I hate Sunday nights. They mean it's almost Monday morning, time for the drive to work again. I'm getting a little tired of the traffic, although it could certainly be worse. I think it's time for a vacation. When I started this job, I was excited about all the vacation and Paid Time Off, but I don't seem to be taking advantage of it as I'd hoped. For one, I was terribly busy for several months. Although I feel as if I have come through to the other side, I imagine something will come up and change all of that.
So I decided to make meatballs and sauce and also, for the first time ever, New England Clam Chowder. I found a recipe in my crock pot book and gave it a try. It used bacon, which I thought was odd, but it actually tastes really good despite being very thin (it only used evaporated milk, not cream, and no flour). We are having a soup tasting sort of party at work on Wednesday for the winter birthdays, so I wanted to see if I could actually make my own contribution.
It's been a nice quiet weekend, although somehow I seem to have hurt my neck/back and am unable to stand or sit for too long without my back getting sore and tired. I'm just taking lots of advil and having a little wine here and there. The kitchen prep today didn't do much to help although taking the dogs around the block was good for it. The poor dogs have been housebound for so long with these awful temperatures.
Otherwise, I fear there is not much to report! B has just finished up his midterms and so far the results are mixed. Many of the most important subjects have yet to be posted, including physics, precalc and English. He's barely been home all weekend, but has been instructed to be home for dinner tonight by 7. If I spent the whole day hurting my back and cooking, the least he can do is come home! Also, last night he wanted to go out with some friends and since he's been put in charge of his own laundry and hasn't been doing it, he found himself with no clean shirts and had to borrow one from Kevin to wear under a flannel shirt that we bought him a few weeks ago at Costco!
As for M, she is just back from the second to last swim meet before the champs in Virginia at the end of February. Work and swimming together are more grueling than work and school, it seems, in terms of hours demanded. But she will have a week off from work before she goes off to champs (February break) and then will have miss the following week of work (or most of it). Bad timing, but she will at least be able to rest.
In other news, B did get the flu shot a week ago Thursday, so I hope it will be effective and keep him from the weeklong viral illness he's been prone to getting each February. I'm still waiting for all of this flu news to die down and it doesn't seem to want to go away. Although I still know almost noone who has truly had the flu, and his school has not experienced particularly high absenteeism, I still live in fear of it and pivot my shopping carts on their wheels at the sound of each hacking cough or sneeze while I'm out shopping. Kevin has traveled a few times and of course, takes the bus to work, incubating who knows what for an hour each way every day. But the good news is, tonight I can watch Downton Abbey.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
2013 before we knew it
Well, it's been months. Work has kept me ridiculously busy, I leave between 7:15 and 7:30 every morning and don't get home until 6 or 6:30, rarely take lunch and almost always feel like the things that are happening are always one step ahead of me. Yesterday I had a brief break in the insanity and was able to regroup and focus on some of the things I've been doing; then it began to pick back up again and I left feeling frazzled for the fifth day in a row.
Next week will be worse as I have a meeting Monday, for which I'll have to take and transcribe and post minutes AND watch a speaker that will keep me out until after 9. Tuesday (my BIRTHDAY for crying out loud) I am forced to remain at work for an extra hour for a phone call because nobody could make it work during regular business hours. Yesterday I calculated my hourly wage and it's becoming more paltry as I take on more harried tasks.
Then, on Wednesday, we have the dreaded semi-annual neurology appointment with B, and this is the one where we find out what the MRI showed back in August. We have called a few times and have only been told that we would have heard if there were a problem, so I'm going to assume that this is the case. Still a total stressor, especially as B is banking on this to be his bon voyage visit at this doctor's office, or at least the end of the six month follow-ups, and, hopefully MRIs unless as needed. Although he probably should have one at least every few years to check on his syrinx, curse its sausagey self.
So - the flu. Of course I can't write a blog post under the present events without addressing one of my usual paranoias - the flu. B has been very ill with flulike symptoms both of the last two years and I thought to myself that we'd get him the vaccine this year. He had it twice - once the year he was diagnosed with chiari and had the surgery (the healthiest winter of his life, virus-wise) and the following year, when he contracted bronchitis and developed subsequent serum sickness from the antibiotic. After that I became fearful of foreign substances and he never got the vaccine again. Also if he's had the flu two years in a row, surely he should be spared a third? Although he tested negative both times in the rapid test. But I don't believe it - only the flu could possibly have rendered him so useless for so long.
After weighing the pros and cons, I called the pediatrician only to be told they had run out. They called me yesterday and offered him a few options (which I can't make, because of the above events of this upcoming week) and he now has an appointment for Thursday at 9:30. I will have to go in late to work and he will have to leave school and go back. The good news is that I have time to think it over. If only I could be sure he wasn't going to get sick again! Then I could spare him the chemicals and possible adverse effects of who-knows-what is in that shot for a 60% effectiveness. And is it going to help or make it worse, if he gets it as the season begins to wind down?
Otherwise, M is settling in with her new job, although she has just been overwhelmed with work and practice. She has to be at the pool at 6 and at the car to meet the girls she drives at 6:50, to work at 7:30 and then back to the pool in the afternoons. For the first three weeks, she has mandatory restraint training at work which conflicts with the evening practices. And all of this as the flu rages through Boston (she was too sick to get the shot when they offered them, with her own mini-flu in October/November) and the team is trying to wrap up their season. We are headed to watch her swim in PA today.
Finally, in other news, the college search is on for B. He's been accepted to only one school so far, and has to hear from nine. I'm reasonably sure that they are all waiting to see his midterm grades and won't send decisions until March or so. But one had promised a decision by January 15, so maybe that will happen next week. Something else to add to the list. And Kevin continues his recovery from the shoulder surgery that ruled his thoughts for the better part of the fall. He's in PT twice a week and scares the animals by raising and lowering an umbrella as he lies in bed every night and every morning. Onward and upward!
Next week will be worse as I have a meeting Monday, for which I'll have to take and transcribe and post minutes AND watch a speaker that will keep me out until after 9. Tuesday (my BIRTHDAY for crying out loud) I am forced to remain at work for an extra hour for a phone call because nobody could make it work during regular business hours. Yesterday I calculated my hourly wage and it's becoming more paltry as I take on more harried tasks.
Then, on Wednesday, we have the dreaded semi-annual neurology appointment with B, and this is the one where we find out what the MRI showed back in August. We have called a few times and have only been told that we would have heard if there were a problem, so I'm going to assume that this is the case. Still a total stressor, especially as B is banking on this to be his bon voyage visit at this doctor's office, or at least the end of the six month follow-ups, and, hopefully MRIs unless as needed. Although he probably should have one at least every few years to check on his syrinx, curse its sausagey self.
So - the flu. Of course I can't write a blog post under the present events without addressing one of my usual paranoias - the flu. B has been very ill with flulike symptoms both of the last two years and I thought to myself that we'd get him the vaccine this year. He had it twice - once the year he was diagnosed with chiari and had the surgery (the healthiest winter of his life, virus-wise) and the following year, when he contracted bronchitis and developed subsequent serum sickness from the antibiotic. After that I became fearful of foreign substances and he never got the vaccine again. Also if he's had the flu two years in a row, surely he should be spared a third? Although he tested negative both times in the rapid test. But I don't believe it - only the flu could possibly have rendered him so useless for so long.
After weighing the pros and cons, I called the pediatrician only to be told they had run out. They called me yesterday and offered him a few options (which I can't make, because of the above events of this upcoming week) and he now has an appointment for Thursday at 9:30. I will have to go in late to work and he will have to leave school and go back. The good news is that I have time to think it over. If only I could be sure he wasn't going to get sick again! Then I could spare him the chemicals and possible adverse effects of who-knows-what is in that shot for a 60% effectiveness. And is it going to help or make it worse, if he gets it as the season begins to wind down?
Otherwise, M is settling in with her new job, although she has just been overwhelmed with work and practice. She has to be at the pool at 6 and at the car to meet the girls she drives at 6:50, to work at 7:30 and then back to the pool in the afternoons. For the first three weeks, she has mandatory restraint training at work which conflicts with the evening practices. And all of this as the flu rages through Boston (she was too sick to get the shot when they offered them, with her own mini-flu
Finally, in other news, the college search is on for B. He's been accepted to only one school so far, and has to hear from nine. I'm reasonably sure that they are all waiting to see his midterm grades and won't send decisions until March or so. But one had promised a decision by January 15, so maybe that will happen next week. Something else to add to the list. And Kevin continues his recovery from the shoulder surgery that ruled his thoughts for the better part of the fall. He's in PT twice a week and scares the animals by raising and lowering an umbrella as he lies in bed every night and every morning. Onward and upward!
Monday, October 8, 2012
swearing off macy's for life!
So that should be liberating! How it came to pass is that a coworker passed along her coupons from Macy's so I could use them. I knew the rules for these cards: you have to use your Macy's charge to get the discount. But I have had a Macy's card for years! I don't use it often, and I always pay it right off; in fact it's probably been 10 years since I used it last. But it was surely that long the time before that, too. I just don't go to the mall that often!
I need a new pair of shoes and maybe some boots, so I headed over in Sunday traffic to have a look. First, I have to say that the shoe department was a horror within itself. People just seething everywhere, and it took me 10 minutes of standing around with shoes in my hand to find someone to help. Obviously it's been a long time since I bought shoes at Macy's too, because they have a totally new system. Harried and cranky salespeople have to scan the box, only to tell you then that they have almost nothing in the sizes you have requested. Then, ten minutes later they appear with the ones you barely wanted anyway, and you put them on to discover they're an inch too long for your foot.
And that's how it went. I decided to head up to the petites department to see if I could find something nice to wear to work, and that's where it went from worse to worst, and my separation from Macy's was sealed for eternity. I finally managed to find a sweater and a shirt which would have cost, in total, about $50. At the register, I discovered that my credit card no longer worked. The saleswoman (who worked more slowly than molasses so I had had to wait a fair amount of time just to be put through this experience) offered to 'reactivate' the card, with a license and major credit card.
Knowing that my credit rating is strong, I wasn't worried at all, it was only a reactivation! I knew that I had been rejected once by Sleepy's when trying to get credit for a mattress, but at the time my own income was less than $20,000 a year. Now I felt it was at a respectable level, surely enough to charge $50 on a crappy Macy's credit card! (I had even checked 'store card only', not wanting their AMEX or anything else. I just wanted to charge this, pay it off, and move on.)
Soon I realized things were not going to work out. I had to be put on the phone with a girl, who grilled me and asked me, in front of all around, personal questions about income, mortgage and other investments. It was quite awkward and I told her so, and that if this was going to be a rejection, she should tell me right now because I'll just leave and not take the clothes. Of course, it was a rejection after all. I came home and wrote to Macy's non-existent customer service, and received in response a "thanks for taking our survey!" form letter. What is it with this store, that they just can't get it right? I guess I can now see WHY it's been so long since I purchased anything at Macy's.
Anyway, that was my Macy's debacle. It's truly hardly worth getting upset about it because I really couldn't care less that they didn't give me the card. What I do care about is that they put me through that humiliation over $50 worth of clothes and several hours of shopping out of my precious wasted weekend that I'll never get back to use more fruitfully. But I learned a hard lesson. Macy's sucks!
And in other news, the cold weather is upon us. The leaves are coming off the trees in droves, and the cars are all fogged up every morning. B has decided to shift his college search to warmer climes (which is really an irrelevant quest anyway, as he seems unable to finish an essay despite having been given weeks to complete it.) Fortunately, the community college doesn't require an essay! And if he goes there, just think of all the money we will have to spend at places that are NOT MACY'S!!!
I need a new pair of shoes and maybe some boots, so I headed over in Sunday traffic to have a look. First, I have to say that the shoe department was a horror within itself. People just seething everywhere, and it took me 10 minutes of standing around with shoes in my hand to find someone to help. Obviously it's been a long time since I bought shoes at Macy's too, because they have a totally new system. Harried and cranky salespeople have to scan the box, only to tell you then that they have almost nothing in the sizes you have requested. Then, ten minutes later they appear with the ones you barely wanted anyway, and you put them on to discover they're an inch too long for your foot.
And that's how it went. I decided to head up to the petites department to see if I could find something nice to wear to work, and that's where it went from worse to worst, and my separation from Macy's was sealed for eternity. I finally managed to find a sweater and a shirt which would have cost, in total, about $50. At the register, I discovered that my credit card no longer worked. The saleswoman (who worked more slowly than molasses so I had had to wait a fair amount of time just to be put through this experience) offered to 'reactivate' the card, with a license and major credit card.
Knowing that my credit rating is strong, I wasn't worried at all, it was only a reactivation! I knew that I had been rejected once by Sleepy's when trying to get credit for a mattress, but at the time my own income was less than $20,000 a year. Now I felt it was at a respectable level, surely enough to charge $50 on a crappy Macy's credit card! (I had even checked 'store card only', not wanting their AMEX or anything else. I just wanted to charge this, pay it off, and move on.)
Soon I realized things were not going to work out. I had to be put on the phone with a girl, who grilled me and asked me, in front of all around, personal questions about income, mortgage and other investments. It was quite awkward and I told her so, and that if this was going to be a rejection, she should tell me right now because I'll just leave and not take the clothes. Of course, it was a rejection after all. I came home and wrote to Macy's non-existent customer service, and received in response a "thanks for taking our survey!" form letter. What is it with this store, that they just can't get it right? I guess I can now see WHY it's been so long since I purchased anything at Macy's.
Anyway, that was my Macy's debacle. It's truly hardly worth getting upset about it because I really couldn't care less that they didn't give me the card. What I do care about is that they put me through that humiliation over $50 worth of clothes and several hours of shopping out of my precious wasted weekend that I'll never get back to use more fruitfully. But I learned a hard lesson. Macy's sucks!
And in other news, the cold weather is upon us. The leaves are coming off the trees in droves, and the cars are all fogged up every morning. B has decided to shift his college search to warmer climes (which is really an irrelevant quest anyway, as he seems unable to finish an essay despite having been given weeks to complete it.) Fortunately, the community college doesn't require an essay! And if he goes there, just think of all the money we will have to spend at places that are NOT MACY'S!!!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
September Saturday
and we have been married 22 years today! It's funny how a lot of significant days turn up with the same weather, year after year, even with all the global warming pomp and circumstance. September 11 is such a day, and so is the 15th. Halloween in New Jersey is often a nice clear crisp day, warm enough for no coats. Of course there are exceptions but in general this is how I remember all of these days.
So we will celebrate with a trip to the usual favorite restaurant, despite their sadly unsatisfying crab cakes the last time we went, because I always give them another chance and because they send us $15 gift certificates for every major milestone.
But our biggest news is the mortgage refinance, which will save us $1800 a month beginning in five years ($1200 a month immediately - this is because we had to take a 401k loan to pay down the principal so the ratio would allow us to qualify - that loan will be paid back in five years). Of course, Kevin will use this opportunity to buy himself the new car he's been lusting over for several months - probably a Jeep Wrangler. It's nice to finally be free of Wells Fargo, who did all they could to keep squeezing an extra 3% a month out of us, and refused to refinance because we had a home equity line as a secondary loan - although it was also with them. Now they get nothing! Although in a twist of irony, it looks like they will end up with the processing of the new mortgage anyway. But at least they're not going to be sucking the blood out of us for another 24 years like they had hoped.
Our car status has been just pathetic lately. First, the Explorer cost $300 one day and $500 the next. Then the truck cost $440. Brian's friend's car broke down at school and even my new boss needed an expensive brake job on her car. I'm afraid to touch a car at all! Mine had a light come on the other night, but thankfully it only needed air in the tires. For now.
Anyway, as it's been a long and exhausting week, I am very much looking forward to spending some time at home. I do have to get my newsletter done, but that's become more routine and I can do it in a couple of days of sitting down for a few blocks of time here and there. Kevin is traveling to Sweden for a few days, and of course B is supposed to be studying away. Tennis starts today, and its his first year of being able to drive himself. And the deer are terrible! The other night one was just standing in the shadows, right in the middle of the road, around a curve! Luckily, he was on the other side from where I was driving, but the next time he might not be. It's very creepy.
Not much to report on M, as we don't hear too much detail from her. She went to the Yankee/Red Sox game the other night with a friend of my friend's daughters. She's still awaiting delivery of a couch, and I assume still struggling to regain her physics brain so she can tackle that class. She did say she enjoyed her audiology class this year more than last, so hopefully the physics brain will come back to her soon! Audiology is a longer school commitment, as the terminal degree is a PhD; for speech (at least for now) you can get a job with a MS, which she can get in five years if she does everything right. Of course, the audiology path could be more lucrative, but only time will tell what will be. It also will cost a lot more!
B has managed to survive his first week of senior year, barely. First, he lost the parking tag before he even got home on the day he got it. Then, on the third day of school, I got a call at 9:05 that he wasn't there. Although I had spoken to him several times before I left the house at 7:20, and probably should have feared a horrible wreck, I understood him more likely to still be snoring away in bed, and indeed he was. This promises to be an ongoing challenge, and one which he'd better get under control if he expects to be sent to a residential college! We aren't paying tuition for him to sleep through classes!
And in other news, we will soon kick up the college search. Lots of schools are starting to send invitations to their open houses, which of course are all on Saturdays (same as tennis) or are far away and end late on Sundays. I have tried to step back and let B manage this to some degree but I also have a sense that it won't get done. His high school is very structured and insists on all applications being in by the Monday after Thanksgiving, even for regular decision. Early applications are due much earlier than that. So that takes the pressure off, a little. Even thought there will be pressure, it's their own and no actual deadlines are in danger of being missed. But with B and his organizational challenges, it promises to be an adventure.
So we will celebrate with a trip to the usual favorite restaurant, despite their sadly unsatisfying crab cakes the last time we went, because I always give them another chance and because they send us $15 gift certificates for every major milestone.
But our biggest news is the mortgage refinance, which will save us $1800 a month beginning in five years ($1200 a month immediately - this is because we had to take a 401k loan to pay down the principal so the ratio would allow us to qualify - that loan will be paid back in five years). Of course, Kevin will use this opportunity to buy himself the new car he's been lusting over for several months - probably a Jeep Wrangler. It's nice to finally be free of Wells Fargo, who did all they could to keep squeezing an extra 3% a month out of us, and refused to refinance because we had a home equity line as a secondary loan - although it was also with them. Now they get nothing! Although in a twist of irony, it looks like they will end up with the processing of the new mortgage anyway. But at least they're not going to be sucking the blood out of us for another 24 years like they had hoped.
Our car status has been just pathetic lately. First, the Explorer cost $300 one day and $500 the next. Then the truck cost $440. Brian's friend's car broke down at school and even my new boss needed an expensive brake job on her car. I'm afraid to touch a car at all! Mine had a light come on the other night, but thankfully it only needed air in the tires. For now.
Anyway, as it's been a long and exhausting week, I am very much looking forward to spending some time at home. I do have to get my newsletter done, but that's become more routine and I can do it in a couple of days of sitting down for a few blocks of time here and there. Kevin is traveling to Sweden for a few days, and of course B is supposed to be studying away. Tennis starts today, and its his first year of being able to drive himself. And the deer are terrible! The other night one was just standing in the shadows, right in the middle of the road, around a curve! Luckily, he was on the other side from where I was driving, but the next time he might not be. It's very creepy.
Not much to report on M, as we don't hear too much detail from her. She went to the Yankee/Red Sox game the other night with a friend of my friend's daughters. She's still awaiting delivery of a couch, and I assume still struggling to regain her physics brain so she can tackle that class. She did say she enjoyed her audiology class this year more than last, so hopefully the physics brain will come back to her soon! Audiology is a longer school commitment, as the terminal degree is a PhD; for speech (at least for now) you can get a job with a MS, which she can get in five years if she does everything right. Of course, the audiology path could be more lucrative, but only time will tell what will be. It also will cost a lot more!
B has managed to survive his first week of senior year, barely. First, he lost the parking tag before he even got home on the day he got it. Then, on the third day of school, I got a call at 9:05 that he wasn't there. Although I had spoken to him several times before I left the house at 7:20, and probably should have feared a horrible wreck, I understood him more likely to still be snoring away in bed, and indeed he was. This promises to be an ongoing challenge, and one which he'd better get under control if he expects to be sent to a residential college! We aren't paying tuition for him to sleep through classes!
And in other news, we will soon kick up the college search. Lots of schools are starting to send invitations to their open houses, which of course are all on Saturdays (same as tennis) or are far away and end late on Sundays. I have tried to step back and let B manage this to some degree but I also have a sense that it won't get done. His high school is very structured and insists on all applications being in by the Monday after Thanksgiving, even for regular decision. Early applications are due much earlier than that. So that takes the pressure off, a little. Even thought there will be pressure, it's their own and no actual deadlines are in danger of being missed. But with B and his organizational challenges, it promises to be an adventure.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
bring on the rain
It sure is hot! Of all days to have this weather, I finally got my hair cut after three months, and had some bad gray streaks mitigated (for now). As I went to leave home, the skies opened up. Fortunately, when I left the salon, they had cleared, but humidity and heat are now up and the trees are dancing, a harbinger of storms to come. I guess we will see.
Kevin and I were out way too late last night (for me) and although it was a fun night, as I nursed a glass of wine, the hosts announced a DWI checkpoint on our route home. Three hours later, with me totally sober but exhausted and paranoid, we took a detour and came the long way home. By the time I got to sleep, it was close to 1. My entire body aches when I do this these days! It didn't help that I had been up since 6.
So - M is back to school. She has to take physics, which is causing her some anxiety since it's been two years since she last had anything requiring mathematical thinking. But she enjoys her audiology class this time (last year I think it was very dry) and also loves her social psychology teacher (sort of a given, I would hope, or at least a requirement for one to attain such a position, that the personality should befit the subject matter and be entertaining). Her apartment is probably her biggest source of excitement over being back, and she has already started swim training for the season. She can walk to Whole Foods in less time than it takes me to drive to the one here. The bad news is that Abby is pining for her long-lost pal.
B started school yesterday. As always, he is determined to perform well this year. He too has physics, and he has precalc. It isn't going to be an easy year, and it's an important one for college. He should be able to manage it, but he will have to learn to control his lack of focus.
Having just passed his driver's test two weeks ago, he has taken to the roads in M's Explorer, which we knew was in need of some sort of repair (turned out to be a rusted wheel bearing, and$300 later, that is all fixed ). Meanwhile, the other day, the battery light and warning sign came on, and the garage (during the wheel repair) said it was fine. Sure enough, half an hour later it came back on, refused to go off, and the battery charge drained down to 'E'. This morning we had to take it in to a different place, and drop an additional $500 on an alternator.
Other than that and the college applications, B is status quo. Oh, he did have his MRIs last month but we have heard nothing back. I may call, but since it ties my stomach up in such knots, I'll probably end up waiting until our November appointment.
As for my job, it is much, much improved. I like my new boss and appreciate her honed administrative skills, which the organization was really lacking prior to her arrival. Of course it's too soon to tell if this will prove to be symbiotic or cause rebellion, but I have not seen her make any move other than one that was unarguably the right one. I rarely sit and stare with nothing to do anymore, and I feel almost as if my brain is awakening from a long sleep. Of course, nothing is perfect and without knowing the future, I do still keep an eye out just in case; the commute and the salary both have room for major improvement. But for now, I am happy to be where I am.
And in other news, we may have actually managed to secure a refinancing. Kevin is waiting impatiently as the underwriters do their thing, but everything up till now seems to be in order. If we ever manage to close, we will save about $1100 a month, which is nothing to sneeze about. It sure will help when we have to pay two tuitions next year! Of course, Kevin plans to use the money to buy himself a Jeep.
Kevin and I were out way too late last night (for me) and although it was a fun night, as I nursed a glass of wine, the hosts announced a DWI checkpoint on our route home. Three hours later, with me totally sober but exhausted and paranoid, we took a detour and came the long way home. By the time I got to sleep, it was close to 1. My entire body aches when I do this these days! It didn't help that I had been up since 6.
So - M is back to school. She has to take physics, which is causing her some anxiety since it's been two years since she last had anything requiring mathematical thinking. But she enjoys her audiology class this time (last year I think it was very dry) and also loves her social psychology teacher (sort of a given, I would hope, or at least a requirement for one to attain such a position, that the personality should befit the subject matter and be entertaining). Her apartment is probably her biggest source of excitement over being back, and she has already started swim training for the season. She can walk to Whole Foods in less time than it takes me to drive to the one here. The bad news is that Abby is pining for her long-lost pal.
B started school yesterday. As always, he is determined to perform well this year. He too has physics, and he has precalc. It isn't going to be an easy year, and it's an important one for college. He should be able to manage it, but he will have to learn to control his lack of focus.
Having just passed his driver's test two weeks ago, he has taken to the roads in M's Explorer, which we knew was in need of some sort of repair (turned out to be a rusted wheel bearing, and$300 later, that is all fixed ). Meanwhile, the other day, the battery light and warning sign came on, and the garage (during the wheel repair) said it was fine. Sure enough, half an hour later it came back on, refused to go off, and the battery charge drained down to 'E'. This morning we had to take it in to a different place, and drop an additional $500 on an alternator.
Other than that and the college applications, B is status quo. Oh, he did have his MRIs last month but we have heard nothing back. I may call, but since it ties my stomach up in such knots, I'll probably end up waiting until our November appointment.
As for my job, it is much, much improved. I like my new boss and appreciate her honed administrative skills, which the organization was really lacking prior to her arrival. Of course it's too soon to tell if this will prove to be symbiotic or cause rebellion, but I have not seen her make any move other than one that was unarguably the right one. I rarely sit and stare with nothing to do anymore, and I feel almost as if my brain is awakening from a long sleep. Of course, nothing is perfect and without knowing the future, I do still keep an eye out just in case; the commute and the salary both have room for major improvement. But for now, I am happy to be where I am.
And in other news, we may have actually managed to secure a refinancing. Kevin is waiting impatiently as the underwriters do their thing, but everything up till now seems to be in order. If we ever manage to close, we will save about $1100 a month, which is nothing to sneeze about. It sure will help when we have to pay two tuitions next year! Of course, Kevin plans to use the money to buy himself a Jeep.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
what, no water????
So during Irene, a bridge was washed away by our drinking water. In fact, it took out the home of a former KISS rocker, knocked it right off of its foundation, causing him to lament the loss of much of his memorabilia, as he wasn't being allowed inside to retrieve it due to risk of collapse of the home. How long ago was that? Ten months?
Things are a little slow at work, sort of the calm in the eye of the storm, just after a major snafu debacle and just before the change in administration which will affect me in unknown ways. So I checked into my news source, Facebook, to find reports of a major water main break in town. So major, in fact, that we no longer are gathering water in our reservoir. We're on a mandatory water restriction, under a state of emergency, and very much in the dark as to why this happened or how long it will last. The entire midsections of three intake pipes are simply gone into the water below. The very same pedestrian bridge damaged by Irene collapsed around them - but it was such a flimsy bunch of boards to begin with, it's difficult to imagine that it could have caused the entire fiasco.
So far, we're little affected, our water works and the pressure is good. Although the water looks clear, we've been advised not to drink it, so I gathered up a bunch of water in Princeton yesterday before I came home from work. Luckily, our power is on (some not so lucky in this extreme heat) and our pool is filled. This may end up being the first day it gets some use!
M is off to work, she is also filling in for someone on Monday which means she will work six days in a row. I don't like that, and hope at least one or two of them are complete washouts (she is already way too tan and it's not even July...) B is a bum; he'll start tennis camp on Monday, going twice a week, but other than that his days aren't too full until he heads off to his computer 'camp' in three weeks. He'll do some volunteering at the nursing home again, if he ever gets on the ball, and of course he needs all of his medical testing done as well.
Kevin is off on one of his obsessive bike rides, he finally found someone to go with him, a former co-swim parent and fellow congregant at our dysfunctional church. So they're off on their maiden voyage together, out in this building heat.
So I guess things are not that exciting. We're gearing up the college search for B, welcoming any suggestions for an average kid in a world where above average is the new average. His hope will be his essay, which has to be well done and has to draw attention to the fact that his grades, while averaging out to a lackluster GPA, have staged steady increases ever since freshman year. So the challenge will be for him to maintain that climb in time for first quarter/semester grades, and to tie in the whole chiari experience with the difficulty in settling into high school, and ultimately, a more competitive junior/senior year GPA as compared to the first two years.
The real challenge is to find a school with admissions standards relaxed enough that he will get in, without sacrifice of education quality or motivation of the other students. And to keep this within a respectable budget, as his top choice school is one of the priciest schools around; although its reputation is solid in the community and it could offer him opportunities after graduation, another important consideration in this search.
And in other news, we had our house and deck painted last week. We waited a month past the date we were given for the guys to show up, and then they blew through like a tornado, knocking over bushes and leaving unfinished bits everywhere. I guess that's what happens when you hire people and nobody is around to watch them work. They were dropped off by their boss, and the only one home was B, who managed to sleep through their hollering and banging around, which began at 7am daily.
But now I must be off - I took a vacation day on Monday, mainly to get caught up in dust bunny maintenance and laundry (which is now prohibited by the county!) so I probably should try to get a start on that.
Things are a little slow at work, sort of the calm in the eye of the storm, just after a major snafu debacle and just before the change in administration which will affect me in unknown ways. So I checked into my news source, Facebook, to find reports of a major water main break in town. So major, in fact, that we no longer are gathering water in our reservoir. We're on a mandatory water restriction, under a state of emergency, and very much in the dark as to why this happened or how long it will last. The entire midsections of three intake pipes are simply gone into the water below. The very same pedestrian bridge damaged by Irene collapsed around them - but it was such a flimsy bunch of boards to begin with, it's difficult to imagine that it could have caused the entire fiasco.
So far, we're little affected, our water works and the pressure is good. Although the water looks clear, we've been advised not to drink it, so I gathered up a bunch of water in Princeton yesterday before I came home from work. Luckily, our power is on (some not so lucky in this extreme heat) and our pool is filled. This may end up being the first day it gets some use!
M is off to work, she is also filling in for someone on Monday which means she will work six days in a row. I don't like that, and hope at least one or two of them are complete washouts (she is already way too tan and it's not even July...) B is a bum; he'll start tennis camp on Monday, going twice a week, but other than that his days aren't too full until he heads off to his computer 'camp' in three weeks. He'll do some volunteering at the nursing home again, if he ever gets on the ball, and of course he needs all of his medical testing done as well.
Kevin is off on one of his obsessive bike rides, he finally found someone to go with him, a former co-swim parent and fellow congregant at our dysfunctional church. So they're off on their maiden voyage together, out in this building heat.
So I guess things are not that exciting. We're gearing up the college search for B, welcoming any suggestions for an average kid in a world where above average is the new average. His hope will be his essay, which has to be well done and has to draw attention to the fact that his grades, while averaging out to a lackluster GPA, have staged steady increases ever since freshman year. So the challenge will be for him to maintain that climb in time for first quarter/semester grades, and to tie in the whole chiari experience with the difficulty in settling into high school, and ultimately, a more competitive junior/senior year GPA as compared to the first two years.
The real challenge is to find a school with admissions standards relaxed enough that he will get in, without sacrifice of education quality or motivation of the other students. And to keep this within a respectable budget, as his top choice school is one of the priciest schools around; although its reputation is solid in the community and it could offer him opportunities after graduation, another important consideration in this search.
And in other news, we had our house and deck painted last week. We waited a month past the date we were given for the guys to show up, and then they blew through like a tornado, knocking over bushes and leaving unfinished bits everywhere. I guess that's what happens when you hire people and nobody is around to watch them work. They were dropped off by their boss, and the only one home was B, who managed to sleep through their hollering and banging around, which began at 7am daily.
But now I must be off - I took a vacation day on Monday, mainly to get caught up in dust bunny maintenance and laundry (which is now prohibited by the county!) so I probably should try to get a start on that.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
of blogs and creativity
Well, can it be so? Occasionally I will search the hits, to see the terms that bring viewers, few and far between, to my little blog. About three years ago, I posted a link to an article featuring B and his surgical complication. Apparently, this search has landed me #54 in Google's searches on the topic. I have recently learned that the power of Google is indeed a mighty force. Initially, when this blog was indexed by the "bots" it had WAY more identifying information than it should have had, and more details than should have been prudent! So I revised the blog and took out some of the details, but in the cache, often the facts remain.
But what transpired was a revisitation of the past - I perused a few blogs and had a few chuckles - hard to believe that it's just been a few years and already I've forgotten that chipmunks drowned in our pool, only hours after being rescued from the jaws of the Wren (a few circa 2012 have not been so fated, although I've not been home to witness, nor have I been responsible for the release of the beast, despite her loud and repeated pleas for acquiescence). I seemed to have a great connection to specific beloved shrubs, many of which I fear I see withering in the yard this year. I attributed this to the weather, but in fact it may instead be neglect. Not so much lack of water and care as lack of caring!
So this is what my going back to work has done ... my blog is dry, and my yard no better! Seven pets now roam the halls in search of entertainment, and, not finding it, they either eat my kitchen table or pee on my bathmat! But all is well. The college bills will be paid; at least for this year.
Anyway, the point is not to bemoan my working. On the contrary, I often feel as if it's given me my self back. But it may have drained some of my creativity when it comes to my blog, and my yard, and it's certainly left my pets just a bit more lonesome. Thankfully they have had M all of these days, and B will now be with them as well. Abby no longer has to live in the hall - the other day we had a mysterious ant invasion and Kevin, ever the savior, doused her whole hall with ant spray, so I refused to put her back there. This put a short life on M's June lie-ins, as she reported awakening to a big wet nose the second day of Abby's freedom. But the good news is that the wood furniture has remained intact.
So it is interesting that I have to watch my writing style as well. The style at work tends to be more flowery and unlike me and it took me a while to realize I didn't have to end all my letters with things like "blah blah blah blah blah," and that I could just say, "blah" as always and perhaps "blah blah." I guess it's a good sign that I'm back to myself. Although I'll have to be careful. Don't want to be too unflowery - in the yard or in the email!
And in other news, we finally got to the beach today, just in time to see M and her partner get an earful about how to handle dead-in-the-water boats (not the way they handled one, which was to allow it to nearly wash up on shore!) But it was surprisingly warm and comfortable on the beach today. It would be nice to have more time to enjoy it! I did have a good laugh when a beachgoer came up and asked them what they do when a boat loses power and starts to wash ashore. They responded, "oh, we swim it back out," as if it's just one of those instinctive lifeguard talents. (I guess the guy had been too far away when their boss came by on the beach buggy).
But what transpired was a revisitation of the past - I perused a few blogs and had a few chuckles - hard to believe that it's just been a few years and already I've forgotten that chipmunks drowned in our pool, only hours after being rescued from the jaws of the Wren (a few circa 2012 have not been so fated, although I've not been home to witness, nor have I been responsible for the release of the beast, despite her loud and repeated pleas for acquiescence). I seemed to have a great connection to specific beloved shrubs, many of which I fear I see withering in the yard this year. I attributed this to the weather, but in fact it may instead be neglect. Not so much lack of water and care as lack of caring!
So this is what my going back to work has done ... my blog is dry, and my yard no better! Seven pets now roam the halls in search of entertainment, and, not finding it, they either eat my kitchen table or pee on my bathmat! But all is well. The college bills will be paid; at least for this year.
Anyway, the point is not to bemoan my working. On the contrary, I often feel as if it's given me my self back. But it may have drained some of my creativity when it comes to my blog, and my yard, and it's certainly left my pets just a bit more lonesome. Thankfully they have had M all of these days, and B will now be with them as well. Abby no longer has to live in the hall - the other day we had a mysterious ant invasion and Kevin, ever the savior, doused her whole hall with ant spray, so I refused to put her back there. This put a short life on M's June lie-ins, as she reported awakening to a big wet nose the second day of Abby's freedom. But the good news is that the wood furniture has remained intact.
So it is interesting that I have to watch my writing style as well. The style at work tends to be more flowery and unlike me and it took me a while to realize I didn't have to end all my letters with things like "blah blah blah blah blah," and that I could just say, "blah" as always and perhaps "blah blah." I guess it's a good sign that I'm back to myself. Although I'll have to be careful. Don't want to be too unflowery - in the yard or in the email!
And in other news, we finally got to the beach today, just in time to see M and her partner get an earful about how to handle dead-in-the-water boats (not the way they handled one, which was to allow it to nearly wash up on shore!) But it was surprisingly warm and comfortable on the beach today. It would be nice to have more time to enjoy it! I did have a good laugh when a beachgoer came up and asked them what they do when a boat loses power and starts to wash ashore. They responded, "oh, we swim it back out," as if it's just one of those instinctive lifeguard talents. (I guess the guy had been too far away when their boss came by on the beach buggy).
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