OK...yeah so about that "maybe soon" thing? Clearly it didn't happen. I'm thinking about all the things I will be able to do if/when Princess ever gets into school....I think I've run out of time before it ever got here.
But anyway...so we're coping, I suppose. There are days (like today) when patience runs low. Princess, who must be part ninja, decided to get up this morning, go down to the living room, climb on the desk, and get all of my books off the bookshelves...that was a pleasant surprise to come downstairs to. There are days that are great. And every day has it's moments. For example, most parents are annoyed with the "what's that?" game by the time their child is 4 1/2. Princess has NEVER been inquisitive like that. EVER. So yesterday, I was cleaning house a little bit, since it was nice enough to have the windows open and we wouldn't be choking on cleaning fumes. I am a big fan of The Talk and watch it every day; sometimes live, sometimes later in the day when life has calmed down. Lately, though, it's been live. Every time it comes on, even back from commercial, there's Princess "It's The Talk!!" then she goes about her business. So back to yesterday...
As I said, I was cleaning my house. She was in and out of the living room, playing with her toys, waiting on me to "do the big wild rumpus," aka the vacuum. I turned on The Talk, then just left CBS on because for once in 31 years, I actually wanted to watch Oprah (Katherine Jackson). So anyway...Oprah comes on, I'm almost done cleaning, Princess runs in the room, "It's The Talk!!" "No that's Oprah, not the talk." Ten minutes later, this scene repeats. So I finish the vacuum, aka I'm done cleaning, and I'm ready to watch Oprah from the beginning, because at this point, every time I've looked at the TV, Katherine Jackson was crying, so I put the vacuum away and go to sit down. Princess is just standing in front of the TV staring.
Now, we've started speech therapy, but we're not quite there with the "who what when where and why" things. Right now everything is kind of a "what," which is fine, because it's progress. So as I said, she's standing in front of the TV, just staring at it. On screen, Katherine Jackson on the left, Oprah on the right. Cut to just Oprah...
Princess points and says "what's that?"
"That's Oprah."
"Oprah?"
"Yes, Oprah."
Our first actual, unscripted conversation.
Sure...we talk all the time. God knows SHE talks all the time (don't judge me, it can be alot to take sometimes), but usually our conversations consist of her "talking tv" or reciting books and me sayin "whadya doin? hey stop! HEY! PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!!!" This was started by her, followed a normal progression, and had a definitive ending. Did I mention she's not in school yet?
Cut to about 3-4 hours later. Now, "they say" autistic children can have intense interests. You could say Princess falls into this category. She LOVES animals. I should say, she likes all "characters" that aren't human. She plays with the Princesses a little bit, she plays with the mommy etc from her dollhouse occasionally, but really, it's all about non-human characters. Our house is littered with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse toys, Sesame Street toys, Littlest Pet Shop toys, and stuffed animals....TONS of stuffed animals. She has a Barbie doll, but only because it was Sea World Barbie and she wanted the seal, killer whale, and dolphin that came with it. She has a Little Mermaid "Barbie" but she has been afraid of it since the day Santa put it in her stocking. These are things I "put away" in the hopes that she will one day play with them.
So she was playing with her Sesame Street stuffed animals. We don't have "Rosita" so she calls her Crush doll (yes, Finding Nemo) Rosita. (If anyone knows where I can get her that would be awesome...been looking for 2 years). So she's playing and she decides that her Mickey Mouse stuffed animals want to visit Sesame Street. This is, of course, all amazing, because it's not at all from a TV show or book, so about 70% of this activity is her imagination...also, progress. Anyway...she goes to get Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Donald Duck out to play. They're in a toy bin where I keep Barbie and Ariel. She gets the bin out and starts going through it, pulls out Barbie and Ariel. She looks at them, puts Ariel aside because she knows that one but PROGRESS! She's not scared of it! (She's had that for 2 years...) She picks up Barbie, looks at me and says,
"what's this?"
"That's Barbie."
"Barbie."
"Yes."
Progress....
Christmas should be pretty fun this year. Can't wait for Santa to bring age-appropriate toys and take the inappropriate toys away (though he may start that this week).
My Rumblings About Things That Don't Matter in Real Life
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Long Absence...
I've been away for a long time....and for good reason. We've now got the diagnosis, officially, of "Autistic Disorder." So busy doesn't begin to cover our life. Perhaps someday soon there will be an update, until then....
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year....
It is finally here: COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!! And with that comes the most awesome experience of a lifetime: The Ohio State University Marching Band Last night, tryouts were culminated with the announcement of the 2010 edition of the Ohio State University Marching Band. Due to the Thursday night game, this announcement coincided almost simultaneously with the rehearsal of the Alumni Band. Usually, the old timers rehearse on Monday, which is the final evening of candidate days...but since we're selling out and playing Thursday night in a game that is not televised nationally, the normal tryout week was turned on its ear, hence the Sunday-Monday tryouts. But I digress...
I won't speak for everyone, but Make the Band night is when my nostalgia kicks in. Tryouts, which suck more than anything on the planet, are done, and all the fun begins. The crazy stories (which, for legal purposes, I will not share) start wafting to my brain (Unum Beeum Rowum). To be clear, I don't pine for more time in the "black" uniforms. I had my 5 years and I would never choose to live that again. But there are times that I would like to live "just one more time" that the Red Blob does not provide. There are things I am NOT sad I do not have to go through again, also, like tryouts, rehearsal, 2-a-days, University "events," high school band shows during away games, home-stays, and sitting on a plane for 3 hours while student staff tries to load it OR sitting in an airport for 14 hours while the airline tries to figure out how to fix the plane. These reasons, and more, are why I do not have hopes of someday gaining a 6th year of eligibility.
The number one thing I want to do one more time I sit in AA deck, all by myself, before the sun comes up, staring at the 22 1/2 yard line, warming up.
There is truly something special and amazing about a packed house, but the magical feeling in the stadium on gameday, when no one is in it, cannot be replicated. There is no noise. You do not notice the weather, hot/cold/wet/dry can't remember any of it. It is just you, the seats, the magic, the history, the tradition, the ghosts of Buckeyes past...it is truly majestic, there is simply no other way to put it.
Along those same lines, event number 2 would be lining up to march over to St. John for Skull Session. It's no longer a completely empty stadium; the red coats and leaders of Block O are there getting ready for their days, but it's still like a secret little club inside the stadium, and outside the stadium the show has already started. The only thing I can equate it to is the feeling someone in show business must have before they take the stage: you can hear the crowd, but you can't exactly see them and they can't see you. Then, the awesome sound of Fight the Team echoing through the empty stadium, with the Red Coats going nuts....ah crap, I'm getting goosebumps and the cryball just THINKING ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!! Then the long march begins, the push shove, just the sound of the voices and drums. Then, the band emerges from the tunnel...and it's GAMEDAY. The crowd, already excited because it's Gameday in Columbus, Ohio, doubles their enthusiasm. The Band Siting can mean only one thing: the team won't be far behind and it's almost MAGIC TIME. I-6 gives the signal, the drums stop, and 225 voices break into "We Don't Give a Damn." Fan-friggin-tastic. Next, the excitement mounts, as the band prepares to enter Skull Session to the jubilation of thousands of fans, many of which came JUST TO SEE THE BAND. Sure, the team comes now, but that didn't start until 2001...Skull Session began long before that. Skull Session belongs to the band (but stop the damn commercials and play more music...just sayin). Then, of course, A-H Rows are outside marching like champs, while I-X are inside screwing around, but then the entrance is made... The place goes crazy, we battle to stay in step, on our feet, and in line (there are times that you would not believe how difficult this is, especially on a rainy day when everyone in front of you has wet shoes...St. John has a slippery ramp...). Now it feels real, no more inspection, no more rehearsal, no more "run it again on a count," it's just go time. IT'S ACTUALLY GAMEDAY!!!!!!!!! Sure, there are parts of Skull Session that are less than desirable...
Moments we'd much sooner not live at all, let alone RELIVE. But overall, it's an amazing time and the start of the adrenaline rush that is: GAMEDAY AT OHIO STATE. And soft & slow?? What causes the bigger rush: playing it, or looking for that one person near the front row that is 100% clueless as to what's about to happen? Or perhaps it's Carwile's obnoxious reaction? Either way, it's pretty sweet, right?
Alright, next I have to say I wanna run down that ramp one last time. There is nothing that will boil your blood quite like waiting to be released down that ramp. There is quite a mixture of emotions: excitement, bliss, happiness, fear, anxiety...I think you could quite possibly run the gamut of human emotion. Then the ramp cadence starts and you feel that INSANE rush...and you hope to God you don't fall down, because you will be trampled to death if you do...Sure Alumni Band does ramp, but we stand outside until it's time to go, then you run like hell. There is no row cheers, no I Wanna Go Back, no TWO MINUTES!, none of that.
Now, the two other things I would like to do one more time, I will not talk about in public. But trust me when I say, they're warranted...SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! So what part of TBDBITL do you most want to do JUST ONE MORE TIME???
I won't speak for everyone, but Make the Band night is when my nostalgia kicks in. Tryouts, which suck more than anything on the planet, are done, and all the fun begins. The crazy stories (which, for legal purposes, I will not share) start wafting to my brain (Unum Beeum Rowum). To be clear, I don't pine for more time in the "black" uniforms. I had my 5 years and I would never choose to live that again. But there are times that I would like to live "just one more time" that the Red Blob does not provide. There are things I am NOT sad I do not have to go through again, also, like tryouts, rehearsal, 2-a-days, University "events," high school band shows during away games, home-stays, and sitting on a plane for 3 hours while student staff tries to load it OR sitting in an airport for 14 hours while the airline tries to figure out how to fix the plane. These reasons, and more, are why I do not have hopes of someday gaining a 6th year of eligibility.
The number one thing I want to do one more time I sit in AA deck, all by myself, before the sun comes up, staring at the 22 1/2 yard line, warming up.
There is truly something special and amazing about a packed house, but the magical feeling in the stadium on gameday, when no one is in it, cannot be replicated. There is no noise. You do not notice the weather, hot/cold/wet/dry can't remember any of it. It is just you, the seats, the magic, the history, the tradition, the ghosts of Buckeyes past...it is truly majestic, there is simply no other way to put it.Along those same lines, event number 2 would be lining up to march over to St. John for Skull Session. It's no longer a completely empty stadium; the red coats and leaders of Block O are there getting ready for their days, but it's still like a secret little club inside the stadium, and outside the stadium the show has already started. The only thing I can equate it to is the feeling someone in show business must have before they take the stage: you can hear the crowd, but you can't exactly see them and they can't see you. Then, the awesome sound of Fight the Team echoing through the empty stadium, with the Red Coats going nuts....ah crap, I'm getting goosebumps and the cryball just THINKING ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!! Then the long march begins, the push shove, just the sound of the voices and drums. Then, the band emerges from the tunnel...and it's GAMEDAY. The crowd, already excited because it's Gameday in Columbus, Ohio, doubles their enthusiasm. The Band Siting can mean only one thing: the team won't be far behind and it's almost MAGIC TIME. I-6 gives the signal, the drums stop, and 225 voices break into "We Don't Give a Damn." Fan-friggin-tastic. Next, the excitement mounts, as the band prepares to enter Skull Session to the jubilation of thousands of fans, many of which came JUST TO SEE THE BAND. Sure, the team comes now, but that didn't start until 2001...Skull Session began long before that. Skull Session belongs to the band (but stop the damn commercials and play more music...just sayin). Then, of course, A-H Rows are outside marching like champs, while I-X are inside screwing around, but then the entrance is made... The place goes crazy, we battle to stay in step, on our feet, and in line (there are times that you would not believe how difficult this is, especially on a rainy day when everyone in front of you has wet shoes...St. John has a slippery ramp...). Now it feels real, no more inspection, no more rehearsal, no more "run it again on a count," it's just go time. IT'S ACTUALLY GAMEDAY!!!!!!!!! Sure, there are parts of Skull Session that are less than desirable...
Moments we'd much sooner not live at all, let alone RELIVE. But overall, it's an amazing time and the start of the adrenaline rush that is: GAMEDAY AT OHIO STATE. And soft & slow?? What causes the bigger rush: playing it, or looking for that one person near the front row that is 100% clueless as to what's about to happen? Or perhaps it's Carwile's obnoxious reaction? Either way, it's pretty sweet, right?Alright, next I have to say I wanna run down that ramp one last time. There is nothing that will boil your blood quite like waiting to be released down that ramp. There is quite a mixture of emotions: excitement, bliss, happiness, fear, anxiety...I think you could quite possibly run the gamut of human emotion. Then the ramp cadence starts and you feel that INSANE rush...and you hope to God you don't fall down, because you will be trampled to death if you do...Sure Alumni Band does ramp, but we stand outside until it's time to go, then you run like hell. There is no row cheers, no I Wanna Go Back, no TWO MINUTES!, none of that.
Now, the two other things I would like to do one more time, I will not talk about in public. But trust me when I say, they're warranted...SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! So what part of TBDBITL do you most want to do JUST ONE MORE TIME???
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Privacy, TV, and Other Things That Don't Matter To You
I apologize for the lack of posting lately, but I don't believe that EVERYONE should be privy to every part of my life. There is alot going on and I just don't feel the need to discuss it in cyberspace. Furthermore, with everything going on, I don't have the time to sit at the computer and type a blog entry everyday. I admire "professional bloggers" for doing whatever they do, but honestly, who in reality has the time for that? And some things, I just don't need to know.
What I will share with you, and in great detail, is our odyssey with cable tv. See, we rent. We probably "could" buy a house, but in the interest of being good, solid Americans NOT relying on bailouts and handouts, we choose to live comfortably within our means, saving up for something more permanent, and ours, down the line. Of course, that would be easier said then done with random things popping up now and then to pay for, but imagine if we had those things AND a mortgage, etc. Right now, we don't pay water, sewer, trash, or gas because our apartment is all electric. We also don't need to maintain our own lawn. We can do whatever we want to our apartment whenever we want to. The only downside we run into is neighbors (they're special) with our super thin walls (even worse than a dorm), and the fact that the rental company doesn't allow things like satellite dishes in the front of the apartment. Since that is the view of the Southern sky, we were unable to get DirecTV last December, when we got our new TV.
But I must backup and tell you why we wanted DirecTV in the first place. I've had Time Warner since May 1998, when I moved out of the treacherous share-potty dorms and into my very first apartment, 12th and High, a spectacular place to live in 1998 (insert sarcasm here). In 1998, Time Warner was the shizzle. They had great cable and they had this cool feature called "Guide," where you hit a button and a TV Guide popped up on your TV screen, virtually eliminating the need to channel surf. It was effing fantastic. Remember, in 1998, DVDs were still new, and most college dorm rooms featured large, clunky collections of VHS tapes. There were no DVRs so you were either home when it was on or you programmed your VCR to TAPE it. Your computer had a dial-up modem and probably had AOL, and you were a bad m-effer. Then Time Warner got this thing called "Road Runner," that freed up your phone line (which was nice, since in 1 house I lived in, we had 6 phone lines, but only 1 was for an actual telephone) and made your computer move super fast. Then came digital cable. It was supposed to be sweet, but I saw no difference whatsoever. To be fair, my TV still featured a UHF dial...
Time moves forward, marriage ensues, still Time Warner digital cable. In December, 2005, with pregnancy and a retail job piling up, we made the switch to Time Warner with DVR. It was pretty awesome, not gonna lie. Of course, it quickly switched from holding anything any adult would actually watch to everything Princess watched, but that is not the point. We moved in May, 2007, to a new townhouse not in a college neighborhood, and took our Time Warner with us. It took quite a while to get them to actually come hook it up, including digital phone, because they scam you and try to make you believe that if you "bundle all services" you're saving a ginormous amount of money (it's a lie, pay for what you actually need, everything else is superfluous), but once they did, it was nice. Plus, we just took our current DVR with us, which housed the ORIGINAL, UNEDITED broadcast from the greatest game ever played, the 2006 #1 Ohio State vs #2 M*ch*g*n game, complete with Game Day. About a month later, it crapped out, thus causing us to need a new one. Not only did we lose all of the programming for Princess, which then made us have to, once again, pay attention to Disney Channel and Noggin, but we lost THE Game....because even though these DVRs come with USB Ports, you can't actually plug them in to anything to save your programs. But I guess watching TV is more important, in the long run.
4 months passed, we captured the 1 vs 2 game from ESPN Classic, though edited now, so it was cool....BAM dies again. This little exercise continued every 4-6 months like clockwork for 3 1/2 years, so we went shopping for a new TV service provider. We were very excited to get DirecTV when we got our TV, because it was a great deal for alot of stuff PLUS $300 in Best Buy giftcards, because we spent alot of money there to buy the TV, PS3, and DirecTV. But alas, we weren't permitted to install the dish in the front yard (why I don't know) and the DirecTV guy didn't want to put it on our fence out back because it would've blown down in the wind, so Time Warner was given a stay of execution...December 2009, I've now had Time Warner for about 12 years.
In May, our DVR, once again, crapped out, and we could either wait 3 weeks for a technician to come out, or just go to the office and pick one up...well since we kind of enjoy using our beautiful, gigantic TV, I drove down Olentangy to just pick one up. I also asked them about wireless internet service and what to do to hook up our playstation so we could use the internet features (Netflix) of it, instead of just using it for games and BluRay. They told me it would cost us even more money for those services and gave us our "new" DVR. (It's not new, it's someone's old broken one, because Time Warner just "recycles" them.) Of course, this was not without it's fair share of issues, too. It took about 2 hours to install it, when all I should've had to do was plug the damn thing in. Our remote, which has been broken for about 2 years and the battery back is held on with scotch tape, was still not replaced, and the DVR didn't work properly, nor did most of the HD channels. This, coupled with the impending ESPN contract dispute right at the most wonderful time of the year (yes, football season) pushed us over the edge, so we went shopping for new cable.
Even though Columbus hosts cable from Time Warner, W.O.W., Insight, U-Verse, and Verizon Wireless, the ONLY thing available to US where we live, is Time Warner and U-Verse. After much shopping around, online chats with AT&T people, and searching the various U-Verse packages for what we would need/want, we made the switch. I went to just sign up online, for the U-200 package, with HBO, and Internet services, saving us much money and giving us all the ESPNs, Fox Sports Cincinnati (Reds), Sportstime Ohio (Indians), and (I'm so excited) NFL Network. Plus by signing up online, we get 6 months of additional discounts and $300 in Visa giftcards. But as I got through the sign up process, it asked for a credit card number to hold the account, but it couldn't be a debit card. Since we don't believe in credit cards (if we can't pay for it, we don't need it), I had to call in and enroll in the automatic bill pay. They, of course, thought this would inconvenience us, but that's one less thing to think about every month, so I'm cool with it.
So I tell the girl what package I want and we start talking prices. I'm telling her what we were offered online, and she tells me that the online deals are different then what they have to offer. Since I work for a company that has a website maintained NOT by Dick's Sporting Goods, thus having things online that are NOT available in stores, I understood this. It was a little disheartening, but such is life. So I'm telling her what we need, HD, 2 TVs, HBO...she says "I can give you "our U-450 package, that has all of that included for" only slightly less than what we pay now, but we get WAY more, so it's totally worth it. So sign us up! She then apologized because it would be about 5 days until they could get a technician out there. 5 days? That's a long time? I've waited months for Time Warner before, and all they had to do was transfer the service over. No problem.
So the day of, they were supposed to come between 1 and 3. So I sat by the window like a kid waiting for Santa, so excited yet slightly apprehensive. Until it was totally hooked up and I saw a picture on my television, I wasn't about to be convinced that it was real. So it's 2:53, still nobody. I call and after struggling to get a human being (automated call centers suck), I find out that they're obviously late...then I get a $20 credit. Around 4:00, our super nice technician shows up. First thing, he says he tried to call because they were supposed to reschedule, since they were overbooked, but the number he had wasn't actually mine. Awesome job, customer service agent that signed us up. So I show him the TV in the basement and where the computer is, straight off he says "did you want wireless internet then?" I'm like "we can have wireless internet?" "Well yeah, I would just need to bring in the router." "So it won't cost us a ton of extra money?" "No it's part of the internet service." Shut the front door...we can actually USE our Playstation? (Sidenote: yes, we still have a desktop computer...no, we're not stupid.) So the dude starts hookin' us up, and now....
ANY CHANNEL, ANY TIME, ANYWHERE. Oh lord have mercy, it's friggin fantastic. We have 50 movie channels, 42 of them in HD, and about a bajillion movies on demand. Between that and Netflix (which is so friggin awesome, words can't express), we have no need to actually BUY a movie again. Cross that off my list! CHACHING! So the next thing to do: call Time Warner and cancel. "Yeah I need to cancel my service." "Oh I'm sorry to hear that, are you moving or did you get a dish or...?" "Well actually, we got a way better deal with U-Verse. Plus, your DVRs break like every 4-6 months on us, and we don't want to not have ESPN when football season starts, even for a day." "ESPN? Oh that, that's just propaganda." HAHAHAHAHAHA What??? Is that why it's in YOUR advertisement? You suck, Time Warner, get your garbage equipment out of my house and don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya! Oh, and we have sports multiview now, so anyone that wants to come over and watch 4 games at once, be our guest! (Though not during Buckeye games)
Do not mess with me, Time Warner, I will bring you down (eventually)...I will bring you down to Chinatown....hey, I'm a Mom, just having TV is enough, so I take my time bringing you down. Oh, and to the guy that hung up on me that one time when I called to complain? I'm holding up a finger, giving you sign language...
What I will share with you, and in great detail, is our odyssey with cable tv. See, we rent. We probably "could" buy a house, but in the interest of being good, solid Americans NOT relying on bailouts and handouts, we choose to live comfortably within our means, saving up for something more permanent, and ours, down the line. Of course, that would be easier said then done with random things popping up now and then to pay for, but imagine if we had those things AND a mortgage, etc. Right now, we don't pay water, sewer, trash, or gas because our apartment is all electric. We also don't need to maintain our own lawn. We can do whatever we want to our apartment whenever we want to. The only downside we run into is neighbors (they're special) with our super thin walls (even worse than a dorm), and the fact that the rental company doesn't allow things like satellite dishes in the front of the apartment. Since that is the view of the Southern sky, we were unable to get DirecTV last December, when we got our new TV.
But I must backup and tell you why we wanted DirecTV in the first place. I've had Time Warner since May 1998, when I moved out of the treacherous share-potty dorms and into my very first apartment, 12th and High, a spectacular place to live in 1998 (insert sarcasm here). In 1998, Time Warner was the shizzle. They had great cable and they had this cool feature called "Guide," where you hit a button and a TV Guide popped up on your TV screen, virtually eliminating the need to channel surf. It was effing fantastic. Remember, in 1998, DVDs were still new, and most college dorm rooms featured large, clunky collections of VHS tapes. There were no DVRs so you were either home when it was on or you programmed your VCR to TAPE it. Your computer had a dial-up modem and probably had AOL, and you were a bad m-effer. Then Time Warner got this thing called "Road Runner," that freed up your phone line (which was nice, since in 1 house I lived in, we had 6 phone lines, but only 1 was for an actual telephone) and made your computer move super fast. Then came digital cable. It was supposed to be sweet, but I saw no difference whatsoever. To be fair, my TV still featured a UHF dial...
Time moves forward, marriage ensues, still Time Warner digital cable. In December, 2005, with pregnancy and a retail job piling up, we made the switch to Time Warner with DVR. It was pretty awesome, not gonna lie. Of course, it quickly switched from holding anything any adult would actually watch to everything Princess watched, but that is not the point. We moved in May, 2007, to a new townhouse not in a college neighborhood, and took our Time Warner with us. It took quite a while to get them to actually come hook it up, including digital phone, because they scam you and try to make you believe that if you "bundle all services" you're saving a ginormous amount of money (it's a lie, pay for what you actually need, everything else is superfluous), but once they did, it was nice. Plus, we just took our current DVR with us, which housed the ORIGINAL, UNEDITED broadcast from the greatest game ever played, the 2006 #1 Ohio State vs #2 M*ch*g*n game, complete with Game Day. About a month later, it crapped out, thus causing us to need a new one. Not only did we lose all of the programming for Princess, which then made us have to, once again, pay attention to Disney Channel and Noggin, but we lost THE Game....because even though these DVRs come with USB Ports, you can't actually plug them in to anything to save your programs. But I guess watching TV is more important, in the long run.
4 months passed, we captured the 1 vs 2 game from ESPN Classic, though edited now, so it was cool....BAM dies again. This little exercise continued every 4-6 months like clockwork for 3 1/2 years, so we went shopping for a new TV service provider. We were very excited to get DirecTV when we got our TV, because it was a great deal for alot of stuff PLUS $300 in Best Buy giftcards, because we spent alot of money there to buy the TV, PS3, and DirecTV. But alas, we weren't permitted to install the dish in the front yard (why I don't know) and the DirecTV guy didn't want to put it on our fence out back because it would've blown down in the wind, so Time Warner was given a stay of execution...December 2009, I've now had Time Warner for about 12 years.
In May, our DVR, once again, crapped out, and we could either wait 3 weeks for a technician to come out, or just go to the office and pick one up...well since we kind of enjoy using our beautiful, gigantic TV, I drove down Olentangy to just pick one up. I also asked them about wireless internet service and what to do to hook up our playstation so we could use the internet features (Netflix) of it, instead of just using it for games and BluRay. They told me it would cost us even more money for those services and gave us our "new" DVR. (It's not new, it's someone's old broken one, because Time Warner just "recycles" them.) Of course, this was not without it's fair share of issues, too. It took about 2 hours to install it, when all I should've had to do was plug the damn thing in. Our remote, which has been broken for about 2 years and the battery back is held on with scotch tape, was still not replaced, and the DVR didn't work properly, nor did most of the HD channels. This, coupled with the impending ESPN contract dispute right at the most wonderful time of the year (yes, football season) pushed us over the edge, so we went shopping for new cable.
Even though Columbus hosts cable from Time Warner, W.O.W., Insight, U-Verse, and Verizon Wireless, the ONLY thing available to US where we live, is Time Warner and U-Verse. After much shopping around, online chats with AT&T people, and searching the various U-Verse packages for what we would need/want, we made the switch. I went to just sign up online, for the U-200 package, with HBO, and Internet services, saving us much money and giving us all the ESPNs, Fox Sports Cincinnati (Reds), Sportstime Ohio (Indians), and (I'm so excited) NFL Network. Plus by signing up online, we get 6 months of additional discounts and $300 in Visa giftcards. But as I got through the sign up process, it asked for a credit card number to hold the account, but it couldn't be a debit card. Since we don't believe in credit cards (if we can't pay for it, we don't need it), I had to call in and enroll in the automatic bill pay. They, of course, thought this would inconvenience us, but that's one less thing to think about every month, so I'm cool with it.
So I tell the girl what package I want and we start talking prices. I'm telling her what we were offered online, and she tells me that the online deals are different then what they have to offer. Since I work for a company that has a website maintained NOT by Dick's Sporting Goods, thus having things online that are NOT available in stores, I understood this. It was a little disheartening, but such is life. So I'm telling her what we need, HD, 2 TVs, HBO...she says "I can give you "our U-450 package, that has all of that included for" only slightly less than what we pay now, but we get WAY more, so it's totally worth it. So sign us up! She then apologized because it would be about 5 days until they could get a technician out there. 5 days? That's a long time? I've waited months for Time Warner before, and all they had to do was transfer the service over. No problem.
So the day of, they were supposed to come between 1 and 3. So I sat by the window like a kid waiting for Santa, so excited yet slightly apprehensive. Until it was totally hooked up and I saw a picture on my television, I wasn't about to be convinced that it was real. So it's 2:53, still nobody. I call and after struggling to get a human being (automated call centers suck), I find out that they're obviously late...then I get a $20 credit. Around 4:00, our super nice technician shows up. First thing, he says he tried to call because they were supposed to reschedule, since they were overbooked, but the number he had wasn't actually mine. Awesome job, customer service agent that signed us up. So I show him the TV in the basement and where the computer is, straight off he says "did you want wireless internet then?" I'm like "we can have wireless internet?" "Well yeah, I would just need to bring in the router." "So it won't cost us a ton of extra money?" "No it's part of the internet service." Shut the front door...we can actually USE our Playstation? (Sidenote: yes, we still have a desktop computer...no, we're not stupid.) So the dude starts hookin' us up, and now....
ANY CHANNEL, ANY TIME, ANYWHERE. Oh lord have mercy, it's friggin fantastic. We have 50 movie channels, 42 of them in HD, and about a bajillion movies on demand. Between that and Netflix (which is so friggin awesome, words can't express), we have no need to actually BUY a movie again. Cross that off my list! CHACHING! So the next thing to do: call Time Warner and cancel. "Yeah I need to cancel my service." "Oh I'm sorry to hear that, are you moving or did you get a dish or...?" "Well actually, we got a way better deal with U-Verse. Plus, your DVRs break like every 4-6 months on us, and we don't want to not have ESPN when football season starts, even for a day." "ESPN? Oh that, that's just propaganda." HAHAHAHAHAHA What??? Is that why it's in YOUR advertisement? You suck, Time Warner, get your garbage equipment out of my house and don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya! Oh, and we have sports multiview now, so anyone that wants to come over and watch 4 games at once, be our guest! (Though not during Buckeye games)
Do not mess with me, Time Warner, I will bring you down (eventually)...I will bring you down to Chinatown....hey, I'm a Mom, just having TV is enough, so I take my time bringing you down. Oh, and to the guy that hung up on me that one time when I called to complain? I'm holding up a finger, giving you sign language...
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
So I Haven't Been Regular..
...in updating "daily." Step off, I'm busy. But I was quite thrilled to see that, in spite of giving up a bajillion runs and allowing A-Roid to get more and more at bats, the Indians did NOT give up 600***. But I digress....
We had Assessment "#2" a couple weeks ago, fully expecting that to be the end and we can FINALLY move forward with therapy...so the appointment was at 9:00. I wasn't thrilled with it, but since it took forever to get the appointment in the first place, we just went with it. Of course, we hadn't banked on Princess getting up before the sun, either...
So we choked some breakfast down her, left mega-early, fully expecting the Friday morning rush hour on 315/270/23, and seeing none, we arrived quite early. Then as luck would have it, the doctor was running late. Joy...
So the doctor arrives, and Princess announces she would like to go play. So the doctor takes her with her and we stay behind. Princess doesn't notice this....then she did. For the next 3 hours, we sat in the lobby while listening to Princess screaming while they ran "tests." Surely at the end of this torture, there would be some therapy options. But alas, no. We needed to now wait until the "team" prepared their report and called us back, could be a week, could be a month. Going on 2 weeks now, still nothing. To say I'm annoyed would be putting it mildly. To say I'm frustrated is an understatement.
We had Assessment "#2" a couple weeks ago, fully expecting that to be the end and we can FINALLY move forward with therapy...so the appointment was at 9:00. I wasn't thrilled with it, but since it took forever to get the appointment in the first place, we just went with it. Of course, we hadn't banked on Princess getting up before the sun, either...
So we choked some breakfast down her, left mega-early, fully expecting the Friday morning rush hour on 315/270/23, and seeing none, we arrived quite early. Then as luck would have it, the doctor was running late. Joy...
So the doctor arrives, and Princess announces she would like to go play. So the doctor takes her with her and we stay behind. Princess doesn't notice this....then she did. For the next 3 hours, we sat in the lobby while listening to Princess screaming while they ran "tests." Surely at the end of this torture, there would be some therapy options. But alas, no. We needed to now wait until the "team" prepared their report and called us back, could be a week, could be a month. Going on 2 weeks now, still nothing. To say I'm annoyed would be putting it mildly. To say I'm frustrated is an understatement.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Breakthroughs, Cleaning, A-Roid** and Other Pertinent Information...
So this will be very Seinfeld-ian of me...a blog about nothing.
MAJOR breakthroughs with Princess this week:
1. Actually said "I WANT TO GO TO THE PARK" so we went. If she actually asks for something, and it's not ridiculous like "mommy make it snow in August," oh it's gonna happen. It's the minor communication miracles that are worth it.
2. Walked THE WHOLE TIME at Kroger and I didn't want to strangle her.
3. Helped label ALL her toy bins, even picking what they say "Pet Shop Guys" "Disney Guys," and seems excited to actually pick them up...since she seems to understand from the labels where and how things get put away.
In other news, you may have heard tell of a cleaning revolution at this joint. Yeah, if you have kids you know, it's never-ending. Stay tuned...
A-Roid** So it's no secret, I am Cleveland Fan. Also no secret, I hate the Yankees. For 4 days now, every single time A-Roid** comes up to bat, I put my right hand on my head and say out loud, to no one in particular, "I will never stop crying if he hits 600." So far (knock on wood the Yankees don't have another 8 run inning and he gets 1 more at bat) it has worked swimmingly, and the bum is stuck on 599. Let me explain why this would suck:
1. he's a cheater. I don't care if he's clean, I don't care if he admitted it, he cheated.
2. The Boss was DENIED the Indians in 1973, so there's the whole "can you imagine?" factor.
3. If it happened against the Indians, until the end of time, when they show him hit 600, I would remember this as the summer of Legone and my blood would boil with rage....and trust me, no one needs that, least of all the squirrels.
It is now 34 days 21 hours and 57 minutes until kickoff...Ohio
MAJOR breakthroughs with Princess this week:
1. Actually said "I WANT TO GO TO THE PARK" so we went. If she actually asks for something, and it's not ridiculous like "mommy make it snow in August," oh it's gonna happen. It's the minor communication miracles that are worth it.
2. Walked THE WHOLE TIME at Kroger and I didn't want to strangle her.
3. Helped label ALL her toy bins, even picking what they say "Pet Shop Guys" "Disney Guys," and seems excited to actually pick them up...since she seems to understand from the labels where and how things get put away.
In other news, you may have heard tell of a cleaning revolution at this joint. Yeah, if you have kids you know, it's never-ending. Stay tuned...
A-Roid** So it's no secret, I am Cleveland Fan. Also no secret, I hate the Yankees. For 4 days now, every single time A-Roid** comes up to bat, I put my right hand on my head and say out loud, to no one in particular, "I will never stop crying if he hits 600." So far (knock on wood the Yankees don't have another 8 run inning and he gets 1 more at bat) it has worked swimmingly, and the bum is stuck on 599. Let me explain why this would suck:
1. he's a cheater. I don't care if he's clean, I don't care if he admitted it, he cheated.
2. The Boss was DENIED the Indians in 1973, so there's the whole "can you imagine?" factor.
3. If it happened against the Indians, until the end of time, when they show him hit 600, I would remember this as the summer of Legone and my blood would boil with rage....and trust me, no one needs that, least of all the squirrels.
It is now 34 days 21 hours and 57 minutes until kickoff...Ohio
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Autism Assessment #1
I call it "#1" because it's definitely not the "first" assessment. But according to this round of doctors, it is. This is the first "official" round of testing, though, with an actual team of doctors working towards a diagnosis and therapy planning, so this is "#1." But before I get into that, I want to discuss how we got to "#1" in the first place.
Aside from day 1 at home from the hospital, when hubby was out stocking up on formula and diapers and I was actually left alone as a "new mom," I've never been one to overly freak out about all the can do's and can't do's. If it worked out, I did it. We had some issues with digesting milk and soy-based formulas, some sleep issues, and a rough, although brief, transition to milk, but no developmental issues. Princess reached all of her milestones on time, and in some cases, early.
At her three year check up, though, I was discussing with the doctor some abnormal things I was noticing: no attempt at the potty at all; no conversations initiated by her and most conversations seemed to be "scripted;" small fears of other children and some adults. He suggested we run a screen for Autism, at which point I agreed but shared my feelings on the subject. For the most part, he agreed with every concern I had but since we both agreed something was a little off, we screened her.
It came back that she was "normal" except for some social categories, and the doctor said he didn't see too much cause for concern, since Princess isn't around kids regularly. Still, I asked him to send in a referral to a developmental pediatrician anyways, better to know for sure. So he sent the referral and we heard from Children's Hospital. They sent us a mountain of paperwork to complete and send back, only they sent no address to send it back to. And even after leaving countless voice mails and sending emails, we never heard back from them. At the same time, though, Princess was making great strides and progressing so we figured she was just a little bit quirky and she just does things on her time. So we went on with our lives.
Around January, though, things turned around yet again. Fear was beginning to take over in all public scenarios, even some occassions where she knew the people around her very well. Her communication was virtually non-existant, though she spoke very well. She just wasn't speaking in ways that "made sense," never questioning "what's that? why?" etc. And while we had been 100% toilet trained by Christmas (thanks to a good friend's suggestion to tell her Santa wouldn't come if she didn't use the potty), she was regressing a bit there, too. I had put off the 4 year well-baby checkup as long as I possibly could (almost 2 months). I knew she would be screaming and it's just embarrassing. I shouldn't say that, but it is. People see children having tantrums or getting upset and they immediately judge "bad parent," not "wow that kid must be special needs." I do it, too, especially working in retail. So yes, it's embarrassing. But I finally made the appointment, for April 1 (the irony of this is not lost on me). That morning, as soon as I told her we were going to the doctor, she started screaming. The entire visit was an absolute nightmare, culminating in the doctor, yes the exact same doctor from 1 year before, saying, and without hesitation, "I think it's time she see someone, we'll call today."
Within a week, we were contacted by Children's Hospital. Since it is so incredibly difficult to get an appointment with a developmental pediatrician, we were initially sent to see a Behavioral Psychologist to help with Princess's fear and anxiety issues. The only problem here, though, is that without an official diagnosis, and since our psychologist isn't an Autism specialist, it's difficult to figure out an actual course of action. Still, we went, with the smallest glimmers of hope that SOMETHING would click. Many of her suggestions, for everything but the toilet training, were helpful. And it was, after all, her calling that did finally FINALLY get us an appointment with the developmental pediatrician.
So Princess and I go to THAT appointment, at yet another office. This is the appointment we've been waiting a year and a half to get in to, so of course the day before, Princess has a fever and both ends going. There was NO WAY I was canceling, so I stuck my little trooper in the car and off we went. I thought this was the appointment where we would get some therapy suggestions and start to get sent on the right path...
Turns out this "assessment" (if you're keeping track at home, this is now the 3rd doctor to evaluate her) was just to see if she needs further assessments. Which, surprise to no one, least of all me, she does. So now, we need to schedule THESE sessions. It is 2 3-4 hour sessions over 2 separate days, running a gamut of tests and analyses to come up with where "on the spectrum" the child is and how best to proceed. Our team would consist of a neurologist, developmental pediatrician, speech therapist, occupational therapist...
Which now, FINALLY, brings us to "#1." Not being one to be late, we arrived about 15 minutes early...not really a good thing for an Autistic child with a tiny waiting room full of other Autistic children, but need to learn how to be a member of society, right? Anyway...so the developmental pediatrician who heads "our team" comes out to greet us and take us back to our room. Once there, Princess is given the chance to "play." Let me just say, I feel kind of dirty using "play" as a judgement on how "normal" my kid is. Shortly after we went back to the room, the occupational and speech therapists came to get Princess to take her for individual testing, while I got to stay back and endure the Spanish Inquisition (ok, so she's Indian) on where it was that I messed up (I kid, I kid...though that truly is what it feels like, especially when you don't have every minute detail written down). At the end, we all came together to discuss what "they discovered," which, as it turns out, is exactly the same as all the other doctors we've paid alot of money to already...she's "on the spectrum." Though this group did add "but she's got some really awesome qualities" to their diagnosis. (Btw, this is now the 4th doctor that has given this diagnosis.)
So what now? Well, session "#1" was last Wednesday. They gave me a 3" "Autism Manual" to read before session "#2," which is this Friday...not even a half inch into the reading. This session is supposed to be Princess going through even more, intensive, individual testing. Hopefully after Friday, "testing" will be done (this, of course, does not include the testing the school system has to do to determine if she's "autistic enough" to warrant state-funded educational programs) and we can move forward with therapy.
Aside from day 1 at home from the hospital, when hubby was out stocking up on formula and diapers and I was actually left alone as a "new mom," I've never been one to overly freak out about all the can do's and can't do's. If it worked out, I did it. We had some issues with digesting milk and soy-based formulas, some sleep issues, and a rough, although brief, transition to milk, but no developmental issues. Princess reached all of her milestones on time, and in some cases, early.
At her three year check up, though, I was discussing with the doctor some abnormal things I was noticing: no attempt at the potty at all; no conversations initiated by her and most conversations seemed to be "scripted;" small fears of other children and some adults. He suggested we run a screen for Autism, at which point I agreed but shared my feelings on the subject. For the most part, he agreed with every concern I had but since we both agreed something was a little off, we screened her.
It came back that she was "normal" except for some social categories, and the doctor said he didn't see too much cause for concern, since Princess isn't around kids regularly. Still, I asked him to send in a referral to a developmental pediatrician anyways, better to know for sure. So he sent the referral and we heard from Children's Hospital. They sent us a mountain of paperwork to complete and send back, only they sent no address to send it back to. And even after leaving countless voice mails and sending emails, we never heard back from them. At the same time, though, Princess was making great strides and progressing so we figured she was just a little bit quirky and she just does things on her time. So we went on with our lives.
Around January, though, things turned around yet again. Fear was beginning to take over in all public scenarios, even some occassions where she knew the people around her very well. Her communication was virtually non-existant, though she spoke very well. She just wasn't speaking in ways that "made sense," never questioning "what's that? why?" etc. And while we had been 100% toilet trained by Christmas (thanks to a good friend's suggestion to tell her Santa wouldn't come if she didn't use the potty), she was regressing a bit there, too. I had put off the 4 year well-baby checkup as long as I possibly could (almost 2 months). I knew she would be screaming and it's just embarrassing. I shouldn't say that, but it is. People see children having tantrums or getting upset and they immediately judge "bad parent," not "wow that kid must be special needs." I do it, too, especially working in retail. So yes, it's embarrassing. But I finally made the appointment, for April 1 (the irony of this is not lost on me). That morning, as soon as I told her we were going to the doctor, she started screaming. The entire visit was an absolute nightmare, culminating in the doctor, yes the exact same doctor from 1 year before, saying, and without hesitation, "I think it's time she see someone, we'll call today."
Within a week, we were contacted by Children's Hospital. Since it is so incredibly difficult to get an appointment with a developmental pediatrician, we were initially sent to see a Behavioral Psychologist to help with Princess's fear and anxiety issues. The only problem here, though, is that without an official diagnosis, and since our psychologist isn't an Autism specialist, it's difficult to figure out an actual course of action. Still, we went, with the smallest glimmers of hope that SOMETHING would click. Many of her suggestions, for everything but the toilet training, were helpful. And it was, after all, her calling that did finally FINALLY get us an appointment with the developmental pediatrician.
So Princess and I go to THAT appointment, at yet another office. This is the appointment we've been waiting a year and a half to get in to, so of course the day before, Princess has a fever and both ends going. There was NO WAY I was canceling, so I stuck my little trooper in the car and off we went. I thought this was the appointment where we would get some therapy suggestions and start to get sent on the right path...
Turns out this "assessment" (if you're keeping track at home, this is now the 3rd doctor to evaluate her) was just to see if she needs further assessments. Which, surprise to no one, least of all me, she does. So now, we need to schedule THESE sessions. It is 2 3-4 hour sessions over 2 separate days, running a gamut of tests and analyses to come up with where "on the spectrum" the child is and how best to proceed. Our team would consist of a neurologist, developmental pediatrician, speech therapist, occupational therapist...
Which now, FINALLY, brings us to "#1." Not being one to be late, we arrived about 15 minutes early...not really a good thing for an Autistic child with a tiny waiting room full of other Autistic children, but need to learn how to be a member of society, right? Anyway...so the developmental pediatrician who heads "our team" comes out to greet us and take us back to our room. Once there, Princess is given the chance to "play." Let me just say, I feel kind of dirty using "play" as a judgement on how "normal" my kid is. Shortly after we went back to the room, the occupational and speech therapists came to get Princess to take her for individual testing, while I got to stay back and endure the Spanish Inquisition (ok, so she's Indian) on where it was that I messed up (I kid, I kid...though that truly is what it feels like, especially when you don't have every minute detail written down). At the end, we all came together to discuss what "they discovered," which, as it turns out, is exactly the same as all the other doctors we've paid alot of money to already...she's "on the spectrum." Though this group did add "but she's got some really awesome qualities" to their diagnosis. (Btw, this is now the 4th doctor that has given this diagnosis.)
So what now? Well, session "#1" was last Wednesday. They gave me a 3" "Autism Manual" to read before session "#2," which is this Friday...not even a half inch into the reading. This session is supposed to be Princess going through even more, intensive, individual testing. Hopefully after Friday, "testing" will be done (this, of course, does not include the testing the school system has to do to determine if she's "autistic enough" to warrant state-funded educational programs) and we can move forward with therapy.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Lazy Blogger....
One my favorite bloggers, Dumb Mom, has posted, today, tips for being a "better blogger." I present to you why I am the WORST blogger....Seriously, if there were a corner for bad bloggers, I would be mayor of that corner. I would be permanently entrenched there, with my bad blogger dunce cap on my head. Knowing me, I would be shouting orders to the people that get stuck there with me, or complaining about how they couldn't possibly be as bad as me, so they clearly don't deserve to be in my bad blogger corner.
Let me explain why I SUCK as a blogger (insert Tommy Boy finger quotes here):
1. I am irregular as a 75 year old woman, with or without my milk of magnesia (you know they never use brand names). I can't seem to find the time in my day that other people have. Either that or we're the only people stuck in the 90s with a desktop, though it is a really nice desktop, instead of a laptop, thus allowing for other people to actually blog.
2. My life is completely void of activity....that anyone but me cares about. OK maybe not, but see #1...I don't got the time. There is PLENTY going on right now, wish I had the time to share!
3. I don't generally care about "target audiences."
4. I am as irregular as a 75 year....ah crap, I used that one already.
5. I have no clear, coherent thoughts....probably all of those brain cells I killed in college.
6. I think I've acquired adult A.D.D. I will be in the middle of something and then....OH SNICKERS!!
7. I live in Ohio. There is nothing fun to do unless it's football season. Period. Though the Ohio State Fair starts tomorrow...insert white trash for 12 straight days!!!!!
So, ladies and gentlemen that don't read anything I write, this is just the top of the surface! This is just a little bit of why I am the world's worst blogger. So don't read this and go on with your merry little lives!!
Let me explain why I SUCK as a blogger (insert Tommy Boy finger quotes here):
1. I am irregular as a 75 year old woman, with or without my milk of magnesia (you know they never use brand names). I can't seem to find the time in my day that other people have. Either that or we're the only people stuck in the 90s with a desktop, though it is a really nice desktop, instead of a laptop, thus allowing for other people to actually blog.
2. My life is completely void of activity....that anyone but me cares about. OK maybe not, but see #1...I don't got the time. There is PLENTY going on right now, wish I had the time to share!
3. I don't generally care about "target audiences."
4. I am as irregular as a 75 year....ah crap, I used that one already.
5. I have no clear, coherent thoughts....probably all of those brain cells I killed in college.
6. I think I've acquired adult A.D.D. I will be in the middle of something and then....OH SNICKERS!!
7. I live in Ohio. There is nothing fun to do unless it's football season. Period. Though the Ohio State Fair starts tomorrow...insert white trash for 12 straight days!!!!!
So, ladies and gentlemen that don't read anything I write, this is just the top of the surface! This is just a little bit of why I am the world's worst blogger. So don't read this and go on with your merry little lives!!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Hoarders...
So here's the deal: my mother is moving this weekend. Princess has her first BIG autism assessment this week. Father-in-law's retirement party is Saturday. This has been the busiest summer of my life. There is literally something every other day. I'm not one to not be bored, but I would love being bored right now. I'm sick of getting in the car and doing stuff, and quite frankly, so is Princess. She's lost all ability to comprehend "future" tense, and if you tell her you're going to do something or go somewhere in the future, she flips out and screams that she wants to "go to our house."
But I digress....like I said, my mother is moving this weekend. Since the males in our lives don't enjoy actually helping, hubby has hired movers for her. This fact notwithstanding, we've been cleaning and moving since Thursday, because it's not moving towns, it's moving a few city blocks over. Saturday, hubby and I went over to help get the trash out of the basement....I may have neglected to tell hubby it was 40 years worth of trash. He was a little miffed...but 3 dumpsters later, we were done.
I've used this as my inspiration. If I don't need it, it's going away. Period. End of story. So in conjunction with EVERYTHING ELSE going on, I'm also cleaning, and I mean really cleaning, my own house. So I'm exhausted...
In other news: bro and sis in law are having a boy, which I, of course, knew immediately since she's not at all fat and hasn't been throwing up. So my sis-in-law has a penis.
And Lou Brown has died...in honor of that, the Indians seem to be wanting to win all their games in the 2nd season. They swept the Tigers in a 3-day, 4-game series! Makes that game on August 7 seem like it won't be a waste of money after all! Well, I mean, it's not because it's Kenny Lofton bobblehead night, but still...
But I digress....like I said, my mother is moving this weekend. Since the males in our lives don't enjoy actually helping, hubby has hired movers for her. This fact notwithstanding, we've been cleaning and moving since Thursday, because it's not moving towns, it's moving a few city blocks over. Saturday, hubby and I went over to help get the trash out of the basement....I may have neglected to tell hubby it was 40 years worth of trash. He was a little miffed...but 3 dumpsters later, we were done.
I've used this as my inspiration. If I don't need it, it's going away. Period. End of story. So in conjunction with EVERYTHING ELSE going on, I'm also cleaning, and I mean really cleaning, my own house. So I'm exhausted...
In other news: bro and sis in law are having a boy, which I, of course, knew immediately since she's not at all fat and hasn't been throwing up. So my sis-in-law has a penis.
And Lou Brown has died...in honor of that, the Indians seem to be wanting to win all their games in the 2nd season. They swept the Tigers in a 3-day, 4-game series! Makes that game on August 7 seem like it won't be a waste of money after all! Well, I mean, it's not because it's Kenny Lofton bobblehead night, but still...
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Dumpster Divers...
So I've not posted since Legone (he sucks) and this one promises to be quite short....
I've been super busy this week with cleaning/organizing/rearranging the basement. I seem to do it every 7 months or so, when I just get to that point where I can no longer take it, but this time has been severely different. This time, instead of just neatly stacking boxes in new corners, I've been OPENING the boxes, looking at the stuff IN them, and throwing stuff away. It's so much easier than you would think.
One of the first boxes I opened, marked "Holiday Dishes," had 2 coffee mugs and a bunch of newsprint in it. The dishes, you see, were still neatly tucked inside my kitchen cabinets. So since the cabinets have been spewing forth much lately, I finally got my lazy ass up, took the dishes OUT of the cabinet, and packed them back in their box, neatly wrapped in newsprint. This would be an example of "something that is actually used, only seasonally." Much like the 8 or 9 boxes of Christmas decorations I have (yet only 1 box for Easter and Halloween, combined).
Much later in the process, I opened a box marked "bar glasses." To say we're not "drinkers" would be a flat out lie, but to say that we are "drinkers who require bar glasses" is ridiculous. We are lazy, we work smarter, not harder. If it comes in a bottle that has a twist top, we are content to use a koozy, if necessary. So I open said box. 8 margarita glasses: we have never been margarita drinkers (I had an awful encounter at Howl at the Moon with golden tequila margaritas when I was "21") so POOF! They gone. 8 martini glasses: I love love love martinis but....if I'm gonna drink one, chances are I'm at a bar, because who wants to take the time to make them? POOF! See ya. 8 very large, very bulky, very heavy beer mugs...seriously? Why the hell did we register for this stuff? Keep 2, 6 go POOF! You see where this is going. By the end, a "large box" had been reduced to half of a "small box."
The baby stuff (crib, changing table, matress, changing pad, maternity clothes) will be going to bro-in-law-1(it's an age rank, not a favoritism thing, I don't play faves) and wife, as they are due in December (here's hoping it's a girl so they can take the 4 80-gal totes of baby clothes I have...).
Some fun things do occur when going through your junk....you find some CRAZY things! If you have a basement/closet/storage locker full of your junk, I highly advise you to go through it, and for 2 purposes: 1. downsizing, 2. entertainment! With that said, Imma git back to it! Basement remodel day 3!!!
I've been super busy this week with cleaning/organizing/rearranging the basement. I seem to do it every 7 months or so, when I just get to that point where I can no longer take it, but this time has been severely different. This time, instead of just neatly stacking boxes in new corners, I've been OPENING the boxes, looking at the stuff IN them, and throwing stuff away. It's so much easier than you would think.
One of the first boxes I opened, marked "Holiday Dishes," had 2 coffee mugs and a bunch of newsprint in it. The dishes, you see, were still neatly tucked inside my kitchen cabinets. So since the cabinets have been spewing forth much lately, I finally got my lazy ass up, took the dishes OUT of the cabinet, and packed them back in their box, neatly wrapped in newsprint. This would be an example of "something that is actually used, only seasonally." Much like the 8 or 9 boxes of Christmas decorations I have (yet only 1 box for Easter and Halloween, combined).
Much later in the process, I opened a box marked "bar glasses." To say we're not "drinkers" would be a flat out lie, but to say that we are "drinkers who require bar glasses" is ridiculous. We are lazy, we work smarter, not harder. If it comes in a bottle that has a twist top, we are content to use a koozy, if necessary. So I open said box. 8 margarita glasses: we have never been margarita drinkers (I had an awful encounter at Howl at the Moon with golden tequila margaritas when I was "21") so POOF! They gone. 8 martini glasses: I love love love martinis but....if I'm gonna drink one, chances are I'm at a bar, because who wants to take the time to make them? POOF! See ya. 8 very large, very bulky, very heavy beer mugs...seriously? Why the hell did we register for this stuff? Keep 2, 6 go POOF! You see where this is going. By the end, a "large box" had been reduced to half of a "small box."
The baby stuff (crib, changing table, matress, changing pad, maternity clothes) will be going to bro-in-law-1(it's an age rank, not a favoritism thing, I don't play faves) and wife, as they are due in December (here's hoping it's a girl so they can take the 4 80-gal totes of baby clothes I have...).
Some fun things do occur when going through your junk....you find some CRAZY things! If you have a basement/closet/storage locker full of your junk, I highly advise you to go through it, and for 2 purposes: 1. downsizing, 2. entertainment! With that said, Imma git back to it! Basement remodel day 3!!!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
2 Days LeGone and It Still Hurts...
I know this is usually about parenting and my neurosis, but this is just too much for me to not mention. I have to talk about Lebron...
Cleveland fans have taken a beating in the media, at least in my opinion for their reactions to "The Circus" Thursday night, so I feel the need to justify mine and my fellow Clevelanders reactions. (This will be painful, my friends, but bear with me.)
My earliest memory in sports is not the Ohio State football game I went to when I was 3 or even the game in 1985 when the Buckeyes shocked #1 Iowa. No, my first sports memory is the 1986 Cleveland Browns (I'm sorry, loyal friends, it stands to be mentioned...)
So there I was, January 11, 1987, 8 years old, with my milkbone "pin," painted orange, brown, and white, adorned by cute ribbons (no doubt made by some church lady somewhere), watching the Browns. They take the lead 20-13, kick off with a bizarre kickoff that sails behind the Broncos, and they are pinned down on their 2 yard line, with only 5:32 left in the game. SUPER BOWL! SUPER BOWL! Chants all over Municipal (RIP) Stadium. The fans believe it. Bernie Bernie, OHHHHH YEAH!!! Super Bowl....wait, what? THE DRIVE... If reading it isn't enough to make you want to kick yourself in the face...watch this.
Incidentally, the Cleveland Indians in 1986 had a record of 84-78, which was, sadly, it's best since the 1968 season. 1987 they would go 61-101, finishing dead last, and inspiring the movie "Major League."
But I digress...January 17, 1988, Mile High Stadium in ...
Denver, Colorado. The Broncos were up 21-3 at the half, absolutely killing my beloved Brownies. In the second half, though, Bernie Kosar (who STILL holds an NFL record for most completed passes without an interception, btw) led the team to 4 touchdowns and halfway through the 4th quarter it was 31-31. John Elway then led the Broncos to a score, making it 38-31 Denver with 4 minutes left. The Browns then drive down to the Broncos 8-yard line with 1:12 left in the game. Byner goes left, he's in the end zone, the ball is not...
May 7, 1989, Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio...the
Cleveland Cavs are playing in the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Cavs are up with 3 seconds left and the Bulls call timeout. There I was, 10 years old, sitting on the edge of an old white leather chair in the living room. Michael Jordan was going down!! Everyone could feel it. (He wasn't quite Michael yet, remember) The Bulls inbound the ball...you gotta be effin kidding me.
Go back in time to 1973.
Art Modell leases Municipal Stadium to the city for $1/year, then refuses revenue sharing with the Indians. In 1994, the Indians convince the city to build the Gateway Project, with Jacobs, I mean, Progressive Field, and Gund, I mean, Quicken Loans Arena. Art Modell refuses to take part, believing that the Browns will still make more money. He was wrong, dead wrong. November 6, 1995, the Browns were 3-4, Art Modell announced he was up and moving the team to Baltimore the following season. Fans were outraged, sporting "Muck Fodell" shirts, holding protests, even a protest in Pittsburgh, the ONLY time the two sides were united, though that protest was hardly mentioned, and filed countless lawsuits against Modell. The NFL, Cleveland, and Modell came to an agreement in 1996, in which the Browns Franchise would be "deactivated," retaining all of it's colors, history, accolades, while Modell would be given an expansion team in Baltimore, but retain all the players and contracts of the current Browns. The Browns would be inactive for three years, while they built a new stadium.
The Browns returned in 1999. They've had only 2 winning seasons since their return. The Ravens have, however, been to the playoffs six times, and won Super Bowl XXXV, January 28, 2001. Art Modell is no longer the majority owner of the team, going bankrupt and selling 49% in 2000, and more of the team in 2004. He is still the most hated man in Cleveland, going all the way back to 1963 with the firing of Paul Brown.
1995: Cleveland Indians vs. Atlanta Braves, World Series.....Atlanta 4-2.
1997: Cleveland Indians vs. Florida Marlins, World Series...not only were the Florida Marlins a wild card team, they were a five year old franchise. The Indians were the heavy favorites to win. Game 7. Bottom of the 9th, Indians up 2-1. Closer Jose Mesa comes in to bring Cleveland it's first World Series championship since 1948. BLOWN SAVE. Extra Innings...Bottom 11. Craig Counsell hits a ball between first and second...THE ERROR. Instead of a routine out, the ball goes off Tony Fernandez's glove. Edgar Renteria hits a ball, it bounces off of Charlie Nagy's glove into the outfield, Counsell runs home, Indians lose...
Yet through ALL OF THIS, the Cleveland fan doesn't stray. THIS IS KEY. The Cleveland Fan DOESN'T STRAY. We stay through all of it, and we love them. We absolutely friggin love them. We inevitably know what's going to happen to us, should a small amount of success flop our way, but we HOPE that just once, JUST ONCE, a ball bounces OUR way and WE will be victorious. We wear hideous colors, orange and brown, wine and gold, orange and blue, (can't go wrong with the red, white, and blue of the Indians, though) and we wear them PROUDLY, no matter WHAT. We join in on the jokes, though from some sources (ESPN) we don't appreciate them. You can't knock it til you tried it. It's a religion. Northeast Ohio: the birthplace of football. We are a proud people. You look at us, at our city, you call it garbage, it's people "depressed," both economically and emotionally. Do you say that about Detroit fans, whose plight is similar to that of Clevalanders economically? No, they've had the Pistons (championships) and the Tigers (World Series appearance out of nowhere) lately, so you don't knock them. You knock Clevelanders.
Sure, you may pick on Cubs fans, but the city of Chicago has had success from ALL of their other teams. No sir, only the Cleveland fan has lived a lifetime and never seen a championship come to their city. It's fun to kick them while they're down. Cleveland: the Lovable Loser. The "Mistake by the Lake."
Enter Lebron James....
Lebron, the self-appointed "King." The Ohio born son, that never showed any love for his state. The band-wagoner "The Yankees," "The Cowboys." His disdain for all things Cleveland never deterred us. We defended him. "Of course he would like the Cowboys, the Browns weren't even around when he was growing up." (Though I never got the Yankees thing, the Indians were WAY better at the time...) We bought into his hype, hype he himself generated with the money-hungry slobs at Nike. We were all witnesses. In countless games, he would pass at the wrong moment. ESPN would question his desire for championships, saying he passed off instead of taking the shot because he couldn't handle the pressure. We said "why wouldn't he pass? He was triple teamed, the guy was WIDE OPEN! It's not Lebron's fault the other guys can't handle it in the clutch." We waited for YEARS for him to make his decision. As the time grew closer, the writing was on the wall. Celebrities were coming to Cleveland to watch games. He was gone. No one comes to Cleveland for fun, right Joakim Noah?
Then the Boston series happened. The Lebron praise was drifting away. We all saw it, we knew he quit. We voiced it, we were pissed off. But through it all, again, WE HELD OUT HOPE. Lebron calls a one hour tv special on ESPN to announce his decision. Surely he won't embarrass us on national television, not our native son. He parades kids from the Cleveland Boys & Girls Club out on stage with him. He announces he's leaving....
Did you hear the heartbroken children sigh? No? You couldn't hear it through the screaming at your television?
To all those who judge the Cleveland fan, I offer this: it's not that he left. Athletes come and go, and no one understands that better than Cleveland fan (let me give you some names: Ray Fosse, Manny Ramirez, Joe Carter, Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia, Vinny Testaverde). No it's not that he left. It's not about mindless idol worship of someone that doesn't deserve it. Lebron doesn't pay my bills, Josh Cribbs doesn't pay my bills. Athletes aren't heroes. Let me tell you what this is about. This is about the WAY he did it.
Cleveland Fan is loyal. Cleveland Fan loves you no matter what, for all your faults. (How else do you explain attendance at Browns games in negative temperatures?) You wanna leave? No problem, son, there's the door. But you give me the respect and dignity I deserve when you do it. You do not go run and hide in another state, have an hour long special where you talk IN THE THIRD PERSON, you do not have "your people" contact the Cavs. BE A MAN. You've showed that you're NOT a champion, because champions don't need other superstars. The Lakers were not great because of the stars, the Lakers were great because of each other. Michael Jordan MADE Scottie Pippen better (remember, too, Scottie Pippen cried like a baby and sat on the bench because he wasn't getting the last shot). Larry Bird MADE the guys around him better. Tim Duncan MADE the guys around him better. You, young man, are a whiny little child that didn't get your way. Perhaps what we were all Witnesses to was your inability to live up to the hype. You will never be Kobe Bryant. You will never be Michael Jordan. You are nothing but an accessory on Dwayne Wade's team.
In closing, Cleveland Fan, I offer this: when the Miami sHeat comes to town next season. Go. All of you. Pack em in. Wear the wine and gold proudly. Say nothing. No cheers. No boos. Absolute silence. He doesn't deserve your boos. Save your boos for the likes of Joakim Noah, who bashed the city...and Lebron said nothing in our defense. Burn his stuff. It was your money that paid for it. You've already pissed it away. Burn it. It's just stuff, you don't actually need it anyway.
Cleveland fans have taken a beating in the media, at least in my opinion for their reactions to "The Circus" Thursday night, so I feel the need to justify mine and my fellow Clevelanders reactions. (This will be painful, my friends, but bear with me.)
My earliest memory in sports is not the Ohio State football game I went to when I was 3 or even the game in 1985 when the Buckeyes shocked #1 Iowa. No, my first sports memory is the 1986 Cleveland Browns (I'm sorry, loyal friends, it stands to be mentioned...)
So there I was, January 11, 1987, 8 years old, with my milkbone "pin," painted orange, brown, and white, adorned by cute ribbons (no doubt made by some church lady somewhere), watching the Browns. They take the lead 20-13, kick off with a bizarre kickoff that sails behind the Broncos, and they are pinned down on their 2 yard line, with only 5:32 left in the game. SUPER BOWL! SUPER BOWL! Chants all over Municipal (RIP) Stadium. The fans believe it. Bernie Bernie, OHHHHH YEAH!!! Super Bowl....wait, what? THE DRIVE... If reading it isn't enough to make you want to kick yourself in the face...watch this.Incidentally, the Cleveland Indians in 1986 had a record of 84-78, which was, sadly, it's best since the 1968 season. 1987 they would go 61-101, finishing dead last, and inspiring the movie "Major League."
But I digress...January 17, 1988, Mile High Stadium in ...
Denver, Colorado. The Broncos were up 21-3 at the half, absolutely killing my beloved Brownies. In the second half, though, Bernie Kosar (who STILL holds an NFL record for most completed passes without an interception, btw) led the team to 4 touchdowns and halfway through the 4th quarter it was 31-31. John Elway then led the Broncos to a score, making it 38-31 Denver with 4 minutes left. The Browns then drive down to the Broncos 8-yard line with 1:12 left in the game. Byner goes left, he's in the end zone, the ball is not... May 7, 1989, Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio...the
Cleveland Cavs are playing in the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Cavs are up with 3 seconds left and the Bulls call timeout. There I was, 10 years old, sitting on the edge of an old white leather chair in the living room. Michael Jordan was going down!! Everyone could feel it. (He wasn't quite Michael yet, remember) The Bulls inbound the ball...you gotta be effin kidding me.Go back in time to 1973.
Art Modell leases Municipal Stadium to the city for $1/year, then refuses revenue sharing with the Indians. In 1994, the Indians convince the city to build the Gateway Project, with Jacobs, I mean, Progressive Field, and Gund, I mean, Quicken Loans Arena. Art Modell refuses to take part, believing that the Browns will still make more money. He was wrong, dead wrong. November 6, 1995, the Browns were 3-4, Art Modell announced he was up and moving the team to Baltimore the following season. Fans were outraged, sporting "Muck Fodell" shirts, holding protests, even a protest in Pittsburgh, the ONLY time the two sides were united, though that protest was hardly mentioned, and filed countless lawsuits against Modell. The NFL, Cleveland, and Modell came to an agreement in 1996, in which the Browns Franchise would be "deactivated," retaining all of it's colors, history, accolades, while Modell would be given an expansion team in Baltimore, but retain all the players and contracts of the current Browns. The Browns would be inactive for three years, while they built a new stadium.
The Browns returned in 1999. They've had only 2 winning seasons since their return. The Ravens have, however, been to the playoffs six times, and won Super Bowl XXXV, January 28, 2001. Art Modell is no longer the majority owner of the team, going bankrupt and selling 49% in 2000, and more of the team in 2004. He is still the most hated man in Cleveland, going all the way back to 1963 with the firing of Paul Brown.1995: Cleveland Indians vs. Atlanta Braves, World Series.....Atlanta 4-2.
1997: Cleveland Indians vs. Florida Marlins, World Series...not only were the Florida Marlins a wild card team, they were a five year old franchise. The Indians were the heavy favorites to win. Game 7. Bottom of the 9th, Indians up 2-1. Closer Jose Mesa comes in to bring Cleveland it's first World Series championship since 1948. BLOWN SAVE. Extra Innings...Bottom 11. Craig Counsell hits a ball between first and second...THE ERROR. Instead of a routine out, the ball goes off Tony Fernandez's glove. Edgar Renteria hits a ball, it bounces off of Charlie Nagy's glove into the outfield, Counsell runs home, Indians lose...
Yet through ALL OF THIS, the Cleveland fan doesn't stray. THIS IS KEY. The Cleveland Fan DOESN'T STRAY. We stay through all of it, and we love them. We absolutely friggin love them. We inevitably know what's going to happen to us, should a small amount of success flop our way, but we HOPE that just once, JUST ONCE, a ball bounces OUR way and WE will be victorious. We wear hideous colors, orange and brown, wine and gold, orange and blue, (can't go wrong with the red, white, and blue of the Indians, though) and we wear them PROUDLY, no matter WHAT. We join in on the jokes, though from some sources (ESPN) we don't appreciate them. You can't knock it til you tried it. It's a religion. Northeast Ohio: the birthplace of football. We are a proud people. You look at us, at our city, you call it garbage, it's people "depressed," both economically and emotionally. Do you say that about Detroit fans, whose plight is similar to that of Clevalanders economically? No, they've had the Pistons (championships) and the Tigers (World Series appearance out of nowhere) lately, so you don't knock them. You knock Clevelanders.
Sure, you may pick on Cubs fans, but the city of Chicago has had success from ALL of their other teams. No sir, only the Cleveland fan has lived a lifetime and never seen a championship come to their city. It's fun to kick them while they're down. Cleveland: the Lovable Loser. The "Mistake by the Lake."
Enter Lebron James....
Lebron, the self-appointed "King." The Ohio born son, that never showed any love for his state. The band-wagoner "The Yankees," "The Cowboys." His disdain for all things Cleveland never deterred us. We defended him. "Of course he would like the Cowboys, the Browns weren't even around when he was growing up." (Though I never got the Yankees thing, the Indians were WAY better at the time...) We bought into his hype, hype he himself generated with the money-hungry slobs at Nike. We were all witnesses. In countless games, he would pass at the wrong moment. ESPN would question his desire for championships, saying he passed off instead of taking the shot because he couldn't handle the pressure. We said "why wouldn't he pass? He was triple teamed, the guy was WIDE OPEN! It's not Lebron's fault the other guys can't handle it in the clutch." We waited for YEARS for him to make his decision. As the time grew closer, the writing was on the wall. Celebrities were coming to Cleveland to watch games. He was gone. No one comes to Cleveland for fun, right Joakim Noah? Then the Boston series happened. The Lebron praise was drifting away. We all saw it, we knew he quit. We voiced it, we were pissed off. But through it all, again, WE HELD OUT HOPE. Lebron calls a one hour tv special on ESPN to announce his decision. Surely he won't embarrass us on national television, not our native son. He parades kids from the Cleveland Boys & Girls Club out on stage with him. He announces he's leaving....
Did you hear the heartbroken children sigh? No? You couldn't hear it through the screaming at your television?
To all those who judge the Cleveland fan, I offer this: it's not that he left. Athletes come and go, and no one understands that better than Cleveland fan (let me give you some names: Ray Fosse, Manny Ramirez, Joe Carter, Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia, Vinny Testaverde). No it's not that he left. It's not about mindless idol worship of someone that doesn't deserve it. Lebron doesn't pay my bills, Josh Cribbs doesn't pay my bills. Athletes aren't heroes. Let me tell you what this is about. This is about the WAY he did it.
Cleveland Fan is loyal. Cleveland Fan loves you no matter what, for all your faults. (How else do you explain attendance at Browns games in negative temperatures?) You wanna leave? No problem, son, there's the door. But you give me the respect and dignity I deserve when you do it. You do not go run and hide in another state, have an hour long special where you talk IN THE THIRD PERSON, you do not have "your people" contact the Cavs. BE A MAN. You've showed that you're NOT a champion, because champions don't need other superstars. The Lakers were not great because of the stars, the Lakers were great because of each other. Michael Jordan MADE Scottie Pippen better (remember, too, Scottie Pippen cried like a baby and sat on the bench because he wasn't getting the last shot). Larry Bird MADE the guys around him better. Tim Duncan MADE the guys around him better. You, young man, are a whiny little child that didn't get your way. Perhaps what we were all Witnesses to was your inability to live up to the hype. You will never be Kobe Bryant. You will never be Michael Jordan. You are nothing but an accessory on Dwayne Wade's team.
In closing, Cleveland Fan, I offer this: when the Miami sHeat comes to town next season. Go. All of you. Pack em in. Wear the wine and gold proudly. Say nothing. No cheers. No boos. Absolute silence. He doesn't deserve your boos. Save your boos for the likes of Joakim Noah, who bashed the city...and Lebron said nothing in our defense. Burn his stuff. It was your money that paid for it. You've already pissed it away. Burn it. It's just stuff, you don't actually need it anyway.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
You Know You're Old When...
So for the 1st time in ages, my family actually spent a holiday together: Fourth of July. We headed up to Massillon to welcome home the Singaporeans (no, not actual citizens of Singapore, my cousin & her family have lived in Singapore for the last 2 years and they are now back in the states), and had a lovely time together. Save for one thing: sleeping arrangements.
Night 1: Princess, Daddy, & I slept in Auntie M(not Wizard of Oz)'s attic....on air mattresses. I personally HATE air mattresses, and Princess had never had the pleasure. See, when we travel, I prefer to let Princess get the queen of all sleeping arrangements, since she is no longer pack-and-play-sized. For example, last summer, she slept in luxury in a queen-sized bed by herself in a hotel, while Neena and I shared a horrid hide-a-bed with an equally horrid bar RIGHT IN OUR BACKS. But I digress....Princess had to sleep in an air mattress. She was fairly tired, so I figured she would go right to sleep. Instead, she flopped like a fish on a dock, trying to get free of a fishhook, for about 15 minutes, before finally falling asleep. I had made the bed as absolutely firm as I could get it to go, hoping that maybe she would just be so tired she would pass out and not move the rest of the night, sleeping maybe until at least 8....
So we go to bed, all I hear all night long is her tossing and turning and flopping around. 6:45 guess who's up for the day?? (Here's a hint: it wasn't me...) So the day progresses and Princess takes a nap. Since Daddy had to leave so that he could go to work on Monday, we would be relocating for sleep night 2. We would be hitting up our normal room, with Princess sleeping on the futon. Of course, halfway through the day, I realize that with my "nieces" staying there, I would have to sleep on the floor, since they would have the air mattresses in the attic. Since my back was already slightly tweaked from night 1 on the air mattress, I wasn't all that excited about sleeping on the floor.
In the interest of having a pleasant 4th, and staying to actually see the fireworks my cousin bought, I worked to get Princess a nap. It was a successful attempt, with both of us sleeping on the futon, together, in relative harmony. At this point, I decide that we could sleep in the same bed that night also, since she slept so well and in the correct position, so soundly that I had to shout her name to wake her up. So we go over to my cousin's for the festivities.
Princess spent time swimming and playing on the swing set, etc, and after her hating every second of the fireworks, we head back to Auntie M's. Bath, blah blah blah, she wants to go to bed.
Night 2: One of two things happen at bed time: (1) she falls asleep while we read/sing or (2) she tells me to go and works it out all by herself. When we're not at home, she usually makes me stay with her until she falls asleep, which is fine, but this night, she decided she wanted me to go. I told her to get some good sleep and make sure she saved room for me to sleep in the bed with her, knowing full well that wouldn't happen, but she can be moved.
About an hour later, I head in to go to bed. True to form, smack dab in the middle of the futon. So I try to move her, she bounces back just like a spring. Try again, same result. Super...so I try to get in bed and hope she just moves with the force of my body. Nope...just pushed back against me. So couple the "comfort" of a futon and the "comfort" of a bed-hogging, tossing-and-turning four year old and I got no sleep AND slept with 90% of my body hanging off the futon. By noon, I could barely bend at the waist. So since none of the children were in any apparent pain from all of our sleeping arrangements, I've officially concluded I am, in fact, old....and I'm going on a hunt for a chiropractor.
Night 1: Princess, Daddy, & I slept in Auntie M(not Wizard of Oz)'s attic....on air mattresses. I personally HATE air mattresses, and Princess had never had the pleasure. See, when we travel, I prefer to let Princess get the queen of all sleeping arrangements, since she is no longer pack-and-play-sized. For example, last summer, she slept in luxury in a queen-sized bed by herself in a hotel, while Neena and I shared a horrid hide-a-bed with an equally horrid bar RIGHT IN OUR BACKS. But I digress....Princess had to sleep in an air mattress. She was fairly tired, so I figured she would go right to sleep. Instead, she flopped like a fish on a dock, trying to get free of a fishhook, for about 15 minutes, before finally falling asleep. I had made the bed as absolutely firm as I could get it to go, hoping that maybe she would just be so tired she would pass out and not move the rest of the night, sleeping maybe until at least 8....
So we go to bed, all I hear all night long is her tossing and turning and flopping around. 6:45 guess who's up for the day?? (Here's a hint: it wasn't me...) So the day progresses and Princess takes a nap. Since Daddy had to leave so that he could go to work on Monday, we would be relocating for sleep night 2. We would be hitting up our normal room, with Princess sleeping on the futon. Of course, halfway through the day, I realize that with my "nieces" staying there, I would have to sleep on the floor, since they would have the air mattresses in the attic. Since my back was already slightly tweaked from night 1 on the air mattress, I wasn't all that excited about sleeping on the floor.
In the interest of having a pleasant 4th, and staying to actually see the fireworks my cousin bought, I worked to get Princess a nap. It was a successful attempt, with both of us sleeping on the futon, together, in relative harmony. At this point, I decide that we could sleep in the same bed that night also, since she slept so well and in the correct position, so soundly that I had to shout her name to wake her up. So we go over to my cousin's for the festivities.
Princess spent time swimming and playing on the swing set, etc, and after her hating every second of the fireworks, we head back to Auntie M's. Bath, blah blah blah, she wants to go to bed.
Night 2: One of two things happen at bed time: (1) she falls asleep while we read/sing or (2) she tells me to go and works it out all by herself. When we're not at home, she usually makes me stay with her until she falls asleep, which is fine, but this night, she decided she wanted me to go. I told her to get some good sleep and make sure she saved room for me to sleep in the bed with her, knowing full well that wouldn't happen, but she can be moved.
About an hour later, I head in to go to bed. True to form, smack dab in the middle of the futon. So I try to move her, she bounces back just like a spring. Try again, same result. Super...so I try to get in bed and hope she just moves with the force of my body. Nope...just pushed back against me. So couple the "comfort" of a futon and the "comfort" of a bed-hogging, tossing-and-turning four year old and I got no sleep AND slept with 90% of my body hanging off the futon. By noon, I could barely bend at the waist. So since none of the children were in any apparent pain from all of our sleeping arrangements, I've officially concluded I am, in fact, old....and I'm going on a hunt for a chiropractor.
Friday, July 2, 2010
It's the American Way...
So here it is, Fourth of July weekend. The weekend we assert our Independence, the very essence of what makes our country great. We throw parties, drink beer, set off fireworks, rubbing it in. Nevermind the fact that the very country we sought Independence from, Britain, is one of our closest allies today. That's neither here nor there, they've simply come to their senses and realized, "damn, we screwed up..."
And what's so damn great about being Independent? Well for starters, I can write this and (to my knowledge) the government won't censor me or have me arrested. What is so brilliant about this country? Why don't you ask those people that come here, risking life and limb, every day to "chase the American dream." Clearly somebody wants to be here....
So go out, buy some sparklers, light your grill, and stick your nose in the air, with that "nah nah nah nah nah" attitude, because we are free and independent, and no one else has what we have...
And what's so damn great about being Independent? Well for starters, I can write this and (to my knowledge) the government won't censor me or have me arrested. What is so brilliant about this country? Why don't you ask those people that come here, risking life and limb, every day to "chase the American dream." Clearly somebody wants to be here....
So go out, buy some sparklers, light your grill, and stick your nose in the air, with that "nah nah nah nah nah" attitude, because we are free and independent, and no one else has what we have...
Thursday, July 1, 2010
I'm Not "That Girl" Anymore...
I know people don't believe it, but I'm not that bitch anymore. Sure, I can still pour it on when necessary, but I prefer to be totally stress-free (on the outside) and not let things bother me anymore. I think back to how I used to be: pissed off, frustrated, constantly bringing up whatever nonsense was plaguing me just to talk about it incessantly. I wouldn't have been friends with me, either.
I don't know when it happened, per se, but something just changed. Perhaps now, though, my carefree ways have made it seem as though I'm constantly nonchalant; that I don't care about anything. In reality, this is somewhat true, but really, it's that I've figured out that the petty poppycock that people dwell on day after day after day just doesn't matter. In reality, things worth getting worked up over are personal in nature, so they're less apt to bring it up in casual conversation, especially not around the water cooler or, though some people are nuts enough to actually do it, social networking sites.
So now, instead of dwelling on something negative to elicit pity from people, somehow making myself think people admire me for dealing with all this "stuff," I just roll with the punches, trying to make myself happy; because really, life isn't all that bad. I have a good life, a beautiful child that makes me laugh all day long, and a good group of pals. That's really what it's all about, right? I invite you all to "not sweat the small stuff" and embrace life everyday. Live it to it's fullest. The best lesson I learned in high school, unfortunately, is that life is too short...you never know when it's going to end.
I don't know when it happened, per se, but something just changed. Perhaps now, though, my carefree ways have made it seem as though I'm constantly nonchalant; that I don't care about anything. In reality, this is somewhat true, but really, it's that I've figured out that the petty poppycock that people dwell on day after day after day just doesn't matter. In reality, things worth getting worked up over are personal in nature, so they're less apt to bring it up in casual conversation, especially not around the water cooler or, though some people are nuts enough to actually do it, social networking sites.
So now, instead of dwelling on something negative to elicit pity from people, somehow making myself think people admire me for dealing with all this "stuff," I just roll with the punches, trying to make myself happy; because really, life isn't all that bad. I have a good life, a beautiful child that makes me laugh all day long, and a good group of pals. That's really what it's all about, right? I invite you all to "not sweat the small stuff" and embrace life everyday. Live it to it's fullest. The best lesson I learned in high school, unfortunately, is that life is too short...you never know when it's going to end.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
THE BEACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well it's all over...51 weeks til vacation. All in all, it was a highly successful vacation, not interrupted by rain at all, save for a dark cloud that rolled in, looking threatening, around 4:30 on Friday. So that actually was perfect, since we needed to start dinner anyways. But let's start at the beginning....
Saturday morning, we loaded up the car and headed to Virginia, our halfway destination that is anything less than paradise. All things considered, it is what it is, and you deal with the bumps in the road. We were unsure how Princess would deal with the long car ride, but we hoped that movies and books would hopefully keep her occupied. Well, adults get bored on long car rides, you can't expect much more from a child with endless energy. Couple that with her not being able to figure out how to fall asleep in a booster seat, not a car seat, and frustrations boiled over. Luckily, though, there were few issues with Princess and her fear of public restrooms, as she just put her fingers in her ears and sang rather loudly every time. Since I, myself, had a fear of public restrooms until I was 18 years old and living in a share-potty dorm, thus forcing me to use them, I completely understand this little quirk of hers, but the fingers in the ear thing, we would later learn, was a new "scare tactic."
But finally, we arrived in Virginia. Arriving at 4:30 is not exactly ideal, as it is just close enough to dinner time to make staying in the room a necessity, but we were sure that after dinner, she would spend plenty of time in the swimming pool. So while everyone went to church, Princess and I stayed back and unpacked our clothes and ate dinner. (Thank goodness the hotel has a microfridge in every room!!) After dinner, I tried to get her to "suit up" and go swimming, but she was having nothing to do with it. She was also pretty tired. Since I wasn't really in the mood to take her to the pool entirely by myself, I didn't really push it, choosing to wait until everyone else returned. But once they did, she still didn't want to leave the room....Oh well, she's tired and burning off the pent up energy from the long car ride, so whatever.
Sunday came and it was off to THE BEACH!! This car ride, unlike the previous day's, was far worse, with frustrations bubbling WAY over. She was finally able to fall asleep, though it didn't last long. If I didn't entirely hate the new booster seat law before, I TOTALLY do now. If she didn't have that damn seat, she could've laid down, just like we always used to do on long car trips, but I digress....
Once we got to where we could see the ocean, the excitement mounted. "There she is! There's the ocean!!!" said Princess. Upon arriving at our house, she was in her bathing suit about 10 minutes in, and down on the beach with the boys, while Mommy and Grandma made beds and set up the house. I mean, hey...somebody has to do it.
Last year, she went in the ocean with Daddy carrying her and them jumping into big waves together, so I told Daddy that if she was going in, he was taking her. At 45 pounds, I'm not holding her and jumping, I'm just not built for it!! She's almost half my size anyways!! (Not in weight, mind you, but height.) Once I finished setting us up and unpacking, I headed down to the beach, sand toys in hand, for some beach time before dinner. Fun times....but sans nap, Princess was in bed before 9:00 and asleep shortly after that. LET THE ADULT FUN BEGIN!!!!Monday, the heat index was 105 degrees....HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT. Needless to say, Princess didn't last much on the beach. Neither did many of us, for that matter, without many breaks. But Tuesday would be another story. Daddy had gone golfing in the morning with the boys, leaving me to be with Princess. I tried to get her to play in the sand, but she wasn't interested. I can't say that I blame her much, that sand is BLAZING hot, so she wanted to go swimming. Well the ocean was, thankfully, quite calm, so I decided I would take her. We lotioned up, got in our bathing suits, and headed to the beach. Unlike Daddy, I told her that I would not carry her. I told her that she is a big girl, not a baby, and if she really wanted to go down to the beach and go swimming, she needed to walk. She was apprehensive, and did not want to walk on the sand, a small concession I made, but we made it to the ocean.
As we stood on the shore, looking into the ocean, she started her attempt to climb up my leg, much like a squirrel up a tree, and I repeated again, "I'm not going to carry you, if you wanna swim, we'll go in together," and she started to walk in....THAT WAS ALL SHE WROTE. 2 hours later, after a wave crashed up her nose as she was sitting on her butt floating, she had had enough. The rest of the week continued on much like this. Princess would spend a couple hours swimming every day, effectively turning into a dolphin. (Coincidentally, we did not see any of those this year...)All in all, she did great. She played with her uncles (TEBOOOOO) and posed for pictures. Though there was a few instances when she was terrified of certain people (we have no idea why, because at the beginning of the week she was fine) and adopted her fingers-in-the-ears-crying pose, but she had fun. We took a couple of walks on the beach, drank alot of adult beverages, and had some awesome food.
So like I said...51 weeks til vacation. For now, it's back to "normal" and more fun....
Friday, June 18, 2010
It's That Time of the Year...
Yes, it's once again time for vacation. Where we all argue about what goes in who's car, and how much stuff goes in the truck because of the beer. Where we send ridiculous texts and say "what time is it in your car?" Ah yes, vacation....
We will be in a car for a very long time, driving southeast, until we at last see that ginormous bridge over the ocean, out to the island. I know, you're totally jealous, as well you should be. You won't be there, you won't know...
7 days of getting up whenever we, er Princess, wants. 7 days of sleeping in the sun on the beach all day, drinking adult beverages all night. 7 days of whatever we want. Last year, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon all died...this year? Who knows? Hopefully, though, my iPod can cover it. ;) So yes, it's time for vacation.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Dude, Seriously...
Alright, I really need to get on this. OK so I suck at time management anymore...too much to do, no time to get it done. Number 1 thing that suffers? Apparently blogging...
Since last we met, it's been rather busy, getting ready for vacation, finishing the TBDBITLetter, and doing Princess's therapy. All in all, I haven't lost my mind in a couple weeks, which is somewhat surprising. But really, there hasn't been reason to. Now that we kind of have an idea how to deal with Princess and her tantrums, and a better understanding of what it's all about instead of just thinking she's a spoiled brat and we're just bad parents, it's been a little better. OK, ALOT better.
I could say I'm mad, start blaming things like vaccines, Baby Einstein, early birth, tylenol during teething, or a billion other things that parents seem to cling to, but really, what does that accomplish? Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying people that do that are "bad parents" or anything. This diagnosis can be alot to deal with. Dreams for the future are dashed. In extreme cases, which, thankfully, we don't appear to be, children may require permanent care for the rest of their lives. But I don't see any good coming from playing the blame game.
I don't believe that anything "caused" my child to earn the label of "autistic." I don't believe we did anything wrong. I think that vaccination is an absolute necessity, and as much as a diagnosis of "autistic" can be a setback, a diagnosis of "small pox" or "polio" would be much worse. We just have a beautiful, exceptionally gifted child that thinks differently, and we need professional assistance in determining HOW she thinks, so that we, as her parents, can help her succeed on her terms.
I've always known that she functioned on her own terms. Every child is truly different, and in alot of ways, I think that has led to our society's rush to label children as "autistic," especially since ADHD is considered "on the spectrum," and so many children are labeled with that and immediately put on drugs. But so many of those children just lack the creative outlet in their day to get their energy focused.
I believe in arts and exercise in education. It is essential. Not everyone thinks in black and white, scientific/math terms. Some people are visual, needing to see concepts in practice. And so much of the arts is scientific, so why are these programs cut? As a musician, having that emotional output is necessary, be it listening to or creating music. I remember the 10th grade, when we played two movements of Johan de Meij's Lord of the Rings Symphony. We played "Gandalf" and "The Hobbits," and if you've never heard it, I suggest you download it from iTunes, because it is fabulous. But when we played "The Hobbits," there was so much emotion, I don't believe there was anyone in the entire band that didn't have goosebumps by the time we were done with the movement. That is the kind of emotional release music provides. Not to mention that musicians can channel nervous energy, the kind that makes you unable to sit still, through their playing.
If you watch a musician while they play, many of them rock back and forth, or "dance," or move their feet. When these programs are cut, leaving children only in traditional classrooms doing math problems or scientific theories, where does this energy go? They usually become restless and unable to focus. Students in music programs usually do better in school. Sure, this is not necessarily true of ALL students, but there's no way to make every child successful. Alot of a child's success comes from the home. If there was one fail-safe way to make EVERY child successful, there wouldn't be ongoing "school reform" and the Department of Education would be pretty bored. So why do we keep saying "this is the way" and wondering why there are still dropouts and failures?
It's time that parents become the best teachers. Teachers are invaluable resources, but parents are the first teachers that children have. So why should that stop when your child goes to school? I love learning and I look forward to learning all over again with Princess. I think if parents love learning and love school, so will our children, and then everyone is successful. You just need to figure out what motivates your child and exploit the hell out of it!
Since last we met, it's been rather busy, getting ready for vacation, finishing the TBDBITLetter, and doing Princess's therapy. All in all, I haven't lost my mind in a couple weeks, which is somewhat surprising. But really, there hasn't been reason to. Now that we kind of have an idea how to deal with Princess and her tantrums, and a better understanding of what it's all about instead of just thinking she's a spoiled brat and we're just bad parents, it's been a little better. OK, ALOT better.
I could say I'm mad, start blaming things like vaccines, Baby Einstein, early birth, tylenol during teething, or a billion other things that parents seem to cling to, but really, what does that accomplish? Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying people that do that are "bad parents" or anything. This diagnosis can be alot to deal with. Dreams for the future are dashed. In extreme cases, which, thankfully, we don't appear to be, children may require permanent care for the rest of their lives. But I don't see any good coming from playing the blame game.
I don't believe that anything "caused" my child to earn the label of "autistic." I don't believe we did anything wrong. I think that vaccination is an absolute necessity, and as much as a diagnosis of "autistic" can be a setback, a diagnosis of "small pox" or "polio" would be much worse. We just have a beautiful, exceptionally gifted child that thinks differently, and we need professional assistance in determining HOW she thinks, so that we, as her parents, can help her succeed on her terms.
I've always known that she functioned on her own terms. Every child is truly different, and in alot of ways, I think that has led to our society's rush to label children as "autistic," especially since ADHD is considered "on the spectrum," and so many children are labeled with that and immediately put on drugs. But so many of those children just lack the creative outlet in their day to get their energy focused.
I believe in arts and exercise in education. It is essential. Not everyone thinks in black and white, scientific/math terms. Some people are visual, needing to see concepts in practice. And so much of the arts is scientific, so why are these programs cut? As a musician, having that emotional output is necessary, be it listening to or creating music. I remember the 10th grade, when we played two movements of Johan de Meij's Lord of the Rings Symphony. We played "Gandalf" and "The Hobbits," and if you've never heard it, I suggest you download it from iTunes, because it is fabulous. But when we played "The Hobbits," there was so much emotion, I don't believe there was anyone in the entire band that didn't have goosebumps by the time we were done with the movement. That is the kind of emotional release music provides. Not to mention that musicians can channel nervous energy, the kind that makes you unable to sit still, through their playing.
If you watch a musician while they play, many of them rock back and forth, or "dance," or move their feet. When these programs are cut, leaving children only in traditional classrooms doing math problems or scientific theories, where does this energy go? They usually become restless and unable to focus. Students in music programs usually do better in school. Sure, this is not necessarily true of ALL students, but there's no way to make every child successful. Alot of a child's success comes from the home. If there was one fail-safe way to make EVERY child successful, there wouldn't be ongoing "school reform" and the Department of Education would be pretty bored. So why do we keep saying "this is the way" and wondering why there are still dropouts and failures?
It's time that parents become the best teachers. Teachers are invaluable resources, but parents are the first teachers that children have. So why should that stop when your child goes to school? I love learning and I look forward to learning all over again with Princess. I think if parents love learning and love school, so will our children, and then everyone is successful. You just need to figure out what motivates your child and exploit the hell out of it!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Coming to Terms...
"On the spectrum."
That's what the real nice doctor we waited a year and a half to get into said. I have to admit, I knew that would be the diagnosis. I've known for a while something was "off." But nothing can prepare you for actually hearing a trained professional say it, confirming what you already knew deep down to be true. It's certainly not the end of the world; there are far worse things to hear a doctor say about your 4 year old. Still, while it's somewhat comforting to have a diagnosis and a plan for the future, you can't help but fear for the future. The world is hard enough as it is, now you've got a label. There's nothing wrong with you, you're just not a carbon copy of the kid next to you. You process things differently, sometimes better, sometimes not; but the last thing a kid needs today is ammo for the other kids to have for taunting.
So here we are, with a summer full of therapy and doctor's appointments, hoping to get the loose wires connected, making her superior intelligence and her inferior communication skills on the same level. It will not be easy, because nothing with her has ever been easy, right down to the month-early, week-long (because of drugs to try and stop it) birth, but thankfully, we now have a plan.
I'm sorry, "spectrum," but you just effed with the wrong person. I will bring you down with force. You have come here to challenge us to be stronger, and I accept your challenge. You were not brought here by vaccines, or tylenol, or formula, or Baby Einstein, or any other "thing" that so many others desperately cling to. I will not be that person. Nothing is to blame, because things just happen, and I will not throw my energy into blame when my focus should squarely be on that of my child. You will not win, we will defeat you. So thanks for comin, but now, it's time for you to go.
That's what the real nice doctor we waited a year and a half to get into said. I have to admit, I knew that would be the diagnosis. I've known for a while something was "off." But nothing can prepare you for actually hearing a trained professional say it, confirming what you already knew deep down to be true. It's certainly not the end of the world; there are far worse things to hear a doctor say about your 4 year old. Still, while it's somewhat comforting to have a diagnosis and a plan for the future, you can't help but fear for the future. The world is hard enough as it is, now you've got a label. There's nothing wrong with you, you're just not a carbon copy of the kid next to you. You process things differently, sometimes better, sometimes not; but the last thing a kid needs today is ammo for the other kids to have for taunting.
So here we are, with a summer full of therapy and doctor's appointments, hoping to get the loose wires connected, making her superior intelligence and her inferior communication skills on the same level. It will not be easy, because nothing with her has ever been easy, right down to the month-early, week-long (because of drugs to try and stop it) birth, but thankfully, we now have a plan.
I'm sorry, "spectrum," but you just effed with the wrong person. I will bring you down with force. You have come here to challenge us to be stronger, and I accept your challenge. You were not brought here by vaccines, or tylenol, or formula, or Baby Einstein, or any other "thing" that so many others desperately cling to. I will not be that person. Nothing is to blame, because things just happen, and I will not throw my energy into blame when my focus should squarely be on that of my child. You will not win, we will defeat you. So thanks for comin, but now, it's time for you to go.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Even MORE Hypocrisy...
Why go to the zoo if you're going to say something like "the poor polar bear looks hot in his tiny, confined living space?" YOU ARE ADDING TO THE HYPOCRISY OF A ZOO AND ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY IF YOU ARE GOING TO THE ZOO WITH YOUR CHILDREN TO LOOK AT ANIMALS!!!!! You can't have it both ways! The animals didn't choose to live in captivity, you chose to go to the zoo to see said animal. GET OVER IT.
More Hypocrisy...
Just more evidence that hypocrisy runs deep, the new "Boycott BP" movement. Need I point out, there is an OIL spill in the Gulf of Mexico, not a BP spill. It is OIL killing wildlife and destroying the LA coast, not BP. Yes, it happens to be owned and managed by BP, but this could've easily happened to any other oil company. We are so quick to blame and point fingers, use that "blame" energy and find a way for us to not be so friggin dependent on OIL. You hypocritic asses...passing up BP to go to Speedway instead does not make you eco-friendly, it makes you a hypocrite.
That's all I got for today...
That's all I got for today...
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