Apparently I do. Tonight K's school had their annual fundraising carnival for the PTO. Crowds of kids, chaos, playing games and lots of noise. It was just the place homebodies like us wanted to spend our Friday night. Of course, K had fun, so we were happy to support him and the school.
I was also surprised at how many kids from K's class we saw. And my heart melted as the kids would all greet each other with hugs and bright smiles when they would see each other. (I was a little less thrilled every time it was a girl that shouted his name with glee ... I am so not looking forward to the day when little girls call my house.) But it was nice to see that my friendly man is equally well received by his classmates.
There is nothing I love more than seeing my children smile and laugh, their joy is truly what makes everything else worth it. O, had a good time, too ... I swear that kid will be a politician with all his charm. I am going to have my hands full with these boys!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
The Spring Clean Purge
This weekend D and I did a major overhaul of spring cleaning and purging (of course, after today's cool temps, it now feels like it's the edges of winter again ... yes, I am a cold-weather wuss ... and will retire in a warmer climate.)
After acquiring some new shelving from IKEA, we took our office/library and purged four shopping bags worth of books from our collection (I think a bag and a half were old pregnancy/baby books) and then sorted our books into fiction and non-fiction. We then moved our old shelf into the family room and it now houses are sadly abundant DVD collection (of 95% children's movies, classics of course, but wow, I think we own every children's movie created since 1992.)
The amazing sense of accomplishment this organization created is undeniable, it's almost better than finishing a grueling run in the wind that turns your hands purple it's so damn cold (yeah, I did that today, lucky me). And we did it as a team, from assembling the furniture to organizing, to reflecting on our work. Go team!
There was just one last piece of the purging puzzle ... the dreaded little file cabinet. We've had this cabinet since 2001. It houses all our old paperwork that is not tax-related. I probably haven't touched it in at least two years ... thanks to the fact that everything is now electronic. The information has important information, like our SSNs, addresses, account numbers. This means, prior to everything being recycled, I must shred. And so, now over the next couple weekends, that is what I'll do ... shred, shred, shred. Yes, of course this is where you'll tell me there are companies that I could just tote the whole cabinet to and they'll shred it for me ... but alas, my punishment and satisfaction will come from looking at the old papers (my salary in 2002 was what?) and shredding the crap out of it. It's the ultimate purge.
After acquiring some new shelving from IKEA, we took our office/library and purged four shopping bags worth of books from our collection (I think a bag and a half were old pregnancy/baby books) and then sorted our books into fiction and non-fiction. We then moved our old shelf into the family room and it now houses are sadly abundant DVD collection (of 95% children's movies, classics of course, but wow, I think we own every children's movie created since 1992.)
The amazing sense of accomplishment this organization created is undeniable, it's almost better than finishing a grueling run in the wind that turns your hands purple it's so damn cold (yeah, I did that today, lucky me). And we did it as a team, from assembling the furniture to organizing, to reflecting on our work. Go team!
There was just one last piece of the purging puzzle ... the dreaded little file cabinet. We've had this cabinet since 2001. It houses all our old paperwork that is not tax-related. I probably haven't touched it in at least two years ... thanks to the fact that everything is now electronic. The information has important information, like our SSNs, addresses, account numbers. This means, prior to everything being recycled, I must shred. And so, now over the next couple weekends, that is what I'll do ... shred, shred, shred. Yes, of course this is where you'll tell me there are companies that I could just tote the whole cabinet to and they'll shred it for me ... but alas, my punishment and satisfaction will come from looking at the old papers (my salary in 2002 was what?) and shredding the crap out of it. It's the ultimate purge.
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Inevitable School Fear
K is in every other day Kindergarten. This creates the need for some calendar orchestration, because it's not straightforward, every other day. It's Mondays and Wednesdays and then half of the Fridays that there is school. Of course, that doesn't mean every other Friday, so at the beginning of the school year, I had to get cozy with all the calendars and mark down the Fridays he had school.
At least that was the approach I took ... indicating the Fridays he had school. Now granted, it's March, and he's been in school since September, so there's really only a couple months left ... and this system has worked flawlessly for six months. Until today.
K had spring break last week ... so it was a full week of no school. Granted, this threw D's schedule off a bit, so when he asked me three times this week if K had school on Friday and I said "no" and explained my system so he could look at the calendar, I just shrugged it off. (Did I mention, this system has been in place since September.)
So, this morning, when my phone at work rang at 9:20 and it was a number near home, I was quite confused. I was more confused when I listened to the message and it was a school secretary explaining that K was at school, but it wasn't his day, so someone needed to come and pick him up. I promptly called D, and asked him why K was at school. Now, my darling husband felt incredibly guilty and was fortunately just on his way to the grocery store, so he promptly turned around and went and picked up our son.
Of course, this probably traumatized me more than K, but what made me laugh was how K explained it to me. He said when he looked into his classroom, he realized it wasn't his day, so he just went right to the office and told them that his dad had dropped him off on accident. It's amazing how smart kids are, and it makes me tear up to think about how grown up my little man is getting. I just want to snuggle him up and protect him from the world forever.
At least that was the approach I took ... indicating the Fridays he had school. Now granted, it's March, and he's been in school since September, so there's really only a couple months left ... and this system has worked flawlessly for six months. Until today.
K had spring break last week ... so it was a full week of no school. Granted, this threw D's schedule off a bit, so when he asked me three times this week if K had school on Friday and I said "no" and explained my system so he could look at the calendar, I just shrugged it off. (Did I mention, this system has been in place since September.)
So, this morning, when my phone at work rang at 9:20 and it was a number near home, I was quite confused. I was more confused when I listened to the message and it was a school secretary explaining that K was at school, but it wasn't his day, so someone needed to come and pick him up. I promptly called D, and asked him why K was at school. Now, my darling husband felt incredibly guilty and was fortunately just on his way to the grocery store, so he promptly turned around and went and picked up our son.
Of course, this probably traumatized me more than K, but what made me laugh was how K explained it to me. He said when he looked into his classroom, he realized it wasn't his day, so he just went right to the office and told them that his dad had dropped him off on accident. It's amazing how smart kids are, and it makes me tear up to think about how grown up my little man is getting. I just want to snuggle him up and protect him from the world forever.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Eating at a Mexican Joint on St. Patrick's Day
This year for wine club, we agreed to do restaurants every third Saturday of the month ... for March, the third Saturday just happen to falls on St. Patrick's Day. Yes, with the Irish last name that I sport (thanks to marriage) it is not surprising that I've attended a few Irish gatherings in my past. Alas, that is not where this St. Patrick's day found me ...
Instead, it was wine club and we were at Barrio Tequila Bar in St. Paul. Yes, we ventured to the most Irish city in the state on the day of Irish love. Needless to say we were seated in a sea of green ... because even the Mexican joint was hopping tonight. The music was loud, we had to be carded at the door ... I felt a little bit like I was going back 10 years and was in college. At first, we were quite nervous that we wouldn't be able to hold a conversation because the music was so loud.
Barrio is notorious for slow service, they bring out the food as it is prepared, so there's no guaranteeing you'll eat together when ordering small plates -- and it was crazy busy, so we had no idea what we were in for...
I started with a Macho Comacho margarita - a blood orange, pepper infused Margarita spiked with Cava. I love blood orange anything, so I knew I was going to like the drink. I was not prepared for how strong it was, a lot of tequila (which I am not a huge fan of) but fortunately, the fruit of the blood orange covered most of the alcohol flavoring, and if I hadn't been cautious, I probably could have slammed the thing down.
The ladies and I shared some guacamole and chips, and I have to say, the waitress was really good when I asked about the gluten-free options. After the guacamole, I enjoyed a beef barbacoa taco with avocado and pickled onions:
I love a good taco, and this was a really good taco. The meat had a lot of flavor and the onion was just pickled enough to feel my mouth. Now, it wasn't the greatest taco I've ever had, but it was a fulfilling bite. My second item was sugarcane skewered tequila shrimp with lemon ginger mojo - now this was a good bite. I was very happy with it. The onion splatted across the top didn't make it the most visually appealing dish, but I love ginger and the squirts of lime made it even more perfect.
Of course, did I mention the service was s ... l ... o ... w. It was horrendously slow. After we all had waited for what felt like a half hour, our waitress came back, and we asked about dessert (we always get dessert.) Now, granted she sort of treated us weird all night, because we were like the only people that had come in for a three course meal, and not to get our drunk on for St. Patrick's Day. So she mentioned they had two desserts available ... made to order churros (out for this g-free lady) and an orange flan. I went with the flan ...
The marmalade on the plate was the best part, I could have licked it off, but otherwise, it was just a so-so flan. Nothing to write home about. I don't think I'll dine at Barrio in St. Paul again, not because the food wasn't good, but because the ambiance and service, just didn't make it worth it.
Instead, it was wine club and we were at Barrio Tequila Bar in St. Paul. Yes, we ventured to the most Irish city in the state on the day of Irish love. Needless to say we were seated in a sea of green ... because even the Mexican joint was hopping tonight. The music was loud, we had to be carded at the door ... I felt a little bit like I was going back 10 years and was in college. At first, we were quite nervous that we wouldn't be able to hold a conversation because the music was so loud.
Barrio is notorious for slow service, they bring out the food as it is prepared, so there's no guaranteeing you'll eat together when ordering small plates -- and it was crazy busy, so we had no idea what we were in for...
I started with a Macho Comacho margarita - a blood orange, pepper infused Margarita spiked with Cava. I love blood orange anything, so I knew I was going to like the drink. I was not prepared for how strong it was, a lot of tequila (which I am not a huge fan of) but fortunately, the fruit of the blood orange covered most of the alcohol flavoring, and if I hadn't been cautious, I probably could have slammed the thing down.
The ladies and I shared some guacamole and chips, and I have to say, the waitress was really good when I asked about the gluten-free options. After the guacamole, I enjoyed a beef barbacoa taco with avocado and pickled onions:
I love a good taco, and this was a really good taco. The meat had a lot of flavor and the onion was just pickled enough to feel my mouth. Now, it wasn't the greatest taco I've ever had, but it was a fulfilling bite. My second item was sugarcane skewered tequila shrimp with lemon ginger mojo - now this was a good bite. I was very happy with it. The onion splatted across the top didn't make it the most visually appealing dish, but I love ginger and the squirts of lime made it even more perfect.
Of course, did I mention the service was s ... l ... o ... w. It was horrendously slow. After we all had waited for what felt like a half hour, our waitress came back, and we asked about dessert (we always get dessert.) Now, granted she sort of treated us weird all night, because we were like the only people that had come in for a three course meal, and not to get our drunk on for St. Patrick's Day. So she mentioned they had two desserts available ... made to order churros (out for this g-free lady) and an orange flan. I went with the flan ...
The marmalade on the plate was the best part, I could have licked it off, but otherwise, it was just a so-so flan. Nothing to write home about. I don't think I'll dine at Barrio in St. Paul again, not because the food wasn't good, but because the ambiance and service, just didn't make it worth it.
Spring is Upon Us Ramblings
This is my kind of weather in Minnesota. Just warm enough to warrant not having to wear a big coat, but not too hot that I break into a sweat just by sitting out. It's also completely get antsy weather, and I can tell the D family is on a spring cleaning kick.
Last weekend, we went to IKEA to pick up some bookshelves for the boys and our office/library. The disorganization in the office/library was driving me crazy, and so I finally convinced D that we just couldn't delay anymore, I couldn't have the books in piles, we need to get organized. So, now we're just waiting for the items to be delivered (you used to get everything the next day, but now they've gone to a crazy modified delivery schedule, so we have to wait until next Saturday ... but I know what I'll be doing that day.)
We've also packed away our winter comforters (okay, I was a bit sad about that, because ours makes me feel like I'm sleeping in a cloud ... and I hate our summer quilt - it's just ugly.) And now we're just slowly organizing things for what I anticipate will be a major spring cleaning weekend next week. We went through O's drawers and removed all the too small 18 mos. clothes and pulled out all the 2T items from storage, and we took inventory of the boys closets (both need shorts.)
We're also getting antsy to plan our garden for the year, but I had to remind D that we didn't plant until May, and we need to wait until about that time again because we are still in zone 4 and weather is unpredictable. And D and I picked up new running shoes today, now I just need to get this one shirt I really want from Lululemon that allows me to insert my ipod right into the side of the shirt so I don't have to wear the arm band.
In other news, we registered K for soccer, looked at the tennis schedule and are trying to determine if we sign him up for a theater camp. Being a parent is all about juggling everyone else's calendar - but I love it. I love that I have a kid who's so excited to play sports outside, but is also uber smart and likes to sit and read on rainy days. (He's now tackling the C.S. Lewis Narnia Chronicles - having just read the whole series myself when I was in my thirties, my five-year-old is way ahead of me.)
I'm looking forward to an amazing spring!
Last weekend, we went to IKEA to pick up some bookshelves for the boys and our office/library. The disorganization in the office/library was driving me crazy, and so I finally convinced D that we just couldn't delay anymore, I couldn't have the books in piles, we need to get organized. So, now we're just waiting for the items to be delivered (you used to get everything the next day, but now they've gone to a crazy modified delivery schedule, so we have to wait until next Saturday ... but I know what I'll be doing that day.)
We've also packed away our winter comforters (okay, I was a bit sad about that, because ours makes me feel like I'm sleeping in a cloud ... and I hate our summer quilt - it's just ugly.) And now we're just slowly organizing things for what I anticipate will be a major spring cleaning weekend next week. We went through O's drawers and removed all the too small 18 mos. clothes and pulled out all the 2T items from storage, and we took inventory of the boys closets (both need shorts.)
We're also getting antsy to plan our garden for the year, but I had to remind D that we didn't plant until May, and we need to wait until about that time again because we are still in zone 4 and weather is unpredictable. And D and I picked up new running shoes today, now I just need to get this one shirt I really want from Lululemon that allows me to insert my ipod right into the side of the shirt so I don't have to wear the arm band.
In other news, we registered K for soccer, looked at the tennis schedule and are trying to determine if we sign him up for a theater camp. Being a parent is all about juggling everyone else's calendar - but I love it. I love that I have a kid who's so excited to play sports outside, but is also uber smart and likes to sit and read on rainy days. (He's now tackling the C.S. Lewis Narnia Chronicles - having just read the whole series myself when I was in my thirties, my five-year-old is way ahead of me.)
I'm looking forward to an amazing spring!
Monday, March 12, 2012
(No Power) Out Sick
Unfortunately, I have perhaps the world's worst sinuses. I have passed this unfortunate curse on to both of my sons. Today, I woke up with my head feeling as though it were in a vise, and many bodily fluids were being expelled from my children. It was not a good day.
I hate being sick, other than the general not feeling so good part about it, I hate not being at work. Because when I'm not at work, sometimes I feel like goodness only knows what will happen. Things that were going down a straight and narrow path suddenly veer sharply to the left and things that could have been prevented will then be staring you straight in the face the day you finally drag your still-sick arse back into the office (which for me will be tomorrow based on the catastrophe that was my inbox.
Yes, I have a fever, yes, my head is pounding and my body is under severe fatigue, but I'll go to bed at 8 and suffer through it ... because until I find a better solution ... I'm a slave to the man.
I hate being sick, other than the general not feeling so good part about it, I hate not being at work. Because when I'm not at work, sometimes I feel like goodness only knows what will happen. Things that were going down a straight and narrow path suddenly veer sharply to the left and things that could have been prevented will then be staring you straight in the face the day you finally drag your still-sick arse back into the office (which for me will be tomorrow based on the catastrophe that was my inbox.
Yes, I have a fever, yes, my head is pounding and my body is under severe fatigue, but I'll go to bed at 8 and suffer through it ... because until I find a better solution ... I'm a slave to the man.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The Power of Free Speech
Yesterday on my way home, I engaged in my usual commuting routine. I settled myself on the bus, caught up on Facebook, checked my three email accounts and was about to switch to my book. However, today's routine was going to be speckled a bit.
As we approached a stop that typically has the most riders board, I noticed there seemed to be more noise than usually at the stop. At first, I couldn't place the noise. Then, I saw a man who had found a large platform to stand on and he was spouting out his own platform. I also noticed across the street that he had a collaborator wearing a sandwich board. The duo's mission was to inform everyone that we were sinners, unless we were as ultra-conservative as they were. (And based on the list on the board ... not sure how many people would qualify by these men's standards.) Because I was nestled into my seat and the doors and windows were closed, I wasn't able to really make out what the man was shouting.
However, many people who had just boarded the bus found it to be there mission to make sure everyone else on the bus understood what the man had been preaching and how they wish he would have left the bus stop. In fact, they went on for a full twenty minutes, loudly expressing their opinions of the public display. And that is what I found most compelling. That these people felt that this man's cajoling was an intrusion, but they found it perfectly acceptable to intrude on my peaceful commute home by shouting their dis-satisfaction. And some of the things they said ... I cannot even put it into print, I was so disgusted by their ignorance.
The irony of them exercising their own freedom of speech to discount someone else's freedom was truly a fascinating display of human behavior.
As we approached a stop that typically has the most riders board, I noticed there seemed to be more noise than usually at the stop. At first, I couldn't place the noise. Then, I saw a man who had found a large platform to stand on and he was spouting out his own platform. I also noticed across the street that he had a collaborator wearing a sandwich board. The duo's mission was to inform everyone that we were sinners, unless we were as ultra-conservative as they were. (And based on the list on the board ... not sure how many people would qualify by these men's standards.) Because I was nestled into my seat and the doors and windows were closed, I wasn't able to really make out what the man was shouting.
However, many people who had just boarded the bus found it to be there mission to make sure everyone else on the bus understood what the man had been preaching and how they wish he would have left the bus stop. In fact, they went on for a full twenty minutes, loudly expressing their opinions of the public display. And that is what I found most compelling. That these people felt that this man's cajoling was an intrusion, but they found it perfectly acceptable to intrude on my peaceful commute home by shouting their dis-satisfaction. And some of the things they said ... I cannot even put it into print, I was so disgusted by their ignorance.
The irony of them exercising their own freedom of speech to discount someone else's freedom was truly a fascinating display of human behavior.
Friday, March 09, 2012
The Power of Math and Science
It's just a typical Friday night, and I'm sipping a glass of wine, watching movies with my men. D and decided to relax and watch Moneyball. Watching this movie has reinforced how I've been feeling that past week about what I hope for my boys. I hope they decided to go into careers based in math or science. (Y'know, Jonah Hill's character ... taking statistics and realizing dreams.)
I want them to be able to innovate and use creativity, but within the guardrails and realms of a world where there are definitive results. Working in a profession that relies heavily on art and persuasion, I don't know if it's worth it. Only occasionally is it gratifying. I want my boys to love their jobs more days than not. I want them to get a sense of achievement when they create something that has greater meaner.
Sure, I can create things that make people feel informed, well-educated and engaged ... but I really wish I had gone into a field where I would have had a direct impact on making peoples lives richer, better, healthier. Maybe one day.
I want them to be able to innovate and use creativity, but within the guardrails and realms of a world where there are definitive results. Working in a profession that relies heavily on art and persuasion, I don't know if it's worth it. Only occasionally is it gratifying. I want my boys to love their jobs more days than not. I want them to get a sense of achievement when they create something that has greater meaner.
Sure, I can create things that make people feel informed, well-educated and engaged ... but I really wish I had gone into a field where I would have had a direct impact on making peoples lives richer, better, healthier. Maybe one day.
Sunday, March 04, 2012
Boys = Competitiveness
Wow ... I have two boys ... and man, are they competitive. At almost six and two, I don't think I could have ever prepared for the physicality, one-up-manship and just pure energy that they would infuse into my life.
Oops, gotta go referee a sword match.
Oops, gotta go referee a sword match.
A Whole Lotta Crazy
This past week at work was a whole lotta crazy. I mean serious crazy. I don't know if I've ever had a week that made me seriously contemplate a career switch ... and quickly. In addition to just the plain randomness of crazy there were two forces of nature that had to add to the complexity of already said craziness.
Force of nature one: snow. Yes, admittedly, I don't know if we can call this past winter rough, because frankly, it hasn't been cold and we rarely received any snow. So, this past Wednesday, when we did receive 4-8 inches (depending on where you were) many folks chose to stay inside their homes and not face the elements. I was not one of those smart people. No, I left my house around 5:45 a.m. and then proceeded to drive three miles to my park and ride. It took more than a half hour to drive those three miles. Now, a smarter person would have turned around and just gone home. Instead, my thought pattern went something like this: "It will be easier to just keep moving forward, than try to turn around and go back." Okay, granted from a philosophical standpoint, that sounds like great advice ... from a going to work on the worst day for travel all winter ... not so smart. (K even got his first snow day, and we received a call at 5:30 telling us school was cancelled due to bad weather and hazardous road conditions. (Why that wasn't a clue to stay at home ... not even going to go there.)
Force of nature two: technology failure. Our servers at the big co. were not cooperating, they were delaying emails by major scale. Emails people sent at 10 a.m. weren't arriving in people's inboxes until 7 p.m. that evening. Let me tell you, if you ever want to see miscommunication on a major scale add to an already severely stressful situation ... ask your IT department to mess with your email servers. It caused such a chaotic mess ... and the thing was, it was sporadic. As a company, we are slaves to our email and were clearly handicapped by this technical mishap.
So, of course, I was dealing with the biggest fire drill I've had to deal with to date on the major project during both of this situations. Obviously, I'm still alive, and no one else died ... but I have seen how people deal with stress in difficult situations and it makes me ask myself over and over again, is it all worth it? Working in an ambiguous field can cause a lot of unnecessary stress, maybe I should become a yoga instructor (oh, that would mean I'd have to be able to actually do some of those crazy yoga poses.)
And to add to this craziness, I volunteered myself to administer the school's PTO Facebook page (it didn't dawn on me until this weekend that I now actually have to monitor the page in case someone asks questions ...) So, now I add that to my daily to do list. And of course, writing my first book is eating at the back of my head, I know that the only obstacle to starting that goal is me ... and I need to kick my arse into gear.
Force of nature one: snow. Yes, admittedly, I don't know if we can call this past winter rough, because frankly, it hasn't been cold and we rarely received any snow. So, this past Wednesday, when we did receive 4-8 inches (depending on where you were) many folks chose to stay inside their homes and not face the elements. I was not one of those smart people. No, I left my house around 5:45 a.m. and then proceeded to drive three miles to my park and ride. It took more than a half hour to drive those three miles. Now, a smarter person would have turned around and just gone home. Instead, my thought pattern went something like this: "It will be easier to just keep moving forward, than try to turn around and go back." Okay, granted from a philosophical standpoint, that sounds like great advice ... from a going to work on the worst day for travel all winter ... not so smart. (K even got his first snow day, and we received a call at 5:30 telling us school was cancelled due to bad weather and hazardous road conditions. (Why that wasn't a clue to stay at home ... not even going to go there.)
Force of nature two: technology failure. Our servers at the big co. were not cooperating, they were delaying emails by major scale. Emails people sent at 10 a.m. weren't arriving in people's inboxes until 7 p.m. that evening. Let me tell you, if you ever want to see miscommunication on a major scale add to an already severely stressful situation ... ask your IT department to mess with your email servers. It caused such a chaotic mess ... and the thing was, it was sporadic. As a company, we are slaves to our email and were clearly handicapped by this technical mishap.
So, of course, I was dealing with the biggest fire drill I've had to deal with to date on the major project during both of this situations. Obviously, I'm still alive, and no one else died ... but I have seen how people deal with stress in difficult situations and it makes me ask myself over and over again, is it all worth it? Working in an ambiguous field can cause a lot of unnecessary stress, maybe I should become a yoga instructor (oh, that would mean I'd have to be able to actually do some of those crazy yoga poses.)
And to add to this craziness, I volunteered myself to administer the school's PTO Facebook page (it didn't dawn on me until this weekend that I now actually have to monitor the page in case someone asks questions ...) So, now I add that to my daily to do list. And of course, writing my first book is eating at the back of my head, I know that the only obstacle to starting that goal is me ... and I need to kick my arse into gear.
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