Scary, Scary, and Sad

I read in the newspaper that a young woman, responding to a Craigslist ad for a babysitter, was killed, likely by a man who had been posing as a young couple looking for a sitter. There are a lot of details not known at this point, but someone has already been arrested. How horrible.

Of course, this has gotten me to thinking about the various purchases and sales I've made through Craigslist, the times I've gone alone or with Anna all over town for a deal. I have met people in public, I do keep items near the front door, but I can certainly think of times which I probably should have been more careful as well.

Women generally know how this goes ... tell someone else where you're going, don't walk alone at night, have your keys out and ready as you approach your car so you don't have to dig in your purse, don't talk on a cell phone while walking alone (distraction), and many more I can't think of at the moment. But even then, there is only so much you can do, or it may only take one time to have blown off the risk to get hurt.

Regardless, I'm sad for what happened to this young woman. I've read about prostitution and gambling rings operating via Craigslist, and of course there are scams of various sorts but nothing as violent or as horrible as this.

So I Have a New Sister ... In-Law!

Charlie and Sharon got married last Saturday. I was hopeful that they'd have a beautiful day, and they did. Later everyone learned that Sharon almost fainted at the altar (oops!) and Charlie shed some tears, but from where I was sitting it all looked fine and dandy.

Of course I was busy keeping an eye on Miss Boo, who was busy inspecting, dropping, picking up, and eating M&Ms after a few scampers up and down the side aisle of the church. Had her behavior gotten too out of control Edwin would have taken her out, but I thought overall she was manageable. Her behavior was great considering she wasn't feeling well and was dosed with children's Motrin. No one besides Edwin, Saskia, and I could tell a difference. She'd been borderline on Friday and continued to be feverish on Saturday, but it wasn't until Saturday at the reception that she hit the wall and had to be taken away from the festivities. Poor girl.

Saturday night was brutal, as was Sunday. I made a doctor's appointment on Monday, to learn that Anna had croup. I hadn't even considered croup as Anna had barely coughed all weekend. I was looking up things like "pneumonia" and "bronchitis" on WebMD, not croup. By Monday her fever was gone, but our daycare provider wanted her home Tuesday (is croup contagious?). Now it is Wednesday, and though Anna's voice is back and the croup treatment we gave her 24 hours in the past, home she is again with another fever. So it goes. Tomorrow is another day.

So the Crib is Gone

Since the last post, I moved Anna into her new big girl bed (she loves it!), and posted her crib and baby bedding items on Craigslist, which both sold quickly. I suppose I could have asked for more $$ than I did, but I'm confident I got more than I would have had I dropped those items off with Once Upon a Child. Plus, it felt good to help someone else out.

It was especially sad to see the crib go, but Anna has moved on so there's no reason for me not to move on as well. I'm waiting for a phone call to tell me the matching night stand has shipped, then we'll be done. I've rearranged the layout of the room a bit, and would like to rehang some of the items on the walls within the next couple weeks. Wonder if I can figure out how to use a drill?

I'll try to take pictures soon ...

A New Picture of Boo!

Waitress

Sunday I was able to see the movie Waitress, which to my pleasant surprise was still playing in a theater. I'd heard a lot about the movie, and about Adrienne Shelly, who wrote, directed, and had a major part as one of the best friends of the main character.

It's hard to know where to start in discussing the movie, there were a lot of themes which I could identify. Feeling stuck in your life and not knowing what to do to change your situation. Feeling like you need to hide your plans. Girlfriends sticking together through difficult times. Having that moment of clarity when you realize exactly what you need to do to change the direction of your life. The person you least expect to be supportive doing or saying something which encourages your goals.

On the way to the movie I stopped at the Opitz outlet on Excelsior Boulevard. There are a few outlets clustered together in that area, and though I've driven by numerous times I've never stopped. Now I feel silly about that because there were some incredible deals there. I somehow managed to restrain myself and just looked seriously at tall brown dressy boots. I quickly found a pair that I adore, and according to my receipt I saved $126! LOL! I guess they are Italian.

The War wraps up tonight, I've been successful in taping all the episodes and will have to go back and start watching again from the beginning. I have caught pieces here and there, some footage I've actually recognized from being on other documentaries. So many stories.

Tonight Anna and I finally found and bought a big girl bed that I think will look great in her room. Craigslist did come through for me. This bed is actually new, it is a sturdy white bed with a rounded headboard and footboard. I would love for the mattress to be higher off the floor, but I found by looking at twin bed styles for kids that is hard to find, unless you want to buy a bed with drawers or a trundle underneath. So now the question is when to put the bed together and make the switch. The place where we went has promised to call me when the nightstand arrives, hopefully that will be soon.

We're close to choosing a handyman for the work we'd like done around the house, and the business we hired in the spring comes on Thursday to replace the boiler. It'll feel good to have more tasks completed on our house to-do list.

So I Cried Watching Ugly Betty, Again

I cried and cried after the season finale last year, and hoped that there would be some way the show could realistically save one of the characters (Santos) from death. Well, for most of the show on Thursday night viewers (including me) were led to believe that he had survived, and that he and Hilda were moving on to plan their wedding. However, at the very end, the truth came out and it then became clear that all the prior scenes were in Hilda's imagination--that she was trying to deal with her grief and move past the devastation of his death. I really, really hope she found his vows in the back pocket of his jeans, like she imagined. Overall very well done, in my opinion. Does anyone watch this show in order to discuss? Sigh.