips and both need to be replaced. He also wants to do aspirations in both hips to see if the tumors are malignant.
So, it's looking like she's going to be stuck in my city for a while. Right now she is staying with her brother and her brother and sister are helping her out this week. (Both live on the opposite end of Big City from me.) But I have a feeling she's going to end up with me. Her doctor is really close to my office, and the hospital is closest to me. Besides, her brother and sister have their own jobs and lives.
I am not terribly happy about this. First, because I have really tried to keep my mother at a distance (for my own and my kids' sakes). And because my house is not wheelchair friendly. There are multiple steps up the front walk, and a tight squeeze through the back door. Only the master suite is downstairs. The kids' rooms and the guest room are upstairs. Her staying with us means DH and me moving into the upstairs guest room so that she can have our room downstairs.
Ugh. Despite my issues with my mother, I do feel an obligation to help out with this situation. But I reserve the right to bitch about it. At least I have 3 days of vacation before I have to deal with this reality.
*I have mentioned occasionally on this blog that I don't get along with my mother, and have essentially cut of ties with her. I talk to her a couple of time a year, but I intentionally keep her at a distance because I don't need her drama infecting my life. The reasons are numerous and I don't feel like going into them now, but they are justified.
I've decided early evening is my favorite time to go to the beach. It's not so dang hot, the crowds have thinned, and the colors are beautiful.
This morning, DH and the twins have gone fishing and I am enjoying some quite time. Our condo is small--a one bedroom, with bunks built into the hallway and a pull-out sofa; maybe half the size of our downstairs at home--and we've had plenty of togetherness. Plus, our friends Damp and Sandy have moved in, and this gives me a chance to sweep them back out without three kids underfoot.
So everything is great again--except for the call I got from my brother yesterday. He had to drive our mother* from Hometown to my city to visit a specialist. She has severe health issues that sort of began when I was a senior in high school and she fell and broke her hip (she was 43). Since then, she's has had both of her hips replaced twice, along with every other major joint in her body.
Anyway, she recently fell again and needs another hip replacement, but can't find a surgeon in Hometown who will do it and is wheelchair bound until something is done. Apparently this is a major undertaking because her bones have deteriorated so much. So she started looking in my city and finally found a surgeon who will talk to her. My brother (who is cursing me for being out of town right now) was charged with bringing her down for her appointment.
The city doc said that she has tumors in both hips and both need to be replaced. He also wants to do aspirations in both hips to see if the tumors are malignant.
So, it's looking like she's going to be stuck in my city for a while. Right now she is staying with her brother and her brother and sister are helping her out this week. (Both live on the opposite end of Big City from me.) But I have a feeling she's going to end up with me. Her doctor is really close to my office, and the hospital is closest to me. Besides, her brother and sister have their own jobs and lives.
I am not terribly happy about this. First, because I have really tried to keep my mother at a distance (for my own and my kids' sakes). And because my house is not wheelchair friendly. There are multiple steps up the front walk, and a tight squeeze through the back door. Only the master suite is downstairs. The kids' rooms and the guest room are upstairs. Her staying with us means DH and me moving into the upstairs guest room so that she can have our room downstairs.
Ugh. Despite my issues with my mother, I do feel an obligation to help out with this situation. But I reserve the right to bitch about it. At least I have 3 days of vacation before I have to deal with this reality.
*I have mentioned occasionally on this blog that I don't get along with my mother, and have essentially cut of ties with her. I talk to her a couple of time a year, but I intentionally keep her at a distance because I don't need her drama infecting my life. The reasons are numerous and I don't feel like going into them now, but they are justified.
8/8/11
Vacay Day 2: This Vacation May Kill Us
Today do not go well.
We started off at the little zoo that could--a lovely little zoo full of playful critters that you can get a bit closer to than at most of the big zoos we've visited. And the girls got to ride a camel and play with lemurs.
Unfortunately, halfway through our visit, PS started feeling bad. First she started seeing spots, then she said her head hurt and she was getting nauseous. I had to leave DH and the twins playing with the lemurs while I ran PS back to the condo. She cried the whole way back. I'm pretty sure she was suffering from her first migraine. I gave her a dose of super Excedrin and a cold washrag on her head and left her alone in a cool dark room for a while.
After I retrieved the rest of the family from the zoo, I took the TT and SS down to the beach while DH stayed with PS in the condo. The wind was blowing today and the waves were crashing hard. I took the kids' boogie board into the the water and was immediately rolled into the sand, and have road rash (sea rash?) on my shin to show for it. For the rest of the afternoon a stream of blood slowly leaked down my leg.
A little later I had retired to the beach with a magazine while the girls played in the surf. SS had a floaty mat and TT had a ring. They started floating a little down the beach from me. They were right at the edge of my comfort level. And, then, within a minute, they were beyond my comfort level. I started walking down the beach toward them, reached TT quickly. I could hear SS yelling at her, and from the tone, I knew she was scared. I ordered TT back to the beach, and headed out toward SS. Even as I was moving toward her, the ocean seemed to be drawing her farther and farther away.
I am not an athlete, but, thankfully, I have always been a strong swimmer. Still, about halfway toward SS I started getting worried. I couldn't touch at all, and she still looked so far away. We weren't on a public beach, so there was no lifeguard. Only a handful of other people, who I hoped were paying attention. Three-quarters of the way there, I was getting tired and really worried. It was pure mommy adrenaline that got me to SS. I finally nabbed the end of SS's mat and side-stroked my way back to shore. It was a whole lot easier getting back to shore than going out. But by the time we did get back my heart was beating about a thousand beats per minute and I was breathing hard. I think it took two hours for my heart rate to come back down.
Once we got back to the beach, I plopped down to text DH. But my iphone said that the temperature was too high to operate. (WTF?) So I carefully balanced it in the cooler. In the meantime, the girls went back to collecting shells in the surf.
And then SS got stung by a jellyfish. So she comes up to me screaming. And, of course, I'd left the bottle of vinegar back in the condo. Right at that moment the wind grabbed TT's floaty ring and rolled it, on it's side down the beach. It rolled and rolled and rolled--at least a couple hundred yards.
So I was still recovering fro my deep-sea rescue, one kid was screaming in pain, and the other was running down the beach after a $2 floaty. At least my phone cooled down so I was able to frantically text DH to bring down the vinegar and help us Sherpa all of our beach gear back to the condo.
By that time PS was feeling better, so we all schlepped back to the condo and crashed for a nap. I can now feel every single muscle in my shoulders and back. At least I got a nice work-out.
We started off at the little zoo that could--a lovely little zoo full of playful critters that you can get a bit closer to than at most of the big zoos we've visited. And the girls got to ride a camel and play with lemurs.
Unfortunately, halfway through our visit, PS started feeling bad. First she started seeing spots, then she said her head hurt and she was getting nauseous. I had to leave DH and the twins playing with the lemurs while I ran PS back to the condo. She cried the whole way back. I'm pretty sure she was suffering from her first migraine. I gave her a dose of super Excedrin and a cold washrag on her head and left her alone in a cool dark room for a while.
After I retrieved the rest of the family from the zoo, I took the TT and SS down to the beach while DH stayed with PS in the condo. The wind was blowing today and the waves were crashing hard. I took the kids' boogie board into the the water and was immediately rolled into the sand, and have road rash (sea rash?) on my shin to show for it. For the rest of the afternoon a stream of blood slowly leaked down my leg.
A little later I had retired to the beach with a magazine while the girls played in the surf. SS had a floaty mat and TT had a ring. They started floating a little down the beach from me. They were right at the edge of my comfort level. And, then, within a minute, they were beyond my comfort level. I started walking down the beach toward them, reached TT quickly. I could hear SS yelling at her, and from the tone, I knew she was scared. I ordered TT back to the beach, and headed out toward SS. Even as I was moving toward her, the ocean seemed to be drawing her farther and farther away.
I am not an athlete, but, thankfully, I have always been a strong swimmer. Still, about halfway toward SS I started getting worried. I couldn't touch at all, and she still looked so far away. We weren't on a public beach, so there was no lifeguard. Only a handful of other people, who I hoped were paying attention. Three-quarters of the way there, I was getting tired and really worried. It was pure mommy adrenaline that got me to SS. I finally nabbed the end of SS's mat and side-stroked my way back to shore. It was a whole lot easier getting back to shore than going out. But by the time we did get back my heart was beating about a thousand beats per minute and I was breathing hard. I think it took two hours for my heart rate to come back down.
Once we got back to the beach, I plopped down to text DH. But my iphone said that the temperature was too high to operate. (WTF?) So I carefully balanced it in the cooler. In the meantime, the girls went back to collecting shells in the surf.
And then SS got stung by a jellyfish. So she comes up to me screaming. And, of course, I'd left the bottle of vinegar back in the condo. Right at that moment the wind grabbed TT's floaty ring and rolled it, on it's side down the beach. It rolled and rolled and rolled--at least a couple hundred yards.
So I was still recovering fro my deep-sea rescue, one kid was screaming in pain, and the other was running down the beach after a $2 floaty. At least my phone cooled down so I was able to frantically text DH to bring down the vinegar and help us Sherpa all of our beach gear back to the condo.
By that time PS was feeling better, so we all schlepped back to the condo and crashed for a nap. I can now feel every single muscle in my shoulders and back. At least I got a nice work-out.
8/7/11
The Leisurely Life
We made it to our vacation condo., after a 12 hour drive yesterday. Of course, the drive took a little longer after a spontaneous detour through a Civil War battleground. The battleground wasn't particularly exciting, but along the battleground tour we stumbled upon a war ship that had been sunk and then raised in the 1960's. It was very cool and definitely made the detour worthwhile.
This morning it was ungodly hot and humid. We came from hot and humid., so I didn't expect the heat to affect us. Here is is less hot and more humid which I think is worse that the more hot and less humid that we came from.
We delayed going to the beach so that we could stock up on groceries and floaties (because we hadn't already dragged enough crap with us). Fortunately, but the time we made it back to the condo, showers had moved through, dropping temperatures and taking the humidity with them. We spent the rest of the afternoon until sunset on the beach, and the kids are begging to go back first thing in the morning. Yep. We have absolutely nothing planned, except on Tuesday when I have reserved a pontoon boat so that we can explore the bay.
So far this vacation is going well.
This morning it was ungodly hot and humid. We came from hot and humid., so I didn't expect the heat to affect us. Here is is less hot and more humid which I think is worse that the more hot and less humid that we came from.
We delayed going to the beach so that we could stock up on groceries and floaties (because we hadn't already dragged enough crap with us). Fortunately, but the time we made it back to the condo, showers had moved through, dropping temperatures and taking the humidity with them. We spent the rest of the afternoon until sunset on the beach, and the kids are begging to go back first thing in the morning. Yep. We have absolutely nothing planned, except on Tuesday when I have reserved a pontoon boat so that we can explore the bay.
So far this vacation is going well.
8/4/11
Baby It's Hot Outside
I have tried not to complain about the heat. I'm just thankful that I'm not pregnant. I carried PS during the second hottest summer in [my hot state's] history. I think we've surpassed that, and it's now the third hottest summer. But it was hot and I was hugely pregnant and miserable and we lived in a crappy duplex where the air conditioner broke every other week.
So this summer hasn't been so bad. I'm not pregnant and I pretty much go from my air conditioned house to my air conditioned car to my air conditioned office and then back again.
Until yesterday. Our house was uncomfortably warm last night at 80 degrees. I though the a/c was just having trouble keeping up in 110 degree heat. But we woke up this morning sticky and sweaty and realizing that the a/c definitely was not working.
We called our neighbor who is an a/c guy, but he was already off on another job. Fortunately, though, he was able to help DH diagnose the problem on the phone and after a quick trip to the parts store we were back in business. Total cost-- $60 and a six-pack for the neighbor.
But the heat seems to be making people crabby. This morning the gate to my office parking garage wasn't working. The lady in front of my kept swiping and swiping her card to no avail. So, since I was stuck behind her, I hopped out of my car to try my card. (I knew she worked in my building because I've been trying to figure out her vanity plate (CU AT PK) for a year.) The gate didn't work when I swiped my card either. So she snatched my card out of my hand and said, "Let me try it." After swiping unsuccessfully another 5 times, she shoved my card at me and said, "I can't believe this, today of all days." Never did her mouth utter a "thank you" for trying to help out.
Then at lunch an equally cranky woman was excessively bitchy to the guys who work the little cafe in my building. I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling her to drop the attitude. Instead I was just extra nice to the cafe guys (these guys make my lunch multiple times a week, I'm always nice to them, anyway).
Seriously, is it necessary to take your crappy attitude out on everybody around you? Eat some damn chocolate and get over it.
8/1/11
Layoffs
A few weeks ago my co-worker was let go. My firm took great pains to ensure that I knew that it was a performance based decision as opposed to an economic one. And that my position was secure. That they fully intended to replace co-worker.
Today a secretary was laid off. The reason: the firm has decided not to replace co-worker after all. So we are (were) overstaffed. It was a business decision--an economic one. Quite a different tale than the one I heard a few weeks ago. But again my firm took great pains to assure me that my position is secure.
So I am the low (wo)man on the totem pole, and it now looks like it will be that way for a while. This doesn't exactly give me warm fuzzies--even though my bosses were highly complimentary of me after both incidents.
On the one hand, I anticipate that I would be the next one out the door if the economy worsens. And I don't know if I would see it coming, because I'm pretty sure the last two didn't (although I definitely noticed enough buzzing in the office both times around to know something was up).
On the other hand, I've been busy since my co-worker left. I am the only full-time associate supporting 5 partners. I think they'd be in trouble without an associate. But it also means that I get all the crap jobs that the partners don't want to do, and that would typically be handed to a lower-level associate. I'm just not sure how I feel about this scenario. My firm is top-heavy and I don't know if there is enough room left for me to grow.
I guess I have some thinking to do, although I don't know that it even matters in this economy.
Today a secretary was laid off. The reason: the firm has decided not to replace co-worker after all. So we are (were) overstaffed. It was a business decision--an economic one. Quite a different tale than the one I heard a few weeks ago. But again my firm took great pains to assure me that my position is secure.
So I am the low (wo)man on the totem pole, and it now looks like it will be that way for a while. This doesn't exactly give me warm fuzzies--even though my bosses were highly complimentary of me after both incidents.
On the one hand, I anticipate that I would be the next one out the door if the economy worsens. And I don't know if I would see it coming, because I'm pretty sure the last two didn't (although I definitely noticed enough buzzing in the office both times around to know something was up).
On the other hand, I've been busy since my co-worker left. I am the only full-time associate supporting 5 partners. I think they'd be in trouble without an associate. But it also means that I get all the crap jobs that the partners don't want to do, and that would typically be handed to a lower-level associate. I'm just not sure how I feel about this scenario. My firm is top-heavy and I don't know if there is enough room left for me to grow.
I guess I have some thinking to do, although I don't know that it even matters in this economy.
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