So, it's been a year and a half.
Hi.
I'm afraid if I start writing I'll never stop, so I'm just going to update with stuff that happened today.
Ashley moved to Kansas City in February. She has a new job, which she really loves. Unfortunately, she has a boyfriend (that's not the unfortunate part) who lives in Baltimore. He's in KC right now, and she texted me a picture of him getting a tattoo today, telling me how jealous she is and to please wire her money so she can get one, too. (I didn't.)
Erin, Nic, and the three hooligans took the train to NYC today, to spend the weekend. Nic has their visit planned down to the minute, but as usual, rushed them so much this morning that they got on the train without having breakfast, and with less snacks than Erin wanted to bring. He also refused to take the stroller, so they're schlepping around New York with a four-year old and two two-year olds, on foot. I got a million enraged texts from her today, but as I tried to tell her, without pissing her off even more, why do you let him do that stuff? None of this is new. Anyway, nothing has changed. The boys are beyond adorable, wild as can be, Nic is an ass, Erin is unhappy but finally back on antidepressants, and I'm going to see them next month, because Sebastian saw a plane fly over their house the other day and FaceTimed me to ask why I wasn't on it.
Adam is working on opening a bonsai garden about 45 minutes out of Tokyo. We were there last month and his place is beautiful. They found a property with three acres and a great house, which is pretty unusual in Japan, apparently. He called today to ask my opinion on what he plans on charging visitors for bonsai garden tours, day-long workshops at his garden, quarantine and import fees, etc. I'm also supposed to be writing the copy for his website. Like, right now, I need to get it done tonight. Which is why I'm doing this instead.
Neville is getting old. He'll be 12 soon. His right kneecap keeps slipping out of place, like every third step, so he needs to be carried around a lot. He has a very preemptory bark when he needs something. I'm getting some sticky stuff for the bottom of his feet give him some traction, which I hope works. Poor baby.
We acquired another dog last December. A five-year old - well, he's six now - Frenchie. The story is murky, lots of secrets, no one was prosecuted, I don't even think there was an investigation, but someone held him over, then lowered him into an open fire. His chest, face, and all four feet were badly burned. His foster mother had a friend who happened to work in the burn program with Larry and asked his advice about his feet, and we said, here's what dressing to use and we'll take him. He's a white Frenchie and had to wear socks while his feet healed, so we had no choice but to name him Dobby. His right front foot didn't heal well - the pads fused and what's left is very thin, and his two middle toes kept poking through - so Wednesday he had surgery to amputate those toes. He's quite drugged up at the moment, because it hurts, but he's the nicest, friendliest, most loving dog I've ever met. His favorite thing to do is meet new people, because they might tell him how cute he is. I try not to be filled with rage when we deal with his problems, but that's a pretty chronic state for me these days, anyway, so it's not easy.
Lar retired from the burn program at the end of June, but started the beginning of this month as the director of the outpatient wound program. There's no call, no weekends, and it's only three days a week, so he's somewhat more cheerful and less exhausted. Forty years of being on call has kind of beaten him down, so I let him be cranky. He's now a reformed - and appalled - ex-Republican and spends all day watching MSNBC, shaking his head and asking me how we got here. I tell him every time that's what happens when you vote for Republicans. I'm grateful for that conversion, at least, even if there's only so much MSNBC one can take. All. Day. Long.
I'm fine. (she says in the same tone Emma Thompson says it to Alan Rickman at the end of "Love, Actually) I'm heading to Orlando Sunday to spend a day and a half at Disney World with
silveryscrape. Luckily I have a wound doctor around to handle Dobby's dressing changes while I'm gone.
Hi.
I'm afraid if I start writing I'll never stop, so I'm just going to update with stuff that happened today.
Ashley moved to Kansas City in February. She has a new job, which she really loves. Unfortunately, she has a boyfriend (that's not the unfortunate part) who lives in Baltimore. He's in KC right now, and she texted me a picture of him getting a tattoo today, telling me how jealous she is and to please wire her money so she can get one, too. (I didn't.)
Erin, Nic, and the three hooligans took the train to NYC today, to spend the weekend. Nic has their visit planned down to the minute, but as usual, rushed them so much this morning that they got on the train without having breakfast, and with less snacks than Erin wanted to bring. He also refused to take the stroller, so they're schlepping around New York with a four-year old and two two-year olds, on foot. I got a million enraged texts from her today, but as I tried to tell her, without pissing her off even more, why do you let him do that stuff? None of this is new. Anyway, nothing has changed. The boys are beyond adorable, wild as can be, Nic is an ass, Erin is unhappy but finally back on antidepressants, and I'm going to see them next month, because Sebastian saw a plane fly over their house the other day and FaceTimed me to ask why I wasn't on it.
Adam is working on opening a bonsai garden about 45 minutes out of Tokyo. We were there last month and his place is beautiful. They found a property with three acres and a great house, which is pretty unusual in Japan, apparently. He called today to ask my opinion on what he plans on charging visitors for bonsai garden tours, day-long workshops at his garden, quarantine and import fees, etc. I'm also supposed to be writing the copy for his website. Like, right now, I need to get it done tonight. Which is why I'm doing this instead.
Neville is getting old. He'll be 12 soon. His right kneecap keeps slipping out of place, like every third step, so he needs to be carried around a lot. He has a very preemptory bark when he needs something. I'm getting some sticky stuff for the bottom of his feet give him some traction, which I hope works. Poor baby.
We acquired another dog last December. A five-year old - well, he's six now - Frenchie. The story is murky, lots of secrets, no one was prosecuted, I don't even think there was an investigation, but someone held him over, then lowered him into an open fire. His chest, face, and all four feet were badly burned. His foster mother had a friend who happened to work in the burn program with Larry and asked his advice about his feet, and we said, here's what dressing to use and we'll take him. He's a white Frenchie and had to wear socks while his feet healed, so we had no choice but to name him Dobby. His right front foot didn't heal well - the pads fused and what's left is very thin, and his two middle toes kept poking through - so Wednesday he had surgery to amputate those toes. He's quite drugged up at the moment, because it hurts, but he's the nicest, friendliest, most loving dog I've ever met. His favorite thing to do is meet new people, because they might tell him how cute he is. I try not to be filled with rage when we deal with his problems, but that's a pretty chronic state for me these days, anyway, so it's not easy.
Lar retired from the burn program at the end of June, but started the beginning of this month as the director of the outpatient wound program. There's no call, no weekends, and it's only three days a week, so he's somewhat more cheerful and less exhausted. Forty years of being on call has kind of beaten him down, so I let him be cranky. He's now a reformed - and appalled - ex-Republican and spends all day watching MSNBC, shaking his head and asking me how we got here. I tell him every time that's what happens when you vote for Republicans. I'm grateful for that conversion, at least, even if there's only so much MSNBC one can take. All. Day. Long.
I'm fine. (she says in the same tone Emma Thompson says it to Alan Rickman at the end of "Love, Actually) I'm heading to Orlando Sunday to spend a day and a half at Disney World with
silveryscrape. Luckily I have a wound doctor around to handle Dobby's dressing changes while I'm gone.I am still in Vermont. Still in this house. Still with these people. I feel as if I've always been here. I'm starting to forget my real life.
This must be what Stockholm Syndrome is like.
( And this is what I woke up to this morningCollapse )
This must be what Stockholm Syndrome is like.
( And this is what I woke up to this morningCollapse )
Okay, so it's been a long day. But at 8:02 and 8:03 this morning, Lucas James and Isaac Lennon Poppe were born.
Lucas weighed 7lbs 14.6oz and Isaac weighed 7lbs 5oz. Erin was carrying around more than 15 pounds of baby. She's recovering nicely, although she's pretty tired.
They're extremely adorable, even though they're still at that looking like little old men stage.
( Lucas is in the yellow hat, Isaac is wearing blue.Collapse )
Lucas weighed 7lbs 14.6oz and Isaac weighed 7lbs 5oz. Erin was carrying around more than 15 pounds of baby. She's recovering nicely, although she's pretty tired.
They're extremely adorable, even though they're still at that looking like little old men stage.
( Lucas is in the yellow hat, Isaac is wearing blue.Collapse )
Okay, this is it. Erin is scheduled for a C-section at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning. She'll be at 38 weeks and 1 day. The ultrasound from last week estimated Baby A as weighing 7lbs 4oz and Baby B at 7lbs 8oz. Give or take, but that was the estimate. (As she's only gained 18 pounds, it looks like her ass has completely disappeared.)
( where the laws of physics have no meaningCollapse )
So Lucas James and Isaac Lennon will be here soon. I myself have been here since March 28th, and Nic is lucky he's still alive. He's the most annoying person I've ever met, I swear to god. Not a bad person, really, just goddamn annoying. I usually just call Lois or Ashley to vent, otherwise I'd blow up at him and no one needs for that to happen. He'd just accuse me of not treating him with the proper respect, and Erin would have to listen to him whine, so I just concentrate on Erin and Sebastian. Which is much more fun, and way easier.
But tonight I'm excited, so I'm feeling charitable. I also have some chocolate hidden in my purse - can't have it in plain sight or Nic will eat it and then blame Erin for buying it. She should know he has no will power! Hasn't she met his mother?? Would she buy alcohol if she lived with an alcoholic? We can't possibly know what it's like to crave sweet things and then not be able to stop ourselves from eating ALL OF IT. We didn't grow up with brothers and sisters who ate all the food before Nic could get any!
And he still thinks I wasn't happy because he ate all the M&Ms she bought for me, instead of not liking that he gave her such a hard time for buying them and putting them someplace where he could see them.
Charitable, right. I'll stop.
Anyway, Erin is somewhat terrified and still not altogether thrilled that her cozy little family of three is about to become a horde of five. The logistics are worrying her. :)
( where the laws of physics have no meaningCollapse )
So Lucas James and Isaac Lennon will be here soon. I myself have been here since March 28th, and Nic is lucky he's still alive. He's the most annoying person I've ever met, I swear to god. Not a bad person, really, just goddamn annoying. I usually just call Lois or Ashley to vent, otherwise I'd blow up at him and no one needs for that to happen. He'd just accuse me of not treating him with the proper respect, and Erin would have to listen to him whine, so I just concentrate on Erin and Sebastian. Which is much more fun, and way easier.
But tonight I'm excited, so I'm feeling charitable. I also have some chocolate hidden in my purse - can't have it in plain sight or Nic will eat it and then blame Erin for buying it. She should know he has no will power! Hasn't she met his mother?? Would she buy alcohol if she lived with an alcoholic? We can't possibly know what it's like to crave sweet things and then not be able to stop ourselves from eating ALL OF IT. We didn't grow up with brothers and sisters who ate all the food before Nic could get any!
And he still thinks I wasn't happy because he ate all the M&Ms she bought for me, instead of not liking that he gave her such a hard time for buying them and putting them someplace where he could see them.
Charitable, right. I'll stop.
Anyway, Erin is somewhat terrified and still not altogether thrilled that her cozy little family of three is about to become a horde of five. The logistics are worrying her. :)
Ha, so we had a wonderful time in Chicago last weekend. All three of us had 3:30 flights out of O'Hare on Sunday. It started to snow around noon. hammerhead22 and kiffle left pretty much on time. My flight was, of course, cancelled. There was a plane at the gate. We were one minute from boarding, according to the monitor. As we were standing in line to be rebooked, someone asked why it had been cancelled. Without looking up, the ticket agent jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the window and shrugged, "It's snowing."
So I got rebooked on the 6:45 flight, which left at 8:30 for a variety of reasons, and my suitcase ended up on the 8 o'clock flight, which, by the time I got to Columbus at 10:30, hadn't yet left Chicago. But they delivered it in the middle of the night and when I woke up Monday morning, there it was by the front door.
The best part was that the 6:45 flight was oversold by two, so they wanted volunteers to give up their seats and travel to Columbus the next day. By way of either New York or Charlotte. Seriously, they were offering $300, dinner and breakfast, and a hotel room, to fly to either New York or Charlotte at 7am the next morning, and then fly to C'bus, arriving at 2pm. Like they thought someone would actually do that for less that $1000. (One person actually did, bless their heart.) While at the same time, they were adding people to the standby list, until they were up to 17. We ended up with three standby passengers and two flight crew deadheading.
Whatever. It's a 56 minute flight. How is it so HARD??
But again, we had a fabulous time, because we always do.
Even though I'm not training for a race at present, I've still been running a lot lately. Between 20 and 25 miles a week, mostly because I'm really enjoying it. There's been actual sunshine around here lately. But there's something about going over the 20 mile mark that makes me really hungry. Like, all the time. The amount of almonds, hummus, cottage cheese, peanut butter toast, fish, carrots, and bananas I've been eating is ridiculous. I sit around and think about protein all the time.
(Meanwhile, Ashley tells me Cadbury white chocolate Easter eggs are everything she thought they'd be and more. There's protein in chocolate, right?)
Larry is away in DC at a meeting this week. Neville hates that, because he likes to go to bed at 7:30, as does Lar, and now he has to stay up and sleep on the couch until midnight instead. Poor baby.
Seba has the croup, so now Nic has a cold. Erin told him she does, too, but he said his is different, it's so much WORSE than hers. He's very mansick!
He did finally get Sebastian's baby stuff out of the attic so Erin can start getting things ready for the imminent arrival of, you know, TWINS. She's been asking and asking, and he alway says he'll do it, and then he never does. He's been off work, or at least not teaching classes, since before Christmas. His classes just started up again last Monday, and he still hadn't gotten stuff down at that point. The amount of texts I've received on that subject is pretty amazing, let me tell you.
Fannishly, I'm so boring these days. I'm way behind on SPN this season, and I've only watched the first X-FIles episode. I've recorded them all and Lar and I are planning on watching them together. Sometime. It's weird, I find it hard to revisit old fandoms that I felt strongly about. I remember how I felt, but I can't dredge up the feelings again. Thinking about old fandoms makes me smile, but not much more than that.
The Blue Jackets are doing their usual end-of-season surge, making sure they put themselves well out of contention for the number one draft pick. As usual. They are 0 for 12 when it comes to the draft lottery the years they've been eligible, which is damned impressive.
I did start writing a story the other day, but I have no idea if I'll be able to sustain it. I know what I want to write, but I'm not sure how much difference that'll make in my ability to write it.
( SebastianCollapse )
hammerhead22 and kiffle left pretty much on time. My flight was, of course, cancelled. There was a plane at the gate. We were one minute from boarding, according to the monitor. As we were standing in line to be rebooked, someone asked why it had been cancelled. Without looking up, the ticket agent jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the window and shrugged, "It's snowing." So I got rebooked on the 6:45 flight, which left at 8:30 for a variety of reasons, and my suitcase ended up on the 8 o'clock flight, which, by the time I got to Columbus at 10:30, hadn't yet left Chicago. But they delivered it in the middle of the night and when I woke up Monday morning, there it was by the front door.
The best part was that the 6:45 flight was oversold by two, so they wanted volunteers to give up their seats and travel to Columbus the next day. By way of either New York or Charlotte. Seriously, they were offering $300, dinner and breakfast, and a hotel room, to fly to either New York or Charlotte at 7am the next morning, and then fly to C'bus, arriving at 2pm. Like they thought someone would actually do that for less that $1000. (One person actually did, bless their heart.) While at the same time, they were adding people to the standby list, until they were up to 17. We ended up with three standby passengers and two flight crew deadheading.
Whatever. It's a 56 minute flight. How is it so HARD??
But again, we had a fabulous time, because we always do.
Even though I'm not training for a race at present, I've still been running a lot lately. Between 20 and 25 miles a week, mostly because I'm really enjoying it. There's been actual sunshine around here lately. But there's something about going over the 20 mile mark that makes me really hungry. Like, all the time. The amount of almonds, hummus, cottage cheese, peanut butter toast, fish, carrots, and bananas I've been eating is ridiculous. I sit around and think about protein all the time.
(Meanwhile, Ashley tells me Cadbury white chocolate Easter eggs are everything she thought they'd be and more. There's protein in chocolate, right?)
Larry is away in DC at a meeting this week. Neville hates that, because he likes to go to bed at 7:30, as does Lar, and now he has to stay up and sleep on the couch until midnight instead. Poor baby.
Seba has the croup, so now Nic has a cold. Erin told him she does, too, but he said his is different, it's so much WORSE than hers. He's very mansick!
He did finally get Sebastian's baby stuff out of the attic so Erin can start getting things ready for the imminent arrival of, you know, TWINS. She's been asking and asking, and he alway says he'll do it, and then he never does. He's been off work, or at least not teaching classes, since before Christmas. His classes just started up again last Monday, and he still hadn't gotten stuff down at that point. The amount of texts I've received on that subject is pretty amazing, let me tell you.
Fannishly, I'm so boring these days. I'm way behind on SPN this season, and I've only watched the first X-FIles episode. I've recorded them all and Lar and I are planning on watching them together. Sometime. It's weird, I find it hard to revisit old fandoms that I felt strongly about. I remember how I felt, but I can't dredge up the feelings again. Thinking about old fandoms makes me smile, but not much more than that.
The Blue Jackets are doing their usual end-of-season surge, making sure they put themselves well out of contention for the number one draft pick. As usual. They are 0 for 12 when it comes to the draft lottery the years they've been eligible, which is damned impressive.
I did start writing a story the other day, but I have no idea if I'll be able to sustain it. I know what I want to write, but I'm not sure how much difference that'll make in my ability to write it.
( SebastianCollapse )
I can tell it's winter and people are doing more reading. Or something. I woke up to kudos on five stories yesterday morning! Two Hawaii Five-0, two popslash - JuC - and one - the only one I ever wrote, for topaz119, Sam/Gabriel. That's quite a variety. And then Suits and Hockey RPF today, along with a couple of SPN stories.
I'm off to Chicago tomorrow withkiffle and hammerhead22 for our semi-annual trip. Two of the last three times we've gone, my flight has been cancelled and I've had to scramble to get there. Last July, I ended up spending HOURS at Reagan Airport in my attempt to get from Columbus to Chicago, which is usually a 50 minute flight. So I'm a little nervous, but so happy to be going.
So Erin only gets 4 weeks of maternity leave at 60% of her pay, because she's worked at the college bookstore for less than a year. Nic, being a professor, can take off a whole semester, so he's going to do that fall semester. His mother, who is a little goofy, wants to come stay and "help" him for the month of August. Except she wants to bring her THREE giant schnauzers with her. (Last year they all went to Nic's sister's in St. Louis for Thanksgiving, and Kathy and Dave brought the dogs with them. And left them in the car for two days. The car was in the garage, and Kathy spent most of her time in there with them, but still. She's very weird about leaving her dogs.) So she either wants Erin to find her a place she can stay with the dogs for a month, or she might buy a trailer. To haul the dogs from San Antonio to Vermont, and then live in it while she's there.
Is that weird? That seems weird to me.
Erin sent me this tonight. You can't tell, but there's a mirror off to his left, which he makes sure to watch himself in.
( Do a little dance...Collapse )
topaz119, Sam/Gabriel. That's quite a variety. And then Suits and Hockey RPF today, along with a couple of SPN stories.I'm off to Chicago tomorrow with
kiffle and hammerhead22 for our semi-annual trip. Two of the last three times we've gone, my flight has been cancelled and I've had to scramble to get there. Last July, I ended up spending HOURS at Reagan Airport in my attempt to get from Columbus to Chicago, which is usually a 50 minute flight. So I'm a little nervous, but so happy to be going.So Erin only gets 4 weeks of maternity leave at 60% of her pay, because she's worked at the college bookstore for less than a year. Nic, being a professor, can take off a whole semester, so he's going to do that fall semester. His mother, who is a little goofy, wants to come stay and "help" him for the month of August. Except she wants to bring her THREE giant schnauzers with her. (Last year they all went to Nic's sister's in St. Louis for Thanksgiving, and Kathy and Dave brought the dogs with them. And left them in the car for two days. The car was in the garage, and Kathy spent most of her time in there with them, but still. She's very weird about leaving her dogs.) So she either wants Erin to find her a place she can stay with the dogs for a month, or she might buy a trailer. To haul the dogs from San Antonio to Vermont, and then live in it while she's there.
Is that weird? That seems weird to me.
Erin sent me this tonight. You can't tell, but there's a mirror off to his left, which he makes sure to watch himself in.
( Do a little dance...Collapse )
So Erin found out Friday that she has gestational diabetes, and she's so incredibly indignant. It's just such a pain, and so confusing, and she's so hungry, and the worst part is, the nurse told her she fits the profile, being slender, all belly, twins, so why didn't they say that earlier, so she could have been proactive and prevented this!??
I keep telling her it doesn't work that way, it was either going to happen or it wasn't, it's only for a couple more months, and while diet will probably be enough to deal with this, diet didn't cause it, and for GOD'S SAKE GOOGLE IT.
Poor thing, she's incredibly ginormous, and it's all babies. She's due April 27, but they're talking about inducing her April 11. I'll be surprised if she lasts that long. She's been having Braxton Hicks contractions since December, really, and she's miserable. But, hey, she wouldn't be Erin if she wasn't miserable, so she's actually fine.
Tentative plans are for me to head up to VT April 3 and stay until May 8. That's a long time to live in a house where I have to wait for Nic to grind the beans and weigh the water in order to make me a pour-over cup of coffee every morning instead of just making it in a pot like a normal person. Seba's daycare was going to be closed that first week of April, which is why she wanted me there then, but now it's not, but she still wants me then. I know she wishes I was there all the time. She's really feeling the distance.
Nic teaches until the end of May, and Erin thought I could stay and help her until then, but that's a really long time to be away from home. Larry is going to take vacation the week of May 8th and I think I'll bring Sebastian home with me so he can help Larry plant flowers and stuff. That'll give everybody a break from each other. Then we'll take him back in a week or two.
That's my thinking right now, anyway. We'll see. They're going to name the boys Lucas and Isaac, which I like. Erin says since Nic insisted Sebastian's middle name be Byrne, after David, Isaac's middle name will be Lennon, after John, because they're playing some sort of weird competitive game via naming their children.
How do we feel about Lucas Chasez Poppe?
( Here we were last month in Jamaica. Erin's belly is amazing for someone who has 3 months to go.Collapse )
I keep telling her it doesn't work that way, it was either going to happen or it wasn't, it's only for a couple more months, and while diet will probably be enough to deal with this, diet didn't cause it, and for GOD'S SAKE GOOGLE IT.
Poor thing, she's incredibly ginormous, and it's all babies. She's due April 27, but they're talking about inducing her April 11. I'll be surprised if she lasts that long. She's been having Braxton Hicks contractions since December, really, and she's miserable. But, hey, she wouldn't be Erin if she wasn't miserable, so she's actually fine.
Tentative plans are for me to head up to VT April 3 and stay until May 8. That's a long time to live in a house where I have to wait for Nic to grind the beans and weigh the water in order to make me a pour-over cup of coffee every morning instead of just making it in a pot like a normal person. Seba's daycare was going to be closed that first week of April, which is why she wanted me there then, but now it's not, but she still wants me then. I know she wishes I was there all the time. She's really feeling the distance.
Nic teaches until the end of May, and Erin thought I could stay and help her until then, but that's a really long time to be away from home. Larry is going to take vacation the week of May 8th and I think I'll bring Sebastian home with me so he can help Larry plant flowers and stuff. That'll give everybody a break from each other. Then we'll take him back in a week or two.
That's my thinking right now, anyway. We'll see. They're going to name the boys Lucas and Isaac, which I like. Erin says since Nic insisted Sebastian's middle name be Byrne, after David, Isaac's middle name will be Lennon, after John, because they're playing some sort of weird competitive game via naming their children.
How do we feel about Lucas Chasez Poppe?
( Here we were last month in Jamaica. Erin's belly is amazing for someone who has 3 months to go.Collapse )
Larry was on "Good Day, Columbus" today, talking about burn safety in the kitchen. Live TV is really not his forte. He rolled his eyes at the camera as they went to commercial.
There is sunshine in central Ohio this morning, and it's supposed to be almost 60 degrees, which is why I had the energy to write out this very long, informative post.
There is sunshine in central Ohio this morning, and it's supposed to be almost 60 degrees, which is why I had the energy to write out this very long, informative post.
Erin, Nic and Sebastian are coming for Christmas. They left Vermont this morning and are spending the night in Buffalo. It's about six hours from there to here, so I expect them early afternoon. Poor Erin is so tired, and she says she's huge. I told her all she has to do is get here and she can sit on the couch for five days. She's not a big fan of being pregnant, she's lonely, Nic doesn't clean the bathroom the instant she asks him too...my goal is to make her smile and let her rest.
Ashley's coming tomorrow, too. Her boyfriend is joining the Army and left this afternoon. (There were job issues and so he took some kind of test to see where in the military he fits. Apparently a score of 35 qualifies you for the Army, and I don't know about the other branches, because he's 35 and aged out of the Air Force and the Marines. Anyway, he scored a 97, so he's off to join Army Intelligence and they're never going to see each other again.) My goal is to make her smile and distract her.
And then, we're all meeting Adam and Kae, and my brother and his family, in Jamaica on January 3rd for a week. I'm so excited to spend an extra week with Sebastian, and even more than that, to see Adam. Japan is very, very far away from Ohio.
So I've been making cookies and planning menus and decorating like a madwoman. Larry got hearing aids the other day, so he can even participate in actual conversations. Unless, of course, Nic's presence makes him turn them right off. Ashley's bringing her cat, which, Neville will be so thrilled.
I feel like this post is clunky and stiff, or something. Like, I'm out of practice writing here, which I completely am. So I'm just going to wish all y'all a wonderful holiday, and leave you with this picture. Seba was alone in his room the other day and Nic went in to see what he was doing, camera at the ready. I died. Boy loves him some books.
( My heartCollapse )
Ashley's coming tomorrow, too. Her boyfriend is joining the Army and left this afternoon. (There were job issues and so he took some kind of test to see where in the military he fits. Apparently a score of 35 qualifies you for the Army, and I don't know about the other branches, because he's 35 and aged out of the Air Force and the Marines. Anyway, he scored a 97, so he's off to join Army Intelligence and they're never going to see each other again.) My goal is to make her smile and distract her.
And then, we're all meeting Adam and Kae, and my brother and his family, in Jamaica on January 3rd for a week. I'm so excited to spend an extra week with Sebastian, and even more than that, to see Adam. Japan is very, very far away from Ohio.
So I've been making cookies and planning menus and decorating like a madwoman. Larry got hearing aids the other day, so he can even participate in actual conversations. Unless, of course, Nic's presence makes him turn them right off. Ashley's bringing her cat, which, Neville will be so thrilled.
I feel like this post is clunky and stiff, or something. Like, I'm out of practice writing here, which I completely am. So I'm just going to wish all y'all a wonderful holiday, and leave you with this picture. Seba was alone in his room the other day and Nic went in to see what he was doing, camera at the ready. I died. Boy loves him some books.
( My heartCollapse )
I do understand that any issues I have post-race/with running in general are self-inflicted so I try not to complain, but Ashley, her boyfriend John, and I did a half marathon last Sunday and I'm still tired. I trained very well for it, and ran most of it, until I got a little wheezy at mile 9ish, and now I'm pooped. The rule of thumb is the same number of recovery days as miles run, so I can actually be lazy for 6 more days, but recovery doesn't mean sitting on the couch all day, it just means no training. I've actually been doing a reverse taper, which is working well, I'm just tired.
( cut for weight talkCollapse )
I guess I can let myself relax for a few more days. When we get back from Vermont, there are things to do. I love this house and I'm still glad we bought it, but it needed/needs all the things. We spent the summer replacing the roof, the siding, the window, the gutters. Since we moved in we've replaced the kitchen appliances, the garage doors, the back doors, the furnace, the AC, the grill, the gas logs in the fireplace, you name it, we've had to replace it. We just spent over $2k on plumbing the other day, because the pipe going into the basement was also going through the wiring into the electric box, and was old and leaking. Good times. It's a great house, but clearly never taken care of.
We also redid the patio in the back this summer, and took out all the dead trees and bushes. We're waiting for new ones to be planted, but it hasn't rained in ages, so it's too dry right now. Replacing the broken fence is also on the horizon.
The kitchen sink and countertops are a mess, as are the bathrooms, but we've pretty much spent all the money we made when we sold the house in Pgh. The original plan was to put in a pool, but that went by the wayside by May.
This is not the time of our lives to be doing all this, but it's not like we can go back in time and not buy this house. Or not move to Columbus. But it's certainly going to delay Larry's ability to retire. At this point, he's just focused on the resale value. It's weird to feel young and be doing all these things, but in the back of your mind you know very well that your mortgage is going to outlive you. I don't like it.
Anyway, summer was full of workmen, which Sebastian loved a lot. He had a good time watching them all, and it was too bad that they moved right as the guys started redoing the patio. He loves a good backhoe.
Apparently, after not posting in so long, now I can't shut up.
Seba in Vermont
( cut for weight talkCollapse )
I guess I can let myself relax for a few more days. When we get back from Vermont, there are things to do. I love this house and I'm still glad we bought it, but it needed/needs all the things. We spent the summer replacing the roof, the siding, the window, the gutters. Since we moved in we've replaced the kitchen appliances, the garage doors, the back doors, the furnace, the AC, the grill, the gas logs in the fireplace, you name it, we've had to replace it. We just spent over $2k on plumbing the other day, because the pipe going into the basement was also going through the wiring into the electric box, and was old and leaking. Good times. It's a great house, but clearly never taken care of.
We also redid the patio in the back this summer, and took out all the dead trees and bushes. We're waiting for new ones to be planted, but it hasn't rained in ages, so it's too dry right now. Replacing the broken fence is also on the horizon.
The kitchen sink and countertops are a mess, as are the bathrooms, but we've pretty much spent all the money we made when we sold the house in Pgh. The original plan was to put in a pool, but that went by the wayside by May.
This is not the time of our lives to be doing all this, but it's not like we can go back in time and not buy this house. Or not move to Columbus. But it's certainly going to delay Larry's ability to retire. At this point, he's just focused on the resale value. It's weird to feel young and be doing all these things, but in the back of your mind you know very well that your mortgage is going to outlive you. I don't like it.
Anyway, summer was full of workmen, which Sebastian loved a lot. He had a good time watching them all, and it was too bad that they moved right as the guys started redoing the patio. He loves a good backhoe.
Apparently, after not posting in so long, now I can't shut up.
Seba in Vermont
On Friday, Lar and I are going to Vermont to see Sebastian!!!!
And Erin, obviously. And I suppose we have to see Nic, since he lives there and all.
This is the first time Erin's schedule and Larry's have coordinated enough for us to make the trip. We're driving, which should take around 11-12 hours, but that's okay. Sebastian will be waiting for us! In his Halloween costume! I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on him. FaceTime is NOT ENOUGH.
The other thing, and way to bury the lede, I know, but Erin is pregnant again.
WITH TWINS.
Hahaha, yes. With twins. As Lar said, that's the best revenge ever. It would make me feel better if she'd quit using words like "isolated" and "lonely" and "homesick" and "I hate my job" and "I hate it here," of course. I so want her toleave Nic and move back to Columbus with Sebastian get acclimated, and find some friends, and maybe decide her job isn't so bad. (She said the other day there are two people she'd like to fire but she doesn't know what they do so she doesn't know how she would train their replacements. That doesn't sound to me like someone who has embraced the challenge of her new job.)
So, she's due in April, which means when the Blue Jackets are in the playoffs, I'll be in Vermont.
Ahahahahaha. 1-8-0. Playoffs! Hahaha......sob.
Not the start anyone expected, and now we have to deal with John Tortorella, and I don't even want to talk about it. My poor, sweet, sad, fragile team.
Neville seems to have a hiatal hernia. He's not overly symptomatic, but it may explain the chronic horking cough better than the strained tracheal ligaments that Yorkies are prone to, although he has that, as well. Also a bad knee and a bad shoulder. He's supposed to be losing weight, one pound, but man, does he hate to go for a walk. I have to carry him down the street, and then he'll walk back to the house. If I try to get him to walk *away* from the house, he stops and puts his front paw on the leash and glares at me.
Sebastian managed, though.
( From this summerCollapse )
And Erin, obviously. And I suppose we have to see Nic, since he lives there and all.
This is the first time Erin's schedule and Larry's have coordinated enough for us to make the trip. We're driving, which should take around 11-12 hours, but that's okay. Sebastian will be waiting for us! In his Halloween costume! I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on him. FaceTime is NOT ENOUGH.
The other thing, and way to bury the lede, I know, but Erin is pregnant again.
WITH TWINS.
Hahaha, yes. With twins. As Lar said, that's the best revenge ever. It would make me feel better if she'd quit using words like "isolated" and "lonely" and "homesick" and "I hate my job" and "I hate it here," of course. I so want her to
So, she's due in April, which means when the Blue Jackets are in the playoffs, I'll be in Vermont.
Ahahahahaha. 1-8-0. Playoffs! Hahaha......sob.
Not the start anyone expected, and now we have to deal with John Tortorella, and I don't even want to talk about it. My poor, sweet, sad, fragile team.
Neville seems to have a hiatal hernia. He's not overly symptomatic, but it may explain the chronic horking cough better than the strained tracheal ligaments that Yorkies are prone to, although he has that, as well. Also a bad knee and a bad shoulder. He's supposed to be losing weight, one pound, but man, does he hate to go for a walk. I have to carry him down the street, and then he'll walk back to the house. If I try to get him to walk *away* from the house, he stops and puts his front paw on the leash and glares at me.
Sebastian managed, though.
( From this summerCollapse )
So it's been since June that I posted. The idea of playing catch-up is daunting, so I think a series of small posts is in order. I have lots of stories and pictures from the Summer of Sebastian (and Nic), which I'll get to in time. I just need to get started here, right?
We're heading out to Indiana today for Larry's 45th (OMG we're old) high school reunion. Not something I'm really excited about, but we'll take Neville and spend a couple of nights with Lar's sister. Tonight is a carry-in dinner, for which Marcia is making us something to take, then Saturday night is another dinner. I have no idea how many people will actually be there. Small high school, small town in Indiana, who knows.
Whenever I think of Lar's high school reunions, I think of the first one we went to. (They used to have them every five years, far too frequently, imo.) It was 1980. The girls were born in July, nine weeks early, and by mid-August, were still in the hospital. I had rented the most ginormous electric breast pump from the Le Leche League. (When Sebastian was born and Erin was struggling with nursing him, I saw this tiny little handheld thing and was like, what the heck, how is that an electric breast pump??)
Anyway, this thing was the size of a TV and we schlepped it all the way to Gas City and I spent all weekend pumping and freezing breast milk, wishing I was at home, where I could spend my days at the hospital. In truth, it was probably a good break for me to get away for a couple of days.
But, yeah, that's my biggest memory of any of the Missisinewa High School class of 1970's reunions.
(My own high school either never had a reunion or were never able to find me to tell me about one, back in the pre-internet days. Or they forgot I existed, that's quite possible.)
So now that the Curious George movie on PBS is over, it's time to get dressed and head out. It's only a three hour drive, and compared to my 9 hour each way drive to and from Madison last weekend for Lois's son's wedding, it should be a piece of cake. Even though, Indiana. :(
(I became a real George aficionado this summer when Seba was here. I still watch it everyday.)
We're heading out to Indiana today for Larry's 45th (OMG we're old) high school reunion. Not something I'm really excited about, but we'll take Neville and spend a couple of nights with Lar's sister. Tonight is a carry-in dinner, for which Marcia is making us something to take, then Saturday night is another dinner. I have no idea how many people will actually be there. Small high school, small town in Indiana, who knows.
Whenever I think of Lar's high school reunions, I think of the first one we went to. (They used to have them every five years, far too frequently, imo.) It was 1980. The girls were born in July, nine weeks early, and by mid-August, were still in the hospital. I had rented the most ginormous electric breast pump from the Le Leche League. (When Sebastian was born and Erin was struggling with nursing him, I saw this tiny little handheld thing and was like, what the heck, how is that an electric breast pump??)
Anyway, this thing was the size of a TV and we schlepped it all the way to Gas City and I spent all weekend pumping and freezing breast milk, wishing I was at home, where I could spend my days at the hospital. In truth, it was probably a good break for me to get away for a couple of days.
But, yeah, that's my biggest memory of any of the Missisinewa High School class of 1970's reunions.
(My own high school either never had a reunion or were never able to find me to tell me about one, back in the pre-internet days. Or they forgot I existed, that's quite possible.)
So now that the Curious George movie on PBS is over, it's time to get dressed and head out. It's only a three hour drive, and compared to my 9 hour each way drive to and from Madison last weekend for Lois's son's wedding, it should be a piece of cake. Even though, Indiana. :(
(I became a real George aficionado this summer when Seba was here. I still watch it everyday.)
I actually have a WiP that's reached 7 pages - 20, to be exact. It's two years old, which is when I stopped writing, except for something I started last year that's...one page. *sigh* Anyway, here are 7 sentences from page 7 of my trope-reversal Kaner/Tazer story that I would love to finish but don't seem to be able to. (The trope being the whole "can't tell a lie" thing reversed to "can't tell the truth." Or something. It was evolving, okay?
(Plus it's written during the lockout, when everyone thought Kaner was an asshole, so of course they believe his lies. Aaaand there may be more reasons than writer's block as to why I haven't been able to finish it.)
Pat shakes his head. "I have a brain tumor." He doesn't look like he's kidding at all, and Jon feels his heart give a couple of big thumps before it settles back down to normal.
"What?" He fumbles for words, not having the slightest idea how to argue with someone's claim that they have a brain tumor, even if it's Kaner and he's probably lying. "You don't – you can't possibly have a brain tumor, Kaner," he says firmly. "That's ridiculous." And won't he feel like an asshole if it's not ridiculous, but true.
(Plus it's written during the lockout, when everyone thought Kaner was an asshole, so of course they believe his lies. Aaaand there may be more reasons than writer's block as to why I haven't been able to finish it.)
Pat shakes his head. "I have a brain tumor." He doesn't look like he's kidding at all, and Jon feels his heart give a couple of big thumps before it settles back down to normal.
"What?" He fumbles for words, not having the slightest idea how to argue with someone's claim that they have a brain tumor, even if it's Kaner and he's probably lying. "You don't – you can't possibly have a brain tumor, Kaner," he says firmly. "That's ridiculous." And won't he feel like an asshole if it's not ridiculous, but true.
Aw, someone left kudos on five popslash stories last night, which just absolutely made my day. Also one of my hockey stories, which once again made me wish I could write.
Things with the kids living here are going well. Nic and I are getting along fine and are being very cooperative with our Sebastian time. He takes mornings and I take afternoons, but so far we're both being very flexible. I have a hair appointment this morning - I finally found a place after over a year of going back to Pittsburgh, and I'm hoping I won't be the youngest person there. Those are the perils of going to the same person's tiny little shop for over 20 years, I guess. Then I have to take my car in for some stuff, and even if I won't be back by noon, it won't be a big deal, because we're *cooperating.* Except that the carseat was in Erin's car when she went to work this morning, so whoever has Seba is stuck at home. Carseat coordination has been a bit iffy so far, actually.
And of course, so far in the weeks they've lived here, Nic has had an earwax impaction (and thought he'd gone deaf overnight), a tweaked muscle in his neck (where he walked around with his head bent forward staring at the ground for three days), and pink eye (which he caught from Sebastian, the daycare germs' last gasp.) He now thinks of me as his medical consultant, because no one else will give him any sympathy. His degree of mansickness is extraordinary, making Larry look absolutely stoic. I just keep sending him to urgent care.
Erin is stressed and exhausted. She leaves for work at 7:30 and gets home around 6:30. She's trying to decide when to quit work, and I think she's aiming for the middle of July. She's flying to Middlebury next month for a job interview, managing the college bookstore. They want her to start August 1, but if they get the faculty housing they want, which they should find out about this week, they can't move in until August 15. So, stress. It making her a little cranky.
Anyway, we're muddling through. I'm enjoying Seba, I like having people around, like having people to make dinner for, like having a reason to get off the couch after a very long winter. I've even lost some weight chasing Seba around. He never stops, really. I just need to do some ab work to save my back, what with him wanting to be picked up and put down every ten seconds.
I'm finally catching up on Supernatural, and am enjoying watching it at a leisurely pace.
The Blackhawks, on the other hand, are killing me. They never quit, but I have a bad feeling about how this series is going to end. Jonathan Toews, however, is a god.
Things with the kids living here are going well. Nic and I are getting along fine and are being very cooperative with our Sebastian time. He takes mornings and I take afternoons, but so far we're both being very flexible. I have a hair appointment this morning - I finally found a place after over a year of going back to Pittsburgh, and I'm hoping I won't be the youngest person there. Those are the perils of going to the same person's tiny little shop for over 20 years, I guess. Then I have to take my car in for some stuff, and even if I won't be back by noon, it won't be a big deal, because we're *cooperating.* Except that the carseat was in Erin's car when she went to work this morning, so whoever has Seba is stuck at home. Carseat coordination has been a bit iffy so far, actually.
And of course, so far in the weeks they've lived here, Nic has had an earwax impaction (and thought he'd gone deaf overnight), a tweaked muscle in his neck (where he walked around with his head bent forward staring at the ground for three days), and pink eye (which he caught from Sebastian, the daycare germs' last gasp.) He now thinks of me as his medical consultant, because no one else will give him any sympathy. His degree of mansickness is extraordinary, making Larry look absolutely stoic. I just keep sending him to urgent care.
Erin is stressed and exhausted. She leaves for work at 7:30 and gets home around 6:30. She's trying to decide when to quit work, and I think she's aiming for the middle of July. She's flying to Middlebury next month for a job interview, managing the college bookstore. They want her to start August 1, but if they get the faculty housing they want, which they should find out about this week, they can't move in until August 15. So, stress. It making her a little cranky.
Anyway, we're muddling through. I'm enjoying Seba, I like having people around, like having people to make dinner for, like having a reason to get off the couch after a very long winter. I've even lost some weight chasing Seba around. He never stops, really. I just need to do some ab work to save my back, what with him wanting to be picked up and put down every ten seconds.
I'm finally catching up on Supernatural, and am enjoying watching it at a leisurely pace.
The Blackhawks, on the other hand, are killing me. They never quit, but I have a bad feeling about how this series is going to end. Jonathan Toews, however, is a god.
I have a cold. It's my fifth URI since December. The daycare germs, man. They're killer.
Well. Erin and Nic have sold their condo. They need to be out by April 30th. They're moving to VT in August. Guess where they're going to live in the interim? If you guessed with Larry and I, you would be right.
When I told Ashley, she laughed for five minutes straight. If she thinks she's not coming over here on the weekends to keep me from losing my mind, she's so, so wrong.
I'm actually happy about it, because, well, Sebastian. He makes up for everything. I'm going to need to clear them out some space in the spare bedroom, but that's easy. Mostly, Nic and Larry are going to have to negotiate who the recliner in the family room actually belongs to.
So in honor of me being able to get my hands on Sebastian everyday for a least a few months before theyTAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME move, here's some pictures.
Seba likes to always carry something around in his hand. He never puts it down, no matter what he's doing. It's usually a spatula, his Flash action figure, a paintbrush, Erin's JC marionette, very often it's the TV remote. Whatever it is, we refer to is as his Smelting Stick. He spent last weekend with us and found a luffa on a stick in the bathroom. It became his Precious for the weekend.
( Cutest baby ever, in spite of all the snotCollapse )
Well. Erin and Nic have sold their condo. They need to be out by April 30th. They're moving to VT in August. Guess where they're going to live in the interim? If you guessed with Larry and I, you would be right.
When I told Ashley, she laughed for five minutes straight. If she thinks she's not coming over here on the weekends to keep me from losing my mind, she's so, so wrong.
I'm actually happy about it, because, well, Sebastian. He makes up for everything. I'm going to need to clear them out some space in the spare bedroom, but that's easy. Mostly, Nic and Larry are going to have to negotiate who the recliner in the family room actually belongs to.
So in honor of me being able to get my hands on Sebastian everyday for a least a few months before they
Seba likes to always carry something around in his hand. He never puts it down, no matter what he's doing. It's usually a spatula, his Flash action figure, a paintbrush, Erin's JC marionette, very often it's the TV remote. Whatever it is, we refer to is as his Smelting Stick. He spent last weekend with us and found a luffa on a stick in the bathroom. It became his Precious for the weekend.
( Cutest baby ever, in spite of all the snotCollapse )
This post is for kaelie <3
My goodness, it's been months. That's a function of both winter brain fog and a touch of depression, I think.
But let's see, ( here's a quick rundown on my lifeCollapse )
kaelie <3My goodness, it's been months. That's a function of both winter brain fog and a touch of depression, I think.
But let's see, ( here's a quick rundown on my lifeCollapse )
Nic's parents are in town for Sebastian's birthday. They came yesterday and are leaving tomorrow. They're so weird.
Erin's flight from San Antonio - where Nic's parents live, coincidentally - to Detroit last night was delayed, so she rented a car and drove home from Detroit. She got home at 3am.
Which means they are all discombobulated over there, so they're coming over here, which is actually nice. I blame Nic's parents for the fact that he is a raging, narcissistic asshole, but maybe that's not fair of me. :) I guess I can make them dinner.
Erin and Ashley's best friend from high school - well, since 6th grade - got married in October. It was a very small wedding, and the reception/party is tonight in Pgh. Erin was the matron of honor and Ashley was invited, although I wasn't. (Nic tried to get me to go in his place because he doesn't like Meredith.)
It's no coincidence that Nic's parents are here for Seba's first birthday on the night of Merri's party. He worked very hard to make that happen. I hope he realizes that I'm paying attention, that Ashley and Larry are watching, that even Adam is watching from Japan. I hope he realizes that he's not getting away with anything, but he probably doesn't. I don't think anything penetrates the miasma of self-importance and self-centeredness he surrounds himself with.
Dramatic much?! I just - ugh.
I dropped my ancient iPad and the screen is a spiderweb of cracks, although it still works - kind of. My phone contract was up, so I got an iPhone 6+ to replace both my phone and my poor iPad. It's awesome, but the AT&T transfer app not so much. All my texts, contacts added, and pictures from 2014 are gone. From both phones. Everything from 2012 and 2013 is there, but not 2014. So beware of the transfer app, if you have an AT&T contract and you get a new phone.
Sebastian has once more gifted me with daycare germs. I thought I was building up an immunity.
( Sebastian on New Year's EveCollapse )
Erin's flight from San Antonio - where Nic's parents live, coincidentally - to Detroit last night was delayed, so she rented a car and drove home from Detroit. She got home at 3am.
Which means they are all discombobulated over there, so they're coming over here, which is actually nice. I blame Nic's parents for the fact that he is a raging, narcissistic asshole, but maybe that's not fair of me. :) I guess I can make them dinner.
Erin and Ashley's best friend from high school - well, since 6th grade - got married in October. It was a very small wedding, and the reception/party is tonight in Pgh. Erin was the matron of honor and Ashley was invited, although I wasn't. (Nic tried to get me to go in his place because he doesn't like Meredith.)
It's no coincidence that Nic's parents are here for Seba's first birthday on the night of Merri's party. He worked very hard to make that happen. I hope he realizes that I'm paying attention, that Ashley and Larry are watching, that even Adam is watching from Japan. I hope he realizes that he's not getting away with anything, but he probably doesn't. I don't think anything penetrates the miasma of self-importance and self-centeredness he surrounds himself with.
Dramatic much?! I just - ugh.
I dropped my ancient iPad and the screen is a spiderweb of cracks, although it still works - kind of. My phone contract was up, so I got an iPhone 6+ to replace both my phone and my poor iPad. It's awesome, but the AT&T transfer app not so much. All my texts, contacts added, and pictures from 2014 are gone. From both phones. Everything from 2012 and 2013 is there, but not 2014. So beware of the transfer app, if you have an AT&T contract and you get a new phone.
Sebastian has once more gifted me with daycare germs. I thought I was building up an immunity.
( Sebastian on New Year's EveCollapse )
I woke up to AO3 kudos on 19 popslash stories this morning, including the Lambs Epic, which is over 80,000 words long. It was lovely, really, and someone must be a speedreader.
We had a buyer lined up for our house in Pittsburgh - the first written offer in 9 months - but the inspection was over 50 pages of dumb shit and they freaked out and terminated the contract. Seriously, the guy applied current code to old construction, which you're not supposed to do. There were things like "too much space between the spindles on the stairway bannister, needs more spindles," "the railing on the deck is horizontal and it should be vertical, otherwise it can be used as a ladder," "the front step is several inches too high" - it's been that way for 75 years!!! There was a lot more of that kind of stuff, along with "there are leaves in the gutter" and "it takes too long for the water in the kitchen sink to get hot." Well, yes, it does. That's age, gravity, and distance. Again, 75 years.
Here's the thing - if you can't deal with buying an old house, then don't go looking at old houses.
So, we have a few legit things to fix, and then I'm going to change the carpet in the living room to make it lighter, and we'll see if anyone wants it. People don't like it because it's dark. I'll admit it is - after we moved I ended up with at least a dozen extra lamps, because I had one in every corner in Pgh. But I liked it like that, although I do understand that not everyone likes dark and cozy. It is the house of my soul, it's in my bones, and it makes me sad to have it go unloved.
Larry is dealing with it extremely well, after bitching all summer about how long it's been taking. We would very much like to be out from under it and didn't expect it to take this long to sell, but someday someone will want it.
Right?
I spent early November moving my stepdad to an independent living facility. Lois and I went down to TN after his gall bladder exploded and I told him it was time. He was very amenable to that, surprisingly. I think he's gotten very lonely the past few years. So I found a place in Columbus, my brother found a place in Atlanta, and my stepsister found a place in Valdosta. Then we made him choose.
He chose Atlanta, which I was both happy and sad about. Then after four days of helping him pack, I was just mostly happy. I have no idea how my mother let him live.
He's pretty happy now, though, so I am, too, and my brother and sister-in-law live close by. I'm planning a trip in January to go see him in his new place. We're going to deal with his house in TN and all the stuff he left there in February.
I also went to Philly to visit my stepmom in her independent living place. It's close to my stepsister and it's quite lovely. My stepmom, who is 93, swims three mornings a week, goes to the gym the other mornings and is up to 30 minutes on the recumbent stair-climber, and when she was showing me around the facility, insisted we take the stairs instead of the elevator. She walks to the grocery store, meets her friends at the pub for drinks every day, and is having the time of her life.
Clearly the key to life is to keep moving.
Which seques nicely into Thanksgiving, when for the first time in I don't know how many years, nobody did any Turkey Trots. It was just Ashley, Larry and I, and we sat around all day, then around 5 decided we should make dinner - we had Cornish hens - and it was the most relaxing Thanksgiving I've ever had.
Sebastian continues to be the cutest baby ever.
I loved SPN's 200th episode. It made me cry.
Also making me cry are the Columbus Blue Jackets. Such hope. So many injuries. Much sadness and disappointment. There were two more long-term injuries announced this week. How does one hockey team have EIGHT players needing abdominal/groin repair surgery in an 18 month period? Add in concussions(2), broken fingers/hands (3), skate blades to EYELIDS (fucking Kesler), knees (too numerous to count), torn triceps (1), degenerative back disease (1) and undisclosed upper and lower body injuries (a lot), and there are only four guys who have played all 22 games this season.
At least there are no mumps. Yet.
We had a buyer lined up for our house in Pittsburgh - the first written offer in 9 months - but the inspection was over 50 pages of dumb shit and they freaked out and terminated the contract. Seriously, the guy applied current code to old construction, which you're not supposed to do. There were things like "too much space between the spindles on the stairway bannister, needs more spindles," "the railing on the deck is horizontal and it should be vertical, otherwise it can be used as a ladder," "the front step is several inches too high" - it's been that way for 75 years!!! There was a lot more of that kind of stuff, along with "there are leaves in the gutter" and "it takes too long for the water in the kitchen sink to get hot." Well, yes, it does. That's age, gravity, and distance. Again, 75 years.
Here's the thing - if you can't deal with buying an old house, then don't go looking at old houses.
So, we have a few legit things to fix, and then I'm going to change the carpet in the living room to make it lighter, and we'll see if anyone wants it. People don't like it because it's dark. I'll admit it is - after we moved I ended up with at least a dozen extra lamps, because I had one in every corner in Pgh. But I liked it like that, although I do understand that not everyone likes dark and cozy. It is the house of my soul, it's in my bones, and it makes me sad to have it go unloved.
Larry is dealing with it extremely well, after bitching all summer about how long it's been taking. We would very much like to be out from under it and didn't expect it to take this long to sell, but someday someone will want it.
Right?
I spent early November moving my stepdad to an independent living facility. Lois and I went down to TN after his gall bladder exploded and I told him it was time. He was very amenable to that, surprisingly. I think he's gotten very lonely the past few years. So I found a place in Columbus, my brother found a place in Atlanta, and my stepsister found a place in Valdosta. Then we made him choose.
He chose Atlanta, which I was both happy and sad about. Then after four days of helping him pack, I was just mostly happy. I have no idea how my mother let him live.
He's pretty happy now, though, so I am, too, and my brother and sister-in-law live close by. I'm planning a trip in January to go see him in his new place. We're going to deal with his house in TN and all the stuff he left there in February.
I also went to Philly to visit my stepmom in her independent living place. It's close to my stepsister and it's quite lovely. My stepmom, who is 93, swims three mornings a week, goes to the gym the other mornings and is up to 30 minutes on the recumbent stair-climber, and when she was showing me around the facility, insisted we take the stairs instead of the elevator. She walks to the grocery store, meets her friends at the pub for drinks every day, and is having the time of her life.
Clearly the key to life is to keep moving.
Which seques nicely into Thanksgiving, when for the first time in I don't know how many years, nobody did any Turkey Trots. It was just Ashley, Larry and I, and we sat around all day, then around 5 decided we should make dinner - we had Cornish hens - and it was the most relaxing Thanksgiving I've ever had.
Sebastian continues to be the cutest baby ever.
I loved SPN's 200th episode. It made me cry.
Also making me cry are the Columbus Blue Jackets. Such hope. So many injuries. Much sadness and disappointment. There were two more long-term injuries announced this week. How does one hockey team have EIGHT players needing abdominal/groin repair surgery in an 18 month period? Add in concussions(2), broken fingers/hands (3), skate blades to EYELIDS (fucking Kesler), knees (too numerous to count), torn triceps (1), degenerative back disease (1) and undisclosed upper and lower body injuries (a lot), and there are only four guys who have played all 22 games this season.
At least there are no mumps. Yet.
Real life would take too much energy to yammer on about, so have a survey. I skipped the last half, at least, of S9, but I'm enjoying S10 so far, enough that I was interested in doing this.
1. Both. Gun to my head, Dean, although that could be due to the Jensen factor.
2. I could have lived happily without any angels ever showing up ever, but the one I find/found the least annoying was probably Anna. At least at first. Or maybe Gabriel, when he was still the Trickster.
3. Meg 1 for sure. I liked demons better back before everything got so convoluted, when demons were a big deal and their meatsuits counted for something, before they were a dime a dozen. And Meg 1 was awesome.
4. YED. The way Fredric Lehne delivered the line about Jake's sister and mother knowing "the chewy taste of their own intestines" was pretty classic.
5. I'm going to have to go with Season 2. That season is the SPN of my heart.
6. Mystery Spot, A Very Supernatural Christmas, Swan Song. I can't really choose between them. Also AHBL2, IMTOD.
7. Sam/Dean all the way. I loved the relationship between Dean and Jo, too, for what it was.
8. Lucifer.
9. Metatron. Boring.
10. Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I love John and am very annoyed at the way they retconned his character, and a lot of that is probably due to JDM.
11. I hope your apple pie is freakin' worth it!
1. Both. Gun to my head, Dean, although that could be due to the Jensen factor.
2. I could have lived happily without any angels ever showing up ever, but the one I find/found the least annoying was probably Anna. At least at first. Or maybe Gabriel, when he was still the Trickster.
3. Meg 1 for sure. I liked demons better back before everything got so convoluted, when demons were a big deal and their meatsuits counted for something, before they were a dime a dozen. And Meg 1 was awesome.
4. YED. The way Fredric Lehne delivered the line about Jake's sister and mother knowing "the chewy taste of their own intestines" was pretty classic.
5. I'm going to have to go with Season 2. That season is the SPN of my heart.
6. Mystery Spot, A Very Supernatural Christmas, Swan Song. I can't really choose between them. Also AHBL2, IMTOD.
7. Sam/Dean all the way. I loved the relationship between Dean and Jo, too, for what it was.
8. Lucifer.
9. Metatron. Boring.
10. Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I love John and am very annoyed at the way they retconned his character, and a lot of that is probably due to JDM.
11. I hope your apple pie is freakin' worth it!
I'm so behind on reading LJ that I'm just going to post instead.
I'm sitting here holding ice on Neville's back foot where he got stung by a yellow jacket. We know this because he came inside limping and when Lar checked to see what was wrong, the bee was still there. >:(
That, of course, has been the least of the events of this past week, starting with Thursday night when we got back from Japan. Lucy started throwing up, which is nothing new, but she was obviously sick, and on Monday she had surgery, where the vet found an intra-abdominal abscess. Those are generally cause by a bowel perforation, usually from eating a foreign object. The bowel had sealed itself off by the time she got in there, and there was no foreign objects, but poor Lucy was in bad shape. Then she got into some heart failure and pulmonary edema from being fluid overloaded, which isn't good in a 14-year old cat. But she had some Lasix, got rid of her IV on her own, and started breathing easier, but then she stopped eating because of all the oral antibiotics she had to take. Now she's mostly fine and came home Thursday. The cultures from the abscess haven't come back yet, so she's still on multiple antibiotics. I have to give her NINE pills a day - thank god for cream cheese, she takes them like a dream. She's seems almost back to normal, although she's having a bit of difficulty jumping up on the bed. She's very glad to be home and seems to think that even though she's better, she still deserves to have canned tuna everyday to entice her to eat. She hasn't realized that I can see her chowing down on her dry food.
Also, $3200. But what are you going to do, say no, don't treat her?
While we were in Japan, my stepdad had his gall bladder out. It was infected and he needs IV antibiotics for several weeks. Every day he calls either me, my stepsister, or my sister-in-law, telling us he needs us to all come to Tennessee. What the hell they were thinking, sending a 91-year old man home from the hospital with oxygen, and IV port, and his 92-year old girlfriend to take care of him, is beyond me. Well, okay, his caseworker told me that they wanted to send him to a short-term rehab facility for a while to deal with the antibiotics but he said no, because in his head, that's a nursing home and there's no way he's going to a nursing home. But today, after my stepsister spent all yesterday on the phone finding someone besides Dorothy to drive him to his IV appointment everyday, he decided a nursing home might not be such a bad idea, since he called 911 twice last night, once because he couldn't get out of his chair, and once because he fell getting from his bed to the bathroom.
He does fine living by himself when he's healthy, but being sick just throws him for a loop. I'm not sure how much longer we can let him live on his own, but none of us are prepared for that fight yet.
Also, Sebastian has pink eye and couldn't go to daycare this week, so I had him. Which was lovely, except now I'm sick and it's probably a deadly daycare germ and not a bug from the flight home from Tokyo. Daycare germs are the worst.
Speaking of Japan, the wedding was lovely, and we had such a nice time in Japan. Adam said he wanted up to see as much as possible in the week we were there, so I feel like I spent a lot "" of time on trains. We spent two nights in Kyoto at a Japanese guest house, or Ryokan, which was awesome. The bedrolls were comfy, whenever you were in the hotel it was fine to wear the hotel-provided robe, even to dinner, (and the food was beyond fabulous) and the onsen was spring-fed. When they explained that there were two communal baths, one for men and one for women, and stressed the words "naked" and "communal" several times, Larry's 74-year old sister was the first one there. She had such a good time, and lots more energy than her much younger brother.
Flying to Japan was much easier than flying to Europe (because I'm such an international traveler!). I think the 12 hour time difference helps, because both when we got there and when we arrived home, it was time for dinner and bed. There was none of that pretending you'd had a good night sleep when in reality you'd napped for an hour on a trans-Atlantic flight and then arrived at noon with a whole day to kill before you could sleep.
Even the fact the flight was 13 hours long just wasn't that awful. The only bad part was that we flew American Airlines, which sucks so, so bad, but it's not like we didn't know that. Crappy food, cranky flight attendants, broken video screens, what more can you ask for? Obviously we're going to have to make this trip on a regular basis, so it's time to find a better airline. It shouldn't be too difficult.
Kae told me that 90% of Japanese weddings are Western style, with five-course French dinners, and her family was surprised that they had a Japanese style one, with Japanese food. She said that's what Adam wanted. They changed from their kimonos after the bride and groom and both sets of parents broke the top of the sake barrel with a wooden hammer, and wore Western style wedding clothes to cut the cake. It was great fun, although there were things going on the interpreter didn't tell us about, while she was very happy to tell me several times that I was holding my chopsticks wrong. I told her I've been holding them like that for years and it works for me, but she had real issues with it.
Adam seems very happy. We went to the bonsai nursery and bonsai museum where he works, which were really beautiful. The oldest bonsai tree in his nursery is 2000 years old and worth $3m. He still can't believe he's allowed to touch it.
Kae's parents were delightful. They went with us to Kyoto, and even though we couldn't talk much to each other, we all cried when we said goodbye. They're worried that Adam and Kae will come live in the US and thanked me for letting them have Adam. I thanked them for taking care of him for me. I miss him, but he does love it there.
The bride and groom. That kimono Kae's wearing weighed a ton. She could barely lift it up to walk.
( cut for many, many picturesCollapse )
I'm sitting here holding ice on Neville's back foot where he got stung by a yellow jacket. We know this because he came inside limping and when Lar checked to see what was wrong, the bee was still there. >:(
That, of course, has been the least of the events of this past week, starting with Thursday night when we got back from Japan. Lucy started throwing up, which is nothing new, but she was obviously sick, and on Monday she had surgery, where the vet found an intra-abdominal abscess. Those are generally cause by a bowel perforation, usually from eating a foreign object. The bowel had sealed itself off by the time she got in there, and there was no foreign objects, but poor Lucy was in bad shape. Then she got into some heart failure and pulmonary edema from being fluid overloaded, which isn't good in a 14-year old cat. But she had some Lasix, got rid of her IV on her own, and started breathing easier, but then she stopped eating because of all the oral antibiotics she had to take. Now she's mostly fine and came home Thursday. The cultures from the abscess haven't come back yet, so she's still on multiple antibiotics. I have to give her NINE pills a day - thank god for cream cheese, she takes them like a dream. She's seems almost back to normal, although she's having a bit of difficulty jumping up on the bed. She's very glad to be home and seems to think that even though she's better, she still deserves to have canned tuna everyday to entice her to eat. She hasn't realized that I can see her chowing down on her dry food.
Also, $3200. But what are you going to do, say no, don't treat her?
While we were in Japan, my stepdad had his gall bladder out. It was infected and he needs IV antibiotics for several weeks. Every day he calls either me, my stepsister, or my sister-in-law, telling us he needs us to all come to Tennessee. What the hell they were thinking, sending a 91-year old man home from the hospital with oxygen, and IV port, and his 92-year old girlfriend to take care of him, is beyond me. Well, okay, his caseworker told me that they wanted to send him to a short-term rehab facility for a while to deal with the antibiotics but he said no, because in his head, that's a nursing home and there's no way he's going to a nursing home. But today, after my stepsister spent all yesterday on the phone finding someone besides Dorothy to drive him to his IV appointment everyday, he decided a nursing home might not be such a bad idea, since he called 911 twice last night, once because he couldn't get out of his chair, and once because he fell getting from his bed to the bathroom.
He does fine living by himself when he's healthy, but being sick just throws him for a loop. I'm not sure how much longer we can let him live on his own, but none of us are prepared for that fight yet.
Also, Sebastian has pink eye and couldn't go to daycare this week, so I had him. Which was lovely, except now I'm sick and it's probably a deadly daycare germ and not a bug from the flight home from Tokyo. Daycare germs are the worst.
Speaking of Japan, the wedding was lovely, and we had such a nice time in Japan. Adam said he wanted up to see as much as possible in the week we were there, so I feel like I spent a lot "" of time on trains. We spent two nights in Kyoto at a Japanese guest house, or Ryokan, which was awesome. The bedrolls were comfy, whenever you were in the hotel it was fine to wear the hotel-provided robe, even to dinner, (and the food was beyond fabulous) and the onsen was spring-fed. When they explained that there were two communal baths, one for men and one for women, and stressed the words "naked" and "communal" several times, Larry's 74-year old sister was the first one there. She had such a good time, and lots more energy than her much younger brother.
Flying to Japan was much easier than flying to Europe (because I'm such an international traveler!). I think the 12 hour time difference helps, because both when we got there and when we arrived home, it was time for dinner and bed. There was none of that pretending you'd had a good night sleep when in reality you'd napped for an hour on a trans-Atlantic flight and then arrived at noon with a whole day to kill before you could sleep.
Even the fact the flight was 13 hours long just wasn't that awful. The only bad part was that we flew American Airlines, which sucks so, so bad, but it's not like we didn't know that. Crappy food, cranky flight attendants, broken video screens, what more can you ask for? Obviously we're going to have to make this trip on a regular basis, so it's time to find a better airline. It shouldn't be too difficult.
Kae told me that 90% of Japanese weddings are Western style, with five-course French dinners, and her family was surprised that they had a Japanese style one, with Japanese food. She said that's what Adam wanted. They changed from their kimonos after the bride and groom and both sets of parents broke the top of the sake barrel with a wooden hammer, and wore Western style wedding clothes to cut the cake. It was great fun, although there were things going on the interpreter didn't tell us about, while she was very happy to tell me several times that I was holding my chopsticks wrong. I told her I've been holding them like that for years and it works for me, but she had real issues with it.
Adam seems very happy. We went to the bonsai nursery and bonsai museum where he works, which were really beautiful. The oldest bonsai tree in his nursery is 2000 years old and worth $3m. He still can't believe he's allowed to touch it.
Kae's parents were delightful. They went with us to Kyoto, and even though we couldn't talk much to each other, we all cried when we said goodbye. They're worried that Adam and Kae will come live in the US and thanked me for letting them have Adam. I thanked them for taking care of him for me. I miss him, but he does love it there.
The bride and groom. That kimono Kae's wearing weighed a ton. She could barely lift it up to walk.
( cut for many, many picturesCollapse )
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I thought for a long time about how all his memories would come back to Dean, all those lost 35 years, and I don't even know…