October 31, 2005
unstung
As a singer, I've had to endure some strange circumstances (swallowing a bug mid-aria, being evacuated mid-show due to a fire alarm, etc.), but yesterday was the first time I've been plagued by wasps. Or maybe they were yellow jackets. They were definitely not cute fuzzy bumble bees.
Yesterday during mass there were at least five waspy-stingy-bugs flying around the choir loft. For the entire hour. Taunting us and begging us to react. Flying past my face as I sang a response. Landing on my music during my solo.
Fortunately, I'm not a panicker; I can let those pests fly past without any physical reaction on my part - not so much as a flinch, a swat, or a yelp. But I couldn't help thinking that the Old Testament Reading should be something involving plagues of locusts, and saying a silent prayer that the sermon would be short.
call me a witch...
...you wouldn't be the first. But I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that today is Samhain* ("This celebration marks the New Year and is a time for remembering the dead and honoring the Crone Goddess. It is also the final festival of the harvest season."). Time to celebrate your loved ones passed and yet to come, and welcome the new season.
*lest you try to peg my religious or political preferences based on this observance, don't forget that the Christians converted these holidays into their own observances. Samhain, All Saints Day, All Soul's; A rose by any other name...
October 27, 2005
Currently:
- Working on a series of holiday cards which will be available for sale next week
- Making a baby blanket
- Drinking hot tea while huddled under a warm blanket
- Listening to a cd of French nursery songs
- Finishing the baby registries and reviewing the Indiana baby-shower guest list
- Craving only three things: tomatoes, marshmallows, and Filipino food (not necessarily together)
- Thinking of friends, but not making much of an effort
October 24, 2005
"Let the Wild Rumpus Start!"
Where the Wild Things Are...the movie!?! This is one of my very favorite books, so I'm cautiously excited. I have to admit I like the idea of Spike Jonze directing (and a screenplay co-written by Jonze and October's-Daddy-Dave Eggers), and I am comforted by Sendak's scorn of the Cat In The Hat movie.
add to list
Staggeringly Heartbreaking Authors Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida have named their baby girl "October Eggers Vida". In theory, since autumn is my favorite season, I should like this name no less than "April" or "June". Somehow, though, I'm just not feeling it. Probably, I'm just jealous because "End-of-January Baby Casey Jose" doesn't have that ring to it. [via ]
making copies
Lately Zooey-the-Calico has been insisting on keeping the printer drawer open. (On our printer, the output drawer can be closed when not in use.) If she finds the drawer closed, she will wrestle at the latch with her paw until it drops open. Then - and only then - she will proceed to rest on her apparent comfort throne on top of the printer. She will not sit on the printer unless the drawer is open.
Okay, cute. Weird, but cute.
However, it just entered the realm of "what are you doing, and is it legal?" when I watched her open the drawer, climb on top of the printer, then (I swear it was no accident) press the Power On and the Copy/Scan button. As best I can figure, either she's running an underground newspaper for felines, or she's interested in photocopying her belly. Either way, I'm getting a little nervous.
October 23, 2005
'til we dance away
"I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you." ~Roy Croft
It's easy to get married; it's much harder work to be married. And so, every day I know how truly blessed I am to share my life with a true soul mate, the piece of a puzzle that completes my whole being. The last six years have been filled with unrelenting joy, pain, loss, surprise, and love. Through it all, the laughter and the love and the comfort are the things that have sustained me and made me a bigger person. Through it all, we're still laughing so hard our sides ache and believing that tomorrow we will be stronger. I love you more each day, and as we prepare to welcome our first child into the world, I am awed and humbled at the wonderfulness that is my husband, my love, my best friend.
Happy Six, Bear. This feels like just the beginning.
October 21, 2005
[quote]
"When you come to the edge of all the light you have, and must take a step into the darkness of the unknown, either there will be something solid for you to stand on, or, you will FLY..." ~Patrick Overton
October 18, 2005
to do do do
Have been spending less time online (unless you count that nasty Sudoku addiction), which has kept me from blogging and other less fulfilling pursuits, but not actually led to more productivity in daily life. In fact, I find I'm just eking out the must-do's right now. Yes, I've got tons to do, but somehow it feels victorious that the bed has been made, I've picked James and Gabrielle up from school on time, and the cats haven't starved to death. Victorious being a vast exaggeration, of course.
I spend every evening poring over the baby registry, only to find I haven't added anything new. We want to paint and decorate the nursery, but I have three bookcases to sort and clear first, and three closets which need to be organized. Also, there is this little tiny matter of a business not yet launched and passing anxiety about money matters and how I will bring in the supplementary income once Bumble is here... Three months to get my life in order, and instead I manage to spend my evenings catching up on season one of Lost.
October 15, 2005
saturday
Not to complain or perpetuate that brazenly left-wing concept of global warming, but we've been gifted with between 2 and 4 inches of rain every day for the last week. I love rain and gloomy days, but this was getting a bit tiresome. Today, though... Today The Sun Is Shining!
I thought I was supposed to start teaching piano lessons today at 11:00. A better person, when it was clear the student was not showing up on time, might have put in a phone call. The piano-pupil just lives down the hall, so I'm sure her parents would have scuttled her right down here. But I thought maybe there was some confusion about the time, so I waited until 11:30. Still no student, and I'm still actively avoiding the phone. Now I've decided to give it until noon, at which time I will still not call to say "hey, didn't we have a lesson today?", but will instead step outside with camera and book in tow and enjoy the gourmet treat of a Subway Sandwich Combo.
My loathing of the telephone may have reached an all-time high with this scenario.
But it is a little more thought-out than that. I know this kid - if they forgot that today was the day and rush her down the hall at my call, our first lesson would start with a tone of panic, impatience, and scattered focus. I'd rather wait until a day she's mental "in place" to make sure everything is as relaxed and fun as possible.
That's my story, anyway.
October 13, 2005
adult conversation
m: Hey, have you noticed that our hallway smells like a scratch-n'-sniff sticker?
b: Hmmm, no. What kind?
m: Pickles. But it smells like a pickle-scented scratch-n'-sniff that's kind of dead - you know, after it's been overscratched.
b: Yeah, I know what you mean.
October 10, 2005
[quote]
"The work of the mystic is not so much to make ourselves better as to be honest about who we are right now. ... Our best intentions to "act better" don't mean all that much; our willingness to have Him make us better means everything." ~ Marriane Williamson, Everyday Grace
October 06, 2005
perspective
Today the event we've been waiting for/avoiding/wondering about came to pass: I got a call from the hospital billing department. Apparently the change in address last year (although we provided the ever-efficient US Postal Service with forwarding information) has been a contributing factor in the absence of contact from their end. No matter - they know where to find me now, and the bill is forthcoming.
What's the news? Well, the insurance company has repeatedly denied coverage for two weeks of my hospitalization last year. That's a long story and a travesty that should be illegal, but I know that if I call my lawyer to talk about it, I'll be paying by the hour. The better news (this is where perspective is an amazing gift) is that the hospital is not hitting me up for the full $40,000(!) originally quoted. The bill they're sending is somewhere under $10,000. Not that we can pay that amount either, but it sure sounds more manageable and less stroke-inducing than the previous figure.
Keep your fingers crossed as we begin the process of negotiations with the hospital, pursuing "charity care" appeals (also known as Don't-Take-Food-Out-Of-Baby-Bumble's-Mouth), and the inevitable fundraiser-to-come. It's all going to work out somehow, and although it's illogical and not quite true, I feel that I saved $30,000 today.
October 05, 2005
carnival bees
West Side Nut Club Fall Festival 2005, Evansville Indiana
October 04, 2005
girl
So, it would appear that our baby does not have a penis. We're too excited to quite believe it (not that we have anything against babies with penises... just excited to finally know where Bumble falls on the gender spectrum, excited to pick out Baby's First Tennis Skirt, excited to buy little frilly bows and ribbons and etc....), but that won't stop us from meeting at Babies R Us this evening to start Getting Ready.
With the Colts still undefeateded, we're leaning toward the name "Edgerrene Peytonia José". Subject to change if they choke in the playoffs, when we'll fall back on our favorite rhyming name: Lingerie Tanqueray José.*
(*you know I'm kidding, right?)
October 02, 2005
where i've been
Elaine in full bridal gear, Oct. 1, 2005
A friend's wedding meant a flying trip back to E'ville, meeting up with some dear folks I've known for half+ of my life, and enjoying a very brief bit of rest at Sonnystone Acres. I had the honor of singing during the ceremony, and took the liberty of a couple extra trips to the reception's chocolate fountain before we hit the dance floor. As we head off to the airport tomorrow, there's time for exactly one hour at the Fall Festival, a yearly event filled with every manner of fried and/or sugared food you can imagine (and a few you wouldn't want to) which makes this town both crazy and chubby. Might as well make my way through the food booths while I can blame the gluttony on pregnancy.
Tuesday morning it's back to the doctor in our second attempt to play voyeur on the baby. So much to do, and we're barely through choosing paint colors, much less choosing bottles and stroller brands... Trying to relax, or at least rest. It feels like the clock is starting to really tick again.