That Would Be the Distinctive Smell of Decomp

Once again, I begin with an apology for being a such a sporadic blogger. If you don't know (or haven't guessed) I am finally employed. I was afraid to blog when the job prospect first fell into my lap. And it did literally fall into my lap. I was reading on my favorite couch right by the door and the Vansome came home all excited and dropped some papers in my lap. It was the job description for a position at the hospital/medical school where his co-worker Tony moonlights as a Med Tech. Tony had been offered the job but wasn't interested, so he passed it on to me. It was so perfect that I was terrified of jinxing it, plus you always hear about employers passing on applicants after reading their blogs, so I kept quiet. Cyber quiet, anyway. I was telling anybody and everybody in real life.

I love my job. I miss being home, and I miss my domestic schedule, but I love what I'm doing. I'm in administration, which is different, but I'm still in pathology, which is familiar enough to off-set the weirdness of a desk job. I do miss being directly involved in the actual work, though. I really enjoyed shopping for a professional wardrobe. I absolutely love the hospital I work for. I volunteered there the summers I was 13 and 14. It's also my alma mater. The school, not the hospital, but they're pretty well intertwined. It feels like home.

I took The Boy up this morning to show him around. I've been wanting to do it ever since I got there, but we've been so busy on the weekends. He was marginally impressed with my office and the Pathology Department as a whole. We poked around in the Gross Room, but without anyone there, it was less than interesting. Grossing tables and stain lines and machines are pretty boring by themselves. The buckets of parts (parts is parts) piqued his interest, but you can't really make out much after they've been sliced and diced. It's just a bucket of murky liquid with indistinct solid pieces floating around.

The highlight of the day was the morgue. It was open so I was able to really show him around. He loved every minute he was there. He saw everything except an actual autopsy, and I've asked to be called the next time we have one over the weekend so he can watch that as well. I'm looking forward to that myself, as I've wanted to watch one since I was a student and I keep missing out for one reason or another.

We do alot of brain studies so the walls are lined with buckets of brains. It is a fascinating sight. I let him peek inside the cooler, too. Surprisingly, it looks about like the walk-in refrigerator we used at Chili's, only smaller. We let the coroner use it when he needs to, so it's rarely empty. The Boy has now experienced the unforgettable, undeniable, unmistakeable odor of human decomposition. CSI would not be as popular if you could smell what you were seeing. The Boy was beside himself, and completely renewed in his desire to practice medicine. I may have to haul him into the morgue every weekend to keep him focused on his goals.

Video Crack

I can't believe I haven't posted since August. I am such a loser {placing forefinger and thumb L on forehead}. I've been a bit preoccupied feeling sorry for myself, but I'm thinking of putting a stop to that for a while.

I've also been very preoccupied with TV. I got my Fall Preview issue a week ago Thursday, and I snagged the Returning Shows Preview issue Friday. BB ends Tuesday, 4400 ended last night, Kyle XY has been on break for two weeks now, and I believe Eureka's season finale is this week or possibly next week. My summer shows are going and the New Fall Season starts for me tonight with Prison Break Season 3. Yay! Actually, I'm feeling a little ambivalant about PB because I read that Sarah Wayne Callies (Sarah) will not be returning after she gives birth this fall. While I'm happy for the actress and I'm sure she wants to be a mom for a while, I'm not sure I want to watch Michael without Sarah. Mostly I don't think I want to see Michael trying to bust out of another prison. I don't know if I'm going to like it as much. We'll see...

The video crack referred to in my title is Heroes Season 1 on DVD. The Vansome and I opted not to get into Heroes last fall. We had been burned the season before, falling for three new sci-fi-ish shows (Threshold, Surface, and Invasion) that were all cancelled, so we were leery of another sci-fi show that we might love and then lose. Besides, we already had a pretty full slate of new and returning shows to keep us busy.

Of course, I could hardly ignore the hype all season. Apparantly it was a Huge Hit and there was no chance of cancellation. Of course, it's episodic, so it was really too late for us to pick it up mid-season, when we had lots more room on our schedule since The Nine and Vanished turned out to be crap and NBC didn't love Studio 60 as much as we did. We stopped on a re-run a couple of times a few weeks ago and of course we really liked what we saw. That show is so right up our alley. Last Monday, I was bottoming out and the Vansome was desperately trying to think of ways to cheer me up. He decided to take me to a movie. The conversation went a little like this:

Vansome: (in desperation) Let's get out of here. Let's go see a movie. I'll see what's on.

Me: (defeated before I start) But I'm afraid that nothing will sound good and I'll shoot all your ideas down just because I'm depressed and then it'll taint all the movies with bad feelings and then we won't want to see them ever, and there's probably some good movies in there.

Vansome: (totally blown away by the confusion of my logic) Huh?

Me: (after short and pointless crying bout) How about we just rent a movie. I still have a membership at that place next to Dominos. Maybe we could start watching season 1 of Heroes, it just came out this week.

Vansome: (barely keeping up with the mood swings) Huh? Heroes, sure, ok, sounds like a better idea. Wait, why do you have a membership at a movie place?

Me: (sniffling but perking up) Remember last fall when you were at deer camp, and The Boy wanted to watch Lost, and so we rented the first disc of season 1, and then I realized that by the time I rented each disc, I would have spent more than just buying the set? I signed up then, but I haven't used it since because we bought the set.

Vansome: (starting to piece it together) Why don't we just buy Heroes then? Doesn't that make more sense?

Me: (fully recovered and perky for the first time in weeks) Great Idea Honey! Let's go to Best Buy!


So we watched the first two discs that night. We've watched a little every night since, making it as far as the end of disc 4. The Vansome was at deer camp all weekend, but The Boy was home, so I re-watched the first 4 discs with him, and then the first two episodes on disc 5. Last night I re-watched those two eps with the Vansome, so now we're at the same place and ready to finish up before the new season starts next week. We have been referring to it as video crack because every episode ends with a cliffhanger and it is so hard not to go on. I don't know what we're going to do when we have to wait a week every time. Except maybe have a life and not watch hours and hours of TV late into the night.

I've got more to say, but I've got to be somewhere. I'm hoping I'm back in my blogging groove again. We'll see. As always, I'm not going to promise anything.

Fruit Flies in My Nose

The Boy is home after his second week of school. We have a busy weekend planned. He absolutely has to re-pot his plants tomorrow. We are being overrun with fruit flies and they're coming from the soil in his house plants. He thought it would be a good idea last weekend to bring in a couple of small spiders to live in the office window next to the plants, and I gave him a week to see if it would work. I knew it wouldn't, but he can be stubborn, and he needs to see for himself before he'll let go of an idea. I've had fruit flies driving me crazy all week. For some reason, they seem to be attracted to the computer, which is not in the office. Apparantly they are also attracted to nostrils. They keep flying up my nose. But no more after this weekend! If re-potting doesn't work, the plants are going outside.

The job search is still dragging. The molecular lab won't need anyone until January at the earliest. I've applied to a broad spectrum of research and lab jobs, and now I'm just waiting and trying not to pull my hair out. The Vansome is worried I'm going to end up with second or third shift, and while that would certainly suck, I'd take it right now. I still haven't ruled out just waiting tables again, at least until January. Besides, it'd be good exercise.

I'm really pretty bored lately. You'd think that would lead me get my house cleaned, de-cluttered, and organized, but you'd be wrong. I've reached that stage where everything bores me, even stuff I like to do (not that I'm including cleaning in that.) I think that's a pretty good definition of depression, but I am on meds for that. I don't really feel like finishing this post, so I'm just going to quit and see if I can get my guys to cheer me up.

A Few of My Favorite Things

One of the other blogs I read on occasion is by a high school english teacher (cups of coffee) and she has Wednesday writing challenges. I always look at them and say I'm going to take her up one Wednesday, but so far I haven't. I think I'm going to this time. It's not Wednesday and I'm not even doing the one from this week, but this challenge from a past week piqued my interest, so I'm going to give it a go.

If you aren't already aware (and harboring a secret fantasy to end up in the audience,) Oprah has an annual "Favorite Things" episode around Christmas time in which she shows off her favorite material finds for the year, and she gives one of each item to every member of her audience. Im not giving anything away, but I'm going to introduce you to my favorite material possessions. I thought I'd do it ala Oprah, and list things you could buy for yourself, but I think I'll make it a little more personal. You could probably find these things if you tried hard enough (Ebay, anyone?) but they're not all new and shiny.

So, in no particular order, except the order that they popped into my head, is an incomplete list of my favorite material possessions.

1. My car. She's seven years old this month. She has 98,292 miles on her right now (I just checked.) Her name is Babette, as in "Babette the Sex Kitten" from late 80's SNL, but I don't really call her that. I named her that when I brought her home because she's a sexy little black sports car. She's a 5-speed manual with a V6. She has been to the shop one time in her whole life, and that was for a new transmission last month. The Vansome had been wanting to replace it for two years now, but I never had any problems with it myself. I think he just doesn't know how to drive her like I do. I've gotten used to the new transmission, but it took a couple of days to re-train her to shift the way I like. She was the first car I ever bought that was exactally what I wanted, and not just what I could afford at the time. I wouldn't trade her now for anything except maybe a brand spanking new Lexus convertible.

2. My great-grandmother's wedding dishes. The first Easter after I bought my house I brought dinner over to my great-aunt's house because that was the first year she just wasn't up to getting out. She had decided she was going to die that night for some reason (this was 8 1/2 years ago and she's still here) and so she was loading me down with family treasures. I absolutely love old family possessions. I love being able to touch and live with things that belonged to my ancestors. The most treasured things I took home that night were three plates from my great-grandmother's wedding dishes. I have them hanging on the back wall in my bookshelf in the living room.

3. My Harry Potter books. I love that world. I have all seven now in hardback. My dream is to own the British versions in hardback also, as well as the audio versions on CD (American and British.) And the movies on DVD. I have all the movies that are out so far. That's about as far as my obsession goes. I don't have any memoribilia or figurines or anything like that. I have no desire to own a replica of Harry's wand. That's just silly.

4. My Dan Mackin prints. He is far and away my favorite artist. Someday I'll have originals, but for now, I just have prints. These are over my fireplace and in my dining room, respectively.

5. My WDW monorail ornament. When you push one button on the top, lights come on inside. The best part is the other button, though. When you push that one, the real monorail voice comes on to say "Welcome aboard. On behalf of the cast of the Walt Disney World Resorts, we'd like to wish you a happy holiday season." It makes me shiver with excitement every.single.time. It feels almost like being there for Christmas again. Christmas and Disney World...ahhhh, perfection.

6. My external hard drive. More specifically, what's on the hard drive, which is a pretty massive music collection. But music doesn't really count because you can't touch it, so I love that I have a hard drive big enough to hold it all, and a neat little compact way to hold such a mass of emotions and memories.

7. My jean shorts. They're slightly stretchy, and no matter how much weight I gain and lose, they're always just a little bit loose.

8. TV Guide Fall Preview issue. I mentioned this a couple of blogs ago. I won't go into it again.

9. My Couple's Bible. I love my Concordia Self-Study Bible as well, but the Couple's Bible has helped me through countless rough patches, and it feels comforting in my hands.

10. My bathroom walls. I chose a deep tuquoise color from the water in my Mackin prints when we re-did our bathroom. It makes me happy every time I look in there. I don't know if it would work in a larger room, but I might give it a try sometime, just because I can't get enough of looking at it.

OK, that's ten, and that's a good place to stop. It is definately incomplete, though.

Names

I found a new blog today, and I love it. It's at the top of "Blogs I Read" on my sidebar. A followed a link on Two Peas to an Ebay description and discovered this hilarious woman. She had a link to her blog, and I've been reading it for hours. I am in awe of her humor writing abilities. And the fact that she can even find the right letters on her keyboard with six kids being, well, kids.

I loved growing up in a big family. Sure, they all got on my nerves most of the time, and I still crave alone time, but my overall memories are very fond. I would not change it for the world. I love the whole dynamic of big families. I am fascinated by the Duggars and their seventeen. I love the atmosphere of a full house and lots of children of varied ages running around.

I'm also fascinated by names. One of my favorite timewasters is to come up with lists of names for the big family in the book I'm never going to get around to writing. JK Rowling said once that she collects names, which is why so many of her characters have such unusual and yet fitting monikers. I tend to mentally collect groups of names. More specifically, I'm interested in naming patterns in siblings. That kind of makes it sound all scientific study-ish. It's not. It's just something I'm drawn to. When I find out someone has more than one child, I need to know their names. When someone has siblings, I need to know names and birth orders.

I am, at the same time, immensely grateful that I don't have lots of children. Naming them and raising them are pretty far apart on the spectrum. I'm content with what I have, thank you very much. And I'm pretty happy with how The Boy has turned out so far. I couldn't get that lucky a second time, much less taking four more chances after that. Nope, I've got a good life. This empty nesting thing is getting better and better every day. All I need now is a job.

Blah Blah Blog

I'm back to having a playlist going while I blog. I had stopped for a while after The Boy quit his job because he complained about most of what I played, and he was keeping me pretty busy anyway. Plus I really wasn't blogging there for a while, was I? In the mean time, the Vansome stole my speakers. He's using them with his laptop in the bedroom so he can listen to his fave iTunes radio stations in bed. I've got some rediculous over-the-ear headphones on (when they're not falling out of my ears) and that means I can only listen while I sit here. I'm thinking about stealing my speakers back, but I'm not really going to have time at home by myself anymore, so I guess I'll just stick with these things in my ears, hitting pause on the media player everytime I've got to get up to move laundry around or let kitties in the backdoor.

I'm down to only watching BB on Thursdays for the Live Eviction and HOH comp. My interest in that is even starting to lag. I'm ready for some good fall TV. I'm ready to get into my new, empty nested, routine. I haven't really looked into the new shows. I generally wait for the TV Guide Fall Preview issue, one of my favorite things since I was old enough to read. I can still remember the the exact picture on the page for "Mr. T and Tina." I bet most people don't even remember the show. I doubt it lasted the entire season, although back then networks weren't so quick to cancel. The Mr. T was played by Pat Morita, long before he was Mr. Miyagi, and before a very different Mr. T became a household name. That's how long ago that show was in the Fall Preview, and that's how long I've been devouring the annual issue and planning my evening viewing schedule.

As for The Boy, today was his first day of classes. At about 12:15, I was sitting on my couch thinking about where he was and what he was doing right then. It occured to me that I could just hop in my car and be up there in time to take him to lunch so he could tell me all about his first day. The urge was strong, and I came close to giving in, but I know it would have been The Wrong Thing To Do, so I didn't. But I wanted to. I distracted myself by going to Krog's to get pizza dough mix for his dinner this weekend. I called him after I ate my lunch.

Today he had Psych, Pre-Cal, Zoology, and some Intro to Biology class that all Bio majors are required to take. He already appreciates the difference between High School and College. He was almost gushing about how much he loves his classes. His Pre-Cal instructor sounds like the perfect person for the job. He has math anxiety and she could not be a better fit for him. Apparantly she is extremely relaxed about grades and homework, and she bends over backwards to help out her students. I was most nervous about this class of everything on his schedule, but I am so at ease about it now. He's at ease, too. Oh, and he was just starting on his first day's homework when I called. And he shaved, on his own, without being asked to.

He has turned over a new leaf and he sounds like he has all the confidence in the world to go along with his new determination to succeed. A few weeks ago, he told me that he wished he could go back and do high school over (the part before homeschooling.) First I told him that I've been there, not just about high school, but about so many of my college years. In fact, I did do over a lot of my college classes, but that is way too expensive both in time and money. Then I told him that it was wonderful that he came to that realization now, when he does kind of get a do-over. He will never have to worry about his high school grades again. He's got a clean slate. So I just told him to channel that regret into doing the job now that he wished he had done then, only better. I recognize his feelings so much, but I didn't get them until I went back to college after I had been out for a while. And I made all of one B from that point on, the rest were A's. He's determined not to make even one B. He'll need that kind of GPA to get into med school. He's going to be awesome. I'm already so proud I can't stand it.

I Need a J-O-B

I'm trying to go back to work, but I'm being thwarted at every turn. I interviewed for the cytogenetics job a few weeks ago, and although the interview went well, I left with a bad feeling about the job. I couldn't quite put my finger on what the problem was, because it looked and sounded very interesting. It was just a vague feeling of unease. It just felt wrong, and the Vansome and I are both firm believers in trusting our gut instincts about things, so after we discussed it for a couple of days, we decided I should turn down the second interview. I did, but man, that was hard to do. I felt literally sick at my stomach after I hung up the phone. I know it was the right decision, but I am in no position to be turning down employment opportunities.

I felt much better about it a couple of weekends ago when I attended the local annual cytology conference. I talked to old friends who knew others who had worked in that lab and the general concensus was that I had been right to trust my gut. The funny thing was, no one has been able to explain what was wrong with the job. Everyone just kind of felt like I did. The supervisor seemed to be a great guy, and liked by everyone I've talked to. The employees all seemed happy to be there. The job itself looked challenging enough to keep it from being boring. They do seem to have a lot of employee turnover, and that's usually a bad sign.

I hope that God was telling me no on that job because He has something better for me. I'm looking into the molecular lab at the Med Center. I talked to a former cytology school classmate at the conference. He's the cytology lab supervisor there now. The molecular lab is right next door to him so he knew who I should talk to. I called him this morning so I could get the ball rolling, and he said he had already told the supervisor to expect me. I was really excited and extremely grateful. I have been temporarily thwarted, though, because she's out of the lab until Thursday. So that means I have nothing really to do until then.

Hopefully, once I talk to her, things will move really fast. I am really ready to get back to work. I needed the two and a half years to de-tox, but I am fully recovered and anxious to get back into the working world. As little as two months ago, I was dreading the idea of going back to work. I really didn't know if I was capable of working a full time job again. I still felt like I needed more time at home. But now, I'm looking forward to it, and not just the paycheck. I don't feel that pull to be home, and I think that is due in a large part to knowing that The Boy is not here waiting for me. I'm ready to start my next new life.


I emailed The Boy this morning, but I'm not going to call again until tomorrow afternoon. I'm less sad today. I'm feeling a little more of a sense of freedom. And the excitement over the job prospect is helping.

My Nest is Officially Empty

I decided against going to church this morning. I debated, telling myself that being down is the best reason to go to church, but it came down to me hating to cry in public, and knowing I would cry as soon as I tried to talk to my sister. I'm doing better now, but just barely. The Vansome has made several comments about how quiet I am today. He brought me a white russian and a Hershey bar last night. He said he thought I needed both. He was right.

I called The Boy at 4:00 today, as planned. I also emailed him at 3:30, because I couldn't wait any more. He's doing fine. He sounded great. He sounded like an adult. His first question was to ask how I was holding up. I lied that I was just fine. His biggest problems right now are that he forgot his watch, there is no clock in his room, and there is no fan in the bathroom. The lack of a fan in the bathroom seems to be concerning him most. I advised him to buy a cheap watch and some air freshener at the bookstore.

I'm going out to get a job tomorrow. I'm not calling The Boy again until Tuesday.

A Pretty Crappy Motel Room, But Really Nice For a Dorm

The Boy is moved in. He has been left alone to fend for himself in the wilds of the University campus. Actually, he has to make his way across four lanes of traffic before he even gets to the wild campus. He is officially staying in a motel. And seeing as how I overheard someone in the the Student Accounts office say they had over 100 students in "overflow housing," I'm guessing he's going to be there for a while, possibly all semester. He's not hating it, though. He's actually pretty happy with the accomodations. He has a full sized bed, a bathroom right in his room that he only has to share with one other person, HBO on the TV, a Microwave and a Fridge, and semi-regular maid service.

Other than all that, they are trying to make the experience as dorm-like as possible. He has an RA (I wonder how he got stuck with that gig? Sorry, Dude, you drew the short straw, you get to RA in the motel) and a roommate. They will have a shuttle running back and forth on a set schedule so they can spend as much time on campus as they need to. I think part of the RA's job will be keeping them as involved with the rest of the campus as possible.

We met the roommate after lunch. As we were pulling into the parking lot, we saw a tall boy with long straight black hair getting something out of a car and I commented that he looked like The Boy's good friend Lee, and I was thinking how if he were like Lee, they might really get along well. Then we saw that The Boy's door was open, and we knew that this must be the guy. We went upstairs (he's on the second floor,) and the boys introduced themselves. His name is Richard. He seemed quiet and polite and intelligent. He had on a t-shirt with a clever saying on it, similar to the kind of shirt The Boy likes to wear. He also seemed much more independent minded than The Boy, so hopefully that will be a good thing. He was there with his girlfriend, who is in overflow housing at another motel, and her dad. I think he will prove to be a very good roommate. I felt better leaving after meeting him.

The Boy was ready for us to go, I think. He wouldn't hug me with the roomie there, but they all left before we did, so I was able to get one in anyway. I've been hugging him a lot the last few days. He didn't seem at all nervous. He was very calm and relaxed. He was getting his stuff together, going through his backpack, and going over his schedule again. He's really ready to get on with his life and I think he's going to do just fine. I only cried the teensiest bit on the way home, and again just a teensy bit talking to Grammy later. I'm holding up well, considering. Except that he didn't put his breakfast plate in the dishwasher before he left and I haven't been able to remove it from the bar yet myself. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time over a plate full of sugar, but every time I look at it, I think about how I used to fix him french toast for breakfast as a special treat, and how that was his last meal here before going off on his own. The Vansome may have to sneak it into the dishwasher tonight after I go to bed. I honestly don't think I'll be able to.

Emptying the Nest

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted here. I've been alternately too busy, too depressed, and too wigged out. The Boy moves into his hotel/temporary dorm tomorrow. It is a hotel room because they don't have any dorm rooms available just yet and it is temporary because they promise to have him in a real dorm within three weeks. It's a little bit The Boy's fault, a little bit my fault, and a whole lot the fault of the University that can never seem to get enough dorms built. Of course, the fault that's ours is that 1) The Boy didn't submit his dorm application until early summer and 2) I didn't follow up until late July. Truly, I didn't expect to hear from them until July anyway, so regardless of when The Boy applied, I would have waited until I thought there was a problem before calling, which is what I did. The problem was that he applied online and for whatever reason, it didn't go through. So when I called in late July, they had the application fee I had mailed in, but no application, and I had to resubmit and then call them back to verify that they really had it this time. I've been a bit of a basketcase ever since. We got the email confirming he's in a hotel on Wednesday.

I've been reverse nesting all week. I've washed all of his new towels and Twin XL sheets. I've got his new clean pillowcase on his new pillow, which he's not allowed to sleep on yet. His new blankie, I mean blanket, is all washed and neatly folded. I've packed everything except his clothes, and the washer is going with those right now. I've got to take him out to Target or WalMart in a bit so he can get some kind of toiletry/meds bag. He tried to get me to go alone, but I threatened to bring back something with Hello Kitty on it, and he said that would make him cry, because he wants something manly.

This afternoon I will make him re-pack. He doesn't need half of his stuff yet because of the hotel situation. So we will go through everything, re-pack what he needs for the upcoming week, and then box up the rest for when he gets into an actual dorm. I'm trying not to be too controlling, but it's not working very well. The more anxious I get, the greater my need to do it all for him. He doesn't seem to want to do anything yet, and I think it's because I've sapped all the fun out of getting ready for college for him by doing it all myself and then just telling him about it. It's so hard not to try to live vicariously through your kid. I can't imagine what a nightmare of a mother I'd be if I had a daughter.

The rest of the plan includes dinner tonight, his choice. He requested PF Chang's, which we've never done before. I had in mind cooking his favorite meal or taking him out to his favorite restaurant, something that would remind him of home. But then, it's not about me, is it? Tomorrow we will head up at about 8:30, check in at the housing office, pick up his pre-ordered books at the bookstore, buy his zoology books, move him into his hotel, eat lunch on campus, and attend various welcome activities. And then, according to the official Schedule of Events for Welcome Week, at 3:30 we parents say our "Final Goodbyes." And then I have to leave. I have to leave my baby in another city, an hour away from me, and I can't come back for an entire week. I have to step back and let him swim or drown. Does parenting ever get easier? No, it does not. It just gets hard in different ways.

HP and the OOTP

Saw the movie last night. I thought I could wait, but I started getting antsy Wednesday, and so I guilted the Vansome into agreeing to see it with me after he got off work Thursday. I had a roast in the crock pot and he wanted some down time at home first, so we decided on the 8:30 showing. That also gave me time to watch the Live Eviction on BB, and watch Jen win HOH just as I knew she would. Seriously, the show is more scripted than reality. I just go with it now, so it doesn't make me mad anymore.

But about that movie... I loved it. Loved it! I purposely didn't re-read the book ahead of time, so it's been at least a couple of years. I had hoped that would give me enough distance to not have too many expectations as to what they would show. It worked. There were scenes I would have loved to see on the big screen, but I understood the need to leave so much out. It is a huge book. I was hoping they could make the movie a little longer, but all in all I think they did an admirable job in shrinking down a very busy story.

Spoilers coming, so if you haven't seen the movie yet (or read the last book), and plan to, stop reading here. I'll put anything else I have to say in another post, so you won't miss anything but movie talk. So stop reading now. Unless you don't mind being spoiled. You have been warned.

SPOILERS
What I loved about the movie: Evanna Lynch's portrayal of Luna. I liked her even more than I did in the books. She was amazing. Imelda Staunton was equally scary/nasty as Umbridge. Not quite the toad I pictured in the book, but still very very sickeningly ick. I thought Helena Bonham Carter was beyond brilliant as Bellatrix. All in all very good casting. I was happy that they left in one of my favorite scenes from the book, the Weasley twins grand exit, and while I would have loved to have seen their swamp, I understand why it was left out. The thestrals looked great! Exactally the blend of creepy, ugly, and yet very likeable creatures. The subtle set-up of the future Ginny/Harry relationship was done well, with some admiring glances from Harry over her magical prowess and some mildly jealous looks from Ginny when Harry and Cho were together. I was really glad they took the time to show what a great witch Ginny really is. She's been all but ignored in the last few movies, and she plays such a large role in Half Blood Prince. Snape was great, as usual. Movie Snape is so different than Book Snape for me, but I love them both equally. The Ministry of Magic was phenomenal. I really loved the special effects. They looked very "real" and not over-the-top, aren't-we-talented-look-what-we-can-do. It was much better than what I had pictured.

The Head-in-the-Fireplace special effect was much more the way I pictured it from the way it was shown in the last movie, but at the same time it was distracting to me because I had just seen that scene from Goblet of Fire earlier this week. I thought that it was kind of bad form to do it differently, even if it was better.

My favorite thing was Harry's reaction when Sirius feel through the veil. It was perfect! They showed the depths of his emotions without schmaltz or obvious emotional manipulation. It had a much greater effect in the silence. I have to say my worst ever scene from an HP movie was Harry's "He killed my parents" breakdown in Prisoner of Azkaban. The losing Sirius scene from OOTP makes up for that bit of crap.

What I didn't like, or wish was different:
I missed Mrs Black. She would have made for at least one good scene in the movie. I loved Sirius' line in the book: "I see you've met my mother." I hope that shows up in deleted scenes, but it probably won't because I'm guessing they didn't even make her portrait for the movie. I wish they would have shown Dumbledore's office sealing itself against Umbridge. They didn't explain about Aurors, or even mention them. There were a lot of missing explanations for things, such as Phineas Nigellus' portraits, why Grimmauld Place was such a great hq, where Neville's parents are, what Fred and George are going to do and where they got the money for it, and lots more that I'll add as they come to me.
I don't mind them leaving out the Quidditch, but it was interesting about Harry, Fred, and George being banned and all of that about Ron. They really stole all of Ron's glory that was in the book. I would have loved to hear a rousing chorus of Weasley Is Our King. It also cost us the beginning of Fred and George's grand exit when they call their brooms from the dungeons and the bits of chain and rock clinging to them ats they made their final fly through. I like Fred and George's exit much better the way it was written. It was almost anticlimactic the way it was on screen, knowing what a brilliant scene it was originally.
I was mildly disappointed by the set up for the Room of Requirement. It was pretty lame to just have Neville walking by and it appeared. I loved that in the books, it was first mentioned by Dumbledore, who had need of a bathroom.
I would have liked to have seen St Mungo's, but I see how that would be a really expensive set for something that wasn't as necessary to the movie. And I highly doubt they could have gotten Kenneth Branagh to reprise Lockheart for such a bit part. I would have liked to have seen the heartbreaking scene with Neville and his parents, though.
I'm sure there is more I will want to say, but I'm taking a break for now.

Prepping for Changes

BB has really sucked me in again. These are some seriously boring Hamsters this year, and yet I can not look away. I don't have strong feelings for anyone yet. Except Joe and Jen. Very much not liking those two. I think Nick may be my fave right now. His ambiguously gay thing (that only shows up on the feeds) just might be brilliant strategy. I'm hopeful. I'm getting all of my feed action in the form of Hamster Time recaps. It's better than watching myself, and cheaper! It's not so hard keeping up because these Hammies never.do.anything. I do waste too much time reading about it, though.

I haven't been completely worthless over the last week. I babysat Jett yesterday. That was something. I had a shake at Purple Cow with Ame Friday night. That's about the extent of my leaving the house. The Vansome intended to work on the Kitchen last weekend, but got sidetracked by shopping for hunting gear with his dad. I'm just so happy about the new dishwasher that I don't care so much about the rest of the kitchen. I've instituted deer camp rules, which means putting your dishes in the DW as soon as you are finished with them. If they can handle that at deer camp, they can handle it at home. I also have a "you open it, you unload it" rule. The new DW has a little green light that comes on when it's finished, so no more wondering if the dishes are clean or dirty. So far I'm the only one who can see the little green light, because I seem to be the only one unloading anything.

The Boy and I have been busy with getting-ready-for-college chores. I had been avoiding it for a while because I am Not Ready. I really don't want it to be happening yet. But I forced myself to start thinking about it again, and I've had a little fun buying a few supplies and working on schedules.
One thing I've had to face and come to terms with is the money situation. I will be getting a job soon. A real job. I know I won't be able to make as much as I did before, but I think I can get close. The Vansome's coworker and friend, Tony, moonlights in a lab at the Med Center. He gave me some job leads yesterday and I'm working on that today. I'm really hoping to end up in the Cytogenetics Lab. It sounds sort of close to the kind of work I used to do, so the training should be relatively easy. And the bonus is that I really have missed microscope work. Wish me luck!

BB is Back

For the third time in four years, at the end of the Big Brother season last fall I swore that I would Never.Watch.Again. The show starts back up again tonight. I'll be watching. I am so weak.

I first got sucked into this show 5 long years ago, Season 3. I'd heard of it the previous two seasons, thought it sounded a little sick and twisted, and wasn't interested. But that summer, I just happened to have Entertainment Tonight or Extra or one of those 6:30 shows on the night of the premiere, and they introduced a few of the contestants. The only one I remember from that was Lisa, who went on to win, but she piqued my interest and so I decided to watch, to see what would happen to her. It helped that the show was starting later that night so I didn't have time to forget about it. It also helped that TV used to be pretty boring in the summer.
I really enjoyed Season 3. I loved Jason, and wanted his secret alliance with Danielle to pay off. I wanted Danielle to win. I got caught up in Lisa and Eric's showmance, and actually cared whether or not they stayed together after the show ended. (they didn't.) I adored Amy and Marcellas. I hated Roddy with a white hot passion. I was happy enough with the outcome. My girl Dani didn't get it, but at least she got the second place money. So I watched again the next year.

Season 4 was fun. The twist was interesting. I liked Jack the former FBI guy. I liked Erika. I even came to like Robert, mostly because of his love for his daughter. This was the year that I discovered internet recaps of the live feed. I found a guy, close to the end of the season, because I was looking for a recap of an episode I had missed. I still don't know who he was or where to find him again, but he provided me with my first glimpse of the difference between what CBS chooses to show you and what's really going on in the house. He showed me that Allison and Jun were pretty nasty mean girls, and neither of them deserved the money. I was sorely disappointed when they ousted Robert and ended up in the final two. I didn't want either of them to win, but I didn't want Allison to win more. Thankfully, Jun took home the big money, but I still swore off future seasons of the show.

Season 5, I conveniently forgot my vow, and I perked up when I started seeing ads for the coming season. The Vansome and I watched the first night, and when Cowboy started to speak, I knew it was hopeless. No way the Vansome could listen to him. He is very sensitive to voices. Cowboy's voice was hard for me to hear, and I'm not nearly as particular. So I decided to wait it out. I figured, he looks and sounds an awful lot like an idiot, he doesn't look like he's going to be fitting in with anyone else there, I don't see anyone being able to stand being stuck in a house with that voice for very long. He'll be out the first week. Then I'll start watching. I checked the official website every week, and every week Cowboy was still there. Finally, it was time for the finale. Final two? Cowboy and some other guy. I watched them award the prize to the other guy, but that damn Cowboy caused me to miss the entire season.

Season 6. I watched, but I didn't care. Then one day one of the peas posted a link to a fight from the night before. Someone, or more acurately several someones, who subscribe to the live feeds, had recorded a fight between Michael and Eric. It was very very funny. I was hooked again. This time, I found a couple sites with live feed recaps. (I'll add them to my sidebar later) Dingo's Hamster Watch just gives a really good summary of what he observes each day. Hamster Time is a message board where an assortment of clever feedsters document, complete with comments, literally every thing that they see on the live feeds. It's beyond addictive. Did I mention that this was the first summer after I quit my job?
Things got ugly fast. The battle lines had never been so definitively drawn before. This was one entertaining show, but the best stuff didn't make it to television. After a particularly brutal but hilarious rant from Howie, the infamous "Busto" rant, in which he made April cry, the Vansome and I broke down and subscribed to the live feed. We Loved It! We fell head over heels for Jedi Janey, Huricane Howie, King Kayser, and sweet Rachel. We despised the FriendSith. They were evil, I tell ya. When Maggie (known to feedsters as Haggie or Maggot) won, I was devastated. Not quite to the same degree as the presidential elections the previous fall, but close. I vowed to never watch again. This time I meant it.

Season 7 rolled around, accompanied by talk of an All-Star version. My Jedi Janey was returning! And Kayser was getting the second (third) chance he deserved. Plus Howie would be back, along with Erika from 4, Dani and Marcellas from 3, and I would finally get to watch the Evil Dr.Will from season 2 in action. We didn't get the feeds this time because we had some problems cancelling our subscription from the previous summer. I was okay with that, though, because it's actually more entertaining to read the feedsters from Hamster Time than to watch the feeds myself. And the really good stuff ends up on youtube anyways.
I enjoyed the season immensely. Except for my burning hatred for Mike Boogie. When Janey didn't make it to the final two again, I knew what was coming, and I couldn't stomach it. I turned off the TV after she had her chat with Julie, deleted Dingo and Hamster Time from my favorites, and swore that I would never watch again. I knew that Boogie was going to win, but I didn't even bother to verify it after it happened. I just couldn't stand it.

Season 8 starts tonight. I'll miss my Janey Doll, but at least there's no more Boogie. I'm such a sucker.

It Was the Perfect Storm (of Stomach Aches)

The Boy has always had a thing for hot and spicy foods that burn his mouth. He has a high tolerance. When he was 10, he had a hot sauce eating contest with the Vansome, who was well known for his love of heat. The Boy smoked him.
Last week, while we were taking care of the dog, The Boy snagged a bottle of hot sauce from Grammy's. "HOT SAUCE Salsa Picante de CHILE HABANERO El Yucateco Much More Habanero!" read the label. It was a small bottle, most likely bought during one of her trips to San Antonio. The hot sauce itself was that unnatural flourescent green color, a glow-in-the-dark version of the green ketchup that was on the market a few years ago. He loved it.

Last night, The Boy made his new favorite snack, a hot sauce sandwich. Two pieces of whole wheat bread bleeding flourescent green. He ate it a little too quickly. Then he got stupid, I mean macho. He made a second sandwich. The Vansome had one of his dead-bunny-in-the-garage moments. (see the last paragraph of this post) He encouraged The Boy to add sliced jalapenos to his flourescent green hot sauce sandwich. The clashing colors of the two greens were enough to hurt my eyes. But I wasn't eating it. I could look away. I did warn and nag and worry out loud, like any good mom. He was immediately sorry. He kept coming out his room throughout the evening (interrupting our Lost Season One DVD-athon) saying things like, "Man, my mouth hurts" and "It hurts to talk" and "This is really burning me." Once he came out to tells us "When I drool, my spit burns me." Niiiiice.

Today, when I picked him up from work, The Boy informed me that we were returning the hot sauce to Grammy's at my earliest possible convenience. "It is the devil," he said. "The hot sauce has won." He told me he believed Beelzebub himself had tried to crawl out of his butt. He was in pain. A lot of pain. He was pretty sure he had second degree burns on his intestines. But that's not the worst of it.
To ease the burning in his mouth last night, I encouraged him to drink lots of milk. Milk neutralizes the chemicals that cause the burns. He drank more than one large glass full. Downed them, one after the other. He's lactose intolerant. Lactose, guess what, upsets his stomach.
There was a third actor in this trifecta of stomach hell. The Boy suffers from what he and I refer to as "a nervous stomach." He (and I, because he inherited it from me) get painful and inconvenient stomach problems whenever we are nervous or anxious. The Boy spent a good part of fifth grade in the bathroom. School hours yesterday were devoted to working on college stuff, which left him feeling stressed. Which led to nervous stomach problems. On top of the lactose intolerence stomach problems. On top of the hot sauce sandwich overload.
He said, "Mom, I'm pooping flames." I laughed, or laughed harder, because he had me in stitches the whole way home. As we rounded the last corner, he made a vow, in his most solemn, vow-making voice. "I will never eat hot things...for a while."

Happy Fourth!

I've got some parade watching to do this afternoon. I may even stay for fireworks. And I'm thinking hard about that Gator-on-a-Stick.

So I guess you're wondering if I'm ever going to blog about the BFDT. I've been wondering the same thing myself. I keep telling myself, "Self, you really need to blog about the trip." But then I don't. I'm all rebelious that way. I hate when I tell myself what to do.

The truth is, I just can't seem to wrap my brain around it. Words like "awesome," "great," and "wonderfully spectacular" just don't even begin to do it justice. I feel woefully inadequate at expressing what this trip meant for me. The whole thing just overwhelms me and I know I can't really get it down in words. I have a list of memories, just one line reminders, really, that I wrote in the front cover of my Black Belt Sudoku book while I was babysitting Jett on my last night in Disney. Maybe I'll copy that here. But maybe not.

Will you ever get to hear my thoughts on that amazing trip? Probably. It's just gonna take a little more time. I need a little more distance.

Let's Get Together

The never ending movie was on last night. For us, that would be "The Parent Trap," the Lindsey Lohan version. The Vansome and I first started watching it our first night in Disney World. We actually missed the first maybe five minutes of it. We stopped on it when Annie arrives at camp. It was cute, so we watched. Soon after, Grammy and Pap arrived from the airport. We were the only ones in our rooms, so I left to show them around. I stayed and talked with them while they had dinner. Shortly after we returned, Brandon and Tina had a luggage emergency, so I was pulled away from the movie again. The Vansome had been watching by himself the entire time. He thought the whole thing was adorable.

I didn't get back to the movie until the part right when the girls decide to get the mom to come to San Francisco. We watched for a while, but it was getting later and later. We kept thinking it was almost over, and then they would start some new misadventure. We had an 8:00 am appointment with a Disney Bus looming, so by the time the girls started to head off on the camping trip, which I knew from the older version, we decided we just weren't up for hijinks in the woods with bears and honey.

Last night after I got home from VBS (see previous post) the Vansome was flipping channels and we saw young Lindsey Lohan again. We thought we might give it another shot. This time, it was right at the part where Halley/Annie was arriving in London for the first time, a whole section of the movie I had missed earlier. We really thought we would be able to see how it ended this time, but once again, we ran out of steam. We turned in pretty early, just about the time the evil fiancee was introduced. I think I was asleep before 10:00.

Of course I know how it ends. I used to love the original. I would like to see this ending, though. This movie can be hard to watch at times, knowing what we all know about young Miss Lohan. She was so absolutely adorable. Really just made me long for a cute little red haired daughter. It just makes me so sad to see her being so cute, and doing a very convincing job of being two people. She had such promise. And now, now she is a trashy little skank. I'm so sad about that. The Vansome thinks that there is still hope. "She's still young," he says. "Look at Drew Barrymore, she turned herself around," he says. I say, "Sorry, Honey, but there's just no getting over trashy. You either are or you're not, and she's proven which side she's on."

As much as I loved the idea of the movie when I was a kid, I've always been bothered by it, too. The secret twin sister was such a cool idea! My BFF Shannon and I used to pretend we were twins named Karen and Sharon. She was always Sharon because it was kind of like her real name and I was Karen because that's my mom's name. I liked the romance of them getting their parents back together because I am, and always have been, a hopeless romantic. What disturbed me even then, and really disturbs me now, is how in the world could anyone think it was a good idea to split up their daughters in the first place? How could you, as a parent, chose one twin to live with you and then pretend the other never existed for the rest of your life? It's so touching when the twins switch places and Halley gets to see her mother for the first time. It even jerked a tear out of the Vansome's dry eyes. But really, at the same time it's just so disturbing. How are those two not in therapy for the rest of their lives? How are they not just so angry at their stupid selfish parents for giving one of them up in the first place?

Oh, I do have such a love/hate thing going on with this movie. I'll have to move it to the top of my Netflix queue so we can finally finish it. Maybe I'll move the older version to the number two spot so we can compare and contrast.

Break Out the Glitter and the Popsicle Sticks

It's that time of year again! I'm talking about VBS, baby!

The Quest for Truth kicked off last night. Dakota Joe and Digger(not a dermatophyte) have the Grace Lutheran kids digging in the Bible, playing shepherd dress-up games, listening to stories told with a cool outback accent, and crafting their little hearts out.
I am taking a break at the moment from making up name tags for the rest of the week. I've been coloring in glyphs and the Sharpie fumes were getting to me. What is a glyph, you ask? A glyph, according to Dakota Joe, is a sort of picture word, a symbol. Each day has a specific glyph, and I have assigned glyphs to separate our three groups. They are also separated by color, hence the Sharpie overload I am currently experiencing. I needed a glyph-coloring break.

This year I branched out and took on the role of Bible Challenge leader. Several years ago, after a couple of years of strongly negative experiences, I promised the Vansome I would never volunteer for VBS again. I liked being able to blame it on him when I said no. Because I really wanted to say no all along, but I have those guilt issues, you know? Anyway, even after I changed churches, I still steered clear of VBS.
Last year, my beloved sister was co-director. She's amazingly good at that kind of thing. It would be my worstest nightmare. She talked me into helping out with registration. She promised me I would not have to be in charge of kids. It really was the least amount of kid-contact you could get. I could watch them having fun, but from a distance if I wanted. I convinced the Vansome it was safe, I would not get burned out and he would not get dragged in to help.
I gathered registration forms, divided kids into groups, and designed and printed name tags, all in the comfort of my own home. I shared registering duties with a member I hadn't met before, and I was reminded of what I liked about VBS in the first place. I am so painfully shy and socially awkward, that I don't get to know people in the church very easily. VBS puts you in a common boat with lots of different people for a whole week, so you get to know them better.
It made me feel more like an actual member of the church.
This year I had signed on for registration duties without hesitation. While we were at Disney, (in line for the Great Movie Ride, as a matter of fact,) Ame told me that her Bible Challenge person had just called and cancelled on her. I said, "I'll do it!" After we got back, she called and asked if I really meant it, or if I was just caught up in the excitement of Disney World. She knows me so well. But I'd had time to think about it, and I really thought it was something I could handle. The older I get, the better I am at recognizing my weaknesses and knowing how to keep myself from getting overwhelmed. I knew from last year that this job required very little actual responsibility for the kids' behavior. I have a job to do, and if someone's being disruptive, it's their group leaders who remove them or whatever. I can mostly just go about my business. I can't really handle wrangling unruly kids. I will never ever agree to be a group leader. Ever.

I made my debut last night with the green group (the trinity glyph's.) I totally forgot every bit of my "script," which I knew I would do. I was nervous and it showed. The kids were more forgiving than I thought they would be. I had stopped off in my downstairs Sunday School classroom earlier that evening while gathering Bibles. I got on my knees in a dark, out-of-sight corner and talked to God for a bit, asking him to remind me that this was all about his glory and to use me for his purposes. It didn't make everything "work" like magic, but it kept me from being bothered by it. God kept my focus where it should be. I know the kids were learning the truth, no matter what I did "wrong."

I had been most nervous about the pre-schoolers, because I didn't have instructions for them. I'm all about instructions. They really give me a sense of security, even if I don't follow them exactally. The pre-schoolers turned out to be my favorite group of the night. The time really just flew with them, and I had thought it would drag. Group leader Heather was amazing! She has such a gift for working with young children. She made it look so easy.

Getting ready for tonight, I realized that I had made last night's rhythm exercise way harder than it was supposed to be. Just my style, to make things unduly hard for myself. The rhythms are a series of knee-slaps and hand-claps to help memorize the day's Bible verse. I misunderstood the chart in my instruction book, and I added in hand-claps were there were none. It was supposed to be:

"grace" (knee-slap) "and truth" (knee-slap) "come through Je-" (knee-slap) "sus Christ" (knee-slap) "John" (knee-slap) "one sev-" (knee-slap) "en-teen" (knee-slap) (clap clap).

I added claps in between the knee-slaps, including an odd double clap for "came through" and a double time knee-slap/clap/knee-slap for "sev-en-teen."
I was really having a hard time with it earlier that day, and granted, I am not the most coordinated person, but I thought, "How are these young kids going to get this in ten minutes when I've been practicing all day and I keep messing up?" Duh, it's not supposed to be that complicated.
Yesterday, I thought my instructions were a little bit difficult, and I practiced and practiced, but still kept forgetting stuff. Today, my lesson was so much easier. I can do the whole thing without prompts. I know I'll still leave something out, but it won't cause the whole thing to come crashing down. I'm not nervous at all. I'm looking forward to it.

My Sharpie high is fading, so I must get back to the name tags. Then I've got some knee-slaps to practice.

They Didn't Miss Us, They Missed The Bed

This is what the boys have been doing since we returned:

Joe

Beans

Beans dry nurses on our clothes whenever he is in need of comfort, which is what endeared him to me in the first place. Since this was the first time we've left him, and they didn't have access to the indoors while we were gone, we were fully expecting to find a freaked out Beaner Kitty when we got home, leaving us with wet shirts for days. The Boy was especially worried about him. Beans is by far the neediest cat we've ever owned. We were expecting to be ignored by Joe for a few days, that's been his standard response to our previous vacations.

What we didn't expect was for them to both come running as soon as we called them from the back door. Beans was only mildly neurotic, he didn't even suck on anybody's shirt right away. Joe acted like nothing had happened. They said Hi, checked things out around the house, and then settled onto the bed for a good long nap. Beans has been napping inside all day every day ever since. It's all I can do to make sure he gets outside enough to potty.

But Was It Worth It?

Yes, yes it was.

We stopped in Tallulah to top off the tank, eat lunch, use the *ahem* facilities, and switch drivers. The Vansome announced as he took over the wheel that we were On Our Way, and the vehicle would not be stopping again until we were safely back in our own driveway. No sooner had we pulled on to the road when we noticed a tree frog on the windshield:

so we had to pull over. The Vansome was able to pick him up, but he escaped before he could be brought to safety in the grass along side the road. Apparantly tree frogs are a tad slippery. We gave him adequate time to get away from the tires, but then we had to move along. We wished him well, and apologized for leaving him in northeast Louisiana. I'm pretty sure he had been riding with us since Florida.

Back on the road, "NOW, we don't have to stop again until we're home."

"Um, Vansome, um, I really really want you to take my picture by the Hollybrook sign, remember?"

Long long ago, when I was a skinny little grade schooler, my daddy had taken my picture in front of a sign for Hollybroook, Louisiana. On the way back from a Big(ish) Family Disney Trip. Just like this trip, only we were too young to have spouses and children of our own, and I'm pretty sure we didn't even have a Brandon yet. Every time we pass through Hollybrook on our way back from Disney, I want to take my picture again. But not enough to actually stop, because I'd rather just get home sooner. So I always think I'll do it on the way back, because it's on that side of the road, and then on the way back I don't really care so much.

This time, it was Important. I needed a current picture of me by the sign. I needed it to be on this trip, the trip with all my family again. It was really Important. I was on the lookout, but I missed the sign. The Vansome saw it as he sped by. I convinced him that it was Important enough that he should turn around and go back. So he did. He crossed the highway, drove back a little ways, crossed again, and then pulled over. Then I saw the sign. It was not where I remembered it to be. It wasn't even the same sign, the original was green. But it was the only thing in the area that said "Hollybrook" except the top of the watertower (which was totally out of the question.)

I handed the camera to the Vansome and then stepped out into the grass on the side of the highway. My next step brought me crashing down, cursing, in pain, and pissed off. I had stepped in a massive hole hidden in the unruly grass clumps. The Vansome found me on my hands and knees, still cursing because I was still in pain. I kept waiting for the pain to subside just a little, but it just stayed and stayed. It really was disproportionate to the injury, I thought. The Vansome was sure I had broken my ankle, but I kept thinking surely it's not that bad. I hadn't even heard a "pop." A decade ago, when I lived in the duplex, I stepped out of my back door onto the side of my foot. That time I heard a definate "pop." It was only sprained and I didn't even use crutches, I just hobbled around for a couple of days. This time there was no "pop," so surely it couldn't be that bad, right?

The Vansome helped me to my feet when the pain and cursing finally abated. He half carried me to the sign (because I didn't go through all of that for nothing) and I got my picture, dammit. I faked a smile pretty well, I thought, but the camera just caught my squinty hair-in-my-face look. He took two just to make sure, but I deleted the other one because, well, it was not terribly flattering.

I tried to keep it raised after we got back on the road again, but that's hard to do in the front seat of a 4-Runner. So we pulled over again. This time The Boy and I switched places. The Vansome arranged bags to prop my foot on, and then he soaked one of his T-shirts in the icy cooler water and wrapped my ankle.

When we did arrive home, zero stops later, I found that I could actually walk on it fine. It totally supports all of my substantial weight. Now the ankle is fine, but the outside edge of my foot is not. My foot is swollen (see if you can tell which one):

and it hurts when I do things like press on the gas pedal, or if I hit it on something, which I do with some regularity. I believe I may have fractured the little bone that runs from my ankle to my pinky toe. Not much to be done about it, really.

A Little Whine With My Cheese

I have been home for three days now and I still can not get it together. I haven't finished unpacking, the only reason we have clean clothes to wear is because I have an awesome mother-in-law with awesome laundry facilities at her home. I haven't made my bed since we got back. I uploaded all my pictures yesterday and I finally got around to checking my e-mail today. I've been trying to eat better since we got home, and failing miserably. Waah Waah Waah. Sorry. I'll try again later.

Back Home

I'm back, eating my lunch while I do computer chores. My posts are going to be out of order for a while. I wrote out a few, long hand, while we were away from the computer. I'll post them as I find time. I started a post on Bob's computer, but I saved without publishing, so I'll clean it up and get it on here later, most likely not today. I have a ton of things to do to wind down from the trip, but mostly I'm just resting my gimped up ankle (more on that later) and making lists. I'm anxious to get my pictures up, but I don't know which bag has my USB cord. Pap will be by soon to pick up his Pap's Day prize. He heads back to San Antonio tomorrow. The Vansome and The Boy are back at work and I am enjoying the quiet (except for my Robbie Williams in the background, I never got around to putting him on a CD and I've been having withdrawals.) This has got to be the most useless post ever, but I'm not up for thinking just yet.
I just removed my BFDT countdown ticker. That was sad.

Taking a Vacation From Our Vacation

Today I am in Punta Gorda hanging out with the In-Laws. We slept in way too long, then Nickie and Jeff came over and made us a huge breakfast at about noon.


It was truly wonderful, just what we needed at just the right time.

The Vansome spent the rest of the day in his usual position at his mom's house:


I've been sleeping on and off, pretty much wherever I'm sitting. The Boy is in his usual spot, but I don't have a pic of that. He's in the guest room playing games on the bed.

Bob had knee surgery this morning. So far his recovery is going extremely well. He doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain and he's actually walking around a little bit.

It's so quiet and peaceful here, the perfect antidote to 4 wild days in the parks. Now if I could just stay awake...

Posting From Disney World

I am in sunny Florida waiting out a thunderstorm as I type. I was just showing off my blog to my mom, who is trying to nap after four hard days in the parks. I'm on Roy's laptop, but I've got to go and keep Jett so his parents can have a date in EPCOT. Updates soon!

And We're Off!

I am typing as fast as my never-learned-to-type fingers will go. Today is the day. I still have one more bag to pack, my Toilet Trees. The Vansome is doing something outside the window, I have no idea what. The Boy is still in bed. He showered after his haircut last night, so he can sleep a little longer. My new Go Phone works, I tried it out with Ame last night. I've made my CD's, I've checked out an audiobook, I have my car bag full of diversions for the long drive ahead.

I can not express in words the joy and excitement I am feeling right now, and it will only grow over the next few days. YAY! Big Family Disney Trip! YAY!

Too busy to post much, just wanted to say We're Leaving Tomorrow!

History in the Making

We are leaving the day after tomorrow! The Siblings and I have been planning this trip for 5 1/2 years now. It's hard to believe it's really been that long. I had the priveledge of experiencing Disney during the holiday season in 2001. It is still my most favorite Disney Trip. It was such a magical, beautiful thing, that I wanted to share it with the rest of my family. The Boy had just outgrown the whole Disney thing and I was really longing to experience Disney with a little kid, particularly a kid that I loved. I came back from that trip with the brilliant idea of arranging a group trip for all the people I love most in this world.
We initially set the date to coincide with Grammy's 60th birthday, so that we could all be there to see the holiday decorations. I remember telling the sibs that no one could get pregnant for the next year because that would mess up my numbers. I had printed up a cost estimate for each family including the children they currently had, and if they waited long enough, then the new kids would be under three and therefore free. Jug didn't tell me they were already expecting Laila at that point. Ame didn't even know Ethan was already on his way.
Other major family changes occured in the following years. The dates were changed and moved around more times than I can count. What started as a group of 16 is now a group of 21. The kids have all been with their families in the meantime, so only Baby J will be a first timer.

The last time I went to Disney World with both parents and all 4 siblings, EPCOT was only a couple of years old. I wore Duran Duran buttons on my shirt. My sister lost one of her jellies in the Atlantic Ocean. My dad had only recently finished customizing Ol' Yeller, the Old Yellow Van. My mom and I thought the frozen fruit bars were the coolest things ever, because you couldn't buy them anywhere else. My older brother wore cool T-shirts, my middle brother had a head full of thick hair, and my baby brother had not yet started school.
I thought it was the most wonderful place in the whole world. And I still do.

Kickin' It Old School

The Boy got some Old School Converse High Tops today. Bought them with his own money and everything. He added the pink and black checked laces, definately something I would have worn 20+ years ago (but don't tell him that!)




Last night I made Bimini Chicken, which calls for 3/4 cup of coconut milk. Since the only way I've found coconut milk at Krog's is in a can, I always have leftover milk I don't know what to do with. I hate to throw it out, but what would I use it for if I saved it? Last night The Boy and I came up with the great idea of pouring it over some pineapple slices. I remembered that I had some fresh strawberries in the fridge so we added a few of those. We chilled the whole thing while we ate dinner and it made a wonderful dessert. I mean really really tropical-y good. I impressed myself with my own culinary sponteneity.

Today I started listening to my Walt Disney World park music CD to get myself in the mood, not that I need to be any more excited. I'm still listening to the Elizabethtown soundtrack in my car (Free!!!!!Bird!!!!!Yeah!). I am really enjoying those CD's. I can't believe I'd never heard Elton John's "My Father's Gun" before, because I am a fan of Sir Elton. It's kinda cheesy when you really listen to the words. I mean, what do two British dudes (Sir Elton and his lyricist Bernie Taupin) know about being a confederate soldier? But then what did they know about having a 5 day a week job in outer space, and they managed to make that believable and poignant.
I've also discovered Ryan Adams out of this E-town music. I'd obviously heard of him for several years now, but I just never could get past the fact that his name was Bryan Adams without the B. I guess for kids who didn't grow up on good old 80's Bryan Adams, it probably didn't even cross their minds. But for me, it was like he was capitalizing on the name similarity. Which of course he wasn't. I just kept thinking "name copycat." It's really funny because he is so not Bryan Adams. I'm really liking everything I've downloaded from him so far.



I took a couple of outside pictures today. This is my prolific rose bush:



And I have actually grown a real strawberry that I can eat! And nothing else has gotten to it yet! There are actually a few strawberries on my plants right now, as well as some more flowers. Yay me!

As The Ticker Moves

I noticed my BFDT ticker says 5 days! It's actually only 4 days because the Vansome and The Boy are now both officially off work Thursday, so we are leaving around 10ish that morning. We'll be spending the first night in the Gulf Shores general area. Hopefully we'll be able to spend some time with the Vansome's cousin Barry, we'll know tomorrow. I'd prefer to go straight to Destin, but the Vansome is afraid they'll be booked up. I am looking forward to seeing Barry again, though.

PSA

Don't wear flip flops to the library. It's really loud.

Armed Fugitives Interupting My Shopping

I scared my husband half to death yesterday. Apparantly there was an armed and dangerous fugitive running around close to our house. He got home early, which he rarely does, and I was not home, which is even more rare. The back door was unlocked, which is actually pretty normal around here, but it always bothers the Vansome when I do that. Also, I hadn't checked the mail yet, and I'm pretty neurotic about getting the mail as soon as possible. He was picturing The Boy and I being forced into my car against our will and being kidnapped. Luckily he was only in that state for about 10 minutes before I showed up. When I picked up The Boy from work, we had errands to run. I had taken him to the bank to cash his paycheck, then we had gone to Office Depot, Best Buy, and Target. He's just lucky I decided against going to WalMart, too, because that was on my list, as was Old Navy.

I've been a busy little girl lately, getting ready for the BFDT. I'm almost done with my shopping, but the things I need I may wait and get in Destin. I've got all kinds of crap laid out on my bed right now, so I can do a little pre-packing. Today I have to see DJ, my insurance guy. I dropped off my elevation certificate for him Wednesday, but he called later to say that I didn't give him the right stuff. Now I'm waiting for him to call me back to tell me when he will be in his office today. I also have some library books to return, and a fine or two to pay.
I'm hoping to avoid having to shop today. I've been going through money at a scary pace the last two days. I'm ready for that to stop for a while. I did get some really good deals on some shoes for the BFDT. I got a pair of Born leather flip flops for $40 and a pair of Simple sandals for $5. I was loving the sandals until I tried to break them in by walking around the neighborhood in them Wednesday night. They were the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn, but I didn't anticipate where they would rub. Now I'm missing some skin on the sides of my feet and I won't be wearing them again for a few days, until I heal up a bit. I have some really good blister band-aids that should make them wearable at Disney.

Grammy finally talked me into watching Elizabethtown this week. I loved it! I watched it by myself Tuesday, and then I talked the Vansome into watching with me Wednesday night. He liked it even more than I thought he would. I downloaded all of the music and I've made CD's for Grammy and myself. It will make good trip music.

Waiting, Waiting, and More Waiting

Two weeks from right now I will be at Disney/MGM Studios. I will have already had my fun on the Rock N' Roller Coaster. I will have finally ridden Star Tours. I may or may not have done Tower of Terror. I told E that I would ride with him, but if he backs out, I may back out as well. I rode it last time because the Vansome really likes it, but he'll have a big crowd to ride with him this time, so I'll be happy to sit this one out. Actually, it didn't bother me quite as much when I rode it last September. I didn't hear that "clunk" sound as the elevator settles into the bottomless shaft, right before the series of drops. The sound causes me anxiety as much as the drops themselves.
Star Tours I'm excited about, not because I've heard it's a particularly good ride, but just because I've never been able to ride it. It's a motion simulator type ride, and the guys do not do motion simulators. Our first Disney trip, I was all excited about Body Wars at EPCOT, and I stepped off the ride saying "Wow, that was fun!" Then I looked over at both guys, their faces a little green, and realized they did not have the same level of enjoyment that I had. The Vansome asked The Boy if he felt as sick as he did. Then we looked for a cool quiet place where they could get their bearings and not hurl on me. So that was the end of me riding motion simulators.

The survey guy came today to finish up. He said our numbers looked good so far, meaning cheap flood insurance. He said he would call me tomorrow, YAY! Maybe the loan will finally be taken care of when we get back from Disney.

Last night I started re-reading my Harry Potters. I asked the Vansome if he wanted me to re-read them to him so that he could jog his memory about where we are in the Potter-verse in time for the last book. He said no, he didn't really need to. I told him I was going to re-read them for my own benefit. Before the last two, I either re-read or listened to a friends audiobooks of the series thus far. It really helps me prepare. I catch things I either forgot or didn't notice the previous reads and that really makes me notice a lot more when reading the newest book, enhancing the experience. When I told the Vansome I would be reading them anyway, he decided that I might as well read them out loud. I'm happy to do it, but it does kinda mess up my plan. I will most likely not finish all 6 previous books by July 21 because it takes a lot longer reading them out loud. I can't get as many chapters done each night because my mouth gets tired and my jaws start to ache. I may read ahead on my own so that I can get through them all in time.
I do hope I don't get to Order of the Phoenix before the movie comes out. I've found that it's a bad idea to read the book right before the movie, because if it's fresh on my mind, I notice the little changes and omissions alot more and it takes away from my enjoyment of the movie. If it's been a while, then I can appreciate what does make it to the screen and not spend my time waiting for my favorite scenes from the book. OOTP is my favorite of the first 6 books. Prisoner of Azkaban was my favorite when that movie came out, and I was really bothered by how different the movie was. I am afraid of that happening with OOTP.

Happy Memorial Day

Because I haven't forgotten what Memorial Day means, I would like to express my gratitude to those who serve our country and their families. I do appreciate the sacrifices these families make every day for my freedom. I may whine about our country on occasion, but I am proud to be an American. I know that it is through the blood of others that I am able to say that. So thank you.

Counting Down to the BFDT

Two weeks from right now I will be sitting in the sugar white sand watching the waves come in. Actually, I'll probably still be at the outlet mall shopping, but when I'm finished, we'll drive over to the beach and then I'll be sitting in the sugar white sand, watching the waves come in. I'll be all peaceful and relaxed, preparing myself mentally for the hectic excitement of Disney. I really do prefer to stop at Destin on the way down. On the way back, I'm just ready to go home. I still haven't totally ruled out retiring there. Celebration might be back on my list, too. I doubt we'll have time to drive through Celebration this trip. I'd rather spend as much time as possible in the parks before we leave. Once we're on the road again, I'll be in a hurry to get to Punta Gorda and we won't want to make any side trips. Not that Celebration is really a side trip, but it would cause it to take longer to get to PG.

I hope I have my meds straightened out by then. I realized yesterday that I was definately not on Seroquel during my drug study. I took my first real Seroquel Wednesday night and I was completely useless yesterday. I slept on and off all day, and when I was awake, I was barely lucid. My scrip is for one pill three times a day, but I only took one yesterday, around lunch. I slept well last night. I'm going to try taking one before bed each night for a while. If I don't have it worked out soon, I'll just get a scrip for something I know will work and just deal with the side effects for a week. I can't be at Disney with an out of control anxiety disorder.

The undesired side effect of Lexapro, which I now know is what I had for the study, has always been massive weight gain for me. I've taken it three times in the past, four including this study, and I've gained 10-15 pounds each time. I have finally reached the point where my clothes are uncomfortable, so I really need to do something before the BFDT. I decided today to do a little Atkins-low carb dieting for the next 2 weeks. I know it doesn't work long term, but I just need to get comfortable again and Atkins is the fastest way I know of to drop a few pounds. Even 5 would be helpful. I've also got to get serious about walking every day. I've lost even the stamina I had for our last trip.

Look What Came in My Mail Today

I am so excited! I originally told the Vansome not to worry about getting me a Mother's Day present, but I changed my mind this weekend when I realized I wanted a new camera for the BFDT (Big Family Disney Trip). So it's a little late, but calling it a Mother's Day gift takes away the guilt. We got it from Tiger Direct. It's a refurbished model so the box looks a little rough, but we saved big, which further alleviates guilt. I played with it while I still had E this morning, but I didn't sit down and read the manual until after lunch.

We ate lunch at The Boy's pizza place. A and I had sandwiches and E had his favorite: cheese pizza with no sauce. He told me on the way over, "I don't love sauce." The Boy said he was pleasantly surprised. He said it was "nice" to see us there. I was seriously impressed with the wheat bread on my sandwich. It was very dark, very soft, and quite tasty even apart from the meat, cheese, and creamy italian dressing.

I have 5 hours to keep myself occupied until the season finale of Lost. I've been avoiding Two Peas because apparantly there are some spoilers floating around and I don't trust some troll to not put something in the subject line. I find myself drawn to spoilers when I'm really excited about a show, but I usually regret finding out ahead of time. I like being surprised. One of the things I like about Lost is the twists and turns and secrets and surprises. It really lessens the experience if I know things beforehand. I think that's why I didn't enjoy last week's episode as much as I should have. I thought something was going to happen based on partial spoiler info, and I waited and waited, but I was wrong, or my spoiler was wrong. I don't want to spend tonight's show waiting for specific events that I know are going to occur. I want to be in the moment. And I want to surprised, and maybe even shocked. Those are the episodes I like best. I like to be saying"Whoa" when the credits roll.

I have no qualms about taping the last hour of idol tonight. It overlaps with Lost from 8-9. I probably won't even watch it until tomorrow. I'm sure I'll still be reeling from Lost. Besides, it's not like there's any question that Jordin's winning now. That song last night, oh my. Why oh why can they not find decent songs for their first single? Honestly, even if I had strongly wanted Blake to win, which I didn't, I wouldn't want him to win now just because it would be horrendous for him to have to put that song on his album. I'll watch the first hour just to keep me occupied until 8, and hopefully neither of them will sing that song until after I start taping.


I'm taking generic Zantac again. I'm starting with one a day. When I'm taking two a day and still drinking Mylanta straight from the bottle, then I'll make an appointment with my doctor. That should give me until after the BFDT. Or it may be next week. I'm starting back on the Seroquel tonight after my shows. I had nightmares all night last night after having a mild panic attack before falling asleep. It's time.

Babysat the J-man this morning. As is his style, he was pleasant and happy the whole time. After Grammy returned, we went to the Farmer's Market. I got another cantaloupe from the Carpenter's because the one I bought from them last week was so sweet and good. I also bought some kale and a little baggie of sweet peas for the Vansome. I skipped out on the okra. I attempted fried okra last night, the good kind, pan fried with cornmeal. But as usual, I suck at it. I just can't make it taste like my mom's, no matter what I do. It wasn't bad, and I still ate it like popcorn, but just not quite as good. This time I used too much cornmeal, that was at least part of the problem.

I suffered through the end of 24 last night. It was watchable, but just barely. I did appreciate that Audrey didn't wake up at the end. I was sure she was going to open her eyes and be all recovered (just by the sound of Jack's voice) and they would go off into the sunset. I was also pleased that they didn't do the whole Jack is Josh's father that I was afraid they would do. I really didn't want Jack to have cheated on Terri more than just that time with Nina. See, the problem with this season is in what I just wrote. It sounds like I'm talking about a soap opera. Next year, oh please oh please, it will be better.

The Vansome is recovering nicely. He feels like he's got something in his right eye, the one they had trouble with, but other than that, he's feeling good. He's ecstatic over being able to see. He may need reading glasses. We'll know for sure in a couple of weeks.
My esophagus is also recovering, but much more slowly. I still have heartburn almost every night, and occasionally during the day, but it's not as bad. The counselor at my drug study scared me last week when I talked to him about it. He said he had the same problem and ignored it like I've been doing. By the time he took care of it, it was almost too late. He said that pain is good, because it lets me know I haven't killed all my nerve endings yet. Apparantly the next step after that is to wake up with a bloody pillow, or start hacking up blood during the day. Both of which are very bad signs. I think I'll go ahead and make that appointment now.

I forgot to title this one

Tonight the complete waste of time that is 24 season six finally comes to an end. I'm assuming Jack has to kill his dad in order to find out the secrets of the island, or something like that. I'm sure I'll watch, or at the very least have it on in the background while I play on the computer, which is what I did last week. I'm afraid for next season, but they've got six months to figure out where they went wrong and fix it. I have hope. Sort of.

I've been off meds for 4 days now and I'm doing okay. I know it will get bad eventually, but I've been able to control it on my own so far. Dr Nguyen prescribed me Seroquel, which is what we're pretty sure I was taking during the study. I filled the scrip when I got the Vansome's eye meds Thursday. I have them if I need them, but for the sake of the study I'm trying to stay off of them for at least the first week. I'm mostly just laying low and trying not to commit to anything beyond a couple of babysitting gigs. I have nephew J tomorrow morning and he is just about the easiest, most pleasant baby I have ever had the pleasure of being around. I'll just have him a couple of hours max and that's more fun than stressful. Same with nephew E that I'm keeping Wednesday morning. He's just fun and I enjoy hanging out with him. All day might cause me to have some problems, but all morning will actually be good for me. Both boys just make me happy.

All out of clever titles

The Vansome's surgery went well yesterday. There was a minor complication with the suction clamp on his right eye and they had to redo it, so he's had a lot more pain on that side. He had a hard time making himself rest afterwards. He took a couple of naps, but he got up and watched a couple of hours of TV with me after he ate dinner. Because I had signed off on being responsible for his care, I was telling him to go to bed at every commercial break, but he wouldn't budge. He was a really good patient when I had to put his eyedrops in for him. He actually asked me to help him with that and I appreciated him letting me take care of him. He couldn't sleep with his eyeshield on because it didn't fit his head right, so he slept in his sunglasses. I was nervous every time I felt him reach up to scratch any part of his upper body because I knew he was going to reach under his glasses in his sleep and rub his eyes. He didn't. At his follow up visit this morning, they said he was healing perfectly and his eyesight is now 20/15. He's still wearing the sunglasses all the time, and he slept a while after we got home this morning, but he's out driving now. I wasn't thrilled with that plan, but they said he was okay to drive and he's not drugged, so I couldn't really stop him. I'll be nervous until he gets back, though.

I went to Fresh Market yesterday after I left the Vansome for his surgery. It opened Wednesday and so I stopped in to check it out. It was very nice inside, and the food looked wonderful. They didn't have much in the way of bulk bins, just candy and trail mix. No spices, no beans and grains and things. But the produce did look good, and they had a good selection. No conch, but coconut shrimp and several different crab cakes. The bakery looked especially dangerous. I thought they would have a better selection of cheeses. They did have a cold pack of port wine cheese that looked much better than the prepackaged stuff we get at Kroger's. I didn't get it because I had already stocked up before the surgery. I did get a cold pack of creamy swiss with almonds and that's been my lunch the last two days. They also had mini Toblerone bars that I'd never seen before. I treated The Boy. That's his favorite candy bar.

As for my TV habit:
I guess I called Idol this week. I hate to see Melinda go. It goes without saying that she's head and shoulders above the other two. But it's ok, I'm not disappointed because I mostly expected it. We'll see if I was right about the rest next week.
Lost was a little bit of a let down. I've come to expect major revelations every week now, and I didn't get any this week. I did enjoy the story, and for that alone it will probably end up being one of my all time favorite episodes, but I was expecting something different. It was sweet to see Charlie's good memories, because his backstories are usually too painful for me to watch. I did tear up a time or two.
CSI was another mild disappointment. I love the Grissom/Sara storyline, but to be honest, I just didn't care that much when Sara was stuck under that car at the end. I was not emotionally invested and I don't know why. They played up the Big Reveal of the Gris/Sara secret relationship, but it was so subtle you could have missed it. I guess that is fitting for their relationship, though.
The Best Show of the Week Award goes to The Office. Too many LOL moments for me to even know where to start. I love that Jan just completely self-destructed, I love that Ryan is now Michael's boss, and I almost got teary with Pam when Jim said, "It's a date!" They really did such a good job of finally bringing Jim and Pam together. I am far too emotionally invested in the happiness of two people who don't even exist, but then I've been known to do that.