Hanging out at Home

Anna is in bed, I should be working but I just can't bring myself to get started. After posting here, I swear I will do something I brought home from work!

The weather is cooler again, thank God. Yesterday I went around the house, opening windows. Nice to get some fresh air in the house, I'm not sure how long this is supposed to last but I hope it's at least a few more days. Our new AC was so nice, I slept as well as I would normally sleep, every night. I think that is the part that bothered me most in the past--being so hot that I couldn't get a full night's sleep.

I just ordered a few things from Amazon--one item being a book for Edwin, for his birthday. I happened to read a recommendation and figured I might as well get it now, rather than procrastinate. I have a feeling that September will be here before I know it.

Last night I brought Anna to the park, tonight we just hung out at home. On the way home we stopped at Target for diapers ... it's frustrating, but the size she's in must be popular or something, because I'm lucky to find any on the shelves. Every couple days I drive by the construction for the new Super Target on York, and I'm usually able to see progress somewhere. It'll be open in time for us to go back for Anna's two-year pictures.

I'm about to hit another big deadline at work--all my July 1 laws will be released on the 2nd, since the first is a Sunday. Of course now I'm nervous about the ones I might have done wrong. I feel fairly confident about the text, which is the most important part, but I know at some point I'll have to go back and make sure I handled all the contingencies and abrogations effectively. And didn't delete too many subsection headings. Etc. I had a nice conversation with RR today on the phone, we laughed about the craziness of our work this time of year, and she was pretty reassuring about the pressure I'm under. My timing has been good, for the last couple years the legislative sessions in Maryland have been ugly, but this year there's a new governor and all the leaders seem to have a good working relationship. I do appreciate that.

Many of us at work have come to the realization that the closest fit we'd have to our current jobs would be to work for a state or the federal legislative branch of government, that the skills from West might actually be an asset to those offices. Hmm. I feel so silly to have not taken Legislation while in law school, when I had the chance.

Speaking of law school, one of the most annoying (if not the most), arrogant people from my law school class recently got a job at West. I'll call him PM. I couldn't believe it. He's now a reference attorney, which has really got to be a shock to his ego. A couple times I've noticed he's walked by my cube, on the main aisle. I'm just waiting for the day when he's going to stop ... of course I hope it won't happen but I just have that feeling. The last couple years he's been our class representative for fund raising, which I've found amusing. The chances of me ever giving money to Hamline are nil, and he actually made them lower with his annual fundraising letters. Bleeeccchhh! Give me strength!

You've got to give Hamline credit, though--somehow they've always caught up to me every time I've moved. They even got my married name now, not exactly sure how that happened, and something came for me in the mail at home. SDSU lost me on this last move, I don't feel like volunteering my whereabouts there, either. Oh so annoying is that we get mail for Edwin's ex-wife at this house, and she's never lived here. Whatever.

Saskia and I are going to read the fourth Sisterhood book, she's gotten a good start but I haven't even picked it up yet. Soon! I don't mind setting aside Mists of Avalon, and I always think that if she knows I'm reading what she's reading, she may want to talk about some of the life experiences the girls are going through in the book. We'll see!

Well, I suppose I should get to my work ... at least for a half hour anyway. :)

Pigtails!!

I can't believe Little Boo sat still long enough for me to put pigtails in her hair today, but she did and here they are!!















Who is this big girl??

The First Door Opened ...

From today's Writer's Almanac:

It was on this day in 1944 that President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the GI Bill of Rights. It was one of the most important and influential pieces of legislation ever signed by an American president, but the newspapers barely covered the story at the time. They were too busy reporting on the Allied invasion of Europe.

The law was originally designed as unemployment compensation for returning veterans, in case there weren't a lot of jobs available at the end of the war. A congressional committee threw in the idea that veterans should get money to go to college if they wanted to.

Even the supporters of the bill didn't think very many GIs would really want to go to college. Most of the soldiers came from working-class families, and there was no reason to think they wouldn't go back to those same working-class jobs on farms and in factories. Experts predicted maybe 8 to 12 percent of veterans would actually use the money for higher education.

In fact, about a million veterans applied for the money within the first year after the war, and ultimately 2.2 million veterans used the money to obtain higher education, many of them becoming the first members of their families to receive a college diploma. Before the war, about 10 percent of Americans attended college. After the war, that figure rose to about 50 percent.

And contrary to most expectations, the grade-point averages at most colleges went up with the influx of veterans, and dropout rates went way down. Professors at the time said that the veterans were the most serious and disciplined students they'd ever seen. The cost to taxpayers for the GI Bill was about $5.5 billion, but the result was 450,000 engineers, 240,000 accountants, 238,000 teachers, 91,000 scientists, 67,000 doctors, 22,000 dentists, 17,000 writers and editors, and thousands of other professionals. It helped spur one of the greatest economic booms in American history.

Hustling for a Deal

Lately I've had some great luck finding deals for me, Anna, and the house. For Edwin and Saskia I generally don't take the risk of buying something they might not like, and then not being able to return it. But for me and for Anna especially I'm always looking for a deal.

Tonight I sold two more items I had listed on Craigslist--the last of the AC window units, and the Room and Board outlet dresser which has been sitting in our basement. I'm just thrilled. Edwin still can't believe it. He hasn't claimed any of the cash for himself yet. And I'm not offering :) A couple days ago I found a possible twin bed for Anna which I think would go great in her room. A mattress and box spring are even included. I'm waiting to get the official okay from Edwin, the only problem is that the seller is in St. Michael, but I think if the bed is as nice as I think it is, the drive will be worthwhile. About half of what we just made from Craiglist would go toward that bed if that's what we decide to do.

So needless to say I don't mind certain things I purchase to be "used". Today I picked up a pair of black Born sandals for half their usual price, the seller said she'd only worn them once because they were too small. At least half of Anna's clothes are from someone else, either via eBay or Craigslist. I figure the play clothes she wears don't have to be brand new, at least then she can dig in the dirt, they can get stains, etc., without me having a heart attack every time that happens. Then I figure I can spend a little more on other things for her, like the big girl bedding I've been watching on eBay, which is still expensive because it's from Pottery Barn. I figure it all evens out.

My friend, Jamie, is somewhat similar to me this way, so we often share our good buys. I think it's because we've both had the experience of being poor, really having to stretch our dollars, and though our circumstances have changed, our attitude hasn't really changed. Not that our tastes are cheap, but if we can get a good deal on something regardless of what the item is, why not? We both love the TJ Maxx commercials where the person unexpectedly shares that they got a designer outfit for a really good deal, because when we find really good deals we want to share them with everyone, too.

I've started a new book, The Mists of Avalon. I got it last summer from Edwin's friends Hans and Margot, who highly, highly recommended it. It's quite long, so I've been a little intimidated all this time, but if I can read Anna Karenina I can certainly read this. I finally watched Pride and Prejudice a couple weeks ago, it was really good. I love that Bridget Jones' Diary was a modern spin on the story, too, and now want to rewatch both movies. Someday.

I missed the last episode of The Price is Right with Bob Barker. His leaving the show and the show going on without him is just too weird to me. Although I love Rosie O'Donnell, still love her despite no longer being on The View, I don't think she'd be a good fit for the show, or that it would be good for her personal life. I haven't written anything about her leaving The View yet, I think it's quite unfortunate that it was under such bad circumstances in the end. I wonder if people like Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who defend everything about George Bush to the death, will ever realize the harm he has done to this country. Way back in 2000 at the time of the first election, I was dating a guy who supported GWB, while I supported Al Gore. This guy told me not to worry, because even though GWB was not so bright he'd surround himself with smart advisers. I told him no thank you, if I could get a president who was smart I would take the president being smart and boring over the arrogant frat boy any day. I can't help but wonder what ex-boyfriend thinks now, though I would never ask.

Anyway ...

I always thought I'd write about more profound topics on here, but this blog has turned out to be more day to day stuff. Events do happen to me frequently which give me pause, articles from the NY Times or the death of a friend, most certainly, but I usually feel inadequate about expressing my feelings about them.

Other Random Updates

Saskia has had a rough week. Her hamster, Snickers, died a couple days ago. Of the pets she's had at our house, Snickers was probably the most interactive and entertaining. He's now buried near the rhubarb plant in our backyard. We also found out recently that Kelly Clarkson has canceled her summer tour, tickets to the concert had been Saskia's birthday present and now we're not sure what to do. Last year we all went to the American Idols concert and had enjoyed that, but it was fun to have chosen something different this time around. Grr. We'll figure something out, though.

By the way, I'm generally not a beer drinker but I REALLY like Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. The label says it's Weiss beer with lemonade. So, if you're considering some kind of beer purchase I would recommend this beer.

Tonight it was just Anna and I. After dinner, I took Anna for a walk around Lake Harriet. Toward the end of our walk I noticed a band getting ready to play at the bandshell, so we stopped to check it out. Anna was very curious, but I soon found out that the concert wouldn't be starting until 7:30. Bummer! That's just too late for Little Boo, who now goes to bed around 8 pm and needs a bath every other night. Seven o'clock would have been perfect. We did stick around while they practiced a few of their songs and Anna loved it. Oh well.

A couple weeks ago I bought a little bag of letters and numbers for Anna to play with in the tub. I'm hoping that slowly they'll catch on, as she can repeat most of the letters after me and I try to mention a couple words which start with that letter. Just a couple days ago Anna said her own name for the first time, usually she's shy about saying her own name and she hardly ever says Mommy. She started saying "no" over the weekend and I'm quick to encourage her to say "yes" instead. LOL! I'm sure thatt won't be successful.

We had Noodles for dinner tonight, Anna loves Noodles. I always buy the Pesto Cavatappi for us to share. There's some left over, so she'll have another meal of them some other night this week. Last night she actually ate a couple small pieces of my steak. I figure, offering her whatever we're eating is worth a try, you never know what she might like. She ate a lot tonight, she doesn't usually eat much for dinner. I don't worry about it as long as she eats well during the day, which she does. I'm sure eating the same thing along with the other kids helps her along.

These Are the Days

The days and evenings have been full. Finally this weekend, I found a few hours to go to the Y and to get caught up with some housework.

The memorial service for Bob was a week ago, on Friday night. There was a lot of laughter along with tears, which I'm sure he would have loved. The Strib even had an article about him in the obituary section, which would have made him proud since so many of his letters to the editor were also published by them. I think his death will hit me most when I'm ready to send him an email, or stop by to tell him about a great new restaurant Edwin and I have found.

My friend, Jill and her husband John had their wedding reception a week ago, on Saturday night. It was a beautiful night, and Edwin, Anna and I really enjoyed ourselves. The reception was in Jill's friend Julia's backyard, which was spacious and lush with a cool, large tree and treehouse which tempted all the child guests, including Anna. To our great amusement Anna spent a good amount of time playing Duck Duck Goose with some bigger girls who were there. She cried when it was time to leave, though it was almost 10 pm! I'm thrilled for Jill to be so happy in love.

Earlier that Saturday Anna and I attended a bridal shower for my future sister-in-law, Sharon. We're all looking forward to her and Charlie's wedding in October, I just reserved our hotel room for that weekend. While at the shower Anna enjoyed playing with her big girl cousins Ashley, Andrea, and Claire. She seemed to remember Claire, because she climbed up on Claire's lap right away and insisted on sitting next to her all the time. Here is a picture of all the girls--which I hope to send a copy to all of them soon.














Work has continued to be crazy. I didn't quite finish up the work on Friday as I'd hoped. Maybe tomorrow. I think I will feel better once we caught up our team coordinator during a meeting tomorrow. Sigh!

Last weekend I finally listed a few things on Craigslist that I've wanted to list for some time. Because of the heat, it seemed like a good time to list the three window unit air conditioners we no longer need. Two of the three sold almost immediately, I've had a couple of no-shows for the third. I also listed a pair of bar stools from Room and Board which we used in our old house but have no use for here. They also sold quickly. The last to go was the light fixture which used to be in our bathroom. That eventually sold, too. Amazing! I'm just excited--I've cleaned a few things out of the basement and made a couple hundred dollars at the same time. I priced things a bit higher, allowing myself some room to negotiate, but everything has sold for its listed price. Next to list are two dressers, and a couple of odds and ends, things that I won't be disappointed if they don't go. Between the nearby Turnstyle consignment store, Once Upon a Child, Craigslist, and donations to Arc I keep up pretty well with the clutter.

This weekend my sister JoAnn and niece, Ashley, joined us for dinner on Friday night. She'd been in town all week and Friday night turned out best for her to visit. Edwin took Ashley, Saskia and Anna swimming at Pershing Park so JoAnn and I could talk, and then later we shared a nice dinner that Edwin had made. Anna eventually let JoAnn hold one of her babies and later spent a lot of time showing off to her. Funny girl. I'm glad that she's so social.

Yesterday was our annual work picnic at Como Zoo. I love that the work picnic is held there, there's so much to do. Both kids got a few free tickets for the rides, so we went on the rides first, then back to the picnic area for lunch. Anna went on the little train, and we tried a playground but it was more for bigger kids. She was very intrigued by all the other rides, though, and ooohed and ahhhed when she watched the other kids going on them. Saskia got her face painted, while Anna was mesmorized by the band. We thought we might make it to the zoo but ran out of time. Maybe this will be a destination for us when Edwin's parents are in town.

Our new air conditioning has been great. I need to recheck the instructions for whether we can program the system or not. For now I just turn it on as soon as I get home from work and by the time Edwin and Saskia get home the house has cooled off enough to be bearable.

I feel better to be caught up with things a bit. I'm relieved that we've been able to do a few fun things the last few weeks, so it hasn't all been work.

Up and Down

Last Friday I went from being incredibly happy to incredibly sad in fifteen minutes or less. My crazy busy weeks are expected to continue at least until the end of the month. I am trying to pace myself at work and keep up on things at home. Anna continues to be a joy and just a smile from her reminds me of what's truly important during these trying times.

Friday morning I was happy because I'd met my first major deadline at work--all my June 1st laws were uploaded so my statutes had a June 1st currency date. Woohoo! I did have a couple of errors which needed to be corrected, but none that were substantive. I was thrilled, though realized immediately I'd have to begin work for my next big effective date--July 1st.

Very shortly thereafter a friend at work shared with me the news that Bob had died in the night. We're all still in shock, there were still several people who must have been out late last week, and hadn't the chance to learn that the end was so near. I just can't believe he is gone. It's a great professional and personal loss for his team and obviously a loss for all of us who considered him a friend. Since I haven't worked on USCA for some time, I didn't see the empty cube on a daily basis and it was hit and miss what information I'd hear regarding this second round of chemo, etc. And now it's all over and we share our memories the best we can, instead of tears. All the arrangements have been made, and since the service is on Friday night it doesn't conflict with any part of my schedule and Edwin is available to be with Anna that night. I was afraid there would be some problem that would cause me to not be able to go, it is such a relief to know there is not.

Edwin has been away a lot lately, both for work and last weekend for a golf outing with my brothers Charlie and Paul, and Charlie's fiancee Sharon. Right now he's in NYC at the Webbie awards--Findlaw won a Webbie so he got to attend. Over the weekend while he was gone, I made some plans with Jamie to attend St. Joan's with me to hear Keith Ellison speak, then we went out to breakfast at Hot Plate (yum!) and brought Anna along. It was a nice time, and she did feel very comfortable there. Jamie joked that it felt weird to be a Jew going to a Catholic church to hear a Muslim speak--only at St. Joan's!!

Our peonies have been blooming for over a week now. I try to cut them just before they bloom. I've had a couple vases of them in the house, and have also brought them to work. So lovely. Our lilacs don't seem to do as well, I wonder if they get too much sun? We also have irises in front of the house, dark purple irises that are now in full bloom with probably 10-15 flowers total. I should do some research to see if I could force them to bloom again. They are very easy to reach so would be easy to dead-head if that is what is required.

Saskia had her birthday over the weekend, she is now 11. In addition to a couple new books and a stuffed animal from Anna, we bought her tickets to the upcoming Kelly Clarkson concert for her birthday present. Edwin will go with her, we've decided (fine with me!). July is already filling up, with our trip to Chicago and Edwin's parents and niece visiting us. It has been an interesting time, consciously or subconsciously she has learned how to manipulate certain differences in the households to her advantage. No surprise, any kid would do this. Why not? I suppose. I just remind myself that I can only control, only have an influence on what occurs in my house, all the rest is beyond my control. Time will tell.

Well, I should go and do my one big household task for the night (clean the downstairs bathroom) and my work task for the night (finish reviewing what needs to be done with the July 1st laws) before I go to bed. I certainly have been using caffeine a lot lately to get me through--a medium skim latte from Caribou helps immensely.